Peppermint Delight

It's that time of year!! My FAVORITE time of year! All the baking and yummy goodies to be had!

My dad was going through some old recipe books they had and found this recipe and asked if I would "please!!" Make this for him. lol! I couldn't say no...this looked too good! It's a very simple recipe, but very VERY delicious! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. marshmallows, cup up
1 C. heavy whipping cream- whipped
1 C. nuts (any type will do)
14 small candy canes, crushed
1 C. graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbs. Butter, melted

Directions:
Melt butter and mix with 3/4 C graham cracker crumbs. place in the bottom of a baking dish. Add 2/3 of the whipped cream to the cut up marshmallows and mix together. add nuts and candy canes to the other 1/3 whipped cream. Put the marshmallow mixture on top of graham cracker crust, followed by the nut and candy cane mixture on top of that. Finish the whole thing off with the remainder of the graham cracker crumbs and place in the fridge to chill for up to an hour and Enjoy!!!

SOOO simple, but tastes like a MILLION bucks!! ;)

Turkey stuffed Cabbage leaves

I've always wanted to try this recipe, but I knew the hubby would NEVER eat it. lol! well, since he's gone for work, I figured I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did too, cause it was WONDERFUL and super easy!! Give it a try, and ENJOY!

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
  
• 16 large cabbage leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2/3 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. In a pot, bring 1 cup water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Reduce heat to low and place cabbage leaves in pot. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Drain leaves and set aside.
4. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook turkey and onion until turkey is brown and onion is tender. Transfer turkey and onion to a bowl, cool slightly, and mix in cooked rice, egg and 1 can tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
5. In a separate bowl, mix 1 can tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Spread cabbage leaves on a flat surface and place about 2 tablespoons turkey mixture in the center of each leaf. Fold edges of leaves over filling, then roll into logs. Place cabbage rolls seam side down in dish. Pour sauce evenly over rolls.
7. Cover and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven. Remove cover during last 10 minutes of cook time.
   

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

I've been seeing alot of people talking about Pumpkin Muffins. They sounded so yummy and so festive for this time of year. I was surprised I had never had one before. So last night, I sat down and made up a recipe with what I had in stock in my pantry. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/3 C. Canola Oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/2 Sugar
1/2 applesauce
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

topping:
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. sugar

Directions:
* Preheat over to 350 Degrees F. Make sure your oven rack is set on the middle rack. Put your liners in your muffin tin or spray your muffin tin if your using a mini muffin tin.
* Whisk together the flour and Baking Powder in a small bowl.
* Whisk together Pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, allspice, 1/2 C sugar, 1/2 C applesauce, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then whisk in the flour mixture until combined.
* stir together cinnamon and 1 Tbs. sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
* Divide batter among muffin cups then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Then baked until fluffed and golden brown for 25-30 minutes. If your cooking them in a small muffin tin, bake for 15-17 minutes.

Enjoy!

French Apple Tart

My wonderful husband recently purchased the new Kitchenaid Food Processor for me, so of course, I had to try it out as soon as I got it! I figured, with the Holidays approaching us, what better way to try out my new food processor then to make a yummy dessert. I recently purchased the new "Cooking Light" Thanksgiving edition magazine at my local grocery store today. I stumbled upon this recipe and knew I HAD to give it a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 (14.1 ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
3 Tbs. Apple jelly, melted and divided
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 Tbs. packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (this is where the food processor came in handy)
8 tsp. creme fraiche

Directions:

* preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
* Roll dough to a 12-ince circle; place on a 12-inch pizza pan. Brush dough with 1 Tbs jelly. Place pan in freezer for 5 minutes.
* Scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Combine seeds, brown sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Sprinkle 1 Tbs. sugar mixture over dough. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles on prepared crust. Sprinkle apples with the remaining sugar mixture. Bake at 425 for 35 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.
* Brush remaining 2 Tbs. jelly over hot tart. Cut into 8 wedges; top each wedge with 1 tsp creme fraiche.

