YoDip

In my search for ways to have snacks without breaking our diet, I created a concoction last night. I call it YoDip. Super easy, nonfat, and yummy.

YoDip

2 cups Nonfat Plain yogurt (220 calories)
1/2 packet onion soup mix (50 calories)

Stir thoroughly. Chill overnight for best results. Serve with lowfat crackers or chips or veggies - whatever blows your skirt up. They way I figure it, it's about 9 calories per tablespoon for the dip (check the package for calorie count on your dipable substance of choice) and none of those calories are from fat. Yay.

Next time, I'm going to try creating a sweet dip for rice cakes. I'll let you know how it goes - unless it's really nasty, in which case I'll carry the recipe to my grave. ;o)

Annual Cookie-Stravaganza

Yessir, it's that time again. Time for the Sanderson women to bake cookies until we can't stand ourselves or the smell of vanilla. Of course, not everything we make are cookies. We have two kinds of fudge to do, too. Plus, the kidlet is planning on two kinds of candy this year.

In honor of this event, I'd like share a little quickie recipe I found this year.

Cake Cookies

1 box cake mix (whichever one turns you on)
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 eggs
nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, candy bits... whatever works with whichever mix you pick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until firm and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to cool.

Now, yesterday we used a Spice cake mix then added walnuts (1/2 cup chopped) and raisins (1/2 cup). It was so easy, we also made a batch using Devils Food cake mix with pecans and milk chocolate chips. Both were so yummy that today we're trying Strawberry cake with white chocolate chips and Triple Chocolate cake with the rest of the white chocolate chips.

Ummm, the diet? Well, that sucker is on hold indefinitely. We'll try again after the new year.

Have fun!

*Update: The count for today was two batches of cookies, peanut butter fudge and creamy mint candies. Not the most we've done in one day, but a good start. OTOH, I did finish the blankets so I can ship them in time for x-mas. Tomorrow, coconut rum cookies and cream cheese cookies, plus chocolate fudge and maybe a couple other new cookies depending on my stamina (and how much my kitchen assistant can take). ;o)

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

Okay, I know this isn't a 'recipe blog', but I just couldn't resist passing this one along. A friend of mine is going in for surgery this week, and I thought I'd make her some baked goods to cheer her up for before the big event. So today, I made what I'll just call a Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake. It's super easy, and if the batter is any indication, it's super good, too. (I've never made this before, so my friend will have to be the guinea pig here.)

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

Cake:
1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used Dutch Chocolate cake, but use whatever you like best)
1 cup chocolate chips

Make cake according to directions on box. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes (mine took almost 45, but that's the altitude here) or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn it onto a plate for the rest of the cooling process.

While the cake is cooling, make the following:

Glaze:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips
splash of vanilla

Put the condensed milk and the chips into a medium saucepan on low heat. Stir constantly until the chips are melted completely and the milk is well-combined. Don't let it boil or it will scald and take nasty. When the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool just a little - should be cool enough to stick your finger in and taste it with out burning yourself. Dribbling liberally over the cake, but be careful - mine ran over the edges of the plate and we were forced to lick the counter afterwards. (It was a trial, but someone had to do it. :wink:) Let cool completely, slice and serve. Perhaps with a big scoop of ice cream. If there's any glaze left (and trust me, there was), it looks like it'll be awesome over the brownies we made a couple days ago... with ice cream, of course.

Bon Apetit.

Oh, and be careful turning the cake out of the pan. Mine lost a chunk off one side and we had to do a little cosmetic surgery so it would look okay for my friend. It's still a little off, but this isn't Top Chef, so I think it'll be okay.

Cheap and Quick Dinner

If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm something of a foodie. I love cooking. I love making new things for my family to try. I enjoy watching cooking shows and chefs (especially Anthony Bourdain - if you haven't read Kitchen Confidential, give it a whirl).

Sometimes this means I try throwing things together and it doesn't work, but most of the time I manage to come up with some truly yummy meals. Last night was one of the latter.

Yesterday I forgot to defrost anything for dinner, and I really did not want hotdogs. So, I grabbed what we had around the house and threw the following together. It was inexpensive, but tasted expensive (which is perfect for budget-gal me).

