A Day That Warms A Mother's Heart

I get my heart warmed a lot with my kids, but Sunday was a particularly heart warming day.  My daughter belongs to a group at school called "Caring for Cancer Patients."  I thought it would be great to host a machine knitting day, so they could make Chemo Caps for donation.

My plan was to teach them to machine knit and to feed them.  Both went off without a hitch.  They all really enjoyed learning to machine knit.  They were very excited to have knitted hats themselves. 

While they were machine knitting I tried a new appetizer call Chile Relleno Bites.  Excellent Recipe.  The recipe is not kidding when it says "cool and cut into squares."  When fresh out of the oven my daughter couldn't wait and asked to dip in.  I said sure.  It was a gooey mess.  I suggested she scoop some out and eat it with tortilla chips.  She made a bowl for all her friends and it was great.  What was left in the pan actually cooled.  It cut up into beautiful squares that one could pick up and eat as the recipe intended.

Chile Relleno Bites


2 small cans diced green chiles
5 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 eggs, beaten well
1 dash Tabasco sauce


Preheat oven to 350. Spread the green chiles on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Add the Tabasco sauce to the beaten eggs, and pour over the chiles and cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.


I also had dinner plans.  Thank goodness my son came home as I found out I couldn't make dinner and machine knit.  I had started dinner, but couldn't finish.  My son came home and asked, "Anything you need help with?"  What a nice son.  I said, "Yes, could you finish dinner?"  He jumped right in.

We were knitting and dinner smelled so good.  The teenagers couldn't wait to eat.  My friend that was over helping with the knitting couldn't wait to eat.  Next thing I knew Diana was back from Pennsylvania.  She is the leader of the CCP group.  She lives next door and she and her older brother (who picked her up at the airport) stopped in to see the progress of the knitted hats.  Allison announced, "Diana's here to see the hats!  Andy's here to raid the fridge!"  Allison laughs.  Andy laughs.  I laugh.  Then Allison says, "No really Andy here's looking for food."  I laughed again and told Andy to get a plate and help himself.

We all ate and knitted and it was just a really fun day.

Bean Pot Pizza

How many of you out there own a Home & Garden Bean Pot?  They were sold at Home & Garden shows, which were run like Pampered Chef or Avon shows.  It was so adorable I had to have one.  Ten years ago!  Now what to do with it other than collect dust.  I decided to drag mine out and try this recipe.  It could be cooked in something other than a Bean Pot.  Maybe 2 layers in a 9X13 inch pan with aluminum foil.  It's that good you'd want to make it.

Home & Garden Party Bean Pot Pizza

By Nancy Westbay, OH

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

16 oz. box rotini, (spiral pasta), cooked

1 small can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained

32 oz. pizza sauce

16 oz. mozzarella shredded cheese

3 oz. pkg. pepperoni

Brown ground beef and onion together.  Drain and combine with cooked macaroni, mushrooms and pizza sauce.

Prepare your Home & Garden Party Bean Pot with a vegetable oil spray and then layer  ingredients as follows:

Approximately 1/3 of the rotini and beef mixture, then 1/3 of the sliced pepperoni, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of pepperoni and reserving about 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Cover with lid, place in oven and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees F.

After baking, remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.  Cover with lid and let it set until the cheese is melted.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Lynne's note:  After it was baked I couldn't add the cheese AND replace the lid.  The rotini had puffed up to the very top of Bean Pot.  So, I threw on the cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Worked out great.  Everyone raved about it and said it should be made again.  I fed 6 people generously and had enough leftover for 2 lunchs today.

Mashed Potatoes Any Time

We don't need a special occasion at my house to have mashed potatoes.  Any time there is an opportunity for gravy and/or someone feels like peeling potatoes we'll have mashed potatoes.  For years I made Swanson's Skinny Mashed Potatoes.  They are actually quite good and fit well with Weight Watchers.

Skinny Mashed Potatoes
Serves: 6
3 1/2 cups Swanson® Natural Goodness® Chicken Broth
5 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
Generous dash ground black pepper

Heat the broth and potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes well in a colander, reserving the broth.

