Mushroom Sauce

Inspiration for this recipe came from a book called, "The Mormon Ward Cookbook."  Their version is much better, but its also full of fat and high in calories.  A friend of mine made it, and it was very good, but...not very good for you.  I had leftover mushrooms to use up tonight, a little bit of broccoli and one piece of leftover pork.  After some consideration, I came up with a meal for the four of us, and might I say it was filling and delicious.

MUSHROOM SAUCE for 4

About 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
One clove of garlic
----sautee these together with a little pam spray on medium.  Stir so as not to burn, as you don't have a lot of oil in the pan.  You can use oil of course, but this is a low calorie version.

Add 2 cups 1% warm milk that has 1 TBS. of cornstarch mixed in and 1 cup low-fat sour cream.  Stir until completely mixed and it thickens.  Salt and pepper to taste.

This can go on just about anything...noodles, beef, fish.  I put a cup of brown rice on a plate, topped it with steamed broccoli and a few pieces of the pork, and then poured on the mushroom sauce.  With little bits of mushroom and the chewy brown rice, it made a hit for dinner.  Enjoy!

Homemade Caramels

I love can eat an entire bag of caramels in one evening if left alone with a good movie and an electric blanket.  But, what if I want to make caramel apples or cover rice krispie treats?  I could buy a bag at $3 each and have enough to cover 5 apples, or I could take 30 min. and make my own.  Yes, 30 min, they are that easy.  The biggest thing they require is your attention.  Do not multi-task while making these!  You will have enough caramels for plenty of apples, and they are so good when cut into bite size pieces and shared.  They are easy to wrap individually in wax paper to giv  as gifts.  Today I was making dipped rice krispie treats for a party.  I dipped 15 3x2" rice krispie treats, 3 small apples, and had 15 bite size caramels.  I added up my cost for the caramel...$5.  Quite a good deal and you'll never buy bagged caramels again!  These are just as easy as unwrapping 50 caramels.  Get creative in how you use them and enjoy. :-)

Caramels

Before you start, get all your ingredients ready.  Also, fill a bowl with ice water.  You'll need it to test the caramel.  You can use a themometer if you'd like, but the times that I have used one they have not turned out.

Ingredients:

2 cubes butter cubed
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup kero syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Take a seat and stir on Medium until it has a nice slow boil.  Keep stiring.  DO NOT STOP.  These will burn within moments if you quit.  When its a little thick, around 10 min, start checking every 2 min. Take a spoon and dip some out, dropping it into the ice water.  Dip your fingers in and pull it out.  If it holds its shape in a nice soft ball, they are done.  If you like your caramel a little harder, cook until it holds the shape and is more firm.  Its a little trial and error to see how you best like your caramels.  I always make them soft.  I like the texture and it is always chewy even when cold.

When done, remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp. Vanilla.  Stir and get ready to dip  You  have plenty of time to work with the caramel once removed from heat.  If you are just making them into bite size, go ahead and line a casserole pan with a cut to fit piece of parchment paper.  Spray well with oil.  Pour the mixture in and let cool.  I have poured 1/2 in a pan before, sprinkled chocolate chips on top, and covered with second 1/2 of caramel...they were so good!

For Caramel apples, dip and let cool on a sprayed piece of parchment paper.  For the rice krispies I put a sucker stick in each one.  I dipped them in caramel, drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  After they set, you can wrap them up in celephane...they look so pretty to give as gifts.

Perfect Cresent Rolls

There is nothing as delicious as homemade bread.  If you've never had it, go make it now.  I"m not talking about the stuff from a grocery story bakery.  I don't know what they do back there, but I swear they can't get homemade bread right.  My mom made home made bread for as long as I can remember.  She made it completely from scratch, right down to grinding her own wheat.  It was so so good, warm and inviting.  Thank you mom for years of service in the bread department.

Make sure you are going to be home all afternoon to make these, with at least 5 hours from the time you start to when you want to be serving them.  These are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside.  Everyone will be asking you for the recipe.  I got this recipe from Megan Gould from North Ogden.  Thank you Megan!

