Green Bean & Tomato Salad

We had a crazy hot summer this year.  Like 100* for a very long time.  Most of our meals consisted of something that could either be cooked in the crock pot, on the grill, or not at all.  I'd like to say that the weeks of grilled meat & salad meals helped me lose weight...but I'd be lying.  I think it had to do with the ice cold beers that were consumed to help keep us cool.

I think I also developed a new love for fresh green beans.  I've always been a fan of green beans, although we don't eat them often since Cooper won't even look at them.  During the fall I love to steam them and toss with a little bit of bacon or lemon zest.  But summer, especially a hot summer, begs for them to be served in a cold salad.  I added a little bit of pasta to this salad to beef it up a bit, and so that I could cook a little extra pasta for Cooper.  The dressing was very easy to make and I was a fan - although it did break the "no oven during the summer" rule.

Green Bean & Tomato Salad with Roasted Tomato Dressing from Cooking Light

• 1 large ripe tomato, halved
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
• Romaine lettuce, torn
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups cooked bow-tie pasta

Heat the broiler.  Place the tomato halves on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and broil for about 10 minutes, or until blackened.  Let the tomato cool for about 10, peel and core discarding the peel & seeds. Combine the tomato, basil and next 6 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  

Cook pasta according to directions on the package in salted boiling water.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Steam the green beans until tender, about 7 minutes.  Rinse with cold water, drain.  Combine the Romaine, tomatoes, pasta & green beans in a large bowl.  Serve dressing over each salad.

Creamy Two Cheese Linguine

I haven't fully subscribed to the whole "Meatless Monday" thing.  It's a good idea in theory, but what if my week gets wonky and I need to move my menu around?  Or what if I just want a hamburger on a Monday?

Truth is, I grew up thinking that meals had to include a meat, vegetable and a starch.  Daily.  I'm not talking deep South fried chicken, butter beans & mashed potatoes, but it is a hard habit to break.  My family owned a meat processing plant, so going vegetarian wasn't exactly good for the bank account.  These days, I like the idea of a meal that can be thrown together quickly - and the easiest ones don't include meat.  Plus, some days I may or may not indulge at lunch and having a lighter dinner just fits.

I decided on this dish because I had some Asiago cheese that I wanted to use.  I also had some spinach that we were not going to eat before the weekend, so I stirred that in.  But the best part was that Cooper even liked this dish, so that moves it up pretty high on the list these days.
 

Creamy Two Cheese Linguine from The Novice Chef

• 8oz linguine
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped & divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2oz shaved Asiago cheese, divided
• 2oz fat free cream cheese, at room temp
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, according to the package.  While the pasta cooks, heat a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Pour the olive oil into the pan, turning to coat.  Add in the flour and whisk constantly, for about 3-4 minutes or until the mixture begins to brown.  Whisk in the milk, 2 tablespoons of basil and salt & pepper.  Continue stirring until the mixture begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.  Add in 1 1/2 oz of Asiago cheese & the cream cheese, stir until the cheese melts.  Reduce heat to low and set aside until the pasta cooks.

Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and add in the spinach.  Stir for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach wilts.  Combine the pasta & sauce in a large bowl, tossing well to coat the pasta.  Serve garnished with the remaining cheese and basil. 

Green Bean & Tomato Pasta Salad

We've had a hot summer this year.  A really long, really hot summer.  I've tried to avoid using the oven at all costs to keep the house from turning into my own personal oven.  Thankfully, we started the summer with a new grill and a freezer full of beef, so this wasn't difficult.  We've spent quite a few weekends with steaks on the grill and some sort of salad on the side.

This recipe is one I've hung on to for quite some time, never having thrown it together.  I knew Cooper would like it, though, since he frequently consumes a pint of grape tomatoes on his own each week.  I try to tell myself it is ok because it is kind of a vegetable.  But it isn't.  And he can totally tell the difference in tomatoes - try anything other than a grape or cherry tomato and he'll refuse.  Kids are funny that way.

