Milk Chocolate Sauce - crock pot

1 (16-oz) milk chocolate candy bar
1 cup light cream
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

In slow cooker, break chocolate into small pieces. Add cream and butter. cover and cook on Low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until chocolate melts. Stir in vanilla. Beat until smooth. Serve warm over pound cake, angel food cake or ice cream.

Makes about 3 cups.

Slow Cooking Cranberries

1 (16-oz) package of fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water

Combine cranberries with sugar and wter in slow cooker. cover and cook on High 2 to 3 hours or until some of the cranberries have "popped". Makes about 4 cups.

Caramel Apples - crock pot

2 (14-oz) bags caramels
1/4 cup water
8 to 10 medium apples

In slow cooker, combine caramels and water. cover and cook on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently. Wash and dry apples. Insert stick into the stem of each apple. Turn control on low. dip apples into hot caramel and turn to coat entire surface. Holding apple above pot, scrape off excess accumulation of caramel from bottom of apple. Place on greased was paper to cool.

Baked Apples - crock pot

5 to 6 baking apples
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup boiling waer
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Core apples and peel each about 1/4 way down. Arrange in slow cooker. Fill centers with raisins. Combine sugar, wter, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over apples. Cover and cook on low 2 to 4 hours (depending on size and variety of apples). Serve warm or cool.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Stuffed Potatoes - crock pot

5 to 6 large baking potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
chopped chives

Wash potatoes; drain but do not dry. Place damp potatoes in slow cooker. Cover pot and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or until tender. Remove from pot. cut a think, lengthwise slice from top of each potato. Scoop hot pulp into mixing bowl, saving the potato "shell". Add butter, milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Beat until fluffy, adding more milk if necessary. Spoon mixture into shells, mounding tops. Sprinkle with cheese. Place in shallow baking dish. Bake in 425F oven for 15 minutes or until hot and lightly browned. Top with chives.

Variation: add crumbled bacon and grated cheddar)

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Turnip Whip - crock pot

4 turnips, peeled and quartered
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp minced onion
1 tsp salt
water
1/4 cup light cream
2 Tbsp soft butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In slow cooker, combine turnips, potatoes, onions and 1 tsp salt. Cover with water. cover pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Drain well. Mash; add cream, butter, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Beat until fluffy.

Makes 6 servings.

Old Fashioned Stew-crock pot

2 lbs beef stew, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 cup beef bouillon
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
6 carrots, peeled and sliced or quartered
1 cup sliced celery
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
12 small white onions
2 medium turnips, peeled and quarterd (optional)
4 cups water
1 cup cooked okra (optional)

Coat meat with flour; set excess flour aside. In large skillet heat oil. Brown meat on all sides. In slow cooker, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, onion, bouillon, pepper, salt, sugar and vegetables. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours. Turn control on High. Thicken with flour left over from coating (about 1/4 cup) dissolved in a small amount of wate. Add okra if desired. cover and cook on High 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

(I also add frozen corn, peas and green beans)
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Swiss Steak-crockpot

1 1/2 to 2 lbs round steak
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp oil
1 (16-oz) can tomatoes, cut up
1 large onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp thick bottled steak sauce

Cut steak into serving-sized pieces. Coat with flour, salt and pepper. In large skillet or slow-cooking pot with browning unit, brown meat in oil. Pour off excess fat. In slow-cooking pot, combine meat with tomoatoes, onion, celery and steak sauce, Cver pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until tender. Thicken juices with additional flour dissolved in a small amount of water, if desired. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

Dough:
1 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp or 1 pkg active dry yeast
1 Tbsp cinnamon
4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp oil

Filling:
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tsp cinnamon

To make dough:

Place apple juice in small sauce pan. Warm over med heat and pour into large bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Stir well. Let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes or until foamy.

Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and 2 1/2 cups flour. Stir well. cover and set in a warm place for 30 min, or until doubled in size. Stir oil and about 1 cup of remaining flour, into dough, to make a kneadable dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead, adding up to 1/2 cup flour more, for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Coat another large bowl with non-stick spray. Add the dough and turn to coat all sides. Cover and set in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

To make filling:

In microwaveable bowl, combine raisins, juice and cinnamon. Microwave on medium power for 5 min, or until thickened. Let cool. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 10x8-inch rectangle. Spread filling over dough, then roll up. Pinch seams to seal. place seam down in prepared pan. Let stand for 5 minutes. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

To freeze:
Cool loaf. Place in freezer bag and then wrap in tin foil. Thaw overnight.

Freezing Yeast Doughs

Yeast bread dough keeps for one month in the freezer with no loss in quality.

Follow these tips:

•Prepare dough and let it rise once.
•Punch down, then divide into balls (the number of loaves in the recipe)
•Pack each ball in a gallon-sized freezer bag, flattening the balls and squeezing as much air from the bag as possible before sealing.
•Label bags with recipe name, yield and the date.
•Place bags on bottom shelf - coldest part - of freezer.
•To thaw, open bag and remove the dough. Place in a medium bowl. Cover and let thaw in frigde overnight.
•Bring to room temperature and continue with recipe.

Warm Salad-Bowl Pasta

4 oz elbow macaroni
1/2 cup kernel corn
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley or basil
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a skillet, combine broccoli, corn, beans and water. cover and cook over med-high heat for 2 min or until broccoli is bright green. drain and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Add to pasta. Add tomatoes, oil, parsley or basil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt & pepper. Toss well and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

This would be great topped with a grilled chicken breast.

Mexicali Meat Loaf

1 lb hamburger
8 oz ground turkey
3/4 cup salsa
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. In large bowl combine beef, turkey, salsa, bread crumbs, onions, corn, egg, garlic and spices. Mix well and form into loaf. Place in a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, ketchup and sugar. Spread over top of meat loaf. Cover with foil and bake for an hour, or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of meatloaf reads 160F. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes, or until the top browns slightly. Let stand for 10 min.

Freezing:
Line pans with enough over hanging foil to wrap baked loaves for freezer.

Remove cooled loaves from pan. Wrap with a double layer of freezer foil. Thaw overnight. Bake foiled wrapped loaf at 350F for 20 minutes or unti hot.

(Costs $0.42/serving)

Chicken & Cheese Soft Tacos

8 oz skinned & boned chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 tsp mince jalapeno peppers
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cup diced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Coat a 10-inch skillet with non-stick spray and place over med-high heat until hot. Add chicken. cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and no longer pink. Put on a plate and keep warm. Add the stock to the skillet. Bring to a boil, scraping to loosen the browned bits fromt he bottom. Add onions, green peppers, garlic and jalapenos. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 min, or until onions are golden brown.

Add salsa, cumin and chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until the liquid has almost evaporated.

Spoon into tortillas. Divide half of the cheese among the tortillas. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, in a baking dish.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10-12 min or until cheese melts.

Makes 8.

(Cost per serving $0.38)

Herbed Chicken Patties

1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 cup crumbled corn bread or soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp salt
2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oil

In medium bowl, combine chicken, bread, onion, parsley, sage, garlic, thyme, hot sauce, pepper and salt. Mix well & form into 8 thick patties. Place on a plate, cover, and refrigerate for 30 min.

Coat a 10-inch skillet with non-stick spray and place over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add 4 of the patties. Cook for 6 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer pink. Check by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into 1 patty. Cook remainder of patties.

Add stock to skillet after patties are removed, scraping to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat for 5 minutes, or until stock is reduced by half. Spoon over patties.

Freeze: Place cooled, cooked patties in a tray. Put in freezer for several hours or until solid. Transfer to freezer bags. Pack sauce in a separate bag and freeze. Thaw both. Reheat in a covered skillet over medium heat, turning once, for 5 minutes or until hot. Reheat sauce in a covered medium sauce pan, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or unti bubbly.

7 Myths of Revival

Origianlly posted on world revival network and written by J.D. King or World Revival Church, Kansas City, MO!

"When revivals are not a present reality there is ever a tendency to forget what they truly are.” - Preface to The Revival of Religion

There have been numerous myths about revival over the last one hundred and fifty years. Many have kept people fearful and unsettled. Facing unrealistic expectations, leaders believe that true revival is out of reach. In the following, I would like to discuss seven myths of revival. Hopefully, in doing so, it will enable you to experience freedom and a release from the rigid traditions that are hindering revival.


1. Everyone will recognize revival when it comes


Most believe that when revival comes, it will completely overwhelm the whole church. No, not everyone recognizes a move of God. Because of tradition, fear and other foolish distractions, many turn away from God when He comes in power. Jesus had to deal with religious people in His day who did not recognize the move of God. He said, “They will dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you" (Luke 19:44). Since the presence of God does not take away one's ability to think, feel and determine, some become willful and reject anything that does not already fit their lives. Some simply do not have eyes to see or ears to hear.


