Thanksgiving Day Replay

How did your Thanksgiving turn out?!

Mine was amazing—the best holiday in a long time for no specific reason, I just really needed some family time! And I put together the whole turkey day meal which was a first. It was a lot of work, but obviously I loved it, or I wouldn’t have volunteered :-) I really feel like the route I want to go career wise is to be a personal chef. I can’t see myself working in a giant restaurant establishment, but I can see myself cooking away 24/7 in someone’s kitchen for their family.  Anyone have any information on becoming/training for a personal chef?

We held Thanksgiving out at my grandparents house with our family. I am so thankful that I have a family even though it’s small. Do you have a big family that get together for holidays?

Like I promised, here’s the pictures and recipes from my Thanksgiving day. I have plenty of leftovers—so stay tuned for a leftover recipe makeover tomorrow!

Wednesday was the day of prep!

 

Like I said before, I decided on this turkey recipe to make. The cranberry relish had to be made and slathered on the turkey a night in advance to marinate. This turkey turned out divine—moist, tender, slightly sweet with a hearty aftertaste. I would make it again in a heartbeat. I also added a lot of rosemary to pump it up as well.

(Grandpa carving the turkey) 

My mom made her stuffing in advance as well. This is her “famous” recipe, so I had to pry a bit to get her to share—thanks mom! Please try it, you’ll love it =)

Mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb wild rice
• 1 lb maple flavored sausage
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large granny smith, chopped
• 1 c apple juice
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 1 8 oz can mushrooms
• 8 oz applesauce
• 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
• 2 tsp garlic

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Cook wild rice according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile in another deep skillet add sausage to a pan—crumble and cook until browned. Add all chopped ingredients, garlic, juices, and applesauce to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Get a large roasting pan and pour both pans into one, stirring until thoroughly combined.
• Put in preheated oven for 1 hour covered with foil.

Come Thanksgiving morning, I whipped together these Cheesy Good Cornbread Muffins—wowza were they great! Very moist, flavorful, and overall a definite keeper. Making them in muffin cups was a lot easier for cleanup as well.

Of course some kind of squash needs to appear at any shindig I am hosting. I chose to make this I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie, which I ended up added an extra cup of sweet potato puree instead of just the butternut squash. I also added a dusting of brown sugar to the top to give it a finishing crust.

Amazing & barely any leftovers in sight!

My grandpa also made a bread-based stuffing which was amazing, and we had mashed potatoes, garlic bread and tossed salads as well. This was only my first plate ha ha:

And where’s the pie you ask? Member I told you I decided to make this stunning cake instead—well it stole the show and the pie was not missed!

I hope you all enjoyed your day and  had fun looking at mine. From my family to yours—happy holidays!

Jungle Time

 

Even though I have never been to a jungle, it’s still on my list of to-do’s at least once during my life. I love the lush greenery, the animals, and of course the fruit that comes from the jungle. My favorite would have to be a banana! (Did you really think I was going to ramble on about an actual jungle ha ha?)

 

Over the past 18 years, I have had my share of banana bread; dense bread, fluffy bread, tropical banana bread, glazed, not-so-good, delicious, etc. This new recipe is based off of this one, but of course I made significant changes that make it go from “just a good banana bread” to one that you want to make all the time! The secret is…

• A jar of sweet potato baby food
• Imitation Banana Extract (found by spices, vanilla, etc.)
• Pumpkin pie spice (you can make your own—see how here)

So grab your bread pan and all of those frozen bananas that you aren’t using for the oh-so-famous banana soft serve(I still need to try this), and be prepared for your kitchen to smell like the jungle and your taste buds to go wild like a monkey! ;-)

Amped Up Banana Bread

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup no calorie granulated sweetener of your choice 
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas) + 1/2 c sweet potato baby food                               
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce (I used cinnamon applesauce)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tsp banana extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine both types of flour,sweetener, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon (in other words, all dry ingredients).

In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, baby food, egg substitute, applesauce, and extracts (all the wet ingredients).

Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 12 slices. If you like, spritz with some spray butter or spread on some Cool Whip Free.

Enjoy!

Rollin’ Cinnabon to the Curb

What better way to start the week than with a hot and gooey pan of cinnamon rolls to meet you on the way out the door? I decided to try it this week and lemme tell you—it did make a difference! :-) I figured I would try to squeeze in one last Hungry Girl recipe from my Cookbook of the Month, and this one has been calling my name for quite sometime now. And lucky for you, they were a sweet success and mighty cheap to make! I would say these are semi-homemade, so if you have about a half hour to spare, you have no excuse not to make these! Of course if you are a person with no time to bake these whatsoever, you can always head on over to Holey Donuts and try out their delish Cinnamon Buns.(I did a review here.) Also, I have decided these qualify for my Recipe Redo on a Budget.

But first, how the heck did a cinnamon roll even get created? Thought this was interesting!

In the 13^th century Marco Polo opened the spice trade to Europe. Medieval chefs were using cinnamon and the cinnamon was very expensive. Cinnamon rolls are probably descended from their first fritters. There was an English bun called the Chelsea bun that was described in an English cookbook almost exactly like a cinnamon roll. Then in the 1910s a cookbook did an exact recipe for cinnamon rolls. By the 1922 there was a huge fad for delicious cinnamon rolls that everyone could enjoy and everyone did want them. Then in the 18^th century the Philadelphia cinnamon roll was born. With brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and raisins, it was a new twist on the old favorite. It was brought by the English and German immigrants to America. No one will ever know where the true origin of cinnamon rolls come from, after all, cinnamon and bread are very ancient foods. When foods are used often and for a very long period of time, origins are difficult to discover. While history is fascinating, the taste of cinnamon rolls is a testament to all those who have contributed to the taste of it in the past.

 

Budget Breakdown

• Brown Sugar- freebie
• Pillsbury Reduced-Fat Crescent Rolls- $1.49
• Splenda- $3.85
• Cool Whip Free- $2.99
• Light Butter Spread- $1.75
• Fat-Free Cream Cheese- $2.29
• Salt- freebie
• Cinnamon- freebie
• Butter Spray- $2.29

Total= $14.66  Per Bun= $1.22

*Generally a cinnamon roll from Cinnabon or any fast food place will cost you around four bucks, and not to mention a hefty overdose of calories and sugar.*

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Makes: 12 

Ingredients:

--For Dough--

• 1 package refrigerated Pillsbury reduced-fat Crescent Rolls
• 16 sprays of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray

--For Filling--

• 1/4 C dark brown sugar
• 1/4 C granulated Splenda(or other no cal sweetener of choice)
• 1/2 Tbsp light butter spread
• 1 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

--For Icing--

• 1/4 C Cool Whip Free, thawed
• 3 Tbsp FF cream cheese, room temp
• 1 Tbsp Splenda, granulated

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• To make filling, combine all ingredients in medium bowl, stirring well to make sure the butter gets mixed in evenly. Set aside.
• To make icing, combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix until smooth and blended. Place in the fridge to chill and set.
• Prepare a dry surface by sprinkling it with a small amount of flour to prevent sticking. Remove dough from package and knead into a ball.
• Using a rolling pin lightly dusted with flour, very firmly roll out dough into a thin sheet about 8 x 12 inches. Spray the dough’s surface evenly with butter spray.
• Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 in border around the edges.

• Starting with long side of the dough, roll it up tightly, forming a log. Once dough is completely rolled up, pinch the long seam to seal.
• Turn the log over so that the seam side is facing down. Using a very sharp knife, cut log into 12(the original recipe says 8, but I squeezed in 4 more!)being careful not to squish dough.
• Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and arrange pieces of dough in the pan with swirl sides facing up. Use your hands to firmly press down the tops of the pieces. Pinch the side seams if necessary.
• Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 8 minutes.
• Remove foil and return pan to oven. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until rolls have risen and are slightly browned on top.
• Evenly distribute icing over cinnamon rolls and dig in!

Here’s a virtual roll to quell your cravings! (I know you have one now!!)

