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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Watergate Salad

My Grandma used to make this and I love it.  Just made it for us for dessert tonight!

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, in juice, undrained
1 package (3.4 oz) pistachio instant pudding
1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients.
Refrigerate one hour.

Then enjoy!!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Crunchy Mac & Cheese

8 ounces elbow maccaroni
4 cups shredded cheddar (i use 2% milk cheese)
8 ounces sour cream (i use light or non fat)
1 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 cup crushed cheese crackers (we use cheez-its)

Bring water to a boil in a large dutch oven; stir in maccaroni. Cook until tender; dran. Rinse with cold water.

combine macaroni and next four ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 11x7 baking dish. Sprinkle with crackers.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy! It's a must have in our house!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Meaty Biscuit Cups

(Serves 10 - 2 biscuits cups each)
INGREDIENTS
1 pound 90 % lean hamburger- cooked
1/3 C finely chopped onion
1/3 C barbecue sauce
½ C corn
1 (10 count) can flaky biscuits
Muffin Tin
½ C shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown hamburger and onions - drain
Divide each biscuit in half by pulling apart the layers.
Press each half into non-stick muffin tins coated with non-stick spray
Combine Hamburger, Corn and BBQ sauce
Divide the meat mixture evenly into the muffin tins
 Double wrap and attach serving label (If freezing)

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS:

THAW Completely!
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes
Remove from oven and sprinkle each cup with cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional few minutes until cheese is melted.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is SO GOOD. If you make it, you will look like a culinary master! :)

This recipe is adapted from the Wei.ght Watch.ers Pure Com.fort cookbook. It's a favorite of ours - a must-make at least once a month. It's a really flexible recipe - you can leave out the veggies if you don't like them (we never add the carrots), or add in others for a new taste.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground lean beef (5% fat or less) or ground turkey
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 T dried parsley
1/4 C beef broth or dry red wine
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper
2 C rigatoni
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

optional ingredients (we usually add these in, but the points value given below doesn't include them so you'll have to adjust the points value accordingly)
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
small can mushrooms, drained
small can sliced or chopped olives, drained
dried basil

1) Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef (and sausage if you choose to have it) and cook until brown, about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, wine/broth, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and add pasta to sauce mixture. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until sauce cooks into the pasta a bit. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Point info (does not include optional ingredients):
6 points per serving
serving = 1 1/2 C with 1 T cheese

You can also make the sauce portion ahead of time and freeze it and it's ready to go when you reheat and add the cooked pasta.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Mac & Cheese Soup

Who doesn't love Mac & Cheese and this was so freaking easy! Recipe from Food Network with a few changes.

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • 4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
  • Cooking spray
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 3 shallots (I used green onions)
  • 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
  • 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and set aside. (I had this cooking at the same time as the broth)

Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor. Mist a saucepan with cooking spray.

Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. Season with pepper.

Per serving: Calories 476; Fat 20 g (Saturated 12 g); Cholesterol 84 mg; Sodium 636 mg; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 27 g

*This was REALLY yummy - it could use more of a "kick" though - some kind of spice, even just crushed red pepper, could really liven it up!
I served it with home-made chicken fingers and fruit.