Saturday, December 3, 2011

Skinny Pumpkin Pie

Skinny Pumpkin Pie
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 3 pt • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 172.3 • Fat: 6.4 g • Carbs: 31.4 • Fiber: 1.7 • Protein: 3.5 g • Sugar: 20.7
Sodium: 143.1 mg

Ingredients:



15 oz canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin puree)
2 tbsp light butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 frozen pie crust sheet, Pillsbury (thawed to room temperature)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F
Lightly dust a large cutting board or flat surface with flour. Roll out a room temperature pie crust sheet, so that it becomes thin enough to cut off about 30%, so that your final crust is 5 oz. Place into a 9-inch pie dish, cutting off excess dough. If you prefer to skip this step and use all the dough, increase points+ to 6 per slice.
Place pumpkin in a large bowl. Add light butter, and mix well. Using an electric mixer, mix in brown sugar, milk, eggs, egg whites, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust
Bake 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping and enjoy.

Sweet Potato- Pecan Casserole

Sweet Potato-Pecan Casserole
Recipe courtesy Ellie Krieger for Food Network Magazine

1 hr 15 min.
Cook1 hr 15 min.
Yield:8 servings .
Level:Easy..

Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.


Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover and steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish.


Mix the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.


Per serving: Calories 160; Fat 4 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 180 mg; Carbohydrate 31 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 3 g

Smoked Turkey on the Grill



Here's a way to prepare a great smoked turkey if you don't have a smoker. Use your grill to slow roast this tasty bird and it will be tender and delicious.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutesYield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
•1 turkey, 12 to 14 pounds
•2 quarts apple juice
•1 pound brown sugar
•1 cup kosher salt
•3 oranges, quartered
•4 ounces fresh ginger, thinly sliced
•15 whole cloves
•6 bay leaves
•6 large cloves garlic, crushed
•cooking string for trussing turkey
•roasting rack
•heavy-gauge foil pan
•hickory chips
Preparation:
Combine apple juice, brown sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue heating until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Skim off any foam that forms on the top and let cool. In a large (5 gallon or more) stock pot or similar container combine apple juice mixture, 3 quarts of water, oranges, ginger, cloves, bay leaves and garlic. Wash turkey. Remove any fatty deposited you might find and everything from the body cavity. Place turkey in brine mixture and refrigerate for 24 hours. Make sure that the turkey remains completely submerged. Place hickory chips in water and prepare grill for indirect grilling on a medium heat. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Tie legs together with string and lightly brush turkey with vegetable oil. Preheat your grill to about 325 degrees F. Place turkey on roasting rack inside a foil pan. Place on grill away from direct heat. After 30-40 minutes you will need to wrap the wings in foil to keep them from burning. Brush with vegetable oil periodically. If the breasts start to get too brown cover with foil. The smoked turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches about 175 degrees F. in the thigh or about 165 in the breast. You should expect it to take about 12-14 minutes per pound. When done remove from grill and let rest for about 15 minutes before you start carving.


Source: http://bbq.about.com/od/turkeyrecipes/r/blb91028c.htm

Note: This is the best Turkey I've made in 21 years.... my new go to recipe for turkey.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Apple Crisp

From foodnetwork.com posted by The Neelys

Filling:
5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small
1/4 c finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter cut into pieces
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all the filling ingredients together, place into 7 to 8 ounce baking dish.

Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.

Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Note: I cut the flour in the topping and added oats.

Twice-Baked sweet potatoes

posted on foodnetwork.com by Bobby Flay

4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo, pureed
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cu creme fraiche
1/2 cup maple syrup, plus 2 tbsp
Salt and freshly ground pepper
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until soft, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh, being careful not to damage the skin. Rice the flesh in a ricer set over a bowl.

Bring the heavy cream and chipotle puree to a simmer over low heat in a small saucepan. Stir the warm cream, butter, creme fraiche and 1/2 cup of maple syrup into the sweet potato mixture until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Fill each of the skins with the cream mixture, place back on the baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Remove the potatoes to a platter and drizzle the tops of each with the remaining maple syrup.

Note: I did not use the creme fraiche ( I don't even know what that is!). I forgot the maple syrup until the end so I just drizzled the maple over each potato and stirred it in a bit. I probably only used 1/4 and I thought that was plenty. Very good, I love the chipotle!

Grilled Veggie Sandwich

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
4 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium eggplant
canola oil
2 red bell peppers
1 loaf ciabatta, sliced lengthwise in 1/2
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Combine the mayonnaise and garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Heat grill to high.

Slice eggplant, brush both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Brush the peppers with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until charred on all sides, remove, place in a bowl, cover and let steam for 10 minutes. Rome the skin and the seeds.

Put bread on the grill, cut side down and grill for 30 seconds to warm through and crsp slightly. Spread the bread with the mayonnaise mixture and top the bottom half with eggplant, peppers, cheese and arugula. Cover with the top of the bread and serve.


Note: I also saute' some mushrooms, grilled some red onion slices and tomato slices.
YUMMY! Scott even liked it!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Slow Cooker Yogurt

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html#.TlbwobpXapM.facebook

--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. (Debbie recommends starting with whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making)

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)

--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring

--thick bath towel

The Directions.

This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.

I used a 4 quart crockpot. This is so exciting. My fingers are shaking!

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.


Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

Notes: I used 2% milk and added a tbsp of vanilla and 1 cup of sugar when I added the live cultures. We like vanilla yogurt! It was very good but I think I'll cut the sugar by a 1/4 of a cup.