slow cooker pumpkin oatmeal

We've had a week of cold, cold mornings here... And with winter's end still not in sight, I wanted to share a new breakfast recipe that's been warming up our wake-ups.

{via}

Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal

(very slightly adapted from here)

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 cup cooked oatmeal

Nutritional Info: 253 calories, 3 g of fat, 44.1 g carbohydrates, 9 g dietary fiber, 9 g of protein

1 cup steel cut oats

1/2 tbsp butter (optional)

1 can canned pumpkin

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 cups milk (can substitute Lite Vanilla Soy Milk or Almond Milk)

2 cups water

1 heaping tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tbsp nutmeg

Walnuts, dried cranberries, raisins

1. Combine milk, water, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the slow cooker and stir together. Then stir in oats.
2. Cook in slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. Serve topped with walnuts, dried cranberries and raisins to taste.

Couldn't be easier, right?  For the past couple weeks, I've fired up the Crock Pot just before bed so that we wake up on Monday morning to hot breakfast.  I've also found it's easy to double the recipe, then just put the leftovers in the refrigerator for the rest of the week.  I actually think it tastes even better the next day.

Enjoy... And Hazel says, stay warm!

Thanksgiving Recipes

Everyone knows that I am thankful for Paula Deen... and all her butter-filled recipes!  And what better time to indulge in Paula's southern cooking than Thanksgiving?

I made her pumpkin bread and mini-pecan pies... Both were big hits, so I wanted to pass along the recipes for your upcoming holiday gatherings!

{image via Paula Deen Magazine}

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar (I substituted 1 cup brown sugar)
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease & flour baking pans (I used Baker's Joy and it worked like a charm).
2.  Mix sugar and oil with mixer.  Add eggs and blend.
3.  Add pumpkin and blend.  Add water and blend.
4.  Combine remaining ingredients and add slowly to mixer.
5.  Add pecans.
6.  Fill pans about 3/4 full and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Recipe yields 2 loaves (I only had mini bread pans on hand, and was able to make 6 mini loaves)

Paula Deen's Mini Pecan Pies

Crust:

1 stick butter (8 tbs)

1 cup all-purpose flour

3-ounces cream cheese

1.  Soften cheese and butter.  Blend well in mixer.
2.  Stir in flour.
3.  Chill 1 hour.
4.  Shape into 12 equal-sized balls.  Place in ungreased muffin tins.
5.  Press down to shape into crusts.

Filling:
1 egg

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of salt

2/3 cup chopped pecans

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2.  Beat egg, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
3.  Divide half the nuts among muffin tins (over crusts).
4.  Add egg mixture over top.
5.  Top with remaining nuts.

6.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until filling hardens.

Recipe yields 12 mini pies (or 24 if you use the mini-muffin tins)

W² Returns: Baked Orzo

Continuing on updates from our life in the kitchen, I tried out a new W² recipe last night that I had to share.  If I didn't tell you it was from Weight Watchers, you would seriously never know!  I realize I make this claim a lot, but it may be one of my new favorite meals.

I made a few modifications, so I'll share my slightly varied version.  The original recipe* calls for chopped fennel bulb and dried mint, which we didn't have on hand, so we omitted.  I upped the oregano by about 1/2 tsp and added basil and my absolute favorite Greek seasoning (as a side note, this seasoning is amazing on scrambled eggs, with a little feta).  And, of course, also added about 1/4 cup more feta cheese, so the points value is probably slightly off.   

*Note: I tried to link to the original recipe, but can't find it online.  It came from my Weight Watcher's Take-Out Tonight cookbook. 

{image via The Newlywed Diaries}

W² Baked Orzo

1 lb. orzo pasta
6 oz. lean ground lamb (we substituted lean ground beef here)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Cook orzo, according to package directions, until done.  Drain and transfer to large bowl.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add the lamb (or beef) and cook until browned.  Drain and transfer to bowl with orzo.

To the same skillet, add onion, garlic, oregano, basil, and Greek seasoning.  Cook until onion begins to soften (about 3-4 minutes).  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and cinnamon.  Cook until sauce thickens (about 6-8 minutes).

Combine tomato sauce with orzo and lamb.  Stir in feta and mix well.  Transfer to lightly greased baking dish, and top with Parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until hot.  Enjoy!

Fall Baking

Today is my Monday, thanks to good ol' Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492!  I ended up spending a good part of my weekend baking... and it was so fun!