Cresent Rolls
1 Tbs. Yeast
1cup mashed potatoes
2/3 cup butter
1  Tbs. salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
6-7 cups flour


Put the water and yeast and about a TBS of sugar in your mixing bowl and let that sit for about 5 to 10 min.  Add the butter, eggs, potatoes and sugar, and mix.  Add the flour and salt, and hand need it all together to form a nice soft ball.  Let rise until double. (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.)  Take the dough and divide into 4ths.   Roll into a circle, spread with butter, cut and roll into crescents. Let rise again and bake at 350.  Total rising time is around 3-4 hours, depending.  Don't overdo the butter, your rolls will go flat. They still taste good, but they are not as pretty.  I have tried just brushing on butter after they are rolled out and shaped into cresents.  Both ways work, but I like the second way best.


I had photos, but unfortunatley they were accidently deleted when I redid my operating system to Windows 7!  I love the new windows 7...just thought I"d share.  I'll make these again soon, I am sure, and will post a photo then.

New sauce for Brown Rice and squash.

We have been eating kind of different this month...no sugar snacks for 30 days.  Its driving us CRAZY.  The first 2 weeks were fine, but tonight I am hitting my breaking point.  Finding dinners that are satisfying is hard.  We are trying to be extremely full so as not to want more, like ice cream.

I made the customary brown rice for starters.  I also made acorn squash.  I also made Marinara Sauce.  I put a scoop of sqush in the middle of the plate and made a little well in the center.  In this well I put about 1/2 cup of brown rice.  Then on top of this I place a piece of our Parmesan Chicken and then drizzle (about 1/4 cup) on top of everything.  It looked really pretty, and the flavors went really well together.  Ryan shed is customary tears, even though I put all his items in seperate piles.  He ate the chicken, and to my surprise at all the rice WITH the sauce on it and asked for seconds.

Unfortunately my photo was deleted, so you'll just have to trust me on this one that it looks good.  Don't put it on an orange plate.  Your kids might reject it.  Place it on a white plate, maybe add some pretty asparagus across the top.  We will make it again I am sure, and when we do, I'll take another photo.  I promise, its good!

INGREDIENTS:


Rice:
Brown rice is always our favorite.  It has a nice nutty flavor and chewy texture.  You can also prepare this the day before, and left overs are always easy to use.  BUT, if you are just starting it for this dinner, start it first.  It takes about 40 min.

Squash:
Any winter squash would be good I think, but our favorite is the Acorn.  It takes about 30-40 min. to cook.  Cut the open and spoon out the seeds with an ice cream scoop.  Salt and Pepper to taste and cover with foil. Place in a 400 degree oven.

Chicken:

Chicken breast cut up into 2"X 1" strips or so.  Spray these with an low calorie olive oil spray (lightly.)  Have about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in a bowl and press it into each piece of chicken on both sides.  Place in a hot pan and cook on medium for about 15 min, until each side is golden brown and the inside is done.  It should be crisp and look extremely tastey!  Pour your marinara sauce over the chicken and simmer for about 15 min.  

If you are really aggressive, you can make your own marinara sauce.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's not too hard.  However, buying it is quite easy too.  I bought mine.  I opened it up and dumped it into the frying pan.  Ahhhh, very simple.

And thats it.  It all cooks while you clean up your kitchen and maybe make a fruit smoothie to go with dinner. No need for bread or side dishes.  I have the belief that a pile of food in front of you is something to be grateful for.  If you want a variety of dishes, go out to eat.  But, thats just me.  I'll get a picture at some point, I promise.  Go make it and be creative.  Make it your own.  Its filling, delicious, and very healthy!

Fritattas

I was so tired tonight but needed to eat something Healthy after a long run.  I love eggs.  I really love egg yolk that has been swimming around toast. :)  But tonight I need to keep the toast out of it and invite the veggies.  This recipe is easy, cheap and very versitle.  Like a lot of my recipes, you can use whatever veggies you like or whatever you have on hand.  Everyone in my family likes these, except for Ryan, of course.  I made his seperate...I hope he knows what a lucky kid he is.  Last week he wasn't so lucky, he went to bed hungry as he didn't want to eat what was on his plate and it was eat or don't eat.  He choose the latter.  Anywho...try making this dish...I think you'll love it.

