Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Quiltermama, this recipe is for you. You requested some veggie side dishes for a Christmas dinner ... I have several good ones already listed here (check the labels to the left). But, here's another one that is very impressive when served but very easy! You will probably want to double this recipe. As listed below, it serves 4 to 5 people.

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) of WHOLE green beans (make sure you get the whole green beans, the long ones ... not the cut or French cut)
4 to 5 slices of breakfast bacon
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Course ground black pepper to taste

Drain beans. Arrange beans into 4 to 5 bundles and place each bundle on a slice of bacon. Wrap bacon diagonally around beans and tuck ends under or secure with toothpicks (remember to remove the toothpicks before you serve them). Put the bundles in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle vinegar over bacon and grind course ground pepper over the bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until bacon is brown.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. When my mom's family used to get together for a Thanksgiving and Christmas meal (before all of her siblings ... all 6 of them ... started having grand babies), one of my aunts would make this every year. My mother is working on a family recipe book and got this recipe from my aunt. We were thrilled to get it. It makes a large batch so make it when you know you are going to have a big group or you are going to your next potluck.



Ingredients for Salad

1 head of raw cauliflower, diced
3 to 4 crowns of raw broccoli, diced
1 onion chopped or one bunch of green onions chopped (I prefer green onions ... in the picture, my mom used red onions and green onions)
1 large stalk of celery, cut up
2 cups of shredded cheese (Longhorn or Cheddar is the best because of the stronger taste ... you can also buy crumbles at the grocery store that works well, too)

Toss the above ingredients together in a large bowl.

Dressing for salad:

1 cup of mayonnaise (not salad dressing like Miracle Whip ... you could probably use low fat mayo if you wanted)
1 Tbsp of Salt
1 Tbsp of sugar

Toss the dressing with the salad ingredients. Let is set overnight before serving for the best taste ... but when my mom made a batch the other night, we just had to eat some right away and it was still yummy ... though it was better the next day. :o)

Broccoli Rice & Cheese Casserole

I cannot believe I have not posted this sooner! With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I thought I would share. Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!

This is one of the items I'm bringing to my parents' Thanksgiving meal (along with Do Ahead Mashed Potatoes). It is the best I've ever eaten, and I got it from my sister-in-law, Terry. She is also a fabulous photographer and you can see and buy her work at Art.com.

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c. of chopped celery
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 Tbsp. butter
16 oz. of Velveeta - can use the light version and save some calories
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (undiluted) - could use 98% fat free
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
4 cups of cooked rice (2 cups uncooked) - could use brown rice and up the fiber

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion, celery and broccoli in butter for 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in cheese, soup and milk until smooth. Place rice in a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pour cheese mixture over; do NOT stir. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I've done this with all low fat items and it is just as wonderful and no one knew ... even the picky eaters.

You can add chopped, cooked chicken for a complete meal if you don't want to serve it as a side dish.

Blog Content Stolen

UPDATE (11-19-2007): Since I posted this, itsyourrecipe.com has taken out all of the curse words from their posts that are posts from other people's recipe blogs. I haven't heard from them, and they removed my comments from the post that contained my content. So, they may not have known that the word replacement plugin was running on their site? I don't know how all of that works, but I really appreciate them cleaning up the content they took from my blog and others' blogs. They've got some really good recipes there that now make sense.

I went to Technorati to look at some blogs I have saved there and to see what was up with my blogs. I noticed that there were two blog reactions to this recipe blog that looked odd. I clicked on them, and it took me to a website called itsyourrecipe.com. It had a link back to my original post. I guess they think that makes it legal?

It had my exact blog entry posted on this blog (along with my photos), but they have used the word replacement plugin for WordPress to replace words in my post with curse words. Nice, I know. If you go to the the link above, the fellow who created the plugin is very proud of the fact that you can do that and suggests that it is more fun if you use it for that, but I don't think he intended it to be used on stolen, copyrighted material.

I don't want to judge these people. I don't know where they are in life or what they have been through or why they think a small and limited vocabulary is so funny ... but I understand that people find different things funny. I really do and can appreciate that uniqueness. I just do not want my material used in this way. I posted on my content that was used and asked them nicely and respectfully not use use my posts like that anymore. They must have some program that steals the post immediately, because I had just posted right before I went to Technorati and that post was already there all "doctored up" with foul language.

I also wanted to let you know that this person has a BUNCH of recipes on his or her blog ... all of which have curse words in them. So, you may want to go there and check to see if any of your content is there.

Does anyone know if there is anything you can do about it? Of course, there was no information about the person on their blog. Just wanted to give you a warning that your recipe posts may have been stolen, also.

My New Favorite Kitchen Gadget - Microwave Egg Boiler

I love boiled eggs on my salad and in my tuna salad, and my five year old is always asking for deviled eggs (I like them, too). But, I never think to boil eggs ahead and by the time I think of it, it is too much hassle and time. Well, the other day I was in Wal-mart and I happened across this microwave egg boiler for about $6! It is very cute in that it is shaped like an egg AND it makes four perfect hard boiled eggs in about 8 to 9 minutes! It doesn't dry them out, they are just right. I did a Google search and found this list of microwave egg boilers. Mine is the Nordic Ware version. Oh, another plus, when you are finished, you can just pop all three pieces in the top rack of your dishwasher. It is definitely my new favorite kitchen gadget!

BTW, I added a picture to my Cranberry Chicken recipe. I made that for dinner last night. I didn't have any General Tso's seasoning so it wasn't as spicy as I normally make it, but is it SOOO good. It is one of my all time favorites! The sauce is so good, and I'm not normally a cranberry fan.

Beef & Potato Casserole

I was looking for something to make with potatoes, because I picked up a 10 pound bag for $2.88 the other day and had lots of potatoes on hand. I found this recipe, did my own thing to it, and here it is. Sorry I don't have a picture, but I was late getting dinner on the table and didn't have time to get a photo. It was VERY good though. Because I was doing this in a hurry, so I didn't take time to stop and measure some of this stuff for you ... so just do it to taste.

Ingredients

1 pound of ground beef (I used 97% lean)
3 to 4 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4" thick)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% fat free)
Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
Red cooking wine
Shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Put sliced potatoes in a medium sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until just tender ... about 5 minutes and drain. Be careful not to over cook these because if you do, they will fall apart, and you want them to retain their shape and not be mashed potatoes.

2. While potatoes are heating to a boil (be sure to set your timer when they start to boil), brown ground beef with ground pepper and garlic. Drain if necessary (I didn't have to because the beef I used was so lean)

3. Add soup, about 1/2 c. of red wine, and a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce to the ground beef and mix it until combined. Then add potatoes and gently mix to coat the potatoes with the meat mixture.

