Pizza Night

Don't many people splurge and treat themselves to pizza on the weekends? I am not one to be a conformist so I made our "pizza" dinner. Yes, that happens to be in quotes for a reason. It isn't really fair to say we ate pizza for dinner. We ate a variation of pizza.........In soup form.

Yes, soup.

Pizza soup! And wouldn't you know it? It tasted exactly like pizza, just in liquid form. Don't get grossed out because it was very tasty.

The crockpot was in use in our home on Saturday. I love my crockpot. I wish I had the time and the energy to use it every day like Stephanie from this blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

She is an inspiration to me. Can you imagine making all your recipes in the crockpot for a year? Wow! Talk about dedication!

I was perusing her site again and came across this yummy concoction. I thought "hmmm, why not?". It had a lot of fresh veggies in it which made me feel less guilty. Really, the only "bad" ingredients are the pepperoni and sausage, and you can easily make them light by using the turkey varieties. I didn't because, well, I like the full fat stuff sometimes.

Being that easy is the motto I am trying to adhere to lately, I love using my crockpot. This recipe was very easy to make. All it really took was cutting the veggies. Cut and dump and plug in!

I loved that my house smelled like pizza all day. My husband even commented. We had a friend over briefly in the afternoon and even HE commented. Funny how that works.

I served this pizza/soup with sourdough bread, but if I had thought out my venture a little more, I would have bought pizza dough and made breadsticks. The sourdough worked just fine though.

If you aren't a fan of some of the veggies in this, you could easily substitute. Don't like onions? Take them out! Don't like fresh mushrooms? Used canned. If you really wanted to be a rebel, you could probably use more pizza sauce to make the recipe more pungent. I am not a rebel when it comes to trying a recipe for the first time though. I tend to stick to the original recipe and then doctor it later after I have made it once or twice.

I goofed when making this. In my haste to eat (hey, don't blame me, I was hungry), I forgot to add the pasta. Wouldn't you know? It still tasted delicious without it. Oops.

Thank you again to Stephanie for inspiring me to use my crockpot more! I plan on making another of her recipes soon.

Pizza Soup
from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce
3 empty jars of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup baby tomatoes cut in quarters (or 1 canned diced tomatoes, drained)
2 already cooked Italian sausages
1 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1/3 cup dried pasta
shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Wash and chop the veggies. Add to the crockpot. Cut up the sausage into bite sized pieces. Add to crockpot along with the pepperoni. Add the spices, pizza sauce and the water.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

30 minutes before serving, add the pasta and turn to high.

Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

The spots on the top of the soup in this picture is the cheese.

Baked Potato in a Bowl

As explained in earlier posts (which are out of order by the way), I haven't been cooking a lot lately. I am trying to remedy that as our wee one gets older and is able to occupy himself while Mommy is in the kitchen. Until then, simple recipes are the only ones that are found in my house.


I wanted to use my crockpot to make a soup and so I turned to the 365 days of crockpot cooking blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

I knew I could find a yummy soup on there. I was particularly in the mood for a good potato soup. I have made one before but wasn't truly happy with the results. Within a page of scrolling through the blog above, I found a Baked Potato Soup. Um, yum! Sounds just like something that I would love.

The ingredients are dirt cheap. What could be cheaper than potatoes after all? The only ingredient that costs any amount of money is the cream cheese. The broth, the onion and the potatoes are all super cheap. Even the bacon is inexpensive if you buy it on sale (which I did). I think all total, this cost about $7.00 and it makes a TON! You could certainly cut costs and make your own broth instead of buying it. I am not ambitious ::cough, cough, lazy:: so I used canned chicken broth.

I cheated and cut the potatoes and got the soup all ready to go last night. I wasn't sure if I would have time this morning and so I started cooking last night when the wee one went to bed. I am glad I did because all I had to do this morning was take the crockpot out and then turn it on. Super simple!

I will admit: My husband was not looking forward to this dinner. He heard potato soup and I think he thought I was cooking some thin, nasty potato concoction. When I was a kid, one of my friend's moms made a potato soup. Yuck! I used to dread going to her house for dinner. That was a thin, nasty potato concoction. This recipe was not at all. Wow! That's all I can say. Jason had a second bowl after he was very pleasantly surprised. I wasn't though. I knew it would be yummy.