This recipe is enough for 5 thick servings...pair it with fish, potatoes, pancakes, or scones.

I started by frying up a chunk of sausage...about 1/2 cup...just enough to have a little of the taste throughout.  Ham or Bacon would taste good too.  Also, you can add cheese...but really, who needs those extra calories for a flavor you won't miss much once you taste those wonderful veggies!  Take whatever veggies you want to use out and chop them up.  Thats it.  Chop them up and put them in your frying pan with just a little drop of oil and start to saute them. Here is what I used:

1/3 cup chopped bell peppers (combo of red and green)
3 green onions, including the green
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 cup chopped cliantro
2 cloves of garlic

Take 8 eggs and whip them up with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into the pan with the cooking veggies and let cook while you stir it for about 2 min on medium...you want the eggs to start to stick together, but still quite runny.  Pour into 8X8" pan.  Place in oven and bake for about 25 min.  Dinner is done.

Chicken Pot Pie

Nothing tastes better than something warm and creamy on a cold winters evening.  I looked through my refrigerator tonight hoping to see that my neighbors had dropped off dinner...they hadn't. :-)  So, I pulled out what vegetables I had and came up with Chicken Pot Pie.  Marie Calander offers a delicious one for $4 and 1100 calories.  I ate it once and looked at the calories AFTER my meal.  I about had a heart attack...it was just about my entire allotment of calories for the day...happy running.  So, with the veggies before me and hungry kids at the table doing homework, I put together this yummy, filling and somewhat healthy meal.  Even the picky 9 year old ate it...go figure.  He won't touch onions with a 10 foot pole, unless its in a chicken pot pie apparently.  Enjoy.  Oh, and you can use any veggies you like, there are no rules.  I probably wouldn't use tomatoes, it would change the flavor too much, but I guess you never know unless you try.

Crust

1 C Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 T cold butter cut into flour
1/3 c. milk


Veggies

1 c red potates
1 c chopped asparagus
1 c carrots
1/2 small chopped onion
1 c corn
Chicken...not a veggie but...add about 1 cup.  The leaner the better.  Skip if you want, you probably won't miss it.


Sauce
1 c chicken broth
1 c low fat cream of chicken soup
2 tsp. dill or sage


How to make it

1. Boil potates and carrots about 10 min. until mostly soft.
Simmer other veggies in small amount of chicken broth until soft.
2. Add veggies together along with condensed soup and chicken broth
(about 1/2 c broth.)
3. Place in whatever pan you want depending on the thickness of veggies you want.  I used a 9X8" pan.
4. Cover with rolled out dough, about 1/8" thick.  Brush on egg white if you'd like...I did.
5. Bake about 15 min. in a 350 degree oven.
6. Serve with a roll and a side dish of fruit, oranges look really nice.

I added up all the calories in what I put in this and with my serving sizes it came to about 250 per serving...not to bad!

15 Bean Soup

Beans beans beans...15 of them to be exact. :-)  Navy, lima, pinto, black, split pea...just to name a few.  I wish I had a good story to go along with this soup...but I don't.  Its good.  Its easy.  Go make it. :-)

Soak 1 cup of 15 beans mix for at least 8 hours.  When you are ready to make the soup, boil the beans for 10 min.  Drain the beans, add 8 cups new water and 8 boullion cubes and turn on high to boil then reduce to a simmer.

