Taco Stuffed Pepper Cups

by penji1

This recipe comes from the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook.  Courtney was looking through it and saw the picture for this recipe and got all excited and asked if I would make it for her.  To be honest, I was surprised because she is my picky eater but I made it today for her and everyone loved it, everyone but me!  I don’t like stuffed peppers!  My mom used to make them when I was a kid and I have never liked them so I had leftover pizza for dinner.  🙂

2 medium green peppers (I used 3 green and 1 red)

1/2 pound lean ground turkey (I used a pound of lean hamburger)

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1  Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds.  In a large kettle, cook peppers in boiling water for 3 – 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse in cold water, set aside.

2  In a large skillet, cook the meat and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink then drain.  Stir in the beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 – 6 minutes or until heated through.

3  Spoon into peppers.  Place in an ungreased 8″ square baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 10 – 12 minutes or until peppers are tender.  Top with sour cream, cheese and tomatoes.  (I put the cheese on right after taking them out of the oven and then put them back in the oven for 1 – 2 minutes until the cheese melted.)

original recipe is 4 servings, 1 serving = 261 calories (which is 1 pepper half)

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake

by penji1

My neighbor Karin forwarded this recipe to me in an email (a hint perhaps?) so I decided to make it for her for Christmas.  It’s a Cooking Light recipe but doesn’t taste like it (Karin gave me a bite when I took it down to her)!  I found these cute little Christmas tree cake pans and the recipe made 2 of those or you can make 1 bigger one.

Cake:

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup hot water

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup chunky applesauce

1/3 cup honey

2 eggs

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted (I left mine slivered)

optional toppings:

frozen fat free whipped topping, thawed

cinnamon

1  Preheat oven to 350.

2  To prepare cake, combine oats and hot water in a small bowl and set aside.

3  Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, applesauce, honey and eggs and beat on high for 1 minute.  Add oat mixture and beat on low until well blended.  Add half the flour mixture to batter and beat well then add remaining flour mixture and beat well again.  Pour batter into 11 x 7″ baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Place dish on wire rack.

4  To prepare frosting, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.  Add brown sugar and honey and cook 2 minutes or until bubbly, stirring constantly.  Stir in almonds.  Quickly pour frosting over cake and spread evenly using a rubber spatula.

5  Preheat broiler.

6  Broil cake 1 minute or until frosting is bubbly and golden.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Serve with whipped topping and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.

1 cake = 16 servings, 1 serving = 255 calories

Cranberry and White Chocolate Mousse Cake

by penji1

Christmas Bunco potluck dinner tonight and I signed up to make a dessert.  It’s pretty easy to make, just a little time consuming.  The contrast of the tang of the cranberry and the lemon paired with the smooth, sweetness of the white chocolate is so delicious!  If you need a fancy dessert for an event, I recommend giving this one a try.  It’s a Pampered Chef recipe from their “Festive Holiday Desserts” cookbook.

Mousse:

1 (12 oz) package white chocolate morsels (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (3 cups)

Cake and Garnish:

1 (16 oz) frozen pound cake or 1 1/2 frozen pound cakes, thawed (I used 2 full pound cakes)

2/3 cup thawed frozen cranberry juice concentrate

1/4 cup lemon juice (I squeezed mine from about 1 1/2 lemons, so much better than that stuff in the bottle)

3 oz vanilla flavored almond bark

powdered sugar (optional)

1  For mousse, place white chocolate morsels and milk in bowl.  Microwave on high 1 – 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.  Cool slightly, 1- 2 minutes.  Whisk in sour cream.  Fold in whipped topping.

2  Trim crusts off cakes to make 8 1/2 x 3 x 1 1/2″ cakes.  Place trimmings in Rotary Grater (cheese grater) and grate evenly over bottom of Springform Pan.  Press crumbs evenly and flat to form crust.  Slice remaining cake into 1/8″ slices (about 60 slices).