2. Revival always begins big


Many believe that when revival finally begins, it will make a big splash. It will be like a massive explosion that captures the attention of whole town. With a couple exceptions, this just has not happened in history. Revival usually begins small and relatively insignificant. Its true of the Great Awakening, the Welsh Revival and many of the great moves of God in history. Revival often starts in little out of the way place with insignifacnt people. Perhaps the Prophet Zechariah had this in mind when he asked, “Who despises the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:10) Just as a forest fire begins as a little spark, revival often begins in seemingly insignifcant ways. The problem with something small is that we have a tendency to overlook it. A little flickering flame often seems so insignificant that we just let the wind blow it out. Surely if something was important, it would begin in an impacting way?


3. Revival is extraordinary


While the source and effects of revival are often extraordinary, revival itself happens in and through ordinary people. I think the Prophet Joel understood this when he wrote the following, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth… (Joel 2:28-30). How can revival be extraordinary, if God is going to move through sons, daughters and the elderly? We keep looking for revival to show up in the extraordinary, yet God keeps bringing it into the lives of normal everyday people.


4. Revival is all God and no man


Eighteenth century revivalist, Jonathan Edwards, and many others sincerely believe revival is predicated on God’s sovereignty. They believe that God rains down on some and withholds from others - randomly – however He sees fit. Without diminishing the importance of God’s sovereignty and divine initiative, I must reiterate the value of men’s responses. Yes, there is no question that God makes the first move. Yet, the issue now is what to do in response to God. I think the following story illustrates this so well, “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over” (Luke 9:16-17). While the miracle was orchestrated by Jesus, it actually happened in the faithful hands of the Disciples. God initiates but man participates!


5. Revivals are defined by unusual phenomena and manifestations


While many unusual things happen in true revival, one simply cannot zero-in on the spectacular. I think the great revivalist, Charles Grandison Finney, says it well when he wrote, “The apostles employed miracles simply as a means by which they arrested attention to their message, and established its Divine authority. But the miracle was not the revival. The miracle was one thing; the revival that followed it was quite another thing. The revivals in the apostles' days were connected with miracles, but they were not miracles.” We have a tendancy to think that it is only revival when really unusual things take place. If it is not blowing our minds, we question whether it is really revival at all. Understand that revival is really not about sensationalism, but changed lives. Unusual things certainly take place in a real move of God, but that is not the center of focus! As soon as our attention gets off Jesus, trouble is just waiting to happen. If Jesus alone isn't enough, then you don't have true revival.


6. Revival is an evangelistic campaign


There is a blurring of distinctions between revival and evangelistic campaigns. Evangelism, as important as it is, cannot be confused with revival. Noted revival historian, Richard Owen Roberts clarified this, writing, “When the term revival is applied to organized mass evangelism, both concepts suffer. Mass evangelism is work men do for Christ. Revival is something Christ does for men…When the term revival is applied to organized mass evangelism, both concepts suffer As significant as mass evangelism is, as wise as it may be to organize this work carefully- such labors cannot be called revival with any degree of accuracy.” Similarly, Paul S. Rees wrote, “Revival and evangelism, although closely linked, are not to be confounded. Revival is an experience in the Church; evangelism is an expression of the Church.” As long as revival is squeezed into the mold of evangelism, it will be inhibited.


7. Revivals are never advertised


Contrary to popular opinion, all historic revivals were advertised in one way or another. Most used the print media rather extensively, but other methods have also been utilized. George Whitefield, used the colonial newspapers to promote revival meetings during the Great Awakening. Participants in the campmeetings of the early 19th Century utilized handbills, communion tokens and word of mouth to elicit interest. The prayer services during the revival of 1857-1858 were extensively covered and promoted by newspapers in New York City. The Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 was heavily covered by international newspapers. The Azusa Street Revival 1906-1909 was promoted by a self-published newspaper (and as soon as it stopped being mailed out people stopped attending the services). The Salvation-Healing Revival of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, was primarily advanced through the Voice of Healing Magazine. “Advertising” has had a much larger role in promotion and propagation of revival than what many are willing to acknowledge.


In discussing these seven popular myths, I hope that I have really stirred you up. While you may not agree with everything I wrote, I think you will agree that we can no longer be shaped by things that are not true. Someone once said that sacred cows make the best hamburgers. I am ready to eat, how about you?

A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

You can find the original post of this over at world revival network written by J.D. King


I recently received a highly critical email asking me about the responses of people in our televised revival services. Let me excerpt this email in part:


“I’ve gone to church all my life - 50 years. I had the misfortune of seeing your church service on television. I have never seen such a spectacle in all my life… The rock band screams out something less than coherent while people have what looks like seizures. It seems very concerted. Every third or fourth person is doing this seizure-like thing. Others fall on the ground and are covered by a green blanket. Where is all this in the scriptures?”


What I shared with this individual, I would like to share with you.

While some of the things that are happening in our services might seem unusual, they have precedent in the Bible and in church history. In the revivals of the past, people trembled in the presence of God. You can read about this in the written accounts of the Great Awakenings, the Welsh Revival, Azusa Street and others.

Yet, rather than focusing on history I would like to take a moment and look at Scripture. Throughout the Bible we discover that when people truly encounter God, they have strong reactions. The Lord’s strength and power is so mighty that people are often overpowered.

Moreover, there are a number of Bible passages where a strong response to the presence of God is shown.


The glory of God overwhelmed the priests as they served in the temple. “The cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.” (1 Kings 8:10-11)
Later, Ezekiel was literally overcome. “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown” (Ezekiel 1:28).
In a similar manner, Daniel was overwhelmed in the presence of God. “ I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees” (Daniel 10:8-11).
When the unbelieving Romans were trying to take Jesus, they were overcome with His glory. “When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground” (John 18:6).
The Apostle Paul was struck to the ground in the glory of God. “Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” (Acts 9:3-4)
John the Revelator was significantly impacted, like others in the scriptures. “His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:16-17)
I understand that what is happening in our midst is different than what you are used to. Yet, different does not mean unscriptural.

When Jesus touches a heart, there is great joy and passion. His power literally overwhelms. While this might look strange to others, it makes perfect sense to the one experiencing it.

If you are not comfortable with what is happening in our midst, that is okay. I would just ask you to let us go on walking and leaping and praising God as best as we can.

Again, thank you for your concerns. We trust the Lord will continue to bless you and enable you to grow in His grace!

Fajita Steak Sandwich

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb strip loin grilling steak
1/2 onion, sliced
4 tortillas (large) or 8 small
fajita seasoning package
salsa
1 avocado, peeled and sliced into 8 wedges
1/2 cup mozza shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice steak into think strips.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, onions and 2 Tbsp of the fajita seasoning package. Cook onions and steak until desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium. Add 2 Tbsp water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place tortillas on a clean work space. On half of each tortilla dicide steak mixture, avocado and spoon salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Fold tortillas in half. Place on baking sheet and bake until hot, about 5 min.

Seems to work best with the smaller tortillas.

Tuna Sandwich with Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese

3 cans (85 g each) Lemon & Pepper Flaked Light Tuna
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped (optional)
1/4 c Sundried Tomatoes
8 slices multigrain bread
2 cups Baby Spinach
Crumbled feta cheese

Combine tuna, olives and sundried tomatoes.

Divide mixture between 4 slices of bread. Top each with equal amounts of spinach and feta cheese crumbles. Top with remaining bread slices. Optional additional toppings: thin cucumber slices, sprouts etc.

Cream Cheese & Apple Bagel Bites

3 Tbsp spreadable cream cheese
1 Tbsp drained crushed pineapple
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
2 whole wheat mini bagels
6 thin apple slices

Blend cream cheese, pineapple and cranberries, and spread onto bagel. Top with apple slices and top half of bagel.

Tuna & Pickle Pinwheels

1/2 can Lemon & Pepper Flaked Light tuna
1 Tbsp mayo
1 small whole wheat tortilla
2 Tbsp shredded lettuce
3 baby pickles

Mix tuna and mayo together; I may also add a bit of shredded cheddar to this mixture. Spread mixture onto whole wheat tortilla, top with lettuce and line with pickles then roll and slice to create pinwheels.

Hashbrown patties

1 cup (250 mL) shredded hash browns
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Toss hashbrowns with cheese until well combined. Coat skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Form potato mixture into 4 thin, equal patties. Cook until golden and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel.

Makes 4 patties.

