Bayou Brownies

Would you like a super easy knock-your-socks off dessert?  Well, look no further than these blonde Bayou Brownies.  The first time I baked these my 16 year old son loved them so much he had to practice some severe self control to keep from eating 1/2 the pan.

When I originally made these I didn't have time to take pics so I saved some in the freezer.  The brownies were in the freezer for a few weeks and not wrapped very well I might add.  After the photo session, my son ate the rest of the brownies and still commented on how good they were.

These brownies are a nice change from typical chocolate brownies and would be perfect for a potluck or holiday party.

Buon Appetito!

Bayou Brownies

source: www.myrecipes.com

prep: 10 minutes

bake: 40 minutes

yield: 15 servings

calories: 417

fat: 20 grams

1 cup chopped pecans 

1/2 cup butter, melted 

3 large eggs, divided 

1 (18.25-oz.) package yellow cake mix 

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 

1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar

1. Combine pecans, butter, 1 egg, and cake mix, stirring until well blended; press in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.

2. Beat remaining 2 eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour over cake mix layer.

3. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Lazy Lil's Easy Mango Salsa

Now that it is almost summertime and getting oh-so-hot outside  I start to crave foods that are light and refreshing like this Easy Mango Salsa.  It is the perfect blend of spicyness and sweetness.  One of the ladies in my bible study brought this to a meeting and I just loved it. I love mango and it is especially yummy and refreshing in this salsa. Paired with baked tortilla chips or gluten free corn chips this makes for a healthy, delicious addition to your next Mexican menu or BBQ. This recipe makes a ton so it is great for crowd!

Lazy Lil's Easy Mango Salsa

Yields: 16 cups

Serving size: 1 cup

calories: 133

fat g: <1

 INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chopped mango
2 cans stewed tomatoes, diced
1 small white/red onion, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 limes,juiced
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned diced green chiles or
2-5 fresh green chiles, chopped finely
6 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
8 cups of mild/medium store bought salsa

DIRECTIONS:  Makes 16 cups approximately.
1.  Combine all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2.  You can substitute the chopped mango with canned crushed pineapple, fresh chopped peaches or diced avocados, corn, black beans.

Buon Appetito!

Baked Goat Cheese Dip

Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body is one of my favorite blogs.  I love the author's humor and often lol when reading her post.  Her food looks great and is very different from my style of cooking.  I think one reason I like her blog so much is because I get ideas for foods that I wouldn't normally cook. For example, I have noticed that she often shares recipes that include goat cheese.  She even has a recipe for Goat Cheese Stuffed Cookies.  I had never tried goat cheese before and was really curious. I saw this recipe for Baked Goat Cheese Dip in Southern Living Magazine I thought I would give it a try.

Goat cheese has a very distinct flavor and reminds me a lot of feta cheese, which I love.  If you like feta, I think you will really enjoy this easy appetizer recipe.

 

Baked Goat Cheese Dip

Southern Living

DECEMBER 2010

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients 

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Pinch of sugar

1 (14.5-oz.) can petite-diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil

1/4 cup torn basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

2 (4-oz.) goat cheese logs, softened

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

Assorted cut vegetables and bread cubes

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Sauté onion in hot oil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic and next 3 ingredients, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in diced and sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in basil and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir together goat cheese and cream cheese until well blended. Spread into a lightly greased 9-inch shallow ovenproof dish. Top with tomato mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 15 to 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with assorted vegetables and bread cubes.
Make ahead: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2. Cover and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake as directed.

Buon Appetito!

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Once upon a time I used to do a lot of freezer cooking. It was a peaceful and joyful time in my cooking "career". Peaceful because I knew what was for dinner everyday. In the morning I would take the dish out of the freezer to thaw and in the evening bake/cook as directed by the recipe. Preparing side dishes, bread, and occasionally a dessert was a breeze since the main dish was already done. It was joyful because I could share meals with others since I had food ready to go in the freezer. Not only does freezer cooking save time but saves money too. By planning meals, it eliminates the last minute takeout dinner or errand to the store to purchase pricey readymade meals that are often loaded with preservatives. I truly love freezer cooking, but since I do not have much freezer space here in Italy, I am not able to do as much as I would like. I hope to do more freezer cooking again when we move back to the states.

These chicken chimichangas are one of my favorite freezer meals. When freezing, prepare chimichangas per directions, then wrap in foil and freeze. When ready to cook, simply thaw and following baking instructions.  

Chicken Chimichangas

From: Southern Living

Yield: 20 servings

1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided

7 cups chopped cooked chicken - great tip for shredding chicken, place cooked chicken in a kitchen aid mixer and mix for a couple of minutes and you will have perfectly shredded chicken.

1 small onion, diced

2 to 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

20 (8 inch) tortillas

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato

Combine 1 ½ cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven (I don't have a dutch oven so I use a skillet); cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. I did this for the blog, but I don't really think it is necessary to use toothpicks. I just lay the seam side down and it works just fine.

Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with cooking spray.

Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

Chicken Chimichangas

From: Southern Living

Yield: 20 servings

1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided

7 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 small onion, diced

2 to 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

20 (8 inch) tortillas

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato

Combine 1 ½ cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with cooking spray.

Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

Buon Appetito!

From Mess to Success: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Balls

This post doesn't include a recipe, but I hope it encourages you that with a little creativity what starts out as a cooking mess can turn into a cooking success.

This story began a couple of weeks before Christmas.  It has become a tradition that I make chocolate peanut butter balls every year during the holidays. The balls are made by mixing together peanut butter, melted butter, and powdered sugar then forming into balls and dipping in melted chocolate. This year my hubby wanted to help by making the peanut butter mixture.  Although he didn't need it, I supervised and told him exactly what ingredients and how much of each was needed.  He followed the recipe exactly.  I had the bright idea to mix it in the Kitchenaid mixer instead of by hand.  It must have over mixed the peanut butter mixture, because it would not roll into balls. I normally freeze the mixture before forming the balls, but even after freezing, it still wouldn't work. I even mixed in more powdered sugar thinking that would help to make it thicker, but with no luck. It was a peanut buttery mess, but tasted delicious so instead of  throwing it out I put it in the freezer to use at a later time.  I made another batch and mixed by hand and it turned out perfectly. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics, but that just gives me a good excuse to make them again soon so I can share the pics and recipe with you.

A few weeks later after the Christmas craziness was over I thought about that peanut butter mixture and decided I would use it to make icing. I mixed in some cool whip and crushed Oreos  (processed in a food processor) until it was the consistency of icing.  Originally I thought that it would be good on a white cake, but as I was getting ready to bake I thought to myself, "Duh, peanut butter, Oreo, cool whip icing would go perfect on a chocolate cake not a white cake!" So I mixed in 1/2 cup cocoa with the white cake mix (from a box) to make it chocolaty and then followed the directions on the box for a two layer cake. Once cooled, I iced it with the peanut butter concoction, and then covered it with more crushed Oreos. It was perty good, and my family loved it.

After a couple of days the cake was a little too dry for me so I decided to try and make cake balls with it. In the past I tried making gingerbread cake balls, but they did not turn out so well. However, I am not easy discouraged and was ready to give the balls another try.

Since cake balls are simply cake and icing, I figured I could use the leftover cake to make them. I mashed the cake and icing until it was blended well and then using an ice cream scoop formed 1 inch round balls and flash froze them (put the balls on a cookie sheet and put in freezer for 30 minutes).  Then using a toothpick, dipped them in melted chocolate chips, drizzled chocolate on them, and then decorated with sprinkles. I was so excited how they turned out. They were fantastic!! My family devoured most of  them. My husband took the leftovers to work and they received rave reviews. From now on anytime I have leftover cake it will be a perfect excuse to make cake balls.

So it goes to show that cooking messes can be turned into successes!! It is true in life too. Even though our lives may seem to be a mess there is always hope for a turn around.  I have learned this in my life and am thankful for God's forgiveness and grace as well as the opportunity to move forward in his strength and become a success.

