Patti's Christmas Giveaway~

Go on over to my sweet friend Patti's Blog and enter her Christmas giveway. It's a gooseberry patch cookbook. Good luck and Happy Thanksgivng friends.

Southwestern Layered Chicken Salad~

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 15 min
Makes: 4 servings

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken)
1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Southwestern style corn, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 oz)or ww cheese
1/2 cup ranch or French dressing or use lowfat dressing.
1 cup corn chips (1 1/2 oz) us ww wheat crackers
Old El Paso® salsa, if desired.

1. Arrange lettuce on large platter. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, place chicken and reserved liquid from corn. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until blended and thoroughly heated.
2. Arrange chicken mixture over lettuce. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Drizzle with dressing; top with corn chips. Garnish with salsa.
Happy Cooking. Lisa

Twenty Minute Chicken Parmesan

20-Minute Chicken Parmesan

Serves: 4

Take a traditional favorite, make it low-fat and easy to prepare, and you end up with this chicken entrée. It's so simple, even your kids can help!

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1-3/4 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
1. Place chicken between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
2. Dip chicken in egg, and dredge between breadcrumbs.
3. Cook chicken in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides.
4. Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce, heat and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cheeses and parsley; cover and simmer 5 additional minutes or until cheeses melt.

NUTRITION INFO (per serving)
Calories: 364.8
Fat: 14.3 g
Carbohydrates: 20.6 g
Protein: 36.7 g

Happy Cooking~ Lisa

Cabbage Patch Casserole~

CABBAGE PATCH CASSEROLE (Crock Pot)

1 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can (15 ounce size) ranch-style beans

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups chopped cabbage

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can (14.5 ounce size) stewed tomatoes, with liquid

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 cup picante sauce

1 cup water

salt to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain fat. Combine ranch-style beans, cumin, garlic, cabbage and green pepper in crock pot. Stir in stewed tomatoes, celery, picante sauce, water, and beef mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Nutrition Info: Amount Per Serving Calories: 376 Total Fat: 14.4g Cholesterol: 74mg Sodium: 914mg Total Carbs: 31.3g Dietary Fiber: 9.1g Protein: 29.8g

Yummy! Happy Cooking. Lisa

Nostaglic Apple Pie~

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 prepared double pie crust

7 cups baking apples, thin-sliced,cored, peeled

1 cup Splenda

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place one crust into a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Place sliced apples into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Combine SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over apples and toss. Spoon apple mixture into pie crust. Place the second crust over the filling. Seal edges, trim and flute. Make small openings in the top crust.
3. Bake in preheated 425 degrees F oven 40-50 minutes or until the top crust is golden. Serve warm or chilled..
Note: Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of pie)
Nutrition Info
Servings Per Recipe: 8Amount Per Serving Calories: 310 Calories from Fat: 140
Total Fat: 15g
Total Carbs: 43g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 270mg
Sugars: 16g
Protein: 3g

We all love apple pie and here is a low fat, low sugar version. Let me know if you try it.

Happy Cooking.

Lisa

Easter Egg Layered Salad~

Easter Egg Layered Salad

INGREDIENTS
Dressing
1⁄2 cup light mayonnaise
1⁄2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 tsp dry mustard
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1⁄4 tsp sugar
Salad
2 cups baby spinach
1 purchased 2-lb roast chicken, skin removed, meat torn in bite-size pieces (about 31⁄2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cut in 2 x 1-in. strips
4 hard-cooked eggs, quartered (left over Easter eggs :)
1 small head iceberg lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
1⁄2 cup (2 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
1⁄4 cup pecan pieces, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 slices bacon, fried crisp, drained on paper towels and coarsely crumbled
PREPARATION
1. Have ready a 4- to 5-qt serving bowl, preferably clear glass (so layers are visible).
2. Dressing: Whisk ingredients in a small bowl until blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Spread spinach over bottom of serving bowl. Top with the chicken. Place a row of red pepper strips around sides of bowl; scatter remaining strips in middle. Place egg wedges against side of bowl; put rest in middle. Top with even layers of lettuce and carrots. Spread dressing over top to edges of bowl to seal. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or cover airtight and refrigerate overnight.
4. To serve: Sprinkle cheese, pecans and bacon on top. Toss salad or spoon through the layers

Happy Easter and Happy Cooking.

