Chocolate Lasagna

Ingredients:

Crust:
36 regular OREO's
6 Tablespoons butter, melted

Cream cheese Layer (double for optional 2nd layer)
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened 

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cold milk
1 cup Cool Whip

Pudding Layer

2 (3.9 oz) pkg's. chocolate instant pudding
3 1/4 cups cold milk

Topping
1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip (remainder)
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Butter a 9x13 dish and set aside.

Crust:

Crush OREO's in a zip top bag with a rolling pin. Add melted butter into the bag and mix until combined. Press OREO mixture into the bottom of the dish and place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Cream Cheese:

In a medium sized bowl whip the cream cheese until fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk and sugar. Mix until combined. Stir in 1 cup Cool Whip, then spread the mixture lightly over the crust. Place in the fridge for another 5 minutes.

Pudding:

In a separate bowl combine the chocolate pudding and cold milk. Whisk together until thick. Then spread over the top of the cream cheese layer. Place back in the fridge for another 5-10 minutes to allow pudding to set.

Optional 2nd Cream Cheese:

Spread half the Pudding over the top of the cream cheese layer. Place in fridge for 5-10 minutes to allow pudding to set. 

Once pudding has set spread Cream Cheese Layer lightly over the pudding. Place in fridge for another 5 minutes.

Spread the rest of the Pudding over the top of the cream cheese. Place back in fridge for another 5-10 minutes to allow pudding to set.

Topping:

Once pudding has set spread remaining Cool Whip on the chocolate layer and then top with chocolate chips. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours before serving.

Original recipe from:

http://www.iheartnaptime.net/chocolate-lasagna/ 

Chicken Florentine Pesto Pasta

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 6-8.

INGREDIENTS
12-16 ounces dried short pasta (bowties, penne, gemelli, etc)
4 chicken breast cutlets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
Salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped, about 1 cup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine or stock
8-16 ounces of fresh spinach*, washed, long stems removed and chopped
Black pepper
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup (or more) pesto

*To wash spinach, fill up a clean sink basin with cold water and let the spinach soak in the water. Move it around a bit to loosen any dirt. Fresh spinach is usually pretty dirty, so you may need to do a couple of soakings. Remove the spinach and shake off excess water. Lay the spinach leaves down on a clean towel and pat dry.

METHOD

1 Bring a large pot of salted water (add enough salt so that the water tastes salty) to a boil. Add the dried pasta and cook until al dente.

2 While preparing the pasta, cook the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and brown the chicken breasts on both sides over medium-high heat. They don't need to be cooked all the way through, just browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

3 Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the onions cook, slice the chicken into strips. Put any pieces that are cooked all the way through in one pile, and put the ones that still need a little cooking in another pile.

4 When the onions are just beginning to brown, add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the white wine or stock and boil vigorously until the liquid is reduced by half.

5 Add the spinach and the undercooked pieces of chicken to the pan. Using tongs, turn them over to coat them with the juices in the pan. Continue to cook, turning and stirring often, until the spinach is wilted and the chicken cooked through, about 2 minutes.

6 Turn off the heat and add some black pepper, the pile of cooked chicken pieces and the pesto. Stir to combine. Drain the pasta put it in a large bowl. Add the cream to the saute pan and stir well to combine. Add the contents of the pan to the bowl with the pasta and mix well. Serve at once.

Simply Recipes: 

www.simplyrecipes.com