Berry-licious Cupcake Recipe

Thanks for hangin’ in there to get the recipe for these marvelous Hungry Girl cupcakes—they were really unique because they blended so many berry flavors! Definitely a keeper for the summer months. I am headed home (to my original home that is) to take my dad to Seinfeld Live this Friday. I will be back here sometime Saturday, so blogging will resume either Saturday night or for sure Sunday morning—I may or may not still be floating around the blog world though—I can’t stay away for too long! :o) I hope you all have a super weekend; are you doing anything fun or just relaxing?!

Berry-licious Cupcakes

Adapted from the first Hungry Girl cookbook

Makes 12 servings (or 44 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients

(For Frosting)

• One-half 8-ounce container Cool Whip Free
• 1/4 c fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp Splenda
• 1/2 tbsp sugar-free strawberry preserves
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 drop of neon pink food coloring

(For Cupcakes)

• 2 C moist-style white cake mix (1/2 of an 18.25 oz box)
• 1 cup diet black cherry soda
• 1/2 C egg whites (about 4)
• 6 medium strawberries, pureed (I used 1/4 pureed blueberries)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Combine all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer at medium-low speed, blend for about 1 minute then chill frosting in the freezer for 20 minutes and then transfer to the fridge until ready to frost cupcakes.
• In a large bowl, stir to combine cake mix, soda and egg whites. And pureed strawberries and food coloring, and mix with electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth. Evenly spoon batter in 12-cup muffin pan (or 24-cup mini-muffin pan) spritzed with nonstick cooking spray lined with baking cups.
• Place pan in the oven and bake 15-20 mins (until firm). Let cool completely before frosting. Once cool, remove cupcakes from the pan and evenly spread frosting over them.

Nutritionals

• 113 calories
• 2g fat
• 197 mg sodium
• 21g carbs
• 0g fiber (boo!)
• 11g sugars
• 3g protein

Summer Salads

Hey everyone!

Even though it feels nothing close to summer here (58 degree daytime highs—no joke!), I am still all about eating certain summer fare. Besides an over-abundance of summer fruit and veggies, I tend to eat a lot of “salads”—not just the green leafy kinds, but things like potato salads, tuna salad, coleslaw, etc. What’s your favorite “summer” food or meal? So I thought I’d share some recent salads I have been enjoying—so if your in the need for some new recipes and products, look no further than this post!

I have had my eye on Hungry Girl’s I Can’t Believe It’s Not Potato Salad for quite sometime, and since her 200 Under 200 Cookbook is my cookbook of the month, I figured now would be a great opportunity to make it. What lured me in to this recipe was the awesome method of getting a super creamy(healthy!)sauce mixture—and although the original recipe does not include potatoes, hence the name, I did add a few peeled red potatoes to the mix—I just can’t justify a “potato” salad without the poor potatoes. Either way this would is great! I definitely am making another batch soon, because the first batch is on its’ last leg! Get the recipe here!

New product that just hit the shelves alert: StarKist Chunk Light Tuna Salad Sandwich Ready Spread in a convenient on-the-go pouch! I don’t know about you, but I won’t eat tuna from a can—it just has that canny taste I can’t get past, so I have been a pouched tuna girl, and now that they have a pre-mixed sandwich spread, you better believe I stocked up! At about $1.30 a pouch you can’t go wrong. It was the perfect blend of spices and flavors, and the stats are super too! Each 3-oz. pouch has 90 - 100 calories, 2.5 - 3.5g fat, 4 - 6g carbs, 1g fiber, and 11 - 13g protein depending on if you get the Albacore or the Chunk Light.

Do you have some cans of tuna lying around that you want to use up before you go out and buy more? Try these ideas!

• Combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and Serrano chilies—add tuna and fresh squeezed lemon. Serve on top of tostadas or in taco shells!
• Combine pitted olives, tuna, garlic, thyme, rosemary, anchovies(if you want), capers, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil in a food processor for a black olive tapenade with a twist!
• Brush pitas with olive oil, then sprinkle with grated fontina cheese. Top with light tuna chunks, minced garlic, halved marinated artichoke hearts, diced tomato, and kalamata olives. Bake until just bubbly for a tuna pizza!
  