4. Pour the meat mixture into a 2 and 1/2 quart casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. If you want to do a 9x13 dish full, I would suggest doubling this recipe.

5. Sprinkle enough cheese over the top to cover it, then bake it in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.

This amount will serve about 4 people.

I served this with fresh green beans cooked with butter and some drop biscuits brushed with garlic butter. The whole family plus our one dinner guest REALLY enjoyed it. Hope you do, too!

Take Along Cake

I made this cake for our church potluck, too. It was easy and SOOO moist and chocolaty without being WAY too rich. It is rich but not sickeningly rich. It was wonderful tasting and easy to "take along" because it didn't have icing (and doesn't need it). I got it out of The Cake Mix Bible.

Ingredients

1 package of Devil's Food cake mix (the recipe called for swiss chocolate cake mix, but I used devil's food)
1 twelve ounce package of semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Prepare the cake mix as directed on package. Add chocolate chips and marshmallows to batter. Pour into prepared pan. Drizzle melted butter over batter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and top with pecans. Bake at 350 for 45 or 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream or cool completely in pan. Makes about 20 servings if you slice it 4 x 5.

Crock Pot Enchilades

I made this recipe for potluck last Sunday. I was out of town all day Saturday, so I knew I needed something I could make ahead easily. I browned the meat and added the soups and seasonings, and then put the crock in the fridge Friday night. Sunday morning, I put the crock in the "pot" and heated it for about 4 hours and it turned out great.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger meat
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 can of cheese soup (any flavor)
1 can of golden mushroom soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of red enchilada sauce (mild or hot)
1 tsp. of ground cumin
1 four ounce can of chopped green chilies
12 corn tortillas

Brown hamburger meat and onions. Drain and put into a Crockpot you have sprayed with cooking spray. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the tortillas. Cook for four hours on low. One hour before you serve it, tear up the tortillas and add to the soup mixture in the crock pot. Cook an additional hour and serve.

Waffle Iron

This is for Jill or anyone else who might be wondering what kind of waffle iron I use to make my French Toast Waffles. The waffle iron I am using now is a $14 Belgian Waffle maker I picked up at Kroger on a whim. It makes the thick, and yet seemingly trendy, Belgian Waffle (my husband and I don't like these because they don't get crispy enough for our taste), but it works great to make the French Toast Waffles. My in-laws have one of those big $80 kind of Belgian waffle makers, and they have made this recipe successfully with that. My husband and I REALLY don't like the waffles made with these ... not that I won't eat them, mind you, I just don't like them as much as the classic, crispy waffles.

I want one of those old, classic waffle makers that my mom used to makes us waffles with. I've been too cheap to buy one of the classic ones, though ... they are usually about $50. Maybe I'll add that to my Christmas wish list this year. I see the one linked above is on sale for $30. I don't know how well the classic waffle maker would work on the waffles made with bread slices. It may work beautifully, I just don't know.

Anyway, there is the scoop on my waffle iron that I use to make French Toast Waffles.

Let me know if you've tried this recipe and how it turned out for you! :o)

Easy & Fast Chicken & Dumplings

Since cold weather has arrived in Texas, here is a super easy recipe I've adapted for my family. You can have this yummy, comfort food ready for your family in 30 minutes or less. This is my 5 year old's favorite dish, and he asks for it often.

Ingredients

2 large cans of chicken breasts (you can cook your own chicken breast and cut it up, but I like using the canned because it is so easy)

2 cans of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

2 teaspoons of chicken base (or chicken bouillon)

2 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon of black ground pepper

2 cups of Bisquick mix

2/3 cup of milk

1/2 tsp. of thyme

In a large pot, put the chicken (and the broth included), the two cans of soup, the pepper, the chicken base or bouillon) and water. Stir and bring that to a boil. In the meantime, mix the Bisquick, milk and thyme together. Once the soup mixture has come to a boil, make little balls of dough (a little larger than a marble) and drop them one by one into the soup mixture. Stir as necessary. This will make a lot of dumplings but they are our favorite part (especially my 5 year old's). Once you have dropped all of the dumplings, stir good, cover and turn the fire down to simmer. Let simmer ten minutes, stir again and serve. Be careful serving this to little ones right out of the pot ... it is SUPER hot and especially the dumplings (even if the soup part is cool enough to eat, the dumplings usually stay hot in the middle for quite a while ... I usually cut up the dumplings and serve just a shallow serving to my littlest ones ... it cools off quicker that way).

Santa Fe Pinto Beans

Here is my version of a recipe I got off of a can of Bush's Pinto Beans. It was a nice change for a side dish. The boys wouldn't even try it, but my hubby and I really liked it.

Ingredients

1/2 C. frozen chopped bell pepper
1 C. of frozen chopped onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 T. of olive oil or canola oil
1 T. of chicken base or bouillon
1/4 c. of water
1/2 tsp. of cumin
2 cans (16 oz.) of pinto beans (drained and rinsed) - the original recipe called for one can of pinto beans and one can of black beans. Since I only had pinto, that's what I used, but you could use one of each.
1 can of rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 and 1/2 C. of frozen corn

In a large skillet, saute the green pepper, onion, and garlic in the oil. Stir in the chicken base, water and cumin. Bring to a boil and add the beans, tomato and corn. Reduce heat and simmer until heated through.

To see what else is cooking on Wednesday, check out What's Cooking Wednesday.

Double Quick, Super Easy Dinner Rolls

This is basically what I think some call a spoon roll recipe. I could be wrong, and I don't even remember where I found this recipe. It is really good and SO easy. People are so impressed when you serve HOMEMADE bread, but this is such an easy recipe. Most bread recipes that you have to knead I end up making like a brick. You don't have to knead these, so I'm safe there. :o) Start making them an hour or so before you want to serve them.

Ingredients

2 1/4 C. of all purpose flour (split into 1 and 1/4 cups and then save the other 1 cup for later in the recipe)
3 T. of sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. of quick active dry yeast
1 C. of very warm water
2 T. shortening
1 egg

Mix 1 and 1/2 cups of flour with sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add warm water and shortening and mix until the shortening is mostly melted. Add egg to the mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape the batter from the side of the blow. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Spray 12 regular sized muffin cups with cooking spray. Be sure to get not only the inside of the muffin cups, but the top of the tin, too (these rise pretty high). Stir down the batter by beating about 25 strokes. Spoon into muffin cups. Let rise for 20 or 30 minutes or until batter rounds over the tops of the cups. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Your guests or family will be so impressed with fresh, homemade rolls that taste like you spent half the day working on them! A yummy crowd pleaser!

