 |
I was introduced to these new crackers last weekend called Nut Thins. They’re gluten and wheat free. Made completely from nuts. I really love these crackers, mainly for the crunch factor. The nutrition info on the box says you can have 20 of them for about 130 calories and 4 grams of fat. They weren’t in the cracker aisle, but kind of near the ethnic foods aisle at Hornbacher’s. You can get them in pistachio and hazelnut and they’re different flavored ones like Cheddar and Ranch.
 |
We are all done moving into our new house. I have tomatoes starting to come up, lots of basil, and rosemary. The cucumbers and jalapenos are still growing. I’m looking forward to making some fresh salsa from my garden. We will have Internet back at the house on Wednesday or Thursday this week. So, I will be posting more here pretty soon. Tonight for supper I am making Black Bean Burgers with fries. I am a bean fanatic now. 
 |
Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Weight Watcher Recipes 5 points
1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
6 item(s) baked low-fat tortilla chips, crushed
1/3 cup(s) salsa
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp scallion(s), finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 spray(s) cooking spray
4 item(s) light hamburger roll or bun, wheat (1.5 ounces each)
4 piece(s) lettuce
4 slice(s) tomato(es)
Combine first 8 ingredients. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1⁄2-inch-thick patty.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat patties with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes. Carefully turn patties over; cook 4 minutes or until done.
Top bottom halves of buns with lettuce and tomato slices. Place patties over tomato slices, and top each with salsa and top halves of buns. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burger).
—————————————————————————————–
These burgers were so good! I found this recipe on the Weight Watcher boards. All you need is some guacamole on top of them. No tomatoes or anything like that. There is salsa already inside the burgers. The cumin gave it a nice little punch, and I woke up last night with heart burn. Too lazy to go and take some Tumsl. We served these with potatoes. Ben found out that you can’t reduce the amount of charcoal you use on a grill too. He tried cutting back and they took longer to cook. You learn something new every day.
We don’t have any Internet or cable at our house right now and we won’t for about another week or too. I am using a different computer to write these posts. I miss having Internet, but I will live for awhile. 
 |
*Serves 8
1 unbaked single pie crust*
Filling:
2 3/4 cups sliced rhubarb, about 5-6 medium stalks
2 cups sliced strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Streusel Topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cold
In a medium-large bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well. The mixture should be thick and syrupy after being stirred well.
Roll out pie crust according to recipe instructions (see recipe below) and place in a 9- or 9.5-inch pie plate. Pour the strawberry/rhubarb mixture in the crust, using a large spoon to fill evenly.
In a small bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Cut the butter into pieces and using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter to the flour/sugar mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of the pie.
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 50-55 minutes, covering the pie crust edges halfway with foil to prevent over-browning.
Let the pie cool completely before cutting into pieces. Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, if desired.
————————————————————————
It turns out the oven in our new house is pretty cool. We have 2 ovens. The top one you can see it baking and turn the light on to watch it cook. Although, I don’t know why you would want to watch it cook the whole entire time. It is a neat little old oven. One of the burners on the stove is broke, so we will have to get it fixed. Even though it is ancient we will probably end up keeping it for awhile.
I got a 2 pound carton of strawberries on sale for less than 3.00 at the grocery store this weekend. These strawberries are huge too. Bigger than the ones growing on my plant!! It was nice to go out and pick some fresh rhubarb right from my garden in my backyard. Owning a home is pretty nice, and we love it so far. I can’t wait until some veggies start growing. My tomato plants are coming along nicely.
 |
I’ve been eating a lot at the Taco Shop lately since we’ve been moving. The restaurant is less than a block away from our house. I don’t know if that is good or bad, but the food there is so good!!! I was told to try the bean tostada and I loved it!
I was at the grocery store today on my LONG lunch break. Not used to having an 1hr and 30 minute lunch(I am in training right now). I picked up the things I needed to make this. This is probably the easiest dinner I have EVER made. Just open up a can of refried beans, I used fat free. Heat them in a microwave safe bowl until they are done. Put some beans on a shell and melt some cheese on them. Add whatever toppings you desire. So easy and fast.
 |
COOKIES:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter; at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar (sift after measuring)
5 Tbsp. milk
food coloring, if desired
1. Prepare bars: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Mix in vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt & baking soda. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased, rimmed baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). The dough will be just like cookie dough- heavy & sticky- so it’s best to spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and use them to help mold the dough into the pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
4. Prepare frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Add a few drops of color, if desired. Spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.
Yield: 32 bars
——————————————————————————————-
Tomorrow is my treat day at work. So I’m bringing these Sugar Cookie Bars. The fiancee and I loved these bars and we couldn’t stop eating them. They are perfect to bring for a potluck at work or to a picnic. These bars have been making the rounds on people’s blogs too. I’ve seen quite a few people making them. Thanks for passing a long the recipe, and now I am passing it on to you!
