Vegetable Casserole

I haven't posted for about two months due to my father's death. With spring and Easter coming, and new beginnings, this seemed a good time to get going again.

This casserole is good and very easy, and if you love French's French fried onions as much as we do, give this dish a try! Blessings...

Recipe:

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) 98% fat-free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 cup lite sour cream
a few grinds black pepper
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots), thawed
1 can (2.8 oz.) French's French fried onions (1-1/3 cups)
1/2 cup shredded medium Cheddar cheese

1. Stir soup, sour cream, and black pepper together in a 2-qt. casserole. Add vegetables, 2/3 cup onions and 1/4 cup cheese; stir to combine. Cover.
2. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir.
3. Top with remaining onions and cheese. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes more.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Chicken Avocado Melts

I came across this recipe last week, after not making the dish since we lived in California six years ago. I made the recipe and was reminded how very good it is, and it goes together very easily. A double win at the end of a busy day. It definitely is not low calorie, but it is worth the splurge! I hope you will give it a try, and let me know what you think. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned

Combine in pie plate:
2 tbsps. cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Combine in another pie plate:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water

1/3 cup cornmeal (may need more) in another pie plate

Avocado slices, sour cream, salsa, about 1-1/2 cups Jack cheese, and cilantro

1. Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness.
2. Dredge pieces in seasoned cornstarch, dip in egg wash and then coat in cornmeal.
3. Fry pieces in oil till golden brown and place in baking pan.
4. Top each piece with avocado slices and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes until tender.
6. Top with salsa, sour cream, and fresh chopped cilantro, if desired

Tip:  I use the liner bags from cereal or cracker boxes to pound the chicken pieces between. I have found that these liners are tougher than wax paper or plastic wrap, and clean up is so much easier.

Chocolate Chunk Bar Cookies

My family loves chocolate, especially my husband, so I'm always looking for new recipes to try. This recipe is very similar to chocolate chip cookies, but much faster to prepare because they are baked in a 9" x 13" pan, a real time saver. I also trimmed them down from the original recipe by using only egg whites, and dark chocolate chunks instead of semisweet chips. We think they are still plenty sweet and they are only 111 calories per cookie. This makes for a very reasonable dessert, if you can stop at only two! A bit of a challenge for us...blessings.

Recipe: 

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 egg whites
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups (10 oz. pkg.) dark chocolate chunks

1.  Cream butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl. Add egg whites and vanilla; mix well.
2.  In a separate bowl stir together dry ingredients.
3.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture; mix well.
4.  Stir in chocolate chunks using a spoon.
5.  Scrape mixture into a well-greased 9" x 13" pan and smooth out.
6.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
7.  Cool completely before cutting.

24 cookies: 167 calories each, 2 gms. fiber
36 cookies: 111 calories each, 1.3 gms fiber

Simple Rocky Road Candy

If you have never tried your hand at candy making, I would encourage you to try this recipe. It is a very easy preparation, tastes wonderful and is a classic "one-bowl" recipe. The easiest kind! Many candy recipes require a great deal of time standing at the stove stirring a syrup for the base of the candy, not this one.

The second candy pictured is the Reese's Candy recipe I posted earlier, please check the "labels" under candy to find it. Have a wonderful weekend as you, like me, will probably be doing lots of Christmas preparations with your family. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. (10 1/2 oz.) miniature marshmallows
2 cups dry-roasted peanuts

1. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, butter and sweetened condensed milk. ( or melt in a double boiler). Microwave on high for one minute and stir. If mixture is not smooth, continue to microwave for another 30 seconds or more, as needed.
2. Add marshmallows and peanuts; stir to combine.
3. Turn mixture into a buttered 9" x 13" pan and smooth top. Refrigerate for a few hours until chocolate is set. Cut into 36 squares and store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Coconut Brownies

Everyone seems to love chocolate, and if you share goodies with friends and family during the Christmas season, these brownies would be a good addition to the plate. They are very different from other brownies with the addition of a layer of coconut on top of a brownie base that comes from a box. Then wonderful chocolate chunks and nuts on top of the coconut layer. This is an easy recipe and the resulting brownies are moist and delicious. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 pkg. (19 - 21 oz.) fudge brownie mix (not supreme)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) sweetened flaked coconut
1 pkg. (11.5 oz.) dark chocolate chunks
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare brownie mix according to pkg directions
3. Pour into greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake for 16 - 18 minutes.
4. Layer coconut and chocolate chunks over brownie base. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over all.
5. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake another 20 - 23 minutes longer.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 24 bars
Tip: If you like sweeter chocolate, use semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Creating Kitchen Memories at Thanksgiving

When our son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and my mom were here for Thanksgiving we did lots of cooking and eating, as I am sure most families did. One of my favorite moments was when our two-year-old granddaughter helped me make waffles for breakfast Friday morning. The waffles we made are the same recipe that I have already posted, so I won't repeat it here, but I did want to share how wonderful it is to spend time in the kitchen with even the youngest in our families. They love to help and to be included. My granddaughter now knows exactly where to go to get my step-stool so she can help. I measure and she helps to pour the ingredients into the bowl. There was one little mishap. She is fast, and she picked up an egg and cracked it before I knew what was happening. She actually squished it in her hand, so there was a little egg to clean up from the floor and the face of the dishwasher.

So while my mom cooked sausage and my daughter-in-law set the table, my granddaughter and I got waffles ready. When it came time to eat our creation, she cleaned her plate. It is absolutely amazing how much better things taste when we help in the preparation, no matter what our age. We created another kitchen memory together, one that will always warm our hearts. This time together will be an encouragement for her of how very important she is in our family and in our lives. The kitchen is a great place to build relationships with our families and our friends. Have a wonderful week...

Easy Turkey Noodle Soup

One of the best parts of all the cooking for a big Thanksgiving or Christmas feast is the leftovers. We love leftover turkey in soups, casseroles, salads, or sandwiches. I don't like the task of cutting the meat off the turkey carcass, but I love having ready to use, premeasured packages of cubed turkey in the freezer. It is well worth the time to have the work done in advance of the need. Especially during the busy Christmas season. Blessings...

Recipe: 

4 1/2 cups chicken broth
pepper to taste
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot
2/3 cup thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup uncooked medium egg noodles
1 cup cubed cooked turkey or chicken

1. Combine broth, pepper, carrot and celery in saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower heat to simmer for about 5 minutes or until vegetables just begin to get tender.
2. Add noodles and turkey, or chicken, and return broth to a boil. Cook until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes more. Be careful to not overcook and turn the noodles to mush.

Serves 4
95 calories per cup of soup