Hot Wing Dip

I love hot wings... but unfortunately, they're deep fried and not very good for you. Becky introduced me to this nice substitution, and I've been in love ever since.

Grocery List:
1.) 2 or 3 Chicken Breasts
2.) Hot Wing Sauce (this can be found in the Marinade section)
3.) Fat Free Cream Cheese
4.) Fat Free Sour Cream
5.) Ranch mix (it's next to the salad dressing... I go with Hidden Valley. Look for the blue box.)
6.) Blue Cheese Crumbles.
7.) Frito's

Cut up your raw chicken into bite-sized pieces. Put it in a big zip-lock, and marinade in the hot wing sauce for about half an hour.

While you're waiting, mix together the whole block of cream cheese, the Ranch, and enough sour cream to make it smooth. I actually whip out the hand-held beaters for this, but if you're up for doing it by hand, then more power to you.

When the chicken is well soaked, spray a skillet with Pam, and cook it until it is white throughout, and there's no chance of you getting salmonella. Put the cooked chicken in an oven-safe container and top with the ranch mixture. Sprinkle the blue cheese on top, and throw it in the oven on 350 until it's warm throughout. Serve with Frito's... nomnomnom

Ms. Linda's Pretty Pink Parfait.

Goah, I love this stuff. Just thinking about it makes me want to run to the grocer. I got this recipe from my friend Rodney's mom. She serves it in her spa to all of her guests, and it's woooonderful!!!

Grocery List:
1.) Large Fat Free Cool Whip
2.) Large Fat Free Cottage Cheese
3.) Large Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt
4.) Sugar Free Strawberry Jell-O mix.

Start by draining and rinsing the cottage cheese. Put it in a big bowl, and mix in the cottage cheese and yogurt. Once that's blended, sprinkle on the Jell-O, and then stir it again.

I eat this for breakfast with walnuts and frozen raspberries on top... nomnomnom

Strawberry Surprise

I love some strawberries... I love them even more in January when they're in season, and you can smell them as soon as you walk into the grocer. They're not as good this time of year, but I'll still eat them on a regular basis... either plain, or with this little trick that I stole from B&A.

Grocery List:
1.) Strawberries
2.) Honey
3.) Coarse ground pepper... not the regular kind. It has to be coarse.

This might be the easiest thing I've ever "made". I use that word lightly, because all you do is wash the strawberries, and put them out with enough honey and pepper to dip in. You dip honey first, then pepper... and repeat as often as necessary... nomnomnom

p.s. The bowl of pink in the first photo is Ms. Linda's Pretty Pink Parfait. I'll save that recipe for tomorrow... so keep reading!!

Tai Turkey Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

My mother found this recipe a few years ago, and it has totally changed my life. These burgers are so good, it's hard for me to go back to the regular turkey burger. Luckily they're pretty easy, and all of the ingredients I keep on hand.

Grocery List:
1.) 1 lb or so of ground turkey
2.) Peanut butter
3.) Scallions
4.) Cilantro
5.) Bread crumbs
6.) Buns... I prefer sesame.
7.) 1 or 2 Sweet Potatoes
8.) Cumin, if you don't already have it...

Start by washing the potatoes. Cut off the ends, pierce them with a knife, and throw them in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Once they're done, slice them to the size you prefer you fries, spread them out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with salt, Lawry's, and cumin, then cook them in the oven at about 350 while you're making the burgers.

For the burgers, you're going to want to put a few spoonfuls of peanut butter in a microwave safe dish, and heat it for about 30 seconds, to a minute... or until it's good and melted. Add 4-6 cut up scallions and a few handfuls of minced cilantro to the bowl, then throw in about 1/2 a cup or so of bread crumbs. Add your meat, and mix well. You should be able to form 5 or 6 good sized burgers from this mixture.

When your burgers are ready to cook, spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray, and then put them in. Cook on med-high heat, and let it brown on one side before turning it over... otherwise, it's going to fall apart.

Once the burgers are done, take out the sweet potatoes, and you're ready to eat. I prefer them on a sesame bun with mayo, red onion, tomato, and lettuce... nomnomnom!!!

