Weight Watcher Wednesday Results

I ended up making Weight Watchers Chewy Cupcake Brownies. They were just okay. The kids liked them more than I did. Out of the 12 I ate two and the kids ate the rest. I think I'll make them for the kids, being they are healthier for them. I actually liked them better when they cooled off. When they are hot they tend to stick to the paper and you loose a lot of the brownie to the paper. Anyway, I think they are worth a try for only 1 POINT! And, they were pretty easy to make. If you try them let me know what you think.

Check this Guy out!!!

Today was a pretty normal, boring day until I ran across this guy on the Discovery Health channel. His name is Sam the cooking guy and he is the host of Just Cook This. He was so much fun to watch and I really liked almost everything he cooked. It was so simple and easy and looked sooo yummy. He was way more fun to watch than anyone on the Food Network...sorry guys!!!! Anyway, set your Tivos and DVRs this dude is a must see! Let me know what you all think when you watch him. I'll definitely be cooking one of his recipes real soon.

His link on Discovery Health:
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/sam-zien/sam-zien.html

another link: http://www.thecookingguy.com/

No1here's Creamy Guacamole...

4 ripe avocados
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 clove minced garlic
1 minced jalapeno, seeded
3 Tbs. fresh lemon or lime juice
2 Tbs. Half and half
3/4 tsp. salt
black pepper, to taste

Mix all together and refrigerate! Leave 1-2 avocado seeds in the bowl to keep from browning. Also, it's better to chop up the avocados last, so it will keep from turning brown so quickly!

We love this recipe that No1here came up with so much our "guac" search finally ended!!! Nothing else compares, in my book!

Weekly Menu

Here is my menu for the week:

Tonight I'm making Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Lasagna. I haven't made this in a while but it sure is yummy!! I change it with all the low-fat stuff and it's still turns out gooood!!
Monday: Sausage with Terry's Texas Pinto Beans and corn bread
Tuesday: Pork chops with gravy, rice and green beans
Wednesday: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and carrots (and for me sauted spinach)
Thursday: Chicken pot pie

For my Weight Watchers Wednesday this week I'm going to be making Chewy Cupcake Brownies. I'll fill you in on them later!!
Have a wonderful week!

Weight Watcher Wednesday Results

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this but it just wasn't that great of a recipe. I ended up making the Penne with Mushrooms, Italian Sausage, and Broccoli. It needed a bit more flavor, maybe more sausage since it only called for 1/4 lb (not very much!!!). My son said "Mom, where is all the sausage?". He didn't like it so much either. My dad said it was just "Okay". I don't think I'll be making this one again. If anyone tries it let me know what you think and if you did anything different.

1/4 pound Italian style turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (10 oz.) package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cooked broccoli florets
4 cups cooked, drained penne (10 oz. dried)
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Crumble the turkey sausage meat into a large nonstick skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel-lined heatproof plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and all the juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and the drained sausage; cook until warmed through. Stir in the penne, broth, lemon juice, and the crushed red pepper (if using); cook until heated through. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Per serving (2 cups): 412 Cal, 7 g Fat, 65 g Carb, 6 g Fib, 23 g Prot POINTS: 8

Taste Test Results - Week 4

Well, we made Pioneer Woman's Brisket and I'm sad to say that it's not a "keeper" in our house. Now don't get me wrong, it had a very good flavor. I just have to realize that I'm a Texan, and us Texans prefer our brisket with a dry rub. So, my search for the "brisket keeper" continues... If you have any rub recipes, please send them my way!

Our special method of cooking...

Rice!!! We love rice at our house!!! No1here perfected a method of cooking rice that always comes out perfect and always has the best texture!!! So, here goes.... Most importantly, we only use Uncle Ben's Original Converted Long Grain Rice - no minute rice or boil-in-a-bag in this house!!! We use the measurements off the back of the box - but our secret is in how we cook it. So, we first figure out how many servings we want and get the right amount of water, salt, and butter and put it on to boil. Once it starts boiling we put in the rice and let it boil with the lid off for 10 minutes. I suggest setting a timer! Then we turn our heat down on low, put the lid on and cook for another 15 minutes. Then turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes. There you go! It's so simple, but yet better than any other set of directions we've seen out there. I hope you try our method and if you do, let me know how it goes!

Kathy's menu - week 11 & 12

For the rest of January, it's all about being frugal and stretching our pantry as far as it'll go!!! I love thinking of what meals I can create by using other leftovers!!! If you would ever like some suggestions, just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you!

