Graham Cracker Banana Pudding by Vanessa Smith
vanithcustom

(low-fat recipe)

Ingredients:

4 Bananas
1 - 8 oz package low-fat Cream Cheese (softened)
2 - 5 oz tubs Greek Yogurt
1 – 12 oz tub Whip Cream
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Graham Crackers

Mash two of the bananas in a bowl. Slice the other two bananas and put aside. Combine Cream Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Whip Cream, and Vanilla Extract with the mashed Bananas. Line bottom of dish with crumbled graham crackers. Place sliced bananas over the graham crackers. Place mixture over the sliced bananas. Add another layer of crumbled graham crackers. Cover and sit in refrigerator until ready to serve.


Pita Pizza

(low-fat, can be Vegan by omitting meat)

Ingredients:

1 whole-wheat pita
¼ cup marinara sauce
4 oz. chicken or any other meat*
¼ cup bell pepper (opt*)
¼ cup chopped broccoli (opt*)
*Any other veggies can be used. Vegetarians can omit meat.

Preheat oven to 425. Place pita on baking sheet. Spoon marinara sauce over pita. Top with meat, veggies, and cheese ingredients. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Perfect Peach Cobbler by Paula Traynham

This is an easy and old-fashioned recipe. I adapted it from a “receipt” written in my Grandma Teague’s hand on the back of an envelope. It’s circa 1930’s.

Peel and slice your fresh fruit and sprinkle lightly with sugar to pull the juice out. Fresh is best, but you can also use canned or frozen (thawed). Need about 1 pound of fruit--just eyeball it. IMPORTANT: DON'T drain the fruit.

Preheat oven to 425º Use a deep dish pie pan, or double the recipe for a cake pan 13 x 9

Batter:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sweet milk
(1 tsp vanilla or almond flavor, optional and not really necessary)

(Scant 1/2 tsp cinnamon in the batter, optional)


Melt 1/4 pound real butter in bottom of deep dish pie pan. Pour batter into the middle of the butter, then scatter the fruit on top of the batter.


Using all the juice you have, pour that over the top of the batter, too. The juice helps steam the batter and creates a creamy texture.

Sprinkle the top with an additional generous 1/4 c sugar, and sprinkle with cinnamon or apple pie spice to taste. You can substitute brown sugar for half of the white sugar on the topping.

IMPORTANT: Bake 15 minutes at 425º then 25 minutes at 325º

Serve it hot with ice cream and you'll be in heaven!

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Artichoke Dip with Jalapeños by Jo Trout

1 8 oz cream cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 whole jalapeños (chopped)

1 clove garlic

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

Blend all ingredients until mixed well in food processor. I use hand mixer. Spray container with pan or grease with Crisco. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes and broil for the last few minutes to brown on top.


Broccoli Rice Casserole

2 cups rice
3 Tbs butter or magarine
1 8 oz Velveeta
1 10 oz box frozen, chopped broccoli
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 10-¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup water

Cook rice and thaw broccoli and set aside. Saute onions and celery in butter in large pot or skillet. When transparent, add velveeta, soup and water. Simmer until well blended. Fold in rice and broccoli and bake in casserole 30–45 minutes at 350 degrees. Can be made a day early and kept in fridge.


Chocolate Sheet Cake w/ Eagle Brand Milk

1-¼ cups margarine or butter
½ cup sweetened cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups unsifted flour
1-½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small saucepan, melt 1 cup margarine: stir in ¼ cup cocoa then water. Bring to a boil: remove from heat. In a large mixer b own, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add cocoa mixture: beat well. Stir in 1/3 cup Eagle Brand, eggs and vanilla. Pour into greased 15x10-inch jellyroll pan. Bake 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. In small saucepan, melt remaining ¼ cup margarine: stir in remaining ¼ cocoa and Eagle Brand. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and nuts. Spread on warm cake.


Mean Black Bean Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 oz each) Ro Tel Chunky Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
3 cans (15 oz each) Ranch Style Black Beans, undrained
1 can (11 oz or 15.25 oz) Mexican Corn (I prefer regular corn)
¼ cup fresh minced cilantro (optional)
1 link Turkey sausage sliced thin (optional)

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat; add carrots, celery, onion and sausage. Cook about 15 minutes or until tender. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro. Heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend in cilantro; serve. Makes 4 – 6 servings.


No-Mix Cherry Pineapple Nut Cake

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 (18.25 ounces) box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, chilled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread the pineapple with its syrup evenly in the prepared pan. Spoon the pie filling evenly over the pineapple. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the fruits, then sprinkle the chopped nuts over all. Slice the butter thinly, then put the pieces evenly over the top. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.


Razzmatazz Bundt

1 box (18.25 oz) devil’s food cake mix, like Duncan Hines
1/3 cup raspberry flavored liqueur, like Chambord
1 cup fresh raspberries
½ cup sugar
1 can each (16 oz.) chocolate & vanilla frosting, like Duncan Hines

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, reducing water to 1 cup and adding raspberry flavored liqueur. Transfer batter to 10 cup Bundt pan coated with flour based, cooking spray, like Baker’s Joy. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Using skewer poke holes in cake.

In saucepan over medium high heat, stir together raspberries and sugar, crushing berries. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes more or until soft. Strain and discard seeds. Pour over cake. Let cool completely in pan.

