Pumpkin Bars

 Bars

4 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

 

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray.

 

In large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, oil and pumpkin with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Spread in pan.

 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and bars spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 2 hours.

 

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed 

until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Spreading frosting over bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

Chicken Pot Pie

         Broth:

3-4 cooked chicken breasts cut into small pieces
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion

Put everything in a large pot and simmer until the vegetables are
tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pot Pie:
3 cups flour
½ cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk

Combine flour, salt and baking powder and add shortening.  Slowly add
egg and milk.  Roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into diamond shapes.  Cook in broth at medium heat for a 1/2 hour.

Low Carb Blender Pancakes

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg whites (3 eggs)
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Place oats in a blender and blend into fine powder.  Turn blender off and add cottage cheese and egg whites. Add baking powder, honey, salt, and vanilla - blend well. Heat nonstick griddle pan over medium heat.  Cook until browned on all sides.  Makes 8 pancakes

Make Ahead Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cake:

 ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Nut Crumble:

¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans
¾ cup sliced almonds
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup (½ stick) melted butter

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk

In a large bowl, beat ¾ cup butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour and the next 4 ingredients (through ¼ tsp cinnamon). In a small bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla. With mixer speed on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Allow each addition to fully incorporate before adding next. Scrape batter into a greased and floured 13-by-9-inch pan. Cover tightly; chill for 8–24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Nut Crumble:

Combine all ingredients for Nut Crumble. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 32–35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Icing:

Stir together ingredients for icing until glossy and looks like ribbons when a spoon is lifted from the bowl. Drizzle over warm cake. Serves 8–10.

 

Lemon Couscous

1 1/4 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Bring water to boil in saucepan, gradually add couscous.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.  Stir in onions and remaining ingredients.

4 servings

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp

2 tablespoons bourbon

3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons mustard

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
24 shrimp
6 thin slices of prosciutto

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Peel shrimp leaving tails intact. Add shrimp to maple syrup mixture, turning to coat. Remove shrimp from bowl and discard marinade.

Cut each prosciutto slice lengthwise into 4 strips. Wrap one strip around each shrimp.  Thread six shrimp onto each skewer.  Place skewers on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray, broil 3 minutes on each side or until done.

4 servings

Sesame Pork Tenderloin

 2 lean pork tenderloins about a pound each
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 rib of celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 325

Cut each tenderloin almost through lengthwise then flatten.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over med high heat.  Add the sesame seeds, celery, onion and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, and pepper.  Toss lightly.  Spread the stuffing on the cut side of 1 tenderloin.  Place second tenderloin cut side down on top of the stuffing.  Fasten the tenderloins together with kitchen string or skewers.  Place on open roasting pan.

Roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 155 F and the juices run clear.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 6

Souffle Stuffed Chicken

 1 package (12 oz.) Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle, not thawed

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thickness

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnish

Slices lemon, for garnish

Sprig parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Using a serrated knife, cut the spinach souffle crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Top half of each whole breast with one of the pieces of souffle. Fold half of the chicken over the filling and fasten the edges with wooden picks.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until golden. Discard the garlic. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 7 minutes per side, or until well-browned on both sides.

Remove the chicken breasts and place them in an oven-proof dish. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 170°F and the juices run clear.

While the chicken is baking, add the broth, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper to the large skillet. Heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced about 1/2.

To serve, remove and discard the wooden picks. Arrange the chicken on a warm serving platter, and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with the chopped parsley, lemon and parsley sprig. Serves 4

Spinach, Bacon and Guyere Breakfast Casserle

4 center-cut bacon slices

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

6 ounces crusty whole-grain bread, cut into 1-in. cubes

3 ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)

Cooking spray

3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

3/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

4 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 1/2 tablespoons drippings in skillet; discard any remaining drippings. Finely chop bacon; set aside.

 Add onion and garlic to drippings in skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add spinach; cook until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Toss together chopped bacon, onion mixture, bread cubes, and cheese in a large bowl. Arrange mixture evenly in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine milk, yogurt, eggs, egg whites, mustard, pepper, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until well combined. Pour evenly over bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; let strata stand at room temperature as oven preheats. Bake strata in preheated oven until top of strata is browned and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let strata stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

 Calories 287 Fat 14g Satfat 6.1g Monofat 4.4g Polyfat 1.8g Protein 19g Carbohydrate 21g Fiber 3g Cholesterol 149mg Iron 2mg Sodium 546mg Calcium 307mg Sugars 6g Est. added sugars 1g