In hindsight, the only change I would have made would have been to add some crumbled feta cheese to this.  It was great, but cheese makes everything better.  Plus, the bite from the feta would have added another depth to the dish.  It will definitely be made again, though, with the cheese!

Green Bean & Tomato Pasta Salad from Southern Living

For the salad:

• 8oz bow tie pasta
• 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup Basil Garlic Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette

• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a large Dutch oven, bring salted water to boil and add the pasta.  Cook for 5 minutes and add the green beans.  Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.

Smash the garlic and salt together to make a paste.  Whisk with the remaining ingredients until well blended.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, green beans, tomatoes & onion.  Toss with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette.  Serve chilled.

Pimento Mac & Cheese

I have been hanging on to this recipe for ages.  Like maybe 3 years?  I kept it because I wanted something easy and at the time, I was still looking for the perfect mac & cheese recipe.  Since then, I've realized that I don't think I can commit to one mac & cheese.  But that's ok.  Cooper is a fan of pasta and cheese, so I think he'll help me try a few more.

This did turn out to be a pretty easy recipe, so I think it will turn up on the menu again.  I really like having an option that doesn't have to be baked off in the oven, especially for a weeknight.

Pimento Mac & Cheese from Southern Living

• 8 oz penne pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 2oz jar pimentos, drained
• salt & pepper
• pinch of paprika

Boil the pasta in salted water according to the package.  Drain and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup milk.  Stir in the remaining milk until the mixture is smooth. In a large skillet over med-high heat, bring the milk mixture to a boil while whisking.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, continuing to whisk, for an additional 3-5 minutes.  Add the cheese, pimentos & spices, stirring until the cheese is melted.  Stir in the pasta and cook for another minute, until the pasta is warmed.

Italian Sausage Ravioli

Ever since my first attempt at making pasta I knew I wanted to get my hands on a pasta roller.  Rolling it by hand is hard work!  And it never really got thin enough.  Fortunately, my mom gave me a pasta roller for my birthday and I knew ravioli was on the menu.  Jason requested ravioli with meat in the filling.  I couldn't really find a recipe I loved, but I knew starting with one from Annie's Eats would be the way to go.

I made this recipe a few months ago, minus the mushrooms.  I took a gamble and swapped out the mushrooms for some sweet Italian sausage.  We were really happy with the end result and even more thrilled that we put half in the freezer!  My only issue at this point is trying to figure out a perfect pasta to filling ratio.  I had a little bit of filling left, but solved the problem by mixing it with some penne and baking it for Cooper's dinner.

Italian Sausage Ravioli in a Spinach Cream Sauce adapted from Annie's Eats


Pasta:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour

Filling:

• 1/2 pound Sweet Italian Sausage, removed from casings
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup part skim ricotta
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 t dried basil
• 1/4 t dried oregano
• 5oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed & drained

Sauce:

• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1 T flour
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup half & half
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 5oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed & drained
• salt & pepper

Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the center.  Add the eggs, and mix using the dough hook.  Begin mixing on low, increasing speed until the dough is well blended.  On a floured surface, continue kneading the dough until it is no longer tacky.  Divide the dough into smaller pieces, keeping it covered with a damp cloth.  Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, then run the pieces through the pasta roller until it is barely translucent.  Keep under a damp towel until used.

Cook the Italian sausage over medium high heat, until browned.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  In a large bowl, combine the cheeses & eggs stirring well.  Add in the spices, spinach & sausage, mixing well.

On a floured surface, lay out the pasta one sheet at a time.  Use a pasta stamp or cookie cutter to create indentations to use as a guide.  Spoon a few teaspoons into each space, and place another sheet of pasta on the top.  Stretch the top sheet to completely cover the filling, pressing out the air before sealing.  Cut the ravioli & place on a floured cookie sheet to dry for about 30-60 minutes.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about 3 to 5 minutes, drain well.

In a medium size sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Whisk in the flour until incorporated.  Add the garlic and continue whisking until the mixture reaches a golden-brown color.  Whisk in the cream & milk, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to bubble.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese & spinach.  Gently toss the pasta with the sauce before serving.

