This week’s topic is favorite 4th of July recipes.  Like Lindsey, I’m a huge dessert fan.  Cookies, brownies, trifles, YUM!  And even though this is not a red, white, and blue concoction, it’s delicious nonetheless and one of my favorites.  The name of it should tell you just how good it is!

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 jar caramel topping

1 carton whipping cream

1 bag crushed Heath bar pieces

sugar

vanilla extract

Directions:

Prepare the chocolate cake according to the box directions using a 9×13 metal pan.  Allow the cake to cool but do not take it out of the pan.  Take a wooden spoon and using the handle poke holes throughout the cake.  Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake.  Pour the caramel over the cake.  Whip the whipping cream adding a few teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla.  Lay the whipped cream over the top of the cake and cover with the crushed Heath bar pieces.

As the name suggests, this cake is UNreal.  Expect lots of oohs, ummms, and nomnoms when eating it.

If you try it, I’d love to know what you think.  Enjoy!

Anywho, this week’s theme is dips, one of my favorites!  I may have to post two today if I get around to it.  But this one is for Buffalo Chicken Dip.  This stuff is TO.DIE.FOR!  I could eat it with a spoon.  Again, not a healthy choice, but a very delicious one.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

1 block of cream cheese

1 Cup Ranch dressing

3/4 Cup to 1 Cup hot sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)

Monteray Jack cheese

Directions:

Boil the chicken and then cut it into bite size pieces. Mix that with the Ranch dressing, melted cream cheese, and hot sauce.  Then spread shredded Monteray Jack cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  This works great with Tostitos Scoops Chips!

This is a quick and easy recipe. Very yummy, but not very healthy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach
• 1 can artichoke hearts, unmarinated
• 8oz grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded Monteray Jack cheese

Directions:

Drain artichoke hearts completely.  You will need to squeeze the excess juice out of the artichokes by putting them in a paper towel and squeezing them.  Chop them up.  In a medium sized bowl combine the mayo, all of the parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the monteray jack cheese, the spinach and the chopped artichoke hearts.  Mix well.  Put mixture into a casserole dish and top with remaining monteray jack cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I usually serve it with Wheat Thins or Tostitos Scoops.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 lb pork shoulder roast, well trimmed
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• McCormick Slow Cooker Pulled Pork packet

Basically put the pork roast in the crock pot, mix everything else together in a bowl and then pour it over the roast.  Turn the crock pot on and cook for 4 hrs on high or 8 hrs on low.  Near the end of the cook time, remove the pork and shred it with two forks.  Return it to the crock pot and mix it together with the juices.  Let it all heat up for about 20 minutes.

I think the key to this one is getting a nice fresh bulky roll.  It was so sloppy and delicious.  The only issue I had was trying to trim the roast before cooking it.  It’s really hard to cut fat off of raw pork.  So I did my best and then I just cooked it.  What was good was that when I pulled the pork out to shred it, most of the fat just fell off anyway and I threw it away.

I wish I had had some sweet potato fries or corn bread to serve with it, but I did not so we just had it with corn.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach
• 1 can artichoke hearts, unmarinated
• 8oz grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded Monteray Jack cheese

Directions:

Drain artichoke hearts completely.  You will need to squeeze the excess juice out of the artichokes by putting them in a paper towel and squeezing them.  Chop them up.  In a medium sized bowl combine the mayo, all of the parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the monteray jack cheese, the spinach and the chopped artichoke hearts.  Mix well.  Put mixture into a casserole dish and top with remaining monteray jack cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I usually serve it with Wheat Thins or Tostitos Scoops.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (thin)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry

Directions:

1.  In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper and oregano.  Coat chicken in mixture.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat.  Place chicken in pan and lightly brown on each side.

3.  Add mushrooms, Marsala wine and sherry.

4.  Cover skillet and simmer for 10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is fully cooked.

I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.  The sauce was a little bit thin but could probably be thickened somehow.

3 cups all purpose flour – I’ve used whole wheat too

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter – softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 cups mashed bananas – about 8, but I’ve gotten away with 5

4 large eggs, well beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips – any chocolate works great!

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or spray two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.

*In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

*In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the bananas and eggs, beating well until blended. Beat in the vanilla.

*Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and blend well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix.

*Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a cake tester is inserted in the center and comes out clean – but because of the bananas, the tester may not look clean even when it is done, so don’t overcook.

*Set pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Then turn out of the pans to cool completely.

Another confession is that I don’t really have a recipe for this.  I follow the directions on the back of the McCormick seasoning packet (found in the spice aisle at the grocery store).  Why mess with a good, perfect thing?

What you need:

• 3-4 lb. chuck roast
• veggies – potatoes, carrots, onion, celery
• 1 cup water
• the magical McCormick Savory Pot Roast seasoning packet

Basically just drop it all in the crock pot and cook it for 6-8 hours.  It makes the entire house smell delish and it’s so easy.  Though it’s no secret recipe or anything I’m posting it because a few people asked me about it and now I have a place to send them for the recipe.

Spray crockpot with non-stick butter flavored spray. Place chicken into crockpot. Sprinkle Taco Seasoning Packet on top of chicken. Pour salsa over seasoned chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

15 minutes before serving, take chicken out of crockpot. Mix cornstarch with a little water and a little juice from crockpot. Pour mixture back into the crockpot and stir. Add sour cream and stir until smooth. Place chicken back into the crockpot and heat until everything is hot again.

Serves: 6
Per Serving: 179 Calories; 3g Fat (15.9% calories from fat); 27g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 70mg Cholesterol; 727mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates. WWP: 4