Mash the potatoes with 1 1/4 cups broth and black pepper. Add additional broth, if needed, until the potatoes are the desired consistency.
Weight Watchers Points®*: 3
Dietary Exchanges: 2 Starch, 1/2 Other Carbohydrate
USDA MyPyramid: 1 cup Vegetables

Now I'm on my "who are we kidding" chapter of my life and I went wild last Thanksgiving and made Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes.  I did them exactly how she said to do them and boy were they good.  Decadent even.  They were good without gravy.
 
Tonight I wanted to make mashed potatoes and thought I'm going to do them like Pioneer Woman's, but I have to admit I just couldn't go all the way with the butter and the half n half.  So, I went part of the way and they were still wonderful.

Lynne's Scaled Back Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes
2 to 3 pounds of peeled Idaho Potatoes, cut into pieces about the same size
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese straight from the fridge
2 T butter
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Lawry's Season Salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Place prepared potatoes in pan and just cover with water.  Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until potato chunk when forked slides right through.  Remove from heat and drain.  Don't worry if a little water is left in pan.  I just tip it carefully over the sink enough so the potatoes don't fall out, but water drains.  Return to stove (hot burner but turned off) add cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper and begin mashing.  Once cream cheese and butter are warmed up I pull pan off hot burner and keep mashing until it's the consistency I like.  Serve.

Tonight we once again thought they were so good that gravy was just an added bonus.  I had a small serving and DH and DS ate all but 2 cups of the mashed potatoes.  I could see them circling and knew I might want more potatoes maybe tomorrow.

Cheddar Potato Slices

Made 3 batches of this molten lava potato recipe in December. I make this when scalloped potatoes are called for. I just find scalloped potatoes to be so bland and uninteresting. This recipe from Campbell's soup is flavorful, cheesy and easy to make. It's never been bumped up against a pan of scalloped potatoes until my machine knitting December luncheon. 2 people were asked to bring "Scalloped Potatoes." I volunteered knowing I'd bring "Cheddar Potato Slices" disguised as "Scalloped Potatoes." When I went to get my pan to clean it up and bring home any leftovers mine was practically licked clean. The pan of Scalloped Potatoes was about 75% full. I rest my case.

Cheddar Potato Slices
Recipe from: Campbell's Soup

Servings: 4
10 ¾ ounces mushroom soup

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon pepper

4 medium baking potatoes, (about 2 pounds), cut ¼ inch thick

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine soup, paprika, and pepper in small bowl.

In greased 2-quart oblong casserole, arrange potatoes in overlapping rows. Sprinkle with cheese. Spoon soup mixture over. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until potatoes are fork tender.

Cheeseburger Soup

Some sort of cold/flu bug is running through our family this month. First to succumb was my daughter and I made Chicken Noodle soup for her. Then I got sick. My son made Cranberry Orange muffins for me. Now my son is sick. I knew he wouldn't want any muffins and I know soup isn't his favorite, but soup is SO good when you're not feeling well. I had to ask anyways, "Would you like me to make you some soup?" Thinking he'd say no and the conversation would go to some sort of food I could comfort him with. He said slowly, "Cheeseburger soup?" We both chuckled at the idea. I told him, "You know what, I bet there is a recipe for Cheeseburger Soup on the internet." I did some surfing and sure enough there were several Cheeseburger Soup recipes. I chose the one I thought sounded the best and would appeal to my poor sick son.

Cheeseburger Soup

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 50 Minutes
Servings: 8

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown.

Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Melt the remainder of butter in a separate small pot and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.

Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for a minute or 2. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream. Put back on heat if you feel it needs to warm up a little. Do not boil.

Lynne's Notes: What I liked about the recipe was that I had all the ingredients right here at home. I like recipes that don't have fussy ingredients. I didn't add dried parsley. I think it's revolting compared to fresh parsley. Just my own personal problem there. I also didn't add the sour cream to the pot of soup. My husband abhors sour cream. So, the kids and I would stir a teaspoon full into our own bowls. We thought the sour cream really added a lot to the good flavor of the soup. It is a hearty soup. A real stick to your ribs during cold weather kind of soup. The basil doesn't over power the other ingredients and lets the tartness of the cheddar cheese and the sour cream shine threw in their creamy goodness.