Serves 8
Calories: 205; Fat 8.7 g; Protein 1.4 g; Carb 32.6 g; Fiber 1.1 g;

Lifestyle Changes....Non-food related post

So last Thursday I had my second Gallbladder attack this year. For those that have experienced any sort of Gallbladder issues, I feel for you, it is one of the WORST feelings/experiences ever! SO, since that happening, I went to my doctor and was advised to set up an appointment with a surgeon to discuss having my gallbladder removed and until that happens, I need to stay on a VERY strict low-fat diet. So, I haven't posted any recipes lately because I've been doing alot of research on alternatives for some of my favorite recipes, I plan on posting them next week. My husband is leaving this Saturday for Hawaii to work there for 2 1/2 weeks. So I'm going to be spending as much time as possible with him before he leaves, then next week I'll focus on getting some good recipes up. =) I plan on making a trip to our local Trader Joe's this weekend to get all the ingredients for the recipes I plan on posting. Thank you for your patience!! Happy Holidays to all.

Turkey Buscuit Cups!

A couple months ago, I was complaining to my dad how I feel like I make the same meals over and over that use ground beef as the main ingredient. It's either meatballs, meatloaf or tacos...Meatballs, meatloaf or Tacos...ETC. you get my point. So my wonderful dad found me an AMAZING cookbook by "Taste of Home" called..."Delicious favorites for Family meals and potlucks, ALL ground Beef". I, however, do not eat ground beef anymore, so I subsitute all ground beef for ground turkey, and the recipes turn out just as good! This particular recipe, I used my left over turkey mix from the stuffed bellpeppers I made last night. The great thing about this recipe, is you can do whatever you like. You can make is as healthy or un-healthy as you like. I didn't use as much cheese as this recipe called for and my meat mixture has veggies and black beans in it=) I will post the actual recipe below for you. ENJOY!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 tubes (8 ounces each) large refrigerated biscuits
1 C (4 ounces) shredded cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce; cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

Press biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Spoon 2 TBS. of beef mixture into the center of each cup.

bake at 375 F for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese; bake three minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Turkey stuffed Red peppers!

I have tried a few different stuffed peppers in the past, and to me, they just didn't have enough flavor. I think another problem was, I was using ground beef at the time, which made things extra greasy...ewww!
This time around, I used the basic knowledge I had for cooking a stuffed pepper and just threw together this recipe using ground TURKEY instead of beef, and it was WAY better! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 bellpeppers (any color will do)
1 pound taco flavored ground turkey (you can usually find this at your local grocery store, if not, go ahead and add your own seasonings)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 C shredded cheese of your choice
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
1/3 C frozen peas
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
Olive oil spray

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 F

Cut the tops off of your peppers and clean the seeds and membrane out. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, you'll only need enough water to cover the peppers. Cook the peppers in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Remove the pepper with tongs and invert onto a paper towel lined plate to drain before stuffing.

In a large pan, spray a little bit of the olive oil spray in the bottom and start cooking your onion. Let the onions get translucent before you add the turkey in as well. Once the turkey and onion have cooked up, throw in the frozen peas, drained black beans and tomato sauce. Let that cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Ladle the mixture into the peppers, just enough to have it stick out above the pepper. (you may have some mixture left over, that's ok, you can use it the next day for more peppers, or make yourself a taco salad with it) =)

Stick the peppers into a baking dish standing up right and sprinkle 1/4 C of cheese over the top of each pepper. Cover the dish and peppers with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Operation Christmas Child....Non-food related post.

I wanted to post something besides "What's for dinner in my home tonight". Operation Christmas Child is something very near and dear to my heart. It is an opportunity for us to be selfless and fill a shoe box to send to a child that has NOTHING. This child will appreciate the shoe box you have sent them more than you or I could ever imagine. The little things that you and I take for granted everyday (ie heat, a warm bed to sleep in, television, video games, laptops, hot cups of coffee etc.) They don't have. So this shoe box that you send to a child will mean the WORLD to them. It will show them that someone out there cares for them and loves them that much, that they wanted to give them something special to call their OWN.
The Holidays are approaching very quickly. The week of Nov. 14-21st is the official drop off week for the Shoe Boxes. Please check out the website below for details about "Operation Christmas" and where a local drop off location is in your area. I hope you find it in your heart to pack a shoe box for a child in need and make this Christmas mean the world to them! God Bless!

