Saturday, August 28, 2010

Falen's Baked Potato Soup

5-6 medium size russet potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
4 cups milk (more or less depending on preferred thickness)
1 lb bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces and fried crispy
4 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
sliced green onions (optional)

Poke holes in potatoes and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until a fork inserted into the potato does so easily. Allow to cool, then peel and dice cooked potatoes.

In a large stock pot, melt butter over medium heat and sprinkle in flour. Whisk continuously until flour turns lightly brown/golden. Whisk in milk slowly to prevent flour from clumping. After there are no lumps remaining, stir in cheese and stir til melted. Stir in potatoes, bacon, and sour cream. Season to taste. Stir til hot, and serve with sliced green onions on top.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Parmesan w/ Marinara Sauce

I'm excited to begin posting pictures along with my creations. I should have started doing this ages ago!

Marinara Sauce:



28 oz canned diced tomatoes
6 oz canned tomato paste
1 tablespoon italian seasoning, crushed
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 c dehydrated onion flakes
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste


Place everything in the crockpot and cook on low 4-6 hours. Makes approx 6 cups (12 servings)



Yummy goodness :)


Stuffed Chicken Parmesan:


1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, in 4 even pieces
1/2 c seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 cup thawed frozen chopped spinach, drained
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb cheese

Place chicken breasts between sheets of saran wrap; pound with a meat mallet til approximately 1/4" thick. Spread one cheese wedge on each slice; top with 1/4 c spinach. Repeat. Roll each piece up, dip in egg, then dredge in the breadcrumb/flour mixture. Place on a cooking rack on top of a cookie sheet; spray with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Finished product:



Nutritional information:

Marinara Sauce: (1/2 cup) 39 Calories; 1g Fat (25.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 87mg Sodium

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Parmesan: (1 roll) 263 Calories; 5g Fat (18.6% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 129mg Cholesterol; 795mg Sodium

BBQ Beans

These are so good. Recipe makes approximately 5 cups, so about 10 servings. These freeze well, too. Just toss them in a ziploc and lay flat to freeze.

BBQ Beans

1/2 pound turkey bacon
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, canned, drained and rinsed
1 can Van Camp's Pork & Beans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup ketchup

Slice bacon into small chunks; fry til crispy. In a large saucepan, dump all the ingredients in and stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes.

Serves 10. Per serving: 233 Calories; 5g Fat (27.1% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 711mg Sodium

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Okie Hot Dogs

Total comfort food - my brothers and I grew up on these. I've said many times my mom wasn't the bestest cook in the world, but we adored these. I serve them to my own kids now to continue on the yumminess. Beyond simple - so simple, they're not really a recipe. But worth a shot.

Okie Hot Dogs

1 pack (8 ct) hot dogs, any variety (I get all beef franks)
1 to 1.5 cups prepared mashed potatoes
3-4 slices Kraft American Singles

Slice hot dogs lengthwise, being careful to come close, but not completely cutting in half. Spread open and cover with mashed potatoes. Continue until remaining hotdogs are all covered with mashed potatoes. Open cheese slices, fold into thirds, and cover the length of each hot dog.

Bake at 350 degrees til cheese is melted. It doesn't take long, so watch it.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Buttermilk Brined Pork Chops

These are super good. They come out of the oven looking rather plain, but the taste is fantastic. I served these with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and broccoli.

Buttermilk Brined Pork Chops

1 cup fat-free buttermilk
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
2 boneless pork top loin chops (about 12 oz-1 lb)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Original instructions:

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Pat pork dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle pork with pepper.

2. Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

What I did:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray; place pork chops on top. Discard brine. Bake for approx 45 minutes.

Per serving: 150 Calories; 5g Fat (30.7% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 51mg Cholesterol.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Pizza Meatloaf

Pizza Meatloaf

2/3 cup Contadina Pizza Squeeze Sauce, divided
12 ounces ground beef, 93%
3/8 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg white
2 ounces Kraft Natural Mozzarella (shredded)
Cooking spray

Mix together 1/3 c sauce with meat and next 8 ingredients. Spray the bottom of a loaf pan with cooking spray; spread out 1/2 meat mixture into the bottom. Sprinkle cheese over the meat, top with remaining meat. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Top meatloaf with remaining pizza sauce, bake 5 minutes longer. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 4.

Per serving: 224 Calories; 9g Fat (39.8% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 569mg Sodium.

Pumpkin Pudding

Pumpkin Pudding

2 15 oz cans Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin -- not pie filling
1 pkg Jell-O Sugar-free/Fat-free Butterscotch Instant Pudding - small box
1 pkg Jell-O Sugar-free/Fat-free Vanilla Instant Pudding - small box
2 cups 2% low-fat milk
pumpkin pie spice, to taste (I used just cinnamon)

1. Mix milk and pudding with hand mixer. Add pumpkin and spice. Chill.

Makes approximately 5 one-cup servings.

Per serving: 144 Calories; 3g Fat (14.9% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 7mg Cholesterol; 536mg Sodium.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Taco Soup

This is good with chicken or ground beef tossed in, or just kept to the basic recipe. If you use ground beef, cook it crumbled on the stove before putting into the soup. Chicken breast can go in frozen or thawed, whole or cubed. Completely up to you. Its really good served with corn bread. And it freezes well, too. I usually make up a pot of this and then freeze it in equal portions to take out for lunch during the week.

Basic Taco Soup

2 cans pinto beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can whole kernal corn
1 can Ortega Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles (4 oz)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can fat-free chicken broth
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 package Hidden Valley FF Ranch Dressing

Mix all ingredients and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Makes apx. 8 1 cup servings.

Per serving: 219 Calories; 0g Fat (0.0% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 597mg Sodium.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Italian Tortellini Stew

This is really good with some warm crusty bread - italian or sourdough. This soup also freezes well.

Italian Tortellini Stew

2 zucchini, sliced
32 ounces chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can great northern beans
basil, to taste
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
7 ounces dried tri-colored tortellini

Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Turn heat to high and add the tortellini. Cook 20 minutes.

Serves 6.

Per serving: 294 Calories; 6g Fat (28.5% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 576mg Sodium.

Chicken Baseballs

These are really good - and definitely a kid favorite around here.

Chicken Baseballs

3 ounces Hy-Top Neuchatel Cheese, room temp
2 teaspoons Country Crock Light, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
6 1/2 ounces cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (8 oz.)
2 tablespoons 2% low-fat milk
bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon (optional)

In a blender (or by hand) combine cream cheese, butter, salt, pepper, milk, onion.
Blend. Pour mixture over chicken and stir. Separate crescent roll dough into four
rectangles and seal perforations. Spoon 1/2 cup mixture into center of each.
Pull opposite corners of dough to center and seal. Sprinkle each "baseball" with
bread crumbs and place on ungreased cookie sheet or pizza stone.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Serves 4.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 322 Calories; 16g Fat (45.9% calories from fat); 17g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 47mg Cholesterol; 763mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Korean Beef Short Ribs

These are so good, although doubting the authenticity of its name.

Korean Beef Short Ribs

1 lb boneless lean beef short ribs
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c water
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion

Place beef in slow cooker. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Pour over meat and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove meat with slotted spoon and serve.

Serves 4

Per serving (3 oz portion, excluding juices): 251 calories, 15 g fat, 0 g fiber, 26 g protein