Pumpkin Dessert

Ok, I know.....pumpkin is usually associated with the fall and the holidays, but around our house we eat it year round! This is a well known dessert, but I have the recipe for making it low fat and delicious!! Try it out!




Ingredients:

1 15oz. can pumpkin
1 12oz. can fat free evaporated mild
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 box golden vanilla or yellow cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup melted butter ( I will share my butter trick with you below:)

1. Heat your oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a medium bowl beat pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg whites, sugar, and spices. Whisk until smooth. Pour into pan.
2.Sprinkle your dry cake mix evenly over the top of your pumpkin mixture. If you want, sprinkle with chopped walnuts too.
3. Now here is where I get tricky :) This is what I use for butter :) Take a glass measuring up and fill it with a 1/4 cup of I CAN"T BELIEVE IT"S NOT BUTTER spray. Trust me. Then put a couple tablespoons of Brummel and Browns yogurt butter in there too. Next pop it into the microwave for 15-20 seconds until it is all melted and combined. Give it a stir and you should be right around 1/2 cup. *By heating it up it thins it out making it easy to pour and makes the butter go a little bit further than cool butter. Ok, carefully and slowly pour it all over your dry cake mix.
4. Bake for 50-55 minutes until knife comes out clean from center. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes then top with cool whip and eat it with vanilla ice cream!!

Pasta Ponza

This is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, that is why it is sooo good! My sister and I love watching Everyday Italian.....anyway back to the food :) Perfect for a pasta craving and even though it is meat free, there is so much going on, you won't miss a thing!



Ingredients:

4 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper, extra for seasoning
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 lb. ziti pasta or any other short pasta
1/2 grated fresh Parmesan cheese or pecorino romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1.Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick butter spray.
2.Place tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper in the prepared dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle all the breadcrumbs over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil and bake for 30 minutes in the center of your oven.
3.Bring a larger pot of slated water to a boil over high heat. Add the past and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. About 8-10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of hot pasta water.
4.Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Toss the pasta and cheese together. This will allow the cheese to start to melt and be delicious. Carefully spoon the tomato mixture into the pasta and toss well. You may need to add a little bit of pasta water so your dish isn't dry. I added about 1/4 cup or so in and it makes the pasta nice and saucy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle the tops with parsley and serve!

* I served up garlic knots and broccoli along side to complete the meal. But a salad would be great too.
* You can also use whole grain pasta in this dish too, to make it super healthy. Sometime I do half wheat noodles half white and no one can tell!
* If you want to incorporate some meat into this meal it would be really easy and yummy to add diced cooked chicken or cooked and crumbled spicy turkey sausage.

BBQ Lettuce Wraps

Hey everyone! Well I have been missing this blog!! I am happy to say that I have been cooking a lot and it makes me feel a better. We all eat around my parents table ever night and I am grateful for that. Cooking for my sweet dad, brother, kids and hubby makes me feel a little closer to mom. I am excited to try some new recipes too!! Here's a new one that is perfect for us on nights when you want something that isn't too heavy. It is light, low in calories and sooo good!



Ingredients: (this makes 4 wraps, but you adjust the sizing to feed a lot of mouths!)

2-3 chicken breasts, thawed and cubed
romaine lettuce
chopped tomatoes
1 can sweet corn, drained
bbq sauce
salt and pepper
optional: grated cheese
olives

1. Super easy! Ok, heat a skillet to med heat. Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet until all edges are brown, about 5-6 minutes. Next, pour as much bbq sauce and you like over your chicken (I like saucy chicken :). Cook for another couple of minutes until cooked through.
2. While your chicken in cooking, chop your tomatoes and olives, drain your corn, grate your cheese, and wash your lettuce. You want to find lettuce leaves that are a good taco shape and will hold your filling.
3. When your chicken is done it is time to assemble. Hold your lettuce in your hand and fill with chicken, cheese, corn, tomatoes, and olives! Done! These are so good and I just made a batch of blueberry muffins to go along side. You are done!
* If you are going to make muffins make them first and pop them in the oven before you start, because you can make this whole meal while they are cooking. Then everything is done at the same time!