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

Italian Wedding Soup

This was a first for me. I was craving a new hearty/warm soup for this chilly Fall Weather we're having. I found this recipe and knew I had to try it. It took a bit of work to prepare everything, but in the end...SOOO worth it! I had just one bowl for lunch this afternoon, and it was VERY filling. Enjoy!

Credit for this recipe goes to laurainthekitchen.com I LOVE watching her cooking videos on YouTube.com as well.

For the soup base:
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Medium Carrots, diced
2 Stalks of Celery, diced
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
6 cups of Chicken Stock
5 ounces of Fresh Baby Spinach, washed and dried
¼ tsp of Fresh Lemon Zest
Fresh Chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper, to taste
3/4 Cup of Small Pasta (I used Orzo Pasta, it worked great!)

For the meatballs:
¾ lb Ground Chicken
1 tsp of Grated Onion
1 Clove of Garlic, grated or finely minced
¼ tsp of Fresh grated Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp of Fresh chopped Parsley
2 Tbsp of Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
1 Tbsp of Milk
3 Tbsp of fresh grated Parmiggiano Reggiano

Process

1) In a large bowl, combine together all of the meatballs ingredients, mix well and form little tiny meatballs. Set aside.

2) In a large pot over medium high heat, cook together the chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

3) Add the meatballs and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the pasta and cook according to packaged direction. 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the spinach and cook for a couple minutes.

4) Season with salt and pepper to taste and turn the heat off. Right before it’s served, add the ½ tsp of grated lemon zest and fresh chopped parsley.

Ladle up and enjoy!

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

I have never been a big Acorn Squash fan until I tried this recipe the other night. It was so smooth and delicious! It had the perfect amount of sweet and savory and was a big hit with my taste buds!! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 Acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
• Dash of Salt

Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Using a strong chef's knife, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.

3 Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.

4 Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.

Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much squash you like to eat.

French Toast Cupcakes with Creamy Maple Frosting

My daughter has her 6th birthday coming up and I've been on the look out for a yummy cupcake to make for her party. I found this cupcake on www.suzybakes.com I had to make these cupcakes before her party just to make sure they would be loved. ;) This recipe is SOOOO good! The cupcakes were moist and the frosting was the perfect consistency and had the perfect amount of maple flavor. Enjoy!!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs plus one egg yolk, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs (including extra yolk), 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk, vanilla, and maple extract. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
6. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Maple Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon maple extract to taste

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and maple. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar (note: I ended up using 8 cups of sugar for this recipe.)
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish, if desired.
   
4. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

Chocoscotch Oatmeal cookies =)

The Hubby wanted Oatmeal raisin cookies (his FAVORITE) So I went to go make them and I saw all these other nummy things in my cupboard, like chocolate chips and Butterscotch chips i.e the name "Chocoscotch Oatmeal cookies" So, I scratched the raisins and used the other nummy chips instead....Hey, atleast I kept the Oatmeal in the recipe. Needless to say, these cookies were BIG in our house! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 C. Golden Brown Sugar, packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 C. old fashioned oats
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. chocolate chips
3/4 C. Butterscotch Chips

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 F. In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Mix on low speed until blended. Add in chocolate chips and butterscotch chips and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Drop batter by heaping TBS 1 1/2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. They will feel soft but firm up as they cool. Let stand on baking sheets 2 minutes before transferring to racks to cool. Enjoy with an ice cold glass of milk!! MMMMM!!!

