Crescent Grinders

1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup red and/or green bell peppers, sliced
½ cup red or yellow onion, sliced
6 Steak-Ums broken into pieces about 1” square
Cheddar Cheese
1 roll (8 count) crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a frying pan heat olive oil.  Add bell peppers and onions.  Saute until limp.  Add steak-ums.  Saute over med. high heat until steak-ums are cook throughout (about 2-3 minutes).  Line a sheet pan with foil sprayed with non-stick spray.  Open crescents and lay out on foil.  Sprinkle heavy with cheese.  Evenly top with meat mixture.  Roll up.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crescents are done and lightly browned.

Comments:  These are simply delicious!  I used a mixture of the red and green peppers.  I found these in Walmart in the freezer section already sliced with the onions already added.  I used about 1 cup of this combination.  The steak-ums work great, but you can also use thin sliced roast beef from the deli or lunch meat dept.  For my cheese I used a Colby-Cheddar Shredded Mixture and put it on heavy.  When adding the meat mixture, you want to pile it on.  When you roll the crescents, it will probably only have one overlap of the crescent point.  Some of the mixture may fall out, just push it back in.  I served mine with a choice of mayo, mustard and/or ranch dressing.

Kielbasa and Hashbrowns (2 ingredient dish)

1 pkg. Kielbasa Sausage
1 carton Idaho Spuds Veggie Hashbrowns

Slice Kielbasa and allow to lightly brown in a non-stick frying pan.  Remove from pan.  Cook Hashbrowns according to package directions.  When done, add the Kielbasa back to the pan and heat thoroughly.  Serves 4

Comments:  The Veggie Hashbrowns by Idaho have red and green peppers in with the potatoes.  I like a little onion so to the potatoes I sprinkled in about 1/2 tsp. of dehydrated onions allowing them to swell along with the potatoes and peppers.  This worked perfectly.  This is a quick and very tasty dish that can be served with a salad and bread for a full meal.  It took about 30 minutes from beginning to end and this includes the time the potatoes are soaking.  Of course, if you don't like peppers or want the real thing, you can stir fry freshly cut and add them to the dish when the meat is added back at the end.

Sausage Balls

1 lb. lean sausage
2 cups shredded, cheddar cheese
1 tube (8 count) crescent rolls
2 Tbsp. flour

Mix the sausage and cheese until well blended.  Lay your crescent rolls on a cutting board or piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour, lightly coating both sides.  With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the crescent rolls into 1/4" cubes.  Mix into the sausage cheese mix.  Shape into balls and bake 12-15 minutes.

Comment:  I can't take credit for this dish.  I actually found it on the Pillsbury website.  I can say that is is easy and oh so delicious!  You get the flavor of the sausage, cheese and that slight sweet taste of the crescent rolls.

Breakfast ‘Mini-Muffins’

1 14.1 ounce pkg. (2 crusts) rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup milk

¾ cup cooked, crumbled breakfast meat – bacon, sausage, ham, etc.
½ cup finely shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Let pie crust stand until room temp.  Spray 24 1 ¾” muffin cups with non-stick spray.  Unroll pie crusts.  Using a 2.5 – 3” round cutter, cut out pastry.  Press circles into the bottoms of the muffin cups.  Lightly cover the bottom of the crusts with cheese.  Top with about ¾ tsp. of the meat.  Mix the eggs and milk and pour into the crust, filling almost to the top edge.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until puffed and the center is firm.

Comments:  Make sure the meats you use is finely crumbled and the cheese is finely shredded.  You can also use finely chopped shrimp, spinach or broccoli.  I made half of mine using Canadian bacon and the other half with regular bacon.  I also cut my crust circles just large enough to fit the bottom of the muffin cups and very slightly up the side.  Both were delicious!  They are even good cold.

Imitation Crab Pasta Salad

I

3 cups uncooked spiral pasta

1 package (16 ounces) imitation crabmeat, flaked

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Toss with crab and vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Comments:  Of course I made changes.  The original recipe called for celery, bell peppers, low-fat mayo and low-fat ranch dressing.  It also called for 4 1/2 cups of uncooked pasta.  I cut that down to 3 cups, used regular mayo and left out the celery and bell peppers.  Reason - I didn't have any on hand.  Didn't matter.  I also added the cheese which added just another flavor.  My neighbor went out of the country for a few weeks and left me her dill weed plant to watch while she was gone.  I used some if it to make this dish.  The fresh dill was the key to this dish being such a success.  Every bite has you wanting another.  You can't beat this one.