3  Combine juice concentrate and lemon juice.  Layer crust with 1/4 of mousse.  Spread evenly.  Arrange about 20 slices of cake over mousse, overlapping as needed to form an even layer.  Brush cake with 1/3 of the cranberry mixture.  Repeat layers two times, ending with cranberry mixture.  Top cranberry mixture with remaining mousse.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

4  Place almond bark on microwave safe plate.  Microwave on high 20 seconds, turning over after 10 seconds (do not melt).  Hold almond bark with a clean kitchen towel and create small curls using a vegetable peeler.  Garnish cake with curls and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  Run a knife around sides of cake before removing collar.

M & M Kiss Pretzel Bites

by penji1

Here’s another easy holiday treat idea.  Similar to the Rolo Pretzel Bites which come right before these on the blog.

1 bag tiny twist pretzels

1 bag Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

1 bag M &M’s, either plain or peanut (peanut works better)

Preheat oven to 250.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place as many unbroken pretzels on cookie sheet as desired.  Put one unwrapped Kiss on top of each pretzel.  Put in oven for 2 – 5 minutes.  Immediately upon removing from oven, place one M & M on top of the softened Kiss, pushing down to spread Kiss out on pretzel.  (I used plain M & M’s because I had some but the peanut work better because they are bigger and thus easier to smush on the Kiss to spread it out.)  Let cool on cooling racks or place in fridge to cool faster.  Yummy!

MM party 011

Here’s an update, almost cuter I think, on the square pretzels rather than the tiny twists!

Rolo Pretzel Bites

by penji1

This is a quick, easy and tasty holiday treat, great for gift giving.  No particular culinary skills required.  I think this recipe came from my friend Jennifer Harmon.  Give em a try but make a lot if you want to have any left to give away!

1 bag tiny twist pretzels

1 bag Rolos, unwrapped

Pampered Chef Sweet Caramel Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 250.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  (Don’t freak out about the parchment paper, you can now buy it in the grocery store.  It is in the same aisle as aluminum foil and plastic wrap.)  Place as many unbroken pretzels on the cookie sheet as you like.  Top each pretzel with an unwrapped Rolo candy.  Place in oven 2 – 5 minutes.  Remove from oven.   Rolos will be melted so just use the back of a spoon to smush (technical baking term) them down onto the pretzel.  I topped mine with PC Sweet Caramel Sprinkles but you could leave them as is or sprinkle with red and/or green sprinkles or whatever you like.  You can let them sit on the counter until the candy is set or you can put the cookie sheet in the fridge for a quicker set.  As the Barefoot Contessa would say, “How easy is that?”.

Dove Chocolate Discoveries Giveaway Winner Announced!

by penji1

Congratulations to Michele Lawrence of North Carolina who won the Dove Chocolate Discoveries Giveaway!  She will be receiving a box of the Artisan Marshmallow Collection Milk and Dark Chocolate Covered, a $25 value.  Here is what the DCD catalog says about them:  “Much as we love them, marshmallows have been delegated to the kids’ and campfire section.  How wonderful is it that we now have our own grown-up chocolate covered marshmallows in four different tasty flavors!  Small batch Caramel and Cinnamon are both bathed generously in milk chocolate before their white chocolate drizzle.  Try Vanilla made from real vanilla beans and Lemon that tastes like lemon meringue pie.  These two get the dark chocolate treatment.  FYI, there’s no skimping on the premium chocolate.  Enough talk, let’s eat!”  Couldn’t have said it better myself!  Congrats Michele and thanks for subscribing!

Chocolate Chip Mint Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

by penji1

The cupcake recipe comes from Wendy Paul’s “101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes”.  I’m not sure where I got this frosting recipe from but it is my favorite, easy to make and tasty.  It is already on the blog somewhere but I’ll put it on again here so you don’t have to go looking for it if you want to make these cupcakes.  The cupcake paper liners and the little paper gingerbread men on toothpicks came together in a set and I think I got them at Target but it was last year after Christmas when everything was 50% off!  They make decorating so easy and cute.

Cupcakes:

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 teaspoon mint extract

1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips (semisweet is best)

1  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs until fluffy.  Add milk and stir.  Pour dry cake mix into egg mixture and stir until well combined.  Do not overstir.  Add mint flavoring and 1 cup of the mini chocolate chips.

