Ms. Geechy's Pineapple Pie

Jax shared this family recipe. All the notes in parentheses are from Jax. My notes are at the bottom [as usual].

Ingredients

1 unbaked frozen pie crust, thawed

1 cup Splenda baking sugar (you can also use regular sugar in place of Splenda
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/8 Tbsp all-purpose flour (I usually leave out the 1/8 pinch and it still turns out fine)

1 pinch of salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground all-spice

1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained (don't use fresh pineapple unless you know for sure that it is sweet)

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 Tbsp sour cream (sometimes I add 3 Tbsp if I want it extra creamy)

1 teaspoon coconut extract (I have also used Pina Colada mix in place of the coconut extract)2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Set pie shell aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Using an electric mixer or mixing by hand, in a large bowl cream together sugar and butter until well combined. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each. In another bowl, combine your dry ingredients (flour, salt, spices) until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the egg, sugar and butter mixture. Mix until combined however do not over mix.

Stir in drained pineapples, milk, sour cream and coconut and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the pie is lightly brown in color.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Jax Tips: Splenda baking sugar is not the same as Splenda powder. The baking sugar is in a orange and yellow package)

Patti’s notes: First of all I made it with real sugar instead of Splenda because I made it for my Dear ole Dad and we’re trying to fatten him up. I didn't have coconut extract so I skipped that. There was a little too much filling for the pie crust so, not wanting to waste it, I put the rest it in a custard cup and baked it alongside the pie. Prior to making the filling I put a few pineapple circles under the broiler until they browned a little. I would have preferred grilled pineapple but I didn’t want to fire up the bar-b just for pineapple. Anyhow, about 5 minutes before the pie was done I added the pineapple rings to dress it up a little. Jax had told me that she likes it room temp and her husband likes it chilled. My little custard cup of filling gave me plenty of opportunity to try it every which way. First I tried a bite while it was hot because I couldn’t wait for it to cool down. :blush: Then I tried a bite while it was warm because I couldn’t wait for it to cool down :still blushing: Then room temp, slightly chilled and finally I tried it completely chilled. My verdict is……… I like every which way but I really liked it still warm. In fact I had two bites left in the custard cup so before I went to bed I polished it off. I popped it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and topped it with a dab of Cool Whip Lite and it was just perfect.
I’m going to make it again with Splenda, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter For Baking, fat free evaporated milk and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, no crust, just to experiment with making it diabetic and/or more figure friendly. I’ll keep you posted!
Easy meter: easy as pie!

Patti’s Marinara Sauce

Ingredients
Tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Basil
Oregano
Sea Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Pinch of sugar
Red pepper flakes
Bay leaf

Directions
Start with a variety of tomatoes

Make an X cut at the top of each tomato and then everyone in the hot tub (pot of boiling water) for about a minute. You don’t want to cook them; you just want to relax them so they will slip right out of their skin.

Remove from water to strainer and rinse with cold water. The skin will peel right off. Do this over a bowl so you don’t lose any of the delicious juices.

Chop onions and garlic. Heat pot and add EVOO. Sautee onions and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes. You could chop them first but I don’t think it’s necessary. I just squeezed them in the palm of my hand directly into the pot. Add a generous amount of basil and oregano, S&P. Sprinkle in a few red pepper flakes, add a bay leaf or two and a little water. BTB, RTS (bring to boil, reduce to simmer). Cover and cook on low for a couple of hours.

You can either serve it chunky or use an emersion blender to smooth it out. I left it as is.
Wanna bite:

BTW that’s a little piece of the Italian Bread I made Saturday.

Patti’s Notes: the amount of tomatoes you use will determine how much you use of the other ingredients. Since this was my first time I didn’t make a huge pot of sauce. I used about 3 pounds of tomatoes, 4 small onions*, 1 head of garlic, about a heaping tablespoon of each herb, maybe a teaspoon each S&P, just a smidgeon of sugar and two shakes of red pepper flakes, 2 bay leaves, maybe 1/2 cup water. It made about 4 servings.
Easy Meter: Easy schmeasy. I only use one pot. No point in sautéing your veggies in a pan and then moving them to a pot.

ETA: The onions I used were about the size of large shallots, equivalent to 1 large onion.

Serving suggestion:
Serve over steamed spaghetti squash and sprinkle with a little fresh parmesan. Add a piece of garlic bread.

Arroz Con Pollo, aka Adobo Seasoned Chicken and Rice

Ingredients
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons granulated onion
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
4 chicken thighs, with skin, cut in ½
4 chicken breasts, with skin, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
About 1/3 cup tomato powder or 1 to 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups long-grain rice
4 3/4 cups homemade chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas (not thawed)
3/4 cup pimento stuffed green olives
3/4 cup pitted picholine olives
Freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
Squeeze lime juice

Directions

Mix together the salt, granulated garlic, cumin, granulated onion, paprika, black pepper, turmeric and oregano in a small bowl. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and then season with the adobo seasoning mixture
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Place the chicken in the oil skin side down, in batches, if necessary, and sauté until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook until the second side is golden brown.

Transfer the chicken to into a separate pot with all cooking juices, cover and allow to cook through over medium heat. Keep warm.
Place the browning pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil back over high heat. Add the onions, green and red peppers and cook until soft. Add the tomato powder, garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the rice to the pan, stir to coat the rice in the mixture and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir well, cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes add the peas to the pot, cover and continue cooking until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let sit 5 minutes covered. Remove the lid, fluff the rice and gently fold in the olives, cilantro, parsley, oregano and squeeze of lime juice. Add the chicken and stir to combine.

Patti's Notes: I didn't twist this too much. I used the chicken thighs with bone and skin but I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. I thought they might need the flavor from the skin and bone but next time I'll just use boneless skinless. My market didn't have Spanish onions so I used white. I used 2 plum tomatoes (I’ve never even heard of tomato powder and it sounds scary). I didn't add the extra S&P because I thought there was plenty. I only used 1/2 cup of pimento stuffed green olives and no picholine olives (my market didn’t have them and I didn’t feel like scouting them out). Other than that I used the recipe as is and it was fantastic.
BIG NOTE: It makes way more than 4 servings. It completely filled my soup pot! I'd say 8 easily. This was seriously delicious.

Easy Meter: It’s rated intermediate. It’s not really difficult there is just a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps. Don’t be in a hurry. It takes a little time.

~Source: Food Network. This was a Bobby Flay Throwdown (he lost so I can’t even imagine how good the other guy’s was!).

Are you hungry now? :wink:

Olive Oil Lemon Cakes with Thyme

Ingredients
For the Cakes:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish

For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Prepare the cakes: Brush a 6- or 12-cup mini Bundt or muffin pan with the melted butter. Lightly dust with flour and shake out the excess.
Pulse the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a blender until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, then gradually pour in the olive oil and milk, pulsing until emulsified into a thin batter, about 30 seconds. Don't over blend or the cakes will be too puffy.
Whisk 1 cup flour, the baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon thyme in a small bowl. Add to the blender in 2 batches, pulsing lightly until just combined; stop to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cakes just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and spring back when lightly touched, 28 to 30 minutes for a 6-cup Bundt pan and 22 to 25 minutes for a 12-cup Bundt or muffin pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides with a small knife and invert the cakes onto a rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and butter until smooth, adding more lemon juice if the mixture is too thick. Drizzle over the warm cakes and garnish with thyme sprigs.

~Source: Follow the bouncing ball. Here’s the chain of credits for the lemon cakes:
Kellis posted the link in her CK blog from the Pioneer Woman blog.
The Pioneer Woman linked it to the Tasty Kitchen blog.
A Tasty Kitchen blogger comment said it was originally in the Food Network Magazine.
Just want to make sure I give credit where credit is due! The original recipe came from Food Network. Why am I not surprised?

Patti’s Notes: I didn’t use butter to grease the muffin pan, I sprayed it with Pam. My muffin pan is a 6 pack so I used the foil muffin cups for the rest. Those are so convenient because you just put them on a cookie sheet. I cut the sugar a little. I used 1 C sugar and 1/3 C Splenda. I didn’t use butter in the glaze, I just used the lemon juice and powdered sugar. I only used 1 C powdered sugar and it made plenty of glaze. I didn’t wait for them to cool to glaze. I glazed them while they were still hot so the glaze would seep in instead of just being on top. They aren’t very Thyme-y so next time I’d use more of that but they were still M-M-Delish! Sweet and Tart, my favorite combo!
ETA: the second time I made them I used a little more thyme and I cut the powdered sugar in the glaze to ½ cup and it was plenty.

