Swedish Pancakes

While we were in Seattle, my brother's girlfriend made us her Grandma's homemade recipe for Swedish Pancakes, of course she probably wont give me the original recipe :) For now I found this one. They were really thin and almost rubbery like a tortilla. Jennifer says, "Do not call them crepes, and never use syrup!!"

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with half the milk.

Beat in flour and salt until smooth.

Stir in melted butter and remaining milk.

Heat a griddle or large skillet with a small amount of vegetable oil.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle and cook over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 1/2 minute. Be careful, they will burn easily.

Keep the pancakes you've already made warm, while you make the rest of your batter.

Serve immediately.

To serve - take your Swedish pancake and smear with butter. Then take your favorite fruit, we used strawberry and raspberry jam. Then sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar in them and wrap up like a burrito. Enjoy.

Love, LISA

The DoubleTree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my favorite cookies is the chocolate chip cookies from the Doubletree hotel. The girls at work and I are often sneaking over to the hotel to pick up a few from the gift shop. They sell them in a little tin like above. So when looking for a hotel room to get ready at the day of my wedding, look no further then the Doubletree Hotel. Especially when they say "Free warm cookie, with stay!" Count me in!

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned (rolled) oats
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*F

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter in large bowl. Add both sugars and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour mixture, mixing well. Add chocolate chips and nuts and stir to just combine.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls on non-stick baking pans, 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool; transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Store in tightly sealed container.
Makes 3 dozen.

Love, LISA

Easy Italian Pasta Bake

So I made this for dinner tonight and was pleasantly surprise. I thought it would taste just like spaghetti, but it didn't. The mozzarella cheese on the top was amazing, and gave it a whole new taste. Very easy dinner, and for the extra time with baking etc, using hamburger, it was better than a hamburger helper!

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3 cups whole wheat penne pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1-1/2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

HEAT oven to 375°F. Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Add pasta, sauce and 1/2 the Parmesan; mix well.

SPOON into 13x9-inch dish; top with remaining cheeses.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.

Thanks to KraftFoods.com for this recipe

Love, LISA

Tex-Mex Cheddar Mac

I have not made this recipe yet. It is brand new on Kraft foods - But I can not wait to try it. I love simple recipes using things you already have around the house.

1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup TACO BELL Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

PREPARE Dinner as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, brown meat in skillet on medium heat. Stir in salsa; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.

ADD meat mixture to Dinner; mix lightly. Top with cheese.

Thanks to KraftFoods.com for this recipe

Love, LISA

15-Minute Chicken Soft Tacos

I made this last night when I was looking for something quick and easy. They turned out amazing. You have to try this one!

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. chicken, cut into strips or cubes
2 cups water
1 cup TACO BELL® Thick 'N Chunky Mild Salsa
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® Taco Seasoning Mix
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
10 TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Flour Tortillas
3/4 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 6 min. or until cooked through.

ADD water, salsa and seasoning mix; stir. Bring to boil. Stir in rice; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook 5 min.

SPOON chicken mixture evenly onto tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Fold up sides of tortillas to enclose filling.

Thanks to KraftFoods.com for this recipe

Love, LISA

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I made these awhile back just for fun, and they were marvelous. The frosting was to die for. I will never make them again because I will eat too many. Great for a pot luck!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix 1 pkg.
3.4 oz. JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup water
4 egg whites
2 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

BAKE 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

MEANWHILE, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.

Thanks to KraftFoods.com for this receipe.

Love, LISA

Cranberry Sipper

I made this on Christmas to go with our dinner. It turned out so yummy. And it was so easy to make. I did it in the morning so it was ready to go by afternoon.

I did not make the tea bag, I just threw the cinnamon sticks and cloves into the crock pot. And I couldn't find seperate cranberry concentrate and sepertae raspberry concentrate. So I just bought 2 cranberry/raspberry concentrates (together). Matt added rum to his, and loved it.

6 inches stick cinnamon, broken
12 whole cloves
1/2 of a 12-ounce can frozen cranberry juice concentrate
1/2 of a 12-ounce can frozen raspberry juice blend concentrate
1 6-ounce can frozen apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 to 3/4 cup brandy or rum or 6 regular tea bags (optional)
Orange slices (optional)
4- to 6-inch cinnamon sticks (optional)

Directions
1. To make spice bag, cut a double thickness of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth into a 6-inch square. Place cinnamon and cloves in center of square. Bring up corners of cloth and tie with clean string.

2. Combine the thawed cranberry juice concentrate, raspberry juice blend concentrate, apple juice concentrate, sugar, lemon juice, and 8 cups water in a 3-1/2-, 4-, or 5-quart crockery cooker. Add the spice bag to the juice mixture.

3. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the spice bag and discard. If desired, about 5 minutes before serving, add brandy or rum or the tea bags to the crockery cooker. Let stand for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags, if using.

4. To serve, ladle beverage into mugs or cups. If desired, add an orange slice and cinnamon stick to each serving. Makes fourteen 6-ounce servings.

Love, Lisa