Creamy Oatmeal

Oatmeal (with sweet potato puree or canned pumpkin)
from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet potato or pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oats
2 tsp peanut butter
dried fruits and nuts

Bring to gentle boil milk, sugar, sweet potato or pumpkin, and vanilla. Add oats and simmer 2-3 min. until it thickens and oats become soft. Stir in peanut butter.

If you love oatmeal this is a great recipe. We didn't put in the peanut butter but we did put craisins in and it was delicious. Very creamy and tasty! Holly even loved it!

Pumpkin Bars

As good as Old Grist Mill (do I dare say...?)

4 eggs
1 2/3 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil (I used applesauce)
15 oz can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Mix eggs, sugar, oil (or applesauce) and pumpkin together. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet (with sides) and bake at 350 for 25 mins or until done. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Wait to frost until it cools.

4-6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter/margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 c powdered sugar

Blend until smooth.

Best ever Birthday cake!

From Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook (yellow cake pg. 186)

1 box yellow cake mix (18 oz) - I used strawberry and it was really good!
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
2 tbls vegetable oil
3 eggs
6 ounces nonfat lemon, banana or vanilla yogurt (little less than a cup) -any kind really

Preheat oven to 350, coat 9X13 baking pan with spray/flour.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Pour the batter into cake pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. About 20 min. -I think I baked mine a lot longer, just keep an eye on it I guess!

We made this for Holly's birthday. It was sooooo moist! The best birthday cake I've ever had. I'll never go back!

Chicken Salad Pitas

From Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious Cookbook Chicken salad (pg. 84)

2 large eggs hard boiled

2-3 pieces cooked chicken (boiled, BBQ'd, or rotisserie)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tbs mayonnaise

2 stalks celery finely chopped

1/2 cup cauliflower puree

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/2 cup grapes, coarsley chopped

Chop hard boiled egg whites up, discarding the yolk. Chop up chicken into bite size pieces. Combine eggs and chicken into a bowl and add seasonings. Depending upon how much chicken you used add cauliflower, yogurt and mayo. (Add in small amounts, so its not too wet, its just supposed to moisten everything up) Mix in celery and grapes. Serve on pita bread with lettuce.

My friend and I made this one day for lunch, and thought it was very delicious!

Greek Dip (hummus)

Really, really good hummus! Recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned chopped artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

In a food processor, process the chickpeas until chopped. Add the artichoke hearts and remaining ingredients until pureed.

Serve with any vegetables (carrots, celery, bell peppers) or pita chips or baked torillas cut in strips.

Very delicious and healthy! I made this for a girls night and it was a big hit!

PEACH CAKE

All thumbs were up on this dessert.  We made it from our peaches

that are just falling off the tree.  We also canned about 30 qts. for the winter

Serve this peach cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

 2 large eggs

 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  1/2 teaspoon salt

   3 to 4 large peaches, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced

    Topping:

    .  1/3 cup all-purpose flour

    .  4 tablespoons brown sugar

    .  3 tablespoons butter

    .  1 scant teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan. Heat oven to 350°.

In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat 10 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl combine the 1 2/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until well blended, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Spread/pat the batter into the prepared pan. Slice the peaches and arrange over the batter, pressing lightly, in a concentric circle, overlapping as needed.

Combine the topping ingredients with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbs over the peaches. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until golden brown and peaches are tender and bubbly.

I think you could use apples or berries as a substitute, would be good!

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE

Was e-mailed this recipe from Stefani sounds like a good fall one

Orange Chocolate Cake

1 devils food cake mix

8 oz. lowfat plain yogurt

1/2 c. orange juice

2 egg whites

2 T. cooking oil

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 c. water

Grease a fluted pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa.  In large bowl, mix cake mix, yogurt, 1/2 cup orange juice, egg and egg whites, oil, cinnamon and water.  Beat on low for 4 minutes.  Pour into pan.  Bake @ 350 for 40 - 50 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove and invert into serving platter.  Drizzle chocolate and orange icing over.

Chocolate icing:   combine 1/2 c powdered sugar, 1 T. cocoa, 2 t. orange juice and 1/4 t. vanilla

Orange icing:  combine 1/2 c powdered sugar, 1 t. orange juice and 1/4 t. vanilla

SUMMER GARDEN VEGGIES

The garden is producing its nice to have fresh veggies to eat. The farmers market

calls it field to fork. John's favorite lunch in the summer grilled cheese with fresh
tomato and cucumbers. We also made salsa the other day with our jalepeno
peppers and canned tomatoes from last years garden. Scrambled eggs and zucchini
are yum! The fruit trees haven't done so well one apple tree got to heavy and broke,
the other one has worms in them (guess we should spray). We had to fight the birds
for the cherries. A squirrel got to our apricots. And Raccoons are in the grape vines.
Learn something new every year.
GARDEN FRESH
Wish I could claim the Bread Great Harvest High five fiber.

Pumpkin Cookies moist, delicious and Low in Fat

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar(I used brown and a little less)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups canned pumkin

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray cookie sheet with pam or use parchment

In large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and

beat until light, beat in the pumpkin and buttermilk

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and beat into

pumpkin mixture.

Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the prepared pan, put them close they don't

spread much. Bake for about 12 min. or until very lightly golden on edges.

Icing:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 TBL butter

3/4 tsp vanilla

2 TBL nonfat milk

3/4 cup powdered sugar

In microwave-proof bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk. Microwave for about

20 seconds, until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and

beat to combine.

Use a tsp. of icing on top of each cookie while warm.

Makes 36 cookies

By Kim

Artichoke Pesto Spread

Here Jeremy a recipe for you! 

This picture is from the wedding they were yummy

We made this recipe at my niece Jolene' s wedding and served it

on toasted sliced baguettes.  I had requests for the recipe so here you go.

1-8 oz. frozen artichoke hearts (I used the kind in a jar)

1-cup fresh flat leaf parsley packed down

1/2 cup toasted walnuts chopped

1-lemon, zested and juiced

2-cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup olive oil-drizzle in slowly

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

mix all ingredients accept last 2 ingredients in food processor

scraping sides down. Drizzle in olive oil slowly.  Fold parmesan cheese in. 

Chill serve on sliced toasted baguettes or crackers

We also made Gorgonzola and Cream Cheese balls

12 oz cream cheese at room temp.(use light or fat free)

1 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbled

1/4 c finely minced celery

2 tbl. finely minced onion(I used purple)

1/4 c. finely minced flat leaf parsley

4 tsp. chives minced

salt and pepper to taste and a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper.  

Mix all ingredients well, you can either make one big ball or like I did

small mini ones.  then roll them in finely chopped walnuts.  To make

them easier to take we stuck a pretzel stick in them and sat them on a cracker

they stick better if you don't roll the nuts on the bottom.  They were a real hit.

Kim