2oth, Sunday - Armenian Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts, Mediterranean salad with pita wedges, corn on the cob

21st, Monday - Pork fried rice from leftover pork chops (gymnastic night)

22nd, Tuesday - Taste Testing Pioneer Woman's Brisket, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, my cheddar beer bread

23rd, Wednesday - BBQ Sandwiches with leftover brisket

24th, Thursday - Tostadas with leftover brisket, No1here's creamy guacamole, pico de gallo

25th, Friday - Carne Asada, pico de gallo, No1here's creamy guacamole, refried beans, rice

26th, Saturday - Leek and Potato Soup, rustic bread

27th, Sunday - Chicken Fried Steak Sandwiches

28th, Monday- Take-out (gymnastic night)

29th, Tuesday - Taste Testing Crock Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken served over Gemelli noodles, Salad

30th, Wednesday - Cube Steaks with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls

31st, Thursday - Homemade Schlotsky Sandwiches

Getting out of the "Dog House"!!

Kathy has been on my case for a while now to do my "about me" page. So without further delay, here it goes:

I am a 36 (almost 37-@@!!!) year old stay-at-home mother of 3. I have been married for almost 15 years. I love to cook and would love to cook something different every night if I could but my family doesn't like change, especially my husband. That's one reason why I have not posted a menu lately because we do the same dinners over and over and over!

Anyway, I have been doing Weight Watchers for about a year now and have lost 33 pounds. For me to reach my goal I need to loose another 15 lbs. I haven't been loosing for the past couple months so I'm ready to take charge! So, now instead of me doing Taste Test Tuesday I will be starting Weight Watchers Wednesday. We've had a few friends ask us to start doing healthier recipes and that's right up my alley. My husband will be out of town next week so this will work out great for me to try a new recipe!!! hahaha -he is so missing out...

For Christmas I got 3 WW (Weight Watchers) cookbooks, so I'll have plenty of recipes to try out! There are a couple that I've already picked that I'll let you in on: 1. Fettuccine with Chicken and Broccoli Rabe 2. Penne with Mushrooms, Italian sausage, and Broccoli. One of those will be cooked next Wednesday. I'll let you know later which one I've picked.

That's about it for me! As you can see I really love food, other wise I wouldn't need WW! So if any one out there has any good WW recipes, please let me know! I need all the help I can get!!

My favorite quote from WW: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"

Thanks for reading our blog and God Bless!!!! TARA

We've been adopted!!!

Awhile ago Kristen, over at Dine and Dish, was hosting a blogging event called "Adopt-A-Blogger". It's where "Veteran" food bloggers adopt a "Newbie" food blogger and give them ideas, tips, suggestions to make their blogging experience better. The whole idea is to encourage new bloggers, support others with like minded interests, and hopefully build friendships within the food blogging community. I was so excited, I immediately jumped on board! Three on Food is just about three months old, so we definitely qualify for the newbie category.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to my new blogging buddie, Andreea, from Glorious Food and Wine. She and her husband have a great blog with awesome photos! You'll have to go check it out. I can't wait to get started and learn more about this bloggin' thing!!!

We've been added to....

I'm sure you've noticed that scrollbar along the side, towards the bottom of the page. It's filled full of food blogs! Well, now our name "Three on Food" has been added!!! Yea!!! Jenn, from The Leftover Queen, started this as a way for other food bloggers to get their name out there. This Blogroll is especially designed for people who have a passion about food. If you have a blog about food, whether you cook it, or just like to talk about it, this blogroll is for you! So, if you want to join this great community of Foodies - head on over to The Leftover Queen to get started!

Chicken Curry in a Hurry...

WOW!!!! I can not even begin to explain how good this was!!! Our menu for the week kind of got rearranged. No1here was home early yesterday, so at 6pm once all the Daisies were gone, he started to make this dish. I asked him if he was crazy?! We didn't have time to make supper at this point. He said that it was called "Chicken Curry in a Hurry" and that we'd be fine. We
only ate 15 minutes past our normal suppertime of 6:30pm. So, I was pretty surprised that it came together so quickly. I have to be honest though, I was NOT looking forward to this meal. I'm not a fan of Indian food and I just knew that my kids would hate it!!! Boy, was I ever wrong! It was wonderful! All of my kids LOVED it!!! Not just one kid - ALL of them!!! The older boys had thirds and the two younger ones mostly cleaned their plates. There were absolutely no leftovers! That never happens in our house?!?! What a pleasant surprise! So, five stars all around and it definitely makes our "keeper" list!!! We didn't use the raisins and we added minced garlic to it. If you're really in a hurry you could even chop up the chicken, so it'll cook faster. Thanks again Elise for another great recipe!