I used russet potatoes. They are starchy and cheap. Plus I hate to peel potatoes so I could get away with buying just four and peeling four huge ones rather than a bunch of small ones. I didn't skimp and use 1/3 less fat or fat-free cream cheese. I used the good ole' fattening, full-bodied creamy cream cheese. If you are watching your waistline, certainly use Neufchatel or the less fat stuff. If you want to further cut calories, use turkey bacon. There is no way on God's green earth that Jason would eat turkey bacon so I used regular stuff. Plus, my crockpot is small so I had to scale back how much chicken broth the recipe calls for. Instead of the 2 quarts it calls for, I had to use 1.5 quarts. The recipe didn't suffer. It probably just made it a lot creamier and richer.

Not only is this recipe inexpensive, it's super easy and super yummy. It really did taste like a baked potato in a bowl! Jason is a protein lover so I made BLT's to go with our soup. It was the perfect pairing.

Make this soup! You will love it!

Baked Potato Soup
from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
1 teeny onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 quarts chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)


Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and I'd assume cheddar cheese would be just delightful.

Chili Take a Million

I love chili, and I love looking for new chili recipes. In one particular cookbook (where I found this chili recipe actually), I have made almost every single one. I think there are three or four that I haven't made. One day, I am sure I will.

Chili is one of those meals that is not only easy, but satisfying. It's so nice to be able to put items into a pan or a crockpot and just forget about it until dinner time. Plus, it contains a ton of protein so it's filling. Beans and meat and tomatoes. What could be better than that? Along with a nice corn muffin, it's a hit in my house. Jason and I both love chili. If you don't believe me, check out the prior posts about chili or soups that are almost like chili. See? I told you.

Not only is chili a favorite, but so is the cookbook I found this from. I love my Pillsbury cookbook. I have only made one or two recipes out of it that were a disappointment. Everything else has been delicious. This was another success. There was the perfect amount of meat to bean ratio. I thought it might taste weird with the addition of tomato soup, but not at all! I think it just added to the thickness of the recipe.

This is a relatively inexpensive meal to make because it takes mostly canned goods and less than a pound of meat. However, it feeds an army so it's very economical. Many of these items are ones that a normal family would have on hand in their pantry. Beans, taco seasoning, tomatoes and soup.

Like the recipe suggests, I drained the butter beans for a thicker chili. I also added quite a bit of Tabasco to the mix since we like spicy food. Of course, if you are not a fan of the spice, leave out the Tabasco. Serve this with a green salad and cornbread and you have a complete meal. That is exactly what I did.

Easy as 1, 2, 3. You cook the veggies and meat and throw the remaining items in the crockpot. Simple right? I do love to cook but I also love the ease and laziness of using my crockpot. Now, one day I will actually find a chili recipe that I will stick with. Or maybe not. Maybe I will just keep trying new ones.

Three-Bean Chili
from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) butter beans, undrained *

1. In medium skillet, brown ground beef with onions and bell peppers until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain.

2. In slow cooker, combine cooked ground beef mixture, tomatoes, tomato sauce, soup, and taco seasoning mix; mix well.

3. Cover; cook on high setting for 30 minutes.

4. Stir in beans. Reduce heat to low setting; cover and cook an additional 4 to 5 hours or until thoroughly heated.

Tip: For a thicker chili, drain butter beans.

Chili Again?!

I am constantly on the lookout for good chili recipes. It could be the dead of summer and I will still eat chili (thank goodness for good air conditioning). I am not sure what it is about chili that I love so much. Maybe because it's a filling meal, or that it has all the needs of comfort wrapped up in one bowl. At any rate, I love chili. I am surprised Jason hasn't said anything to me about "Making chili again?". I think he secretly loves it just as much as I do.

This chili is meatless. That's perfectly fine with me considering all the beans that are chocked in it. That's plenty of protein and fiber on my part. Jason on the other hand, needs meat. He made up some meat and mixed it into his chili. To each his own I guess.

Cooking Light strikes again! I have been looking through my cookbook and bookmarking the recipes I want to make. This one is super easy. If you don't have a lot of time during the week, or you are just busy, I highly recommend this recipe. I mean, what could be easier than only one step in the instructions? It also contains many items you would have on hand in the pantry. Beans, tomatoes, spices, chicken broth.

