Funny!

I'll wear an ugly Christmas sweater for some good eggnog, too!

Winter Apple Snack

When it's cold in the winter, I don't like to eat fruit quite as much as I should. So, I came up with this warm apple snack.

Just slice up your apple, layer it in a bowl with Splenda (or sugar) and either apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice. I like pumpkin pie spice, it has ginger in addition to the apple pie spice ingredients.


Cover it with plastic wrap and microwave. For a Granny Smith apple, I microwave for 2 minutes. For other apple varieties, usually only 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and let cool just a bit before eating. I cooked a McIntosh apple for 2 minutes one time and ended up with warm applesauce.

It always feels like I'm eating more and getting fuller than when eating a cold apple.

Chicken with Balsamic Sweet Peppers

Tasty dinner from a couple of weeks ago. Chicken with red, yellow and green bell peppers sauteed with balsamic vinegar. I served it with couscous.

CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC SWEET PEPPERS

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups thinly sliced mixed red, yellow, orange and/or green bell peppers
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sauté the chicken over medium-high heat, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cook the bell peppers and onion, stirring often, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and vinegar.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

Yield: 4 servings

Pasta E Fagioli

Delicious Italian soup... Even better the next day. In the future, I may cook ahead for the next day just because the leftovers were sooooooo good.



I got this recipe from My Tasty Treasures, a great blog from another "regular" home cook. (She's actually kind of "special" in the nicest way possible.) It's great to find recipes on blogs rather than commercial websites, you know the recipes are ones that someone actually uses in their own home.

I've adjusted this a bit for our tastes. Also, the original recipe called for cannellini beans, but I always choose Great Northern as a substitute for any white beans. I just prefer them.


PASTA E FAGIOLI

4 ounces bacon (4 slices), chopped
1 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
8 ounces (1 3/4 cup) ditalini or other small pasta
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
pepper
Parmesan cheese

Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Spoon out most of the bacon grease, leaving just a tablespoon or two. Stir in onion, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, beans, broth and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the pasta and cook to your desired doneness (8 to 10 minutes for most small pasta). Off heat, stir in parsley and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual bowls with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Eggnog Cookies

Yummy eggnog flavored cookies are soft and chewy. Ingredients can be mixed and prepared ahead of time, frozen and then baked at a later date.



EGGNOG COOKIES

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup low-fat commercial eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks

Mix the first 4 ingredients and set aside. Cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks. Beat until smooth. Add flour at low speed until mixed.

Chill the dough for about half an hour. Scoop tablespoon size portions and roll into balls. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with extra nutmeg if desired.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Center will still be somewhat soft.

Yield: about 4 dozen

Note: Be sure to use low-fat eggnog for this recipe, otherwise the cookies will flatten out too much when baking. Trust me, I've done it.

If you want to freeze for later baking: Roll the dough into balls and place on waxed paper lined tray or baking sheet. Freeze for a couple of hours and then just wrap the dough balls up in the wax paper and put into a ziploc bag. Freeze.

When you are ready to bake: Place frozen dough balls on a baking sheet. Allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour and then bake as directed. Don't forget to sprinkle extra nutmeg!

Shepherd's Pie

An easier, shortcut version of Shepherd's Pie.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

1 pound ground beef
1 (24 ounce) package refrigerated mashed potatoes (Simply Potatoes brand)
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
salt and pepper
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and warmed (carrots, peas, corn, beans, etc)
1 (1 ounce) packet dry beef gravy mix

Brown meat in large skillet. Drain well.

Make gravy according to package directions. Stir vegetables and gravy into meat.

Spoon meat mixture into baking dish.

Heat potatoes according to package directions and then mix with cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, salt and pepper until well blended. Cover meat mixture with potato mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and bubbling around the edges.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

2009 Christmas Decor

Finished!

Eddie's Tree.