Friday Foodie

The latest Weight Watchers Magazine is November/December 2011. There are so many ideas and recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I tried one this week that was labeled "Berry Good" and I agree with that description! The original recipe called for two pounds of sweet potatoes and said it served six ~ that's a third of a pound of potatoes per serving. I knew that was too much for us, so I cut the recipe in half and we got eight servings out of it! I don't know if Les and I are just small eaters or if American recipes are just too big!


Cranberry-Sweet Potato Bake

1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb. sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. For sauce mix cranberries, water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until mixture is thickened, 5 minutes. Cool.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Bring potatoes to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender, 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl; add salt and pepper. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat potatoes until smooth. Cool.
4. Spread 1/2 potatoes in 8" x 8" baking dish. Layer with 1/2 sauce, remaining potatoes and remaining sauce.
5. Cover with foil. Bake until heated through, 35-40 minutes.

This was really good! The cranberry sauce in the middle was a special treat. Since I've never made cranberry sauce before, I wasn't sure what was going to happen to the cranberries - but as they began to boil they started popping open and turned into sauce. Also, I used yams instead of sweet potatoes since they tend to be a little sweeter.

Nutritional info: 94 calories / 0 g protein / 21.5 g carbs / 0 g fat / 2 g fiber / 2 WW Points Plus per serving. Make 8 servings.

FYI - the points on the recipe in the magazine are not correct for the number of servings. I used the Recipe Building on WeightWatchers.com and the points should have been 6 points per serving. Or the recipe should have said serves 8, then 4 points would have been correct.

Friday Foodie

The Tasty Kitchen blog featured an interesting recipe on Monday - Scalloped Sweet Potatoes.

Confession time: I have NEVER made homemade scalloped potatoes before. I've always made the boxed kind, with the dried, hard potatoes that soften upon cooking. That all changed this week!

Confession #2: I am not a food blogger. I blog about recipes I try and post a picture if I remember to take one, but real food bloggers take pictures along the way. Every. Step. If you want that, go here.

So, back to the recipe:

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

(Yep, I forgot to take a picture before we dug in!)

• 1 pound Sweet Potatoes
• 2 strips Bacon
• ½ whole Onion, Chopped or 1 whole shallot
  
• 2 tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons Black Pepper
  
• 1 cup Reduced-fat Milk (I used light soymilk)
  
• ⅝ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place potatoes in a large pot of boiling water. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel, crumble and set aside.
3. Add chopped onion to bacon drippings and cook until tender. Stir in flour over low heat and cook to a paste. Add salt and pepper. Add milk and cook until mixture thickens slightly.
4. Arrange half of the sweet potatoes in the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle on half of the crumbled bacon. Pour on half of the milk mixture. Arrange remaining potatoes, sprinkle with remaining bacon and pour the rest of the milk mixture over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If desired, brown cheese for 1-2 minutes under the broiler.

"Mmm..." said Les. "Mmm, oh, mmmmmm...." said I! I served this with pork roast and roasted asparagus and tomatoes.


If you've used Tasty Kitchen, you know you can change the number of servings for any recipe. I did that for this recipe, selecting 4 servings which is what is listed above. It ending up being 6 servings for us! I'm happy with that because it was so good!

Nutritional info: 115 calories / 3 g fiber / 2 g fat / 2 WW points per serving. Makes 6 servings.

Friday Foodie

I usually do my grocery shopping on Mondays. That means I'm trying to figure out what we will eat for the week on Sunday. It had been HOT around here (like everywhere else!) so I was trying to think of meals that wouldn't take much effort in the kitchen and still be nutritious and tasty. On our way to church Sunday morning I said to Les, "What can I make that is a good Summer dish?" His response, "Lemonade Pie." Okay, not exactly what I was thinking about, but I made it this week anyway!

Lemonade Pie


This recipe came from Grandma Luella and I have made it many times through this years. This time I used all reduced fat items to bring the calories down, it tasted just as good.

6 oz. frozen Lemonade (bring to room temperature)
4 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
7 oz. fat free sweet condensed milk
8 oz. lite Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust

Mix lemonade and cream cheese well
Add sweet condensed milk, whip until foamy
Fold in Cool Whip until smooth - do not over-stir or your pie will be runny and not set
Add to pie crust and freeze for 1 hour or until set.

This is a favorite summer dessert! It's tart and sweet, but not too heavy. You can also top this with fresh berries.

Nutritional info: 317.5 calories / 9.6 g fat / 0 g fiber / 7 WW points per slice, makes 8 slices. Not as low as I hoped, but not too bad for a yummy dessert!

We did eat some "real" food this week, too. I tried two recipes from Rosalie Serving Italian (my Favorite cookbook!)

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil


4 oz. Whole grain Linguine, angel hair, or vermicelli pasta
1/2 Tbsp. salt

2 large tomatoes, cored and chopped, about 2 cups
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed and shredded
1 tsp. salt, or more for taste
1/4 tsp. pepper, or more for taste

freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
crushed red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

1. Cut tomatoes in small chunks and place with juice in large pasta bowl. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, fresh basil leaves, and salt and pepper. Mix together lightly.

(Doesn't this look yummy? I think I could have eaten it without the pasta!
Or made bruschetta...)

2. Boil pasta in an 4-quart pot of boiling water with 1/2 tablespoon of salt added. Using spaghetti spoon, remove pasta right out of water into pasta bowl with tomato mixture.

3. Toss together, adding reserved pasta water if pasta gets too dry. Serve immediately garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if desired. Serves 4.

This was really good - light with lots of flavor. The original recipe called for one pound of pasta - I knew we'd never eat that much, so I reduced it but left all other ingredients the same. I'm glad I did - it would have been too dry for my taste otherwise.

Nutritional info: 183.5 calories / 4 g fiber / 6.25 g fat / 3.4 WW points per serving


Stuffed Zucchini with Couscous

2 medium zucchini, stems removed and halved lengthwise
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small zucchini, cut into 1" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked couscous

12 cherry tomatoes
8 fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375. Rinse zucchini under cool water. Pat dry and remove ends. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Place halved-size down on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake until soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool.

2. Scoop out centers of the zucchini leaving 1/4" thickness in shells. Place scooped out zucchini in large frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the small chopped zucchini, onion, and garlic. Saute altogether until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chicken broth, couscous and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bring to boil and cook together about 3 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, basil leaves, pine nuts, or walnuts and salt and pepper. Then stir together.

4. Fill zucchini shells with couscous mixture and place in 13" x 9" baking dish, lightly coated with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until set.

5. Remove from oven and garnish with freshly grated cheese. Cut stuffed zucchini into halves. Serves 8.

This was another winner! Tomatoes and basil are a wonderful summer combo. I had to do a little improvising because the store didn't have any medium zucchini - they were all little guys! I used 3 little ones but still ended up with some leftover couscous mixture. I just poured it on top of everthing in the baking dish. I either needed to reduce the chicken broth or cook it longer so it would evaporate because there was a lot of liquid even after baking for about 30 minutes. I'm assuming larger zucchini would have been the solution!

This is not a good picture - this was before I put it in the oven. As you can see, too much liquid, although some did evaporate during cooking.

I didn't cut the stuffed zucchini in half, so we had a total of 6 servings. Nutritional info: 85 calories / 2.2 g fat / 2.2 g fiber / 1.4 WW points

I paired the zucchini with leftover pasta and it was a great meal!

Friday Foodie

I tried two new recipes this week and was very happy with them both!!

Southwestern Minestrone with Ravioli

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced, 1 cup
1 zucchini, thinly sliced, 1 cup
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2" slices, 3/4 cup
2 carrots, cut into 1/4" slices, 3/4 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dry Southwestern seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, rinsed, drained
1 cup frozen mini ravioli

In large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and seasonings; cook, stirring occasionally until softened, 10 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes and beans; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors have blended, 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook ravioli according to package directions; drain. Stir ravioli into soup.

I, of course, made a few tweaks to the original recipe. I followed the first two steps, but then put everything in my crock pot on low for about 4 hours. The original recipe called for a 13 oz. package of ravioli, I only used a cup and it was plenty. I did not cook the ravioli, but about an hour before we ate, I just dumped them in the crock pot too.

Nutritional info: 140 calories, 5.6 g fiber, 1.1 g fat, 1.8 WW points per serving. Makes 6 servings. FYI, the original recipe was 284 calories, 8 g fiber, 8 g fat, 4.7 WW points! All I reduced was the ravioli!

This was really good! I used original Rotel tomatoes and that made the soup very spicy! We loved it. I also made No Pudge brownies that day - chocolate, the perfect follow up to spicy food!

My second recipe was one I got from my sister-in-law, Monica. She made this for us on Christmas and I had to get the recipe!

Butternut Squash Bake

1/3 c. butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups mashed, cooked, butternut squash (1 squash)

Topping
1/2 c. crisp rice cereal
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. chopped pecans
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, softened

Bake squash until slightly softened. I put mine in the oven at about 300, and did housework! I checked it from time to time until it seemed about as soft as a baked potato. I think it was in the oven for about an hour. Then I peeled it, split it open, and got rid of the goop!

Cream butter and sugar in bowl. Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla. Stir in squash. Mixture will be thin. Pour into greased pan (mine was a 10" pan). Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until set.

Combine topping and sprinkle over squash. Return to oven, bake 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.

I made very minor changes to the recipe - used Egg Beaters instead of eggs, low fat margarine instead of the full fat and Splenda instead of sugar. I thought this might be high on the points scale because it is so yummy, but was pleasantly surprised!

Nutritional info: 154 calories, 1 g fiber, 5 g fat, 3.3 WW points per serving. Makes 8 servings.

Friday Foodie - Christmas Baking Edition

It's been a VERY busy week in Kathy's Kitchen. It was a perfect week for baking - keeping the oven on felt wonderful. Some years, it's almost too warm in December for the bakefest, but not this year.

Here's what I made:


Starting with the gingerbread men, going clockwise:
Gingerbread men
White chocolate Chex mix
Peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses
Peppermint crunch cookies
Sugared Walnuts
Cherry Thumbprints cookies
Butterscotch oatmeal cookies
Pumpkin muffins
In the middle:
Fudge
Scotcheroos
Peppermint Bark

Confession #1 - most of my cookies start with mix. It saves time and allows for more time to make candy.
Confession #2 - I do NOT know the nutritional value of all these goodies. I have it on a few, but not on most. Just say, "Christmas calories don't count." Although they somehow show up in January...
Confession #3 - I eat very little of this. I think I've sampled everything, but I'm not sure. I give away about 90% of it. I sent two trays to Les' work yesterday and by 10:30 it was all gone! I've got a bit of a reputation now.

Cookie recipes first:

Peanut Butter cookies - Betty Crocker mix with Hershey kisses on top!
Gingerbread men - Pillsbury refrigerated dough. Roll and cut.
Butterscotch Oatmeal - Another Betty Crocker mix, add one cup of butterscotch chips.

Peppermint Crunch Cookies - This recipe came in an email and I just had to try it! Very yummy!

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 1/2 cups white vanilla baking chips or semisweet chocolate chips
8 round hard peppermint candies, crushed (1/4 cup)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour until well blended. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 5 minutes.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil uncovered on Medium (50%) 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving, until melted. Stir until smooth.
Dip half of each cookie into melted chips mixture, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon crushed candy. Let stand until set.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: 1 Cookie: Calories 120 / Fat 5 / Fiber 0 / 2 WW points

Cherry Thumbprints - This recipe was in Weight Watchers magazine.

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. light stick butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. skinned hazelnuts, finely chopped
6 Tbsp. jam

1. Combine flours, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, egg, sugars, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture until blended.
2. Spread the hazelnuts on a plate. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in hazelnuts. Place on baking sheet.
3. Preheat oven to 350. Bake cookies 8 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and press the center of each cookied with the back of a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon. Fill each indentation with 1/2 tsp. of jam. Bake until jam sets and cookies are golden, about 2 minutes.
Transfer cookies to rack and let cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen

Nutritional info for 1 cookie: 75 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g fiber. 1 WW point per cookie.

Fantasy Fudge - recipe from the Marshmallow Creme jar.

White Chocolate Chex Mix - I took a short cut this year, bought one bag of plain Chex mix and added 1 cup of peanuts. Melt one bag of white chocolate chips, mix well and spread on wax paper to set. In years past I've added Cheerios, pretzels, Apple Jacks, or sunflower seeds (Kim is allergic to peanuts).

Chocolate Scotcheroos - This recipe has been in our family for years! I thought Mom created it, but it can be found on the Rice Krispies website, although Mom's version uses more chocolate and butterscotch (no surprise). Rick use to request this for his birthday instead of a cake!

1 c. sugar
1 c. Karo syrup
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. Rice Krispies
1-12 oz bag chocolate chips
1-12 oz bag butterscotch chips

Cook sugar and syrup until it starts to boil. Remove from heat and add peanut butter, mix well. Add Rice Krispies, mix well. Spread in 9 x 13 cake pan.
Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips, spread on top. Refrigerate until set.

Peppermint Bark - This was a new one this year and will definitely show up again! I Googled "Peppermint Bark" and this recipe sounded like what I wanted.

12 oz chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Preheat oven to 250. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.

Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted. You can use your microwave for this if you’re brave! Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top. Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. Sprinkle with crushed candy.

Chill until both layers are firm. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Trim edges. Cut into 2” wide strips. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Chill in covered container. Makes about 2 pounds.

