Apple Crisp

While making Apple Crisp (yes the box kind) today I saw that you can use 2 1/2 tbl. nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of butter to make your dessert fat free! So I gave it a go and you can not tell the difference!













Just had to share!














Hungry now? Go ahead! Its fat free, has apples and really isn't that bad for you at all! I may be making this more often now that I don't have to add butter!

Ya, I'm kinda anti-butter weird. I try to avoid excess butter and salt. Gotta keep my girlish figure ya know!!

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

Remember 'Meatloaf I hate meatloaf double beat loaf'...or something like that anyway on the movie 'A Christmas Story'. Who doesn't just love that movie? Anyway we are having....meatloaf tonight. I found this recipe in a Kraft magazine called Food and Family. Its chocked full of recipes and is completely and absolutely FREE! Go on over to Kraft.com and sign up for this FREE magazine full of super easy recipes. Love it when they show up in my mailbox!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 eggs beaten
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
1/2 cup BBQ sauce divided















Mix all ingredients in a bowl with the exception of 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Shape meat mixture into an oval loaf in a 13x9 inch baking dish. This will make it easier to drain the fat when its done cooking. Pour remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on top of shaped mixture and bake at 375 for about an hour or until center reaches 160 degrees.














Can meatloaf be any easier? This meatloaf has been made upon request quite often. Not a problem considering as easy as it is!

Enjoy,
Di

P.S. My 'finished' picture does not do it any justice as it is way more appetizing than its looking there!

Potato Soup

Being laid off has it's perks! I'm taking a liking to really trying to teach myself how to 'really' cook. I've always been the 'box' and 'can' kind of cook. If you can really call that cooking;) But I'm venturing into the homemade, slaved over, all day in the kitchen kind of cooking. Ok, we all know that may not be the case! Either way I'm trying...and my family is still alive! Points for me:)

I've never slaved over homemade potato soup. The lovely folks over at Campbell's always do that for me! Love em! I have these gigantic potatoes I bought at Sam's club and need to use them up before they start growing things. I've never understood how they can continually grow things when they are out of the ground. I mean once they are out of the ground they should be done right? I mean strawberries don't keep growing once they are picked. Neither does celery or carrots. Stubborn crazy potatoes, what are they thinking? It kinda freaks me out. Ok...sorry for the ditz moment there...but I'm just saying........crazy potatoes.

I came up with this concoction searching for potato soup recipes that were very very simple. Cause that's the way I cook! I happened to have all the ingredients (very few) so I gave it a go.

Ingredients:
8 med. to large potatoes
4 tsp. salt (give or take depending on taste)
1 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp. pepper (depending on taste...just season till it gives you the taste you desire)
shredded cheddar cheese to top
8 slices of cooked bacon crumbled up (give or take...we love bacon)
4 scallions (I didn't have any on hand but would have made a nice touch)

Rinse, peel and slice potatoes into bite size cubes. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add 2 tsp. of salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer till potatoes are very soft (about 40 minutes). Drain potatoes, discard water, return half the potatoes to pot. Mash other half of potatoes in a bowl with a potato masher. Return mashed potatoes to pot. Add butter and sour cream to potatoes stirring until melted. Add milk, pepper, and remaining salt and bring back to simmer. If you prefer it really cheesy you can add some cheese now and have it melt in. Otherwise its ready to serve with cheese, bacon, and scallions if you so desire.

Love me some Campbell's!

Alright so I know this is a recipe blog and all but this is soooo yummy. I don't know if its because I grew up surrounded by cornfields or what but I do love me some corn! This soup is so awesome I just had to share. I mean how many people really pay attention to the 'boxed' soups? It just happened to catch my eye one day. Thought to myself this is V8 and Campbell's so it must be healthy and yummy. Sure is! If you like corn and spicy this is great stuff! It has a bit of a kick so you need not add anything. Simply heat and serve!

My Kitchen

I'll just come out and admit it...I'm a bit nosey! There you have it! I'm curious about how others live and what they do just in general. Their interests, hobbies, lifestyles, religions, etc. When I go to someones house I tend to scope it out a bit so to speak. I just know some of you out there even make it a point to check out the facilities (I know you know what I mean ladies!). I just like to look around and see how things are decorated and what kind of things they like. They say you can tell a lot about a person by where and how they live, what they drive, how they dress, decorate, etc.

