I might have posted this before, and if so I apologize.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce (Copy Cat)

1 lb pkg Pasta (penne or fettuccine)
1 stick of butter (½ cup)
1 clove of minced garlic
1 pint of heavy cream
1 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Make Pasta to your liking.

In a sauce pan over medium heat – melt butter and add garlic and cook for two minutes, then add in heavy cream and cream cheese and heat until bubbling, but do not boil.
Add in Parmesan Cheese and mix until the cheese melts.
Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste (you don;t need to use all of this, do to your liking).
While the sauce is still hot, mix into the noodles and serve. Just like Olive Garden. {copy cat}

OVEN BAKED BLACKENED TILAPIA

Ingredients:

1 pound tilapia fillets
2 T extra-virgin olive oil

BLACKENING RUB
3 T Paprika
1 t salt
1T onion powder
1 t black pepper
1/2 to 1 t cayenne pepper
1 t thyme
1 t oregano
1/2 t garlic powder

SIMPLE TARTER SAUCE
1/3 C mayonnaise
2 t lemon juice
1 t sweet pickle relish
1/4 t onion powder


Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Combine the blackening rub ingredients together.
3. Line a sheet pan with foil, pour the olive oil on the foil and brush it anywhere the fish will lay.
4. Rinse and pat dry you fish. Brush it with olive oil, then cover the fillets with the rub and rub in in well on both sides.
5. Place the fillets on the foil and give them a light spray with PAM cooking spray (yes, spray each side before putting on the foil).
6. Cook until nicely brown and flaky, about 10-11 minutes for big fillets and a minute or two less for smaller ones.

Tarter Sauce:
Mix the Tarter sauce ingredients together and mix well. You can dip the fish in the sauce or spread it over the fillets.
6.

Chicken with beans and Taters.

In a 9x13 pan, cut 3 chicken breasts in half, add 2 cans green beans on one side and cut up red skin potatoes on the other. Sprinkle a packet of zesty Italian dressing mix over the top. Drizzle a stick of melted butter over it. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

You're making me hungry.....AGAIN!

Glad to be of service!

If you delivered; now THAT would be super-service!

I think this will be the summer of trying all these recipes out.

Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Serving size: 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb lean ground beef
2 cups reduced-fat, shredded cheddar cheese
2 - 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
non-stick cooking spray
1/4 cup hamburger dill chips, chopped (*optional)
*Optional ingredients are not included in nutritional calculations

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. (I used one of my favorite red casserole dishes from Chantal!)
In a large stock pot, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
In a medium skillet, add olive oil and cook onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes.
Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add salt and pepper to ground beef while cooking.
Add in tomatoes, tomato paste and mustard.
Allow the mixture to cook and thicken until bubbly.
Add the pasta to sauce and mix to cover evenly.
Transfer mixture to casserole dish.
Top with cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with chopped dill pickles before serving (optional).

Nutrition Information

Per Serving (1 cup):

Calories: 258

Fat: 9g

Carbohydrates: 18g

Fiber: 4g

Protein: 24g

Sugars: 5g

Sodium: 528mg

Vitamin A: 16%

Vitamin C: 25%

Calcium: 27%

Iron: 10%
WWP+: 6 points

Sriracha chicken w. barley (serves 2-3)

This came out of what I had in the pantry and fridge today, was good enough to post here:

6 skinless/boneless chicken thighs
4 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce )
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon of McCormick's Sweet & Smoky grillmates rub (or similar spice mix, sweet, smoky, hint of cinnamon)
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Put all of the above in a ziplock bag (or use your vacuum sealer for bonus points), mix it around until everything is mixed and chicken is covered completely.

Squeeze as much air out of the ziplock bag as you can and let it marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Dump the contents of your bag into a caserole dish, get as much of the marinade out as you can and make sure the chicken is all covered.

Put it in your oven at 350 degrees for about 45-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat is ~170-180F and the juices run clear.

In the meantime make about 3 cups of cooked barley (follow instructions on bag on how to get 3 cups when done! ), you can add some herbs or spices to the water if you want, definitely add salt.

Serve the chicken on a bed of barley, use the juices from the chicken to flavor the barley (as much or little as you like.)

Brown Sugar Carmel Pound Cake

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups butter softened
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 8oz bag toffee chips
1 cup pecans, chopped

Carmel Drizzel:
1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mix to batter alternately with milk, beat until just combined. Stir in toffee buts and pecans. Spoon batter into pan and bake 85 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. To prevent excess browning, cover cake with foil while baking.

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon Caramel Drizzle over cooled cake.

Directions for Caramel Drizzle
In a medium saucepan, combine condensed milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, and SIMMER for 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes before using. NOTE: Make sure you drizzle the caramel while it’s still HOT.

When cooled the caramel does somewhat harden.

A diabetic's delight!

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:
5 - cups prepared ripe strawberries (about 4lbs)
1 - 7.5 oz box (49 - gram) Sure Jell powdered fruit pectin
1/4 - cup lemon juice
1/2 -teaspoon butter or margarine, optional
7 - cups sugar, measured into a separate bowl
canning jars, lids and rings
large canning pot

Directions:
Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.

Place washed jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to sterilize them.

Pour boiling water over flat lids and rings in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Remove the stems from the strawberries and lay them on a large baking sheet. Using a potato masher crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time.

You can leave a some chunks, but try to mash them pretty good. Measure exactly 5 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-quart sauce pot and add lemon juice.

Stir pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil. Jam reaches it's ideal set at (220 degrees). Boil the jam until it reaches 220 degrees (use a candy thermometer). Skim off any foam with a spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean cloth. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.

Place jars on elevated rack in boiling water canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil.

Process pint size jars for 10 minutes and half pints for 5 minutes. Using canning tongs remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. Check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger.


If the lid does not pop back then it is sealed.If the lid pops back when pressed then it is not sealed. Either reprocess jars or store in refrigerator.

Store properly canned jam in pantry. Properly canned items can last in your pantry for up to 1 year.

Recipe source: Sure Jell
Recipe yields: Approx 5 pint size jars