renee's fabulous peach crockpot cake

Is there anything better than peaches....
...yes an easy and wonderful dessert!

2 cups sliced peaches fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 package of a 2-layer size white cake mix
4 tablespoons melted butter

Lightly grease the crockpot; place peaches in the bottom. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss. Drizzle with vanilla and sprinkle brown sugar over all. Sprinkle with cinnamon then cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly over cake mix. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream :)

crockpot pineapple chicken

Love this easy and sweet chicken recipe!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Pepper
Paprika
20 oz Pineapple tidbits drained
2 TB Dijon Mustard
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Garlic clove minced

Arrange chicken in crockpot. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. Mix soy sauce, pineapple and mustard together; pour over chicken. Add minced garlic. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 9 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours. Serve over rice...YUMMY!!

skillet lasagna

Mmmm... I love this recipe from Williams-Sonoma!

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup plus

1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp. minced fresh sage

9 dried lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

3 lb. butternut squash, neck portion only, peeled and sliced into wide, thin sheets

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl.

In the fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the sausage on paper towels, then add to the onion mixture.

In the fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese, the 1/4 cup parsley, the sage, salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/3 cup sauce on the bottom of the fry pan and top with a single layer of 3 noodles. Top with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/3 cup sausage and a layer of squash slices. Repeat the layering of sauce, sausage and squash 5 more times, replacing the squash layer with a layer of noodles after every 2 layers of squash. Top with the remaining sauce and the 1/4 cup cheese.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the lasagna is browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the 1 Tbs. parsley. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 to 10.

indian raita

2 cups low-fat plain yogurt
2 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cucumber, grated
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Let them sit pretty in the serving dish (preferably glass) getting chilled for half an hour or so. Sprinkle a bit of cumin powder& red chili powered on the top to add a riot of colors to the dish just before serving. Serve with pita chips, naan, or as an accompaniment to Indian dishes.

fruit pizza

A fun twist on a old favorite that your whole family will LOVE!!!

1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, peaches, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, etc (any fruit really)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.