17 ways to make your "diet" easier

1. Say Good Bye to Soft Drinks
→ every diet soft drink consumed each day could increase your risk of being overweight by 65% (says American Dietetic Association)
→ instead of pop sip on plain or sparkling water with lemon added for flavor

2. Eat Like Clockwork
→ women who eat erratically consume more calories and burn them less quickly than those who have six regular small meals each day.
→ don't go more than 3 or 4 hours without eating something.

3. Become a Teat-Totaler
→ green tea not only has half the caffeine of coffee but also contains catechins, which may boost your metabolism

4. Dust off the Grapefruit Diet
→ eating 3 servings of grapefruit a day (either half of a whole one or a cup of juice) for 12 weeks could help you lose just over 3 lbs. (It helps to lower insulin levels which can contribute to weight loss by reducing appetite and encourage fat burning)

5. Pack in the Protein
→ doubling up on protein could help you eat less without feeling hungry.
→ make sure a thrid of your meal is protein.

6. Shop Around, Literally
→ the center aisles of grocery stores are loaded with the highly processes, sugary and fatty foods.
→ the first couple of outer aisles is where you will find all the fresh produce, meat, dairy and seafood.

7. Buy To-Go Veggies
→ most of the veggies in your fridge should be as easy to pop in your mouth as potato chips which means they should be precut and prewashed.

8. Get Some Sleep
→ getting 7-8 hours of sleep will help prevent further weight gain.
→ when you are sleep-deprived your body produces more stress hormones whcih may increase your appetite.

9. Shop From a List
→ never go to the store without a list. This will prevent the majority, if not all, impulse buys and NEVER shop when you are hungry!

10. Stock Up on Frozen Shrimp

→ I have to pass on this one for myself but I can do it for my family.
→ shrimp has about a third of the calories of chicken adnd half the calories of sirloin so having it on hand is great for tossing into stir-fries, pastas, salads or snacking on with cocktail sauce.

11. Count to 100

→ I guess those snack sized packages of treats do come in handy for keeping track of calories eaten. Remember, the smaller the portion the less you will end up eating.

12. Look What Brown Can Do For You
→ avoid highly refined and processed foods and try to incorporate brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat breads and bran cereals.

13. Have a V8 While You Cook
→ Instead of snacking on "taste tests" while you cook, sip on a V8 or chew gum.

14. Switch to Salsa
→ instead of sour cream on your baked potato spoon on the salsa. Try it on salmon, chicken or veggies.

15. Brush it Off
→ brush your teeth or rinse your mouth right after you eat a meal or a snack to get rid of that urge to keep nibbling. (it's a psycholigical and a physical thing)

16. Name that Craving
→ isntead of eating until you get the right food you are craving, try figuring out if you are craving sweet, salty, smooth, crunchy and gear your snacking to the right craving.

17. Fill Your Glass
→ keeping a positive attitude can help you to eat the right types of foods and exercising as well. So keep youg glass full (not half full) and keep a positive outlook.

Avocado and Grape Tomato "Guacamole"

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes (8 ounces), quartered vertically
1 ripe Haas avocado, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp acacia or orange-blossom honey
juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp)
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Gently combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until just mixed. Season with sea salt to taste. Serve like salsa with baked tortilla chips or atop grilled poultry or fish.

Cake Ball Bites

1 13X9 baked cake *cake mix from box or homemade.. I used Red Velvet Duncan Hines*
1 can cream cheese frosting
1 package white chocolate almond bark
bowls for dipping
wax paper
sprinkles

Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and cool completely.
Crumble cake into fine pieces.

Add can of cream cheese frosting and blend together using the back of a large spoon. Blend thoroughly.

Roll mixture into 1.25" - 1.5" size balls and lay on wax paper. You’ll need to wash your hands quite often.

Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for several hours or for 15 minutes in freezer. This makes it easier for dipping. Remove from freezer when you’re ready to start dipping.

Follow the instructions on the almond bark package for melting.
When you are ready to dip, remove cake balls from freezer and set up another sheet of wax paper.

Dip each ball into chocolate melt.. I used a wooden skewer to hold balls for dipping.

Just after dipping... sprinkle with candy sprinkles.. then lay ball on wax paper. The little hole from the skewer can be easily covered with chocolate melt.
Since the balls were frozen ... the chocolate melt sets up within a few minutes.

Italian Stuffed Cabbage

1 large head green cabbage, core removed
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup rice
2 eggs
1 cup chopped onions
1 qt jar home canned tomatoes or *substitute with 2 16 oz cans of diced or stewed tomatoes
1 16oz tomato sauce
1/2 bag of frozen mixed peppers.. yellow, green & red
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 large garlic cloves.. diced
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut out Core from bottom of cabbage. Insert a large fork into the bottom of the cabbage. Place the cabbage into the boiling water for about 30 to 45 seconds… Just enough to make the cabbage bendable. Remove from water and peel off the leaves. Place the leaves in a large bowl and set aside.
Combine ground beef, uncooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, onions, diced garlic, chopped peppers and eggs. Stir thoroughly; set aside.

Remove cabbage leaves from the bowl and cut off white thick stem part. Line a 9 x 12 baking dish with the smaller inner white cabbage leaves.

Place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of a leaf. Fold over sides and roll up. Repeat with remaining leaves and meat. Place cabbage rolls seam side down in cabbage leaf lined pan.

In a small bowl, stir together tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Pour over cabbage rolls and cover pan with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Serve hot with sauce.

Beef Chow Mein

4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups assorted fresh vegetables
1/3 cup beef broth
Chow mein noodles or hot cooked rice

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Add beef; toss to coat. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium. Add vegetables and broth; stir-fry for 4 minutes. Return beef to the pan; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with chow mein noodles or rice. Yield: 2 servings.

Green Beans with Bacon and Feta

8 slices bacon - cooked, crumbled and divided
1 (16 ounce) package frozen cut green beans
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons water


Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly browned but only slightly crisp. Drain grease, leaving a small amount in the skillet for later use. Crumble bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish, and set aside.

Cook frozen beans in a covered, microwavable dish for about 3 minutes until thawed, but not fully cooked. Drain liquid, pat dry, and set aside.


Reheat skillet with residual bacon grease over medium-high heat. Stir in bacon and garlic until garlic is lightly golden. Add green beans and feta cheese, and season with onion powder and black pepper. Cook and stir until most of the feta cheese has melted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, and garnish with remaining feta cheese and crumbled bacon. Serve hot.

Baby Blue Punch

1 (0.13 ounce) package blue, berry flavored unsweetened drink mix
1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle white cranberry juice
8 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 cup white sugar, or to taste


In a large punch bowl, stir together the drink mix, lemon-lime soda, and white cranberry juice. Taste, and stir in sugar to your liking. (I like to add the whole cup.) Float scoops of ice cream on the top. The ice cream melts somewhat and turns the punch a beautiful baby blue color with frothy white clouds floating on the top.

Great for a baby boy shower...float a couple rubber ducks in the top

Almost Stuffed Peppers

1 pound ground beef
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 large green pepper cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice


In a large skillet, brown beef; drain. Set beef aside and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine water, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice; cover and remove from the heat. let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in beef; return to the stove and heat through.

Serves 6

Almond Broccoli Stir-Fry

10 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted

In a nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry broccoli in oil for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and ginger; cook for 1-2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle with lemon juice and almonds.

Serves 8

Corn Dogs

1 quart oil for deep frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pounds hot dogs
wooden sticks


Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted bacon drippings. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix until everything is smooth and well blended.
Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels so that the batter will stick. Insert wooden sticks into the ends. Dip the hot dogs in the batter one at a time, shaking off the excess. Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they are as brown as you like them. Drain on paper towels or serve on paper plates.

20 servings.

Ultimate Roast Beef Blues Sandwich

4 whole wheat sub rolls, lightly toasted
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
16 fresh basil leaves
1 pound thinly sliced cooked deli roast beef
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Open the rolls and spread each side with 1 to 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Place 4 basil leaves on four of the rolls. Layer the same four rolls with the roast beef, 1 to 2 tablespoons of blue cheese, and a sprinkling of walnuts. Top each with the remaining half rolls.


To toast walnuts
Heat the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir frequently.

Serves 4.

Couscous Feta Salad

2 cups water
1 1/3 cups couscous

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts


Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, and stir in the couscous. Cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Scrape the couscous into a mixing bowl, fluff with a fork, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Once the couscous is cold, make the dressing by whisking together the salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until the oil has thickened the dressing. Fold the cucumber, feta cheese, green onions, parsley, and pine nuts into the couscous. Pour the dressing overtop, and stir until evenly moistened. Chill 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Can substitute walnuts for pine nuts

Blueberry Walnut Salad

1 (10 ounce) package mixed salad greens
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a large bowl, toss the salad greens with the blueberries, walnuts, and raspberry vinaigrette. Top with feta cheese to serve.

