Texas-Style Casserole

Serves 6

olive oil cooking spray
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 green pepper, cut into strips
8 oz raw turkey sausage, thinly sliced (I used an Artichoke and Garlic Chicken sausage to add extra flavor)
1 cup fat-free skim milk
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a medium square or rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Place potatoes and then vegetables in baking dish; top with sausage.

2. In a small bowl, beat together milk, eggs, salt and pepper; pour over sausage and then sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake until casserole is hot and cheese is browned, about 45 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Results: If this is how they do things in Texas, I can understand why Texans are so proud of their state. This casserole was SOOOOO easy and SOOOOO delicious. I made an extra one for the freezer. I really do recommend using some sort of spicy or flavored sausage. It added so much to the dish.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Basil-Crusted Cod

Serves 4

4 cod or halibut filets, about 1/2 inch thick
1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup red onions, finely chopped
3 Tbsp uncooked cornmeal
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. Place the fish in the baking dish.

2. Combine the basil, onion, cornmeal, oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture evenly on top of each piece of fish. Bake, uncovered, until the fish is just opaque in the center and lightly browned and crisp on top, about 10 minutes.

Served with grits and salad.

Results: This was very easy to make, but only mediocre tasting. I was more excited about eating the grits. I doubt I'll repeat it.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Serves a whole bunch!

1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water

Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:
Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Served with rice and edamame beans with tomatoes (because they were literally the ONLY vegetables we had in the house.)

Results: Super simple and VERY tasty. The glaze was very flavorful. I'll be making this one again.

Recipe from C+C Marriage Factory

Rolo Cookies

Makes 36 cookies
1 pkg. Rolos
1 box Devils Food Cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs. Take a small ball of dough and form a ball around the rolo. (Only use enough dough to cover the rolo so it can spread through the cookie, about the size of a ping pong ball.)

2. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. (Note: mine took a little longer to bake, but maybe because of the altitude here.) Cool on a wire rack.

3. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Results: Now this is my kind of baking! So easy to make and really, really yummy! In case you are tempted, and I know you will be, these are next to impossible to eat right out of the oven. They are really soft and fall apart until they have cooled a bit. I didn't let that stop me, because straight out of the oven is the BEST way to eat a cookie (or three). I think I'll add these to my Christmas cookie list!

Recipe from Six Sister's Stuff

Drunken Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 boneless pork loin chops
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 onion, sliced
1 bottle of dark beer (I used Sam Adams)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1 T cornstarch
1/4 water
2 teaspoons Olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper and add to skillet, browning both sides.

2. While pork chops are browning, combine beer, ketchup, and brown sugar in a bowl. Pour sauce mixture and sliced onion over the pork chops and simmer for 40-45 minutes.

3. Remove pork chops and thicken the sauce a bit. In a small cup, combine 1 TBSP of cornstarch in 1/4 of water. Stir to combine and add to boiling sauce, whisk so no lumps form. Put pork chops back in the thickened sauce, flip to coat.

Served with mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas.

Results: this recipe wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great either. It took a long time to cook, but it didn't require any attention. I doubt that I'll make it again.

Recipe from Newlyweds Blog

Taragon Chicken

It took me FOREVER to remember where I found this recipe, but I finally got it! I found this awesome website, Everything Mom, with links to different freezer meals. It linked to this website, Organized Home, with the recipe for Tarragon Chicken. The original recipe sounds great, but I had to tweak it to make it more healthy. You should definitely check it out, because they give you instructions for making this a freezer-friendly meal. The original recipe uses dried tarragon, but I had some leftover fresh tarragon from the Chicken Saute with Pine Nuts recipe, so I substituted 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon for the dried tarragon.

serves 4

4 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
3 zucchini squash, small
1 c small mushrooms, whole
3 carrots, peeled
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons light butter, melted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon tarragon, dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
cooking spray

1. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then again into quarters, and cut into 2-inch spears. Peel carrots and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

2. Arrange chicken, meaty sides up, in 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray;
sprinkle with paprika. Place zucchini, carrots and mushrooms around and over chicken. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Spray chicken and veggies with cooking spray.

3. Cover and cook in 350-degree oven until chicken is done, 50 to 60 minutes.

Served with mashed potatoes

Results: This was really, really good. I used about half the butter (and switched that up to light butter) and don't think I missed anything, tastewise. The vegetables were roasted perfectly. I will say that the chicken was a little dry, but the chicken breasts I used were really thin, so I think it had more to do with that than with the cooking times. Super easy to make and a nice colorful meal.

Recipe from Organized Home

Chicken Saute with Pine Nuts

Serves 4

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken, breast
2 tsp olive oil
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 pound asparagus
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. In a flat dish or plate, stir together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in
flour, coating both sides and patting off excess. In a large, nonstick skillet, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté on both sides until nicely browned. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and place in oven until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

While chicken is baking, make asparagus and pine nut topping:

3. Reduce heat to medium and add pine nuts to pan. Sauté until golden brown, about
2 minutes. Add asparagus, shallots and garlic; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add tarragon and chicken broth to pan and boil until broth is reduced by half. Return vegetables to pan, season with pepper and stir to heat. Set each breast on a plate and top with asparagus mixture. Serve immediately.

Served with orzo with parmesan cheese.