Lazy Lasagna

I have a love/hate relationship with Rachael Ray and her recipes.  Most of them look pretty good and so easy (hello, 30 Minutes!) but I usually end up an hour and a half later, without a completed dinner, and a hungry baby helping me curse her name.  They aren't every really 30 Minute Meals.

This one, though, came close.  I'd say 45 minutes...and it might have taken less time had I turned the broiler on high and not low!  It was another magazine tear out and turned out to be a keeper.  I usually shy away from anything that calls for a bechamel sauce because I have a hard time getting it thick enough.  Or really, I'm not sure how think it should be...so I think I end up overcooking it.  This time I used skim milk and I'm pretty sure that was a bad idea.  The sauce was very thin and I ended up only using half of it, but the end result was still a winner!

I'm pretty sure this will be our new go-to lasagna recipe.

Lazy Lasagna adapted from Rachael Ray

• 1 lb whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced small
• 1-2 yellow squash, diced into small pieces
• 3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped fine
• ground cloves, to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups beef stock (note: you can sub in 1 cup white wine...but I didn't want to give mine up)
• 3 T unsalted butter
• 2 rounded T flour
• 2 cups milk (I suggest using whole since my sauce never really thickened the way it should)
• nutmeg, to taste
• shredded mozzarella & parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente.  Drain and set aside.  In a large Dutch Oven, heat 1-2 T of olive oil.  Brown the ground beef & add the onion, veggies, rosemary, garlic, cloves & salt and pepper.  Cook until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook for another minute.  Add in the broth and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes longer. 

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Whisk in the flour and then milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat and season with nutmeg, salt & pepper.

Stir the cooked pasta with the beef mixture and pour into a greased 9*13 dish.  Pour the bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with the cheeses.  Broil in the oven until the cheeses have melted and browned.

Beef Stroganoff

A few weeks ago we did an inventory of the freezer to get a handle on what was in there.  A small stack of tenderized round steaks led me to start thinking outside of the "chicken fried steak" box.  Because, guess what, that's not on my diet.  A quick dig through the fridge and online, and I landed on a Weight Watchers recipe for Beef Stroganoff.  Now that I have quite a few more packages of tenderized round steak in the freezer, this will be a good stand by.  Especially since Cooper was a fan and the points value isn't bad for dinner.

Beef Stroganoff adapted from Weight Watchers

• 1 cup canned beef broth, low sodium
• 2 T flour
• 1 t dijon mustard
• salt & pepper
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 T light sour cream
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 3/4 pound tenderized round steak, sliced into 1/4" strips
• 8 oz whole wheat egg noodles

Cook egg noodles according to package.  Drain and set aside.

Whisk together the beef broth, flour and mustard in a large skillet over medium-high heat until blended smooth.  Continue stirring until the mixture begins to boil and thickens, about 2 minutes.  Pour into a small bowl, set aside.

Wipe the skillet clean and heat the olive oil.  Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat.  Remove from the skillet and add the onion, stirring until translucent - about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and return the meat to the skillet.  Whisk the broth mixture again and add back to the meat & onion mixture.  Cook until warmed through and remove from heat.  Stir in the sour cream, parsley & noodles.

Note: we're not fans of mushrooms, so I left those out.  If you add them, saute them with the onions.  I'm not sure if it will change the points value.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 4 servings, 10 pointsplus

Recipe Swap: One Pot Pasta

I participated in another recipe swap this week with pasta as the topic.  When I got this recipe, my first thought was "that's probably not healthy."  But then I read the ingredient list again and saw something that sucked me in - sun dried tomatoes.  I love sun dried tomatoes.  I like tomatoes in general, but sun dried ones just have this sweet caramelized flavor that changes the whole dish.

I adapted this recipe just a little to make it healthier and to work with what we had at home.  We all really liked it and decided it is a good way to use up some fresh veggies before they go bad, and the whole thing came together in under half an hour.