Easy Meter: Everything is done in the blender. Need I say more?

Tonopah Rob's *or* Meatless Monday

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Here’s what I bought at

Tonopah Rob’s Produce Farm

( http://tonopahrob.com/ )

this past weekend.

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I just realized while eating my lunch that’s it unintentionally turned into Meatless Monday.
This morning I decided to roast some of the baby beets to bring for lunch today. As long as I was roasting, I thought I’d throw some potatoes on the other side of the pan. I took two of the small red potatoes (about the size of a plum), the smallest head of garlic in the bag, and two small onions, one purple and one white.

I cleaned the beets and potatoes, peeled the garlic and onions and tossed them with EVOO, sea salt and cracked pepper (keeping the beets on one side of the pan and the spuds on the other). I put them in the oven at 400° for about an hour. I ate the potatoes/garlic/onions for breakfast. My taste buds were in heaven. These are the best potatoes ever, in fact I bought a big bag of them to make for Father’s Day because my brother-in-law and nephew's son couldn’t get enough of them last time I made them). I swear the insides are so creamy they are the texture of mashed potatoes with butter and milk, even though they are a la naturél. So that was breakfast followed by a glass of Hot and Spicy V-8.
For lunch I brought the roasted beets and two Italian Plum Tomatoes along with a slice of the Honey French Bread I made yesterday. I also brought some Sharp New York Cheddar to have on my toasted bread. A girl needs protein ya know. I can’t even describe how incredible the roasted baby beets are. They have a slightly salty exterior and are very sweet on the inside. I like to leave a little bit of the stem and root on when I clean them which adds some nice crunch. There is nothing like farm fresh tomatoes that were just picked off the vines. Well, except home grown but sadly I admit I have a black thumb when it comes to gardening. Then I had the juiciest peach ever (also from Tonopah Rob’s).
I have some roasted pepitas and roasted sunflower seeds (not from TR’s, from NutsOnLine) for later so Meatless Monday it is.
I know the beets look hairy scary but don’t judge the book by it’s cover. They are amazing.

Lemon and Rosemary Marinated Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons Essence (Emeril’s spice mix which you can buy or make your own)
2 teaspoons salt (I didn’t use that much)
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Directions

Place chicken, lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary and 2 tablespoons Essence in a resealable bag and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature. Preheat grill pan to high heat. Remove chicken from bag and place on platter. Season both sides with the remaining Essence, salt and pepper. Place the chicken, smooth side down, on the grill pan and cook 4 minutes, rotate 45 degrees and cook an additional 4 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook another 4 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

~Source, Emeril Lagasse, Food Network

Patti’s Notes: I only used ¼ cup olive oil and less salt. I used mixed peppercorns instead of white but I don’t really think it matters. I did not re-season with Essence, S&P after the marinating.
This was extremely flavorful and fantastic. I don’t normally like grilled chicken because it often is dry and rubbery. Not the case with this one. Very moist and juicy.
Easy Meter – Simple Simon

Rack of Lamb Persillade

Ingredients

3 small or 2 large racks of lamb, Frenched
Good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped garlic cloves (3 cloves)
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the racks in a roasting pan, fat side up. Rub the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast the lamb for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the parsley and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until they're both finely minced. Add the bread crumbs and lemon zest and process for a second until combined.
Take the lamb out of the oven and quickly press the parsley mixture on top of the meat. Drizzle with the melted butter and return immediately to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.
Take the lamb out of the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes, cut in double chops, and serve.

~Source – Ina Garten, Food Network

Patti’s Notes: I made 1 rack for the two of us. Comments on the Food Network web-site indicated problems with the crumbs sticking to the meat so I brushed it with a thin layer of ground mustard first (glue if you will). I also cooked it a little longer since we don’t like medium rare. It came out really fantastic, possibly the best rack of lamb I’ve ever had.
Easy Meter - PDE (Pretty Darn Easy)

Holiday Biscotti

Sorry folks, this one isn't diabetic friendly. If you can't use moderation than don't make them because they are truely the best biscotti I've ever had.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

~Source: Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

Patti’s notes: Recipe says it makes 24 but mine made 18. Then I lost a few due to breakage. That being said, I read some reviews and people had a lot of trouble with breakage and crumbling. I had some but not a lot. A few recommended baking only 30 minutes and slicing after it rests/cools for only 10 minutes to help reduce breaking. As the recipe says, use a sharp serrated knife, which I did, however, someone also recommended using an electric knife. I’ll try that next time.
ETA: I used the altered baking time and electric knife and the cutting was much easier.
They were a little difficult to dip in the melted chocolate because they are a little fragile and I broke a couple so I ended up brushing on the chocolate which worked much better. One of the reviewers suggested putting the melted white chocolate in a Ziploc, cut the corner and drizzle over the cookies. I’m going to make another batch and do the chocolate like that. I’ll let you know how it works.
ETA: That worked perfectly with the white chocolate. I made a second batch with raisins, pecans and dark chocolate. The dark chocolate ran when I tried to pipe it so I brushed it on. Also, if you want to bypass the double boiler and microwave the chocolate you MUST DO SO in 10 to 15 second increments. It will either scorch, burn or crystallize if you don’t. Just give it a stir and put back for 10 more seconds, over and over and over.
I rate this two oven mitts up. It's also a nice alternative to regular cookies. They freeze well. I gave them away as Christmas gifts and everyone said they were the best biscotti they ever had! I agree.
Easy Meter - It’s rated “intermediate” in the Food Network web-site. It’s not a difficult recipe; there is just a lot of “waiting” time. Also, as I indicated above, cutting the loaf was a bit of a challenge.

Mulberry Street Burger

Ingredients
2 (8-ounce) portions ground beef
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
4 slices pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for salad
1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic
3 or 4 basil leaves
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 burger buns, your choice
Baby arugula
4 slices tomato
Basil Ketchup, recipe follows

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large skillet.
Divide each beef portion into 2 equal amounts and shape them into patties (you should have 4 patties altogether). Place 2 mozzarella slices on 1 patty, then top with another patty. Close the edges of the patties to enclose the cheese, basically stuffing the burger with the mozzarella. Wrap each burger with 2 slices of pancetta.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium oven-proof skillet over medium heat and brown each burger on both sides. Place the burgers in the oven to finish cooking.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and remove from heat. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and basil and add to butter with 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Brush this on the burger buns and toast under the broiler or in a toaster oven.
In a bowl, toss together the arugula, olive oil, to taste, and the remaining 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
Place the burgers on the bun bottoms, top with tomato slices, arugula salad and Basil Ketchup.

Basil Ketchup:
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
In a small blender or processor, blend all the ingredients. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

~Source: Michael Proietti, Next Food Network Star, Season 5

Patti's notes: These were truly delicious burgers! I bought soft squishy buns and with the garlic butter and then toasted under the broiler for a few minutes they were fantastic. I didn't use the arugula. The Basil Ketchup had a nice zing to it and really makes the burger.
This one gets two oven mitts WAY up!
I’ve also made stuffed burgers with mozzarella and marinara sauce; chili peppers and salsa; sautéed mushrooms, garlic and onions. The possibilities are endless for stuffed burgers. Tip of the Day re: hamburger meat. Typically you don’t want to use the leanest of beef when making burgers because they will turn out too dry. That being said, when you make a stuffed burger the lean beef works because whatever you’re stuffing the burger with will keep it moist and juicy and you won’t end up with a dried out brick on a bun.

Easy Meter – Not the easiest burger I’ve ever made but difinately one of the best. It’s not difficult it’s just time consuming.

Trifle

Ingredients

Store bought Sugar Free Angel Food Cake
1 large box of instant Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding
2 cups of strawberries (cleaned and cut in half)
1 cup of fresh blueberries
2 bananas, sliced
Cool Whip Lite.