Crockpot Lasagna, the healthier version =)

I found a recipe for crock pot Lasagna, but it was made with Hamburger (which I don't eat anymore). So I substituted it with ground Turkey, but your more than welcome to use the Hamburger is calls for. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 LB. Ground beef
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried leaf basil
12 oz. carton cottage cheese
1/4 to 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
12 oz. lasagna noodles, uncooked, broken into small pieces
8 to 12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet; drain off excess fat. Add garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano and basil. Cook long enough to heat thoroughly.

Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double layer of broken lasagna noodles and top with a layer of the cheeses. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve and ENJOY!! =)

Better Homes Split Pea and Ham Soup

This is my ALL time favorite Split Pea and Ham soup recipe. I received the Better Homes cookbook as a wedding gift 7 years ago. I found this recipe in there and have stuck to it ever since. It is a perfect Fall/Cold day soup to have with your Saltines. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
14 ounces chicken stock
1 1/2 C. dried Split peas
1 3/4 C. Water
1 Ham Hock
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Pour in your chicken stock, water, bay leaf, ham hock, split peas and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 1 hour. After an hour, turn the heat back up to med to high heat and remove the ham hock. Cut as much of the meat off of the ham hock as you can and return the meat back to the soup. Let it boil for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn back down to simmer and cook covered for about 20-30 more minutes. Serve and Enjoy! That simple, yet SOOOO delicious!

Healthy Egg rolls!

The picture doesn't really do this dish justice, but believe me...this is SOOOO good!

There is a woman I watch on YouTube who LOVES to eat, but doesn't enjoy all the calories that come with the foods we all enjoy. So she changes them up and transforms them into healthier options. Her name is Rocky Barragan, you should all check her out! She's amazing! Anyway, this was one of her recipes that both my mom and I are addicted to. I will share it with you below :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 package of chopped coleslaw (in the salad isle)
garlic powder
sweet and sour stir-fry sauce (or any other kind you like)
Olive oil Spray
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
Lime Soy Sauce

Directions:
In a pan, You'll want to heat up your Olive Oil on Medium heat. Pour your chopped mushroom in and saute until they are starting to get an iridescent look. Pour the entire bag of coleslaw mix in. Cook that down until it is pretty wilted. Season with garlic powder, as much or as little as you like, it all depends on how much garlic flavor you enjoy. Next, pour in 3/4 of your stir fry sauce in and cook until it starts to boil. Take off the heat and spoon the mixture into the tortilla shells. You don't want to over fill the tortilla shells, you want enough in there so that you can fold all 4 sides in over the mixture without it oozing out. After you have about 6 tortillas filled, you will spray with your olive oil spray, just enough to coat the tops. Place in the over at 350 F, for 20 minutes or until the tops of the tortillas are golden. Let cool for about 10 minutes after you pull them out of the oven and enjoy with some Lime Soy Sauce! You can use regular soy sauce if you like, but I've recently discovered lime soy sauce and will NEVER go back to original, it's SOOOO good!! =)

Teriyaki Stir Fry...yummy!

The thing I LOVE about stir-frys is you can change them up in so many ways. You can use ANY ingredients you want. So this is how I did MY stir-fry tonight. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 bag of mixed stir-fry veggies
1 box of pre sliced mushrooms
4 small chicken breasts, cubed
fresh ginger, grated
1 bottle of Teriyaki Sauce (Any type will do)
1 small bag of fresh snap peas
2 Tbs. Peanut Oil
1 Tbs. fresh garlic
Restaurant style sweet and sour sauce
Brown rice

Directions:

Get your Brown rice started first, since it will take about 30 minutes for it to cook up.

Next, get your Wok really hot. Put your Peanut Oil and garlic in the pan. You wan't to infuse your Oil with that garlic taste. Let the garlic heat up for about a minute. Put your chopped chicken in and cook until no longer pink. Grate up some fresh ginger over the chicken, any amount will do, all depends on how much ginger you like. Now you will want to get a new clean spoon, so you don't cross contaminate. Put your mushrooms in first, so they can cook up for a bit before you put the other veggies in. Now put your cleaned veggies in with the chicken. Put the lid on and turn the heat down to Medium and let the veggies steam for a bit. After all the veggies have steamed for about 5-10 minutes, pour your choice of stir-fry sauce over everything. Mix all the veggies and chicken up in the sauce. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and coats all the veggies and chicken.