• Make some tuna meatballs by combining oil-packed tuna with minced onion, scallion, parsley, marjoram, and salt. Add egg and panko bread crumbs that have been moistened with a little milk. Form small, firm meatballs and simmer in sauce made with canned diced tomatoes, the oil from the tuna, a splash of white wine, garlic, and onions. Bon appétit!
• Toss tuna into a Middle Eastern-inspired salad, tossing with some chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mound it on crispbread and enjoy!
  
• Pair your tuna with pasta by mixing a can with chopped garlic, several spoonfuls or EVOO, black olives, capers, and a sprinkle of oregano. Toss with cooked pasta(or sprouts) and add a can of tomato sauce!
• Make a melt by combining a can of tuna with sweet relish, red onion, celery, lemon juice, light mayo, and half of a sweet pickle. Scoop on top of a toasted English muffin half, add a slice(or two!) of cheese, and broil till bubbly.
• Stuff peppers by sautéing diced onion and eggplant until caramelized. Mix with tuna, parsley, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then stuff in to prepared bell peppers. Bake until steaming hot and serve with a bed of rice if desired.
• Add a can to lentils, chopped tomatoes, and parsley along with your favorite low-fat vinaigrette, plus salt and pepper. 

Have a great day as sweet as this fruit!

(yes, it was delish!)

Beautiful Birthday Recap <|:-)

   When I was younger I used to love all the extravagant birthday parties—my mom was a birthday party pro; she always made sure everything was fit for a queen. =) Nowadays I would rather just spend time with the family in a nice low-key celebration which is exactly what I did. I also did a few things to bring me back to my childhood that I don’t make time to do anymore. I colored, took a stroll with good ol’ daddy and did some rock picking, and I ate butternut squash fries which I used to eat like all the time!(recipe below) I also requested NO presents just because I have everything I could possibly need and more, but of course mom and dad couldn’t resist and after I opened it I was not complaining! They got me three beautiful Cutco knives! The idea is that each knife can only be used for a certain task, and as the years go by you add to your collection(rather slowly for now since they are expensive!) But they have a lifetime guarantee so it’s worth it! Can’t wait to put these to the chopping test!

<—The most meaningful card in the background. And how cool are the knives?! They even have grooves in the handles to get the best grip.

         I love the pearled handles too! It matches with my KitchenAid mixer perfect. I am glad she picked the pearl vs. the black. Thanks again mom and dad! =)

Now onto the eats. I had planned this dinner for a couple days. I am so happy to finally be able to bring out the good delicious summer recipes. Much lighter but oh-so-satisfying and fun! Don’t get me wrong, comfort food rocks, but when you eat it all winter you’re ready for some fruit, veggies, and the grill!

I decided on Stuffed Veggie Peppers from the new Hungry Girl cookbook, but I changed it up a bit so I could share! =) I used soy crumbles(which the recipe called for), and even my carnivorous dad did not notice. So for all you out there who have shied away from soy, give it a shot! So much healthier and cheaper=double bonus!

Posh Pineapple Peppers

Serves: 4 Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

*2 large red bell peppers

*1/2 C chopped green pepper

*1/2 C chopped onion

*1/2 c chopped pineapple

*2 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped

*4 TBSP of mixed shredded cheese

*1 C soy crumbles

*1 C chopped mushrooms

*1 tsp taco seasoning

*1 tsp minced garlic

*1/2 C tomato sauce

Directions:

• Wash all produce first! Take red bell peppers, cut off tops, de-seed and slice horizontally. Place cut side up on sprayed baking sheet and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile take and dice onion, mushroom, pineapple, and green pepper and sauté in pan on medium heat until tender (3 min), add garlic and let cook 1 more minute. Transfer cooked veggies to bowl.
• Add in the seasonings, sauce, cheese, Roma tomato and soy crumbles.
• Once red peppers come out of the oven, allow to cool briefly(5 min), then pat with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Lower oven temperature to 350.
• Fill each pepper evenly and sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.
• Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, take out, and dig in!

<—Check out that cheesy goodness! Of course I had to pair this with a stunning side dish as well, which is where HungryGirl inspired Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries come in. Make sure you head on over and get the recipe!

Once you try the Butternut Squash fries, potato fries will be a thing of the past. If you want to turn these into a sweet treat, I love em’ with a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of sugar!