In a large frying pan add 1 cup chopped celery, 1 cup cubed ham, 1 medium onion and 2 cloves minced garlic.  Saute about 10 min and then add to the beans.  Add one 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup canned corn.  Add salt, pepper, 2 TBS chopped sweet basil, and simmer the soup for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Feel free to play with spices, adding others that you like...but the sweet basil is what really makes this soup...photo to come soon. :-)

Ingredients:

1 cup dry beans soaked overnight
8 cups beef broth or 8 boullion cubes
1 cup cubed ham
1 cup chopped celery
1 diced medium onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 canned corn
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 TBS chopped sweet basil or 1 TBS dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Turkey Home Made Noodle Soup

For the life of me I can't figure out why I haven't made home made noodles before.  I can't believe how easy they were, how fast it was, and how unbelieveable delicious it made my soup!  This soup needs about an 70 min. to prepare from start to finish and is a great way to enjoy rolls. :-)

To make the noodles:
Take one bowl and add:
2 Cups Flour
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/3 cups milk.
Kneed together like you would pizza dough.  It will be sticky slightly.  Sprinkle some flour out and roll out the dough to be about 1/8" thick.  Slice it into thin strips with a butter knife and just leave it there to sit for an hour to dry.

Chop up 2 cups celery, 2 cups carrots, 1 medium onion and 2 gloves garlic.  Saute enough to bring the onions to a caramel color.  Add vegetable mixture to 12 cups chicken broth.  Boil until carrots are tender.  Add 2 cups shredded turkey ( chicken if you like).  Let simmer on very low until the hour is up of waiting for your noodles to dry. Turn soup up and when its boiling, add all the dried noodles....they will still feel a little doughy, but will hold their shapes when dripped into the boiling broth.  They only take about 8 min. to cook.  Once cooked...eat!

Black Bean and Mushroom and Rice Lime soup

I love black beans.  I love love love mushrooms.  I love Rice.  Limes smell good...so why not make a soup out of all three!    It is easily adapted to personal taste...think of this recipe as a guide, not an absolute.  Its very healthy and very tasty!

1 1/2 cups black beans that have soaked over night.  Add enough water to cover them + about 1 inch of water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until soft...which will take about 2 hours.  DO NOT DRAIN THE WATER.

 An hour or so into your beans cooking, prepare the brown rice by putting 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup brown rice into a small pot, adding 1 beef boullion cube and bring to a boil.  Stir, cover and reduce to a simmer for about 40 min.

While the rice is cooking, you'll prepare the rest of your soup items.

Slice up 2 to 3 cups of mushroom, one medium onion and 2 cloves garlic.  Place in pan and add a little water or olive oil and reduce them down.  Should be nice and soft with a nice caramel color.  Add beans, including the water they cooked in. Add salt, pepper and my favorite ingrediant, chopped cilantro...I put in a good 1/2 cup.  Stir and take off the burner and set aside.

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water.  Add 8 beef boullion cubes, or skip the water and add 8 cups broth or even beef paste, whichever you prefer.  Add your vegetable and bean mixuture to the pot on medium heat.  Add 2-3 TBS of lime juice, one TBS at a time...basically add enough so you like it.  After soup has simmered for about 10 min, add the rice, heat through and serve.  Very yummy!  I think I say that about all my soups. :-)

Black Bean Soup

1 1/2 cups black beans
2 cups brown rice
3 cups raw mushrooms
1 medium onion
1/2 cup cilantro
8 cups beef broth
2-3 TBS lime juice
salt/pepper to taste.

Shepards Pie

My mom is a wonderful cook.  Growing up, there were many things that I didn't like that I really like now.  One of the meals that I remember most and is a comfort food for me is Shepards Pie.  I love it.  My kids love it.  I don't remember if this is the exact way my mother made it or not, as she follows recipes exactly.  I, on the other hand, throw in a little of this and a little of that, following the basic recipe.  This is a meal that can be made ahead of time, or within 20 min. of when dinner is suppose to be on the table.  Its warm, delicious, and very versitile.  Substitute whatever veggies you have on hand with what is in this recipe.  It will be delicious...its the sauce that makes this so yummy...my Ryan will eat just about any veggie as he doesn't really notice them.  :-)

Brown ground turkey.  I use just a little bit, like 2 cups total, the original recipe says to use a 1 lb.
Add one can tomato soup, a dash of Worchestershire suace, 1/4 cup brown sugar, a shake of oregano, salt and pepper.  Mix up and sit to the side.

