Apple Turnovers

Here is a recipe for the holidays ... perfect for a large family gathering, or dinner for two paired with some apple cider!  We served these on Sunday when my family came over, and everyone enjoyed them!  I got this recipe from John's mom, and I think she got it from her sister.

Ingredients

2 Croissant Roll Cans (must say "50% bigger")
2-3 Granny Smith Apples, cut into small slices
Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla


Directions

Unroll the croissants, and set a few apple slices on the wide end.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, roll tightly, and place on a baking sheet.  In a medium saucepan, cook sugar, butter, and vanilla until liquid becomes clear (or almost clear).  Pour liquid on apple-filled croissants.  Secret ingredient: after pouring the liquid, pour a 1/2 cup of original Mountain Dew over the top.  This is purely optional, and the turnovers would probably taste just as good without if you want to exclude it.  Sprinkle sugar on top of all the croissants, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

* Let me know how they turn out! *

The Ultimate Oatmeal Cookie!

I've never come across a really good oatmeal raisin cookie recipe ... until now!  These cookies turn out really soft, and they're even still good the next day!  If you make this recipe, you'll know why these oatmeal cookies are ultimate!

Ingredients:

1 cup Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp hot water
2 eggs
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups rolled oats blended in the blender
1 1/2 - 2 cups chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips but do what you want)
walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:
Blend sugars and crisco shortening.  Add hot water, and stir until creamy.  Mix in all of the other ingredients in the order listed.  Drop cookie dough on lightly greased cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls (1/4 cup to 1/3 cup in size).  Do not flatten! Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until cookie starts to get golden. Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Kristi for the recipe!



More Brownies!

Here is another recipe for brownies!  If you're craving something with chocolate, homemade is probably better because store-bought has a lot of preservatives.

I got this recipe from The Recipe Society, and discovered that these are very similar to the Hot Fudge Brownies!  There are only a few minor variances, including a different frosting.  I love this variation, though, because the brownie batter looks so creamy and gooey-good!

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup butter)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 T vanilla

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Mix well.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish (or two 8x8 pans if your 9x13 one is occupied).  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cocoa

1 Tbsp. butter

1/8 cup milk

1/2 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Powdered sugar

Directions: 

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla & powdered sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1-2 minutes.  Take off stove and set pan in a cold water bath (sink or bowl with water) for about one minute.  Add vanilla & then powdered sugar until desired consistency. 

Pour over brownies, cut, and enjoy!

Chewy Chex Mix

One of the things I love most about visiting family, is trying new foods, and then grabbing the recipes of the ones I like!  This recipe can also be made with the variations below.  Enjoy!

Chewy Chex Mix

Ingredients

• 6 cups Rice Chex
• 6 cups Corn Chex
• 4 cups pretzel sticks

• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup Karo Syrup
• 1 cup butter

Directions

Break the pretzel sticks in half.  Mix the Chex and pretzel sticks in a very large bowl. 

In a saucepan, cook the sugar, Karo Syrup, and butter over medium heat (no higher or it will alter the sugar).  Cook -- stirring constantly -- until it comes to a rolling big-bubble boil, then pour over chex mixture.  Stir quickly.  When coated, set out to cool on a flat surface (I just use our kitchen table). 

Store in an air tight container.

Variations

Here are some different things you can try using this recipe:

• In the Chex mixture, alternate/add m&m's, nuts, graham crackers, etc.
• You can use either stick margarine or tub margarine.  I have tried both ... the tub butter version comes out a little bit stickier, but otherwise tastes similar.  I have not used real butter yet.
• Instead of setting the completed mixture on a flat surface, try using wax paper.

Let us know how it turns out!

Mac & Cheese

This isn't my favorite version of Macaroni and Cheese, but if you're looking for a low-fat recipe, here is one I found from Low Fat Cooking!

Mac & Cheese

Ingredients12 oz uncooked elbow macaroni

2 1/2 Tbsp flour

2 cups nonfat milk

1 1/4 cups Reduced-Fat (or Non-Fat) grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard (I just used regular yellow mustard)

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package.