Cindy's Menu

Monday - Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry - served over brown rice and egg rolls
Tuesday - Taco Ring
Wednesday - Pork Ribs - mother-in-laws recipe....they are sooo yummy AND you cook them in the oven...I'll get back with the recipe, don't have it yet. Served with baked beans and potato salad/baked potatoes--don't know yet.
Thursday - Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, salad, rolls
Friday - eat out!!
Sat/Sun - ?????

Grilled Spicy Citrus Ribs...

No1here made these ribs this weekend and they were the BEST that I have ever tasted in my life!!! They had such a unique flavor! For the recipe, head on over to Simply Recipes. Thanks Elise! :o)


We also had Summer Potato Salad, Beans, and Cheddar Beer Bread .



Kathy's Cheddar Beer Bread


1 (12 oz.) can beer, I prefer lager or a similar light beer
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Butter, not margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Mix all ingredients well and place in pan. Bake for 1 hour. Every 10 minutes butter top of bread with small pieces of butter.

Yield: 1 loaf


** If you don't have self-rising flour - add 2 tsp. salt and 2 Tbs. baking powder to 4 cups flour. Mix well. Keep left over flour in freezer for next time.

Kathy's menu - week 10

Seems we were really ambitious last week! ;) So, we have a couple of carry-over meals.

Monday - K's b-day choice of take-out (gymnastic night).
Tuesday - Daisy meeting, so we'll probably just scrounge or do breakfast.
Wednesday - Grilled pork chops, grilled asparagus, baked potatoes.
Thursday - Chicken Curry, rice, pita bread.
Friday - Family will be coming in for the weekend... Help, I need meal ideas?!?! Anyone.... Anyone.... Anyone....................
Saturday - K's party - we'll probably go out to eat w/ everyone afterwards.

Bunko Recipes...

Well, Bunko is at my house this month. I've got lots of goodies planned!!! Here ya go Tara - hope this helps you plan your points!!! ;) See my menu for week 9 down below for the full Bunko menu!

Baked Brie with Mushrooms and Almonds

2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 (8 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 (8 ounce) wedge Brie cheese, coating removed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in garlic and almonds, heating until almonds are lightly browned. Stir in mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Cover with brandy and sprinkle with tarragon. Place Brie in a small baking dish. Pour the mushroom and brandy mixture over Brie. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until bubbly.



Baked Vidalia Onion Dip

3/4 C. finely chopped Vidalia onions -- (3/4 to 1)
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. grated sharp cheddar or swiss cheese
1/8 t. Tabasco sauce -- (1/8 to 1/4)
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese (not the powder!)
paprika -- to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix onions, mayonnaise, cheddar or swiss cheese and Tabasco.
Spread into small baking dish or pie plate. Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika to taste. Bake in preheated oven at 350°F. for approx. 30 min. Serve warm with crackers like Wheat Thins, Triscuits, etc. For our group of 12 ladies - I will be doubling this recipe!

Roquefort Pear Salad

• 1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
  
• 3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped
• 5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
  

1. In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.
2. For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.
3. In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

White Chicken Lasagna

1 large can cream of chicken soup
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. Italian seasonings
1 cup butter
2 cups diced green onion
1 cup diced celery
1 clove minced garlic
1 pound cream cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
1 small can diced pimento
12 cooked lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Mix chicken soup, whole milk, and Italian seasonings in a bowl and set aside. Saute the celery, green onion, and garlic in the butter in a skillet. Then combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded chicken, and pimentos with the rest of the above ingredients. Then layer mixture and noodles filling your oblong pan, ending with the Monterey Jack on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Luscious Slush Punch

• 1-1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
• 1/2 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and strawberry flavored gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate containers.
2. When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda until slushy. (serves:25)
   

Kathy's menu - week 9

Saturday - Black-eyed Pea chowder, Jiffy corn muffins
Sunday - Hido Japanese grill for lunch, scrounge for supper ;)
Monday - Take-out (gymnastics night)
Tuesday - Bistro Chicken, Potatoes Lyonnaise, zucchini, rolls
Wednesday - Grilled pork chops, grilled asparagus, Baked potatoes
Thursday - Bunko night.......
Baked Vidalia Onion Dip w/ assorted crackers
Baked Brie with Mushrooms and Almonds
Roquefort Pear Salad
White Chicken Lasagna with Rustic Bread
A "Melinda" cake & Luscious Slush Punch - to celebrate the arrival
of Macey Paige!!!


No1here is taking over for the weekend!!! Yea!!!

Friday - Curry, rice, pita bread
Saturday - Carnitas, beans, Spanish rice
Sunday - Ribs, beans, potato salad, beer bread

This is a new favorite in our house!!! It gets 5 stars all around!!! It was so good, I had to post it tonight!

