Sandra Lee has a Food Network show called Semi-Homemade. I've never paid much attention to her recipes, which use pre-made sauces and prepared foods from the deli counter. The website refers to them as 'specially selected store-bought ingredients.' Of course I cook that way sometimes, we all do to some extent. I can see the good side to this is that it encourages people who might otherwise subsist only on totally pre-made foods and eating out at restaurants to learn how to cook at home, and the finished dishes are more special.

Here is one of her recipes that I would make:

Chicken Ravioli with Ancho Cream Sauce
Makes: 4 servings
Start to Finish: 20 minutes

2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated chicken and roasted garlic ravioli, Buitoni®
1 jar (16-ounce) Alfredo sauce, Classico®
1 can (14.5-ounce) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, Muir Glen®
1  1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder, McCormick®
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning, McCormick®
Shredded Parmesan cheese, Kraft®

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain well; return to hot pot. Cover; keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, chile powder, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a simmer
over medium heat; reduce heat to low.
Toss warm ravioli with sauce. Remove from heat. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.
Serving Ideas: Three-Tomato Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing. Store-bought garlic bread.


This Sandra Lee recipe off the side of the sugar package offends me on so many levels, I can barely tell you. Making cookies from scratch just isn't that hard. Those refrigerated cookie doughs have chemical additives, and I can usually detect the aftertaste. But then, as I write this, I remember all those tubs of frozen cookie dough that are sold to grandmas by school kids as a fund raiser. It's a dilemma of our times.

So I guess what I'm saying is if you had a tub of cookie dough and wanted to jazz it up some so maybe it would taste special, this recipe might be worth a try. If I was going to make it, I'd cadge a couple small packets of cream cheese from the buffet.

Semi-Homemade Snickerdoodles

1 package (18 oz) refrigerated cookie dough, room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring (I would add 1/4 tsp almond extract)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cookie dough into 8 pieces and use an electric mixer to combine it with the cream cheese. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until the dough is smooth. Scoop the dough by the tablespoon and roll into about 36 balls. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Roll the balls in it and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until edges are light golden brown. Cool on a rack.