Brie Bake

Brie Bake is one of my favorite things to take to parties... or to just have on a Sunday afternoon. It's good, it's easy, and I haven't met anyone who doesn't love it. Here are two different brie bakes that I've made recently:

Grocery List:
1.) Brie round*
2.) Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent rolls (the kind you have to pop out of the roll, and cook)
3.) Chopped Walnuts
4.) Brown Sugar/Splenda
5.) 3 Granny Smith apples

The first thing that you need to do is remove all the nasty white stuff from the brie. This can be done with a knife, or a cheese cutter, or a combination of the two. Then, slice the brie in half so that you have two rounds.

Lightly salt your walnuts and put them in the toaster over. When they're done, mix them with the brown sugar/Splenda.

Roll out the crescent dough on a cookie sheet, and put one brie round in the middle. Spread the sugary nut mixture on the brie, then add the other round. Fold the dough over the brie until the whole thing is covered.

Bake according to crescent directions, and serve with sliced apples. (Side note: if you splash lemon or lime juice on top of the apples, they wont turn brown as quickly) You might want to make two of these and keep one just for yourself... nomnomnom

*Sometimes, you can get really lucky and find the brie with the white already removed. This brie is a lot creamier, and can be mixed with the sugary nuts before being put in the crescent rolls. If I do find this kind of brie, my bake will end up oblong, and not round.

Fiesta Fruit Salad

Seeing as Becky's recipe request motivated me to blog, I think that it's only fair that it appears as my second post. Without further ado, Fiesta Fruit Salad:

Grocery List:
1.) Fresh fruit: Pineapple (you can buy them without their skin, and already cored at Publix), Oranges, Mango, Blueberries, Kiwi and Strawberries.
(side note: you can use any, or all, of these fruits)
2.) Cilantro... nomnomnom
3.) Red Onion
4.) Honey

Cut the fresh fruit and put it in a large bowl. Add a handful or two of diced cilantro, and about half of a finely chopped red onion. Top the bowl with a good squirt of honey, then mix it, and put it in the fridge over night.

I love fruit of all kinds, but this is seriously the best fruit salad I've ever had in my life... nomnomnom

Angela's Scallop Sensation

I've been meaning to start this for a while. I had the idea a month or so ago, but never got around to sitting down and actually writing until now. This weekend has been a bit of an inspiration for my new cooking blog seeing as 1.) I went to see Julie and Julia and 2.) I ran into Becky, who asked for one of my recipes.

That being said, I wish to further elaborate on my cooking style. I guess it can be summed up in four words: Healthy, Easy, Appealing, and Delicious. Oh, and cheap. I use basic ingredients, and usually stay under 5 or so things per recipe. I believe that every kitchen should have salt/pepper (from here on out known as "s/p"), a jar of minced garlic, Enova oil, and the basic condiments (butter, mayo, etc.); I'm not going to tell you to buy these things, because you already have them. I should also let you know that I'm not one for measuring things out, so I apologize in advance for my over abundance of "dashes" or "sprinkles". I feel like that makes things easier, but if it bothers you, sorry, but this is my blog.

Enough of that boring stuff. The first meal I've decided to post is also my favorite to make: Angela's Scallop Sensation. Say it with me now, "nomnomnom." Truth be told, I didn't eat a scallop until I was 24 years old. I really don't know how I lived that long without them. Thanks to a dinner party at Angela's, scallops are now in my diet pretty regularly. So, here's how you make them:

Grocery List:
1.) 1 lb. scallops (on sale at Publix until Tues, 8/25, for $6.99/lb)
2.) 3 different colored bell peppers (green, red, yellow, or orange)
3.) Couscous (It's on the rice aisle. I buy "Near East Whole Grain" and use 1/2 the box, which they say is 2 servings, but it's really 4.)

In order to prep for this, all you have to do is cut the peppers, rinse/drain the scallops, and start the water/oil boiling for the couscous.

To cook the scallops, coat a large skillet with a little oil and a spoonful of garlic. Once that's warm on the stove, throw in the scallops and s/p them. Do not touch them, and let them cook for a few minutes on one side, then turn them over and s/p the other side. Scallops aren't something that should be constantly fondled. Just put them in the pan and let them cook.

Once they're about done, add the peppers, and saute until they're the crispness that you enjoy. This usually takes just a few minutes.

When your water is boiling, add the couscous and take it off the heat. Let it sit, covered, 5 min or until you're ready to eat. Then fluff it with a fork, and put it on a plate.

Top the couscous with the scallops/peppers, and you're ready to eat. nomnomnom...