Bow Ties with Tomatoes, Feta and Balsamic Dressing

by penji1

I got a new cookbook at Costco when I was there the other day called “Cooking Light Complete Meals in Minutes” and this is the first recipe I tried from it and it was delicious!  The cookbook is divided into sections according to foods and then each section is broken into 3 additional sections according to how long a recipe takes to prepare – 15 minutes, 20 minutes and 30 minutes.  This one was 20 minutes.  So quick, easy and yummy!

6 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) (I used whole grain rotini)

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I used white wine vinegar instead)

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

2 teaspoons capers (left these out)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (just used regular mustard since the Dijon was all gone)

1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (I pressed one fresh clove of garlic in)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

4 oz crumbled reduced – fat Feta cheese

1  Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting any salt and/or fat.  Drain.  Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, grapes and basil in a large bowl.

2  While pasta cooks, combine vinegar and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Gradually add oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with whisk.  Drizzle vinaigrette over pasta mixture and toss well to coat.  Add cheese and toss to combine.

4 servings (serving size – 2 cups) = 320 calories per serving

Granola Fudge Clusters

by penji1

This is a delicious twist on the traditional no bake cookie recipe, only much tastier, from Taste of Home and they go together in a snap so if your sweet tooth is raging, like mine was, you don’t have to wait too long!

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 1/4 cups granola cereal without raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate and butterscotch chips at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.  Stir in granola and walnuts.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper lined baking sheets.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen, 114 calories each

Halloween Treat Ideas

by penji1

Tomorrow night is our neighborhood Halloween party and I signed up to bring treats so I spent half the day today in the kitchen having fun and creating Halloween goodies.  These are all pretty easy to do so I thought I ‘d share them with you all in case you need some Halloween yummies for an activity or party.

First up, pretzels with molded chocolate.  You can find all different kinds of molds that use pretzels at your local craft and/or party store such as Roberts, Michaels, Partyland or Zurchers.  I used almond bark for the white and Wilton Candy Melts for the orange.  All you do is melt them in the microwave (go about 30 – 45 seconds at a time and stir between each time period until completely melted), spoon them into the molds and stick the pretzel in on top of the chocolate, pressing it in slightly so it adheres and then pop in the fridge for 10 minutes or so until the chocolate hardens and then it will pop right out of the mold.  To do 2 colors in one mold, paint one color of chocolate in the mold (like I did here with the ghost), put that in the fridge and let it set and then do the second color and the pretzel. I bought a bag of Halloween plastic rings at the dollar store and slid one on each pretzel.   The picture shows them packaged and ready to go for the party.

Next up, magic wands!  These have been a Halloween favorite at our house for a long time now, since the kids were little and they couldn’t be any easier to make.  Take a pretzel rod and dip in chocolate, using a spoon to cover almost the whole pretzel (I used the same almond bark and candy melts for these as well), shake carefully to get rid of any excess chocolate and then cover surface with your choice of sprinkles by holding pretzel in one hand over a paper plate and sprinkling sprinkles with other (this way you can put all the sprinkles that fall off back into the jar), let sit on wax paper until set.  I also put the Halloween rings on these and they are packaged and ready to go.

Next, molded chocolates!  I had some chocolate left over so I made a few trays of molded chocolates, just like making the molded pretzels except without the pretzels.  You can “paint” one color in (I used a small spoon) and put it in the fridge and then do the second layer and let set in the fridge and then they will pop right out.

And last but not least, ghost cookies!  Super easy and super cute!  I saw this idea on the internet somewhere.  These are just Nutter Butter cookies dipped in almond bark.  Let sit on wax paper until chocolate is set then use a sandwich bag with a tiny cut in one corner to put the faces on these guys (which Courtney did for me).  That’s it!  How easy is that?

So here is my box of treats almost fully loaded and ready to go to the party!  Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Chuck Wagon Dinner

by penji1

So here is another version of the Chuck Wagon dinner, this one comes from the “Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook”, doesn’t taste like diet food at all though.

1/3 pound lean ground beef (I used a full pound)

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (left this out)

1 garlic clove, pressed (I used 2)

1 (7 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained (I used a whole 15 oz can)

3/4 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used a whole 15 oz can)

1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used a whole 8 oz can)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, cook beef, onion, pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink then drain.  Add corn, beans, tomato sauce and seasonings; cover and cook 5 – 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

The recipe if prepared in original form (without my changes) is considered 2 servings and each serving is 300 calories.

Pampered Chef Fall Colors Prize Pack Giveaway Update!

by penji1

So here is the update that I promised you all now that I’ve received the final product for the prize pack.  The prize pack now consists of the following:

Microfiber Towel in Pumpkin

Microfiber Towel in Eggplant

set of 2 Microfiber Dishcloths in Pumpkin and Eggplant (new addition to prize pack!)

Twixit! Clip Combo Pack in Pumpkin, Eggplant and Sage

I-Slice in Eggplant

Handy Scraper in Eggplant

set of 3 Quikut Paring Knives in Pumpkin, Eggplant and Sage

and the winner’s choice of 1 – 2 gently used Pampered Chef cookbooks.