Results: Yum! This was so good. The pine nut/shallot sauce was so flavorful. Very simple to make, although it does require constant attention.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Coconut Shrimp with Tangy Apricot Dipping Sauce

Serves 4

1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (I'll used less flour next time)
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large egg
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled (tails left on), deveined, and patted dry (important!)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 Tbsp store-bought horseradish (whoa! Way too much!)
1 tsp soy sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the coconut, flour, salt, and crushed red pepper on a plate. Beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp (that has been patted dry...the egg won't stick to the shrimp if it is wet!) and toss to coat. Lift each shrimp from the egg, letting the excess egg drip off the shrimp, then coat in the coconut mixture, pressing to adhere. (Toward the last of the shrimp, there was much more flour than coconut, and only the flour was sticking to the shrimp. I found if I double-dipped the shrimp back into the egg mixture, then back in the coconut, it worked better.)

3. Place shrimp on the baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly spray with nonstick spray. Bake until the shrimp are golden on the outside and opaque in the center, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile to make apricot dipping sauce, combine the apricot spread, horseradish, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Serve the shrimp with the apricot sauce.

Served with rice and edamame beans.

Results: if you try one recipe from my website, let it be this one. Oh.My.Yum. These were soooo good, and just as good as the fattening, deep fried version. They were also surprisingly easy to make. Seriously...add this to your menu for this week, you won't regret it.

My *only* complaint was that the dipping sauce was WAY too spicy! The horseradish completely overpowered the apricot. Next time I'll only use 1 teaspoon horseradish.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Dijon Pork Cutlets

Serves 4

4 boneless pork chops
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
cooking spray
1/4 cup water

1. Combine mustard and next three ingredients in a small bowl. Place pork in a shallow dish; spoon 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over pork, turning to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork, and cook 4 minutes on one side; turn pork and spoon reserved mustard mixture over pork. Cook pork 2 minutes or just until done.

3. Add water, stirring slightly; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Turn
pork to coat, and place on a serving platter. Pour pan juices over pork.

Served with salad and roasted butternut squash slices.

Results: another easy and tasty pork recipe. The original recipe had you pounding the pork chops with a mallet, but I really don't think this thinned out the pork at all, so I took it out of this recipe. The sauce was really good.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Sauteed Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Capers

Serves 4

cooking spray
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
1&1/4 pounds skinless chicken thighs, about 8
1 cup canned chicken broth
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp capers

1. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour with pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Brown chicken in a single layer in prepared skillet until golden on bottom, about 6 minutes; flip and brown on second side, about 4 minutes more. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. (If necessary, brown chicken in two batches.)

3. Pour broth into skillet and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return chicken to skillet, cover and reduce heat to low; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and capers; heat for 30 seconds.

4. Drizzle sauce over chicken thighs to serve.

Served with rice and green beans.

Results: This was very easy to make and very delicious. Very similar to chicken piccata. I'll definitely make this one again.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Shrimp with Cilantro Mojo on Tortilla Crisps

Serves 6 (These would have been VERY small servings! I would say this would serve four, as long as you serve something hearty on the side.)

4 medium corn tortillas, each cut into 6 triangles
cooking spray
1 tsp salt, divided
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pound large shrimp, peeled & deveined (about 24)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange tortilla triangles on a jelly-roll pan in a single layer. Lightly coat the tortillas with nonstick spray and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt. Bake until tortillas are crisp and lightly browned around the edges, about 6–7 minutes; set aside.

2. Combine the orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, garlic, 3 tsp of the oil, the sugar, 1/2 tsp of the remaining salt, and the oregano in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and cool 5 minutes.

3. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mojo and set aside. Pour the remaining mojo into a medium bowl and add the shrimp, tossing well to coat. Let the shrimp marinate 15 minutes.
Drain the shrimp, season with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and discard the marinade. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in the remaining 1 tsp oil then add the shrimp. Cook until opaque in the center, about 2–3 minutes per side; remove from the heat. Arrange each shrimp on a tortilla crisp and drizzle with the reserved mojo sauce.

Served with pineapple & cilantro rice. (Chop up some pineapple, brown it in a tiny bit of butter. Add pineapple and cilantro to cooked rice.)

Results: This was very good, but it was a lot of work! The serving sizes were weird. Four pieces of shrimp? Hardly! The mojo sauce was very good, but really, I think grilled shrimp would have been just as good, and definitely easier to make.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Fourth of July Firecrackers on a Stick

Another marshmallow on a stick recipe, but these are so cute. I brought these to a Fourth of July party (can you tell how behind I am on updating this blog?) and they were a huge hit with the kids and the adults. My only complaint is that they used up a TON of sprinkles. If you are low on sprinkles, you may just want to dip the top of the marshmallow in the sprinkles. They'll be just as cute!

Marshmallows
Chocolate for melting (I use those Wilton baking chips)
red, white & blue sprinkles
lollipop sticks

1. Pierce marshmallows with lollipop stick.

2. Melt chocolate. Dip marshmallow in melted chocolate, then roll in sprinkles.

3. Let dry on waxed paper.

This idea came from Whimsical Creations. Also check out my Canada Day on a Stick and S'mores on a Stick. You could do anything with these!

Maple-Glazed Chicken Thighs

Serves 4

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
8 chicken thighs
Sesame seeds (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, soy sauce and lemon juice; set aside.

2. Place chicken, meaty side down, on greased grill over medium heat; cover and cook, turning once, for 10 minutes.

3. Turn chicken and baste with syrup mixture; cook, turning and basting again, for 10 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

Served with roasted potatoes and watermelon. (It was Canada Day, so I used a cookie cutter to cut the watermelon into maple leaf shapes. I would NOT do this again...way too much effort, but they were cute!)

Results: Doesn't it seem like some marinades are so difficult to make, and you can barely taste them? This is not one of those. Super simple to make (no chopping, come on!) and a very subtle sweet taste to the chicken. Keeper!

Recipe from Canadian Living's Best Barbecue Cookbook