Sugar Walnuts

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
3 Tbs. orange juice
2 1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 tsp. orange zest (grated orange peel)

Combine sugar, water and orange juice in large sauce pan. Cook slowly until candy thermometer reaches 240 ("soft ball"). This takes about 10-15 minutes, be patient! I have tried this without a candy thermometer and it never turns out right - I get too impatient and don't let it cook long enough!
Remove from heat, add walnuts and orange zest. Stir until coating is creamy and loses its gloss.
Spread on wax paper to cool.

WW Pumpkin Muffins
These do not normally show up in December, but I had a special request for them!

1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 Spice cake mix
1/4 c. water

Mix together - batter will be very thick. Place in muffin pans and bake according to cupcake recipe on cake mix box.

Makes 18 muffins - 2 WW points per muffin

Even with all this baking, we did need to eat "real" food so I tried a new "regular" recipe this week, too! This was in the Weight Watcher magazine and was very yummy!

Sweet Potato Crunch

makes 8 servings 1/2 cup serving = 2 points


4 sweet potatoes (8 to 9 oz ea)
1 1/2 cup WW Vanilla NF yogurt
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2/3 cup Low Fat granola
cooking spray butter flavor

Place washed sweet potatoes in oven and bake @ 350 for approx. 40 to 60 minutes until they are soft to touch. After the potatoes have cooled remove skin.

Place the sweet potato flesh in a mixing bowl. Add WW yogurt, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whip on medium speed until all of the yogurt is mixed into the potatoes.

Coat glass or ceramic baking dish (1 1/2 to 2 qt) with cooking spray. Scoop potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle granola evenly across the top of the potatoes and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake @ 350 for approx. 40-50 minutes. Remove and Serve.

The complete nutritional information was not provided, but it was published as 2 WW points per serving (about 100-150 calories).

Do You Really Want to Know?

Yesterday at our Weight Watcher meeting we "made" our Thanksgiving meal. Carol, our leader, read the different items, then we chose if we would eat them or not. Just so you know, I don't use a lot of restraint on Thanksgiving! I'll eat one plate of whatever I want. I don't count calories or points, I'll enjoy gravy, mashed potatoes, and pie! BUT, I'll only eat ONE plate full and only on this ONE day!

This year we'll be with Dad's family in Visalia - Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces, and a newborn! On Friday Les and I will most likely work the meal off with a trip to Yosemite and there will be no leftovers since the gathering is at my aunt's.



So... do you want to know how much your Thanksgiving meal is going to put you back? Or do you even care? Well, just in case you want to know, here's a list of food items, serving sizes, and WW points. If you are not familiar with WW points, generally 1 point = approximately 50 calories, so you can calculate your calories if you so desire. I get 20 points per day, plus whatever extra points I earn for running.


Honestly, most of the foods on this list are not that outrageously high, it's just eating 2-3 helpings of ALL of it that will get you!! Here we go:

Turkey breast - 2 oz. - 2 pts. (dark meat and skin are more)
Ham - 3 oz. - 3 pts.
Stuffing - 1/2 cup - 4 pts.
Brown gravy - 1/4 cup - 2 pts. (Is anyone really capable of eating just 1/4 cup of gravy??)
Butternut squash - 1 cup - 1 pt.
Cranberry sauce - 1/4 cup - 2 pts. (Or make Zesty Cranberry Relish from yesterday's post for 0 pts!)
Mashed potatoes - 1/2 cup - 2 pts. (this is without butter)
Baked sweet potato - 1 large - 3 pts. (this is JUST the potato - not casserole with brown sugar and marshmallows!)
Green beans steamed - 1 cup - 0 pts.
Green bean casserole - 1 cup - 5 pts. (who knew fried onions and mushroom soup could do so much damage?)
Fruit cocktail - 1 cup - 2 pts.


And how many slices of pie shall we have?? (1/8 of a 9" pie)
Pumpkin pie - 9 pts.
Apple pie - 8 pts.
Cherry pie - 9 pts.
Pecan pie - 12 pts.

Friday Foodie

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving...


I wanted to try some new recipes for Thanksgiving, but do not like to try something for a crowd that I haven't made at least once. So we had an early Thanksgiving meal this week! Not the full up, every side dish imaginable Thanksgiving meal, but I did make a turkey! The two side dishes I wanted to try were Double Duchess Potatoes and Zesty Cranberry Relish. They both turned out great!


Double Duchess Potatoes
Serves 10 (pictured is 1/2 recipe listed below)


4 Tbs. butter (I left this out!)
1 Gala or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 lbs. all-purpose potatoes, peeled, cut in 2" pieces
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 2" pieces
3 eggs (I used 3/4 cup Eggbeaters)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add apple and onion; cook, stirring until very tender, 20 minutes. I decided to eliminate the butter, so I cooked my apple and onion in the microwave with a little water, took about 5 minutes.

