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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Cocktails - Easy On The Calories


Some nights it's nice to have a cocktail or go out with friends but you don't want calorie counting to get in the way, so here's a few low-cal cocktail recipes that will be kind on the waist line without forfeiting taste.

Mio Vodka:

Fill cup with ice, pour one shot of Vodka (any flavor), add your favorite flavor of Mio, stir and garnish with a fresh lemon slice.

Lime Vodka:

Make a pitcher of your favorite flavor of Crystal Light, fill your cup with ice & add a shot of Vodka, add your chilled Crystal Light and stir.  Finish by squeezing juice from 1 lime wedge. Enjoy!

Vodka Cranberry (One of my favorites):

Chill a bottle of sugar free or diet cranberry juice.  Fill your cup with ice and add a shot of vodka.  Top the remaining of the glass with the cranberry juice.  You can enhance by adding club soda if you choose.  Garnish with a lemon slice.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Crockpot Chicken


4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
28 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets herb & garlic
shredded parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Cut raw chicken into bite size pieces, mix with tomatoes and Lipton's and pour into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or bow tie pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Raspberry Orange Trifle

Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Guests to Stay

6 to 8 servings

1 orange pound cake, recipe follows
1 cup good raspberry jam
2 half-pints fresh raspberries
Orange cream, recipe follows
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cut the pound cake into 9 (3/4-inch) slices and spread each slice on 1
side with raspberry jam, using all the jam. Set aside.

Place a layer of cake, jam side up, in the bottom of a 2 1/2 to
3-quart glass serving bowl, cutting the pieces to fit. Top with a
layer of raspberries and orange cream. Repeat the layers of cake,
raspberries, and orange cream, ending with a third layer of cake, jam
side down, and raspberries.

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk
attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and
continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Decorate the trifle with
whipped cream. The trifle can sit for awhile at room temperature.

Orange Pound Cake:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated orange zest (6 oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by
2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar in the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes,
or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the
eggs, 1 at a time, and the orange zest.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,
and salt. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice, the
buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures
alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide
the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45
minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

While the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
with remaining 1/2 cup orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat
until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, let them cool for
10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack
set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the
cakes to cool completely.

Orange Cream:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (1 orange)
5 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sifted cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Grand Marnier liqueur
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Combine the milk and orange zest in a medium stainless steel saucepan
over medium heat and bring almost to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and thick,
about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, sprinkle on the
cornstarch. Beat on medium-low speed until combined, scraping down the
bowl with a rubber spatula.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the
egg mixture. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook over low heat,
stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes.
(Pay attention because it will thicken and then quickly become orange
scrambled eggs!)

Immediately, pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl.
Stir in the vanilla, Grand Marnier, butter, and heavy cream. Place
plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

Pistachio Cream Bars


Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened

Cream Layer:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 package (3.4 ounce) pistachio-flavored pudding and pie filling mix
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. Beat in butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Press dough onto the bottom of an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until blended. Beat in pistachio pudding mix (dry) and milk. Spread over the top of crust. Sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set before cutting into bars.

Makes 36 bars. 

Toffee Studded Snickerdoodles


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups (8-oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400°F.

Beat butter, shortening and 1 cup sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs; beat thoroughly. Stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in toffee bits.

Stir together remaining 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.

Crockpot Chinese Pepper Steak


Crockpot Chinese Pepper Steak

12 oz boneless beef round steak
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 T soy sauce
1/2 T hoisin sauce
1/2 t sugar
1/2 tomato, seeded, peeled & diced
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1 1/2 T water
1/2 C fresh bean sprouts
2 green onions, finely chopped
Hot Cooked Rice

Trim fat from steak; slice into thin strips.
Combine steak, garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar in
slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW about 4 hours.
Turn control to HIGH. Add tomato and bell peppers. Dissolve cornstarch with
water in a small bowl and stir into steak mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH
15-20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in bean sprouts, sprinkle with
onions. Serve with rice.
Note: Steak is easier to slice thin if partially frozen
2 servings 

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Crockpot Sweet Potato Dish


Ingredients:

  • 5 to 6 medium sweet potatoes
  • 3 apples (such as Granny Smith) peeled & cored, cut in wedges
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup pecan pieces

Preparation:

Generously butter the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Peel sweet potatoes; cut into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange sweet potato slices over bottom of slow cooker. Top with apple wedges; then nutmeg and cinnamon, maple syrup, and the melted butter. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 to 5 hours, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with pecans the last 30 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Meal Planning

Being a mom and wife suffering from chronic pain due to back issues, digestive issues and severe Fibromyalgia, I'm tired of wasting money eating out and looking at 5:30 in the fridge and freezer trying to decide what I can make for dinner that everyone will like and that will be done before 9pm.  So, I've created a goal for myself of finding some quick recipes or prepare ahead recipes that are both healthy, delicious and could be cooked ahead of time and put into the freezer to pull out on those nights where I've had bad pain days.  With all this comes the need of some menu planning. 


So, in addition to the recipes I share here (not all healthy, lol) I'm sharing with you today some of the menu planning and recipe sites I've found.  Please feel free to share ones you've found and if you a similar blog would love to trade buttons and promotions.



1. Eating Well


2. $5 Dinners


3. Recipe Link


4. Kid Approved Meals


5. Saving Dinner (This one has a fee on some items, but I got a FREE fondue recipe sheet just for visiting)



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Cookbook Fundraiser

My middle daughter is a Junior in High School and is selling cookbooks as a fundraiser for her Child Development class.


Each book is $10 each.

The first is 175 pages and filled with recipes from around the world.


The second is a flip side cookbook, one side consists of 66 pages of Appetizers and the flip side to that consists of 156 pages of Desserts.

You can pay easily via PayPal or message me for a mailing address to send a check or money order which will be payable to her High School.  She's selling these through next week.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and holiday with Thanksgiving.

Fudgy Bon Bons


Original Recipe Yield 60 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 60 chocolate candy kisses with white stripes
  • 2 ounces white chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the condensed milk. Add the flour and vanilla, stir until well blended. Use about one tablespoon of dough to completely cover each Hug ™. Place on unprepared baking sheet 1 inch apart.
  3. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven.
  4. Using the top of a double boiler or microwave, melt the white chocolate and shortening together. Stir to blend, then drop a thumbnail sized portion on the top of each cookie.