To make this into the main course add grilled chicken, steak or salmon. This is good with diced apples in it as well.

Serves 6

Blackberry Spinach Salad

3 cups baby spinach, rinsed and dried
1 pint fresh blackberries
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup edible flowers (optional)


In a large bowl, toss together baby spinach, blackberries, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, green onion, and walnuts. I would use a nice light dressing like a Tuscan Italian or something similar.

Serves 8

Avocado Watermelon Spinach Salad

2 large avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
4 cups cubed watermelon
4 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing


In a salad bowl, toss together the avocado, watermelon cubes and spinach. Stir in salad dressing just before serving.

Serves 4

Avocado Citrus Salad

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
8 cups torn salad greens
2 medium oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 large grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup green grapes
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. Add avocados. In a large salad bowl, toss remaining ingredients. Pour the dressing over salad and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 8

Arugula and Watermelon Salad

2 (5 ounce) packages arugula
1/2 large watermelon, seeded and cubed
1 red onion, sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinaigrette


Toss the arugula, watermelon, red onion, and feta cheese with the balsamic vinaigrette in a large bowl. Serve cold.

Serves 12.

I would also try substituting baby spinach for the arugula.

Apple Avocado Salad with Tangerine Dressing

1/2 (10 ounce) package baby greens
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons crumbled blue cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 apple - peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

2 mandarin oranges, juiced
1/4 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

In a large bowl, toss together the baby greens, red onion, walnuts, blue cheese, and lemon zest. Mix in the apple and avocado just before serving.


In a container with a lid, mix the mandarin orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Drizzle over the salad as desired.

Serves 5.

Leave out the cheese for a Daniel Fast.

Almond and Baby Bok Choy Asian Salad

1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 heads baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup croutons


Whisk together the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame seeds in a small bowl, then set aside. Toss together the romaine, bok choy, carrot, almonds, and croutons in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to coat, and serve immediately.

Grilled Potato Wedges

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fajita seasoning
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup spicy ranch dressing, like Hidden Valley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp fresh lime juice

heat grill. Pierce potatoes with fork. In microwave, cook 3 min or starting to soften. Remove; let sit 2 min. Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch thick wedges. In bowl, combine olive oil, fajita seasoning, minced garlic and salt, if desired. Add potatoe wedges; toss to coat. Grill 8 min., or until tender, turning once. In bowl, combine dressing, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Serve dipping sauce with wedges.

Lemon-Raspberry Fizz

1 container (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 bottle (1 liter) club soda, chilled
1/2 cup Raspberry Syrup
1 cup fresh raspberries

In pitcher, combine first 3 ingredients. Divide raspberries among 4 glasses. Pour mixture into glasses and garnish with lemon rind, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Herb Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp chopped, flat-leafed parsley
1 Tbsp each minced sage and thyme

Heat oven to 400 F. In large mixing bowl combine all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, chopped parsley adn minced sage and thyme. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Pour milk into center of well. Using fork, stir flour mixture until combined. Divide herbed batter among 12-cup muffin tin lightly coated with cooking spray.

Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 biscuits.

Ego's Your Way

These two recipes were taken out of a Family Circle magazine ad for Ego waffles.

Brock's Chinese Checkers
Drizzle Ego with Syrup
Place 2 rows each of raspberries and blueberries on opposite sides of each Ego.
2 waffles

Tropical Storm

Drizzle with syrup
Top with a spoonful of strawberry cream cheese and pineapple chunks (fresh is best but canned would be ok too), and sprinkle with coconut.
2 waffles.

A great way to add some fruit to the kids' diet!

BLT with Avocado Spread

Spread
1 extra ripe avocado
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Sandwich
8 slices turkey bacon
8 slices whole-wheat bread
8 leaves romaine lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 12 slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Combine spread ingredients in a bowl. Mash until smooth and set aside. Prepare bacon as directed on package; drain thoroughly on paper towels. Toast bread. Place 4 slices on 4 plates. Spread an equal amount of avocado spread on each slice. Top each with 1/4 of the bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion. Cover each with another slice of toast. Cut sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Mediterranean Roast Beef Pita

3 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 pound deli roast beef, cut into thin strips
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup crumbled feta
4 whole-wheat pita pockets
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Toast pine nuts: Place in a dry small skillet over medium heat; stir occasionally until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Cool. Toss nuts, beef, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, onion and feta in a bowl. Slice off 1/4 of each pita; stuff larger piece with filling. Whisk mayonnaise, milk and vinegar in another bowl. Drizzle dressing over pita filling. Serve with remaining 1/4 pita.

Baby Spinach and Raspberry Salad

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley, tarragon, chives and basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup canola oil
8 cups baby spinach
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 oranges, peeled, membranes removed, segmented
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 2-inch strips
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

Heat oven to 350°F. Toast sunflower seeds on a cookie sheet for 4 minutes. Whisk together vinegar, honey, herbs, garlic, and shallot. Slowly whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a bowl, toss spinach with 2 tbsp vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with sunflower seeds and remaining ingredients and serve.

Serves 4.

Grill some chicken or lean steak for with this salad. Yummy!

Wild-Berry Pops

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup lowfat plain yogurt
1 cup prepared blueberry juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Blend 3/4 cup blackberries and 3/4 cup blueberries with yogurt, blueberry juice, honey and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Stir in remaining berries. Pour into molds and add sticks. Freeze 6 hours.

Minty Grape Pops

1/2 cup fresh or bottled lime juice
1/4 cup honey
4 cups red grapes, halved
1/4 cup packed fresh mint

Whisk lime juice and honey in a bowl until honey dissolves. Stir in 2 cups cold water. Spoon grapes and mint into molds. Add lime-honey mixture and sticks. Freeze 6 hours.

Fresh Fruit with Spiced Chips and Strawberry Dip

Spcied Crisps
2 (6-inch) pita breads
1 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Fresh Fruit
2 lb seedless green grapes
3 pints whole fresh strawberries, stems on

Strawberry Dip

2 (6-oz) containers low-fat strawberry yogurt
1 (8-oz) container light sour cream
1/2 tsp almond extract

Heat oven to 375 F. Split pitas into 4 rounds. Brush rough side of each round with margarine. In small bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle over rounds. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp.

Wash grapes and strawberries. Separate grapes into clusters and arrange fruit in a large basket or on a platter.

In small bowl, combine all dip ingredients; blend well. Spoon into serving bowl. Serve dip with spiced crisps and fruit.

10 servings

Grilled Chicken Vegetable Salad

4 oz (1 1/2 cups) uncooked rotini (spiral pasta)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup fat free Caesar Salad dressing
1 zucchini, cut lenthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded
1/2 small eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 cups torn romaine lettuce

Heat grill. Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. drain well.

Meanwhile, brush chicken with 1 tbsp of salad dressing. If desired, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

When ready to grill, place chicken, zucchini, bell pepper (skin side down) and eggplant on gas grill over medium heat (or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals). Cook 10 to 13 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender, it's juices running clear and vegetables are tender, turning once. (When grilling red bell pepper skin side down, there is no need to turn during the grilling time.)

Cut each chicken breast half crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces.

In large bowl, combine cooked rotini, vegetable and lettuce. Add remaining salad dressing; toss to coat evenly. Arrange salad mixture evenly on 5 dinner plates. Arrange chicken breast on top of each salad.

Makes 5 (2-cup) servings.

To broil chicken and vegetables: Place on broiler pan; broil 4 to 6 inches from heat using times above as a guide.

Greek Pita Pizzas

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 small garlic cloves
2 Tbsp skim milk
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 (8-inch) pitas
1 large tomatoe, chopped
4 oz (1 cup) crumbled basil and tomato flavored feta cheese
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 425 F. In food processor bowl with metal blade or blender container, combine beans, garlic, milk and lemon juice; cover andprocess until smooth.

Spread abut 3 tbsp of mixture onto each pita. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Top each with tomato, cheese, olives and parsley.
Bake at 425 F for 5 minutes or until pizzas are heated through and cheese is melted.

6 pizzas.

French Toast Strata

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
8 (1/2-inch thick) daigaonal slices hearty French Bread (such as sourdough or whole wheat)
4 eggs
4 egg whites
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1 tsp ginger
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
powdered sugar

Spray 12x8-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and margarine; blend well. Spread misture in bottom of sprayed dish. Arrange bread slices over brown sugar mixture.

