Danita's Recipe Box

• 1 can (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
• 1  jar (24 to 26 oz) mini-meatball pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.

2. Unroll crust on a cutting board and stretch dough to a 12-in. square. Cut in quarters (you’ll have 4 squares). Transfer to lined baking sheet.

3. Pour sauce into a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, equally distribute meatballs in centers of squares. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Fold corner to corner to form triangles. Press edges with tines of a fork to seal; poke holes in top with fork.

4. Bake 10 to 13 minutes until golden. Meanwhile heat remaining sauce to serve on the side.

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded Italian-blend cheese
• 1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce, plus extra for dipping
• 16 (1-inch) frozen cooked meatballs, halved

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine ricotta and shredded cheese and set aside.
Unroll dough on a lightly oiled 10-by-15-inch or 11-by-17-inch baking sheet. Starting at the center, press out dough with your hands to cover the sheet. Cut in half lengthwise and widthwise to create four rectangles. Spoon 1 tablespoon tomato sauce on half of each rectangle to within 1 inch of the crusts’ edges. Divide cheese mixture evenly on top and smooth. Top each rectangle with 8 meatball halves and 1 tablespoon sauce. Fold dough over filling. Press edges securely and pinch to seal. Lightly prick tops with fork. Separate calzones slightly if needed. Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes:  Microwave frozen meatballs to thaw them, so you can cut them in half easily. Serve with extra dipping sauce on the side.

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 2 eggs
• 1 package Bell’s stuffing
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt butter in microwave.  Add water and stuffing mix to melted butter and let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, eggs and cooled stuffing mixture.  Put meatloaf in two loaf pans and bake for about an hour, until brown and cooked through (165 degrees internal temperature).

• 1 bag large marshmallows
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 package cinnamon or honey graham crackers (about 9 long/large crackers) – or just buy graham cracker crumbs
• lollipop sticks (available in cake decorating aisles)

Begin by twisting the lollipop sticks until they are securely in the middle of the marshmallows. (Insert them on the flat, not rounded, side of the marshmallows. Then push them in until they almost pop through.) Then place the graham crackers in a strong ziplock bag, and use a rolling pin (or whatever you’d like) to crush them until they are finely ground. Then place them in a small bowl.

Then heat the chocolate chips in a double-boiler or (carefully!) in the microwave until they are melted and somewhat runny.

While holding the stick, carefully dip a marshmallow in the chocolate mixture until completely covered. Then gently roll the sides and top of the marshmallow in the graham cracker crumbs until they are well-coated. Place on a plate or on wax paper to let cool and dry. Repeat with remaining marshmallows.

Tip:  If your melted chocolate mixture is still too thick, stir in a spoonful or two of shortening until it reaches your desired consistency.

• 1 pound Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 can (26.5 oz) Hunt’s Meat Flavor Spaghetti Sauce
• 3 cups (6 oz) uncooked campanella pasta (ruffled edge), cooked according to package directions and keep warm
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Cook sausage over medium-high heat in a 10-inch skillet until crumbled and no longer pink; drain. Blend in spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from pan; keep warm. Place half of cooked pasta in bottom of skillet. Pour half of sausage-sauce mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining pasta, sausage-sauce mixture, and mozzarella. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts. Remove from heat; let stand 1 minute.

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon maple extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in mixing bowl. Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and maple extract; beat well. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or until chilled. On well-flour surface, roll out half of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes. Decorate as desired.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 cups slightly broken tortilla chips
• 1 cup shredded chedder cheese (4 ounces)

Brown ground beef in 10 inch skillet; drain. Stir in corn, chili powder, beans and tomato sauce. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with tortilla chips and cheese. Cover; heat about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

• 1 pound rotini pasta
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken
• olive oil
• 10 ounce block chedder cheese
• 2 cans pizza sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• pizza seasoning or oregano

Boil pasta, drain. Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes. Fry chicken in olive oil until cooked through. Cut cheese into small cubes. Mix pizza sauce, cheese, pasta and chicken in casserole dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and pizza seasoning. Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup REESE’S Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup REESE’S Peanut Butter Chips

Heat oven to 350°F. Beat butter, sugar and peanut butter in large bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in peanut butter chips; drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 1-1/2 dozen cookies.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups (10 ounce package) Reese’s peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and and flatten while cooking.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
PAN RECIPE: Spread batter in greased 15 1/2×10 1/2×1 inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars.