10.28.2007

THE Go-To Cookies

My husband helped one of his friends move today. He called around dinner time and said he was going to be a little later than planned and asked if I would wait to start dinner. I was starving but of course I said yes. So what's a girl to do when she doesn't want to work on her geometry lesson plan and can't make dinner? BAKE!! I decided to make my go-to cookies with a twist. For the recipe see my Blog Entry from a few months ago.

I added 1 cup of Mini Reeses Pieces along with the chocolate chips.

These are so damn good. I could eat all of them.


Not what I expected....

But, it was still very tasty. I couldn't find one of the ingredients so it kind of changed what we actually ate....


Cheeseburger Hoagie Sandwiches
(minus the hoagies...)
Low Fat, Cholesterol, and Calories


No laughing at my Paper Plates! I'm tired of doing Dishes!

1 package (11 oz) refrigerated French bread dough
4 slices American Cheese (reduced fat), divided
12 oz ground turkey
½ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
¼ cup ketchup
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
1 plum tomato, sliced

1, Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place bread dough on a cutting board and stretch slightly. Cut dough into 4 equal portions. Cut 3 diagonal slits on top each portion of dough; place a seam side down and 3 inches apart. Bake 20 – 22 min or until golden brown. Set loaves on cooling rack.

2. Cut two slices of cheese into small pieces. In skilled cook and stir beef, onion and garlic over medium heat 8 – 10 min or until meat is no longer pink. Stir in ketchup, mustard and cut up cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Remove skillet from heat

3. Slice each loaf length wise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open. Fill evenly with beef mixture; place on baking stone. Bake 6 – 8 minutes or until bread is toasted and meat mixture is heated through.


4. Cut remaining cheese slice diagonally in half, top each sandwich with one cheese triangle. Top sandwiches with lettuce and tomato slices.


I could not find the refrigerated french bread dough anywhere at the store. I just ended up picking up some frozen Pilsbury Rolls. That was dumb. The rolls weren't big enough and I couldn't put them back in the oven in step 3 or else they would have burned. The sandwiches still turned out really good, just not as big as I thought. Next time we make this we're just going to buy hot dog buns and toast them. It will be just as good and a little bit easier.

Yield: 4 servings
Calories 370g, Total Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrates: 45 g, Protein 29g, Sodium 1050 mg, Fiber <1g.

10.27.2007

Regrets

I was slightly hungover today which ended up being nice in the fact that I didn't feel like going to the gym (Bad Stacey, Bad!), did some blog updates, painted all day, planned my meals for the week, and had a pretty good dinner tonight. It was a very lazy day. I don't have many of those kind of days. What sucks though is that I didn't go to the gym, didn't do anything school related, and now have to get up early tomorrow and be super productive. Oh well...

For dinner tonight it was grilled steaks, steamed broccoli, carrots, and red peppers with grated Parmesan Cheese, and I wanted to make homemade fries. I perused the net for a while and found 2 recipes. I ended up going with the oven baked rather than fried recipe and kind of regret it. Why did I choose oven baked you ask? Well, it was simpler and that went along with my lazy day theme. The oven baked were good but, just didn't hit the spot. I'll post both of the recipes.

Spicy Country Fries
From http://www.grouprecipes.com/ user: jo_jo_ba


3 medium potatoes
1 egg white
1 tsp each paprika, black pepper and salt




Preheat oven to 500F.
Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Cut potatoes into 36 wedges, place in bowl of cold water.
Whisk egg white, paprika, pepper, and salt in a large bowl until frothy.
Dry potato wedges, add to egg white and toss to coat.
Spread on baking sheet and bake on bottom rack 25 minutes, turning half way through.


Serves: 4

Anddd now for the fries I should have made.....

Homemade Crispy Seasoned French Fries
Found on allrecipes.com

1-1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup water, or as needed
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

1) Slice potatoes into French fries, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.

2) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, onion salt, (regular) salt, and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.

3) Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serves: 4

Simply Delicious!

M and I made this meal last Tuesday night and it was delicious. The whole night was great. We cooked together and polished off a couple bottles of wine. It was so much fun. I really wish I could have taken better pictures that expressed how great the food tasted.