On Friday, I stocked up on pumpkin puree and tried out Jen's Pumpkin Apple Muffins.  I wanted something to make waking up at 6 am for our yard sale a little more bearable, and these definitely did the trick!  I ended up doubling Jen's recipe, and Jeff is planning on enjoying them for breakfast this week too.

I'll be making these again for the fall season for sure... The pumpkin and apple together are delicious!

{picture from Jen}

Yesterday, I spent most of the day baking with my Yiayia (grandma)... one of my favorite things to do!  We started with a family favorite, a huge batch of koulouria (or the Greek twist-shaped cookies).  I think others make these in a circle or 'S' shape, but our family always braids the dough and keeps the size small.  I personally think that the larger cookies get too dry.

The dough is easy to make, but the time commitment with twisting each cookie has me re-thinking my decision to add these to Christmas tins for gift-giving this year...

We made about 150 of these cookies (hey, they're small! and they keep really well just stored in an air-tight container).  Then decided to try out my Yiayia's new Pampered Chef cookie press... Spritz cookies are normally reserved for the holidays, but we found the pumpkin disc in her new set and couldn't resist!

So cute!  I liked the Pampered Chef cookie press overall, but the cookie size is much larger than the one that I have (or that my Yiayia used to have).  For these pumpkin cookies, it didn't matter much... and despite no change in taste, I think I still prefer the small size!

Then just when I thought I was done with my baking... I ran out and picked up some chocolate chips and walnuts last night to make these Betty Crocker oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies (that I blogged about here).  Back by popular demand Jeff's request.

Phew!  You'd think that I would be done for a while, but now I'm brainstorming something delicious and fall-inspired for Jeff's birthday in a few weeks!  Any suggestions?

Easy Oatmeal Cookies

This weekend it finally felt like fall around here!  The weather on Sunday was just what the doctor ordered for us - cool and rainy.

With Jeff not generally preferring to just relax around the house, I absolutely loved our 'lazy day' together!  He watched football, and I hit the kitchen... making homemade mac & cheese, veggie chili, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

The cookies were a spur of the moment decision, since we had ingredients on-hand already to make a small batch.  And the recipe is too easy not to share!  It yields about 42 cookies, so cutting it in half was plenty for us.

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

yields about 42 cookies

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

In a large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended.  Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy.  Add in oats, flour, baking soda and salt until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350° for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool slightly & enjoy!

Baking Redemption

I liked Carrie's thoughts earlier this week on not letting a bad stove (or oven, in my case) get you down! (Hope that everyone saw Lizzie's comment on the Lime Yogurt cake... looks like I will have to give it another try soon!)

With that in mind, we headed over to my sister-in-law's last night to watch the Saints game... and to enjoy her husband's amazing homemade pizzas.  Seriously, some of the best pizza I've ever had!  We had BBQ chicken and supreme pizzas on Trader Joe's whole wheat crust, along with a delicious fresh salad from my mother-in-law (topped with fresh strawberries, gorgonzola cheese & almonds).

For dessert, I brought Jen's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars, which were served with homemade vanilla ice cream... heaven!  I couldn't be happier with the way these turned out!  Personally, the chocolate/peanut butter dessert combination is my favorite (or possibly tied with warm fruit cobbler... sorry, getting distracted by dessert talk here).

The original recipe (as shown below) is the perfect amount to serve to a dinner-party-sized group without being stuck with tons of leftovers.  Or you could double it for a crowd!

Sarah also made these on our recent beach weekend, using M&M's instead of chocolate chips.  I decided to split the difference and sub in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup M&M's... and I may have thrown in an extra handful of each for good measure!  I really enjoyed the mix here.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter, salted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I substituted 1/2 cup chocolate chips & 1/2 cup M&M's here)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8 x 8 pan.

Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream butter and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the sugars until mixture is lightened in color and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition and then add vanilla. Reduce mixer to low speed and slowly add in the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and M&M's, stirring until combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy!

Lime Yogurt Cake Review

As I mentioned earlier, I tried out Smitten Kitchen's Lime Yogurt Cake for our Labor Day cookout.  I was so excited to finally try this recipe... but have to admit that it was not the best I've made.

Don't get me wrong, the recipe is probably great... but I have a feeling that I over-mixed the batter, or should not have used Greek yogurt, or both.  Any other thoughts on why the cake came out with a distinct flour taste (and not very moist)?