Make 4-6 cups mashed potatoes and sit to the side.

Take a 8X8 baking dish and add 1 can green beans, 1 can corn.  Spread evenly.  Pour the saucey meat on the veggies and spread evenly.  Top with the mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle with a little cheese if you like, place in a 350 degree oven for 15 min to heat everything evenly and serve.  Quick, easy and yummy.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

I love Cafe Rio's sweet pork salad.  I don't love the price of $10 + extra if you add on anything such as sour cream or guacamole.  I have searched the web over and read many reviews on different peoples recipes.  I finally found one that I thought would work, took out of it what I didn't think I"d like and it was perfect.  I got it off of a blog called Familyfavorites.com.  Here is what I took from theirs.  Enjoy!


Pork
5 lbs. boneless pork.  Marinade overnight in 2 cups Coke and 1/4 cup brown sugar.  Sounds wierd, I know.
Next day, take your pork out, place in clean crock pot, add in 24 ounces coke mixed with 1/2 cup brown sugar and cook on high for about 1 1/2 hours.  Drain liquid when done and pull pork apart.  Return to crock pot and add the following blended mixture:  24 oz coke, 16 ounces enchilada sauce (spicy if you like spicy pork), 1 can green chilis.  Pour over pulled pork and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours.  Your done.  Enjoy.


Black Beans
I soak 2 cups black beans overnight, and then cook them the following day, starting in the morning, as they take a long time to get soft.  If you have a lot of water in them when finished, drain a little.  Add 1 cup tomato juice, 2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp onion powder.  Mix and let rest until time to eat.  You can continue to simmer on your lowest setting on the stove if you'll be eating within the hour.


Rice
Add 3 cups chicken broth and 2 cups brown rice and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and they should be done in about 40 min.  Add 1 cup tomato juice, 2 cloves minced garlic.  Stir and let rest until time to eat.


Salsa (my way anyway)
2 diced avacados
6 diced tomatoes
1 diced onion
Cilantro to taste.  I like a lot.


Cilantro Dressing
1 cup fat free mayo
1 cup milk with 2 Tbs. Vinegar (unless your fancy and you have some buttermilk...I never do.)
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 TBS Ranch dressing Mix or a packet, whichever you have
2 TBS lime juice
You can add tabasco sauce if you'd like to make it spicy, but I say yuck to that.


To assemble, have your tortilla hot and ready.  Place in a pin tin or on a plate, scoop out some yummy sweet pork, add your beans and rice, top with a handful of romaine lettuce, add the salsa, use a cookie scoop to plop on some sour cream and quacamole and sprinkle with tortilla strips.


You can put out the dressing in a gravy boat and let everyone have all they want.  Its nice that for once you don't get charged .50 to have a little more.


Cost wise was around $30 for all my groceries, certainly not $10 per plate.  This fed 4 adults and made 8 burrito style dinners (the kids didn't want the salad on it and it was a whole lot easier to serve that way.  We fed them and then got them the heck out of the kitchen so we could enjoy the meal.)  Steve then got to enjoy 2 days of left overs.  Perfect dinner and perfect leftovers.  I hope you enjoy like we did, and add your own style to enjoy it even more!

Easy Quick Carmel Popcorn

I love popcorn with a good movie, or a good movie with great popcorn. :-)  I am traditional...I open a box labeled "popcorn."  I take out the bag, remove plastic and place in Microwave for three min. and TA DA...popcorn.  I usually buy the 94% fat free.  If I ate it all the time I'd probably buy a machine and pop it fresh,   but...its a once or twice a month treat.  I love caramel popcorn but hate the stickiness in my teeth, hands and the amount of time to make it, bake it and break it.  I found a recipe that is quick, easy, and has me enjoying caramel popcorn in less than 10 min.  Its not sticky after a few min. cooling, and it tastes even better the next day.  What I like best about it is that is not overpowering...very light.  Enjoy!

