Fast, Easy, Lo-Cal and Delicious Potato Soup

1 30 oz bag of Ore-Ida hash browns
3 14 oz cans chicken broth
1 14 oz can cream of chicken soup
7 strips of bacon, fried/cooked
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (full fat!)

Add bag of hashbrowns to crock pot.  Pour broth over to get the frozen chunks broken up.  Add the cream soup.  Mix.  Put on low for 7 hours.

After seven hours, add the cheese and stir until it melts (do not use fat free cream cheese - it won't melt).  Chop the cooked bacon and add.  Let it sit another hour.

According to My Fitness Pal, one 8 oz serving has: 187 cals, 16 grams of carbs, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein

I really want to give credit where credit is due but I have no idea where this recipe originated, I just know that I found it on Pinterest and then promptly lost it.  It doesn't even look like it's pinned anymore.  :-(  Whoever thought this up, well done and thank you!!!

Pudding Pop Shots

Does anyone remember Pudding Pops? I remember as a child loving them more than just about anything else.  Well, they stopped selling them in the nineties and I've been bereft ever since.

Luckily, Pinterest came to my rescue with an adult version of the Pudding Pop.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Pudding Pop Shot.

Ingredients:

1 Small box Jello Instant Pudding (you can use either chocolate or vanilla)
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. liqueur (I used 43)
1/4 c. vodka (I used whipped cream flavored vodka)
1 8 oz. tub of cool whip

Mix first two ingredients in a bowl with a hand-mixer.  Add the alcohol and mix well.  Add the cool whip and mix again.

Pour into Dixie cups and freeze.  Voila.  Pudding Pop shots that taste like ice cream.  I don't have a picture because every time I make them I forget.  Trust me, though, when I say they are magical.

Pinterest Cake

I don't know if you've heard about this new site called Pinterest? But it's kind of the best thing ever. Recipes, work out advice and fashion come together and breed on Pinterest and it's a beautiful thing.

For instance, I found the recipe for this cake on Pinterest:

1 18 oz. cake mix
1 c. fat free Greek yogurt
1 c. water

Since the box of cake mix my hubs picked up was 16 oz. I used just a hair under 1 cup of yogurt and only mixed in enough of the cup of water until I had the consistency of cake mix.

I followed the baking instructions on the box and though it looked kind of wonky going into the oven, coming out it looked awesome.
And for the frosting, I recently discovered a recipe called The Best Buttercream Frosting Ever on Pinterest.

1 c. salted butter at room temp
4 c. fresh powdered sugar
4-5 T. cream (I used half and half)
2-3 T. vanilla

First, whip the butter, then add sugar, then add cream (I used 4 tablespoons since it was perfectly smooth and spreadable at that point), then add vanilla (I used 2 tablespoons).

And it was so good. When I say this cake is moist, you will not even understand how moist and delicious I am telling you it is. My husband and I were fighting over who would get to take it to work first.

Cake nutritional info: PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein

[the frosting is pure butter and sugar, you do the math on the nutritional info]

Cake link
Frosting link

Latin Potato Salad

Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

2 pounds Small Red Potatoes, boiled, drained, cooled and cut in half
1 small Green Bell Pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or, sliced jalapenos to taste)
1/2 medium Spanish Onion, halved and thinly sliced (or, red onion is fine)
1/2 cup pitted Alcaparrado, coarsely chopped (or, small green olives with pimentos)
2 chopped Cilantro Leaves (optional)
6 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Brine from Alcaparrado
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1. Place potatoes in a medium size saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Lightly salt and bring to a boil.Reduce to a moderate simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain.
2. Cut potatoes in halve or quarters, depending on the size, so each piece is about 3/4 and inch. Place in a large bowl with green pepper, onion, manzinilla olives and cilantro.
3. In a bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Gently toss with potato mixture and let stand, covered at room temperature until cool.
4. Serve at room temperature or chilled.(I prefer chilled).

I've never made this but my friend Christine always brings it to my backyard bbq, and this year I made her bring it to my St. Patrick's Day feast (do you know how many Irish ended up in Latin America as a result of the famine? A LOT).

This is the basic recipe but Chris also includes cherry tomatoes, garlic and avacado, which really add to the flavor.

Source

Simple and Yummy Crustless Quiche

4 eggs

1 c half n half

½ c. chopped onion

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped

2 c. broccoli, chopped

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

8 oz. mozzarella

8 oz. parmesan

Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 375. Saute onions in olive oil until translucent, add mushrooms and broccoli and cook until tender. Meanwhile, mix the eggs, half n half, mozzarella and half the parm in a mixing bowl. When the vegetables are ready add to the eggs. Spray a nine inch pie pan with Pam. Pour the eggs and veg into the pie pan, sprinkle with remaining parm, bake for 40-50 minutes.

You can pretty much toss out all the veg and put in what you like, including ham, bacon, etc. This is so good. I make it on Sunday and graze on it until Tuesday when it's usually gone. Reheat each slice in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Polish Reuben Casserole

2 10.75 oz cans cream of mushroom soup
1 1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T. prepared mustard
2 16 oz. cans saur kraut (optional), rinsed and squeezed dry
1 8 oz. package of egg noodles (I used 1 c. penne)
1 13 oz. package of Polish sausage
2 c. shredded swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine soup, milk, onions, mustard.

Chop sausage into bite-sized pieces, add to soup.

If using egg noodles add to soup uncooked. If using penne, cook to al-dente, then add to soup/sausage.

Pour into 9x13 lightly sprayed baking dish.

Top with cheese, bake for 1 hour.

I found this recipe on the Dinner Spinner in my Allrecipes.com Droid app. It's my first experience with the app and I must say, I'm impressed. The meal was such a hit that my hubs has requested that we make it at least once a month!

Goat Cheese & Pesto Dip

1 container of Chavrie soft goat cheese
1/4-1/2 c. pesto (I like Classico)
1/2 tomato, chopped
4-5 kalamata olives, sliced

1. Spread goat cheese onto a platter with a knife or spatula
2. Use a spoon to spread the pesto onto the goat cheese
3. Sprinkle the tomato on top of the pesto
4. Sprinkle the olives on top of the tomatoes

You can use anything to dip with, tortilla chips, Tricuits, bagel chips, whatever. The chip is just a vehicle to eat more of the dip.

EAT.

Source

Pumpkin and Spice Sour Cream Coffee Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup cooked and mashed pumpkin or 1 cup cooked and mashed canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 10-inch tube pan and set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. Cream margarine and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well after each.
6. Add flavorings and blend.
7. Add pumpkin and sour cream and blend well.
8. Batter will have a curdled appearance.
9. Stir in dry ingredients just until mixed.
10. Combine pecans, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
11. Spread half the batter in prepared pan.
12. Sprinkle with half the pecan mixture.
13. Spread remaining batter over, then sprinkle with remaining pecan mixture.
14. Bake in 350-degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cake tester inserted near center comes out clean.
15. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely on wire rack.

Notes:
-I didn't have any other flavorings in the house so I just used 1 t. of vanilla
-I also didn't have any pecans but it didn't really change anything
-I used reduced fat sour cream and it made no difference
-I didn't have a 10-in tube pan so I used an 8-in square and baked it for 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Worked beautifully.

This coffee cake is so moist I wanted to keep eating it. Two big thumbs up.

Source