Yes I have even been known to gaze into windows at night when the blinds are open, preferably when someone else is driving! And no I'm not a Peeping Tom! I would have to get out of the car to qualify for that one!

So to satisfy curious minds I thought I'd go ahead and post a few pictures of my kitchen. That and I haven't posted anything in awhile!

I really like my kitchen and all my little pretties here and there. Although I'm not really sure what my house or kitchen at least says about me. Let me know what ya think!


























Note: My camera really sucks! These pictures really make it blah! A nice new camera will be my next big purchase. I'm thinking a Nikon D90 ought to do the trick!

In the close up of the sink you will see the handmade curtains by yours truely! Yes I know! Totally made them all by myself using fabric by Christopher Lowell! I love that man!

I do love to shop and any of you crazed home-party-goers like myself will probably notice I own a lot of At Home America and Southern Living at Home items! Who knew they could work together alright in the kitchen! You can go ahead and click on the photos to enlarge them a bit...its ok really...my kitchen is clean (was when I snapped the picture anyway, its since then blown up but we won't show that on here).

Happy Snooping!
Di

Luscious Lemon Cake

Craving a lusciously lemon dessert? I have just the fix! This cake is sooo good both warm from the oven or chilled from the fridge. Its basically a lemon cake cake with a lemon pudding mixture poured over top and while baking the pudding goes through the cake mixture and to the bottom of the pan creating an oh so yummy treat!

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg lemon cake mix
2 cups cold milk
1 1/4 cups water
2 pkg. (4 serving size each) Jell-O lemon flavored instant pudding
1/3 cup granulated sugar
powdered sugar to top














Prepare cake batter according to package and pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish and set aside.
Next pour milk and water into large bowl and mix in pudding mixes and sugar. Mix this with a whisk like you were making regular pudding. Pour this mixture over the top of the cake batter.














Before putting this in the oven I am warning you...place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any sauce that will bubble over the sides of the dish as it bakes. Trust me it will! Bake at 350 for 55 minutes to an hour.














Let cake cool down for a few minutes and then sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Pudding thickens as it cools but is ready to serve warm.














I'm sure you could make this cake any flavor you like...chocolate lovers use chocolate cake and pudding...strawberry lovers use strawberry and so forth. Personally I choose lemon desserts over chocolate desserts any day! Whats funny is that I'm not into lemon candies like lemonheads or lemon starburst or lemon skittles......just the desserts! Give me the warm gooey goodness of a lemon dessert and I'm one happy gal! Hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do!

Corn Souffle

Hi everyone! We are sneaking some veggies in today...corn that is! This has got to be one of the easiest recipes ever and you probably already have all the ingredients awaiting you in your kitchen. I love this recipe best because a lot of others like it use way too much butter. When cooking I really try to avoid using butter and salt whenever possible. For instance when I make rice or something that says to boil water and butter....I skip the butter! Shhh....no one can tell! And on my baked potatoes...I add everything but the butter! I also try to buy no salt added canned veggies. But hey that's just me! Back to the recipe, I make this as a side dish and it works well as a potluck dish too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1 can of cream style corn
1 can of whole kernel corn (drained)
1 8.5 oz. pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 eggs
handful of cheddar cheese (give or take to sprinkle on top)















First melt the butter and cream cheese in the microwave. I usually cut the cream cheese up into cubes a bit to help it melt faster. A minute is all my microwave takes but give or take on others. Stir this mixture up.















Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and mix well. It will look a little something like this.















Pour into your greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with as much cheese as you so desire. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the top turns slightly browned.















Like I said earlier its a great side dish but one of my good friends Tina likes to take the leftovers and add salsa and sour cream to it and eat it as a meal for lunch or snack and its just awesome all over again! Another option is to use Mexican style corn for a little kick!

Creamy Chicken Poppyseed Casserole

This has got to be one of my favorite recipes. I make this dish quite often as my family is always requesting it. Even my sister calls often asking for it so I know this meal is sure to please! Its so simple and just delicious!

INGREDIENTS
2 cans of cooked cubed chicken
1 can of cream of chicken
8oz. sour cream
1 tablespooon of poppyseeds
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers











Mix chicken, cream of chicken, sour cream
and poppyseeds in a bowl.












Melt the butter then mix it with crushed up ritz.











Pour the chicken mixture in a large casserole dish and then pour the butter/ritz topping mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.












Serve as is or over brown rice and enjoy!!