After we all ate our soup we all agreed that it was good, but a few changes might be nice if we ever made it again. My son said it needed more meat, more cheese and that serving it in a bread bowl would be nice. I think if I served it in a bread bowl and maybe just sprinkle a little grated cheddar on top he'd love it.

Bacon Cheddar Waffles... Oh my!

I bought a new waffle iron with my birthday money. I wanted a Belgium waffle. I have a very tiny crevice waffle iron that is convenient, but I missed having bigger holes to catch syrup. I'm not totally convinced that I like this All-Clad waffle iron and that I'll keep it. Doesn't stop me from testing it. The first batch of waffles was the Buttermilk waffle recipe that came with the waffle iron. It was tasty. Yes, the holes are bigger, but the iron squishes the batter so compactly that waffle walls are kind of thin. Thought I'd try a couple more recipes before I know for sure whether or not I want to keep it.


Tonight my son and I made Bacon Cheddar waffles for dinner. I searched the Internet for a savory recipe. This recipe is a keeper! See the steam from the waffles cooking. I am so full right now. I should have stopped eating at 2 squares not 3. We did not put syrup on them. Just ate them plain with a big side salad.


When the green light comes on the waffles are done.

Bacon Cheddar Waffles

1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
6 bacon, strips cooked and crumbled
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

In a medium bowl, beat 1 egg.

Add: milk, sour cream, melted butter.

Stir in Bisquick baking mix, mix well.

Fold in: cooked and crumbled bacon strips and cheddar cheese.

Spoon batter onto a hot waffle iron.

Close waffle iron and cook until golden brown. (Will be done when steaming stops -- 4-5 minutes).

Serve drizzled with: maple syrup OR fruit-flavored syrup.

Toying with Vegetables

In an effort to be more healthy I cracked open my cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld called "Deceptively Delicious." I decided to do a recipe my family already loves Macaroni and Cheese. I had a butternut squash all ready to bake. One of the vegetables called for in the recipe. I first thought butternut squash might be too flavorful to disguise. I went on with the recipe after I had baked my butternut squash. I used sharp reduced fat cheddar. Also a slight change in procedure as my butternut squash wasn't moist enough to puree by itself. I added half the milk from the recipe and it pureed up nicely. So, when the recipe said "add milk" I ended up adding the butternut puree too. It didn't seem to effect the outcome.


As I was coming to the end of making the sauce I got a spoon and took a taste. Anxious to see if it was over powered by butternut puree. It tasted fantastic. Then the aftertaste kicked in.... a very strong strange butternut aftertaste. I was SO disappointed. I thought I can't feed my family this. They'll know I'm trying to pull one over on them and not very successfully! I got to thinking I'd season it up like I do my own homemade Mac N Cheese. My seasonings wouldn't add any calories or fat and it might just disguise the butternut aftertaste. I added a sprinkle of onion powder, a sprinkle of dried mustard and small squirt of Worcestershire sauce. I'm guessing about a 1/4 tsp of each. Viola, it did cover up the butternut after taste! Now to serve it.


Keeping dinner simple I steamed up some broccoli and served. Everyone liked it. Everyone knew it was a new recipe and a more healthy recipe. The only comment was that the sharp cheese was a little strong. Maybe use medium next time. Not one word about leaving out the butternut squash. Evidently, I did fool them as they didn't know it was in there.


Macaroni and Cheese 1 (with Butternut Squash or Cauliflower)
Created by Jessica Seinfeld

Ingredients:Serves 4
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
1/2 cup butternut or cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Don't turn your back on this delicious dish!

This is the spinach dish my 2 year old son would steal off my plate if I looked the other way. Seems like a crazy thing for a kid to like, but who's gonna stop them?

Spinach Maria

2 pk frozen chopped spinach
2 pk 8 oz cream cheese
1 onion
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese or more
1 teaspoon butter
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cook spinach according to directions, drain very well. Saute onion in butter until tender. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add spinach, parmesan cheese, and pepper. Cook several minutes more. Stir until well blended. Place in greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Lynne's note: The only real change I made was to add one more cream cheese. It just wasn't creamy enough for me. I use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese. As for the cayenne pepper... I don't like things that burn my mouth I'm a whimp that way, so I add half as much of the cayenne pepper. This dish is also really good served cold and taken to a picnic.