Showing posts with label green Giant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green Giant. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Betty Crocker: Sugar Cookie Mix Recipes and Easter fun


Betty Crocker has been a part of family traditions for over 90 years. From simple and quick to deliciously gourmet - you can create an entire meal with the help of this icon.
You’ll enjoy these recipes plus many more when you start with Betty Crocker’s Sugar Cookie Mix.
This dessert was voted Best Red Carpet Dessert of 2008 and continues to be a favorite of mine. Using Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookie Mix, this recipe can be made quickly and easily.
Photos from BettyCrocker.com
Strawberries and Cream Dessert Squares 
Crust
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg 

Filling
1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6 oz)
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

Topping
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
10 to 12 drops red food color, if desired
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 15x10x1- or 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips uncovered on High 45 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted and can be stirred smooth. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in melted chips until blended. Spread mixture over crust. Refrigerate while making topping.
In small bowl, crush 1 cup of the strawberries. In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in crushed strawberries and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in food color. Cool 10 minutes. Gently stir in remaining 3 cups strawberries. Spoon topping over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set; serve within 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 20 servings  

How about these fun cookies just in time for Easter.

Rainbow Egg Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 egg
3 food colors
White coarse sugar crystals or granulated sugar, if desired
1/2 tub Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

Directions
Heat oven to 375ยบ. Stir cookie mix, margarine, flour and egg until soft dough forms. Divide dough evenly among 3 bowls; tint each dough by stirring in a few drops of desired food color. For a variety of colors, make several batches of cookies.
Shape 1/3 cup of each color of dough into a rope about 5 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Place ropes side by side and a little more than 1/4 inch apart on floured surface; roll until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2- to 2 1/2-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter so each cookie has 3 colors. Sprinkle with sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (When rerolling doughscraps, carefully lay matching colors together. For marbled cookies, mix colors of dough scraps- but don't mix colors too much or they won't be distinct.)
Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting on bottoms of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.
Makes 18 sandwich cookies

Maybe you’re thinking an Easter brunch. Try these make-ahead dishes.

Three Cheese-Vegetable Quiche



Ingredients
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup milk
1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/3 cup egg whites (about 3 egg whites)
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Gouda cheese, shredded
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 to 2 tablespoons Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Make 1 pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust-Filled Pie. Using fork, poke holes in the base all over and bake according to package directions.
Meanwhile in medium skillet, heat oil. Add mushrooms and red onion slices; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
In medium bowl, combine milk, spinach, minced onion, egg whites, eggs, salt and pepper; stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Stir in Gouda cheese, Cheddar cheese and cooled mushrooms mixture. Pour egg mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle Gorgonzola cheese over top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is puffed and light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
The use of cinnamon bread gives this French toast a burst of flavor.

Bananas Foster French Toast

8 slices cinnamon bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
8 eggs
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups real maple syrup
1 teaspoon rum extract
6 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Spray bottom of 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread cubes in baking dish. In large bowl, beat eggs, milk and 1/2 cup of the maple syrup with wire whisk. Pour over bread in baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown along edges. Let stand 7 to 10 minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, in medium microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 2 cups maple syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until warm. Stir in rum extract.
Sprinkle banana slices and pecans evenly over bread; drizzle with 1 cup of the warmed syrup mixture. Serve immediately with remaining syrup.
Makes 8 servings 




Watch this video for step-by-step directions for the Bananas Foster French Toast.

Looking for a little Easter fun. Watch this video on How-To: Bunny Cakes

Friday, March 8, 2013

2013 Products of the Year USA winners

From laundry detergent to Girl Scout cookies, shoppers all across the U.S. have made their choices. Now in its fifth year, Products of the Year USA was recently honored in New York City where marketing and media executives from leading manufacturing companies, experts in packaging and design as well as industry media all mingled together.
Parade Magazine calls the competition a 'People's Choice' for consumer products. The nation's largest consumer survey on product innovation began when a jury of industry leaders and journalists chose products from all aisles of the supermarket and drugstore that showed innovation in function, design, packaging, or ingredients.
From there, 50,000 shoppers across the United States chose 26 winners.
According to Product of the Year USA  entry to this prestigious contest is as follows:

Product Entry: Free
Finalist Fee: $7,000
Winner Fee: $63,000

What is the Finalist Fee? Before being reviewed by 50,000 consumers, entered products are put in front of a Jury panel of industry experts and members of the media who make sure the submissions meet innovation criteria. Products that pass this step are put into the consumer research and must pay the Finalist Fee.

What is the Winner Fee? All Finalist products are put into the nation’s largest research study on product innovation with over 50,000 consumers. Consumers vote on products in each category based on innovation appeal, use, satisfaction and purchase intent. Products with the highest score in each category are named Product of the Year winners

All Mighty Pacs
Seem like a lot of money? Ninety percent of the winners will enter again, and 44 percent will increase their number of entries from the previous year. Manufacturers claim they see an increase in sales up to 120 percent from the contest campaign. Winning products often use the "Product of the Year" logo on advertising, packaging and social media.

Here are eight trends that represent the 26 winning Products of the Year for 2013:
Trend #1 - Nostalgic: Nestle Crunch and Girl Scout Cookies; M&M's; Vlasic pickles.
Trend #2 - No-Hassle Healthy Food: Dole; Quaker Oats; Healthy Choice; Green Giant; SK Energy.
Trend #3 - More Time Outside: OFF! Bug Control; Adams Smart Shield Pet Applicator; Dixie paper plates.
Trend #4 - Ready to talk Development Stages: Poise; MidNite; GoodNites.
Trend #5 - Value in Green: SodaStream; All Mighty Pacs.
Trend #6 - Sensitive About Our Mouths: Aquafresh; Tums; Listerine; Abreva.
Trend #7 - Cleaning Products: Finish; Resolve; Surf; Brawny.
Trend #8 - Pampered in the Bathroom: Quilted Northern; Dial.
Nestle Crunch Girl Scout candy bar

Now for the winners............

1. Quilted Northern Ultra Plush
2. Healthy Choice Baked Entrees
3. Brawny Paper Towels
4. Tums Freshers
5. Off! Bug Control Backyard Pretreat
6. Abreva Conceal
7. Dole Frozen Fruit Single-Serve
8. Nestle Crunch Girl Scout candy bar
9. GoodNites Disposable Bed Mats
10. Surf liquid Laundry Detergent
11. Green Giant Seasoned Steamers
12. Finish Quantum with Power Gel
13. M&M's Brand Snack Mix
 
Brawny Paper Towels
14. SodaStream Revolution Home Soda
15. Adams Smart Shield Applicator
16. Poise Feminine Wellness line
17. Farmer's Garden by Vlasic
18. All Mighty Pacs
19. Resolve All-Stains
20. Listerine Ultraclean Mouthwash
21. Quaker Real Medleys
22. MidNite for Menopause
23. Dial Triple Moisture body wash
24. SK Energy shot
25. Aquafresh Extreme Clean Pure Breath Action
26. Dixie Ultra Tableware