Black-Eyed Pea Chowder

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound diced bacon
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas with liquid
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef consomme
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the bacon until crisp. Set aside the bacon and drain the fat, reserving about 4 tablespoons of the fat in the pot. Add the celery onion and green bell pepper to the pot and saute in the bacon fat for 10 minutes, or until tender.
2. Add the peas, consomme and stewed tomatoes and allow to heat through, about 15 more minutes. Top with crumbled bacon when serving.

Slow Cooking Thursday...

This is my first time joining in on Sandra's Site for Slow Cooking Thursday! What a fun way to start 2008!!!

I've posted this on our blog here before but it's my favorite Crockpot recipe and I really wanted to share it with everyone over at Slow Cooking Thursday!

This is an OMGosh meal!!! This goes great with cheese bread!

Beef and Beer Stew

2 1/2 lbs. lean beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut in 1-inch slices
2 ribs celery, cut in 1/2-inch slices
2 medium potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 cup beer
1 cup beef broth, or use all beer
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
2 Tbs. tomato paste
3 Tbs. melted butter
1/3 cup flour

Place all ingredients, except butter and flour in crock pot; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Mix melted butter with flour; add to the stew. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Turn to high and cook until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

The results are IN...

So...tonight I made the French Onion Meatballs....served over egg noodles. I thought it was wonderful, but my kiddos didn't like it very much. The gravy was....hmmm...don't know how to put my finger on it, but more of a 'grown up' kinda gravy. Dad wasn't here to try it, so, I have no idea how he'll feel about it. Will I make it again, probably not.....

Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan

This is from my fav Italian friend...he is the best cook, Thanks Dr. B!! My husband absolutely LOVES this recipe!!

4 boneless chicken breasts
Italian bread crumbs
grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pepper to taste
1 egg
milk

Mix dry ingredients in shallow plate. Dip chicken in egg and milk bath. Roll chicken in dry mix. Bake chicken at 375° for 25-35 minutes until done. After done cooking...to make it chicken parm, pour marinara sauce over chicken and top with a slice of mozarella cheese. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.

YUM!!!!!!!

Velvetta Cheese Dip

This is by far the best Cheese Dip you will ever make...takes a little more time, but well worth it!!!

Dice small white onion, bell pepper (I only use like half) and a roma tomato and place in microwavable bowl with 1/4 stick of butter. Cook for 3 minutes....add 1 lb of diced velvetta cheese and 1/4 cup milk...cook (ON DEFROST --- VERY IMPORTANT) for 15-20 minutes. (start at 15 minutes and cook until all melted, no longer than 20 minutes). Add rotel (not drained) and cook (DEFROST AGAIN) for another 2 minutes. of course stir in-between cooking times.

Unfortunately, it's not a very reliable recipe, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but I'm telling you....you'll never eat it the other way again!!!!

Enchilada Suiza

This is from a friend of mine, it's our favorite Chicken Enchilada recipe ever!!!

3 cups cooked shredded chidken
1 4 oz can Old El Paso chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1 10 oz Old El Paso green chile enchilada sauce
1 5 ox can Pet evaporated milk
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (I'm sure that I use more than that)

Mix together chicken, chilies and salt. Combine enchilada sauce and evaporated milk. Fry tortillas in hot oil (or water) for a few seconds on each side until limp. Dip each tortilla in the enchilada sauce mixture, fill with 1/4 cup chicken mixture (I also add a little cheese); roll up and place seam side down in 13x9 baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in preheated 450° oven for 15 minutes, until bubbly.

THIS IS THE BOMB!!!!

"half menu"!!

Happy New Year!!
Thought I'd share a few recipes that I'll be doing this week....
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie the recipe is actually for Turkey, but I've always used chicken...it's our fav!!
Thursday: Quick French Onion Meatballs - this will be our taste test day!! I'm changing the jar gravy to Mushroom Soup though AND it's a crockpot recipe....I'll let y'all know how it turns out!! YUM!! Serving with egg noodles and Tara's broccoli cornbread...second time this week it's made the menu...can't get enough!!
Friday: Fried Pork Chops, butter onion potatoes and salad....
The rest of the weekend will be YOYO!!

Have a great one!!!

Southern Fried Cabbage

I made this last night for our "money luck" for the new year and I got so many compliments on it! It's really scrummy!

Southern Fried Cabbage

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip

My neighbor, Mama Nise, made this yummy dip last night to bring in the new year and it was awesome! Just thought I'd share...ENJOY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!

1 pkg (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbs
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup Frank's Redhot Buffalo Wing Sauce
2 cups cooked chicken (she used the canned chicken and it was goooood!!)

Mix ingredients in pie plate
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Stir
Ours was served with pita chips.