In medium bowl, combine eggs, egg whites, milk and ginger; blend well. Pour over bread in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 F. Uncover baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 mintues or until center is puffed and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve immediately with strawberries and powdered sugar.

4 servings.

Serve with a nice glass of orange juice and some turkey bacon. Yummy!

Avocado Dip

1 medium avocado
1 cup plain yogurt
salt to taste
lemon juice to taste

In blender puree flesh of avocado with yogurt. Add salt and lemon to taste.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 to 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries
Shortening or oil
salt and pepper to taste

Fry sweet potato fries in shortening until lightly golden. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Avocado Dip.

Breakfast Hash

2 lbs small white potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch dice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 med yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, preferable red and/or yellow, chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
8 small soy "sausages" thinly sliced
4 oz fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
Chipotle powder

In a large pot, put potatoes ans add enouch cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and cool.

In very large heavy skillet (or 2 10-inch skillets cooking potatoes and onions in one and garlic, peppers, rosemary and "sausage" in the other. Add sausage mixture to potatoes just before adding eggs.), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, 5 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook stirring occasionally, until crsipy and brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, bell peppers, ropsemary and "sausages". Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, and cook, stirring often, jsut untl spinach wilts.

Break eggs over hash, and cook until eggs are set. Quickly flip eggs over to briefly cook on other side, about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with a dash of chipotle powderif desired. Serve hot.

Serves 6.

If you prefer, the eggs can easily be omitted from this dish; the "sausage" can be actual sausage but that would then eliminate it from the Daniel Fast Foods

Sesame Garlic Shrimp and Noodle Salad

1/4 pkg (114 g) dry wheat flour Asian noodles
1 pkg (340 g) green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 pkg (907 g) frozen, uncooked Pacific White Shrimp thawed, tails, removed
2 Tbsp minced ginger
1/4 cup Sesame Garlic Cooking Sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 green onions, sliced diagonally

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook noodles until tender but firm, about 8 minutes. Add green beans in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss in 1 tsp vegetable oil; set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook just until turning pink, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and cook 1 min. Add cooking sauce, lime juice and sou sauce. Add noodles and green beans and saute until hot. Transfer to a boil; sprinkle with sesame seeds and add green onions.

Serves 8

* Note: If you can't find the wheat clour noodles substitute spaghetti or vermicelli.

Teriyaki Beef and Broccoli

1 1/2 lb stip loin steak
1 Tbsp cornstarch, divided
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 bunch broccoli, cut into small florets
1 red pepper, thinkly sliced
1/2 cup teriyaki cooking sauce
1/3 cup beef broth
2 green onions, sliced diagonally

Slice beef across the grain into very thin strips, trimming and discarding any excess fat. Place in a bowl with 1 tsp cornstarch and soy sauce. Let sit 10 min.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir fry until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Return skillet to heat and add remaining oil. Add broccoli and red pepper and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Add beef and cooking sauce, tossing to coat; cook until hot. In a small bowl, whisk remaining cornstarch with beef broth until smooth, stir into skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, about two minutes. Transfer to a platter and top with green onions.

Serve with rice or noodles.

Tip: Place the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it easier to slice into thin strips.

Serves 8

Mini Broccoli and Cheese Frittatas

1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped sundried tomatoes
5 eggs
1/8 cup (30 mL) Honey Dijon Dressing
2/3 cup 1% milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Partially fill the 4 corner cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with water. Spray remaining 8 cups with non-stick spray. divide broccoli, onion and sundried tomatoes equally between the 8 greased cups.

Whisk eggs with milk, garlic, the salad dressing, salt & pepper (to taste) until well combined. Pour an equal amount into each filled cup. Bake for 15 min. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted and eggs are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand 2 min. run a knife blade around the edge of each frittata before removing from pan.

Serving suggestion: Serve 2 frittatas with salad greens with more of the honey dijon dressing for a nice, healthy lunch.

These can also be frozen in freezer bags (flash freeze first) and pulled out to thaw for a quick breakfast or for school/work lunches.

Peanut Butter Apple Roll-ups

1 small whole wheat tortilla
1 Tbsp peanut butter
think strips of 1/4 of a Granny Smith apple
thin slices of a 4-inch celery stalk
1 1/2 tsp dried blueberries
a pinch of toasted sesame seeds

Assemble tortilla with above ingredients, leaving a 1-inch border from the edge. Roll up, cut and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Great for snacks, school lunches (if you don't have allergy restrictions in place at your school) or for an ala carte lunch). Depending on your child or the situation, this recipe could be a great breakfast idea as well.

Lemon-Pepper Tuna Wraps

1 can (85 g) Lemon & Pepper Flaked Light Tuna (or any flavor of your choice)
3/4 tsp (4 mL) olive oil
3/4 tsp (4 mL) balsamic vinegar
chopped basil
yellow pepper, chopped
2 large lettuce leaves
1 radish, sliced
1 tsp toasted almond slices

Mix together basil, yellow pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and tuna. Spoon into lettuce leaves and sprinkle with radish and almonds.

Make a delicious, healthy snack or lunch for anyone in the family!

Cream Cheese Chicken

1 .7-ounce envelope Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 8-ounce package cream cheese

Turn slow cooker on High.

Place butter in bottom of slow cooker. When the butter has melted, add one envelope Italian dressing dry mix. Stir into butter until well mixed.

Cut chicken breasts into 1" strips. Place in slow cooker and stir to coat with butter and dressing mix. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours.

Remove chicken to plate to cool. Add cream of chicken soup and cream cheese. Stir to melt and mix well until smooth and creamy. Remove sauce from slow cooker and allow to cool. Place chicken and sauce into a gallon resealable freezer bag. Label. Freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Heat until piping hot and bubbly. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or hot buttered noodles.

Freezer Garlic Bread

Loaf of french bread
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

Take a loaf of french bread, and make cuts every once inch down the loaf, not cutting quite through the bottom. Soften one cup of butter or margarine and mix with two crushed cloves of garlic. Spread evenly between the slices. Wrap in aluminum foil, then wrap in a large freezer bag.

To serve, remove from freezer and remove plastic wrap. Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Open the foil wrapper to allow steam to vent, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and heat for another 10 minutes. Serve.

Freezer Hot Sub Sandwiches

Place frozen in the lunch in the morning and it will be thawed by lunchtime! Makes 8 sub sandwiches, can easily double or triple for a month's worth of lunches!

8 individual 6" submarine style buns
Margarine
8 slices meat (salami, ham, etc)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
8 slices cooked turkey or chicken
4 oz crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Slice each bun into three pieces horizontally, spreading margarine in each layer. In the top layer, add turkey/chicken and blue cheese. Bottom layer, add salami/ham and cheese. Wrap and freeze.

Remove from freezer and allow to thaw. Reheat in microwave oven (30 seconds to 2 minutes)

Freezer French Toast

Make your own freezer french toast rather than buying similar commercial frozen ones from the grocery store! Makes 16 slices for quick breakfasts.

5 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
16 slices white bread

Heat oven to 500F. Combine eggs, milk, sugar, and salt, mixing well. Dip slices, then place on baking sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake about 5 minutes, until bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Cool then freeze in single layer. Once frozen (about two hours) they can be packaged individually or placed in a single freezer bag.

To cook:Remove from freezer, and heat in toaster or toaster oven, then serve.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

16 ounces milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves

Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.


In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.


Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool. or simply place them on a sheet of wax paper. White chocolate may be drizzled over the milk chocolate for a fancier look.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon steak sauce
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves


Preheat the grill for medium heat.


In a shallow bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and steak sauce. Set aside a small amount of the honey mustard sauce for basting, and dip the chicken into the remaining sauce to coat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken over indirect heat for 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning!

Serves 4

Cinnamon-Vanilla Yogurt Dip

1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of your favourite vanilla yogurt

Mix all of the ingredients well and serve with sliced fruits, graham crackers, teddy grahams, etc for dipping.

Tasty Chicken Sandwiches

1/2 cup Pesto, store bought or homemade
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped up, cooked chicken breast (1/4 cup chopped celery
Bread, bagels, wraps

Mix the first four ingredients well, and spread evenly over surface of bread.


I know I get sick of sending my kids to school with balogna sandwiches; how much nutrition is in that? Yuck! So I have beent rying to find different recipes or ideas that will allow for more "real" food instead of all that processed, preservative laden, filer type foods. And not just for them! I want to have good lunches too that don't make me wish I was eating a BigMac instead of something healthy and nutritious!

