Home made Raisin Bran is much heather and tastier than store bought and it’s pretty easy.  Just don’t try using wax paper instead of butcher’s paper or a silicone mat as the dough is only 1/8” thick and will definitely stick to the paper.

Cucumber Dill Salad

This tasty summer salad is a must when days are hot and humid.  Just the thought of it cools me off!  I replaced sour cream with nonfat Greek yogurt, so this one is a slimmed, but tasty version. I added a little Orange next to it (I'm in Florida, after all) to denote that it is a healthy and weight conscious recipe.  You can find it on the Vegies and Salad page.  Enjoy!

Home Made Tandy Cakes

Tandy Cake (Peanut Butter Chocolate) copycat recipe, courtesy of my Aunt Mary.  Yes, we miss our Tastycakes and this is darn close.  I've made 3 batches during this pandemic and we're not sick of them yet.  Enjoy!
P.S. They are not really WW friendly.  :)  and Thank you, Aunt Mary!

Home Made Oat Flour

Today's discovery - I can make my own flour in just a few seconds.  For real and it's so easy and beneficial, I can't believe I never know about this.

What is it?  It's Oat Flour.  And, you just take your Old Fashioned Oats (or use what you have), and put them in your blender and in a few seconds, you have your own flour.

Why make it?  It's pretty cheap to make and better for you than regular flour made from wheat.  Here are some benefits:
1.  It's gluten-free, so if you're allergic, no worries, try subbing regular flour with oat flour
2.  It's supposed to lower your risk for heart disease, both coronary and cardiovascular
3.  It lowers cholesterol; apparently by inhibiting or lowering the absorption of dietary cholesterol
4.  If you are diabetic, it's good for you because of the lower cholesterol, gluten-free, and reducing concentrations of A1c
5.  May help decrease blood pressure, and that's a big health benefit
6.  It helps you feel full so this is a nice benefit if you're trying to diet



And, for the best part, I used it in breakfast bars and they taste great!  They are very moist and delicious.  And, they came out to only 6 Smart Points on the Weight Watchers plan.  WIN!

The recipe can be found on the Breakfast page.  Enjoy your oatmeal (and peanut butter and chocolate chips).  :)

Ivin's Spiced Wafers

From the wonderful website, Yankee Kitchen Ninja, comes a favorite fall season favorite.  When I was a kid, in the autumn, Ivin's Spiced Wafers would suddenly appear on grocery store shelves.
I haven't seen these in the store in years.  But, I did find this copycat recipe.  I posted it on the Desserts page.  Enjoy and Happy Harvest!

Tortellini Soup

This tortellini soup recipe is super easy and can be prepared in about 20-30 minutes.  I pre-cooked the carrots and celery before adding them to the soup, to make preparation even faster.  This is delicious and won the Tony award. :)  Thanks, Tony.

Dinette Cake - easy and just the right size for a small gathering

Dinette Cake is a small, 1 egg cake that carries and keeps well.  It's just the right size for a snowy night at home. Or a sunny one.  I use buttercream chocolate icing on this cake, but you could easily swap it out for strawberries and whipped cream or whatever you like.

Easy Alfredo Sauce Without Cream Cheese

This is a super easy Alfredo sauce and does not require cream cheese. You can use skim milk, regular milk, cream or a combination thereof. It is scrumptious with tortelini or fettucini.  Try, be creative, and enjoy.

Creamy Artichoke Lasagna

This amazing Vegetarian Lasagna, has a tasty, creamy flavor with the added surprise of artichokes.  I tried 3 stores to find fresh baby artichokes before I gave up.  I ended up using canned artichoke hearts.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

My sister tried out these Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats and her dogs loved them.  So, have one dog that eats anything and one that is very picky.  The picky one is Elkie.  After I made these, she sat up and begged for them.  Success.

Isabel's Chocolate Biscoti

We had a cookie exchange at work and Isabel make delectable Biscoti.  She said the recipe was easy so I asked her to share and she did.  Guess what?  It is easy!  Enjoy and Merry Biscoti!

Soft Anise Italian Cookies

These, I hope, are like the traditional cookies my late mother-in-law used to make at Christmas.  They are my husband's favorite, and hopefully a surprise this year. Merry Christmas, Tony!  Go to the Desserts page to find the recipe for Soft Anise Italian Cookies.

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Pudding that you get in a little box in the store aisle is fine.  Some days.  But, some day, you might want to try the real thing.  That's right, it's not that hard to make home made Chocolate Pudding from scratch.  You probably already have the ingredients.  Whip up a batch, let it cool, and watch it disappear.  There is nothing like home made chocolate pudding.  It takes a little effort, but maybe you'll burn off some of the calories you're about to consume!  Ha! Find the recipe on the Dessert page and enjoy.

Incredibly Easy Self Crusting Coconut Custard Pie

I woke up this October morning with the urge to use up some ingredients, and freeze some things.
I started with Pancakes, which I am freezing and they will become toaster pancakes.  Then, I made fresh Blueberry Muffins.  Then, I made this incredibly simple Coconut Custard Self Crusting Pie recipe and fell in love with this time saver of a recipe.  Try it to use up leftover coconut.  It only takes a cup.  And, it really is too easy.  Enjoy!

Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole

This looks delicious to me. I saved it to the blog for future testing.  This is another recipe I found in November 2014 issue of Food Network Magazine.  Check it out if you like curry. It's on the entrees page.

Jalapeño-Bacon Skillet Cornbread

I found this recipe for Jalapeño-bacon skillet cornbread in an old the November 2014 issue of Food Network Magazine. It looks so yummy I needed to save it.  If you have an iron skillet, it looks worth trying!  If not maybe another type of dish that can go from stove top to oven.

Fondue, not a diet food.

While Fondue is not strictly a diet food, it can be argued that every good diet has a Cheat Day.  These two recipes are for Cheat Day.  As long as Cheat Day comes about once a month.

Cheese Fondue
Chocolate Fondue

And the fun is in the dipping.  Let the fun begin.  On Cheat Day.

See the recipes on the Appetizer page.

Chicken Cheddar Shells

Chicken Cheddar Shells.  This is a delicious recipe, that sadly does not qualify for low calorie.  I'm sure you could delete the Ritz crackers and some of the cheddar.  And the bacon.  But then you'd have just chicken, shells and broccoli. Which would be fine if you have a bland taste buds.  If you want some flavor, try this just as it is.  I found this at a cooking demo at Publix and they have a series of recipes called Aprons.  Definitely not my invention.  You'll love it!

Today is the day to recycle the pile of magazines in the corner. Ergo, I posted some recipes that looked pretty good. My criteria today is either sinful or healthy. No in-betweens. So check out the new posts and thank you to Cooking Light and Food Network magazines.

Peach Upside Down Cake

It's been a busy day for my cooking blog!  Just made a tasty Peach Upside Down Cake.  It supposed to serve 8.  This is super easy and made with fresh peaches, but I'm sure you could substitute canned if you like.  However, fresh peaches are in season now, so why not use them?!  This recipe is on the desserts page. Enjoy!