The following is what I have found to be enough for my family of 4 to enjoy:

2 bags of popcorn, or about 10-14 cups of your own fresh popped corn
Place popcorn in a very large bowl.  On the stove top, in a small pot, put one cube of butter, 1/4 cup karo syrup and 2 TBS brown sugar.  Bring to a boil on medium/high for about 3 min.  Stir continuously.  Remove from heat, let cool about 1 min and add 1 tsp vanilla.  Slowly pour over popcorn while mixing.  Mix completely, let sit about one min, divide into your bowl and serve.  Its delicious, promise.

Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza

I love pizza.  But, recently, with our diet changes, the pizza from Pizza Hut and others make me feel sick.  I am guessing it is the oil in them.  I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it makes me glad that I have my Mom's homemade dough recipe that is the best I have ever come across.  Her sauce is also very yummy.  My friends in high school used to ask me to ask my mom to make her pizza.  Thanks mom for sharing this recipe with me, my friends and now whoever reads this blog.  You'll need to plan this dinner ahead, as you need time for the dough to rise.  Enjoy!

1 1/4 C water with 1 TBS yeast and 1 TBS sugar.  Let sit for about 5 min.  Add 1/2 C butter, softened and 3 cups flour.  You can use any combination of flour.  I use 1/2 of each.  Mix and make into a nice soft ball, cover and let rise.  If you are pressed for time, you can use right away, but letting it rise for at least an hour is best.  I have even let it rise for 3 hours before.  It made it go just a little farther.

Use with your own sauce or the one below (I suggest the one below.)

1 can Tomato Soup
1 can 8 oz tomato sauce
2 TBS brown sugar
2 good sqeeezes of ketchup
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
a few shakes of Garlic powder and onion powder
1/4 c pinapple juice, but only if you already have some on hand.

Mix all together in a pot and simmer for 30 min or so.  Yummy!

Acorn Squash w/ Maple Syrup

 In the fall, we go to the Farmer's Market to enjoy getting fresh vegetables and pick out a pumpkin for the kids carving fun.  The colors are vivid and the air is crisp and fresh.  On one stand sits a variety of squash.  You know the ones I 'm talking about...bumby, small, odd shaped and very colorful.  I had always assumed they were just runts of the litter.  Squash ment for decorating only, as thats about all they could be used for.  I was wrong though, and am happy to report that Acorn squash is definitely ment for eating.

Acorn squash is green, looks like an acorn, and is very heavy.  I had no idea there was wonderful, edible food inside, until I was ready through a magazine and came across this recipe.  Steve had purchsed a few of these vegetables earlier in the week, much to my eye roll when I told him to enjoy eating his "weights."  Turns out that they are so good.  They are a little hard to cut through, but inside is quite a bit of food.  Steve baked his with absolutely nothing on them, and they were pretty good, a little sweet, and a nice smooth texture.  Andrew and I had the ones from the recipe below, and they were wonderful.

One Acorn squash is enough to feed two people.  Its actually more than enough.  Use it as your main course. Its a beautiful presentation and is sure to not disappoint.  This recipe was for four of us.  Do the following:

Cut the Acorn squash, lengthwise.  Remove seeds.

Spray a little butter around the edges and middle.  Take about a TBS of brown sugar (you could use less, but I wouldn't suggest more) and sprinkle it around the sides and a little in the middle.  Gently press down on it to ensure it will stay on the squash.  Take about a TBS of maple syrup (I used sugar-free) and drizzle it onto the squash.  Place a bit of tinfoil around each squash and place in a shallow pan that has a little bit of water in it.  Place in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 min.  Remove from oven when its soft when a fork is placed into it and carefully remove the tinfoil.  Let cool for about 5 min before serving.  We would spoon up a bite, dip in slightly in the syrup "puddle" and then take a bite.  It was so good and such a pretty piece of dinner!  This is defeinatly one that I would make for guests when I want to look fancy.  I served this with a left over oil-free stir fried rice recipe.  We were very full at the end of the meal, and cost wise, I would estimate it be about $1.50 a plate.  This ones a keeper. :-)

Pumpkin Bread

I love the pumpkin bread at Great Harvest.  It is so good and oily.  The chocolate seems to melt in my mouth.  It is also almost $4 per loaf, which I'm not a big fan of.  I had a 1/2 can left over pumpkin mix from my husbands last nights creation, and so I used what I already know with my banana bread, and mixed up two loaves of pumpkin heaven.  Goes great with apple cider and a good movie.  I suggest everyone try it!

