A lot has been going on this summer and I did manage to create some tantalizing meals. I made some absolutely delicious blueberry muffins. Not rocket science to create them. I used my blueberry cake recipe and baked them in large muffin tins and the end result was worth every calorie. Just look at those blueberries. Yum! I also added a sprinkling of coarse sugar on the top of each muffin before baking.

Blueberry Muffins

1 cup sugar                  
½ c. shortening   ( part butter)
2 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups flour             
1 tsp. bak. powder
½ tsp. salt 
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 pint blueberries
coarse sugar for top 

1. Sift flour, bak. powder and salt 3 times.
2. Beat egg whites til stiff. Set aside.
3. Cream shortening with sugar and add
egg yolks, beating well.
4. Add dry ingredients alternately with
milk.
5. Fold in egg whites, lemon juice, and add
blueberries last.
6. Sprinkle batter with sugar before baking.
Bake in muffin tins – 350 for 30-45 minutes

What a perfect spring weekend. Spring rarely shows up on the first day of spring. Doesn’t make much sense, but if you stop and think about it, it will! However, this year, we celebrated the first day of spring with a meal prepared on the grill and actually eaten outside at 6:30 in the evening. Now, that might not sound like something unusual, especially if I lived in the south, but, I don’t! I live in the northeast, an hour away from Boston! Our spring usually shows up sometime in late April, early May. This year it showed up in March, mosquitoes and all! For our spring celebration, we had a delicious grilled chicken dinner followed by a wonderful spring dessert, Berry Shortcake! This time for the shortcake I used a lemon cake as it is the perfect accompaniment for berries. Berries are a staple of my life. I eat blueberries for breakfast, have strawberries and raspberries for morning break, and usually top any cake with berries, eliminating the frosting without removing any taste! Berries are plentiful throughout the entire year. Prices do go up but I am at an age where, what the heck? I want, I get. Spending money on fresh fruit is very justifiable as they will add to health and probably save money in the long run, plus, I am just so worth it! Here is the recipe I used for the cake, which is not too sweet and very moist! I used a blend of fresh raspberries and strawberries which were washed, dried, cut up, placed in a bowl, and to which I added about a teaspoon of sugar which I might add was not for the sweetness, but rather to make them have some juice. Yum! Double Yum!

Lemon Cake

1/2 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

Cream butter with sugar. Add in extract and egg. Beat til smooth.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour mix to butter along with the milk.
Beat for 1 minute.
Pour into a greased and floured 7 X 10 or 8 X 8 pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350* or until it passes the insert knife cake test.

Boneless Chicken Parmesan

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat milk
1 egg
nonstick spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450*.
Lightly spray a baking pan. I use my broiler pan.
Put bread crumbs in a bowl.
Stir in Parmesan cheese, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme.
Put milk in another bowl.Beat in egg.
Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
Dip chicken into egg-milk mixture, let extra liquid drain off, roll in crumbs, and shake off excess crumbs.
Put chicken in pan and bake for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.
Spread with tomato sauce, top with parmesan cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with linguine and sauce and a crusty bread.

Higher Fat Version-Very good

Follow the directions for above but instead of baking in the oven, heat 1 inch oil in a cast iron pan. Brown dredged chicken pieces on both sides. Place on paper towels to drain. Place in a pan, spread tomato sauce on top, add the cheese, and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked.

Pasta Fagioli (Italian Soup)

cannola oil
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 lb ground meat
2 tsp. hot Mexican chili powder
1 15 oz. can seasoned tomatoes
fresh ground pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 can cannellini beans, great white northern beans, or beans of choice
1/2 cup orzo, uncooked

1. Finely chop celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and saute in a small amount of oil.
2. Stir in ground meat, tomatoes, pepper,  and chili powder.
3. Cook uncovered til the meat starts to brown.
4. Add in broth and stir. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
5. Stir in beans, cover, and cook an additional 15 minutes.
6. Cook orzo to al dente stage and stir into soup about 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Stovetop Stuffed Cabbage

1/2 lb. ground turkey
3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 cup diced peppers (I used green, orange, and red)
1/2 med. onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1 tbsp. hot Mexican chili powder
1 can diced flavored tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
3 cups cooked rice
1 small head of cabbage