Corn Beef Brisket~

Irish Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage
1 (3 lb.) corned beef brisket, plus seasoning packet1 lg. onion, peeled10 small (red) potatoes15 baby carrots1 head of cabbage, cored and cut into wedges Salt and pepper to taste
Place brisket, seasoning packet and onion in a large Dutch oven or pot. Cover with water 6 inches above meat. Bring to boil and boil for 30 minutes. Reduce to medium low or gentle boil. Cover and cook for 3 1/2 hours.
Remove onions, cut into wedges and put back in the pot. Add carrots, cabbage and then potatoes. Cover and cook 30 more minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove veggies, but keep the meat in the juices until ready to slice so it won't dry out.
Side Sauce
Mix the night or day before and then serve on the side with your corned beef.
1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. horseradish

1/2-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Corned Beef Tips:
Cut across the grain for more tender slices.
Save juices and reduce. Dice leftover corned beef and make corned beef soup with leftovers. Happy Cooking. Lisa

Baked Chicken Supreme~

Baked Chicken Supreme

Ingredients:
12 chicken breasts (boned)
1/4 c. lemon juice
4 tsp celery seed
4 lrg garlic cloves, chopped
2 c. sour cream
4 tsp Worcestershire
2 tsp. paprika
1 pkg. dry bread crumbs
1 stick melted butter or margarine

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients except chicken and melted butter. Pour the mixture over the chicken breast and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, roll the chicken in the bread crumbs and arrange the baking dish.
Pour the melted butter over the top of the chicken. Cover and bank at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Happy Cooking

WW Fruit in White Chocolate Pudding~

Weight Watchers Fruit in White Chocolate
1 CAN PINEAPPLE CHUNKS IN SPLENDA OR IT'S ON JUICE
1 CAN FRUIT COCKTAIL IN SPLENDA
1 CAN mandarin oranges
1 BOX SUGAR FREE WHITE CHOCOLATE PUDDING MIX( DO NOT MAKE JUST USE THE PACK)

Drain the fruits and add( fold in) the dry pudding mix. My kids were eating it before it chilled. My husband liked it to.
Its 1 point for 1 cup you can use any fruit you like or any pudding mix as long as it's sugar free on and the fruit is in splenda or it's own juice
It is to delicious not to share :)
Enjoy


Lisa Peeler

Melt- In -Your-Mouth Lemon Bread

Lemon Bread

Ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix
1 c. boiling water
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 pkg. instant lemon pudding
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 poppy seeds (opt.)

Mix all the above ingredients together until the mixture is smooth and creamy- about 4minutes. Pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Glaze~

1 cup powdered sugar
6 T. lemon juice
1 T. margarine (softened)
Bring to boil.Stirring constantly. Punch holes in cake and slowly pour lemon glaze over the cake.

You can grate a little lemon zest over the loaves for decoration and for a variation you can make orange loaves instead of lemon by using orange cake mix, orange juice instead of lemon.You can also add nuts if you like. This makes a moist delicious cake.
Happy Cooking. Lisa

Pinto Bean Casserole~

Pinto Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chuck

1 med. onion, chopped

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 pt. sour cream

2 cans pinto beans

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pkg burrito mix

2 Sm. pkgs. Pillsbury croissant rolls or corn chips.

Roll croissant rolls out in a 9x 13- inch casserole dish that has been oiled.

Brown chuck, drain all the fat off the meat and add onions burrito mix.

Pour drained pintos into meat mixture. Add to the top of of croissant rolls.

Spoon a layer of sour cream over this and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups shredded

cheddar cheese. Roll remaining can of croissant rolls over this layer. Top with

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and bake on 350 until brown.

This makes a great quick meal. You can spice it up any way you like.
Happy Cooking.

Weight Watchers Luscious Lemon Pie~

In honor of national pie day!
Luscious Lemon Pie
12 (2 1/2-inch) graham cracker squares

4 teaspoons cold reduced-calorie margarine

1 envelope (four 1/2-cup servings) sugar-free lemon-flavored gelatin mix

1/2 cup boiling water

1 envelope (four 1/2-cup servings) reduced-calorie instant vanilla pudding mix, divided

2 cups aspartame-sweetened lemon nonfat yogurt, divided 1 cup skim milk

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. In food processor or blender, process crackers until finely crumbled. Add margarine; process until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and part way up sides of pie plate. Bake until browned, 6-8 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

In small, bowl, combine gelatin mix and water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In large bowl, with electric mixture set at medium speed, beat together pudding mix, 1 cup lemon yogurt, milk and plain yogurt. Add gelatin mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into cooled pie crust; cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours. Cut into 8 wedges; top each wedge with 2 tablespoons of remaining lemon yogurt.

Serves 8.

Source: "Simply the Best," by Weight Watchers.

Nutrition data, per serving: Calories 116 (12 percent from fat); fat 1.5 g (sat 1.2 g, mono 0.6 g, poly 0.5 g); protein 6 g; carbohydrates 19 g; fiber 0 g; cholesterol 1 mg; sodium 345 mg; 184 calcium mg.
Happy cooking.

HillBilly Corn Bread~

HillBilly Corn Bread

Ingredients:

1 Cup milk

1 1/4 self rising corn meal

2 Medium onions, chopped

1 lb ground chuck, browned

1 (14 1/2 OZ.) can creamed style corn

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease large iron skillet. Place skillet in oven to get hot. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until well mixed. Pour into hot skillet. Bake until well browned, about 30 -45 minutes. This is good to eat fried potatoes. Comfort Food YUM!