Ingredients:
-1/2 c butter
-2 eggs
-1 c brown sugar
-1/2 c white sugar

Mix these items together until creamy and add the following:
-1 1/4 c white flour
-1/2 c whole wheat flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp cinnimon
-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. salt

Mix these items together and then add 8 oz canned pumpkin and 1/2 c water and 1 cup chocolate chips.  Mix and pour into 2 bread loaf pans.  Bake about 30 min. at 350.  Yummy Yummy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, they are not healthy. But, if your going to have a cookie, do it right. Stay away from the Oreos and Keeblers that have who knows what in them that makes up a cookie. Make them yourself and give most of them away. Nothing says your a great neighbor better than a plate of freshly made cookies. It only takes about 25 min. to mix up the batch, wait for them to cook, and transfer one to your plate.
These are very soft and chewy. The secret is to take them out of the oven when they look like they are not done. Seriously, check after 6 minutes and there after every minute until they are just slightly brown around the edges; take them out when you think they should bake for one more minute. Makes about 3 dozen.
I have family members who make different desserts with the effort to reduce calories. My sister has a brownie recipe that calls for Diet Coke. My mom adds bran to chocolate muffin mix. My brother makes a sugar-free cheesecake. I'm all about calorie reduction. But when it comes to desserts, I have the opinion that if your going to eat it, eat it. But just eat one, or half a serving, or just one bite. Remember your going to give most of them away anyway, right? Here is a fabulous recipe I found in a Martha Stewart Living magazine. It has been my staple for years.

Mix 1 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 2 eggs in a bowl until you get a smooth texture. Add 2 1/4 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp of salt. Combine and then add 2 tsp. vanilla. Empty a pkg. of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter and hand mix in. Place onto cookie sheet one drop at a time and bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 min. Cool on a rack if you can keep your kids out of them long enough to do so. Pour yourself a cup of milk and enjoy a moment with your family as you laugh about the bit of chocolate that shows on your teeth when you smile. A cookie won't kill you, but all the cookies might. Keep yourself in check and enjoy your life.

Brown Rice Chili

Its a happy day when your teen-ager walks into the kitchen, lifts the lid off the pot and happily says, "Hey, we're having rice!" Rewind 6 hours earlier to me standing in the middle of the kitchen, opening the refrigerator for the 4th time as I try to figure out what I should make for dinner. I have started thinking about dinner in the mornings while the kids eat breakfast. It has really cut down on my stress when 3 pm rolls around. I had left over rice, kidney and black beans I had been cooking for what seemed like 2 days, some veggies and a few bread sticks. Chili, I thought. It's cold outside and this might hit the spot. I haven't had chili without the goodness of beef in it, so this recipe was a new experience. It turned out really good, a little more spicy than I like, but Andrew claimed the left overs for his lunch at school. Could there be a better ending to a Sunday? Here is the recipe in all its teen-ager glory:

Ingredients:

3 cups kidney beans

1 c black beans

2 cups water that the beans have cooked in

1 c chopped or canned tomatoes.

1 medium onion, chopped small

1 green pepper chopped

2 cups brown rice<

2 tsp. cumin

1/1 tsp. chili powder

1 beef bullion cube

2 Tbs. brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

If you used canned beans, don't rinse first and add 1 or more cups of water to the consistency that you like. Also, if you like a more vinegar chili, add it at this time. I don't care for the flavor, and Steve easily adds it to his own bowl. Add all the ingredients into a crock pot, turn on the lowest setting and your done until dinner. Do return an hour or so later and stir to mix up the beef bullion cubes. Let the flavors meld for about 4 hours. I served mine with breadsticks. Back in the day I used to think I had to plop on some sour cream and sprinkle with cheese. The flavors are so good in this that you won't even know your missing the added fat. You probably won't even get the question of, "Where's the Beef?"