Italian Sandwiches

1/2 baguette, sliced in half lengthwise
2 chicken pesto breasts, sliced
1/2 cup tomato or pizza sauce
1/4 cup grated mozzarella or provolone cheese

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper

Place the baguette on the baking sheet and top each piece with half of the sauce, chicken breast and cheese

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until bread is crispy and the cheese has melted

If your school has a toaster oven this would be good to take for lunches by, either keeping with the baguette or by using a halved english muffin.

Recipe for Pesto chicken breasts just below.

Roasted Pesto Chicken

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of pesto

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper

Place chicken breasts and pesto in large bowl. Toss together in a mixing bowl and place chicken breasts on the baking sheets

Place the baking sheet in the pre-heated oven and cook for 25 minutes or until breasts are no longer pink inside and when pierced the juices run clear.

Frozen Banana Bites

What did I do Saturday? Thanks for asking; I am so glad you did.

We bought a big bunch of bananas when we got groceries and they were pretty ripe. As I have mentioned before, our house gets incredibly hot as soon as nice weather hits so anything on the counter will surely rot faster than can be eaten. We LOVE to have popsicle type things at our house for those hot days but I really don't like feeding my kids that much sugar so...I have, over the years tried a number of different things.

Here are a couple of those ideas (that I did on Saturday, sicne you begged for them):

Cut a banana in half and pierce with a wooden craft stick (make sure that it is in the banana far enough that it won't fall out once frozen and your kids end up crying because they have lost their treat. {Grin}) Coat in yogurt (any flavor) and then toss with granola. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and allow to freeze (approximately 2-3 hours); once frozen place in freezer bag for storing.

(I have also melted chocolate, covered in crushed nuts, coconut, sprinkles, etc and then froze them that way)

I had a couple of bananas left over that I didn't have sticks for so I simply sliced them up in slightly thick slices, placed them on a pan covered with wax paper and froze them as well. Once they were frozen I put them in a freezer bag to store in our freezer. They are like little silver dollars of healthy ice cream or something. Delicious!

Now on to the variation I saw.

Here goes!

Frozen Banana Bites

2 bananas, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 tbsp milk
assortment of toppings....skor pieces, nuts, dried fruit or coconut

Stir chocolate, milk and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

PLace each of the toppings you are going to use in small bowls.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and slice bananas into 1/2 inch chunks.

Using a fork, dip each piece of banana into the chocolate and cover completely.

Dip each chocolate covered piece into one of the toppings

Transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining banana pieces

When all of the pieces are covered into chocolate and toppings, place in the freezer for 2-3 hours until frozen solid.

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

8 tortillas
2 small chicken breasts (or 1 large), cooked and sliced
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
3 tbsp of taco sauce
1/2 cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese


In a small mixing bowl, combine the chicken, spinach and taco sauce and set aside.

Lay out four tortillas on your counter-top and spread each with an even amount of the chicken mixture.

Top with cheese and then cover with the other tortilla shell. You could also add toppings just to one half of the tortilla and fold the other half over as the top.

Place on a pizza pan ( or cookie sheet) and bake until golden brown and cheese is melted. You will have to carefully flip the quesadillas. (I would even try to cook these on the barbeque if it were a hot day - sicne we can't even thinking about making toast in our house in the summer or it gets too hot!)

Soba Noodle and Beef Stir-Fry

1 package of buckwheat soba noodles
1 large steak, sliced
4 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and grated
2 cups of peas, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 tsbp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar and vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Add half to a shallow dish and place the beef on top. Turn to coat and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes (you can leave it all day if you want to do this before you go to work).

Once the beef has sat for a while, heat a skillet over med-high heat and drizzle some olive oil in the pan. Add the beef and allow to cook.

While the beef is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the noddles. Allow the noodles to cook 5-7 minutes.

While the noodles are cooking stir the beef around, and when cooked though add the spinach, carrots, peas and sesame seeds and toss well.

Drain the noodles and add them to the skillet. Cover with the remaining sauce, heat though and serve.

A friend of mine tried this and said her only regret was that she hadn't doubled the recipe and she substituted bok choy for the spinach.

Cabbage/Veggie Soup

6 large green onions
2 green peppers
1 or 2 cand of tomatoes (diced or shole)
3 carrots
1 container (10 oz or so) mushrooms
1 bunch of celery
half a head of cabbage
1 package Lipton soup mix (we didn't use so optional)
1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
1 48 oz can of V8 juice (optional)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc. (we used italian seasoning, oregano and lots of black pepper)

Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.

Cut green pepper into bite sized pieces and add to the pot.

Take the outer leaves off the cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces and add to the pot.

Clean carrots, slice and add.

Slice mushrooms into thick slices and add.

If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayene pepper now.

You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings as these have all the salt and flavorings you will need.

Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups water and the V8 juice), cover and put on low heat. Let soup cook for a long time - 2 hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

We cooked ours on Low heat in the slow cooker while we were at work. This is a very good and filling soup and I think it would freeze well.

MckMama's MckPancakes

MckPancakes
2 c. regular old pancake mix
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. flaxseed meal
1/2 c. almond butter
1 banana
1 tsp. flaxseed oil
1 egg
1/3 c. plain, whole yogurt
1/4 c. honey
dash cinnamon
In a large mixing bowl, blend pancake mix, flaxseed meal and cinnamon. Set aside.In blender, combine almond butter, oil, egg, honey, yogurt and banana. Blend until smooth.Add blended mixture and water to the dry mix. Stir together well. Make pancakes out of the batter.

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3-5 Tbsp shortening (margarine)
2/3 c milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. Add milk and mix lightly. Drop by spoonful of greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 F for 12 minutes.

Basic Bannock

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 c lard, oil or margarine
water or milk (enough to make a dough)

Mix dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add in the lard or oil and then put in milk or water and mix with a spoon.

Take dough out of bowl and knead it (not too much). Put dough in a medium-sized flat pan and cook about 45 minutes at 375 - 400 F.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 c cold water
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 c ketchup
1/2 c water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Mix together the 1/2 c of cold water, sugar, vinegar and ketchup. Mix 1/2 c water and cornstarch. Add this to the first liquid and boil until thickened.

Potato Wedges

4 medium potatoes, cut into wedges
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Soak cut potatoes in cold water for 15 minutes. Spray non-stick pan. Dry potatoes. Toss in bowl with oil, salt, pepper. Bake 20 minutes at 425 F. Turn. Sprinklw tih minced garlic and bake another 20 minutes - turning at 10 minutes.

Mom's Buns

3 c lukewarm water
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c oil

Stir together. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp fast rise yeast over the top.

Beat 2 eggs & stir into the mixture. Approximately 8 cups flour (add until soft sticky but not clingy and mix with your hands.)

Cover. Let rise 20 minutes and punch down. Punch down a total of 3 times (every 20 minutes). Make into buns. Cover. Let rise 1 hour.

350 F for approximately 15 minutes.

Note: the first time you let the dough rise, cover with vegetable oil so it doesn't get a crust.)

I also ♥ making cinnamon buns with this recipe.

Banana Crunch Pops

1/2 cup fat-free yogurt (any flavor)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup granola with dried fruit
4 flat wooden craft sticks
2 medium bananas, halved crosswise

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Place yogurt in a small shallow dish; stir i cinnamon. Place granola in another shallow dish.

Insert a stick into each banana piece. Roll banana in yogurt mixture until they are completely covered. Roll in granola to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet. Freeze about 2 hours or until firm.

Before serving, let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 mintues. Makes 4 servings.

(After freezing for 2 hours, wrap each coated banana in plastic wrap. Store in the freezer up to one week.

Tropical Fruit Pops

1 cup guava nectar
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup coarsely chopped or sliced fresh fruit (such as strawberries, kiwifruit, papya and/or melon)

In a blender, combine guava nectar, pineapple juice and fresh pineapple chunks. Cover and blend until smooth. Divide chopped or sliced fruit among 12 treat molds pr 4- to 6-ounce paper cups. Pour blended mixture over the fruit.

Add sticks and cover molds. Or cover each cup with foil; make a small hole in the foil with a knife and insert a wooden stick into each cup through hole. Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.

Makes 12 popsicles.

What a great alternative to those awful sugar and artificial flavored popsicles!

Creamy Pumpkin Pie

1/2 cup cold milk
1 pkg (6-serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 1/2 cups thawed, whipped topping
1 Graham Crumb Pie crust

In large bowl beat milk, pudding and spice with wire whisk for 1 minute (mixture will be very thick). Whisk in pumpkin. Stir in whipped topping. Spread in crust. Refrigerate at least 2 ours or until set.

Garnish as desired (whipped topping sprinkled with cinnamon).

Serves 8.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 refrigerated pie crush (15 oz box)
2 eggs
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped
2 cups milk chocolate chips
12 pecan halves for garnish

Heat oven to 32F. Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

In a large bowl, beat eggs; beat in flour and then sugar. Continue to beat for 1 minute. Stir in butter and vanilla until completely combined. Fold in chopped peacans and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Pour into the pie crust.

Bake at 325 F for 55 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Place remaining chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Spread melted chocolate over top of pie and garnish with the remaining pecan halves. Allow to cool completely.

Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing mix
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix cheese, garlic powder and salad dressing mix. Moisten chicken with water and coat with cheese mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish.

Bake at 400 F for 20 to 25 min or until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 6.

Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 c shortening
1 1/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium spped of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended. Combine flour, salt and baking soda, and add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Flatten slightly in criss-cross pattern with times of a fork. Bake at 375 F for 7-8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.

Makes 3 dz cookies.

Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake

courtesy stovetop.com

1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing for Chicken
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package and set aside.
Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and veggies in a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with stuffing
Bake 30 minutess or until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 6.

You're-an-angel cake

1 box angel food cake mix
1 Tbsp orange zest

Glaze
1 tsp orange extract mixed with 3 Tbsp water
2 cups confectioner's sugar

Garnish: fresh pomegranate seeds

Heat oven to 350 F. You need a 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Stir in zest. Pour into ungreased tube pan. Bake, cool and remove cake from pan as package directs.

Glaze: Whisk extract mixture and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Spread over top of the cake, letting excess drip down the sides. Sprinkle the top with pomegranate seeds.
(Bake the cake up to 2 days ahead. Leave in pan, covered and at room temperature. Remove from pan and glaze the day of serving.

Philly Cheesesteak Pita

3/4 lb beef sirloin fast fry steak, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups mild banana peppers (such as Bicks)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste
4 whole wheat pitas
mustard to taste
hot pepper rings
sour cocktail onions
sandwich savers extra garlic pickles
4 slices smoked cheddar cheese

Combine sliced steak and garlic in re-sealable bag and marinate about 2 hours in the fridge.

In a sauce pan, cook onions and mild peppers in oil over high heat, until charred. Remove from pan.

Add beef, salt and pepper to pan. When the beef is nearly cooked add the onions and peppers again. Continue cooking beef to personal preferance.

Meanwhile, lightly sprinkle pitas with water, wrap in parchment paper or paper towels and warm in microwave, about 15 seconds.

Remove pitas from paper, spread each with mustard down the middle and cover with a 1/4 of the meat mixture.

Top with pepper rings, cocktail onions and pickles and cover with the smoked cheese.

Fold the bottom side of the pita over the filling and roll to make a cone.

Wrap each pita in aluminum foil and place back in pan (or BBQ) so that the sandwiches warm and the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Best to eat this straight from the foil as this can get very messy.

Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato-Stuffed Chicken Rolls

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 tub (57 g) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, blanched and thinly sliced
1/2 Tbsp chooped fresh thyme
toothpicks to secure
1 Tbsp pure olive oil

Lightly oil grill and preheat barbeque to medium-high.

Place thighs, smooth side down, on a cutting board. Divide cheese crumbles, sundried tomatoes and thyme evenly between the thighs. Fold the ends snugly toward the centre of each and secure with thoothpicks. Lightly brush with oil and place on grill. Close lid and cook until chicken is firm and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 F (77 C). Turn as needed to brown evely on all sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

10 min prep time. Serves 4.

Camp Meal Survival

-Plan all meals before leaving home. Make a detailed list of your meals and what ingredients you need for each and stick to it.

-Partially prepare some ingredients before you leave. Pre-cook ground beef or chicken with onions (or whatever) and freeze in recipe-sized packages. Chop or slice veggies and pack into zip-lock bags - they will be good for a couple of days in the cooler. Mix up little packets of spices so they're ready to toss into the pot and label everything with the name of the dish they "belong" to.

-Premeasure dry ingredients like rice, couscous and pasta in recipe-sized portions. As much as you would like to think that you will just bring home the rest, truthfully it will be full of bugs, dirt, pine needles and you won't be using it at all. Just bring what you will need.

-After a day or two, when your lettuce is gone, you will be desperate for a salad. Think coleslaw or carrot salad, instead of the usual tossed greens. Cabbage is sturdy, lasts almost forever and is wonderfully crunchy. And, whatever you do't use in coleslaw can be added to a stir-fry.

A good cooler is a beautiful thing. Keep it packed with plenty of ice (a solid block will last longer than cubes) ad you can safely store meats and dairy for several days.

Frozen milk cartons or bags can serve double purpose. Pack one liquid bag or carton to use immediately, and let the frozen ones help keep the cooler chilled.

These helpful hints taken from "Today's Parent" magazine, July 2005

Moose Lips

Disclaimer: No moose (mooses? meese?) were harmed during the making of this delicious snack.

Wash and cut into 8 wedges one red apple; cut out the core. Spread peanut butter onto one side of a apple wedge generously, top with a row of miniature marshmallows, and then squish a second apple wedge (with peanut butter) on top.

Voila! A wonderful summertime snack that just so happens to be smiling back at you as you eat it.

Chocodilias

1 6-inch flour tortilla
1 Tbsp sei-sweet chocolate chips
10 mini marshmallows

Arrange the chocolate chips and marshmallows on one half of a tortilla - don't go all the way to the edge of the tortilla or else the filling will leak out. Fold the tortilla in half and press firmly (it won't seal but tht is ok). Place the folded chocodillia on a preheated griddle or frying pan (no oil or grease needed) over medium heat. Cook, pressing down with a spatuala, until lightly browned on the bottom. Turn and continue to ook on the other side until it is browned as well and the chocolate and marshmallows are melted. Let cook a minute or two before devouring.

Variation:
Peanut Butter and Banana Chocodillias

Spread tortilla with peanut butter, arrange 2 to 3 banana slices on top and sprinkle with a few chocolate chips. Grill as above. Bonus: If you skip the chocolate chips, this is a good lunch any parent can relaxingly nad without guilt give their kids for lunch.

Baked Apple Packets (Campfire)

1/2 apple
2 tsp sugar
dash cinnamon

Cut a 12-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Peel and thinly slice apple, and arrange slices in a mound in the middle of the foil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Wrap packet securely with a double fold (to keep it from leaking) ad place on the grill of a barbeque or apfire over medium heat. Cook, turning once or twice, for about 10 minutes - or unti the apple is soft. Let cool for a minute before eating.

Serves 1.

Banana Crunch Pops

2/3 cup fat-free ogurt (any flavor)
/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup granola with dried fruit
4 flat wooden popsicle sticks
2 medium bananas, halved crosswise

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Place yogurt in a small shallow dish; stir in cinnamon. Place granola in another small shallow dish.

Insert a wooden stick into each banana half. Roll banana piece in yogurt mixture until they are completely covered. Roll in granola to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet. Freeze about 2 hours or until firm.

Before serving, let stand at room temp for 10-15 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Tip: After freezing for 2 hours, wrap each banana piece in saran wrap and store in the freezer for up to a week.

Tropical Fruit Pops

1 cup guava nectar
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cups coarsely chopped or sliced fresh fruit (such as strawberries, kiwifruit, papaya, and/or melon)

In a blender, combine guava nectar, pineapple juice and fresh pineapple chunks. Cover and blend until smooth. Divide chopped or sliced fruit amog 12 frozen treat molds (or 4- to 6-oz paper cups. Pour blended mixture over the fruit.

Add sticks and cover each mold (or cover each cup with foil; make a small hole in the foil with a knife and insert a wooden stick into each cup through the hole.) Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.

This is a fantastic summer treat for you or the kids and at only 34 calories and 0 g of fat who could ask for it to be much better!

Peppermint Puffs

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp pepperint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz white chocolate, melted with 1 tsp shortening
1/2 cup finely chopped candy canes

Stir together flour and salt in medium-sized bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg. Beat in peppermint and vanilla extracts.

On low speed, bet in flour mixture. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour.

Heat oven to 375 F. Coat baking sheets with a nonstick spray. Shape dough into 1-inch balls for a total of 36 cookies; place on prepared baking sheets.

Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes of until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks to completely. When cool, brush with melted white chocolate; dip in chopped candy canes. Let harden on waxed paper.

Mocha Meringues

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee granules
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 25 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with nonstick foil. Stir together vanilla and instant coffee in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat egg whites and crea of tartar in a large bowl on medium speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high, add sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form and whites have tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Sift cocoa powder over beaten egg white mixture. Carefully fold in cocoa powder until evenly distributed. Fold in vanilla-coffee mixture and mini chocolate chips. Transfer egg-white mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Snip off a large corner and pipe meringue by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake at 250 F for 1 hour, leaving oven door closed the entire time.

