Bacon-Corn Chowder with Potatoes

What a great chowder for a cold rainy day. It doesn't take long to make, about 10 minutes of prep time and about 25 minutes for cooking. I found this recipe, once again in my Cooking Pleasures magazine.

6 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. celery chopped
2 c. low sodium chicken broth, divided
3 1/2 c. fresh corn kernels (6-8 medium ears of corn); reserve 3 stripped cobs [I did not have fresh corn so I used two cans of corn]
1 lb. unpeeled red potatoes, cubed in 1/2 inch thickness
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. hot milk
1/4-1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

1. Cook bacon in large pot over medium heat 8 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels; reserve bacon drippings in pot.
2. Add onion and celery to pot; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until almost translucent. Increase heat to high; add 1/2 c. of broth, stirring to scrap up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Add reserved corn cobs, remaining 1 1/2 c. of broth, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender; uncover.
3. Add milk and hot sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Add corn kernels; simmer 3-4 minutes. Remove and discard corn cobs and bay leaves. Stir in bacon just before serving.

6 servings; serving = 1 1/4 c.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 300 calories, 14g total fat (5.5g saturated fat), 10.5g protein, 36g carbohydrates, 25mg cholesterol, 680mg sodium and 4.5g fiber.

Butterflied Korean Pork Tenderloin

One more recipe from my August/September issue of Cooking Pleasures from the staff and editors of the magazine. I used pork chops instead of tenderloin so I didn't have to cut it and and pound them thin. They aren't real thick to begin with. Before I get to the recipe, I thought I'd just share with everyone that whenever provided with the recipe/source, I am going to include the nutritional information in the new "nutritional information" section at the end of the recipe. Most things I make, with exception to desserts are pretty healthy, but when I use Weight Watcher recipes they are on the healthier side. I wanted to contribute to helping you make nutritious and yummy meals for your families.

MARINADE:
2 (1-1 1/4 lb.) pork tenderloins OR 4 porkchops
1/2 c. soy sauce
4 green onions, sliced (I didn't have any so I just used some chopped white onion)
4 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. molasses

GARNISH:
1 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 c. green onions, sliced diagonally
Lime wedges

1. Make a long cut in center of each tenderloin running the length of the meat, stopping about 1/4 inch from edge. Spread open; gently flatten with heel of your hand. Place each tenderloin between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness.
2. Place tenderloins in 13"x9" glass baking dish. Combine all remaining marinade ingredients in a small bowl; pour over pork, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate 16-24 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Heat grill. Remover tenderloins from marinade, shaking off excess; discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium-high heat or coals 5-8 minutes or until pale pink in center, turning once. Remove pork. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes.
4. Slice each tenderloin; garnish with sesame seeds, 1/4 c. green onions and lime wedges.

TIP: Toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequenlty.

6 servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 205 calories, 7.5g total fat (2.5g saturated fat), 30.5g protein, 4.5g carbohydrates, 65mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 1g fiber.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding with Brandied Cherry Sauce

I'm going to make this dessert this Sunday, October 4th. It is another dessert our of my Weight Watchers All Things Sweet cookbook. Another one I cannot wait to try.

1 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. water
6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp. stick margarine
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. egg substitute
1 c. skim milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
cooking spray
Brandied Cherry sauce (recipe follows)
Fresh cherries with stems, optional

1. Sift first 3 ingredients together; set aside.
2. Combine chocolate chips and next 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; place over low heat, and cook 4 minutes or until mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Let cool completely.
3. Combine sugar and egg substitute; beat at high speed of mixer for 5 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.
4. Spoon into a 1 1/2 quart steamed-pudding mold coated with cooking spray; cover tightly with foil or lid coated with cooking spray.
5. Place mold on a shallow rack in a stockpot; add boiling water to halfway up sides of mold. Cover and cook in simmering water 1 hour or until knife inserted near center comes out clean, adding water to stockpot as needed.
6. Remove from water, let pudding cool in mold on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert pudding onto a serving platter and cut into 14 slices. Spoon warm Brandied Cherry Sauce on individual plates; place pudding slices on plates with sauce. Garnish with fresh cherries, if desired.

14 servings; 6 points per slice


BRANDIED CHERRY SAUCE

2 c. frozen, pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. brandy
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. cornstarch

1. Place cherries and 1/3 c. water in a blender, and process until mixture is smooth. Strain puree and discard pulp.
2. Combine cherry puree, sugar and brandy in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Combine 1/4 c. water and cornstarch; stir until well blended. Add to cherry mixture; bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute or until slightly thick. Serve sauce warm with steamed pudding.

Makes 2 cups

Black Forest Cookies

I'm SO excited about these cookies!! I was looking through my pantry to see how many packages of Craisins I had because Jarom asked if I would make some more Oatmeal Cranberry cookies for him soon. Among the regular Craisins, I found and orange flavored Craisin package and a cherry flavored Craisin package. Well, on the back of the package is a recipe for these Black Forest cookies and I decided that I had to make them this weekend while I make the others for Jarom. I make up a few batched of dough these days, bake some and freeze the rest for future use. I can't wait!!