Directions

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Cut the cake into cubes with a serrated knife, put a little Cool Whip on the bottom of a glass Trifle dish.
Then 1/3 cake, 1/3 pudding, 1/3 strawberries/blueberries/bananas, top with a layer of 1/3 container of Cool Whip, repeat two more times. Garnished with a few strawberries and blueberries (not bananas because they turn brown). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

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I also use the same method and make Sugar Free Cherry Pie Trifle.
S/F Angel Food Cake, Cool Whip Lite, Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding, Sugar Free Cherry Pie Filing.

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I think that pretty much any pudding and fruit that would be good together would work just fine with the cake and Cool Whip, like chocolate pudding and bananas.

~Source – I made this up all by my self!

Patti's Notes: It’s really light and fluffy and people are shocked when they hear it’s made with sugar free products. Personally I use Jell-o brand Instant Pudding and Pie Filling. There are certain things I buy generic brands of but Jell-o isn’t one of them.
Easy Meter – Super easy!

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ pound butter
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
½ lemon, juiced
½ pound sliced mushrooms

Directions

Beat egg with salt, pepper and 1 tsp garlic powder. In separate bowl combine bread crumbs, ½ tsp garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Dip each piece of chicken in egg mixture, than in crumb mixture. Arrange in single layer in large shallow baking dish. Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in ½ tsp garlic powder, parsley and lemon juice. Pour ½ of the butter sauce over chicken. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with mushrooms and remaining butter sauce. Continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes.

Good with noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.

~Source – I have no idea. I got the recipe from a former co-worker who got in a recipe swap chain mail about 30 years ago! It will have to be known as “unknown”.

Patti’s Notes: I use real garlic, not powder; regular bread crumbs, not Italian; I don’t recommend ICBINB Light or other butter substitutes because when you melt it it’s too watery. I also use more lemon. With the initial butter sauce I used the juice of one lemon. Before I pour over the other half at the end I added the juice of half of another lemon.
Two oven mitts ups. If I could wear more than two oven mitts at a time it would get them all. This is a real favorite.
Easy Meter – This isn’t really difficult but there are a lot of steps.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

First I’ll post the original recipe from Kraft. In the Patti’s version is my tweaking of the recipe to make it diabetic friendly.

The original recipe:
Ingredients

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp caramel topping, divided
1 graham cracker pie crust
½ cup plus 2 tbsp pecan pieces, divided
1 cup cold milk
2 pkgs (small) Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 - 8 oz tub Cool Whip, divided

Directions

Pour ¼ cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with ½ cup pecans.
Beat milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1 ½ cups Cool Whip. Spread into crust.
Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with remaining Cool Whip, caramel topping and pecans just before serving.

~Source – Kraft Foods

Patti’s Notes: this is what I altered to make the diabetic friendly version:
All the same except altered ingredients: sugar free caramel topping, reduced fat graham cracker pie crust, fat free milk, sugar free pudding and Cool Whip Lite. I also added the “just before serving” toppings when I made the pie instead of waiting until after it had been refrigerated. I give it two oven mitts up!
Easy Meter – It’s pretty darn easy.

Mexican Meatball Soup

Ingredients

1/3 cup raw white rice
1 cup water
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound lean ground beef
2 quarts beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 medium carrots, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 (3” long) red chili, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup Madeira Wine

Directions

In a small pot bring water to a boil. Add the rice. Boil 5 minutes; drain. Place rice in a large mixing bowl.
Add the chopped onion, coriander, bread crumbs, egg, milk, salt, garlic and oregano. Blend thoroughly.
Add the beef, blend into the rice/bread mixture.
Shape the meat into 1” meatballs. There should be about 30*.
In a 4-6 quart pot combine the broth, bay leaf, carrots and chili. Bring to a boil. Add the meatballs, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add the Madeira and simmer 1 minute longer. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Makes about 2½ quarts, 6 servings. Soup can be kept refrigerated for up to a week; freezes perfectly for up to six months.

~Source - Soup Suppers by Arthur Schwartz (found in Patti’s Cookbook Library)

Patti’s notes: A little time saver: I mix the meat and then put the broth, carrots, etc. to boil before making the balls. I got about 60 meatballs with a little less than a pound of ground beef. It’s kind of spicy but registers high on the M-M-Good scale.
Easy Meter – The only tricky thing is getting making the meatballs because if you don’t compact each one enough they will fall apart. If you compact them too much they will be too firm. Just take a heaping tablespoon of meat, roll it in the palm of your hands 3 or 4 times and be done with it.