It is an economical meal as well. Let's face it. In these tough times, we can all use a healthy inexpensive meal right? I paired my chili with a honey cornbread and a lovely green salad (with greens from my garden, neener neener). The recipe doesn't call for it, but I added some green onions (also from my garden, neener neener) to the top of my chili. It added a little extra crunch and texture to the meal.

This is also a meal that can be frozen, which I find really neat. Again, if you are busy, make this ahead of time and freeze it in little batches or serving sizes. That way, you have a meal on-hand at all times.

The only thing I would do differently is add some Tabasco or hot sauce. In my house, we love things spicy! Of course, it's hard to improve on recipes from Cooking Light. They never fail to disappoint me.

Now if I could just find a light chocolate cake recipe that is easy to make. It would be perfect for after this hearty bowl of chili. Hmmm, maybe I will check out Cooking Light, tee hee!

Three-Bean Chili
from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream, optional

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup water and next 9 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Stir in cornmeal; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

Hodge Podge Soup

Sounds appetizing doesn't it? I had a veritable hodge podge of vegetables that I needed to use up, so I decided to make soup. Like I have said in previous blog entries, I like to pack soup for lunch during the week. It's portable, easy to heat up, and filling.

So, I made this soup. I didn't have a recipe, I just used whatever veggies I had on hand. You can easily do this yourself. I state below how many cups of veggies to use and you can substitute anything that you choose. If you don't like zucchini, substitute celery instead. Don't care for spinach? Put in some kale or another rabbit food like arugula.

I think I might go have a bowl of this right now considering I am coming down with a cold. You know the kind? It starts out with a sore throat, headache and general achiness (is that a word?). I am not too thrilled that my coworker brought her germs in and contaminated the rest of us. So, when I am feeling sick, I like soup. And even better if there is a grilled cheese involved. At this point, a nap sure sounds good too. Sorry, I am rambling. It's the cold medication.

So! Easy soup. Weight Watchers friendly. Diet friendly in general. Feel free to make this your own. Call it Build a Soup. It takes about 20 minutes to chop all the veggies and then cook it. So, in 20 minutes, you can have a yummy, hot bowl of soup to enjoy.

Now, go enjoy.

Vegetable Soup

from: Pachey

3 bouillion cubes, any type (chicken, beef, etc.)

6 cups of water

Add:

10 cups of vegetables. Some suggestions:

canned tomatoes

broccoli

cauliflower

onion

zucchini

summer squash

carrot

celery

spinach

kale

swiss chard

red pepper

green pepper

Add:

can of beans (kidney, cannelini, white beans, pinto) drained and rinsed

Add:

1/2 cup pasta (elbows, ditalini, alphabets, etc.)

Add:

spices to taste (I like dill, Italian seasoning, fresh garlic, basil and whatever else suits you)

Bring everything to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 10 minutes.

For my soup, I used a can of diced tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, three stalks of celery, 2 cups of spinach and the rest of my vegetables consisted of a frozen medley of zucchini, summer squash, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. See my finished product? Yum! Complete with steam.

Curious Case of Fennel

I have two recipes bookmarked to make in the upcoming weeks that involve fennel. I have two problems with this:

1. I don't like licorice, and fennel tastes like licorice

2. I have never cooked with fresh fennel before. I don't even know how to cut it up and dice it.

But, in order to broaden my horizons, I decided to go for it. My first recipe is the one below. I love, LOVE to pack soup for lunches and this soup from my new Cooking Light cookbook sounded unusual and tasty. I immediately saw the listing for fennel and thought "Oh great, what am I going to substitute for THAT?!" I will try it. I may not like it, but I will try it. I figure that Cooking Light must have put the fennel in the recipe for a reason right? It must add some needed flavor.

Off to the grocery store I go. What does fennel even look like anyways? I find whole fennel complete with its pretty frondy tops. Besides the licorice vegetable in this recipe, it called for Swiss Chard, which I could not find at my grocery store, as well as butternut or acorn squash, zucchini and carrots. I suppose all the root vegetables is what makes this Winter Minestrone.

I get to the checkstand with my fennel, squash, spinach (as a substitute for the chard) and all my other groceries. Guess how much the fennel cost? $5.00. For one vegetable. Holy cow, add this fact to the third reason I don't like fennel: It's expensive!