Cheesy Spinach Casserole

Total Time 60 min
Prep 15 min, Cook 45 min
Servings 8

2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, press out liquid

¼ chopped onion

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 8-ounce package cottage cheese, low-fat 2%

½ cup feta cheese

½ cup Monterey jack cheese

2 eggs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt or other spice mixture to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, hard (not the dried kind in a can)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Defrost spinach in the boxes or in a 2-quart casserole dish.
Fry chopped onions in oil until they are translucent and begin to soften.
Mix all ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese in the casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean and cheese on top begins to brown. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Serve warm 

Comments:  I found this recipe on the Verywell Fed site and since I love spinach I had to give it a try.  I made 2 changes: I used a teaspoon of minced garlic and didn't add the lemon juice.  It turned out delicious and I can't believe how few calories it contains.  I baked mine in a pie plate which made it easy to divide into 8th's giving me as well as my food testers a nice serving to eat and really enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	9%
Saturated Fat 4g	20%
Cholesterol 65mg	22%
Sodium 310mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 4g	1%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 2g
Includes 0g Added Sugars	0%
Protein 11g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 230mg	18%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 219mg	5%

Spinach Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

4 ounces dry spaghetti

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup parsley leaves, minced

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup spinach leaves, minced

pinch red pepper flakes

Prepare and drain spaghetti according to package directions. Don't forget to salt your water and work on preparing the other ingredients while the spaghetti is on the stove.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sautee for about 2 minutes.

Add the cooked and drained spaghetti to the skillet and mix until incorporated with the oil and garlic. 

Add the parsley and spinach, stir until well combined. Let cook for another 2 minutes before turning off the heat and plating.

Comments:  I found this recipe online.  There were only 2 changes that I made.  One was to add 1/4 cup of half & half and the other was to add about 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese, adding both at the before the last 2 minutes of cooking at the end.  This is so good!  I took some over to one of my food testers and she loved it.  A delicious addition to this would be small shrimp!  Or maybe chicken.

Pita Burgers

Lean Ground Beef
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Cheese, shredded
Sauted Onions
Pita Bread

Brown the ground beef.  Drain if needed.  While the meat is still hot add to taste - ketchup, mustard mayonnaise and cheese.  Stuff into pita halves.  Top with grilled onions.

Comment:  My dog wasn't feeling well so I browned him some ground beef and mixed a little with his dog food to get him to eat.  I had about 3/4 lb. left over and didn't know what to do with cooked, crumbled ground beef, other than spaghetti, etc.  Then it hit me.  I heated it back up, added the toppings I normally add to my burgers along with shredded cheese.  I sauted some onions, stuffed the meat mixture into pita halves  and added the onions on top.  The cheese acted as a glue holding the meat together, keeping it from falling out of the pita.  The taste was better than a regular hamburger!  I took some to one of my Food Testers.  She loved it so much she bought some ground beef and pitas and 2 nights later she made her own.  I'm sure you could add tomatoes and lettuce if you use the larger pitas.  I used the small. 

White Chocolate Energy Blend

3 Pkg. (2.75 oz. each) Imperial Nuts - Energy Blend
1 pkg. white chocolate chips

Melt the white chocolate and stir in the Energy Blend.  Pour onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until cooled.  Break into pieces.

Comment:  Every year I make chocolate and white chocolate candy clusters but this is the 1st year I've ever used Imperial Nuts Energy blend.  The only place I've found these are at the Dollar Tree.  They consist of Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Honey Roasted Peanuts, and Honey Roasted Sesame Sticks.  I love them as they are but when I decided to give them a try coated with white chocolate, all I can say is OMGoodness!  I took some to the nursing home, gave some to some of my food testers and even my 99 yr. old neighbor 'Mom.'  They all loved them!  Give these a try and I have a feeling you will too.  The sesame sticks really make them special.

Shrimp Alfredo Mac & Cheese

1 box (16 oz.) elbow macaroni
1 jar (16 oz.) Alfredo Sauce
1 lb. shrimp, cooked and cleaned
1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheese
Panko

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  In a large bowl combine Alfredo sauce, cream cheese and cheese.  Stir in shrimp and noodles.  Pour into a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle with Panko and bake another 5 minutes.