Creamy One Pot Pasta adapted from The Cooking Nurse, originally from Pampered Chef

• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 t olive oil
• 20 oz low sodium chicken broth + 20 oz water
• 1 box whole wheat linguine
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 bag frozen broccoli cuts (I forgot to buy fresh, but that would be better)
• 1/2 10 oz jar sun dried tomatoes
• 1 t Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper
• 4 oz fat free cream cheese
• parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic until it is fragrant.  Remove from the heat and add chicken broth & water.  Bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook to al dente.

Peel the carrots & zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces.  If using fresh broccoli, cut the florets as well.  Pat the tomatoes dry and slice, cube the cream cheese.  Once the pasta cooks, add the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat and stir until the vegetables are cooked through.  Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes.

Pasta Primavera

I'm a visual person.  If a recipe doesn't have a photo, I'm less likely to cook it.  Maybe that's why I'm such a big fan of Food Network...

Anyway, a few weeks ago we were in the car for a road trip and I packed my stack a magazines along to occupy my time.  I currently have a (cheap) subscription for the Racheal Ray Magazine.  To me, this magazine is hit and miss.  One issue will end up in the garbage, unused.  A total flop.  The next issue will be dog-eared, torn to pieces and covered in food splatters.  The issue that contained this recipe happens to be one of those!

It ended up being a bit of an adaptation because I don't have a wok (although I don't think it mattered as much) and Jason and I miscommunicated on the ingredients.  I asked him to chop half of a red onion for Red Beans & Rice and he chopped the entire one.  I couldn't complain, though, since he was chopping the onions while I went to bunko.

I usually complain that RR recipes take forever and a day to make, but this one ended up being pretty quick and tasty!

Pasta Primavera adapted from Rachael Ray

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 T olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 bunch kale leaves, trimmed and chopped
• salt & pepper
• 3/4 cup light cream
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat salted water to boiling in a large pot and add the broccoli.  Cook for about 30 seconds, until bright green and remove from the water.  Add the pasta and cook to al dente.  Drain the pasta, keeping 1/4 cup of the pasta water aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan (or a wok if you have one).  Sautee the garlic until fragrant, add in the broccoli, carrots & kale stirring until the carrots and kale start to wilt.  Stir in the tomatoes and salt & pepper.  Pour in the cream, stir and bring to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the parmesan cheese & basil. 

Add the pasta and remaining pasta water, tossing to coat.

WW PointsPlus: 5 servings, 8 pp per serving

Fontina Mac & Cheese

I have a slight cheese obsession.  That turns into a cheese problem.  I constantly want to buy and try new cheese.  Then I remember I'm on a diet and really, cheese isn't the most diet friendly thing to eat.  So then it sits in the fridge.  This half-eaten block of "fancy" cheese.  Cooper gets some of it, but you can only give a kid so much cheese before you have problems.  Although he'd disagree - the boy loves cheese!
Every once in a while, I try to find a recipe that will help clean out the cheese drawer.  I've been trying to move past the fontina & havarti that have been in the fridge for a few weeks.  After doing my blog-hopping I came across a recipe for Fontina Mac & Cheese over at Annie's Eats.  I knew I didn't have the right amount of fontina, but I figured finishing it with just a little havarti would work.

Mac & cheese is usually something I'm a little afraid of because there is a fine line between it being creamy and dry.  I've screwed up plenty of batches, trust me!  This one, though, turned out to be pretty easy and tasted great.  I made a few changes to make it a little healthier, although I think that changing the cream to half & half will cause it to dry out a little bit.  It was pretty creamy the first night, but for leftovers I'm probably going to add in a little more half & half before baking in small ramekins.

Fontina Mac & Cheese adapted from Annie's Eats

• 1 13.5oz box whole wheat pasta (I went with the shells)
• 5 T unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup half and half
• 5oz fontina, shredded
• 3oz havarti, shredded
• salt & pepper
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400.  Boil the pasta in salted water to just shy of al dente.  In a large bowl, dice 4 tablespoons of the unsalted butter.  Warm the half & half in the microwave or on the stove top and keep warm.  Drain the pasta and pour over the butter.  Stir in the half & half and the cheese until the cheese is melted.  Add in salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Pour the pasta into a baking dish.  Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and add in the panko.  Pour over the pasta and add shredded parmesan.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.