Marsala Ranch Chicken

If this looks mysteriously like the Creamy Italian Chicken that I posted last week, there's a reason. The five year old asked for it for dinner. Since you never know what a preschooler is going to like from day to day, I jumped at the chance to make something he wanted. I normally have the ingredients to make the CIC because it is one of their favorites. Well, when I went to make it right at the last possible minute, I didn't have the dry Italian dressing mix, so I improvised and came up with this. The five year old liked it as did my hubby and baby (the three year old doesn't want to eat anything but candy and bread these days ... although he did eat an apple today and even requested more).

Back to the recipe, this may be a recipe of someone's, but I've never looked for it or seen it. Here's my "what I had on hand" version of Creamy Italian Chicken that I have named Marsala Ranch Chicken.

INGREDIENTS

4 Chicken Breast Halves
1 can of 98% FF cream of chicken soup
1 package of dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
1/4 cup of marsala cooking wine (a white wine would work, too ... don't know what Marsala wine is classified as, but I had Marsala cooking wine in the pantry so that is what I used)
1 package of low fat cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the soup, cream cheese, garlic powder, ranch dressing mix and wine together. Spray a small casserole dish, place the chicken in the bottom and pour the soup/dressing mix over the chicken. Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes.

I served this over whole wheat pasta spirals with a broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots vegetable mix (from the frozen food section) and some WONDERFUL bread my husband's sister-in-law introduced me to ... you can get it at Sam's and have hot, fresh baked, crusty bread in on TEN minutes! It is in the frozen food section at Sam's and is Member's Mark Organic Tuscan Artisan Bread. I know I serve a lot of prepared, frozen stuff like the veggies and the bread ... I really can bake homemade bread (and sometimes do ... I'll post a recipe for that tomorrow) ... but with three preschool age boys, I do good to keep the laundry washed and put away and the floors relatively clean much less cooking a full meal from scratch! Anyway, hope you enjoy this version.

If you have a recipe to post on Wednesday, send an e-mail to the Fairy Blogmother at fairyblogmother@sympatico.ca and she'll link back to you for "What's Cooking Wednesday". She has a collection of lots of YUMMY looking recipes linked on her blog.

French Toast Waffles

This is one of my boys' favorite breakfasts. Since we had extra time this morning, I made it for them and they were thrilled! I like this recipe because it is easy, I can use high fiber bread for the dairy poster boy, and making it in the waffle iron makes the bread much less soggy than normal French toast. My husband and I are probably the only two people in the world who don't like the over night French toast casserole everyone makes. We just really hate soggy bread! Yuck! If you are like us, you'll like this recipe because it gives you the flavor of French toast without being soggy.

INGREDIENTS

Bread (as many slices as you want ... I guess I usually make around 8 pieces with this and like I said I use double fiber bread. A friend made this for her niece who doesn't like whole wheat bread and she loved it until she came back for a second piece and saw my friend using wheat bread ... kids ... and some big people, too! :o)

2 eggs

3/4 to 1 cup of milk (I use 1%)

Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

3 kitchen tablespoons of sugar (sorry I didn't measure with a real measuring spoon ... I normally don't measure at all)

1 tsp. of vanilla (I forgot to add that today, but they were still really good without it)

Preheat your waffle iron. Mine is big enough that I can do 2 at a time, but many waffle irons will only be big enough to do one at time. Beat the eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon and nutmeg together. Dip your bread into the mixture to coat it. Open your waffle iron and spray it with cooking spray. Put your egg mixture coated bread on the iron, close it and cook it until desired doneness. If you like your bread soggy, don't cook it as long, if you like it crispier, cook it a little longer.

I top it with light butter and sugar free Mrs. Butterworth syrup. The sugar free Mrs. Butterworth brand is the BEST sugar free syrup I've ever eaten ... this is not an advertisement, I just really like this syrup. (There are several types of food that I have to have only one certain brand. I may list those one day.) This sugar free syrup is thick and doesn't have as bad of an artificial sweetener twang to it as some do. Being thick and not watery helps a bunch, too. Yummy! The kids don't know the difference and it cuts WAY down on their sugar consumption.

Creamy Italian Chicken

This is an old tried and true recipe that can be done in the crock pot or the oven. I did it in the oven Monday night, because I didn't have time to do it in the crock pot by the time I thought about getting dinner going. I'll give both versions. This is one of the few meals that EVERY kid in my family AND my husband likes. As some of you know, that's a HUGE deal!

Ingredients

1 Pkg of Good Seasonings Dry Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 cup of water (or white wine)
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces (halves) - enough for 8 people
1 package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 small cooked package of noodles of your choice (I used whole wheat spiral pasta on this night)

TO DO IN OVEN:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Lay the chicken in the bottom of the pan. Mix together the cream cheese (may want to soften it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up to make it easier to stir in), soup, dressing mix, and water or wine (as I've said, we don't have wine around the house so I just pick up some cooking wine that can usually be found near the salad dressing mixes, condiments, croutons, etc. ... I'm sure a good drinking wine would taste even better). Pour the soup and cream cheese mixture over the chicken and bake for about an hour. Serve over cooked noodles.

TO DO IN CROCKPOT:
Plan to put this in about 4 hours before you need it. Spray the crock with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the bottom. Mix together the dressing mix and the water or wine. Pour it over the chicken. Let it cook on high for about 3 hours. Mix the soup and cream cheese together. Pour it over the chicken and let it cook for another hour. Serve over cooked noodles.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Here is an easy way to make chocolate cupcakes even MORE special ... as if chocolate cupcakes are not special enough. I got this recipe out of the Cake Mix Bible.

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1/2 C. of peanut butter
• 1 tub of creamy vanilla frosting (I've used the cream cheese frosting before and it works, too)
• Miniature Peanut Butter Cups, cut in half (enough for 1 half per cupcake)

Make your favorite chocolate cupcake mix according to package directions. Let them cool. Mix together the frosting and the peanut butter. Frost the cupcakes and top with one half of a peanut butter cup.

Tip: Put the peanut butter cups in the refrigerator while the cupcakes are baking. When you are ready to cut the peanut butter cups, they'll cut more cleanly and easily.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Do you ever have bananas that end up looking like this to the left? Don't throw them away, make them into something beautiful and yummy, like this loaf of bread. You can even freeze them until you are ready to make some bread. I wish you could smell how WONDERFUL my house smells right now.