Peppered Beef Filets with
Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
Low Cholesterol and Low Calorie


Mashed Potatoes
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tsp 70% vegetable oil spread
1 tsp sugar
1 pond unpeeled red or russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 tbsp snipped fresh parsley (I used dried)
¾ tsp prepared horseradish ½ tsp salt


Beef Filets
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch think (5 oz each)
1 tsp coarsely ground tri-colored peppercorns or black pepper corns

¼ tsp salt

1. For mashed potatoes, coarsely chop onion. Melt vegetable oil spread in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sure; cook and stir 8 – 10 minutes or until onion is tender and deep golden brown. Remove from skillet; set aside.

2. Place potatoes and enough water to cover in a small saucepan. Cover; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook 8 – 10 min or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes in small colander; return to saucepan. Using a masher, mash until no lumps remain. Add evaporated milk; stir until well-blended Add cooked onion, parsley, horseradish ands alt; mix well. Cover; keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, for beef filets, press garlic into small bowl. Spread garlic evenly over both sides of steaks. Sprinkle tri-colored pepper and salt evenly over both sides of steaks.

4. Heat same skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until hot. Place steaks in skillet. Cook 10 – 13 min for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Serve with mashed potatoes

Yield: 4 Servings
Calories: 360, Total Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol 90 mg, Carbohydrate 28g, Protein 34g, Sodium, 580mg, Fiber 3g

Not my cup of tea

But, some people may like it. This recipe came from my It's Good For You cook book. It's low in fat, calories, cholesterol, and apparently taste.

Chicken Vegetable Cobbler


Chicken & Vegetable Filling
2 cups diced cooked chicken (or turkey)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups broccoli florets
1 can corn
1 can 98% fat-free reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup 100% fat-free broth
1/2 cup skim milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Biscuit Topping
1.25 cups reduced-fat all-purpose baking mix
1/2 cup skim like
1 egg white

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For chicken and vegetable filling, cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut carrots into 1/3 inch slices and chop onion. Steam carrots, broccoli, and onion in the microwave for 2 - 3 min or until crisp-tender.

2. In bowl combine soup, broth, milk, garlic, thyme and black pepper; whisk until blended. Stir in chicken, corn, and vegetable mixture; mix well. Pour in to deep dish baking pan.

3. In small bowl, combine baking mix, milk and egg white; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture forms a soft dough. Drop six scoops of dough over filling. Bake 30 - 35 min or until topping is golden brown.

So, like I said, this wasn't my cup of tea. My husband didn't like it either. Not enough flavor for us. If I ever make it again I'll add more spices and maybe some more flavorful veggies.




Yields: 6 Servings.
Calories: 270, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 50 mg, Carbohydrate 30g, Protein 23g, Sodium, 640mg, Fiber 2g.

10.21.2007

Long Time No See

Well, my life is starting to slow down. 2 of my classes are over, so I can get back to doing some things I love.... cooking and working out to name a few. This is the first week in a long time that I've planned meals. I decided to pick the meals out of a Pampered Chef: It's Good For You cookbook I bought 2 years ago but have never used. The recipes are all healthy and all look so delicious.

Lean 'N Green Chili
Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, Low Calorie




Ingredients

8 6 inch corn tortillas, divided
2 tsp vegetable oil, dived
1 cup chopped Poblano Chile peppers or green bell peppers
½ cup chopped onion
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ inch pieces
1 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) 99% fat free chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1.25 cups salsa verde or 1 can green Chile enchilada sauce
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro (I used dried)


1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut four of the tortillas in half and stack them one on top of another. Cut the tortillas into ½ inch strips. Place in bowl and toss with 1 tsp of the oil. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake 10 – 12 min or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven.

2) Chop Chile peppers and onion. Cut chicken into ¾ inch pieces; toss with cumin in small bowl. Fold one tortilla to fit into a food processor coarsely grate. Repeat with remaining 3 tortillas. Set aside

3) Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in large pot over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 min. Remove chicken from casserole; and Chile peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 3 min. Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15 min.

4) Stir cilantro into chili. Ladle soup into bowls; top with baked tortilla strips.


Serving size: 1.25 cups, Calories 260, Total Fat 3.5 G, Saturated Fat 0.5 grams, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrates 32g, Protein 25g, Sodium 850 mg, Fiber 5 g.


Of course I made a few mistakes with this recipe..... I grabbed whole grain tortillas instead of corn tortillas. I don't think it made much of a difference. It still tasted delicious. Next time I make this I don't think I'll grate up 4 tortillas, I'd like the chili a little less thick. I also had green tomatoes on hand, so I chopped up 3 and threw 'em in. I served this with Jiffy Corn Bread. Delicious!