This was taken from the Old Savannah Baptist Church Cookbook.I grew up in this church. There were (are) many wonderful cooks here even some of my recipes are featured. I hope to share more recipes from this cherished recipe book. Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours. Lisa

WW Zero Points soup~

WEIGHT WATCHERS ZERO POINTS GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP

Estimated POINTS® Values Per Serving 0
Servings 9
Ingredients
6 cups broth (Vegetable Stock or fat-free chicken broth)
Cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large can stewed tomatoes,chopped, if desired


Instructions


Bring the broth to a boil in the microwave. (This is a time-saving tip that can be skipped if there's no hurry.)

Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray and heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini are tender. Serve and enjoy!

Special Notes
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1 1/4 hour
Makes 9 cups.

Happy Cooking, Lisa

Mountain Dew Cake~

Mountain Dew Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant lemon pudding
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 can mountain dew
Preparation
Simply mix all ingredients, pour into greased bundt pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

TOPPING:
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. chopped nuts
Mix sugar and flour. Add to butter and pineapple. Cook in saucepan until lightly thickened. Remove from heat. Add coconut and nuts. Spread on hot cake.
This one is moist and yummy. Happy Cooking. Lisa

Bake Ziti Casserole~

Ingredients
PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
8 ounces dry ziti pasta
1 pound ground sirloin beef or ground beef(vegan crumbles)
1 can (26 oz each) Hunt's Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
1 can (6 oz each) Hunt's Tomato Paste
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1 cup = 4 oz)



Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Cook beef in large skillet over medium-high heat 7 minutes, or until browned and crumbled, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato paste; blend well.
Spoon 1/2 cup meat sauce into bottom of prepared baking dish. Top with half the pasta, half the remaining sauce, and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers, starting with pasta and ending with cheese.
Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Makes: 6 servings (1-1/4 cups each)

This is an easy recipe and has quickly become a family favorite in our house.

Southwest Chicken Breast Sandwich

Southwest Chicken Breast Sandwich

Ingredients:

Three 6 to 8 oz chicken breast

1 loaf sourdough bread

4 oz salsa

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

4 oz Colby jack cheese, sliced

Spice Blend:

1 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix spices and rub chicken breasts on both sides. Grill chicken breasts until juices run clear, set aside.

Sandwich assembly: Slice bread lengthwise. Cut chicken and place on bread. Top with avocado slices, salsa, and cheese. Place sandwich under broiler to melt cheese. Cut sandwich into serving portions.

I love finding good recipes on the back of bags, boxes,cans etc. I found this on the back of a sour dough bread bag I purchased at Sam's.I hope you enjoy this.
Happy Cooking. Lisa

Greek Snapper With Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

4 (6-ounce) red snapper or tilapia fillets

½ cup coarsely crumbled peppercorn-feta or plain feta cheese

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons small (nonpareil) capers, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots; cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute or until tender but not brown. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place the fish in the dish, skin-side down. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over and around the fish. Cover and bake for 8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Meanwhile, toss together the feta cheese, parsley, and capers in a small bowl.
To serve, use a spatula to transfer the fish and tomato sauce to plates and top with the feta cheese mixture.

Makes 4 servings
Served with buttered orzo, steamed broccoli, crusty bread – and a dry to slightly off-dry German or California Riesling - Greek Snapper with Feta Cheese becomes an elegant dinner menu perfect for serving to your most discriminating guests. You, as the host, can enjoy the dinner party, too. The fish and cooked sauce with feta cheese topping may be assembled in the baking dish and refrigerated for several hours. If chilled, add about 5 minutes to the baking time. Happy healthy Cooking. Lisa

Beef Stew With Dumplings~

This recipe comes from a book I have had for several years. My husband bought me several of these books for gifts and I treasure them. It is called southern living" Our Best One Dish Meals". There are many great recipes in this book that my family loves and I want to share some with you.

Beef Stew With Dumplings

2 Pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1- inch pieces

1/3 cup all- purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

5 Tablespoons Vegetable oil

5 cups water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bay leaf

4 large carrots,scraped and quartered

6 small boiling onions peeled

3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered.

3 stalks celery, quartered

1 cup biscuit and baking mix

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 Tablespoon milk

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Combine first 4 ingredients in a zip- top plastic bag. Seal bag: shake well. Remove meat from bag; reserve any remaining flour mixture. Brown meat in hot oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in remaining flour mixture, water and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add carrots ;cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add boiling onions, you could use pearl onions. I love them for a stew. With the onions also add potatoes and celery; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Combine biscuit mix and remaining ingredients; stir just until moistened. Drop dough by Tablespoonfuls on top of simmering stew. Cook uncovered 10 minutes; cover and cook 10 minutes.Yield: 2 1/2 quarts.

Happy Cooking.