My kids love bananas, so they rarely stick around long enough to get to this state, but this bunch did. I have a GREAT recipe for Whole Wheat Banana Bread that I got from the Recipe Zaar website. A funny thing about this recipe is that I've been making this since last summer when I found it. When I looked today on the page to see where it came from, I noticed that the recipe was submitted by Kelly Vaughn. I have a friend named Kelly Vaughn. I don't know if this is the same Kelly, but it would certainly show what a small world we live in if it was! Is this you, Kelly? Anyway, here is the yummy recipe the way I make it. Of course, I've done my own thing to it! :o)

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter melted (one stick)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
3 medium extra ripe bananas (about 1 to 2 cups mashed)
1 tsp. of vanilla (I forgot to put this in my original post!)
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup of hot water
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the melted butter, sugar, bananas, vanilla and eggs in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, salt and baking soda with a wire whisk. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and mix until moistened. Add the hot water and stir. Stir in chopped nuts if you are using them. Spray a loaf pan well with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake it in the 325 degree oven for and hour and 10 minutes. If the top starts getting too brown before the middle is done, cover it with foil.

Here's another tip if you have and old gas oven like I do (I love cooking on the stove top with gas and won't do it any other way ... don't like cooking in a gas oven). I have to really watch my oven or it gets too hot. I suggest everyone, whether they have a gas or electric oven, get an oven thermometer. I noticed that the top and sides were getting extra brown but when I stuck a knife in the middle, it was still batter-y. So, I just turned the oven off with 24 minutes to go and put the loaf back in. By the time the timer went off, it was done in the middle and not over cooked on the outside. That is just a little trick for my oven ... don't know about yours, but if you often burn stuff, you might try that ... and ALWAYS set the timer for 5 minutes earlier than a recipe says it will take to be done. I've saved many a dish by doing this.

Frozen Pot Roast

I'm sure many of you may have known this, but for those of you who don't, here's a super easy recipe. The other day I was planning to cook a roast for dinner, and I usually do it frozen in my crock pot and let it cook all day. I have a BIG crock pot, but the frozen 4 and 1/2 pound brisket/roast was too big for my crock pot. So, I found a recipe and then put my spin on it. It was easy, quick to get ready to go in the oven and was DELICIOUS!!!


Ingredients

Frozen roast/brisket

1 can of Golden Mushroom Soup

1 packet of dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup of red cooking wine (or if you drink wine, I'm sure a good red wine would be even better, but since we don't drink wine I just use the cooking wine you can pick up near the salad dressing in the grocery store)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 9x13 roasting pan with cooking spray and put the roast in there fat side up. I put a little ground black pepper on top. Mix the soup, the soup mix and the wine together and pour it over the roast. Put a large piece of foil over the top of it with enough foil to make a tent. Cook it all day. I put it in about 10 AM and it was wonderful by 6 PM. It was actually ready to eat when I checked it at about 4:30, but I put it back in the oven until it was time to eat. I served it with Do Ahead Mashed Potatoes that I made using butter gold potatoes and some California Medley vegetables. The meal was a HUGE hit and so easy!

Mexican Breakfast

Can you tell I'm from Texas with all of this Tex Mex food!? :o) I love Mexican food the way it is done in Texas. Anyway, I got this recipe from Amy Landry who got it from her mom and I don't know where she got it, but it is WONDERFUL! I've made it a couple of times when we have had overnight guests, and it is ALWAYS a big hit!

Ingredients

1 cup of sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz. can of chopped green chilies
2 T. LaVictoria green chili salsa (I've used other brands of green chili salsa and it works fine ... LaVictoria brand is hard to find around here)
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
Combine the above for sauce

1 pound Jimmy Dean hot sausage (can do half bacon and half sausage)
2 T. butter
7 eggs beaten
1/4 c. cottage cheese
1 T. chopped parsley
1/4 C. chopped green onions
12 buttered flour tortillas
2 C. shredded Mexican cheese blend

Brown and crumble the sausage. Drain on paper towels. Melt butter in the same skillet, add eggs and cottage cheese. Add parsley and green onion. Cook until lightly set (the eggs should be pretty gooey). Add sausage and 2 T. of the sauce to the egg mixture. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread a small amount of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Divide filling and roll into buttered tortillas (the number of tortillas you use depends on how fat you stuff them :o) but you can probably get about 12 out of this). Arrange rolled tortillas in a single layer. Top with the rest of the sauce. Cover with grated cheese and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

You can prepare this dish the night before and refrigerate it. Cover it with foil and bake for 30 minutes and then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. It won't take as long to cook if it hasn't been in the refrigerator. You can also use 1/2 bacon and half sausage.

Fajita Taco Salad

Sorry for not posting in a while. I've been busy painting and getting ready for a festival.

This recipe is one of our family favorites. It is super easy and quick, because I use mainly store bought prepared food. It is also really low fat. Depending what you put on it, it is usually only 6 points for Weight Watchers.

Ingredients for 1 Serving

15 baked tortilla chips (I usually put a handful of regular chips in my husband's)

Handful of Shredded Lettuce (I buy this in the produce section)

1/2 C. of Fat Free Refried Beans (Taco Bell's brand tastes the best to me but any fat free refried beans would do - here's a tip: I add a little bit of water to thin it up a bit otherwise I find it too thick)

3 oz of Pilgrim's Pride Frozen Fajita Breast Strips Fully Cooked (you could brown some hamburger meat and add taco seasoning to do beef taco salads)

1/4 C. of 2% cheese

2 T. of lite sour cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup of salsa (I use homemade salsa and will post that recipe ... that's one I'm always asked for)

Heat the fajita strips in the microwave according to directions (I usually add some fajita seasoning to it ... I like Fiesta brand). Add a little water to the beans and heat those. To me, it is very important the way you put something together ... the order. So, this is the order I ALWAYS put my taco salads together (which does no good for my husband because he then proceeds to mix it all together ... but I like the separate tastes.)

1. Put chips in bowl or on plate
2. put lettuce on chips
3. pour beans over lettuce
4. put meat on top of lettuce
5. add cheese
6. put a couple of dollops of sour cream on top of that
7. drizzle the salsa around the sour cream (but not on top)

If I have pico de gallo in the fridge, I put some of that on for zero points. You could add a couple of dollops of guacamole, too ... I can't remember the point value for that. Anyway, that's our super easy fajita taco salads that I make when I'm in a pinch for time. I like it, also, because it doesn't heat up the kitchen.

