Cooking Method: Baking

Mojito Cake

This Mojito cake is one of my absolute favorite cakes. It's refreshingly light and captures the essence of the classic Cuban cocktail. It combines an angel food cake base with crushed pineapple, lime juice, and rum. The topping features a creamy blend of softened cream cheese, frozen limeade concentrate, powdered sugar, rum extract, and cool whip (yes, cool whip!). It's then adorned with coconut, lime zest, and fresh mint.

I recently catered a Cuban themed dinner party, which is one of my favorite menus and this was the cake I served, which got rave reviews.

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Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Chicken Casserole

This Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Chicken Casserole is delicious and kind of a more elegant version of what my family calls Nancy Drew Casserole (officially called Hannah Gruen's Chicken and Rice Casserole), which is basically shredded chicken, mushroom soup, uncooked rice and water. Anyway, back to this much more flavorful version, which uses shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken), broccoli, and orzo, which is enveloped in a creamy lemony sauce and topped with toasted panko.

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Hot Reuben Dip

My nephew Will was visiting from the UK. He loves reuben sandwiches, so I made him this Hot Reuben Dip. It's a combination of corned beef (I couldn't find any so I used pastrami), cream cheese, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, sour cream, ketchup, and spicy brown mustard. It's baked in the oven and served with rye or pumpernickel. It was delicious.

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Tex-Mex Style Lasagna

I made this Tex-Mex Style Lasagna which is a great option if you're short on time and low on energy. It’s so easy to throw this together for a busy weeknight meal. It’s taco style ground beef, with corn, black beans layered with tortillas and cheese. It was a big hit with my family.

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Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza

Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza is a delicious and unique twist on the classic pizza. It combines the creamy, cheesy goodness of spinach artichoke dip with a pre-made pizza dough. It makes a great party appetizer. I used Trader Joe’s Rectangular Pizza Crust or you can use Boboli. It's so easy and so good.

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Healthy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Breast

Healthy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Breast is very versatile. I can be eaten hot or cold. You can add it to a sandwich, wrap, salad, pasta, etc. I have included 3 different ways to make it - in the oven, air fryer or on the grill. This is the perfect thing to have in your fridge for lunches throughout the week.

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Tater Tot XLNT Chili Casserole

My late mother-in-law always served albondigas soup and tamales on Christmas Eve, which we do every year. She always served an XLNT chili brick for a topping. I never really thought about using it any other way, until we read the inside of the packet. It's basically a base to make your own chili, by adding peppers, beans, etc. I decided to try this Tater Tot XLNT Chili Casserole (actually my husband Eric made it!).

Starting out as a push cart on the side of Southern California roads, XLNT became a popular lunch time meal for some of California’s earliest residents. It was Californians’ love for the recipe that allowed XLNT to be one of the first tamales to be distributed and sold directly to grocery stores.

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Baked Salmon and Dill Rice

This Baked Salmon and Dill Rice from New York Times Cooking is all baked in one dish. I happen to love anything with dill, which works really well with salmon. The salmon is coated with a tangy, sweet, and spicy paste of mayo, lemon zest, honey, turmeric, and dried chile flakes.

By Leslie Blythe

Muffin Tin Latkes

Traditional Latkes are made from grated potatoes, onions, and eggs, and are fried in oil until golden brown and are typically served with sour cream and applesauce. These Muffin Tin Latkes are an easier way to make them without the mess of frying. It’s important to use both nonstick cooking spray and a vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking to the tin. The result: 12 crispy, golden-brown, sizzling potato pancakes – and minimal cleanup.

By Leslie Blythe

Boursin Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

This Boursin Puff Pastry Christmas Tree is a show-stopping hors d’oeuvre for your holiday party. It's easy, festive, and only has 3 ingredients.

By Leslie Blythe