WW PointsPlus: 8 pts for 10 servings

On top of spaghetti...

all covered with cheeeeeese!

I can't wait until Cooper giggles at the words for that song.

Sunday, Jason requested spaghetti & meatballs for his birthday dinner.  I realized that I've only made spaghetti & meatballs once before.  We've been together 10 years.  It was a take on this Williams-Sonoma recipe that turned out really good, but was also a huge pain in the butt to make.  This time I decided I'd kind of make it up.  And not stuff it with cheese, because really - that was the hardest (most time-consuming) part.

I did a little asking around, specifically about the cooking process since I wanted to go as low-fat as possible, and was pointed to Alton Brown's recipe.

Spaghetti & Meatballs adapted from Alton Brown

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage links
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 t dried basil
• 1 1/2 t dried parsley
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs, divided

Preheat the oven to 400.  In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients except 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs.  Roll into 2" sized meatballs and roll in the remaining breadcrumbs.  Place a rack on top of a cookie sheet (or you can use a broiler pan).  Place the meatballs on top of the rack and into the oven.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until done.

I ended up with right at 30 meatballs.  For that amount, I calculated them at 2 WW points each.  A serving for me was about 4 of them.

We served the meatballs with whole wheat spaghetti and Jason's version of marinara sauce.

I actually made pasta.

And I cooked my first Pioneer Woman recipe.  Actually it could count as two recipes.  The pasta and the sauce.  But still - both were a success.  I did learn a few things.  First, I want a pasta roller.  Second, next time I'm going to mix it with the dough hook on my mixer instead of by hand.

Homemade Pasta from The Pioneer Woman

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 eggs

According to the recipe, you need 2 eggs to 1 cup of flour.  That will also feed 2 people, so 4 eggs will (in theory) feed 4 people.  Although, that's what we did and we really had about 5 servings.

Either in a bowl or on the counter make a well with the flour.  Crack the eggs into the well and start mixing, gently.

Eventually you'll get dough.  But you have to work at it.  A lot.  Knead, and mix, and roll, and twist again and again until you have a nice ball a dough.  According to PW, it should be smooth and not tacky.  That is kind of hard to describe, but it made sense once we got there.

Break the dough into smaller, more manageable pieces, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface.  I used a pizza cutter and sliced fettuccine sized noodles for dinner.

To cook the pasta, boil in salted water for 2-3 minutes. 

Pasta alla Vodka from The Pioneer Woman

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1 whole medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3/4 cup vodka
• 1 14oz can tomato puree
• 1 cup heavy cream (I actually used cream, not half & half so I'm not sure if this would still be as good)
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil & butter.  Add the vodka, stir and cook 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the tomato puree and stir.  Reduce the heat to low and add the cream, stir and simmer.  Add the red pepper flakes, salt & pepper.

Drain the pasta, keeping about 1 cup of the water in case you need to thin the sauce out.  Toss the pasta in with the sauce and Parmesan, coating the pasta in sauce. 

Christmas Dinner

Which, for us, is really Thanksgiving: Part 2.

I found a turkey recipe years ago in a Southern Living cookbook that works.  The turkey always usually comes out perfect and has a really good flavor.  This year I was feeling ambitious.  I've failed at dressing and mac & cheese before, but I planned on trying again.  Eventually I'll get it right...right?

Cornbread Dressing from Southern Living

• 2 T butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 recipe Andrew's Cornbread (see below)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 T fresh sage, chopped
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Melt 2 T butter with oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms, celery, and bell pepper, and saute 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Crumble the cornbread into a large mixing bowl. Stir in mushroom mixture, half-and-half, and next 6 ingredients. Add chicken broth, and gently stir until moistened. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Bake, covered, at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.