{leftover cake, post-cookout}

I went back-and-forth on whether or not to post this recipe, but this is about 'adventures' in the kitchen... and honestly, not all of my adventures turn out well!

If made correctly, I think this could be an excellent choice for a nice, light dessert.  Although, I would suggest upping the lime for a stronger flavor.  Definitely for a night when you just want a little something sweet, like after a huge cookout meal!

  

Smitten Kitchen's Lime Yogurt Cake

For the cake:

1 cup whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt (I used Fage 2% Greek yogurt)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
zest of one lime
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:
12 ounces fresh raspberries (the original recipe called for blackberries, but I substituted for what was on sale at the grocery)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9-inch round cake pan with baker's spray (or butter & flour).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, sugar, lime zest and juice. Add the eggs one by one, whisking well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, right over your yogurt batter. Stir with a spoon until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

For the sauce:
Combine raspberries, water, sugar and lime juice in blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth, then press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds (I skipped this step with the sauce). Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Serve cake topped with sauce & enjoy!

Breaking Bread?

A quick poll to my lovely blog readers (yes, all 10 of you!)... Has anyone used a bread machine before?

With logic that I am sure Kat will appreciate, Jeff recently read an article about how much money a bread machine will save you in the long run... I don't remember the details, but just think about multiplying the $3-7 per week spent on bread by 52 weeks in a year.  It is a lot of dough (sorry, I couldn't help myself...)

{via Amazon}

While the cost of a basic model bread machine can be around $60, I still wonder about the costs of wheat flour, yeast, flax seeds, oat bran, dry milk... Everything it would take to make that low cal, high fiber, wheat bread we all love.

I like the idea of having homemade bread every week, but am wondering about logistics (especially for just two of us!)  Any thoughts?

Guest Post: Sister Sister Sunday

Obviously still feeling a little delayed, even after a productive weekend... But I was fortunate enough to guest post with my sister-in-law, Kelly, on her sister-in-law Mandy's blog, Kuzak's Closet, on Sunday.

I love reading her blog, especially the updates on her amazing job as a professional organizer!  Every week Mandy and her sister Ashlie co-post on their favorite things for Sister Sister Sunday.  Luckily for me, they invite other sisters to guest post, and I was so excited to be included with Kelly!   

With fall and football season quickly approaching, we featured our favorite tailgate recipes!  I have to admit that most of college was spent tailgating with chips & Bubba burgers... So I modified a new-to-me recipe from Sarah and was so happy with the results! 

Not for the health-conscious tailgater... but really, is that the point of enjoying drinks, friends & football?  Definitely not!

couldn't resist... old school photo, at a Carolina game with my roommates

Celebrations

We had a nice, relaxing weekend… Filled with house cleaning, laundry, schoolwork, and trips to Trader Joe’s & Target. Is it sad that this makes me really happy?

Sunday night, Jeff’s parents and two of the four Whittaker kids were back home from a trip to New Orleans, and so we celebrated! A welcome-home for the family and belated birthday celebration for Karen. My sister-in-law, Kelly, and I split the cooking duties, and I have to say that the dinner was delicious!

Kelly made Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese Bread for an appetizer… and I could have eaten it for my meal (and I don’t even like olives usually!) This is a must-make-again in my book, and I love Kelly’s thoughts on pairing this with a nice tomato soup or salad for an easy dinner.

Kelly also brought Pioneer Woman’s Rosemary Potatoes as a side… So rich and delicious! I could definitely see this as a great holiday dinner side dish.

Finally, Jeff and I paired up to make some chicken and veggie kabobs. Marinated overnight in Trader Joe’s organic Italian dressing and cooked to perfection by the hubs.

And, no birthday celebration is complete without cake! I've decided that I love baking… especially trying new cake recipes. However, I could use a little practice in the presentation.  The cake ended up looking like the mad hatter cake in Alice in Wonderland… lumpy and not stacked evenly at all (sorry folks, no pictures and not because of the lumpiness, but because I'm a bad blogger!)

I tried the Blueberry-Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing that Jen mentioned last week. True to her review, it was a hit! Such a nice summer cake, loaded with fresh blueberries and a slight hint of lemon. I actually think that I might try a little more lemon  if when I make it again (just because I love lemon).

Sorry for the poor picture quality... This is a semi-eaten slice taken with my iPhone.  Obviously, I would highly recommend it for a summer dessert!

We had a great time relaxing and celebrating this weekend!  Now back to the work-week...