Ryans meal was a plate with a pile of rice, a pile of beans, and a breadstick. Compromise yes, but he left the table eating what I made for dinner and he didn't even cry!

Pumpkin Soup

I've wondered for years what good is a pumpkin for other than carving? Are they actually edible? I noticed while Andrew carved his pumpkin this year that he kept popping pieces into his mouth like M&M's. He loved it! After carving a scary face into what is essentially a piece of fruit (they have seeds, making them part of the fruit family) he cut up a chunk and put the pieces into the steamer and then enjoyed some more of the "unedible" food.

I've used banana and butternut squash for years as a soup. So, I thought, why not pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin, not that canned stuff that resembles Gerbers. If you are really feeling Martha Stewartish, scoop out your pumpkin with care so you can pour your finished product back into the pumpkin for a beautiful center piece. I plan on doing this for Thanksgiving. I'll take a photo and post when accomplished. I saved the seeds and roasted them in the oven to use as a garnish. Go get your pumpkin and lets make some soup!

Ingredients:
About 4 lbs. of Pumpkin (or squash)

1 lg. Onion
2 TBS minced garlic
1 Yellow or Red Pepper
8 Cups of Water w/ 8 cubes of beef or chicken bullion cubes

Any seasonings you like. I used salt, pepper, basil, and nutmeg.

Directions:

Take pumpkin and spread it out onto a baking

pan. Add your onion and peppers that have been cut up into pieces. Salt and pepper to taste. Place in 400 degree oven and roast for about 20 min.

Remove from oven and let cool about 5 min. Place in blender, a few pieces at a time, with a little bit of water. Dump pureed pumpkin into the boullion water and turn on low to simmer for an hour or so to blend flavors. With your last mixture of pumpkin add the minced garlic and cilantro and nutmeg to blend. Add other seasonings as desired. While the soup is simmering, you can roast the pumpkin seeds. Rinse your seeds well and spread onto a baking pan to dry. I usually get out my blow dryer and set it too low to speed up the process. Spray with butter and, using a basting brush, spread on Worcestershire sauce, sprinkle with a lot of salt and then place in oven that is set at 250 degrees. They take about 30-40 min. Yummy!

Monster Pancakes

Saturday mornings. As a child, it brought pancakes, waffles, eggs, and home made maple syrup. At the time, I didn't have an appreciation for the home made stuff. I wanted it to come in a plastic container like at my friends house. I appreciate it now, although I rarely make it home made, as we need a sugar free variation for Andrew. I loved waking up to the smell of the fragrance that only pancakes can bring. It wasn't every Saturday, but enough for me to think about it nearly every time I make them for my kids. A good friend of mine makes a delicious variation of the pancake. She uses eggs as her base and bakes it up to a crisp. My boys love them, in all their glory; crispy, chewy and delicious. From the time you pull out the eggs from the refrigerator to when you are putting the first bite into your mouth, its only about 30 min. Mix it up, and while its baking, sit down with your kids and smile and laugh while you wait to enjoy a warm breakfast together.

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1 C Milk

1/2 C white flour

1/2 C wheat flour

1 TBS brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

1/4 C Melted butter

Directions:

Place 1/4 c butter in a 9X13" pan and place in an oven and preheat to 400. Mix everything together with beaters except for the eggs. And them last, and mix them in by hand until incorporated...you don't want fluffy eggs. Cook 20 min at 400 Degrees. It will puff up in some areas, which is the part my kids love. This is why we call them "monster" pancakes. Variations: add Cinnamon, pumpkin spice, vanilla. We put maple syrup, fruit, cinnamon and sugar or jelly on top. Depends on what we have in the fridge.

This serves about 4. Goes perfect with a fruit smoothie.