After watching an episode of Paula Deen, my mom and I were inspired to makeover her goulash. It's hard to believe, but it's even more fun to eat than it is to say!
~Goulash
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
3 cups water
1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
A dash of season salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 tablespoon pepper
1/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 cups dried elbow macaroni
In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef and ground turkey over medium-high heat, until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; drain off any grease. Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and allow the mixture to sit about 20 minutes more before serving.
- A delicious, healthier version of your favorite comfort food.
- ~Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 package macaroni
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons liquid Butter Buds
- 2 1/2 cups shredded Fat-free Cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with Pam.
- In a large pot of salted water, lightly boil the macaroni for about 5 minutes until half-cooked.
- Whisk the egg and milk together in a large cup. Add Butter Buds and half of the cheese to the egg and milk. Stir well.
- Place the lightly cooked macaroni in the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg and cheese liquid over the macaroni, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the remainder of cheese, and stir well. Press the mixture evenly around the baking dish.
- Bake uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Before saying "Eww," just give this recipe a chance. With the addition of the light cheese, the spinach gets thick and creamy without the calories and fat that whole milk or cream adds. This creamed spinach tastes so good that you would never know that this comfort food got a healthy makeover.
~Healthy Creamed Spinach
1/4 cup liquid Butter Buds, already prepared
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup light tri-blend shredded cheese
1 (16 oz) bag frozen spinach
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to top
Blend Butter Buds and flour in a double boiler over low heat. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add spinach. Cover and cook over boiling water, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Mix in light cheese. Plate and top with parmesan cheese.
This crusty white bread is delicious, that's all there is to it. Paired with a little bit of my mom's muscadine jelly, it's absolutely addictive. It's the best thing since, well, sliced bread!
~Crusty White Bread
2 Envelopes of active dry yeast
2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 T. salt
1 T. lemon juice
6 c. bread flour
1. Combine yeast, warm water, and 2 t. sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand five minutes Stir in eggs and next three ingredients, 3 c. flour, and remaining sugar. Beat dough at medium speed using paddle attachment until smooth. Gradually, beat in remaining 3 c. flour until soft dough forms.
2. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes), sprinkling surface with flour as needed. Spray bowl with Pam spray and place dough in turning to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in microwave for about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly-floured surface. Divide dough into thirds.
4. Roll each third into a rectangle. Starting at one short end, tightly roll up each rectangle jelly-roll fashion, pressing to seal edges as you roll. Pinch ends of dough to seal, and tuck ends under dough. Place each roll, seam side down, in a lightly greased loaf pan. Spray tops with Pam. Cover and let rise in microwave for about an hour or until doubled in bulk.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack and brush the tops with butter. Let cool for an hour before slicing.
When I first heard about butternut squash soup, I wasn't sure what to think. Would it be bland? Would it be slimy? Or would it be great? Something just kept telling me to give it a chance. So, with the assistance of my lovely mom, we jumped head first into a new recipe adventure. Now, let me just say, I my assumptions were completely wrong when it came to this odd looking squash. This soup is delicious!
~Butternut Squash Soup~
3 T butter
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium skinned potatoes , diced
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
¼ cup orange juice
1 T orange zest
3 cups vegetable stock
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
½ cup dried cranberries
Melt the butter in a large pot on medium, then add the onion. Stir to coat the onion in the butter and let cook until it starts to soften. Add the diced potatoes and squash and stir again. Let cook another 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
Add orange juice, zest and vegetable stock. Stir and cover the pot. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
Use an immersion blender or a Cuisinart to blend the vegetables into a nice thick and creamy soup. Once blended, add salt and pepper, tasting as you go.
Ladle soup into individual mugs or bowls and sprinkle with dried cranberries.
Makes 5-7 servings
This has been a craft that my family and I have made as long as I can remember. These turkeys are so easy and fun to make for kids and adults alike. Parent's will especially like them because there is virtually no mess... oh, and you can eat the chocolate icing along the way!
Ingredients:
1 can of chocolate icing
1 bag of candy corn
1 bag of chocolate covered cream drops
1 package of fudge striped cookies
Directions:
1. Spread icing on the bottom of the cream drops and place them on edge of the cookies, with the cookies stripes going vertically.
2. Turn a candy corn on its side and apply a thin layer of icing. Place on top of the cream drop.
3. Cut of the white tips of two candy corn and spread icing on them. Place them on the underside of the cream drop.
4. Allow the icing to dry before standing the turkeys upright.
5. Enjoy!
1 Bag of Kraft Caramels
5 medium apples
Popsicle Sticks
Wax paper
Wash, dry, remove the stems, and insert a popsicle stick into the apples. Combine 1 tablespoon of water and the bag of caramels in a saucepan, stirring often, until all caramels are melted. Dip and spoon the caramel over apples.