Low Fat No Bake Fiber One Cookies

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that are kind of like haystack cookies. I make them to get a little extra fiber into my 3 year old's diet. He could be the poster child for the dairy association! These are really great to give your sweet tooth a little fix, but are good for you and low point. If you make 24 of them they are only 1 point a piece. Not to be crude, but don't eat TOO many of these or else you'll spend all of your time in the bathroom!!!

Ingredients

1 pouch of Fiber One cereal (there are two pouches in a box)

1 ten oz. package of your favorite chips (chocolate, peanut butter, raspberry, milk chocolate, etc.)

Melt the chips in a large, microwave safe bowl in the microwave. I usually heat them for a minute and stir and then heat for an additional 15 and stir ... repeating until it the chips are melted. Empty a pouch of Fiber One into the bowl and stir until the cereal is coated well. Use your cookie scoop, and scoop them out onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Pop them in the refrigerator until set.

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

This is a Paula Deen recipe, so you can't ever go wrong with that. It was VERY easy, but takes an hour and 45 minutes total time ... so plan for that when you make it. I was out of one of the ingredients and substituted something else. It was great, but I will definitely be making it again with all of the ingredients called for. I got the $18 pork tenderloin on sale yesterday for only $9 so that was a great find! We had a TON left over. I made sandwiches from it for Brian and the boys today and then we'll have it for dinner tomorrow night, too. I may disguise it in something else. Anyway, here's the recipe. It would be very impressive served for guests.

Ingredients

1 (4 pound) boneless pork loin, with the fat left on
1 tablespoon of salt (this was a little salty ... I'll probably use just a little less, but I think the salt helps with the juiciness ... this was the most tender, juicy pork I've ever eaten)
2 Tbsp of olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp of dried thyme or 2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves (I used dried because that's what I had)
1 tsp of dried basil or 2 tsp fresh basil leaves (I was out of basil so I substituted dried cilantro)
1 tsp dried rosemary or 2 tsp fresh rosemary (I used dried once again)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Place the pork loin fat side up on a rack in a roasting pan. (I had a roasting pan but no rack so I used the rack out of my toaster oven and it worked great.) Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat. Make sure it ends up fat side up.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees and roast for an additional hour. (I had trouble getting my old oven to the 425, so I cooked it only about an additional 45 minutes). Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. (I used one with the rotary face so it wasn't instant but I just stuck it half way through the roast in the middle.) When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, remove the roast from the oven. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests (and will be cool enough to serve to guests).

Sloppy Chicken Enchilades, Version II

I got this recipe from Jill's recipe blog: Simple Daily Recipes Blog

She came up with the recipe when she was short for time and could only use what she had on hand. I used it last Thursday when I was in the same situation. Because I could only use what I had on hand, mine is different from hers, but based on the same principle. :o) To try her recipe, go to her blog. Here is my version of Jill's recipe.
Ingredients

2 cans of canned chicken breasts (the size that you can get 5 to a pack at Sam's)
1 tsp. of onion powder, or to taste
1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of light sour cream
1 and 1/2 tsp of chili powder (less if you want it less spicy)
1 and 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1 can (4 oz.) green chilis
1 can of drained rotel tomatoes (use mild if you want it to be less spicy)
8 corn tortillas
2 cups of 2% Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain the canned chicken, and mix it with the soup, sour cream, onion powder, chili powder and cumin in a large bowl. I used my kitchen shears to cut the tortillas into strips (bite sized pieces). Add the tortillas strips, green chilis, and drained rotels. Mix just until the tortillas are coated with soup mixture. Empty the mixture into a sprayed 9x13 casserole dish and cover with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly on top.

TIP: I didn't do this, but if you were going to serve it to people other than your kids :o), after it comes out of the oven, you could plate it and top it with shredded lettuce (I love buying the bags of this in the produce section for sandwiches, tacos, salads, etc.); seeded, diced tomatoes; a dollop of sour cream; sliced black olives and/or a dollop of guacamole.

Chewy Drizzled Cinnamon Cookies

Per your request, this one is for you, Tracey & Doug! These used to be your favorites before I made the Lemon Cheese Bars. These cookies are not some of the things I made with what I had on hand the other day, but I talked to Tracey this weekend, and she requested these. I got the original recipe from my sister-in-law, Terry. A big thanks to her! I make these throughout the year, but I always make a few batches around the holidays to give to people and for my family.

Ingredients

3/4 C. (one and a half sticks) butter, softened (this can be softened in the microwave for about 20 seconds or so on 50% power)
1 C. packed light brown sugar
1/4 C. of light corn syrup
1 egg
1 2/3 C (10 oz. pkg) Hershey's cinnamon chips, divided into 1 C. and 2/3 C. (these can be hard to find. In BCS I've only been able to regularly find them at Albertstons. Every now and then I think you can find them at HEB ... Kroger doesn't carry them even when several people have asked for them)
2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. shortening
1 cookie scoop (a must for this recipe ... you can find these in the kitchen gadget section in your grocery store or at a Walmart type store and of course a kitchen specialty store)
parchment paper (you can find this with the foil and plastic wrap in your grocery store)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add corn syrup and egg. Mix well. Place 1 cup of cinnamon chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir. (it will look like it didn't melt but if you stir it, the rest of the chips will melt) If necessary, microwave an extra 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating just until chips are melted when stirred. Stir melted chips into butter mixture. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Tip: I always use a whisk to stir together flour mixtures even when it calls for sifting the flour ... it works great for this. Add the flour mixture to the cinnamon butter mixture and beat just until blended. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookies onto the parchment paper paper topped cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool completely. While cookies are cooling, make the cinnamon drizzle by putting the other 2/3 c. of cinnamon chips and 1 1/2 tsp. of shortening (NOT butter, margarine or oil) in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave it on high for about 1 minute and stir until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle this mixture on top of the cooled cookies. You can use a fork or spoon to do this or you can put it in a quart freezer bag and cut the corner off. I usually just use a fork or spoon to drizzle it on the cookies. Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of the scoop.

Lemon Cheese Bars

Yesterday I had to bake a couple of desserts and make a salad for a ladies' church function, AND I had to fix a dinner for my family because I wasn't going to be here for dinner because I was going to be at that function. AND, thanks to tropical storm Erin, it was raining which meant I was NOT under any circumstances leaving the house with the kids to go to the store. So, I had to use what I had on hand. I'll be sharing those recipes over the next couple of days.

Anyway, here is one of the desserts I made. The original recipe came from The Cake Mix Bible. I didn't like the way the cheese part tasted, so I added a little extra. Here's my version of this recipe. As a tip, always keep cake mix on hand (I always pick up several different flavors when they are on sale for $1 a piece). You can make cookies and desserts like this when you are in a bind. Also, always keep some cream cheese on hand. I was glad I had picked up a couple of packages last time ... the expiration date is usually way out so I always pick up a couple when they are on sale (1/3 fat of course).

Ingredients

1 box of yellow cake mix with pudding in it
2 eggs
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 eight oz. package of 1/3 fat cream cheese (use full fat if you want)
3/4 C. sugar (less if you want it less sweet)
2 Tbsp. of lemon juice (more or less to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, ONE egg and oil in a large bowl; stir until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture into ungreased 13x9 pan. (This will look like it is not enough, but it is ...just keep pressing it until it is all connected ... it will be a thin layer) Bake 15 minutes until golden brown. Combine remaining egg, cream cheese (I put it in the microwave for about 20 second to soften it), sugar, lemon juice, vanilla in a medium bowl and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread over baked layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake another 15 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. I made 24 bars out of this, but the original recipe said 18 (those would be really big bars).

Cool Lemon Pie

Because it has been so darn hot in Texas the past couple of days, I offer this cool, refreshing dessert. It is one of my favorite pies ever. It is also super easy and no baking is required ... meaning you don't have to turn the oven on and heat up the house when it is 105 degrees outside! It comes from Weight Watchers Quick, Light and Healthy cookbook, and if you are counting points, it is 5 points for 1/10 of the pie ... not a lot of pie, but yummy.

NOTE: Serve this pie right out of the freezer. If you let is set out before you serve it, it will be too soft ... still delicious but it doesn't look as pretty glopped on the plate instead of nice and firm in a perfect pie triangle.

Ingredients

1 (14oz) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 (6oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted (I can't find 6 oz. cans here, so I just get the bigger can and use have and freeze the other half for later)

1 1/2 cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

1 (6oz) reduced-fat graham cracker crust

Combine Sweetened condensed milk and lemonade concentrate; fold in whipped topping. Pour mixture into crust. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight. Cut pie into 10 equal slices.

Yields: 10 servings

Also, be sure to check out Shannon's recipe blog! She is a dear friend who is one of the best cooks I know! Her desserts are her specialty I think ... or maybe I just really like sweets. Anyway, be sure to check it out. Here's the link: A Dash of This and a Pinch of That

Cranberry Chicken

This is an old recipe, but this is my version. I made it last night for dinner, because it is one of the few things that BOTH my older boys love (for the moment ... you never know from meal to meal with preschoolers). I didn't have exactly everything the original recipe called for, and I added a little something extra. This version turned out much better than the original version, I think. I'll make it like this from now on.

Ingredients

6 to 8 chicken breast halves (can be boneless skinless ... that's what I used, or bone in like thighs, leg quarters, breasts etc. The chicken with the bone in it will take longer to cook and if the skin is on, it won't be low fat. :o)
1 bottle of Catalina dressing (I used the store brand Russian and it was GREAT)
1 package of onion soup mix (I didn't use a whole one ... probably 2/3 of one ... it was too strong and saltly using a whole package last time I made this)
1 can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 Tbsp (or to taste) of General Tso's Chicken Seasoning Mix (this gives it a little spicy kick - the original recipe called for dry mustard and that sounded boring and I'm not a big fan of that flavor) - I used Sun Bird brand General Tso's Seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the chicken in a sprayed 9x13 dish. Mix the dressing, soup mix, cranberry sauce, and General Tso's together and pour it over the chicken. Put it in the oven uncovered for about 30 to 45 minutes until the chicken is done. I served this over brown rice with plenty of sauce ladled over the chicken and rice. I also served it with some WONDERFUL green beans based on a Paula Deen recipe ... but that's a different recipe for another time.

The boys loved this chicken. I thought I would have plenty for dinner the next night, too ... but they each ate three helpings ... probably a whole half breast each! This will definitely become a family staple.

Rotel Squash

This recipe is one that my mother-in-law came up with I think. Anyway, I watched her make it and really liked it. My sister-in-law and I have tweaked it over the years and each do our own thing with it. Shout out to Amanda! It is very low fat, and a great way to cook squash. I used to hate squash, but when I was pregnant with my second son, I had to have this dish everyday!!! This is one of those recipes I don't measure anything for ... so just do what looks right to you.

Ingredients

Chopped sweet onion to taste (I usually use half a large, sweet Texas 1015 onion)
A little olive oil
1 - 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic (can use the jar kind if you want, but fresh tastes better)
A couple of yellow squash sliced about 1/4" thick
A zucchini squash sliced about 1/4" thick (I don't like zucchini so I don't add this when I'm
making it, but Amanda does and likes it)
If I have some baby carrots, I chop up some of those and add them, too.
1 can of Rotel tomatoes, drained a little (I use regular, but you can use mild, too)

Heat olive oil in a skillet (2 to 3 tsp should be enough) over a medium high flame. Add the onion and cook until a little tender. Add the garlic and cook a little more. If you are adding carrots, do that now and cook until a little soft. Add the squash. If you like your squash soft, cook it a little longer. I like mine a little firm, so I cook it until it is just tender but still a little firm. Add the can of Rotel tomatoes and cook until warmed through. I add a little extra salt to taste before serving it.

Sorry this recipe isn't very exact ... but that is generally how I cook (I don't bake that way ... you have to be exact there). My husband learned early in our marriage that if he liked something, he better enjoy it because it will rarely be exactly the same twice. :o) If it is something he likes, I try to measure and write it down when I cook it the next time. Anyway, hope you like the squash.

Do Ahead Mashed Potatoes

I searched for this recipe out of desperation. My husband is a mashed potato expert (don't even mention instant mashed potatoes to him). Since he loves mashed potatoes and most kids do, too, we were always asked to bring them to family gatherings. I hated it because you would always have to time it right and then be in the kitchen peeling and boiling and mashing potatoes while everyone else was visiting because they had brought something they could make ahead. So, I found this, and it is WONDERFUL! My husband even highly approves of it. Take this to your next holiday dinner celebration, and everyone will be amazed at how yummy these are! In this picture they are served with Frozen Pot Roast.

Ingredients

3 pounds of potatoes (about 9 medium)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I usually just use regular whipping cream because the heavy is expensive and I can only find it in larger containers and you only use 1/2 cup for this)
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Scrub potatoes. Leave skins on, if desired, or peel thinly and remove eyes. Cut into large pieces. Heat 1 inch water (salted if desired) to boiling in a 3 quart pan. Reduce heat. Cook covered 20 to 25 minutes or until tender (don't over cook!). Drain potatoes. Shake pan gently over low heat to dry the potatoes.