I made this minestrone today and I must say, it was delicious! Not only is it a different spin on a common soup, but it made my entire house smell wonderful. I can even admit that fennel tastes better cooked. I let my husband have a taste, and even he liked it which is amazing for a squash-hater. Look how pretty the veggies look when they are all cut up and cooking in the pan:

The more color in a recipe, the better nutritionally it is. With the beans for protein, the huge variety of veggies, spices and a little bit of pasta, you don't need much else with this soup except maybe a piece of fruit to round out the food groups.

My only beef about this recipe is that the serving amount said 6 servings. When I sectioned it up into containers to take for lunches, it only made 5. That was after I added an extra 1/2 cup of water. Now, that could be my fault for overcooking or cooking it too high. So, if you want to have extra soup, I would suggest adding another 1 cup of water or 1 cup of chicken broth to the ingredient list.

I can't wait for my lunch tomorrow and the rest of this week!

Winter Minestrone

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 cups cubed peeled acorn or butternut squash (about 1 medium)

3/4 cup diced zucchini

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup diced fennel

1 cup water

1 can (14 oz) fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

5 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

1/4 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

2 1/2 cups chopped Swiss chard

1/2 cup rinsed and drained canned Great Northern beans

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black papper

2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients to pan; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add squash and next 3 ingredients; saute 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water, broth and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in pasta; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chard; cook 3 minutes. Add beans; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in pepper. Serve with cheese.

Date Night

We didn't really go out on a date, but my husband and I had a date with our Wii. We have a new game and decided to stay in this evening. The weather outside is still cold and frightful, we don't have a fire that would be so delightful, so I made chili. After all, chili is a stick-to-your-ribs type meal. To keep in theme with my healthy resolution, this is turkey chili from Weight Watchers.

Don't fear, the ingredients look like a lot, but a lot of them are spices that you would already have in your spice rack. You don't expect to see ingredients like carrots in chili (at least not in the chili I have ever made), but that's okay. It adds bulk and extra texture to the dish. Oh, and by the way, don't omit the green onions at the end. They really add to the flavor and crunch of the overall dish.

I like making chili for some reason. I am not sure if it's because one-pot dishes appeal to me for easy clean up, or if I just like the heartiness, or the flavor. Maybe it's because you don't need to add anything to eat with chili other than some cornbread and a salad. That's exactly what I did with this recipe. Honey cornbread (from a box, sorry!) and a green salad. I was sufficiently stuffed after this meal.

At this point, I have posted so many Cooking Light and Weight Watchers recipes, I should just change the name of my blog. But, alas, I won't. Here's where I stand with the weight loss: As of today, I have lost 13.4 pounds. I am hoping for another pound lost at weigh-in on Tuesday.

As long as I continue to eat healthy using recipes such as the ones below, I will be in good shape for our vacation on a white sand beach in 2009.

Hearty Turkey Chili

from: Weight Watchers

1 spray cooking spray
1 tsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium garlic clove, minced
2 medium carrot, thinly sliced into rounds
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup scallion, chopped

Coat a large pot with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add oil and onion; sauté onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and carrots; cook until garlic is softened, about 1 minute. Add turkey; brown meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Stir to break up lumps.

Add chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, beans and green pepper; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Chili Mac Not From a Box

I have known lots of people who make chili mac. You know? The kind where you make a box of macaroni and cheese and stir in a can of chili? All the better if it's Kraft, with its nuclear orange cheese mix. I honestly never could acquire a taste for the stuff. I like chili, and I like mac&cheese, but not together. However, on my quest to find healthier recipes, I wanted to branch out. Try some new things. Go out on a limb. You get the picture.

What sold me on this recipe was the overwhelming amount of tomatoes it contains. Score! Me and my love affair with tomatoes should get some therapy. It's getting a little out of control. I could seriously eat tomatoes straight, and sometimes I do. I eat tomatoes for almost every meal. How do I eat tomatoes at breakfast you may ask? I toast an english muffin, scramble an egg with cheese and add a tomato slice. That's how.

But, back to the recipe at hand. This makes a ton. I almost didn't have room in my skillet to hold all the ingredients. I really started to worry when I added the macaroni. I thought for sure, I would have an overboard moment. I didn't though.