Your rice should be done about now. Spoon some rice up in a bowl, pour your stir fry over the rice and finish off with some sweet and sour sauce...YUMMY!!! You can change this up however you want. I did not go by a recipe, this is just how I decided to do my stir-fry tonight. Have fun! =)

Spinach Frittata

This is one of my Hubby's FAVORITE snacks =) I received this recipe from my mother in law. It is quite tasty and super easy to make! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 10 ounces boxes of chopped frozen spinach, thawed
10 eggs
8 ounces of Cottage Cheese
3 Tbs of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 unsalted Matzo Crackers, crushed
salt to taste

Directions:
Thaw your spinach and squeeze the liquid out. In a big bowl, beat the 10 eggs with a fork. Crush your Matzo crackers in a big ziplock bag, then pour into the bowl. Add in your cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach and salt. Mix up with a spatula and pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 and bake on the bottom rack for 30 minutes. Then bake on the top rack for 25 minutes. Let cool, slice them up and ENJOY! I've even seen them eaten with Ketchup....to each their own ;)

Pumpkin Pie Mousse

Who ever said that Pumpkin Pie has to be fattening is a liar! I stumbled upon this recipe about 4 years ago, in an attempt to prove those people wrong. If you LOVE Pumpkin Pie as much as I do, then you will LOVE this recipe! Granted, it doesn't have the "fattening" crust, but it has all the pumpkin flavor that you could ever want. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 small packages of instant sugar-free vanilla pudding
• 2 cups of no-fat (skim) milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 15 ounce can of pumpkin
• 8 ounces of fat-free Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Make pudding first with the 2 cups of skim milk.
2. Fold in the rest of the ingredients - spice, pureed pumpkin and Cool Whip.
3. Serve!

I added a "Dollop" of Fat Free Cool Whip on top of mine...just felt like be rebellious today. ;)

Super Easy Crock-Pot Turkey Chili and Corn bread

It's getting to be that time of year. The leaves are changing colors, there is a crispness in the air and the smell of chili cooking in crock-pots are leaking through our windows and into the streets for everyone to enjoy =)

I threw this simple and SUPER easy Turkey Chili together in the crockpot for dinner tonight and it turned out so good!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 can of chili beans
1 can of kidney beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 onion chopped
1 10.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 10.5 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
1 Tbs. Worchestire Sauce
2 Tbs. Chili Powder
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown your ground Turkey on the stove first. After your Turkey is cooked through, put into the crockpot along with all the other ingredients. Cook it on slow for 6-10 hours or on high for 4-8 hours. Enjoy! See- super easy and VERY delicious!

Corn Bread was bought at Safeway, didn't have time to make the cornbread this evening. It was till super yummy!

"poop Muffins" AKA Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Before I even begin to explain the recipe..NO, I did not use Window Wipes as an ingredient in the recipe, they just happened to make an appearance in the picture. =)

"Poop Muffins" are what my daughter calls these. Because....well, you figure it out. These are Bran muffins and SUPER good! If your looking to get more Fiber in your diet, this is a GREAT way to do that. I got this recipe from my mother in law, who happened to make up some for Mother's day. They were delicious. We couldn't keep our hands off of them. The recipe makes a HUGE batch because you can store the remaining batter in the fridge for 5-7 weeks.

Ingredients:
2 C. boiling water
2 C. 100% Nabisco bran Cereal
1/2 C. Corn Oil
3 C. Sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 qt. buttermilk
5 C. White Whole Wheat Flour
5 tsp. baking Soda
1 tsp. salt
4 C. Kellogg's All Bran Cereal
2 C. Chopped Walnuts (optional if you like a crunch in your muffins)
1 C. raisins
1 C. chopped dates(you can get creative with the chopped/dried fruit you like in your muffins)

Directions:

Pour boiling water over 100% nabisco bran cereal. set aside to cool

In a LARGE bowl, cream together corn oil and sugar. Add eggs and buttermilk.