Heat milk, whipping cream, butter, salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir occasionally until butter is melted. Measure out 1/4 cup of the milk mixture. Cover and refrigerate it. This 1/4 of creamy milk mixture is the key to these tasting so good I think.

Add remaining milk mixture in small amounts to the potatoes in a medium bowl. Mash with potato masher or electric mixer after each addition. Don't over beat! The amount of milk needed to make the potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on the amount of starch in the potatoes. Continue adding a little and beating a little until the potatoes are light and fluffy.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon potatoes into casserole. Bake immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour reserved milk mixture over the potatoes. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are hot. Just before serving, stir potatoes.

10 Cent Cheese Cake

Actually, the name of this cheesecake is Creamy, Dreamy Cheesecake. My husband's sister-in-law and I call it 10 Cent Cheesecake. Last summer she and I were at a garage sale, and I saw a really pretty pie plate. It had this recipe in the bottom of it as part of the decoration. The pie plate was only 10 cents! Thus the name. This is a wonderful recipe and not heavy like a lot of cheesecake recipes. Also, you don't have to have a spring form pan to make it. I made it last Christmas to go with the Elegant Lasagna.

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs (you can buy graham crackers crumbs or you could just buy a ready made graham cracker crust ... the 9 inch or bigger)
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp butter melted

19 oz. cream cheese
1 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla (I use a full teaspoon)
3 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. If you are not using ready made crust, mix crumbs and 2 T. sugar, stir in butter thoroughly. Press into bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Reduce oven to 300 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large mixer bowl. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Pour over cracker crust and bake one hour or until center is firm. Cool and top with sweet fruit if you like. Chill three hours.

Elegant Lasagna

This is the BEST lasagna you will ever eat anywhere in the whole world!!! I made this for my family's Christmas gathering last year, because we were all tired of turkey. Everyone RAVED over it. There is nothing low fat about it, and don't try to make it low fat. Let it be an indulgence. You can easily make it ahead and freeze it or split the recipe and do two 8x8 pans and freeze one of them. This was submitted to Central's cookbook by Kate Hancock.

Ingredients

1 T. butter
1/2 lb. of hot sausage (I use Italian sausage)
1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves of minced garlic (use fresh on this)
3 T. of parsley flakes
1 T. basil
1 tsp. salt
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
12 oz. tomato paste
1 T. oregano
10 lasagna noodles
32 oz. of cottage cheese (I'm not crazy about cottage cheese but it is perfect in this)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. of black pepper
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 lb. of grated mozzarella cheese

Brown meats in butter. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon of parsley, basiz, 1/2 tsp salt, tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano. Simmer meat mixture as you prepare the noodles and the cheese mixture. Cook noodles according to package directions and rinse in cold water to prevent sticking. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper, other 2 tablespoons of parsley and Parmesan cheese.

To assemble: Arrange a layer of 1/2 the noodles in a lightly greased 13x9 pan. Spread 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Add 1/2 of the meat mixture. Add 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or freeze. To bake it frozen, I would cook it about an 1 and 1/2, but check it at an hour. You could always take it out of the freezer the day before you want to cook it and thaw it in the fridge and then cook for 30 to 45 minutes at 375.

Chicken Breasts with Bacon

Okay, there is nothing low fat about this, but it is really good. If you are doing Atkins' diet, it would work great. You could make it lower fat and I'll give tips for that. This is an easy and quick dish but is impressive served. It makes a BUNCH, so you could half this recipe and have plenty for a large family for one meal. As a note, this can be made ahead and refrigerated until time to bake.

Ingredients

12 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 eight oz. package of cream cheese (you can use the 1/3 fat version)
10-12 green onions chopped fine
A couple of dashes of garlic powder to taste
24 slices of bacon (you could use center cut bacon or probably even turkey bacon)
12 - 24 toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350. Combine softened cream cheese (you can soften in the microwave for a few seconds), onions, and garlic powder. Form into 12 walnut sized balls. Wrap half a chicken breast around each cream cheese ball. Then wrap 2 slices of bacon around the chicken, covering as much of the chicken as possible. Secure with toothpicks, which can be removed before serving. Tip: Do this whole process one at a time. Wrap the chicken around the cream cheese ball and then wrap the bacon and toothpick it right away. Bake uncovered for an hour or until the chicken is tender. The original recipe says that this serves SIX! But, that would be if your family or guests ate TWO each. So, use your judgment about how much your guests will eat and how many this will serve.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

This is often the dish I cook when I want to take a meal to someone. It is one of my kids' favorites, and you can make it low fat if you want. It is easy and you have your protein and your starch cooked in one dish. You just have to add a vegetable on the side or a salad. It is an old recipe, but this is my version of it.

Ingredients

2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 pieces of chicken breast)
1 cup of uncooked rice (I haven't used brown rice with this, but if you do and it works well, let me know)
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 can of cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% fat free, but you don't have to)
2 dashes of celery powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 dish with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the uncooked rice evenly across the bottom of the pan. (This won't look like much, but it it cooks up to make plenty of rice) Put the chicken on top of the dry rice. Sprinkle with the dry onion soup mix. Mix the soup with two cans of water and add the celery powder. Pour over the top of the chicken. Bake covered for about an hour or an hour and a half (depending on how large your chicken breasts are).

Tip: Make sure your chicken is thawed for this recipe. I tried doing it with partially frozen chicken breasts one time, and it took FOREVER to cook. It did not turn out well.

Hamburger Casserole

This is an easy, quick kid pleaser. Even my picky nephew likes this. It is a recipe from Central's cookbook and was submitted to the cookbook by Neicy Burleson. Enjoy!

1 pound hamburger meat
1 onion diced (I would use half that amount. It was a little too much onion for the kids' taste)
2 - 3T. chili powder (or to taste)
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 small package of cooked macaroni (drained) - any pasta you have on hand will work
1 can of golden mushroom soup ( you could use regular cream of mushroom but the golden is better)
2 Cups of shredded cheese of your choice (Cheddar, Mozzarella)

Brown meat and onion. Add chili powder and tomato sauce. Let simmer then add cooked macaroni. Pour the meat and macaroni mixture into a 9x13 sprayed baking dish. Spread one can of golden mushroom soup over top and place cheese over top of soup. Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. The amt of cheese was left off the original recipe, so I'm just estimating how much I used.