This is a very simple dish to make. It doesn't require much effort other than opening all the cans, and browning some meat. It's very healthy with all the tomatoes and beans. So, enjoy a big serving, because it's got tons of vitamins and minerals. Most of the ingredients are those you would have on hand. A plus for me, since I love using up what's in my pantry.

I am a happy girl, because I had so much leftover, that I will have simple dinners for the rest of the week! Just microwave, add a salad, and voila. Dinner.

Cheesy Chili-Mac

from: Weight Watchers

2/3 pound extra-lean ground beef

2 medium onions, chopped

29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican style

2.5 cups canned tomato juice

4 oz canned green chiles, diced, drained

2 teaspoons chili powder

1.5 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

31 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Coat a large skiller with cooking spray. Cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Drain off fat.

2. Stir in stewed tomatoes including juice, tomato juice, chiles, and chili powder. Bring mixture to a boil.

3. Stir in macaroni and beans; return to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon chili into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

Soup's On

It's been the perfect weather lately for soup. Cold, brisk, fall days that warrant a hot bowl of soup. I make three of four different kinds regularly, but I tried a new one today. I didn't have a whole lot of time before I needed to run to a meeting, so I threw together the ingredients and set the crock pot to High. In five hours, I had a delicious bowl of soup for lunch.

Knowing myself well, there is hardly a time where I don't cook without tomatoes. Today was no exception. The base for this soup is actually a can of diced tomatoes. Big shocker! The recipe comes from Weight Watchers, which I have been relying on heavily lately. I have been cooking very healthy for the past few weeks and the payoff is starting to show. I am wearing a pair of jeans today that are a size smaller than I usually wear. So, yay me!

Serve this soup by itself as a starter, or alongside a sandwich for those cold nights. I had a wrap sandwich and a piece of fruit, and that was the perfect lunch. There are tons of things that you could add to this soup if you would like some protein. A can of beans (kidney or cannelini to go along with the Italian theme would be good), some cubed chicken breast, or even tofu if you happen to eat it. I used organic chicken broth in this recipe, rather than the vegetable. Chicken, I find, is more flavorful, and it's a lot cheaper for some reason.

Enjoy this soup, and enjoy the fall weather if you happen to live in a colder state!

Slow Cooker Soup
from: Weight Watchers

10 oz spinach, baby leaves
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 pieces bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed



Place all ingredients in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir and serve.

Improvising

I had a dinner planned for Saturday and was really excited about it. When I looked more carefully at the recipes, I realized that I had forgotten to pick up some ingredients at the grocery store. My chili called for a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce, which I didn't have. I do quite a bit of cooking, yet I didn't have tomato sauce?!? I had spaghetti sauce, but knew that wouldn't be close enough. So, I improvised. In my pantry, I found a can of diced tomatoes. A few minutes in the food processor did the trick. It wasn't exactly sauce, but it was good enough.

So, I assembled my chili, and let it cook in the crockpot all day. Then, I went to make my jalapeno cornbread. Heaven help me, I had forgotten to buy buttermilk at the grocery store. I was going to use regular milk, but my innovative husband suggested some butter along with the regular milk. Guess what? It worked! Along with the butter, he suggested some cheese with the cornbread, so I added that as well.

The result was a tasty supper with some modifications. The chili could have used more spice. I should have chopped up a jalapeno from my garden and added it to the cooking chili. The cornbread was by far my favorite part though. It was moist, and had just enough cheese. I couldn't taste the jalapenos, but that's my fault. I didn't produce a very spicy crop of peppers this year.

Enjoy my improvisational meal (is that a word?) below. You probably are going to be more responsible than me though and make sure to have tomato sauce and buttermilk on hand.

Slow-Cooked Chili

from: Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage (I suggest Hot)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 to 1.5 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 can (15 oz.) spicy chili beans, undrained

1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed

1. In large skillet, cook ground beef, sausage and onion until beef is browned and thoroughly cooked. Drain.

2. In crockpot, combine browned meat and onion with all remaining ingredients; mix well.

3. Cover; cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours or until thoroughly heated.

Jalapeno Corn Bread

from: http://www.allrecipes.com/ with Pachey's modifications

1.5 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

6 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter melted

3/4 to 1 cup of milk

1/4 cup olive oil

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and oil. Melt the butter and add to a 1 cup measuring cup. Pour in milk until it fills the measuring cup. Add the milk/butter mix to the eggs and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in jalapenos and cheese. Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cut into squares or wedges. Serve warm.

