2 cups all-purpose flour 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly grease baking sheet. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form. Stir in sour cream and milk with a fork until soft, moist dough forms; stir in Cheddar.
Knead dough on lightly floured surface until no longer sticky, 8-10 times. Roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness.
Cut out biscuits with floured 3-inch round cutter. Place on prepared baking sheet. Reroll dough scraps and repeat as needed.
Bake until biscuits are golden, 9-12 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 10 biscuits
Helpful Tips
Biscuit dough can be prepared in a food processor by carefully pulsing each addition of the ingredients until just blended. Be careful not to overprocess; this will toughen the biscuits.
Mix 'n' Match
For a zestier flavor substitute pepper Jack cheese for the Cheddar in this recipe.
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix1 cup finely crushed plain tortilla chips or cornflakes (about 3 ounces)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 egg
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter melted
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In medium bowl, combine savory herb with garlic soup mix and tortilla chips. In large plastic bag or bowl, combine chicken and egg beaten with water until evenly coated. Remove chicken and dip in tortilla mixture until evenly coated; discard bag. On 15 1/2 X 10 1/2 X 1-inch jelly-roll pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, arrange chicken; drizzle with margarine. Bake, uncovered, 12 minutes or until chicken is done.
Serve chicken with your favorite fresh or prepared salsa.
Makes about 24 chicken fingers
Helpful Tips
Two coatings--egg and crushed tortilla chips--prevent chicken breast meat from drying out. Serve this dish as soon as it comes from the oven to maintain the crisp outside and moist chicken center.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place piecrust on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds using the top of a drinking glass as a cutter. Place dough rounds in 24 miniature muffin cups; press slightly
Combine chicken, olives and marinara sauce in a medium bowl; mix well. Divide chicken mixture evenly among dough-lined cups. Sprinkle each with mozzarella.
Bake tartlets until cheese melts and crusts are golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve tartlets warm.
Makes 12 servings
Helpful Tips
It is not necessary to grease the miniature muffin cups before baking because the piecrust contains a high percentage of fat.
Mix 'n' Match
For a fast entree, prepare the chicken-olive mixture and spread it on top of a prebaked pizza shell or focaccia. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake at 350°F until cheese melts, 10-12 minutes.
1/2 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained 1 jar (26 to 28 ounces) Ragu Hearty Robusto! Pasta Sauce 8 (6 1/2-inch) flour tortillas 1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 2 cups shredded Cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
Preheat oven to 400°F. In 12-inch skillet, brown ground beef with onion and salt over medium-high heat; drain. Stir in chilies and 1/2 cup Ragu Pasta Sauce; set aside.
Meanwhile, evenly brush one side of 4 tortillas with half of the oil. On cookie sheets, arrange tortillas, oi-side down. Evenly top with 1/2 of the cheese, beef filling, then remaining cheese. Top with remaining 4 tortillas, then brush tops with remaining oil.
Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. To serve, cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with remaining sauce, heated. Top with sour cream if desired.
Makes 4 servings
Helpful Tips
These quesadillas can be assembled up to two hours in advance and refrigerated (add 5 minutes to the baking time). However, they should be served as soon as they're pulled from the oven or they will become soggy.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush 2 large baking sheets with about half of the oil. Scrub potatoes. Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, using a box grater; immediately place slices on prepared baking sheets. Brush potato slices with remaining oil.
Bake potato slices, turning every 3-5 minutes with a spatula, until golden, 15-20 minutes.
Place potato slices immediately on wire racks. Sprinkle ranch dressing mix over warm chips. Cool 5-10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings
Helpful Tips
If you'd like to slice the potatoes a few hours ahead of time, place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from browning. Pat them dry with paper towels before placing them on the baking sheets.
Mix 'n' Match
Whip up a southwesern dip to serve with these baked potato chips: Combine 1/2 cup sour cream with 1 teaspoon taco seasoning mix and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent roll dough
Combine spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan and soup mix in a medium bowl; mix well. Let stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spry. Unroll dough. Press perforations to seal. Spoon and spread filling evenly over dough to within 1/2-inch of edges.
Roll up dough, starting with one long side. Pinch seam to seal. Cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from baking sheet; place on wire rack. Cool slightly. Serve warm.
Makes 18 roll-ups
Helpful Tips
To prevent the filling from being too soggy, place the thawed spinach between paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Mix 'n' Match
For broccoli roll-ups, use 1 package (9 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed. Pat dry with paper towels.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Open and unroll pizza dough onto prepared baking sheet. Press dough to make a 10- x 12-inch rectangle.
Spread dough evenly with sour cream. Sprinkle with chilies, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, Monterey Jack and Parmesan.
Bake until the crust is browned and filling is bubbly, 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro or basil. Cut into squares and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings
Helpful Tips
If using a baking stone, place it in the oven when preheating. Serving the baked pizza right on the stone makes a nice serving platter and it will keep the pizza hot as well.
Mix 'n' Match
You can substitute one package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent roll dough for the pizza dough. Unroll, press edges together, then prepare as directed.
1 can (15 ounces) DEL MONTE Original Sloppy Joe Sauce 1/4 cup DEL MONTE Salsa, Medium or Hot 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar 20 chicken wings (about 4 pounds)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Combine sloppy joe sauce, salsa and vinegar in small bowl. Remove 1/4 cup sauce mixture to serve with cooked chicken wings; cover and refrigerate. Set aside remaining sauce mixture.
Arrange wings in single layer in large, shallow baking pan; brush wings with sauce mixture.
Bake chicken, uncovered, on middle rack in oven, 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, turning and brushing with remaining sauce mixture after 15 minutes. Serve with reserved 1/4 cup sauce.
Makes 4 servings
Helpful Tips
Chicken is very perishable. Make sure your package does not have an off-odor or color or contain a lot of accumulated liquid. Either freeze chicken or use within 2 days of purchase.
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter 2 large red, green and /or yellow peppers, thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix 1 cup water 1 package (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In 12-inch skillet, melt margarine over medium heat; cook peppers and garlic, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until peppers are tender. Stir in soup mix blendded with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; set aside to cool 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, roll out pizza crust into 12 X 8-inch rectangle. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over crust; top with cooked pepper mixture, spreading to edges of dough. Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and topping is bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. To serve, cut into 4 X 1-inch strips.
Makes about 24 appetizers
Helpful Tips
For the most colorful appetizer, use a combination of red, green and yellow bell peppers, Cut them in half vertically and remove the seeds and membranes, then place them skin side down on a cutting board to make slicing easier.
Mix 'n' Match
Serve as a main dish by cutting pizza into Sicillian-style square pieces.
