The Gouda Mac & Cheese

Here's the picture and link! http://tinyurl.com/29f443

BBQ Style Meat loaf and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

My friend Amy and I had a dinner party for ourselves at her house Saturday night and we made yummy comfort food, meat loaf and mac & cheese, Cooking Light style and super yummy. Here's a version of the BBQ meat loaf we made. http://tinyurl.com/yuksk2 It really made a great night for us, cooking, drinking wine, and hanging out. Thanks Amy!

Layered Enchilada Bake-Light version

This recipe came from Kraftfoods.com (Mom recommended it). I was a little unsure about adding in the italian dressing from the recipe but it actually gave it a great flavor. I used light sour cream and light dressing to reduce the fat. I also used ground turkey which made it even lighter. This was a winning dinner!
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups Salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning Mix

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix; mix well.
ARRANGE 3 of the tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.
BAKE, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve

Healthy Living Save 70 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving by preparing with extra lean ground beef, KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing, BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream and KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Four Cheese Mexican Style Cheese.

Low fat Banana shake

This is a version based on my Mom's awesome banana shake growing up. I made it this morning and drank half, as the recipe is definitely two servings.

2 very ripe bananas
1/2 can of Fat Free sweetened condensed milk
2 handfuls of ice
1/4 cup milk

Blend it all together and have yourself a yummy, low fat shake!

Crockpot lasagna with a twist

Tonight I made a crock pot lasagna but used a homemade vodka sauce instead of jarred sauce and mixed in turkey sausage. IT was a hit with the family. It may be the best find ever (thank you MrsSissler) I don't have a picture but here's the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
* 1 large jar spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu in the 1 lb. 10 ounce jar)
* 1 package (8 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 lb. ricotta cheese
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese
* Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan. Drain off any grease.

Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat mixture. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, milk, and egg.

Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Then mix in the mozzarella cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the cheeses are combined.

Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides.
Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break or cut them if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce. Cook on low for 3-3.5 hours or until noodles are tender.

Zesty Broccoli Casserole

I got this out of Cooking Light and it's a great side dish. The cheese sauce is delicious. I omitted the onions and water chestnuts this time because my family isn't a big fan of them but it's great both ways.

Clicke here for the recipe.

Pumpkin Pie

Made my first pumpkin pie today. I used the recipe on the Libby's can except I didn't have ground ginger so I used nutmeg and it came out great! And I even bought a pumpkin pie plate. Kohl's had them on sale for 60% off and I thought it was a great idea. :-)

Here's the web site for the recipe!
http://tinyurl.com/3nw84