Chowda Chowda!

If you have ever seen that episode of the Simpsons where the use of the word chowder is argued, you will understand my title.

I don't like clam chowder. So what prompted me to make this? The picture looked good. Plus, there is no flour in this chowder. I think that's why I dislike clam chowder so much: it tastes like I am eating a big bowl of flour. Nasty!

This isn't exactly a summer food, but with the air conditioning on in our house, we can pretend like it's winter right? I was going to make rolls to go along with this, but someone mentioned BLT's and that sounded a lot better. BLT's it is! After all, I had a lot of bacon left over, and I didn't want it to go to waste.

This was tasty. Far tastier than eating a bowl of flour (blech). Plus, the addition of the BLT's was a nice addition. My husband, who doesn't care for tomatoes, had a BL rather than a BLT. Whatever. I will take his cast off tomatoes.

Corn and Clam Chowder

from: Pillsbury the Best of Classics Cookbook

2 slices bacon, cut up

3 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (3 cups)

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cups skim milk

2 cans (6.5 oz) minced clams, drained, reserving liquid

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 can (15 oz) cream-style corn

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon pan drippings from saucepan.

2. Add potatoes, onions and celery to drippings in saucepan; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add milk, reserved clam liquid, thyme and pepper; mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Carefully transfer 2 cups hot mixture to food processor bowl with metal blade or blender container; process until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir in cream-style corn, whole kernel corn and clams. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 4 to 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

4. To serve, ladle chowder into individual soup bowls. Crumble reserved bacon; sprinkle over chowder.

Now, for the BLT's. I shouldn't have to explain how to make these, but for those who don't know.

Cook bacon, toast bread, slice lettuce and tomato. Slap mayonnaise on toasted bread, stack bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Another Healthy One!

I have been tired lately of my vegetable soup. Don't get me wrong, it's really good. But, after about the fifteenth pot, you get tired of it. Soup is such a great thing to take to work for lunches, so I decided to find a new favorite soup recipe.

Cue trusty Weight Watchers. I found this recipe in Simply the Best, a Weight Watchers cookbook I received for a gift several years ago. Most of the soup recipes were too many calories. I like to keep my soup at about 100 calories per cup. After hunting, I found the recipe below. This one is only 109 calories for a serving, and from what I can tell, a serving is more than one cup.

The only alteration I would suggest is a little more spice. I would add Tabasco, or even some red pepper flakes. This would also be delicious with some dill or fresh herbs. I just planted a vegetable and herb garden, so the next time I make this, hopefully I will have something to add from my garden! The only other thing is that I couldn't find the instant chicken broth the recipe called for, so I just substituted chicken bouillion.

The pictures didn't turn out spectacular, but this soup was delicious! I gave the recipe to several people at work (they are internet-uneducated and don't go online) and told them they MUST make it.

As always, enjoy!

Hearty Chicken-Vegetable Soup

from: Simply the Best by Weight Watchers

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, no salt added

3 packets low-sodium instant chicken broth and seasoning mix

2 carrots, diced

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

3/4 cup elbow macaroni

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 cup minced parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven, bring the tomatoes, broth mix and 6 cups water to a boil. Add the carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, macaroni, and garlic; return to a boil, stirring as needed. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, strring as needed, until the vegetables and macaroni are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Increase the heat and stir in the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Beware: Healthy Recipe Ahead

I have been wanting to get back into healthy eating again. Several years ago, I lost almost 50 pounds on Weight Watchers. An engagement, new job, wedding, and married life have all caught up with me. I am starting to put on some pounds. So! Back to healthy eating and exercising!

One staple of my healthy eating is my vegetable soup. I can't really claim it as mine. It's really the Weight Watchers claim to fame, however, I have made some adaptations. Mine has different veggies in it. I like all kinds of veggies, but rather than spend a fortune on Swiss Chard, I substitute baby spinach. Well, you'll see.

This is a great lunch item. I usually pair it with a salad or even a half a sandwich. You get tons of vitamins and minerals and all that healthy junk. If you are not a veggie lover, I don't suggest you read much further.