In a seperate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and add to the buttermilk mixture. Now add the cooked bran mixture into that bowl. Next, mix in the All Bran Cereal, walnuts, raisins and dates only until moistened. Store in a glass or plastic covered bowl in the refrigerator. Will keep 5-7 weeks.

When ready to bake, spoon into greased tiny muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!!

Zaya

Zaya is a Croatian recipe that I grew up watching my mom's side of the family enjoying. I can remember being just a little girl in my great great grandma Kathryn's basement, listening to her speak in her strong Croatian accent as she prepared Zaya for everyone to enjoy. Throughout my childhood, I was told "Katie, you wouldn't like it...lots of veggies". So I believed them. I thought it was just an "Adult" meal. Boy was I wrong! I later learned, that my mom and grandma were only telling us kids that, because it meant more Zaya for them. HA! This is one of my FAVORITE comfort foods. A TRUE family recipe. Before you knock it, you must try it. Very healthy but also very tasty! This is a very "un-professional" recipe, since everything about this recipe has just been done by memory, there is no actual recipe card written down. This has just been passed down from the family. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
* 1-2 big bags of spinach, or 4-5 bundles of spinach (depending on where you purchase your spinach)
* 3/4 pound of fresh green beans trimmed and halved
* 10 medium sized red potatoes
* 2 zucchini chopped
* 2 bundles of swiss chard. Stalks cut off
* 7 ounce bag of frozen peas
* Good Olive Oil
* Salt

Directions:
Get a BIG pot of water boiling. You want to start with the ingredients that take the longest time to cook. So start with the potatoes. Boil until poked with a fork and they fall off. Take the potatoes out and put to the side. Now add in the Green Beans and cook for about 10 mins, add in the zucchini and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Add in the Swiss Chard and let cook down for about 5 minutes, then add in the spinach. Let the spinach cook down and wilt, then go ahead and pour the frozen peas in. Let the peas cook up and get warm. Take the pot over to your sink and drain all the liquid out by putting the lid partially on the pot and tipping over the sink. Make sure you get ALL the liquid out. Bring the pot back to the stove and put the potatoes back in. This is where I break some of the potatoes open, so they can absorb some of the good olive oil your going to drizzle them with. Pour the Olive Oil ALL over the veggies in the pot. You'll probably end up using 1/4 of the bottle. You don't want them "drowning" in Olive Oil, you just want enough for the veggies to just "bathe" it =) Some like to salt while everything is in the pot, other like to make themselves a bowl and THEN salt their bowl. Everyone's preference to saltiness is different, so I'd suggest salting after you make yourself a bowl. Then dont forget a big slice of GOOD bread with butter and ENJOY!!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Who doesn't LOVE a good Chicken Pot Pie?! Especially when it is your own individual Chicken Pot Pie? Well, this happens to be one of my favorite recipes. I got it from Food Network's "Down Home with the Neely's" Individual Chicken Pot Pies Recipe. It does have quite a bit of prep work, but the end result is SO worth it!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots cut in 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 store-bought 2-pound rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 (7-ounce) bag frozen pearl onions
• 1 (9-ounce) box frozen peas
• 2 (9-ounce) packages store-bought rolled out pie

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large saucepan heat chicken broth and bouillon cube over medium heat until hot.

In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, chives and garlic, and saute until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir together until it becomes pasty and lump-free, about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot broth, heavy cream, sherry, chicken and frozen onions and peas. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

With a ladle, fill 6ovenproof ramekins or bowls with the filling. Place on baking sheet.

Sprinkle flour on countertop. Roll out dough an extra inch. Using a biscuit round or mold, cut out dough to cover the tops of your oven-proof bowls, with about 1/2-inch hangover, depending on their size. Crimp the dough over the edge of the ramekin. Brush with the egg wash and make 4 small slits on the top. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.