Nice & Green

For breakfast this morning, we had his & hers Green Monsters!  We had some spinach and a few bananas that, at the end of the week, really needed to be used.  So I decided to try these out... The verdict?  Delicious!

Definitely adding to the weekly rounds after this... I never quite believed it when people said you couldn't taste the spinach, but it is so true.  I pretty much used Angela's basic recipe, with a few modifications.

His:  2 cups organic spinach, 1.5 bananas, 1 scoop protein powder (chocolate), 1 cup skim milk, few ice cubes

Hers:  2 cups organic spinach, 1 banana, little skim milk, little 0% greek yogurt, few ice cubes

Plus it was fun to wake up a little earlier than usual, and enjoy breakfast with the hubs on Friday!

Beach Breakfast Casserole

Per the too-long-for-most-people recap of our beach weekend, I was in charge of breakfast on Saturday morning.  I had a breakfast casserole recipe picked out, then forgot it on my kitchen counter in Charlotte.  So I decided to just kind of make one up as I went along... And, to my surprise, everyone seemed to really like it!

Breakfast Casserole
5 slices of bread (I used pre-made, store-bought croissants and think it gave it a nice extra crunch)
5 large eggs
2 cups of milk
2 cups of Colby Jack cheese, shredded
½ bag of frozen hash browns (the 'Potatoes O'Brien' with peppers & onions)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
Several generous shakes of hot sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

1.  Slice bread into small cubes and cover the bottom of greased baking dish (for the croissants, I also sliced them in half).
2.  Mix eggs, milk, dry mustard, hot sauce, salt & pepper well.  Pour over bread cubes in dish.
3.  Cover and refrigerate over night.
4.  In the morning, sprinkle cheese evenly over top of casserole.
5.  Top with frozen hash browns (be sure to break up any frozen chunks first).
6.  Bake (uncovered) at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until edges and top are browned.

Obviously, not part of this effort... But delicious!

July 4th Baking

With July 4th upon us, I wanted to share one of my favorite holiday recipes.  I made the Barefoot Contessa's Flag Cake last year and have plans to whip one up again for our beach trip this weekend!

While the frosting and decorating can be a little time-consuming, it is a really fun cake to make... And even more fun to serve at July 4th cookouts and festivities!

{my cake last year}

Barefoot Contessa's Flag Cake:

Ingredients

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:
4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:
2 half-pints blueberries
3 half-pints raspberries

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

Cake can be served right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

{with my cake & an incredibly messy kitchen in the background}

What are your plans for the holiday weekend?

Summer Salad

We've been on a bit of a roll in the kitchen... Over the past few weeks, I've tried out tons of new recipes.  Each one has been a big hit and added to our 'make-again' list. 

I've resisted the urge to post every new recipe, but this one, from Smitten Kitchen, surprised me with how it was so easy to make, delicious, & filling!

Classic Cobb Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Dressing:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped (we used imitation bacon bits)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the dressing: Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Make the salad: On a (very) large platter, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces. Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl.

{image via smitten kitchen}

I served it as a make-your-own plate, with all the toppings separate (mostly for point-tracking purposes).  Then tossed each individual salad together, with dressing, before serving.

Check out the link above for the original recipe... We omitted the watercress & chives, because we didn't have any on-hand.  We also substituted bacon for imitation bacon bits and left out the chicken completely.

I'm normally not a huge fan of salad entrees made at home (they always taste so much better when we eat out), but we both really liked this chopped salad.  Definitely recommended for a summer dish!

W²: Mexican-Style Stuffed Potatoes

We've been trying out some new W² recipes, and last night I made one from my Weight Watcher's Take-Out Tonight! 150 Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home cookbook.  It was basically twice-baked potatoes with a twist, and using the hand mixer really gave a fluffy texture to them.

It was a really easy and relatively quick weeknight dinner... We put the potatoes in the oven as soon as we got home from work, then took Ellie for a run.  By the time we got back, they were ready to be stuffed! The only thing I would change is adding a little more hot sauce next time.

Dinner was potatoes and a big salad... I was worried it wouldn't be enough for Jeff, but even he was full after 1 whole potato (2 halves). I plan to keep this one on the list for easy, meatless dinners!