Even Paul the apostle started out with a mess of a life and through the grace of Jesus his life turned into a great success. Perhaps not by earthly standards but by eternal standards he was a winner.

I Timothy 1:12-14

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.


My dad always told me, "It's not how you start. It's how you finish." I am thankful that in everyday life and cooking our messes can become successes and that sounds like joy to me!

Buon Appetito!

All pics were taken by my very talented husband. He loves photography and has been doing all the photography for my blog the past couple of months.  If you have noticed an improvement it is because of him. If you see a not so good pic on the blog, just know I took it :)

Peppermint Palooza

I know that peppermint foods are typically associated with Christmas. However, I love peppermint so much that I cannot reserve it only for the holidays. 

My absolute favorite peppermint treat is Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies. I adapted Southern Living's All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies to create this recipe.

I like sweets. I really do, but I am not usually too tempted to eat what I bake. I get more enjoyment from baking than I usually get from eating. However, I cannot resist these chocolaty delights. They get me every time. I tell myself,  that I am not going to eat any, but when the aroma of warm chocolate and peppermint hits me as I take them from the oven, I can't resist. I end up eating one or two immediately followed by a cold glass of milk. Mmm, mmm good!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

Yield: Approximately 40 cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

12 large candy canes or 6 oz. peppermints crushed into pieces (make sure not to crush too much or it will become powdery)

1 (12 oz.) bag white chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Beat butter and sugars at medium speed until creamy.
• Add eggs and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, beating until blended.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended.
• Beat in candy canes and white chocolate chips just until combined.
• Drop cookies using a 2 tbsp. ice cream scoop onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• Bake 10-14 minutes ( I bake mine 12 minutes). Remove to wire racks and cool completely (about 15 minutes).

I had about 1/2 of a batch of Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies leftover after Christmas so I decided to crumble them (in my brand new Cuisinart Food Processor that Santa brought me for Christmas) to use as a crust for a peppermint cheesecake. I looked through my cookbooks until I found this recipe. 

This Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake is a no bake  recipe. When eaten straight from the freezer it is more like ice cream than cheesecake. You also can remove it from the freezer and let it soften before eating. Either way it is delish!

I couldn't resist this recipe either. I had a piece every day until it was gone.

I think this makes a nice Valentine treat as well.

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake

Yield 1 (9 inch cheesecake)

Adapted from: Southern Living Little Book of Cheesecakes

 

1 ¾ cups chocolate wafer crumbs (about 25 wafers) I used crushed peppermint bark cookies (for a quicker version, use two ready made chocolate pie crusts instead of using cookies)

¼ cup sugar I didn't add the sugar

¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/3 less fat

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk lowfat

1 cup crushed hard peppermint candy

2 cups whipping cream                

·         Stir together first 3 ingredients; press into bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

·         Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk, beating until smooth. Stir in candy.

·         Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form; gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Cover and freeze 6 hours or until firm. Gently run a knife around edge of cheesecake to release sides of pan; carefully remove pan just before serving.

This last recipe for White Chocolate Covered Oreo is one I saw on Pinterest a few months ago. This recipe is so simple. It is just oreo cookies dipped in white chocolate and then sprinkled with crushed peppermints. They are freakin awesome!

 

Buon Appetito!

Preventing Holiday Weight Gain Part 1 ~ featuring Registered Dietician, Jenny Cooper (including recipes for Spinach Dip and Baked Balsamic Chicken)

The Holidays are here! With the bustle of decorating, shopping, spending time with friends and family and eating delicious food who wouldn’t agree that this is the most wonderful time of the year? But along with the fun and celebration of the holidays also comes worry and stress around holiday weight gain. The good news is, you can enjoy all of your favorite holiday foods without stretching your waist line.  The key to preventing weight gain during the holidays is the same as preventing weight gain any other time of the year: limit the amount of calories you take in through foods and beverages while also burning extra calories through physical activity. Where most of us get in trouble during the holidays is when we overindulge on holiday goodies for two months straight and we allow the busyness of the holiday season and the colder temperatures to interfere with our usual efforts in staying physically active. To help keep you on track this year in preventing those sneaky pounds from piling on, check out these top three ways to prevent unwanted holiday weight gain:

1.       Avoid Overindulging During the Holidays

It’s perfectly okay during the holidays to enjoy your favorite holiday goodies, but try to limit the amount of high calorie foods you eat by practicing portion control. This can be accomplished by eating from a small salad plate versus a regular sized dinner plate and by filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a fourth of your plate with a lean protein food such as turkey or beans and the other fourth of your plate with a starchy carb food like a dinner roll or mashed sweet potatoes. At that holiday meal, you can also save your calories by choosing to eat only your favorite dishes and fight the urge to “sample” everything. For dessert try to choose your top two favorite desserts offered and cut very small slices of each to enjoy.

Avoid skipping breakfast to “save” calories for the big meal later. This will only cause you to overindulge during the meal. Have a breakfast consisting of protein, a whole grain and a piece of fruit. The protein and fiber from the breakfast meal will curb your appetite and control blood sugar until your next snack or meal. If your holiday meal is later in the day, be sure to have a healthy snack 1-2 hrs before the meal to, again, prevent you from overeating at the meal. Your snack should also contain some type of protein and fiber such as low fat cheese slices and whole grain crackers, unsalted trail mix with nuts and dried fruit or raw veggies and hummus.

Be sure to eat a healthy meal before heading out for that last minute shopping trip or when hitting the major after holiday sales, and carry a healthy snack with you to prevent being tempted by unhealthy fast food and convenient store snacks. White meat turkey on whole grain bread with veggies or tossed into a salad makes a great pre-shopping trip meal!   

Stay tuned for part 2...

                                                                                                 
                                                                                                           Jenny Cooper, RD, LDN

 Hi! It's Joy.

Jenny was talking about the importance of eating a well balance breakfast. I have a hard time finding something for breakfast that will stick with me all morning.  Recently, a friend told me about Bagel Thins. They are just like a bagel, but thinner (duh, I am sure you could have figured that out) and have about 1/2 the calories of a regular bagel.

I now eat a Bagel Thin sandwich and drink an 8 oz. glass of skim milk every morning for breakfast:

• 1 whole wheat bagel thin toasted
• 2 fried egg whites (mix 3/4 tsp. sugar with leftover egg yolks and freeze for later use)
• 1 slice of lowfat cheese 

This meal has approximately 300 calories, and it sticks with me until lunchtime even on days when I run 5 miles or more.

Jenny also mentioned eating a healthy snack a couple of hours before a big meal to curb your appetite. One of my favorite snacks is spinach dip with fresh veggies. Just look at these beautiful veggies at the local Italian market.

Spinach Dip

2 cups light or nonfat sour cream

1 pkg. frozen spinach (chopped, thawed, and drained)

1/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

• Combine ingredients in a bowl and chill for at least an hour.
• Serve with raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, zuchinni, squash, snap peas or any veggie of your choice. 
• Can also be served in a round bread loaf.
• Also makes a great spread for sandwiches.

Jenny says that we need to include lean meats in our diet. Here is a really easy and juicy chicken dish to help you maintain your weight during the holidays. It is great hot out of the oven with veggies. Leftovers would be perfect tossed in a salad for that preshopping meal!

Balsamic Baked Chicken

Source: www.food.com

4 chicken breast halves, bone-in or skinless

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Arrange the chicken bone side down in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
• Pour the vinegar over them and sprinkle evenly with the oil, oregano,  salt, and pepper.
• Bake the chicken 20 minutes and baste with the vinegar juices.
• Bake 20 minutes more (depending on size of breast) or until juices run clear.
• Serve chicken with juices spooned over them.

Servings one breast (94 g.)

calories 170.2

fat 10.1

protein 15.2

fiber <1 g

Buon Appetito!