1 11.5 oz. pkg. of milk chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 6 oz. pkg. Ocean Spray Craisins Cherry Flavored Dried Cranberries
1 c. pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 3/4 c. of chocolate chips into a microwave safe dish and set the remaining chips aside. Microwave chips for 2 minutes on high. Stir chocolate until smooth.
2. Stir in brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder, mixing until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips, Cherry flavored Cranberries and nuts.
2. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are puffed and set to the touch. For a firmer cookie, bake for 14 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

About 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Lime Grilled Chicken

I thought I would get my recipes that I'm using this weekend, up now since my weekend went from doing absolutely nothing to trying to complete a list of odd jobs around the house. I will get the pictures posted for each one as I make them and take pictures. Tonight for dinner, we are grilling chicken that I've had marinating all morning and the rest of the day. This is another recipe our of my August/September 2009 Cooking Pleasures magazine, and it was submitted by Audra Pyle of Edgewood, Texas.

Lime Grilled Chicken-Grilled


1/4 c. olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 medium to large jalapeno chile, seeded, deveined and minced (I took out this ingredient and replaced it with 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper to get that kick)
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped (I think I used more like 1/4 c.-I like cilantro)
1 tsp. pepper (I used Lime Pepper)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (I took out the salt and poultry seasoning and use 1/2 tsp. Motreal Steak Seasoning)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Marinating the chicken:

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; refrigerate 1-4 hours. (I put our chicken in a baking dish and poured the marinade over the top and marinated it over night-turning the chicken over once in the morning).2. Heat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or coal 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink in the center, turning once.

4 servings

NOTE: I know I made a lot of changes, creating pretty much a completely different marinade, but I adapt flavors as I go based on what my family likes. And while Jarom and Jenna can handle quite a bit of spice and heat, I cannot, so I have be careful with the hot stuff.

Honey-Baked Pears

This was so yummy! I'm not big on pears, but decided that I had to give this recipe a try. I found it in my October 23rd issue of All You on page 96.



2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. honey
1 c. crushed graham crackers
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. apple-pie spice (I'm not a big fan so I just used cinnamon)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (I forgot about this ingredient and so it was left out of my dish)
3 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir lemon juice with honey and 1/2 c. water in a small bowl until blended. In a separate bowl, blend graham cracker crumbs with sugar and apple-pie spice, then stir in melted butter.
2. Layer pears in an 11"x7" baking dish and sprinkle with half of the crumb mixture. Pour honey mixture over pears and sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. bake about 25 minutes, until pears are tender when pierced with a knife, topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, or let cool, cover and refrigerate to serve cold.

6 Servings

NOTE: 269 Calories, 9g of fat, 20mg Cholesterol, 4g fiber, 1g protein, 50g carbohydrates and 127mg sodium.

Classic Italian Lasagna

Here it is-the much anticipated Giada de Laurentiis lasagna! Well, much anticipated in our house by me, anyway. This recipe uses both the marinara sauce that I used on Tuesday in the manicotti and the Bechamel sauce that I posted today. It was every bit as good as I had hoped.



salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
15 dry lasagna noodles (about 12 oz.)
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey; you could also use ground sausage or chicken)
1 tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste
2 1/2 c. Bechamel Sauce (previous entry)
1 1/2 c. Marinara Sauce (previous entry on 9/29/09)
1 1/2 lbs. whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used a 15 oz. container)
3 large eggs
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I only used one pkg.)
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the vegetable oil (the oil will help prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking together). Cook the lasagna until almost al dente, about 6 minutes (the center of the pasta should remain somewhat hard so that it won't overcook and become soggy when baked). Drain, then rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking and help remove any excess starch. Cover lightly with a damp towel to prevent the pasta from drying out. Set aside.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper, saute until the beef is brown, breaking up any large clumps, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain any excess fat. Let cool completely.
3. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the bechamel and marinara sauces to blend. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. (I didn't think it needed anymore salt or pepper so I did not any additional).
4. In another medium bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Spread the butter over a 9"x13" baking dish. Spoon one-third of the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange 5 lasagna noodles atop the sauce, overlapping slightly and covering the bottom of the dish completely. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with the spinach.
5. Arrange 5 more lasagna noodles top the spinach, then top with the ground beef. Spoon one0third of the remaining sauce over, then sprinkle with 1/2 c. of mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining 5 sheets of lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.
6. Line a large, heavy baking sheet with foil. Place the baking dish on the baking sheet. Bake until the lasagna is heated through and the top is bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Make 6 main-course servings (these servings are very large and I cut ours into 9 pieces, and serve a green salad with it).



NOTE: The lasagna can be made up through step 5 one day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Uncover before baking.

Bechamel Sauce

Here is another recipe by Giada De Laurentiis that came out of my new Pyrex mini cookbook. Here is was Giada has to say about the sauce and it's history, "In case your were wondering [you're probably not, actually, but I'm going to tell you anyway], this sauce is named after the Marquis de Bechamel. In Italian it's called balsamella or besciamella. The original and full French version also involved steeping some onion and bay leaf in milk for 30 minutes, to infuse the sauce with more flavor, but here's an everyday approach. My simplified version is a snap to make and is perfect with my Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce [page 10]. You could also use it the way you would hollandaise sauce." (de Laurentiis, Giada. [2005]. Cooking with Pyrex, p.7) I was thinking this sauce would be great biscuits for breakfast this weekend.



5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 c. warm whole milk (I used my 1%)
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste (I used black pepper)
Pinch of nutmeg, plus more to taste-freshly grated if you can

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth, and creamy, about 10 minutes (do not allow the bechamel sauce to boil).
4. Remove form the heat and stir in 1/2 tsp. of salt and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg. Season to the sauce with more salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Cool, then cover and refrigerate.

Make 4 cups

NOTE: The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.