This is very easy to make, and can be changed up a million different ways. I have to have tomatoes in virtually everything I eat, so I add a can of diced tomatoes. I use chicken broth in place of the vegetable broth for two reasons: 1) it's cheaper and 2) it has less calories. Who knew?

I will post the WW version and my version.

Have fun with this! Invent your own combination of veggies and spices. And eat a second bowl. After all, it's healthy.

Weight Watchers Vegetable Soup

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium sweet red pepper, diced

1 medium celery stalk, diced

2 small zucchini, diced

2 cups Swiss Chard, chopped

2 cups cauliflower, small florets

2 cups broccoli, small florets

2 teaspoons thyme, fresh, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, optional

1. Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a bowl over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Stir in parsley; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Pachey's Version

2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cups Normandy vegetable mix, frozen - don't thaw. The Normandy mix has carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower.
3 cups baby spinach
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, or to taste
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspooon crushed red pepper flakes

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1. Put all the ingredients in the pot, with the exception of the spinach. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach starts to wilt.

Soup for a Cold Night

I got this recipe years ago from a friend, and she will admit that I make it more often that she does! I can't help it. It's a favorite in our house. I know, I say that about a lot of my recipes, but it really is. It takes pantry staples and a pound of ground beef, but you end up with a huge batch of soup.

It can only be described as a cross between a chili and a soup. It honestly doesn't take like tacos though, so I am not sure the name is very fair. It is prepared very quickly (within about 30 minutes) and it's just as good reheated.

There are a lot of variations on this. You can change out the type of beans, or you can add a little green pepper, more onion, play with the spices. The choices are endless! It's a pretty healthy meal, with the exception of the cheese quesadillas. Those aren't so healthy unless you use a lower fat cheese (what's the point?). However, we indulge about every four months, so a quesadilla certainly won't kill us. Although the oodles of Tabasco I add may!

Taco Soup

Brown and drain: 1 pound lean ground beed and 1/2 cup onion.

Add:

3 cups water

2 16-ounce cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes

2 16-ounce cans kidney beans, undrained

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 envelope taco seasoning

chili powder and/or Tabasco to taste

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cheese Quesadillas

from: Pachey

flour tortillas

Mexican blend cheese

green Taco sauce (such as La Victoria)

1. Spread 1/2 cup of cheese on a tortilla. Add green Taco sauce to taste (about 2 tablespoons).

2. Top with another tortilla

3. Over medium-high heat in a frying pan, cook the quesadilla. Don't add any oil to the pan. It's just to "toast" the tortillas.

4. Allow to slightly brown. Remove from heat and cut into wedges.

Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit

My husband and I really like chili. All kinds of chili. He introduced me to the world of spicy foods 6 years ago and I am officially hooked! I am always on the prowl for new chili recipes. I probably have a dozen or so in my recipe box. I have tried ones with sirloin, ground beef, ground turkey, stew meat, and various types of beans. I haven't found a chili recipe we DON'T like.

This recipe is one I have made before. Really, there is nothing fancy about it. As a matter of fact, some of the ingredients sound pretty bizarre. Cornmeal? Barbeque sauce? Okaaaaay. Trust me, it tastes good. I think the reason I especially love this recipe is that it's a lazy man's chili. Meaning, you dump the ingredients in your Crock Pot and let the heat do the rest. No stirring, chopping, dicing. Just pour and in 4 hours, dinner is served! The result is a cross between a thick soup and a thin chili. Would that make it a soupili? A chiloup?

Just throw in some cornbread and a nice salad, and you have got a complete meal. If you prefer spicier foods, I would suggest adding some Tabasco to your chili. And maybe some cheddar cheese. Or heck, go all out and have cheese, sour cream and some diced onions as toppers. Now, let's just hope that beans don't affect you. If you know what I mean.
















Six-Can Slow-Cooked Chili
from Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 barbeque sauce
1 can (28 ounce) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
2 cans (15 ounces) chili without beans.
1 can (15 ounce) pinto or red kidney beans, undrained
1 can (15 ounce) spicy chili beans, undrained
1 can (10.75 ounce) condensed French onion soup

1. In a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients; mix well.
2. Cover; cook on high setting for 2 to 4 hours, or on low setting for 8 to 9 hours or until thoroughly heated.