Yummy!!!

Tonight we had a very yummy meal to welcome my FIL back home from his trip to Missouri. (We had a very yummy one last night and, as I was taking the last bite from my Portabello Chicken Panini sandwich, I thought I really should have taken a picture to share with all of you. Oh well. There's always next time. But, I digress...) It was a trio of Pampered Chef recipes. And I did the same thing as last night - didn't think to take a picture until it was gone!

The first was a tried and true favorite for our family, the Fiesta Tortilla Stack. I made it with beef instead of chicken, since we had chicken last night. Here's the recipe:

Fiesta Tortilla Stack

Mix together 1 can refried beans, 1 tbsp. sour cream, 1 tbsp. Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning.

Then you'll mix together 2 cups cooked chicken (or left-over taco meat), 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, 1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives, and 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro.

You'll need five 10-inch flour tortillas. I place one on my pizza stone, top with 1/4 of the bean mixture, 1/4 of the meat mixture, and 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat layers three more times. Top with fifth tortilla and brush with olive oil. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until top is golden.

Mix 1/4 cup sour cream with 1/2 tsp. of the Southwest Seasoning. Spread over warm Tortilla Stack. Top with 2 chopped plum tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives, and 1 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro. Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. Serves 6.

We also had a new recipe that I am trying because a hostess wants me to make this at her show. I never make an untried recipe at a Pampered Chef show. Bad, bad idea. So I use my family as guinea pigs.

Baja Shrimp Tostadas

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake 12 tostada shells for 4-5 minutes or until crisp (I had to do this in two batches). Set on a cooling rack to cool.

Mix 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, snipped, 1 avocado, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa verde and mash until smooth. Set aside.

Add a little oil in a pan and saute' 1 lb. peeled, deveined, tail-less medium-sized shrimp and 1/2 tsp. chili powder for about 3 minutes or until shrimp is pink. Remove from heat.

You'll also need 2 plum tomatoes, chopped, 1 cup queso fresco (or Colby/Monterey Jack cheese blend), grated, 3 cups angel hair cole slaw mix, and 1/3 cup sliced ripe olives.

On each tostada shell, layer avocado mixture, cole slaw mix, tomatoes, and a couple of shrimp (3-5). Garnish with olives and cheese. Serves 12.

Everyone was raving about these dishes and was quite full. But then I brought out the piece de resistance. And this time I remembered to take pictures!!! Here's how it started...

Lime-Berry Mousse Trifle

Thinly slice 2 limes and set aside.

Zest 3-4 limes to measure 1 tbsp., juice limes to measure 1/2 cup juice. Mix juice, 8 oz. cream cheese (it called for 6 oz., but what are you going to do with 2 leftover ounces of cream cheese? and CAN a recipe have too much cream cheese?), and 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk. Whisk until smooth. Then remove 1/2 cup out of a 12 oz. container of Cool Whip. Fold remaining Cool Whip into cream cheese mixture.

You'll need 3 cups of assorted fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries). Slice the strawberries and set aside.

Cut 1 frozen prepared pound cake (16 oz), thawed, into 1-inch cubes.

To assemble, place half the pound cake cubes in the bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with half of a 1 pint container of softened lime sherbet, using a small scoop, then spreading evenly over the cake. Top with half the berries and half of the cream cheese mixture. Arrange lime slices in a circular pattern against inside of the bowl to garnish. Repeat layers one time with remaining pound cake cubes, sherbet, berries, and cream cheese mixture. Decorate with remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds and garnish with berries and lime slices if desired. Serves 16. (Or so it says.) Here's how it looked when finished....

It doesn't look like that anymore! It's HALF GONE!!! It was DELISH! Very refreshing taste. This is a great summer dessert! I'll definitely make it again.