Broccoli Cheddar & Turkey Bacon Quiche (lowfat)

• 6 oz pie crust, 9 inch, refrigerated
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of chopped red onion
• 1 1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 cup of low fat or 2% shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 2 tbsp of chopped chive
• 10 oz of frozen chopped broccoli
• 5 crumbled cooked turkey bacon
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Press the pie crust into a tart pan or 9 inch pie pan, refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, chopped bacon, mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper, mix well. Fold in the broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped chives. Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo (low fat) with Chive Cornbread

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo (lowfat)

• 6-8 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6-8 oz of turkey sausage, cut into 1 inch cubes
• cooking spray
• 1 tbsp of flour
• 10 oz bag of frozen gumbo style vegetables
• 10 oz bag of frozen okra & tomatoes
• 1 cup of diced zucchini (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup of crushed canned tomatoes
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of Cajun seasonings (Tony's)
• 1 bay leaf (small)
• 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 tbsp of file'
• salt and pepper
• hot sauce (optional)
• chopped chives (optional)

Coat a large dutch oven with cooking spray. Add the chicken and sausage and stir constantly until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the garlic and vegetables. Saute' until tender. If frozen, may take about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Let cook for about a minute. Add in your crushed tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, file', and bay leaf. If you like your gumbo a little thin, add more broth or water. Cook for another 20-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Enjoy!

Chive cornbread

• 2 packages of yellow cornbread mix
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of chopped red onion
• 3 tbsp of chopped chives
• 3/4 cup of milk

Mix and Bake according to package directions.

Banana Cake with Chocolate frosting

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 cup of mashed nanners
• 1/4 cup of oil
• 1 small pkg of jello instant banana cream pudding or white chocolate
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup of water
• 2 dashes each of nutmeg and cinnamon

In this recipe I used the white chocolate pudding. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour in a greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Frosting/Glaze:

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 tbsp of cocoa
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1 box of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/4 cup of light corn syrup
• 1 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Bring butter, cocoa, milk, and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and add the sugar, vanilla, and nuts. Stir until smooth and thick. Spread on warm cake.

Roasted Mustard Chicken with Ranch Taters and Zucchini Casserole (Light Supper)

I was in the kitchen for a good while making this supper....here ya go!

Roasted Mustard Chicken

• 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup of fat free Italian dressing
• 1 tbsp of chive/ranch dressing/dip packet
• salt & pepper
• olive oil cooking spray

In a medium size mixing bowl combine the mustard, Italian dressing, ranch, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and set aside to marinate. Meanwhile, prepare the ranch taters.
Once the taters are ready, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and add the chicken, bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Turning once after 15 minutes of cooking for even browning.

Ranch Roasted Red Taters

• 1 bag of red taters (washed and quartered)
• 1 packet of chive/ranch dressing/dip packet (reserve 1 tbsp for chicken)
• 1 tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tbsp of salt
• black pepper to taste (about 2 dashes)
• olive oil cooking spray

In a large bowl add the taters, olive oil, ranch packet, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat each tater evenly. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Zucchini Casserole

• 4 cups of grated zucchini (about 3 medium size zucchinis)
• 1 cup of Bisquick (heart smart)
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 3 eggs whites, 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup of EVOO
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of 2% grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of chives
• 1 tbsp of chopped red onion

Preheat over to 350. Mix everything together in a large bowl. Spray a deep dish pie dish or casserole with cooking spray and pour mixture. Bake about 45-55 minutes, until golden brown or until toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Beef Nacho Night

It's Saturday and I don't feel much like cooking. So...it's Nacho night!

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 2 McCormick's taco seasoning packets
• 1 can of rotel
• large size Velveeta
• 1 cup of water
• 1 can of refried bean
• 1 large bag of corn chips
• garnishes: lettuce, tomato, red onion, sour cream, salsa

Brown your ground beef and drain. Add your 2 packets of taco seasoning and 1 cup of water. Cook until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Set aside. In a medium size pot. Make your yummy rotel dip. Add your diced Velveeta to 1 can of rotel. If your using half of the large Velveeta, then use 1 can of rotel, if your using the whole block of Velveeta, you will need 2 cans of rotel. Heat until cheese is melted. Heat the refried beans in the microwave until warm. I usually add a little salsa since they tend to be a little bland.
You may want to heat your chips in the microwave for just 1-2  minutes. Believe me, this makes a difference in the taste. Enjoy!

Crock pot BBQ pork ribs

Supplies needed:   A Large crock pot :)    4 1/2 lbs of country style pork ribs
                            1 bottle of "any brand" honey BBQ sauce (I used Kraft)
                            1/2 cup of honey         1/2 cup of beef broth

Spices:  lemon pepper, Tony's, onion & garlic powder, minced dried onion

Liberally coat your ribs with the spices. Place the ribs in the crock pot, pour the whole bottle of BBQ sauce, honey, and beef broth over the ribs. Cook on low for 10 hours.

The next morning, chill your ribs (put in the fridge). When you get home from work, pull the ribs out and discard any "floating" fat. Put the ribs in a large pot to heat. If you would like a thicker sauce, just take about 1 tbsp of corn starch and mix it with a little bit of the "hot" gravy and pour it back into the pot. Let it boil an additional 5 minutes. Done.
I usually serve this with a good sweet roll (that's to sop up all the juice/gravy), mashed taters or mac and cheese, and a veggie. In this case, we had corn on the cob. Enjoy!

beef & corny casserole

Ingredients:  1 pkg of egg noodles (12 ounces)   1-1/2 lb of ground beef
                      1 medium purple/red onion chopped
                      1 can of drained whole kernel corn (15 oz)
                      1 can of tomato soup (condensed)
                      1 can of broccoli & cheese or fiesta cheese (condensed)
                      1 cup of water          1 1/2 cup of diced Velveeta
                      1 ream of crumbled Ritz crackers
                   
Spices:            1 tsp of salt    1 tsp of Tony's    1/2 tsp of black pepper

Cook the noodles according to package directions (use a large pot). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. I used lean ground meat so there was no need to drain. Add the corn, tomato soup, broccoli & cheese (or fiesta cheese), and water. Mix well. Add your spices. Drain your noodles, put the noodles back in the same hot pot and add the velveeta and the meat mixture. Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top the casserole with the crumbled crackers, cover and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30-35 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let it stand at room temp for about 10 minutes. This gives the casserole time to cool a bit (it will be HOT) and to "set". Enjoy!

My husband REALLY enjoyed the casserole. I would have added more cheese! Tomorrow, left over casserole :)