2  Pour batter into paper liners and fill 3/4 full.

3  Bake at 350 for 15 – 18 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger.  Remove from pan and place cupcakes on a rack to cool.

4  Frost with desired frosting and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips on top.

I got about 22 cupcakes from this recipe.

Basic Buttercream Icing:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (use vegetable shortening for white icing)

1/2 cup milk, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla or any other flavoring (I thought about making the frosting mint flavored too but wasn’t sure if it would be too much mint so didn’t but you could easily make this mint frosting or any other flavor you like)

2 pounds powdered sugar

10 – 15 drops green food coloring (or any other color desired)

Mix ingredients on low until smooth.  If stiffer icing is needed, add more sugar.  This is enough to cover and fill a 9 x 13″ cake or two 9″ layers.  (I had enough frosting for all my cupcakes with a little leftover which might have frosted between 3 – 4 more cupcakes.)

 

Reeses Brownie Cups and Rolo Brownie Cups

by penji1

Reeses Brownie Cup

Rolo Brownie Cup

In the mood for experimenting today so first up, brownie cups with mini Reeses and Rolos.  The Reeses worked out a little better than the Rolos since the Reeses are slightly bigger.  Both taste great but Reeses looks better.

1 (19 oz or so) brownie mix plus ingredients to make brownies

1 bag mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

1 bag Rolos

Wilton Jumbo Tree Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray wells of mini muffin pan with Pam for baking.  Prepare brownie mix according to package directions.  Using Small Scoop, place 1 level scoop in each well of mini muffin pan.  Bake for 14 minutes.  Remove muffin pans to cooling racks and immediately press either an unwrapped Reeses mini peanut butter cup or a Rolo into the center of each mini brownie.  Let sit in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove brownies from pan carefully and top with 1 Wilton Jumbo Tree Sprinkle, if desired.  Let sit until cooled and set.

Country French Beef Stew

by penji1

This takes a little more prep time than your average beef stew but it is so worth it!  The bacon gives this stew such a great flavor and the beef just falls apart, it is so tender.  It’s from Betty Crocker.

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces

1 (3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat, cut into 1″ pieces or 3 pounds beef stew meat (I went with the stew meat)

1 large onion, cut into 1/2″ wedges (didn’t have any onions on hand so used 1/4 cup dried onions)

3 cups ready to serve carrots (the recipe didn’t say to do it but I cut these into thirds because a whole baby carrot is really hard to eat out of a bowl of stew gracefully)

1 cup red Zinfandel wine or non-alchohlic wine or 1 cup additional beef broth (I used the broth)

3/4 cup beef broth

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (I only had ground thyme so used 1/4 teaspoon of that)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (8 oz/3 cups) package sliced fresh mushrooms (I left these out)

1/2 cup julienne cut sun dried tomatoes (not oil packaged) (didn’t have any so left them out)

hot cooked egg noodles

Spray 5 – 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  Cook bacon until crispy.  (It holds up better in the stew the crispier it is so cook it until it is almost burnt.)  Place bacon in slow cooker.  Discard all but 1 – 2 tablespoons bacon fat.  Cook beef in fat in batches 2 – 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown.  Stir onion into beef.  Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Spoon mixture into slow cooker.  Stir in carrots, wine, broth, flour, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and canned tomatoes.  Cook on low 7 – 9 hours.  Stir in mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes.  Cook on low 20 – 30 minutes longer or until tomatoes are tender.  Serve over noodles.

White Bean Chicken Chili

by penji1

This tastes much better than it looks!  It comes from the Betty Crocker 300 calorie cookbook.  Quick and easy!

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

3 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used a can of Costco chicken)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 (10 oz each) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (I used regular diced tomatoes because those Rotel ones with the chilies are too hot for me)

1 (15 – 16 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

sour cream, if desired

chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

1  In 4 1/2 – 5 quart Dutch oven (I just used a large stock pot), melt butter over medium high heat.  Cook onion and garlic in butter, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.

2  Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream and cilantro.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.  Simmer uncovered 2 – 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.

3  Top each serving with sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.

6 servings, 1 serving = 280 calories