Skip navigation
sponsored by 

‘Semi-Homemade Cooking’

Prepared food mixed with your own ingredients equals simple, tasty meals

Image: ``Semi-Homemade Cooking''
  Recipes from TODAY
Search for recipes featured on TODAY
Slideshow
Image: Chef Rocco DiSpirito
  Appetite for perfection
From Rachael Ray to Rocco DiSpirito, these celebrity chefs know how to turn up the heat in the kitchen.

more photos

msnbc.com
updated 2:26 a.m. ET Sept. 28, 2005

Oct. 22 - Short on time but big on taste? Author Sandra Lee’s new cookbook, “Semi-Homemade Cooking,” is a solution for all busy people who want fresh, homemade meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Check out her recipes for cobbler, pancakes and chili below.

BERRY COOKIE COBBLER
Sandra Lee

INGREDIENTS

2 bags (12 ounces each) frozen mixed berries, thawed
1 container (21-ounce) apple pie filling, Comstock
1/3 cup granulated sugar, C and H
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, McCormick
1 roll (18-ounce) prepared sugar cookie dough, Pillsbury
Vanilla ice cream, Dreyer’s

Recipe continues below ↓
advertisement


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix berries, apple pie filling, sugar, and cinnamon.

Transfer fruit mixture to an 8x8x2-inch baking dish.

Crumble cookie dough over fruit, covering thickly and completely. Bake uncovered until cookie crust is golden and crisp, and juices bubble thickly, about 45 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES




SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY CHILI AND CORN BREAD
Sandra Lee

INGREDIENTS

Corn Bread

1 can (11-ounce) Mexicorn, Green Giant
1 egg
1 package (8 1/2-ounce) corn muffin mix, Jiffy

Chili

10 ounces lean ground turkey, crumbled
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, Pillsbury
1 tablespoon olive oil, Bertolli
1 can (15.5 ounce) spicy black beans, S and W Regional Recipe: San Antonio Beans
1 can (14 1/2-ounce) stewed tomatoes, Mexican recipe style, S and W
Garnishes are sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped red onion.

DIRECTIONS

CORN BREAD

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray 8x8x2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Drain all but 2 tablespoons liquid from Mexicorn. Place reserved 2 tablespoons liquid in a medium bowl. Add egg to liquid and whisk to blend.

Stir in Mexicorn. Add corn muffin mix and stir until just blended. Transfer mixture to prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of corn bread comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

CHILI

In a Ziploc bag, toss turkey with flour, until flour is absorbed into meat. Heat oil in a wide 2-quart pot over medium heat. Saute the turkey until browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the beans and tomatoes. Simmer over medium low heat until chili is slightly thick, about 8 minutes.

Spoon chili into bowls. Top with sour cream, cilantro, and onion. Serve hot with corn bread.

Storage and Leftovers: Cover tightly and store corn bread at room temperature for up to 3 days. Cover tightly and store chili in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat.

Spoon chili into bowls. Top with sour cream, cilantro, and onion. Serve hot with corn bread.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES


SALAD CHINOIS
Sandra Lee

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

2/3 cup mayonnaise, Best Foods or Hellman’s
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, Kikkoman
1 teaspoon ground ginger, McCormick
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, soy sauce, and ginger to blend.

Salad

1 can (10-ounce) premium chunk chicken breast, drained and chilled, Swanson
2 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots, without sauce), Ready Pac
1 can (14-ounce) chow mein vegetables, drained and chilled, Chun King
1 bag (5-ounce)prepared green salad, Fresh Express
1 can (5-ounce)chow mein noodles, La Choy
1 can (11-ounce) mandarin orange segments, drained and chilled, Dole

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, toss chicken, coleslaw mix, and drained chow mein vegetables until well mixed. Toss chicken mixture with enough dressing to coat well. Line individual bowls or plates with a small amount of green salad.

Spoon chicken mixture on top of green salad. Garnish with noodles and orange segments before serving.

Serve with fresh melon skewers or sliced fresh pineapple.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES


PROSCIUTTO AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA
Sandra Lee

INGREDIENTS

1 fully baked thin pizza crust (10-ounce), Boboli
1/2 cup marinara sauce, Boboli
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, Kraft
1 package (3-ounce) thinly sliced prosciutto (deli section), Citterio
1 ounce soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay pizza crust on a foil-covered pizza pan or cookie sheet.

Spread sauce evenly over pizza crust. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over crust, leaving 1 inch border around the edge. Arrange prosciutto on top of cheese. Sprinkle goat cheese over prosciutto.

Bake until prosciutto is crisp and cheeses are melted, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle basil over pizza.

Cut pizza into 6 slices and serve.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES


PUMPKIN CINNAMON PANCAKES
Sandra Lee

INGREDIENTS

Pecan Syrup

1 cup maple flavored pancake syrup, Log Cabin
5 tablespoons pecans, toasted and chopped, Diamond

Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk pancake mix, Aunt Jemima
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup canned pumpkin, Libby’s
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, McCormick
1/8 teaspoon ground ginter, McCormick

DIRECTIONS

PECAN SYRUP

Combine maple syrup and pecans in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high until hot, about 25 seconds. Set pecan syrup aside and keep warm.

PANCAKES

In a medium bowl, whisk pancake mix, water, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger until just blended (do not overmix; mixture should be lumpy).

Spray a heavy griddle with nonstick spray and heat griddle over medium heat.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter onto griddle to form each pancake.

Cook for 2 minutes or until bubble appear, then turn pancakes over and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Transfer pancakes to plate.

Top with butter and serve with warm pecan syrup.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES




Excerpted from “Semi-Homemade Cooking” by Sandra Lee and Wolfgang Puck. Copyright © 2002 by Sandra Lee and Wolfgang Puck. Published by Miramax Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt can be used without permission of the publisher.

© 2009 msnbc.com Reprints

Sponsored links

Resource guide