Marinated Chicken

This isn't so much of a recipe as it is a meal idea. We are going to have this tonight, so I thought I would post it here.

Ingredients

KC Masterpiece 30 minute Marinade in Honey Teriyaki
Chicken - I use boneless skinless breasts

I put the chicken and marinade (enough to coat the chicken) in a ziploc bag and marinate it for 30 minutes and then grill. It is WONDERFUL and so easy. Just serve it with veggies and rice or potatoes or something like that. It also doesn't heat up the kitchen on hot summer days. You can get a bottle for about $3 and I can usually do 2 or 3 meals out of it.

Tip: If you buy chicken from Sam's and break up the large packages, you can pour some marinade into the freezer ziplocs and freeze them. Then the day before you want to grill, take out a package and thaw it in the fridge. It can be marinading while it is thawing.

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These are always a HUGE hit, and a recipe I'm often asked for. They have oatmeal in them, which is good because I'm always looking for ways to get more fiber to the kids. The recipe is an old recipe from Betty Crocker and one of the few recipes I've come across that I follow exactly. You can't really experiment too much with baking. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. of sugar
1 C. of butter, softened (I usually soften butter in the microwave ... heat for about 20 seconds on 50% power)
1 egg
1/4 C. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 C. of all-purpose flour
1/3 C. of cocoa
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 C. of quick cooking oats
1 six ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Mix sugar, butter, egg, water and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (a cookie scoop makes this MUCH faster and makes a prettier cookie) about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I ALWAYS use parchment paper on my cookie sheet to bake my cookies on. It makes the process go MUCH faster. You can just slide the cookies and parchment sheet off onto the counter and put another piece of parchment on the cookie sheet, and it's ready for more cookies. You can find the parchment paper with the Saran Wrap and foil. If you've never used it, try it. You'll never bake cookies without it again.) Bake until almost no indention remains when touched, 10 to 12 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen cookies depending on how big of a scoop you use.

Taco Seasoned Squash

CeCe shares her new veggie creation with us! Thanks, CeCe!

I cooked turkey tacos (I am on LA weight loss so....). I really have never associated "turkey" with anything good except baked turkey for Thanksgiving so this was a HUGE stretch for me. Anyway, after scooping out all the turkey meat/ taco mix , I noticed there was a lot of stuff left in the skillet. Lots of seasoning, bits of turkey browned....I thought there has got to be a way to use this to cook this yellow squash that I was FORCING myself to make. (I don't like many veggies unless they are fried. So LA weight loss and I have been chatting about new ways that I might be able to eat them). I cut the squash super thin and peppered them. Sprayed the skillet (left all the stuff in it and just sprayed lightly on top of it), and added the squash. I browned them on either side. OH MY GOSH.....my son and I fought over the whole skillet. IT was the best squash I have ever had and tasted fried but it really wasn't!! ; I tried it again the next day without all the taco seasoning. It was almost as good so I ate it again! There goes another vegetable that I can eat!! Yahoooo!

CeCe

Laura's Chicken & Salsa Soup

This is a super easy, super low fat soup. My husband does not like low fat things OR soup, and this is one of his favorite meals. I made it in a crock pot for a potluck lunch last Sunday and had several requests for the recipe. So, here it is. It is one of my "go to" recipes when I need something that turns out good every time. I've seen different versions online, but this is my take on it. I'll do the stove top version and the crock pot version.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in bite sized pieces (I use 2 cans of chicken from Sam's ... I know Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray would be COMPLETELY offended ... but for soup, I think it is fine)
• 1 3/4 C. of water
• I small can of diced green chilies
  
• 1 large onion chopped (I used chopped frozen onions for the potluck soup last week)
• 1 can of chicken broth (14.5 oz.) - I often use chicken bullion but if you want to cut down on the salt, use low sodium broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. of chili powder
• 1 tsp. of cumin powder
• 1 C. of loose pack whole kernel frozen corn (I have used drained canned corn before, but I think the frozen tastes better for some reason)
• 1 C. of thick and chunky salsa or picante sauce
• Garnishes - shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, tortilla chips. If you want to stay with the low fat version, buy all the low fat or baked varieties.

To make it in the crockpot, put all of the ingredients except the garnishes in the crockpot and put it on low for about 4 hours. If you are using raw chicken instead of canned chicken, cook the chicken first and then put it in the crockpot. To serve, crumble chips in the bottom of your bowl, then add cheese. Pour the soup over that and then top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions!

To make on the stove top, put the chopped onion in the bottom of a non-stick pan with a little water or a little healthy oil. If it is a non-stick pan, the water should do fine. Cook those until tender an a little caramelized. Add the green chilies and cook a little longer. Add the water, broth, chili powder, and chicken. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Add the corn. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink (about 8 minutes or so) if you used the raw chicken. If you used the canned chicken, cook it until it is warmed through. Add the salsa and cook until warmed through. To serve, crumble tortilla chips in the bottom of your bowl and sprinkle with cheese. Ladle the soup over the chips and cheese. Top that with a dollop of sour cream and some green onions. DELICIOUS!

Low Fat Migas

No one has actually asked me for this recipe, which is funny that it is the first recipe I'm posting here. But, I had it for breakfast today, and it is SO good! Also, if you are doing WeightWatchers, it is only 6 points, and it gets in BOTH of your healthy oils for the day.

2 corn tortillas
2 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1/4 c. of chopped onions or to taste (I use frozen chopped onions)
1/2 c. of drained Rotel tomatoes (or to taste ... less if you like it less spicy or use mild Rotel)
3 egg whites
1/4 c. of 2% shredded cheese

Before you get started, here's a tip. Get your egg whites ready (if you are actually using eggs and not a carton of egg whites) and get your tomatoes ready, too. Open the can and drain them.

1. Heat the evoo in a small skillet over a medium flame.
2. Tear the tortillas into small pieces and fry them until they are firm but not burned.
3. This is where I add my frozen chopped onions. If you are using fresh, go ahead and add them. Cook the onions until they are soft (quicker if you are using frozen onions)
4. Add the Rotel tomatoes. (Here's a tip ... if you are out of Rotel tomatoes, you can use chunky salsa ... won't be quite as good but it works) Cook and stir until warmed.
   
5. Add the egg whites and stir until cooked (firm).
6. Serve the Migas on a plate and sprinkle with the 1/4 c. of 2% cheese. Let it melt and add salsa if you want an extra kick!

This makes a LOT of food and could serve two if you add fruit, toast or ham on the side.