Comments:  My nursing home friend loves shrimp, Alfredo and cheese so I came up with a combination that included all of these and named it Shrimp Alfredo Mac & Cheese.  I found the shrimp on sale - large buy one get one - so I used a bag of them cutting each into bite size pieces.  This dish came out simply delicious.  I sent some over to my 99 yr. old friend and she loved it too.

Sock-it-to-Me Cake

1 yellow cake mix

4 large eggs

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese + 2 Tbsp. milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

Streusel Filling:

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.  Melt cream cheese in microwave until soft.  Stir in milk.  Combine cake mix, eggs, water and cream cheese.  Mix well for 2-3 minutes on medium speed.  Pour ½ of the batter into the pan.  In another bowl mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans.  Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter (save 2-3 Tbsp. for topping).  Add remaining batter over streusel mix.  Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Glaze:  Mix the powdered sugar, melted butter and milk.  Drizzle over hot cake that has been placed on a plate.  Sprinkle with remaining streusel filling.

COMMENT:  I have a friend who is 99 years old and her favorite cake is the Sock-it-to-Me Cake.  I normally buy one but when I was getting ready to make something good to take to the nursing home on Sunday I spotted a Sock-it-to-Me Cake on the Duncan Hines site.  I checked it out and found it a bit hard to read due to the way it was written but decided to give it a try anyway.  The original recipe called for sour cream, which I normally keep but found that I was out and didn't want to go all the way to the store for just one cup.  Then I spotted the cream cheese.  I knew that if I microwaved it and added just a little milk it would end up the consistency of sour cream so I made that substitution.  It was one that I'll be using in the future for not only sweet dishes but also a few veggie dishes.  The original also called for a carton of their frosting mix.  I seldom use store bought frosting so I made up my own using the powdered sugar.  They also added 1/4 cup of sugar to the cake mix.  I couldn't see the need so I eliminated that.  My only other change was to save some of the streusel to sprinkle on the top.  All of these changes worked beautifully.  The taste the cream cheese gave the cake was so good.  This is a simple, yet one of the best cakes that would be great for the upcoming holidays.

Ground Beef Stuffing

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. stuffing mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4-5 slices provolone cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown and drain the ground beef.  Mix stuffing according to package mix.  Add ground beef and shredded cheese.  Pour evenly into a 8 x 8 (approx) baking dish.  Top with Provolone cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese has melted inside and out.

Comment:  This dish is so simple yet so delicious!  I've made this with chicken in the past but decided to try changing it by using the ground beef.  I cooked this without the mushroom soup so it isn't showing in the picture.  When I heated the leftovers up I added the soup.  That was even better but the soup is optional.

Pineapple Coconut Cake

1 pineapple cake mix
1 can sliced pineapple (save juice)
1 can (or 1 cup) shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Make cake mix according to directions but use the pineapple juice in place of the water.  This can be made in loaf pans, round pans or 9 x 13 baking dish.  Spray the pan you plan to use with non-stick spray.  Lay out the pineapple.  Sprinkle with coconut.  Sprinkle with pecans.  Bake according to the directions on the package for the pan size you're using.

Comments:  This is one of the best cakes I've ever had the pleasure of eating and all of my food testers agree.  There is one ingredient I love to use but have a hard time finding.  It's a grated coconut in a can with coconut milk.  When I do find this it's usually in the Mexican food section but I seldom run across it.  If you use this grated coconut with milk, spoon it over the pineapple, picking up some of the milk as you go.  Use about 1/2 the can over the pineapple and include the remaining into the cake mix.  Just make sure you take the amount of coconut milk into consideration when adding liquids to your cake mix.  I measured my remaining milk and then added the pineapple juice to come up with the amount of liquid the cake mix called for.

Strawberry Pudding

1 14 oz. Can Eagle Brand milk
1 cup cold water
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip 
Box vanilla wafers
1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced 

chocolate shavings (optional)

In large bowl combine Eagle Brand milk and water. Add pudding mix. Beat well. Chill 5 min.
Fold in Cool Whip.  In a 9 x 13 (approx) dish put a layer of vanilla wafers.  Add the sliced strawberries.  Add another layer of vanilla wafers.  Spread the pudding mix evenly over wafers.  Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.  Chill thoroughly.

Comment:  This is sooooooo good and so simple to make.  It reminded me of banana pudding using strawberries instead of the bananas.  You can even change this up and use bananas or cherries or pineapple.  Great for a cool, light dessert at a cookout.

