Chocolate Brownies

These are more of a cake like brownie (almost a texas sheet cake style)

2 cups sugar

2 sticks soft or melted butter

7 Tbsp cocoa

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp vanilla

**can add nuts if you want to, or sprinkle on the top of the brownie

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine ingredients in order mixing well after each addition. Put in a 9x13 pan and bake for 25 minutes.

FROSTING

2 cups powdered sugar

½ stick (4oz) cream cheese

1 stick butter soft or melted

4 Tbsp cocoa

Add Evaporated milk to make desired consistency

Spread over brownies while still hot from the oven for the smooth look.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)


4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*


3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced


2 Tbs flour


2 C milk

3/4 tsp kosher salt


1/8 tsp black pepper


1 1/2 tsp dry basil


1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)


1 medium lemon


2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped


3/4 C grated mozzarella cheese, divided


3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.

Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup

5 potatoes diced with skins on

1 onion chopped

3/4 cup carrots shredded

2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli,if fresh cut in small bites

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can of chicken broth

16 oz. Velveeta cheese

1/2 cup half-n-half or milk

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground mustard

Cook chopped onion and carrots in can of chicken broth until tender. Cook potatoes in can of cream of chicken soup and 3 cans of water just until tender. Steam fresh broccoli just until barely tender.

Combine onions and carrots with potatoes and add broccoli. Add milk and Velveeta cheese. Add rest of seasonings. Done when cheese is melted.

Strawberry Peach Crisp

Recipe from Angie Hansen


Strawberry Peach Crisp
1/2 c. flour divided
2 15 oz. cans sliced peaches, drained
2 cups halved strawberries
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, cold
3 c. Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds cereal, lightly crushed

Preheat oven to 350. Remove 2 Tbsp of the flour; set aside. Toss peach slices with strawberries, 3/4 cup brown sugar and remaining flour in a large bowl. Place in ungreased 8x8 square baking dish.

Mix reserved 2 Tbsp flour and the 2 Tbsp brown sugar in separate large bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add cereal; stir until well blended (I used my hands to sort of squish it all together). Sprinkle over fruit mixture.

Bake 25 mins. or until topping is lightly browned. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.