Turn off oven, tilt oven door open. Let meringues stand in oven for 30 min.

Remove meringues from oen. With a thin metal spatula, carefully lift cookies off baking sheets.

3 dozen (prep time 10 minutes)

Colorful Squash Saute

2 lbs yellow & green zucchini, trimed and cut into 3/4 inch half moons or mixed small green and yellow pattypan squash
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 container, 10 oz, cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/4 tsp dried
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lightly salt and add the squash. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring so garlic doesn't burn. Add squash, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until squash is tender and tomatoes have just started to collapse.

Serves 12

Smoky Quilted Potatoes

2 lbs red potatoes, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp all-purpose seasoning, like The Spice Hunter Chef's Shake
2 tsp smoked paprika

Heat oven to 400 F. Using sharp paring knife, cut crosshatch pattern on cut side of potatoes. In jelly roll pan, combine potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, seasoning and 1 tsp salt. Turn potatoes flat side down in pan. Roast potatoes 30 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with paprika, tossing to coat.

Serves 8.

Caramel Apples

8-10 popsicle sticks
2 Tbsp water
1 (14 oz) bag caramels
8-10 crisp apples, preferably McIntosh
Chopped nuts, m & ms, nerds, dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips (optional)

Twist off the apple stems to remove them and then pierce through the center of each apple with a stick.

Put water and caramels in a saucepan. Cook on low heat until caramels are melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Line a sheet with wax paper. Coat the apples in cooled caramel by holding the stick and dipping it in, swirling to cover evenly. Roll in toppings if you so choose.

Place apples on baking sheet. Refrigerate until caramel is firmly set, about 2 hours.

Duchess Potatoes & Celery Root

2 lbs potatoes, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 lbs celery root, peeled cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup butter
1 cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 F. In large pot, combine vegetables and garlic with enough wter to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; boil until teder, 20 minutes. Drain.
In same pot, over medium, melt butter in half-n-half. Add potato mixture, cheese, salt & pepper; mash. Pipe or spoon into ungreased 1 1/2 qt baking dish.

Bake until browned, 20 minutes. If desired, broil 5 minutes for browner top. Sprinkle with parsley.

(Make ahead: Refrigerate, covered up to one day. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.

Cheesecake Cupcakes

Basic Recipe:

1 1/2 whole sheets (5" x 2 1/2") graham crackers, cut into 1 1/4" square pieces (12 pieces)
2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Place 1 cracker piece in bottom of each cupcake liner. At medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add last 5 ingredients; beat until blended. Divide among muffin cups. Bake 25 minutes or until puffed. Cool 15 minutes. Remoe from pan. Cool completely on rack.

Cappucino: Stir 1 tsp instant coffee powder into sour cream until dissolved. Omit zest. Pipe whipped topping onto baked cupcakes. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Strawberry Shortcake: Substitute 12 Lorna Doone shortbread cookies for the graham crackers. Top baked cupcakes with a mixture of whipped topping, 8 oz strawberries and 1 Tbsp melted apple jelly.

Chocolate Candy Lover's: Omit graham crackers. Crush 12 chocolate wafer cookies; divide among liners. Omit zest; stir 2 Tbsp mini M&M's into batter. Top each cupcake with hot fudge sauce. Divide 1 cup chopped assorted candy, such as Milky Way among the cupcakes. Sprinkle with mini m&m's.

Tropical Punch: Substitute 12 gigersaps for graham crakers and lime zest for lemon. Top baked cupcakes with a mixture of 1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks (drained and chopped), 2 kiwis (chopped) and 1 Tbsp melted apple jelly. Top with coconut and marashino cherries.

Hot Fudge Oreo: Substitute 12 Oreo cookies for graham crackers. Omit zest. Top each baked cupcake with hot fudge sauce. Pipe whipped topping onto cupcakes and top with mini Oreos.

Grilled Garlic Bread

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
8 oz crusty Italian bread, halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare grill for indirect-heat cooking. Combine ingredients (except parmesan) and brush both sides of bread with 1/3 cup butter mixture. Sandwich halves cut-sides together; wrap in foil. Grill, turning occasionally, until hot, 6-8 minutes.

Stir Parmesan into remaining butter mixture. Unwrap bread; brush cut sides with Parmesan mixture. Grill cut-sides down until golden brown, 1 minute. Cut into 8 pieces.

Day-at-the-Beach Cups

1 1/2 qts vanilla ice cream, 6 cups, softened
Blue food coloring
6 (9-oz each) plastic cups
Edible food markers such as Wilton's Food Writers
12 teddy bear graham snacks
3/4 cup white frosting
8 vanilla wafer cookies, finely ground
Rainbow sour belt candy or fruit-strip gum, cut into 1 1/4 inch-long pieces
Swedish fish gummy candies
1/2 inch ball-shaped candies
6 paper umbrellas

Tint ice cream blue with 1/2 tsp food coloring; divide among the plastic cups. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours. Meanwhile, use edible markers to decorate graham snacks (like drawing bathing suits on bears). Spread 2 Tbsp frosting over 2/3 of the ice cream in each cup. Place 1 drop of blue food coloring on frosting; swirl with toothpick. Repeat with remaining cups. Sprinkle remaining area with vanilla wafer crumbs for "sand". Top with sour belt candy (for beach towel), teddy grahams, swedish fish, cany balls and umbrellas. Freeze until ready to serve.

Angel Lush

1 pkg (4 serving size) Vanilla instant pudding
1 can (14 fl oz/398 ml) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup thawed cool whip
1 angel food cake
10 fresh strawberries

Mix dry pudding mix and pineapple in medium bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping.

Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom cake layer on a serving plate; top with one-third of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers 2 times.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with strawberries just before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.

(Use a serrated knife and use a gentle saw motion to esily cut the cake.

Toblerone Fondue Recipe

Found this in a magazine and it sounds too good to be true!

1 bar (100 g) Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate
1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk

Break chocolate bar into small pieces; place in a small saucepan. Stir in milk. Cook on medium heat until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Serve warm with assorted fresh fruits, cookies, pound cake, angel food cake or pretzels.

Makes 2 cups.

Sounds scrumptous.

Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups

8 flour tortillas
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1/2 cup Tex Mex Shredded Cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Top each tortilla with salsa and chicken. Fold in opposite sides of each tortilla, then roll up burrito-style. Arrange tortillas, seam-sides down, in an 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 min or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with lettuce and tomato.

Makes 4 servings, 2 roll-ups each.

Serve with sour cream, chopped avocado and chopped, fresh cilantro

Chicken Penne

2 cups penne pasta
1 lb (450 g) chicken breasts
1 finely chopped red pepper
1/2 cup (1/2 of a 250 g tub) Philadelphia Light cream cheese
2 Tbsp parmesan grated cheese
2 Tbsp stuffed green olives
2 tsp rosemary leaves
1 tsp oil
1/2 c milk

While pasta is boiling, cooking and stir the chicken in a little oil until it's golden brown and cooked through. Set aside. For the sauce, gently cook the red pepper then add cream cheese, milk, and parmesan. Stir the cream cheese until a smooth creamy sauce forms. Then combine your drained pasta, chicken, olives and rosemary. Serve.

Hummus

1 16 oz can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)

the liquid from said can of chickpeas

4 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime if you want to get crazy)

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste: unless you're really crafty, you'll probably just want to buy rather than make this)

2 crushed garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Dump all of the ingredients into your blender. Or set them in nicely, whichever you'd rather. Blend into a nice paste. Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, as a spread on a sandwich cover and refrigerate.


Got this recipe from MckMama's site and it looks like it was worth a try. Sounds delicious!!!

Blueberry Walnut Oatmeal

1 cup water
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup blueberries
1/2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Combine water and oatmeal in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over mediu heat for 7 min. Stir in the berries and walnuts. Spoon into serving dish. Serve warm.

1 serving.

Cafe Latte Milkshake

1 1/2 cups cold coffee
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

Blend all until smooth in a blender. Pour into 2 glasses and serve.

Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired.

Cappuccino Cooler

3/4 cup cold coffee
3/4 cup chocolate ice cream
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
crushed ice
1/2 cup whipped cream

In a blender, combine coffee, ice cream and chocolate syrup. Blend until smooth. Pour over crushed ice. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Junior Mint Brownies

Cooking spray
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine
32 Junior Mints
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg
1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine butter and mints in a 2-cup glass measure; microwave at high for 30 seconds or until soft. Stir until smooth and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, soda and salt in a bowl. Combine sugar, cocoa, egg and egg white in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well blended. Add mint mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool completely o a wire rack.