1. Remove the casings from the sausages.
2. In a large Dutch oven, brown the sausage and turkey.
3. Add in the chopped onion, garlic, peppers, and salt & pepper. Continue browning for about 10 minutes.
4. Cover, lower heat, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Cook rice.
6. Wash cabbage and shred.
7. Add tomatoes and sauce to meat mixture. Stir and heat thoroughly on med. low.
8. When mixture is heated, stir in cabbage. Mix in the hot Mexican chili powder.
9. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the cabbage is cooked.
10. Stir in the rice, cover,  and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve with a crusty bread. Top with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Delicious Flavorful Weekend Pot Roast

3 to 4 pounds of beef chuck or meat desired
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
4 thyme sprigs or 1 tsp. crushed thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cannola or olive oil
4 cups low sodium beef broth or water
4 medium potatoes
4 carrots
1 small turnip
1 medium yellow onion

1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Directions:
1. Wash, pare, and cut up vegetables.(potatoes, carrots, turnips)
2. Place beef, 1/4 cup flour, salt, Montreal seasoning, pepper, and dried thyme in a large food storage bag and toss to coat.
3. Heat oil in a large pan.
4. Add the beef and brown on all sides.
5. Add 3 cups of beef broth and bring to a simmer. Add in onions and garlic. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
6. In a separate pan, cook the turnips and carrots in 1 cup of the reserved beef broth. When cooked, remove from broth and add to pot roast.
7. Place the diced potatoes directly into the pot roast to cook, about 40 minutes before the meal will be eaten.

For a thicker broth: Add 1 tbsp. cornstarch to the  broth that the vegetables were cooked in. Mix thoroughly.  Stir into the pot roast. Let the pot roast cook on low for another 1/2 hour.

My favorite yogurt is Purple Cow. MMMMMMMMM. Love it!! Fresh raspberry/blackberry flavor with some white or dark chocolate chunks mixed in. If I am really fortunate, both white and dark chunks are in it. What’s your favorite?

Did you ever make homemade frozen yogurt? Not too difficult but it works best with an ice cream machine. Here is a recipe for everyone to try. I must admit that I’d rather go to the nearest ice cream stand, get the darn cone of my choice, and indulge. I have a weakness for ice cream so it is best for me to just have a treat once in a while than to have it readily available.

Did you know that frozen yogurt is in fact a healthier choice to ice cream? It has less fat as the yogurt replaces the cream. However, fat-free commercial versions of frozen yogurt usually have more sugar added. Yogurt helps to break down dairy, has high levels of proteins, and if it has live bacteria cultures will assist healthy bacteria in the body. (Sounds like something from Aliens) Yogurt can be a blessing in disguise, at least in moderation!

Purple Cow Frozen Yogurt

3 cups raspberries or blackberries or both
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup milk
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup dark or white chocolate chunks, or both

In food processor purée the raspberrie/blackberries until smooth, about 1 minute.
Strain and toss the seeds. Set aside.
MIx the sugar and cornstarch in a small pan. Add the milk and bring to a boil.
Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
Stir in raspberry purée and corn syrup and cool completely.
Stir together the raspberry mixture, chocolate chunks, and yogurt in a bowl.
Cover and chill 8 hours.
Pour raspberry mixture into a ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Guilt Free Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup egg substitute (I had to use one jumbo egg and egg whites to = 1/3 cup)
3/4 cup vanilla low fat yogurt (I used fat free yogurt so it made up for the egg yolk)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*F.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Beat butter, egg substitutes, and brown sugar with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy.
Gradually add granulated sugar, beating well. Add cocoa and egg whites, beating well.
Gradually add flour mixture, yogurt, vanilla, and chocolate chips until just combined.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375*°F for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes or until firm. Makes 24.

C is for Cookie!!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 box of spice cake (I used Duncan Hines)
1 can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup water

Beat cake mix, pumpkin, and water for 2 minutes.
Pour into small bundt or tube pan.
Bake in a 350* oven for 45 minutes or until it passes the inserted knife test.
Dust with confectioners sugar.