Chop Suey

1 pkg Glass Noodles (or they are also called Bean Thread. I buy them at an Oriental Market and they usually come in a cellophane pkg with a pink netting around it)
1 lb Pork Stew meat (You can also use Chicken or Beef, cut into bite size pieces)
1-2 Baby Bok Choy, chopped (or you can use reg Bok Choy ist's just bigger, you can even use spinach or reg cabbage)
1-2 Carrots, Julianne cut or like match sticks
1/2 onion, Sliced to size of carrots
2 Tb Fresh Ginger, minced
Salt, Pepper, Garlic
Soy Sauce about 1 c. or so

Unwrap noodles and in a lg bowl cover with very HOT water, set aside. In a stock pot, season and brown meat in a little oil. Add carrot, onion and ginger to the meat and keep cooking until carrots are tender. Then stir in Bok Choy. Using scissors cut up warmed noodles a little. Pour noodles and water into pot, add Soy Sauce and stir to combine all ingredients. The combination should be dark brown in color if not add more soy sauce. Let simmer slightly do not boil. Noodles will soak up water and soy.

Berry Nice Paradise Cake

White Cake Mix (I only use Pillsbury)
to cake mix add 1/4c. of flour to each cake mix.

Raspberry pie filling
Peach Pie Filling
White Chocolate Instant Pudding + Milk
Cream Cheese
Cool Whip (or Whip Topping of some kind, for Frosting)
Assorted Berries and Fruit
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh Blueberries
Fresh Blackberries
Fresh Strawberries (cut in halves)
Fresh Kiwi (peeled and sliced)
Canned Mandarin Oranges (drain juice)

Use as many Cake mixes as needed for your desired size of cake. Mix and bake cake in desired pan. (It is best to use a pan at least 3-4 inches deep or 2 pans the same size that are 2inches deep)

Ahead of time or while cake is baking mix pudding according to "pie" directions, then chill. In another mixing bowl cream, cream cheese so it is softened and smooth. Once pudding is set gradually mix into the cream cheese, let chill again 'til ready to use.

Open can of Peach filling and with a potato masher smash peach slices until it is like jam consistency, set aside.

When cake is cooled slice horizontally into four layers (or if using 2 2in pans just slice each cake in half, horizontally). Place bottom layer of cake on desired serving plate. Fill a piping bag with whip cream and pipe an edge around the side of the exposed layer of cake, creating a dam so the filling doesn't ooze out. Then spread the Raspberry filling evenly and up to the whip cream edge.

Gently place the next layer of cake on top of raspberry filling. Again pipe a whip cream edge and then fill with the pudding and cream cheese mixture.

Then gently place the next layer of cake on top of the pudding layer and again pipe a whip cream edge and fill with peach filling.

Then gently place the last layer of cake on top of peach filling. Make sure all edges are even. Frost entire cake with whip cream.

Arrange Berries and Fruit on top of cake. Do not go all the way to the edge of cake, leave about a half inch of space along the top edge for the shell border using the piping bag filled with whip cream. If desired you can add fruit to the bottom edge all around the cake as a border or just pipe a shell border of whip cream instead.

Store cake in a cool place until ready to serve.

This is by far my favorite cake! This has been requested at many family functions and even a couple of weddings. People create a line for a piece every time! My cousin Marcos Escobedo gave this outstanding cake it's fun name. Thanks Marcos! Love ya :)

Elegant Almond Bars

Cookie Base:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 Egg

Filling:
1 can (8 oz) or 1 package (7 oz) almond paste, crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Topping:
2 oz white chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped (1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup sliced almonds (to be sprinkled on top, not mixed into melted chocolate)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat almond paste, sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Add 2 eggs; beat until well blended (mixture may be slightly lumpy).

3. Spread almond paste mixture over partially baked base. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup almonds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until filling is set (filling will puff up during baking). Cool completely, about 1 hour.

4. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, melt white chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour and spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup almonds. Let stand about 30 minutes or until topping is set. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Store covered at room temperature.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 1, bake 18 to 21 minutes. In step 3, bake 17 to 22 minutes.

Almond paste can be found in the baking section of your supermarket. It is a prepared mixture of almonds, sugar and water that comes in either a can or a tube packed in a box. Stay away from the larger 12- to 13-oz canned pastry filling because it is a different product.

Use the premium or premier white chocolate baking bars found next to other chocolates in the baking aisle. It will give you a better flavor and performance than almond bark.

The glaze can also be prepared in the microwave. In small microwavable bowl, microwave white chocolate and shortening 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.

I made these for our Nativity Open House this last Christmas and they were a HIT! I doubled the batch and made it in a cookie sheet pan instead. Your going to Love these!!