2. Place potatoes in separate large pots with enough water to cover. Over high heat bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain each pot separately.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Coat 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. On medium speed, beat all-purpose potatoes, 1/4 cup Eggbeaters, and milk until smooth; beat in apple-onion mixture until combined. If desired, transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe or spoon into mounds, 2" apart, in baking dish. (I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup and scooped from the bowl to the baking dish.)

4. On medium speed, beat sweet potatoes, paprika, pepper and remaining 1/2 cup Eggbeaters until smooth. If desired, transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe or spoon between mounds in baking dish. Bake until heated though and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes.

This was very good!! And I'm happy to report I was able to almost cut the calories IN HALF from the original recipe!! Believe me, we did not need 4 tablespoons of butter - they add 264 calories and 32 grams of fat to the recipe!

Original nutritional info: 216 calories / 8 g fat / 3 g fiber / 4.4 WW points for approximately 3/4 cup.
Revised nutrition: 113 calories / 0 g fat / 3 g fiber / 1.7 WW points for approximately 3/4 cup.


Zesty Cranberry Relish
Serves 12


1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
2 navel oranges, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar

Put all the ingredients in a food processor, process until coarsely chopped, about one minute.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I have had for about 3 years and always meant to try it. I'm glad I finally did!! Especially when you consider the nutritional information!

Nutritional info (1/4 cup): 34 calories/0 g fat / 2 g fib/ 0 WW points

According to the recipe this refreshing relish can be made up to 1 month ahead and frozen. So that is what I did! One dish is ready for next week!! To defrost, place it in the refrigerator overnight.

For my turkey, I bought a small turkey breast (just under 4 pounds) and cooked it in my crockpot. I added 2 cans of chicken broth, seasoned the turkey, put it in breast down, then cooked for about 4 hours on high. The button popped out and my turkey was done! It was extremely juicy and just about fell off the bone. Of course this will only work if your turkey will fit in your crockpot with the lid completely closed. If you have a small family this will work perfectly, freeing up your oven for all your yummy side dishes!

Friday Foodie

Once again, I turned to Rosalie Serving Italian for this week's new recipe. She has an entire section devoted to vegetables and I decided to try Eggplant Rolatini. In her comments, she states that this can be a side dish or used as a main dish. We had it both ways! The first night we had it with pasta, then last night we had it on its own. The recipe can be found on her blog, so here it is:

1 large eggplant

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 eggs beaten, more if needed

Salt and pepper

1 (15-ounce) carton Ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded thin

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper

1/3 cup olive oil for frying, more if needed

Marinara Sauce of your choice, or

Rosalie's Marinara Sauce on page 127 of Rosalie Serving Italian

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Cut stem and end from eggplant. Peel the eggplant partially in strips, leaving some of the peel intact. Using a meat cutter or a mandoline, slice the eggplant into thin lengthwise slices, about 1/8-inch thick. Let the eggplant slices soak in cool water with the salt added for about 30 minutes while you prepare the other steps.

2. Place the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, and parsley in a shallow plate. Beat the eggs until fluffy.

3. Prepare the filling by placing the Ricotta, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, parsley, egg and pepper in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

4. Rinse the eggplant in cool water and drain. Dip each slice in the beaten eggs and then the bread crumbs on both sides. Place the olive oil in a large skillet and over medium heat; fry the eggplant about 2 minutes on each side until golden. Salt and pepper lightly as they fry. Drain slices on paper towels. Add olive oil to pan as needed and if necessary, start a clean pan midway of frying.

5. Meanwhile, using a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour in 1/2 cup marinara sauce to cover the bottom. When all of the eggplant slices have been fried and drained, place them on a large cookie sheet. Place 2 tablespoons Ricotta filling on each slice and spread gently. Starting from the short end of the slice, roll the eggplant up jelly-roll style. Place each roll, seam-side down, in the baking dish. You should have about 15 rolls. Top with the Parmesan cheese and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake about 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

This was very good but a lot of work! The cookbook said 1 hour, 45 minutes and that was about right! My first was mistake was trying to cut the eggplant without a meat slicer. I was able to cut it with a knife, but I'm sure it wasn't as good looking as Rosalie's! I don't think I got as much out of it either, because I had a lot of the breading and filling left over. As I was working with the eggplant, I was already plotting... next time I'll try this with zucchini, since it is much easier to work with!

Nutritional info: 137 calories / 5.8 g fat / 3.2 g fiber / 2.6 WW points per roll with sauce.