Portobello Salmon Pasta

1/2 cup margarine (or butter, if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups diced baby portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried diced onion
1 packet boneless skinless pink salmon
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (unseasoned)
1 12 oz pkg angelhair pasta
Parmesan and mozzarella to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat butter until it starts to sizzle. Add mushrooms. Saute 1-2 minutes or until mushrooms begin to lose their raw look. Add basil and onion. Saute another 1-2 minutes until onion softens. Add in salmon - breaking it apart until it incorporates with the other ingredients. Saute another 1-2 minutes. Add in tomatoes. Allow entire mixture to simmer uncovered while you make your pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain pasta and either place it back in the pan (if you're like me and don't want to wash extra things) or in a large bowl. Dump the salmon mixture over the pasta, and toss together. Garnish with parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese. Serve with garlic toast.

The entire meal cost me about $5, and it made enough for probably 5 or 6 people (considering there are three of us, we all had seconds, and we still have leftovers enough for lunch). It probably helped that the 'bellos were on sale this week. I picked up 2 pints for $3, and only used a half pint to make this. You can probably use more expensive salmon than what comes in those packets, but if you're trying to stick to a budget, why bother? (Unless it's on sale, of course.)

I'm all about the sales. I get positively giddy when I can scoop up a bargain. (Don't even get me started on the really cute shoes I picked up for $3.50.)

Anyway, if you try the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

Just because I've gotten rave reviews on my peanut butter fudge, I thought I'd share the recipe. It's wicked easy, and pretty foolproof. Just make sure you hit the soft-ball stage (234 degrees F) - which means keeping the sugar at a rolling boil for exactly five minutes. If you don't have a candy thermometer, and you're not sure about the five minute thing, take a glass of water and drip a little of the mixture into the water when you think it's about right. The sugar drips should make a little ball(s) in the water when it's done. Too little heat will give you runny fudge, and too much will give you hard/gritty fudge. It's an art, but it's worth it.

Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
4 T butter
1 cup evaporated milk
1 ½ cups peanut butter
2 t vanilla
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Butter pan (8 x 10”, or larger depending on the thickness you want. 8 x 10” pans produce thick fudge.) In a medium saucepan, combine both sugars, evaporated milk and butter. To start, place pan on medium heat until butter is melted and all ingredients have combined. Turn heat up to medium-high until mixture is at a rolling boil. Boil for approximately 5 minutes, or until the mixture reaches soft ball stage (234 degrees F). Remove from heat and immediately stir in remaining ingredients. Stir quickly but thoroughly until all ingredients are combined (taking care not to slop hot sugar mixture over the sides of the pan). Once peanut butter and marshmallows are completely melted and combined with sugar, pour into pre-buttered pan to cool.

Christmas Time is Upon Me

Sorry about not posting yesterday, but I did the huge Christmas shopping trip, and I was tuckered out. So even though I didn't post yesterday, please remember this week is the Anniversary Contest.

As I sit here listening to my Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton Christmas CD, my first batch of cookies is in the oven and the darling daughter is prepping for the next batch. The shopping yesterday kicked me into the yuletide season full force. This year I wasn't really getting into the swing of things, I admit. My house isn't decorated at all, and I didn't want to listen to Christmas music. I just didn't feel like I gave a rip about any of it.

On the hour drive to the closest town with real stores, I heard one Christmas song on the radio and everything seemed to click. Now I'm ready to tackle this year's festivities.

Every year for the past few years, I bake cookies like a woman possessed, then I give them to friends and my husband's co-workers as gifts. Last year we did 7 types of cookies and 2 types of fudge. This year, the plan is to about the same. A few of the recipes have changed, but for the most part it's the same mix of treats: two types of 6-layer bars (one with pecans and the other with walnuts), snickerdoodles, coconut-rum drop cookies, chocolate no-bakes, oatmeal raisin, cream cheese cookies with chocolate chips, chocolate fudge and peanut-butter fudge.

Just to share in the fun, here's my 6-layer bar recipe:

6-layer bars

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine (melted)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 10 oz bag white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, macadamias... whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" ungreased cake pan. Sprinkle coconut evenly over crust. Sprinkle semi-sweet chips over coconut. Pour condensed milk evenly over chips. Sprinkle white chocolate chips over condensed milk. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top of it all (if you want more nuts, go for it). Bake for 30 minutes or until top layer of chips looks melted. Cool completely (overnight if necessary or refrigerate for 3-4 hours), cut and serve.
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I hope you're getting into the spirit of whichever holiday season you celebrate. It's just not the same if you're not into it.

=oD