Zuppa Toscana

1 lb bulk Italian sausage, browned and drained

2 cans chicken broth

1 cup water

1/4 cup onion, chopped

3 large russet potatoes, cubed

1 garlic clove, minced

Bacon bits

1 cup whipping cream

Kale 

Place Italian sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft. Add desired amount of bacon bits, whipping cream and cut up kale right before serving. Top with your choice of cheese; serve with fresh bread. Makes 8 servings. Also add mushrooms if you’d like...

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Spinach

Strawberries

Candied walnuts or almonds

feta cheese

dressing (see recipe below, people put their own dressing on)

Creamy Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

1/3 Cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 Cup sugar

2 Tblsp. chopped shallot

1/2 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 Cup mayonnaise

2 Tblsp. orange juice

1/2 Cup canola or vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

5 regular sized strawberries (chopped or sliced)

1. Put all ingredients but the oil and the poppy seeds in a blender.

2. While the blender is a blending away take the lid off carefully and then add the oil slowly. When the oil is added, blend on high for about 2 minutes.

3. Turn off the blender and gently stir in the poppy seeds with a spoon. Don't blend them. They'll get all chopped up.

4. Serve or cover and refrigerate.

Best Ever Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp. mustard
1 sm. bottle ketchup
1 can condensed chicken gumbo soup

Brown meat and onions; drain. Add ketchup and simmer. Add mustard; simmer. Add undiluted soup; simmer. Longer mixture is cooked, the better it is. Great for crock pot cooking.

I fond this recipe on Cooks.com. It's awesome. Every time I make it I have to re-google. I decided to finally post it so I know where it is!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Joan's Chocolate Cake

2 1/2 Cups flour
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1/3 Cup cocoa
1 Cup oil
1 Cup sour milk or cream or buttermilk
1 Cup boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs and milk and beat heard. Sift cocoa, flour, salt and soda. Add to first mixture and beat. Add boiling water and vanilla. Bake in pans coated with shortening and flour. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

**This cake recipe was made for high altitude. I don't know how well it works in normal altitude, but it is super good, and worth a try.
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Peanut Butter Icing

1 Cup Confectioners' sugar
1 Cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioner' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and mix on medium-low speed until creamy. Scrap the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

**I double this recipe to cover a two layer cake.
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Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1/2 Cup shortening
1/2 Cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
4 cups (approx. 1 lb.) sifted confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (or three 1 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted)
4 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Add cocoa. Will seem very dry. Add milk and beat on high until light and fluffy.
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Make the cake and then freeze the layers, wrapped in plastic wrap, over night. Torte the layers and add chocolate buttercream and then the peanut butter icing for the middle layer. Then cover the whole cake in the peanut butter icing. Add Reeces peanut butter cups.

Dirt cake

This is the cake that I made for the boys birthdays this year.  There are so many ways to make it but I really like this way the very best.  You can change it up for the holidays with the mint christmas oreos and for Halloween use Vanilla wafers as tomb stones.  For girls make it into a potted plant.  I mean you could really go crazy I am sure that you guys have a lot better idea out there.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
• softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla
• pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped
• topping, thawed
• 32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling ( I totally used the Walmart brand because they were a dollar cheaper.)

 

1.	Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.
2.	Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl.
3.	In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together.
4.	Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.
5.	Layer in flower pot, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.
6.	Chill until ready to serve

Szechuan Barbecue Pork

I found a cool website with Weight Watchers Recipes, http://www.angelfire.com/journal/wwrecipes/. Here is one I'm trying soon. Pictures to come. we can erase this from the blog if it turns out to me gross-o.

1/4 cup fat-free barbecue sauce

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

cooking spray

1 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 1/4 cups fresh baby carrots

1 (6-ounce) package frozen snow pea pods

3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice (cooked without salt or fat)

1. Combine first 3 ingredients; stir well and set aside. 2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add pork, and cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. 3. Add sauce mixture and carrots to skillet, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 7 minutes. Add snow peas; cook, uncovered, 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve over rice.

Yields: 4 servings

Shared by: Momoftwoiam

6 Points Per Serving

Orange Basil Pork Medaillons

A recipe I'm trying this week. I'll let you know if it rocks or not. :)

Meat medaillons are slices of meat that are typically pounded with a meat mallet to about 1/2-inch thickness. To keep these pork medaillons tender and juicy, cook them only until there is a little pink left.

2/3 cup couscous

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup water

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

1/8 tsp pepper

12 ounces pork tenderloin

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tbsp snipped parsley

Orange peel strips (optional)

Prepare couscous according to package directions. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together orange juice, water, cornstarch, bouillon granules, basil, and pepper. Set aside. Cut pork into 12 equal slices. Place each slice of pork between two sheets of plastic wrap. Lightly pound the slices with the flat side of the meat mallet to about 1/2-inch thickness. Spray a cold large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Preheat over medium heat. Add pork slices to the skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Turn slices over and cook about 2 minutes more or till just slightly pink. Remove the pork from the skillet; keep warm. Stir sauce; add sauce to the skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir parsley into couscous. Arrange couscous and pork on a serving platter. Garnish with orange peel strips, if desired.

Makes 4 Servings, 5 Points Per Serving

PER SERVING: 261 Calories, 23 g Protein, 4 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 31 g Carbohydrate, 265 mg Sodium, 61mg Cholesterol, 5 g Dietary Fiber