{image via The Newlywed Diaries}

Mexican-Style Stuffed Potatoes

2 (3/4-pound) baking potatoes, scrubbed

6 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 drops of hot pepper sauce
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup prepared salsa
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on middle oven rack and bake until fork-tender, about 45 minutes.
2. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp (leaving 1/2 inch border attach to the skins). Reserve the shells on a baking sheet.
3. With an electric hand mixer, beat the potato pulp, sour cream, milk, salt, and hot sauce until smooth and creamy. Stir in scallions.
4. Spoon the potato mixture back into the shells and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake until filling is hot and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Top with salsa and cilantro.
5. Enjoy for 3 points per stuffed potato half!

Cake Boss

A big thank you to the girls who left cake suggestions for my mom's birthday! Over the weekend, I decided to make the Lady Strawberry Cake. I cannot say enough about this cake recipe... It looks beautiful, and tastes amazing too! 

I followed Jen's recipe exactly... The only difference was that I was able to find cake flour at Harris Teeter, so I didn't need to substitute there.  While I don't think mine came out nearly as pretty, I was still very happy with the end result... And more importantly, everyone else loved it too!

Wouldn't it be perfect for a shower? (not-so-subtle hint to married friends: I'm talking a shower of the baby variety)  I must have been in a baking mood, because with the extra butter cream frosting, I decided to make a few quick carrot cake cupcakes...

Thank goodness there was no shortage of volunteers to take home leftovers!  Although, Jeff did manage to save a few cupcakes and a slice of cake to snack on throughout the rest of our weekend!

Cake Search

Today happens to be a very special lady's birthday... My mama turns 51 today! Isn't she gorgeous?!

To celebrate, I'm scouring the internet for a perfect birthday cake recipe! (I know, I know... I just posted on Weight Watchers, now I'm posting on cake... that's how it goes sometimes!)

I've done a chocolate pound cake for my grandparents' birthdays (they are only a week apart, so cute) and a Paula Deen carrot cake for my dad's birthday... Any suggests for something new & exciting?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Grocery Finds

On Sunday, I made a trip to the new Bloom grocery store off Park Road (by East Blvd). Maybe it was just the new setting, but I loved the store!

One of my finds was FOLDit Flatout flatbread. I've tried the Flatout brand before, and really enjoyed it - But this perfect sandwich-sized and ready-to-fold version is even better! For anyone else on the ol' W Squared (Weight Watchers), these are only 1 point a piece (for the 5 Grain Flax).
 

I enjoyed one of these, topped with a tablespoon of peanut butter and half a banana, for lunch all week - Grand total: 4 points, with tons of protein and fiber.

W²: Balsamic Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Salad

My dad called me earlier this week, looking for "my" recipe for this delicious summer salad... proof that the old "W Squared" can actually taste good! All of that on top of the fact that this recipe is 0 points... jackpot.

{image via Young House Love}

W² Balsamic Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Salad
1/2 pound asparagus, about 40 spears
1 cup cherry tomatoes, about 10, cut in half
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. orange juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or to taste

1. Bend asparagus, until they break at their natural breaking point. Throw away ends.

2. Microwave in microwave-safe dish for 2 to 3 minutes in salted water until barely tender (tip: don't completely cover in water, only fill to about half of asparagus).

3. Rinse in ice-cold water to stop cooking. Drain.

4. Add cherry tomatoes.

5. Stir together vinegar, orange juice & garlic; season to taste. Spoon dressing over asparagus and tomatoes.

6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, serve & enjoy (for 0 points!)

W²: Easter Picnic Edition

This is one of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes, and for some reason it always reminds me of warm weather days... maybe it's all of the delicious veggies. Either way, I'm planning to make it for my church's Easter picnic on Sunday.

{image via two ellie}

W² Roasted Vegetable & Orzo Salad:
3 sprays olive oil cooking spray
1 small red onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
2/3 cup zucchini, diced
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (in water), drained & chopped
6 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp. fresh parsley or basil (or mixed), chopped
1 lb. orzo pasta, cooked & cooled
1/2 cup Litehouse Lite Caesar dressing*

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat, add cooking spray.

2. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms and zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

3. Add pepper during last minute of cooking, and remove from heat.

4. Combine roasted veggies, red peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, parsley, green onions, & orzo in large bowl. Add dressing & mix* Refrigerate until ready to serve!

Yields 6 servings for 4 points each.

* If you want to cheat some on the points (and make it a little more delicious, especially when feeding a crowd), add crumbled feta cheese along with all other ingredients in step 4. And/or substitute the lite Caesar dressing with the Good Seasons Italian dressing (the kind you make with the packet) - but be sure to also add a dash of lemon juice.