Lemon Raspberry Bars

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Ingredients

Crust
3/4 Cup SPLENDA® Granular
3/4 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Light Butter
pinch of Salt

Filling
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 1/4 Cups SPLENDA® Granular
1/2 Cup Egg Substitute
1/2 Cup Half and Half
1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Grated Fresh Lemon Peel
1/4 Cup Reduced Sugar Raspberry Preserves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Spray an 8X8 inch-baking pan generously with butter flavored nonstick spray. Set aside.
Mix together flour, SPLENDA® Granular and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Cut in light butter until the mixture is crumbly, like a streusel topping. Do not over mix. Press dough into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Place SPLENDA® Granular and flour in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir well. Add egg substitute and half-and-half. Stir until blended. Slowly add lemon juice while stirring constantly. Add lemon peel.
Stir raspberry preserves until they loosen up. Spread evenly over warm crust.
Gently pour lemon mixture over preserves.
Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool before placing in refrigerator.
Chill in refrigerator 2 hours before serving.
Nutritional Information per serving, makes 16 Bars
Serving Size:
1 bar
Total Calories 70
Calories from Fat 20
Total Fat 2.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 45 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 2 g
Dietary Exchanges: 1 starch

~Source - Splenda.com

Patti's notes: I used real eggs. Egg substitute scares me.
Rating: 1 oven mitt up. It only gets one oven mitt because of the Splenda. It does have a wee tad of the artificial sweetener taste so if you don't like the taste of Splenda*, don't try it. I thought it was nice and tart.
*ETA: This is an old recipe before they had Spenda for Baking. That might be a good alternative to cut some of the artificial taste.
Easy Meter: one a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being most difficult I'd give it a 6. A little more difficult than average if you're a non-baker.
Cutting in the butter and s-l-o-w-l-y adding the lemon juice WHILE stirring is what put it over the *average* edge.
It was easy smeasy for this seasoned kitchen guru.

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
2 tomatoes, seeded and cut into quarters
2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters
1 can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
Several green onions, sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Dash lemon juice
1 large head romaine or red leaf lettuce, washed and dried thoroughly

Directions

Blanch beans in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain beans and set aside. In the same pot of boiling water, blanch peas until slightly tender, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove peas to the ice water bath; drain and set aside.
Place beans, peas, tomatoes, eggs, water chestnuts, and green onions in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice and stir to combine. Serve over lettuce leaves.

~Source - Paula Dean, Food Network

Patti's Notes: Two oven mitts up. I made this for lunch and it's de-lish! Quick and easy too! BTW I didn't seed the tomatoes (I like the seeds) and don't use nearly as much mayo. I didn't put in the green onions either. I’m not always in the mood for them.

ETA: Recent discovery - I hard poach the eggs instead of hard boiling. The whites don't get rubbery and the yokes don't get crumbly.

Easy Meter – This is super easy. Don’t let the words “blanch beans” or “ice water bath” scare you. Blanch just means put them in boiling water and cook slightly. They should be tender but a little firm. Ice water bath is just a bowl filled with water and a some ice cubes. It’s stops the cooking process and allows the beans to stay bright green.

WW Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (you could use ground turkey)
1 onion (chopped)
16 oz can pinto beans
16 oz can corn (I use Mexicorn)
16 oz can diced tomatoes (I use diced tomatoes with green chiles)
16 oz can chili beans
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes
1 package dry ranch dressing (I know it sounds weird, but trust me)
1 package taco seasoning
2 cups water

Directions

Sauté onion, add beef until brown, drain fat, dump the rest of ingredients into pot, mix and let simmer 1 hour.

1 cup = 206 calories, 5.5g fat, 21.5 carbs, 5g fiber, 4g sugar, 15g protein.
WW = 3 points

~Source - Weight Watchers

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Patti's Note: This is a quick to make and is even better the next day.

Easy Meter – It doesn’t get any easier than dumping cans into a pot. If you can chop an onion you’ve got it made!