Cookies & Cream Chocolate Pudding Pie

Do you need to bring a dessert to something this weekend but don't want to spend a lot of time making it?  If you like Oreo type cookie desserts, this is one you need to try!

Once the cookies are crushed it also comes to together pretty fast, which if you have read many of my posts you know those are my favorite kind of desserts!

One day I will actually take the time to make desserts that I have on my to do list that take hours and hours, but of course are totally worth it!

In the meantime, I will stick to these easy but so impressive desserts!

Once again, fairly basic ingredients.  If  you are buying your pie crusts, which come in two packs, check out this recipe to make use of the second crust!  In case you are wondering, I do buy the Oreo brand because I do like the double stuff variety the best.  That is also a large box of pudding.  I get frustrated with the recipes that give you the ounces, but that isn't a safe bet as the sugar free kind weigh so much less!  So I believe that box serves 6, vs the small boxes which only serve 4. 
So, once your crust is cooked and pretty much cooled (I put mine in the fridge to speed that process along), whisk together the pudding and the milk.  Once the lumps are pretty much gone, stir in half of the whipped topping and then mix in half of your cookies.

Scrape that into the pie crust and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  Spread the remaining whipped topping over that and sprinkle with remaining cookies and then drizzle with caramel sauce and you are done!  So easy right?  You could put this in a graham cracker or other pre-made crust, but I have really come to enjoy the contrast between the buttery flavor of the crust and the sweetness of the filling.

I kept my cookie pieces pretty big, personal preference for that part.  This is definitely one I will be making again!

Cookies & Cream Chocolate Pudding Pie
As originally found on This Gal Cooks

Ingredients

1 9" pie crust, baked and cooled according to package instructions
1 large box of chocolate pudding 
1 8 oz container of whipped topping, divided
1 1/2 C milk
2 C chopped chocolate sandwich cookies (about 22-25 cookies)
Caramel Sauce for drizzling

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and the milk. Stir in half of the whipped topping and mix well with a spoon. Mix in half of the cookies. Scrape the mixture (it will be thick) into the pie crust and refrigerate for about 20 minutes or until firm.  Can wait a couple of hours if need be.
2. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the pie with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining cookies and then drizzle with the caramel sauce.

Dulce de Leche Banana Toffee Pie

This pie actually finishes off a month of some of my favorite desserts.  I found this recipe on the site Our Best Bites and since they do such an amazing job of explaining it, I am not even going to bother!

I will tell you, that once the dulce de leche is made, this does come together very fast.  I found it best to make the dulce de leche the day before.

Also, this has been a soft pie for me when I have made it so you might want to freeze it for an hour before serving.  Not a that gooey pie doesn't taste amazing, but if you wanted to take pretty pictures of it or serve it up nicely, the gooey factor does make it tricky!

Spicy Pesto Soba

It's strange to think that I haven't always known about Pesto, I didn't eat it growing up, but now I can't imagine not having this dish and other Pesto dishes as part of my recipe collection! 

I was introduced to this dish and Pesto by my first post college roommate Jennifer.  She had been to a party of sorts and they had served this.  She loved it so much that she got the recipe and made it for us to try.  I fell in love and have since made it several times for my family.  My sister will also make this for her family as her husband is a big fan of it.  I love the contrast between the Pesto, soy sauce and even sugar in the sauce plus the crunchy snap peas that add great color and texture!  The ingredient list may seem random, but they come together perfectly!  And don't let the name fool you, it isn't spicy at all!

If you happen to have your chicken pre-cooked, this recipe can come together very fast and be ready in no time at all. 

You boil the pasta for a couple of minutes and add the snow or snap peas.  Drain and then cook the sauce.  When that is heated, add the noodles, peas and everything else in.  Stir to coat and make sure it is heated through.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can adjust the sauce to fit your tastes.  If when you are stirring it, if you think it needs more, you can add a little more Pesto, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar.  When it's to your liking, serve!

I hope you try this and love it as much as I do!

Spicy Pesto Soba

Ingredients:

16 oz uncooked soba, angel hair or linguini pasta
3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded/cubed
3 cups snow or snap peas
12 oz of Basil Pesto
6 Tbls soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
5 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese, colby jack works great
3/4 cup green onions

Directions:

1. Boil pasta for about 4 minutes and then add snow peas and cook for 1-2 more  minutes.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  In same pan as used for the pasta, mix pesto, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar until warm.
2. Add pasta, snow peas, cheese onions and chicken to sauce.  Stir to coat and cook until heated through.  Serve and enjoy!