My mom

I know that I have a great group of followers out there and I wanted to tell you why I haven't posted and why it might be a little while before I do again. My sweet mom passed away suddenly from Acute Leukemia on Friday. We had no idea,there were no warning signs and when we found out, it was too late. It still doesn't seem real and I can't believe that this is happening. I love her so much and miss her more than words can describe. She encouraged me to do a food blog. She is the one who taught me how to cook. She made the best food, healthy and delicious and is famous for her cookies. I know it will take time to heal, I know that we will be together again someday and I know that families are forever. My life is better because of her and she made me the woman, wife, mother and person that I am.

I know that life will go on, we will be strong as a family and I will have the desire to make yummy food and share it all with you. Please don't give up on me, I am here and will be back soon.


Hiking in Scotland. I was pregnant with my first little girl. I always wanted to be a mom, just like her. I love you mom.


Making her yummy salsa last summer. I will make it always.

Craisin White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I received this recipe years ago when I was first married from my sister-in law, Shana. I altered it a bit to make them low fat and they turned out great!! So good! I tested them on my friend, hubby, and brother and got thumbs up from them all! They have a slightly crunchy out side with a soft chewy inside. YUMMY!



Ingredients:

1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oatmeal (I used quick cooking oats)
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup craisins

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Combine applesauce, sugars, egg whites, and vanilla. Add in flour, baking soda, salt and oat. Stir in white chips and craisins.
3. Using a scooper or spoon drop onto cookie sheet and gently press them down so they are sightly flat. This way they cook even. Sprinkle sugar on tops of cookies (makes a sweet crunchy top). Bake for 10-11 minutes.

*You want to be careful not to over cook them. When the centers aren't doughy in the middle pull them out. Because there isn't butter in these cookies, sometimes you have to play with the cooking time. You don't want doughy cookies, but also you don't want hard cookies. So after 10-11 minutes pull them out, they should be perfect!

Lazy Chicken

This is a Rachel Ray recipe and it is sooo good! I have made this on several different occasions for company and everyone loves it. There is hidden zucchini in this but it tastes so wonderful that no one will ever know!



Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
Steak seasoning
1/2 chicken stock
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 14oz. can crushed or petite diced tomatoes
10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped (I used 1 tbsp. dried basil)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1. In a deep skillet (oven save) brown the chicken on med-high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper while it cooks. After a few minutes, remove chicken. Set aside.
2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add a layer of thin sliced potatoes and onion. Sprinkle the potatoes and onion with steak seasoning. Let potatoes and onions cook turning occasionally but maintain a thin layer until the brown all over. Add a little broth to the pan. Spread a thin layer of zucchini across the top of potatoes and onion. Sprinkle zucchini with steak season as well.
3.Top with chicken making an even layer over the veggies. Dump the tomatoes evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover and cook until chicken is done and veggies soft, about 10 minutes.
4. Next sprinkle with cheese and place pan under broiler or a minute until cheese melts and begins to brown. Serve from the hot pan at the table and add a green salad, rolls or muffins! YUM!!

Orange Cran-Apples

Sorry it has been way to long! Been busy having fun with my sister down here, but I will do much better! Ok, now onto the food! Here is a quick side dish that I LOVE!! If you love cranberries, you will love this! Great with any ham, turkey,or chicken dish!




Ingredients:

2 apples (anything but granysmith and golden delicious)
1 can whole berry cranberries
rind from one orange
dash of cinnamon

1. This is so fast! Ok, slice (or dice) your apples and put them into a sauce pan on medium/low heat. You want to soften them a bit first before adding the rest. You can add about a teaspoon of water if you need to help the apples along, but they should start to create apple juice once they warm.
2. After a couple of minutes add your can of cranberries, orange rind, and cinnamon. Stir all together. Let your apples soften and once they are, you are done!! That easy and so good! Fat free too!