The retail value of this prize pack is $46.00!

You can enter the drawing by:

1  subscribing to the blog (if you are already subscribed then you are already entered)

2  commenting on this post and telling me your favorite soup recipe (I’ll pick the recipe I like best, make it and post it on the blog and that person will receive a third entry into the drawing)

You have until midnight, Saturday, Oct 23 to enter.

Good luck!

 

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

by penji1

Patty requested meatloaf and I remembered this Kraft recipe that I used to make a lot when the kids were little because they liked having their own little meatloaf.  There are several different flavor combinations and they are all good!

basic recipe:

1 pound hamburger

1 (6 oz) package Stove Top stuffing mix

1 cup water

Heat oven to 375.  Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and seasoning (see below).  Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.  Make an indentation in center of each with a spoon.  Spoon add ins (see below) into center of each meatloaf.  Bake 30 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked through.  Top with cheese (see below) and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

flavor combinations:

Italian:  seasoning – 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, add in – 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce, cheese – 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Fiesta:  seasoning – 2 teaspoons chili powder, add in – 3/4 cup salsa, cheese – 3/4 cup shredded Mexican style cheese

Mediterranean:  seasoning – 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, add in – 3/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers, cheese – 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese

BBQ (pictured above without cheese):  seasoning – 1 teaspoon garlic powder, add in – 3/4 cup barbeque sauce, cheese – 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Corn, Ham and Potato Scallop

by penji1

My friend Patty (who I’ve been cooking for today) requested Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and I remembered that I had this easy version that you can do in the crock pot (can’t remember where it came from, probably because I’ve had it for so long).  I like it because it uses real potatoes.

6 cups of 1″ cubes peeled baking potatoes

1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (left this out as Patty doesn’t like spicey)

2 teaspoons instant minced onions

1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons flour

Mix potatoes, ham, corn, pepper and onion in crock pot.  Mix soup, milk and flour, beating with whisk until smooth.  Pour soup mixture over potato mixture, stirring gently to mix.  Cook on low 7 – 9 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Black Bean Taco Salad

by penji1

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker.  The combo of black beans and lime juice is so good!

2 (15 oz each) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (2.25 oz) can sliced ripe olives, drained (I left these out)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

4 medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)

1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I used fat free)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (NO!)

2 tablespoons lime juice (squeeze your own, it’s so much better than a bottle!)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chopped fresh spinach

1  In large bowl, mix beans, olives, tomatoes, onions, cheese and cilantro.

2  In container with tight fitting lid, shake lime juice, cumin and pepper until well mixed then toss with bean mixture.  Serve on spinach.

(We ate ours on flatbread, yummy!)

The recipe as listed above makes 4 servings, 280 calories each.

Epcot Center’s Corn Muffins

by penji1

This recipe comes from “Mickey’s Gourmet Cookbook The Most Popular Recipes from Walt Disney World and Disneyland”.  It’s kind of old (published in 1994) so perhaps these aren’t the most popular recipes anymore but there are still some good ones.  It says this recipe was served in the Farmer’s Market at Epcot Center.  I am going to start cooking meals for a friend of mine (Hi Patty!) when I can and she requested corn bread so I thought these corn muffins would be good because they can go in the freezer better than a pan of cornbread.  In the next day or two, I’ll be posting some recipes that I’ll be making for Patty and Raymond that freeze well so if you’re in need of some freezer meal recipes, stay tuned!

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening (I used butter instead)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

1 1/3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine sugar, salt, shortening (or butter, softened) and vanilla and blend about 5 minutes until slightly creamed.  Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and corn meal and mix well.  On low speed, add half flour mixture alternately with half milk until all ingredients have been added.  Scoop into paper lined cupcake pans and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes about 18 muffins (I got 20)

 

 

Pampered Chef Fall Colors Prize Pack Giveaway!

by penji1

It’s time for another Pampered Chef giveaway!  Here’s what I’m giving away to one lucky winner:

Microfiber Towel in Pumpkin

Microfiber Towel in Eggplant

Twizit! Clip Combo Pack in Pumpkin, Eggplant and Sage

I-Slice in Eggplant

Handy Scraper in Eggplant

Quikut Paring Knives in Eggplant, Pumpkin and Sage

I will also give the winner a cookbook or two of their choice from my library of “gently used” Pampered Chef cookbooks.

And I have one more prize to add to the pack but haven’t received it yet, when I do I’ll repost the entire prize pack.

The retail value of the prize pack right now is $37.50!

Here’s how to win:

1  Subscribe to my blog – if you are already subscribed then you are already entered

2  To get a second entry, comment on this post and tell me your favorite fall/winter soup recipe.

So you can get up to two entries for this giveaway, although I will choose the soup recipe that sounds most appealing to me and give that person an extra entry and I will also post their soup recipe on the blog.

You have until midnight Saturday October 23 to subscribe and share your soup recipes.

Good luck!