Recipe Exchange: The Blogger Way

My friend, Julia, posted a plea for different recipes on her blog a while back. She was tired of the same ole, same ole. I haven't been cooking very much lately for different reasons, but lately the urge has come back to me and I've been really wanting to cook some good dishes. So, I thought what better way to exchange recipes, than by BLOG? Here's the challenge. Think about your favorite family recipe, whether you fix it once a year or once a week. Post about it on your blog and then challenge your readers to do the same. Before we know it, we'll have some great recipes and new ideas to challenge the taste buds! Have fun and I can't WAIT to see what you all have planned!

Here goes...

I have been "stalking" Kelly's blog for some time now because we seem to have a lot in common. One thing we don't have in common is she is an avid cook and hostess. While I like to make things for McH and others, I don't always find joy in it. Lately, this has been different, though. I've really wanted to cook and bake! So, I have "borrowed" two recipes (so far) from her and I just have to share them because they are AWESOME and so EASY!

First, I hosted a Premier jewelry party at school and fixed these Cake Balls which were a total hit! They are SO good and SUPER easy! I also made some very yummy sausage balls (Bisquick, cheese, and hot sausage...mix all together and form into balls...cook until done, about 10-12 minutes).

CAKE BALLS

You will need:
-1 box of Red Velvet cake mix
-1 to 2 cans of Cream Cheese cake frosting (I only used one and I think it would be better with a litle more)
-Vanilla Almond Bark
-Crisco
-wax paper
First, start melting almond bark in pan on stove. Use Crisco to thin for dipping. Be careful not to overheat.

Bake the cake mix according to boxed directions. While still warm, crumble cake into large bowl and mix in cream cheese cake frosting. When mixed well, spoon into balls with scooper of some kind (I used a melon scooper and it worked really well).
Use a slotted spoon or egg separator to dip balls into almond bark. Place on wax paper and let cool completely (I let them sit overnight, but you could also put them in the refrigerator for faster cooling). Serve and enjoy! And boy, will you!

The other recipe I made the other night for dinner, but it has lasted us almost a week and we're still not finished eating it.

CHICKEN LASAGNA

-2 to 3 cooked chicken breasts (or more depending on how much chicken you like)
-2 jars of Prego spaghetti sauce (I used Garlic and Parmesan because that's what Kelly used and it was very good)
-1 box Uncooked lasagna noodles
-1 15 oz container Ricotta cheese
-2+ c. mozzarella cheese
-1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

In an 11x7 dish, spread 1 c. sauce, and top with uncooked lasagna noodles. Then, layer Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cut up cooked chicken (I just boiled it and then shredded it into chunks) into small pieces and spread on top.

Spread 1 c. sauce on top of that and then cover with another layer of noodles. Place remaining sauce on top of the noodles. Cover with foil in oven. Bake 1 hour at 375 degrees. Uncover and top with remaining mozzarella cheese and let stand long enough to melt.

ALSO...If you're looking for a great, refreshing, punch-like beverage for a party or just for yourself, I highly recommend a combination of Sprite (or diet Sprite) and Cranberry/Pomegranate juice. I tried this one day just because I thought it sounded tasty and it WAS!! You can really use any Cranberry variation, I just happened to like the Pomegranate. Mix about 2-3 parts juice to 1 part Sprite, add Sonic ice (pellet ice) because it's the BEST (you can use any ice, of course), and voila! So tasty and refreshing.