I am in the process of packing up my kitchen. There probably won’t be any new more updates until next week. I don’t think that I need anymore kitchen gadgets or utensils at all, but will more than likely find some other things to buy. Now that we have a house, I can buy all the kitchen gadgets in the world.
|
The world is coming to an end. I read today that Hungry Girl aka Chemical girl as we like to call her, is getting her own show on the Cooking Channel. Her back drop should be a bunch of Fiber One cereal boxes and vats full of chemicals. I don’t even consider her a cook. She uses a lot of processed food in her recipes and there are loads of chemicals in some of the processed food she uses. Like for example Fiber One Cereal and Crystal Light. Both have aspartame listed as their sweetener. Who wants to fill their body with that crap??? We try and avoid that junk as much as possible.
If you don’t know who Hungry Girl is I’m not linking her site on here, if you’re that interested Google her. She’s endorsed by Weight Watchers, and it is a shame. I love Weight Watchers, but I’m not going to have some Hungry Girl force down that crap into my stomach. You can always look for better products out there without any of that junk in it, but why bother? I’ve tried many of her recipes and most of them lack flavor and aren’t even any good.
 |
Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat the 3 eggs until thick and lemon colored. In a separate bowl, mash the strawberries. Add the sugar, mashed strawberries, and oil to the eggs and mix well. In another large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the berry mixture and mix until just incorporated. Divide batter evenly between 2 well-greased 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes before removing bread from pans.
————————————————————————
Wondering what to do with your strawberries? Martha Stewart has 41 recipes you can try on her website right now that all look delicious. I could sit in my kitchen all weekend long and make every single one of those. I made strawberry bread with the leftover strawberries sitting in my fridge. It smelled really good while it was baking in the oven. The bread is even better with some butter on top, and probably even some strawberry jam.
I have one of those upside strawberry plants this year, but the strawberries that keep on coming up are TINY! I want large strawberries like the ones I bought at the grocery store this last week. Ben says I need a special breed of strawberries that make them grow larger. I think I need to go to one of the strawberry farms in town and dig up one of their plants.
 |
There is no recipe for this. It’s called taking something out of a box, and popping it in the oven! Whenever I don’t feel like cooking this is the way to go. If we don’t have a pizza at home we will go to Little Ceasar’s and get one there. That is our favorite pizza place.
I was hoping next month that I would get to go to Chicago. Ben was supposed to go there for 2 weeks, but he found out today that isn’t happening. I was going to take the train up there for 3 days on the weekend to hang out with him and explore the city. Doesn’t eating some deep dish Chicago style pizza sound so good?
 |
Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa from Every Day Food
Serves 4
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.
————————————————————————————-
Yet another Martha Stewart recipe, from Everyday Food! We had this with rice, and I added a twist: mangoes! I tried this salsa with some chips and it was excellent. Mangoes and avocados are so good together. I’m beginning to think any type of fruit is good in salsa, and have many different combinations of what I could do running through my head right now. Bananas, blueberries, and red onions? Or how bout blackberries, pineapple, avocado, and onion? Mmmmm…….
 |
Ingredients from Cooking Light
Weight Watcher Recipes 3 points
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple-pie spice
1 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through apple-pie spice) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Gently stir in blackberries.
Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each of 17 paper-lined muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes. Sprinkle muffins evenly with granulated sugar; bake 3 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks.
Nutritional Information
Calories:177
Fat:3g
———————————————————————-
Blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries are in season now, so I’ve been buying a lot. I’ve been searching for recipes that have blackberries in them, and didn’t feel like making a cobbler or pie. (Trying to watch the waste line). I love muffins, could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is a good recipe. They even have a little bit of butter in them too, which Paula Dean would really like. I guess if you don’t know what to do with the fruit you buy you can always freeze it and use the fruit for smoothies later on.
Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a great time with everybody at Paradiso. I took some pictures of all the herbs that I planted and even this Maple tree. Maybe when it gets big enough, I can learn how to make our own syrup.
 |
Ingredients from Everday Food
Serves 4 to 6
8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted unsalted butter, plus more for waffle iron
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. Grease waffle iron with a small amount of melted butter, and heat. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour into dry mixture, and combine.
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter.
4. Ladle about 1/3 cup batter onto each section of the waffle grid; spread batter almost to the edges. Close lid, and bake 3 to 5 minutes, until no steam emerges from waffle iron.
5. Transfer cooked waffles to a baking sheet; place in an oven set to low heat, about 200 degrees, while using remaining batter.
—————————————————————————————————–
For my birthday I got the Villaware V2002 UNO Belgian Waffler. This is the waffle iron Alton Brown recommends in his show Good Eats. It is a very good waffle iron and only costs 46.99 on Amazon’s website. It makes crispy waffles and soft. I am very happy with this product. I’ve been trying different waffle recipes since I’ve got it and I have to be honest. I didn’t really care for Alton Brown’s waffle recipe. Yeah, as much I love Alton Brown, I still love his other recipes though.
I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for buttermilk waffles.I didn’t use all the butter recommended in the recipe and only used about 1/4 of a stick. It was very good covered with syrup (real, not the fake) and topped with strawberries and blueberries. There are some blackberries sitting in our fridge right now, that probably could have gone on top, but those will be used in a different recipe.