Andrew's Cornbread

• 1 t vegetable oil
• 2 cups self-rising yellow cornmeal
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T self-rising flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 T mayonnaise

Brush a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil, and heat in a 425° oven 5 minutes. Stir together cornmeal and next 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, and mayonnaise, stirring just until blended. Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake at 425° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and cornbread pulls away from sides of skillet. Remove to a wire rack, and cool 5 minutes.

My notes: I wasn't fond of the cornbread.  The small amount of oil I used was still too much and it caused the crust to do something strange.  Plus, it didn't crumble well...it ended up chunky and...just weird.  I loved the flavor, though, so I think next time I'll use my own cornbread recipe (the one on the bag of cornmeal with a little brown sugar added).

Creamy Four-Cheese Macaroni from Cooking Light

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 2/3 cups skim milk
• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 ounces light processed cheese (Velveeta) 
• 6 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 3 cups uncooked)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 T butter or stick margarine, softened

Preheat oven to 375°. Place flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8-10 minutes), stirring constantly. Add cheeses and cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in macaroni and salt. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Combine bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl; stir until well-blended. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

• fresh green beans, trimmed
• bacon
• brown sugar
• butter

The amount of beans needed will depend on how many people you plan to feed.  For 5 adults, I did about 1lb.  Cook green beans - either steam or boil - just until done. Remove from heat and drop into ice water to stop the cooking process.  Wrap 8-10 beans with one piece of bacon, secure with a toothpick.  Melt about 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1/2 stick of butter (depending on how many you're cooking).  We tossed these on the grill to cook the bacon, but that might not have been the best idea since I looked outside to see flames.  I ended up putting them in a dish and finishing them in the oven after I brushed the butter & brown sugar on them.  A better idea would actually be to brush them with the butter mixture first and cook them in the oven at about 400 for 20 minutes, or until the bacon is done.

Pumpkin Pasta

A few weeks ago I flipped through a magazine at my mom's house.  I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Pasta and it sounded pretty good.  To me.  Jason made this gagging noise when I told him about it.  But, being the good boy he is, he agreed to try it...and order pizza if needed.

Last week I picked up the stuff at the grocery store and...it was approved.  We adjusted the recipe a little bit, but next time I make it I'd really like to try sticking with the way it was written.  I doubled the amount of sausage and added more pasta, so it wasn't quite as pumpkiny.  And the second night I added in more seasoning - mostly pepper and a little oregano.

Pumpkin Pasta

• 8oz Italian Sausage (I used 16oz sweet Italian turkey sausage)
• 1 can pumpkin
• 5 sage leaves, chopped
• 8 oz rotini pasta (I used whole wheat)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Saute the sausage until brown in a little oil.  Add in the chopped sage leaves, saute for another minute.  Stir in 1 cup of pasta water and the pumpkin.  Drain the pasta and toss everything together.  As mentioned, I added in some salt & pepper, plus a little oregano, for some added flavor.  It has a creamy texture - almost like penne a la vodka without the tomatoes.

WW PointsPlus: 8 PP per serving, 4 servings

Chicken & Spinach Pasta

When I joined WW last week I spent some time looking for easy recipes to cook and plugging the ingredients into WW to get a points value.  This was the first recipe I tried and all three of us loved it.  Yes, I gave Cooper a few bites both nights we had this for dinner.

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake adapted from MyRecipes.com

• 8oz uncooked whole wheat penne
• 1  T  olive oil
• 1  cup chopped onion
• 1  10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 3  cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1  14.5oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1  8oz container light chive-and-onion cream cheese
• 1/2  t salt
• 1/2  t  pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Cook pasta according to the package.  Saute onions in olive oil until tender.  I actually cooked the chicken & onions together.  Transfer chicken & onions to a bowl.  Drain spinach and add to chicken.  Stir in pasta, cream cheese, tomatoes, salt & pepper.  Stir well and spoon into a 9*13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.

Next time I will make a point to spread the spinach out a little more.  Some bites were all spinach and others...not so much.  I think I could also add another can of tomatoes to add a little more veggies.

6 Servings, WW points: 7 UPDATED 3/2011 - 9 Weight Watchers PointsPlus