Remove cake from pan, place on rack set over tray, cool. Heat frosting in microwave for 30 seconds (lid and foil removed). Stir until smooth, pour over cake to coat. Drizzle with white frosting and garnish with assorted fruit and fresh mint if desired.

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Blueberry Dessert by Pat Vigneau
Pat's Plus Designer Clothing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Step one:

1 1/2 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Mix together these first three ingredients and press into a buttered pan. (a glass 13 X 9 works nicely)

Step two:

1 cup sugar
8 oz package cream cheese
Beat together, spread on top of crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Allow to cool

Step three:

1 can blueberry pie filling
Juice of 1/2 lemon, a little more or a little less depending on taste and the size of your lemon)
Heavy cream for whipping
Combine juice of 1/2 lemon to blueberry pie filling. Spread mixture on top of cream cheese layer. Top with unsweetened whipped cream.
(In the interest of preserving a few calories unsweetened, lo fat frozen topping can be used but it's not nearly as good as the real deal. )

A funny story associated with this: Back in the olden days when my son was a baby I was taking this dessert to work for a pot luck holiday dinner. On the way I had to stop to pick up baby food to take to my baby sitter. In those days we did really stupid things like letting the kids sit in those awful car seats that just hung over the back of seat and also left them in the car for just a few minutes. Well, I grabbed my baby food, started back to my car and did not see my baby in his seat. My heart nearly stopped but I yanked open the car door and lo and behold, my darling baby boy had climbed out of his seat and was standing smack in the middle of my dessert, having a very nice time, thank you. AAARGH!! A very strong aluminum foil cover is the only thing that saved me. No messy shoes and when I got to work I removed the cover, scraped all the goodies off, respread the top and no one was the wiser. The whipped cream topping was sort of mixed all in but who was to know it wasn't supposed to be that way and the Blueberry (surprise!) Dessert was enjoyed by all.

This is still one of my family's favorite desserts and will probably appear at just about any gathering involving food. It's loved by one and all. If you're on a diet...forget it for the day.

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Rich Tea Scones by Grenda Walton
Bobbysocks

8 oz self-raising flour

3 oz butter

3/4 tsp Caster Sugar

2 Tablespoons Milk

1 egg

1/2 Cup Raisins if needed.


Cut up the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour with your fingers like you were making a crumble.

In a separate bowl mix together the sugar, egg and milk.

Stir this into the flour to form a soft dough. You may add 1/2 cup raisons of you wish.

Place on a cold or marble surface and rolls the mixture to about 3/4 inch thick.

Use a 2" round cutter and cut as many as the dough will allow.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Serve with butter and jam or if you can get it, clotted cream


Scotch Eggs

Ingredients:

1lb sausage meat
5 hard boiled eggs, with shells removed
1 large raw egg
3oz approx of dry breadcrumbs
Pinch salt, freshly ground pepper
Small quantity of flour
1 tablespoon water

Method:

Dust the hard boiled eggs in a little flour. Mix the salt and pepper with the sausage meat and divide into five equal portions. Place on a floured surface. Wrap the sausage meat round the egg. Beat the raw egg and water together and coat the meat-covered egg with this and then breadcrumbs Deep fry in hot oil taking care as you put the eggs into the oil. Cook for about 6 minutes. If you don't have a deep fat fryer, they can be cooked in oil in a frying pan, turning frequently to ensure the meat is fully cooked. Drain and serve hot or allow to cool and keep in a refrigerator for a cold snack later.

Simple Cottage Pie

* 1 large onion
* 2. Carrots chopped small.
* 1 lb of beef mince (lean)
* 2 tablespoons of flour
* 1 beef bullion cube.
* 3 large potatoes
* 1 tablespoon of butter
* salt and pepper

Peel and chop the onions in thin slices. Cut carrots into small wedges. .

Place the meat in the pan and brown the meat.

Add the onion and carrots and about 2 cups of water. Let cook on a medium burner. When the mixture is boiling. Reduce the heat and cover, simmering for 10 minutes. Add a beef bullion cube. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you wish some people add a can of peas at this point.

When the onion and carrots are cooked thicken the mixture. Take a tablespoon of flour and a small amount of water and make a thin paste. Add this to the pot , it should bind together if not, add some more flour paste.

Peel the potatoes, cut into quarters and boil them in a medium saucepan .. Add a little salt to the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place them back in the same pan and add the butter and mash the potatoes. Add salt if you wish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the mince mixture into an oven proof pie dish, then spoon or pipe the mashed potato over the mixture.. Use your fork to make a nice design if you do not have a piping bag. I at this point brush butter on the top. Place under the broiler until the top is golden brown.

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Spinach Quiche by Sally Zimmerman

1 egg
2 cups cooked rice
2/3 cup grated swiss cheese
1 (10-oz.) pkg frozen chopped spinach
2 Tbsp margarine
3 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesean cheese
6 Tbsp heavy cream or evaporated milk or 3 Tbsp 2% milk
3 drops tabassco sauce

Beat 1 egg, combine rice, cheese and add the beaten egg—stir well.
Spread in greased quiche pan to make curst (9.5” pan). Refrigerate crust until ready to fill.
Cook the spinach according to the package instructions. Press out liquid.
Add butter to spinach—set aside.
Beat 3 eggs and stir in remaining ingredients. Add spinach and stir well.
Pour into rice crust.

Bake 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

From the Kitchen of: Sally Zimmerman / Christmas 2006