2. While pasta is cooking, place flour in a medium saucepan and gradually whisk in milk. Heat the milk and flour on medium and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until the milk begins to thicken. Stir in cheese and mustard, and stir until cheese melts.

3. Toss drained pasta and sauce in a large bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Photo taken from LowFatCooking.

Vegetable Soup

A friend came up with this version of veggie soup, since he can't eat any high-protein food. Of course, with any recipe, you can tweak it to your liking!

5 ½ c chicken broth
water
2 packets of country gravy mix
seasonings of choice
3 potatoes, diced

1 onion, diced

25 baby carrots, cut

1 head cauliflower, diced

1 can green beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1. Pour broth into large pan or large slow cooker. Fill pan up to the half-way point with water. (Note: you don't need very much liquid when using a slow cooker; just fill with enough water to coat the veggies.)
2. Turn heat to medium. Add gravy mix. Stir.
3. Add seasonings to taste. Suggestions are: Italian seasoning, season-all, steak seasoning, garlic salt, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Add all vegetables. Use these or any veggies of choice.
5. Cook until vegetables reach desired consistency.

Pork'n'Veggie Dinner

We had this for a Sunday dinner. It did not take long at all to cook, and it is delicious!

Ingredients:
6 cups uncooked rice
6 boneless pork chops
1 package frozen veggies*^1 can pineapple tidbits
1-2 cups honey bbq sauce
seasonings, to taste


Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, cook rice according to package directions. Leave in pan to keep warm. {We used instant rice.}


2. Fry pork chops in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until golden brown. {This took about 4 minutes for our stove/fry pan. We coated the pork in poultry seasoning.}
3. Dice pork chops into bite-sized pieces (about 1 in. x 1 in.).
4. Saute vegetables according to package directions. Add honey barbecue sauce and any spices. Let simmer for a few minutes to ensure all veggies are heated through.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the rice with vegetable mixture. 6. Serve warm to hot. Top with pork pieces. Enjoy!

*Any package of vegetables can be substituted. We used half a package of stir fry veggies combined with a package of frozen broccoli, from our local grocer's freezer. Feel free to experiment with what you have on-hand.

^ For a quicker cook time, transfer frozen vegetables from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before.

Please leave us a comment about your experience with this recipe!

Green Bean Casserole

This is a really fast main- or side-dish. It can be made on the stove top or in the oven, which makes it versatile!


Ingredients
canned green beans*
cream of mushroom soup*
fried onions
black pepper, to taste
spices^ (optional)


Directions for stovetop
1. Combine green beans and soup in medium or large saucepan. Cook thoroughly on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Add pepper and other spices.
3. Add fried onions over casserole just before serving. -OR- Pour mixture in a baking dish, spread fried onions on top, and broil for 20-40 seconds to get crispier onions.

Directions for oven
1. Combine green beans, soup, and any spices in a bowl.
2. Pour into a baking dish.
3. Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
3. Five minutes before the planned baking stop time, pull out the casserole. Top with fried onions and bake for remainder of the time.


*The amount of beans and soup depending on how you like the consistency of your casserole. We made it with six cans of beans and three cans of soup (I think).

^Some spice options could include: onion powder, italian seasoning, garlic powder, and season salt. Use your imagination and nose to test out your favorite combinations! We made it with the pepper only.

Low Fat Egg Salad

I have been searching for easy, low-fat recipes that I can make.  This one was simple, and it tasted good.  I really love egg salad, especially on sandwiches, so I was excited to try this recipe.  We ran out of sandwich bread, so I put the egg salad on a toasted hot dog bun. :-)

Ingredients:

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled

4 tsp light mayonnaise (or fat-free!)

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

2 Tbsp chopped green scallions or chives

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil four eggs.  {Check out these easy, step-by-step directions!}  Separate the yolks from the egg whites and discard three of the yolks.  Finely chop eggs.  In a small-medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, mustard, scallions, salt, and pepper.  Add eggs to the mayo mixture.  Serve on your favorite healthy bread.

Variations:

You can add a sliced tomato and/or lettuce to your sandwich.  I did not have scallions or chives, so I added a sprinkle of onion powder. 

I got the recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes.