Mexican Mac and Cheese

Recipe Adapted From:
Better Homes & Gardens Magazine
March 2011

Ingredients:

12 oz. dried mostaccioli or rigatoni pasta (3 cups)
1 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 16-oz. jar green medium-hot salsa
2 8-oz. pkg. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 cups)
Tomato wedges, sliced jalapeño peppers, and chopped fresh cilantro
Salsa (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook sausage and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat, Return sausage and onion to skillet. Stir in green salsa.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Top with tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro. If desired, serve with additional salsa. Makes 12 servings.

Notes & Tips:
This was so yummy! Very easy to make. I found rigatoni at the store so that was exciting! You could def. use any kind of noodle that you have. I topped this with tomatoes, cilantro and some mild peppers. The only issue I have with this recipe is that it says it serves 12.... ummm not in this house! More like 6.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 378
Total Fat (g)22
Carbohydrate (g)25,
Total Sugar (g)4,
Fiber (g)1,
Protein (g)19,

Lemon Chicken with Cucumber Salsa

Recipe Adapted From:
The Pampered Chef Casual Cooking Cookbook

Ingredients:

Chicken and Marinade
1 broiler-fryer chicken (4 pounds), cut into quarters
2 lemons
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cucumber Salsa
1/2 medium unpeeled cucumber, seeded and coarsley chopped (1 cup)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped red onion
1/3 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

Preparation:
1. For chicken and marinade, rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Trim any excess fat from chicken. Zest lemons to measure 1 tablespoon zest. Juice lemons to measure 1/2 cup juice. Place zest and juice in Mixing Bowl. Press garlic into batter bowl. Add oil, oregano, paprika, salt and black pepper; whisk. Remove 2 tablespoons of the marinade and reserve for the salsa.
2. Add chicken to marinade in mixing bowl; turn to coat. Cover; marinate in refrigerator 2-4 hours, turning chicken occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, for salsa, coarsely chop cucumber and onion. Slice olives; dice bell pepper. Place vegetables in small bowl; add reserved 2 tablespoons marinade and mix gently. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Prepare grill for indirect cooking over medium coals. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken, skin side up, on grid of grill. Grill, covered, 45-50 minutes or until chicken registers 180°F in thickest part of thigh portion and juices run clear. Serve salsa with chicken.

Notes & Tips:
I didn't have any fryer chickens so I just used 3 large chicken breasts. It worked out better because it only took 25-30 to cook through. Also, I didn't any paprika so I subbed in cayenne pepper. Which I loved, the spice was very nice. I served this with couscous.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4. Calories 470, Total Fat 27 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 150 mg, Carbohydrate 7 g, Protein 50 g, Sodium 520 mg, Fiber 2 g

Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf

Recipe taken from:
Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook

Ingredients:

Meatloaf:
1 cup Whole Milk
6 slices White Bread
2 pounds Ground Beef
1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
3/4 teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
4 whole Eggs Beaten
10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
Sauce:
1-1/2 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
Tabasco To Taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!

Notes & Tips:
Please don't be like me... please use a broiler pan. I don't own one so I "make-shifted" with a cookie pan and my metal cooling racks. The spaces in the cooling rack were WAY too big and my meatloaf fell down and cooked with a metal cooling rack inside. BUT other than all that the meatloaf was incredible! Who wraps bacon over meatloaf?!?! Man it's good.

Nutrition Facts:
No thanks!

Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce

Recipe Adapted From:
Healthy Cooking, Aug-Sept. 2011

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, halved
1/3 cup ruby port wine
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt

PORK CHOPS:
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 bone-in pork loin chops (7 ounces each)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, saute shallot in oil until tender. Stir in the cherries, wine, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the coriander, mustard, salt and pepper; rub over chops. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Serve with sauce. Yield: 2 servings.

Notes & Tips:
This was really good. It tastes like a special occasion recipe, but it was really easy. My chops took a little longer to cook, but I bought really thick cuts. Also, I did not have any port wine, so I just used cooking sherry. This was the perfect recipe to use some of the bing cherries I froze earlier this summer.

Nutrition Facts:
1 pork chop with 1/3 cup sauce equals 356 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 86 mg cholesterol, 509 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 32 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1-1/2 fat, 1 fruit.

Chicken and Tortilla Soup

Recipe Adapted From:
Better Homes & Gardens May 2011

Ingredients:

6 cups water
1 3 1/2-lb. whole roasting chicken, cut in 8 pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped (1/2 cup)
1 stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
8 sprigs cilantro
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground ancho chile pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Corn oil
8 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 32-oz. box reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 cups sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
2 small zucchini, cut in 1/4-inch slices (2 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh or canned tomato
1/2 a jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
Cilantro leaves

Preparation:
1. In a 6-quart Dutch oven combine water, chicken, onion, 1/2 cup chopped carrot, the celery, 8 cilantro sprigs, the cumin, chili powder, ancho chile pepper, oregano, and bay leaves. Bring to a boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is very tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 inch of corn oil in a large heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F. Add tortilla strips, about one-fourth at a time, and cook until crispy and light golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from saucepan with a slotted spoon. Drain strips on paper towels. Season with salt.

3. Using tongs, remove chicken from liquid; cool chicken. Strain remaining liquid, and discard solids. Return to Dutch oven along with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

4. Remove meat from bones and discard bones. Tear chicken in 1-inch pieces. Add to broth along with the 2 sliced carrots. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas, zucchini, tomato, and jalapeño. Simmer 3 minutes or until tender. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.

5. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, and cilantro. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Notes & Tips:
This soup took a pretty long time to make. The recipe said a little over an hour but it's more like 1 1/2 hours. The timing at the end is off... it takes way more than 3 minutes to cook zucchini. Our favorite part of this was the "chips" SO easy and so yummy. I will def. make the tortilla strips more often. I thought the zucchini and peas were a little odd in a "Mexican" soup, but it actually tasted pretty good.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 375
Total Fat (g)14
Saturated Fat (g)2,
Monounsaturated Fat (g)4,
Polyunsaturated Fat (g)7,
Cholesterol (mg)89,
Sodium (mg)618,
Carbohydrate (g)29,
Total Sugar (g)6,
Fiber (g)6,
Protein (g)34,
Vitamin C (DV%)43,
Calcium (DV%)11,
Iron (DV%)14,
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Butterscotch Chocolate Cake

Recipe Adapted From:
Taste of Home Cookbook 2010

Ingredients:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix
1 jar (17 ounces) butterscotch ice cream topping
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), coarsely crushed

Preparation:
Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, poke 12 holes in warm cake. Pour butterscotch topping over cake; cool completely.
Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with candy. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Notes & Tips:
I didn't have a box of chocolate cake mix, so I made my own. I used a yellow cake mix plus 1/4 cup cocoa powder. This cake was a huge hit!

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

Recipe Adapted From:
Healthy Cooking Magazine:
August-September 2011

Ingredients:

6 tilapia fillets (6oz. each)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as, Old Bay)

Preparation:

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, and salt. Mix well.
Broil 3-4 from the heat for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Notes & Tips:
I thought this tasted great! I served this with a salad. I will say I think it could use a little more seasoning.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 6
Calories: 225 | Total Fat: 12.8g | Cholesterol: 63mg