Cauliflower Patties

5 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 lb.)
1 cup shredded cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place cauliflower in a food processor. Process until finely grated. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely and microwave on High for 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer the cauliflower to a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess moisture. Return to the bowl and stir in cheese, egg and salt until thoroughly combined. Roll into large balls and form into patties.  Repeat with the remaining batter, leaving about 1 inch between each one.  Bake until browned and crispy around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings or use to make a breakfast sandwich.  Makes 10

Comment:  These are delicious!   I found a recipe for Cauliflower English Muffins that required using a biscuit cutter to form the patties.  Didn't have one so I used my hands.  The texture reminds me of grits.  The taste is similar to grits with a touch of sweetness.  These would actually work great served with an egg on top.  I'm going to use them in place of bread to make an open face burger.  I really believe it will be perfect.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 10.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 72
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	8 %
Saturated Fat 3 g	14 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 32 mg	11 %
Sodium 110 mg	5 %
Potassium 154 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 3 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	5 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g	10 %
Vitamin A	3 %
Vitamin C	35 %
Calcium	10 %
Iron	1 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Pina Colada Fluff

1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 pineapple (peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
1 container (16 oz. or 2 8 oz.) cool whip

Combine all ingredients mixing until pudding had dissolved.  Refrigerate 2-3 hrs. or until set.

Comment:  The original recipe called for 1 can of pineapple with juice, no coconut extract and no coconut.  It also called for 1 8 oz. container of cool whip.  I had a fresh pineapple that needed to be used so I used that instead of the canned and increased the amount of the cool whip to add extra moisture.  I also added the coconut and extract because I love the taste of a good Pina Colada.  This is simply delicious.  As for the number of servings, I have no idea.  I'm taking it to the nursing home and it ended up filling the cool whip container so I would say at least 8-10?

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 coconut cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix butter, nuts and chips.  Add eggs until well blended.  Mix in cake mix.  Make into walnut size balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  The cookies will still be very soft until completely cooled.  Makes about 3 dozen depending on size.

Comment:  The cake mix cookies can be made with any flavor of cake mix.  I normally just pick the flavor I want and add ingredients such as nuts, chips, etc.  You can even add dried fruit to say a pineapple cake mix.  Or use a pineapple cake mix and add coconut.  Just Think With Your Taste Buds and come up with your favorite cookies using this simple recipe.

White Chip Pudding Cookies

1 cup vegetable oil

¹⁄₄ cup sugar 

³⁄₄ cup brown sugar,  firmly packed

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 (3 ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix 

2 large eggs 

1teaspoon baking soda 

2 ¹⁄₄ cups self rising flour 

1cup white chocolate chips (more or less to taste)

1cup nuts (optional)

Mix flour and baking soda and set aside.  Then combine butter, sugars, vanilla, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually add flour mixture.  Then stir in chips (batter will be stiff).  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet.  (it works well to roll dough in ball and slightly flatten).  Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Comments:  These cookies are delicious!  I made a batch to take to the nursing home and believe me they didn't last long.  The nurses all raved about them.

Tuna & Rice Casserole

1 can (5-6 oz) tuna, drained
1 can cream of mushroom condensed soup
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup wild rice blend
1/2 cup French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to package making sure the water has cooked out or it has been drained.  In a large bowl combine tuna, soup, cheese and rice.  Pour into an 8 x 8 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly in center.  Sprinkle with crushed French fried onions.  Bake another 5 minutes or until onions start to lightly brown.  Serves 6.

Weight Watchers points - 5

Comment:  This turned out delicious!  I made it based on the recipe for Green Bean Casserole adding the cheese and rice.

Pork Roast

½ to ¾ cup of baby carrots

3 to 4 medium potatoes cut into thirds

4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4” thick)

1 large onion sliced

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 cans (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup

Place carrots and potatoes in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Top with pork chops, onion, soup mix and soup. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Comment:  While at the grocery store deli I saw that they ran a special one day a week on cooked, pork loin.  The price was wonderful and the size of the loin was rather large but I decided that after making a delicious sandwich I would find something else to do with what was left.  I found this recipe for a slow-cooker pork roast and just changed the cooking time since my roast was already cooked.  To make the adjustment use a large pot, place the potatoes, carrots and onions in the bottom, top with slices of the pork loin, mix the dry soup and canned soups together PLUS 1/2 CAN OF WATER! and pour over the pork, cover and cook on med heat until the potatoes are tender.  Mine took about 45 minutes to cook.  This is delicious.  (You can also make this using left-over beef roast).  My food testers all enjoyed their Pork Roast dinner.