What? You think I sit around all day just eating bon-bons?

Well, you're wrong...I *make* them, not *eat* them!

Peanut butter bon-bons, to be specific. From an old, family recipe for peanut butter Easter eggs, of all things. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Well, I thought I'd share this gem of a recipe with you, too. Make some, share them, ENJOY them!

Great Grandma Susie's Peanut Butter Bon-Bons

Ingredients

• 1 pound (approx. 3½ cups) of 10x sugar
• 2 Tbsp. evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1½ bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

Instructions

1. Line 2 large cookie sheets with wax paper.
2. Mix the 10x sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla, butter, and peanut butter until well-blended.
3. Roll the mixture into 48 1-inch balls and space evenly between the cookie sheets.
4. Place the balls in the freezer to set while melting the chocolate.
5. Using a double boiler melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and vegetable shortening, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
6. Using a fork, or kebab skewers, dip each ball into the chocolate quickly, coating completely.
7. Place the coated candy back on the cookie sheet.
8. Repeate steps 6 & & until all 4 dozen balls are coated with chocolate.
9. Allow to set up completely.
10. Store in an airtight container.

It's BAKING SEASON!!!

I love this time of year. As soon as Thanksgiving is finished I hit the baking aisle of the grocery store and set to work. I used to give out Christmas treat baskets of my goodies, but I have a house full of almost grown males, now. Nowadays, if you want some of my baked goods, you'd better watch for a tweet, Facebook status update, or blog post, grab your GPS, and beat tracks! Regardless, I love baking. I love my kitchen and house, by extension, smelling of chocolate, peanut butter, and mint. I love watching the hubby and boys come in sniffing the air to find out what I made that day. I just love everything about it!

This morning I kicked off my month of chocolaty goodness with a batch of Peppermint Bark. As I'm not a huge fan of plain white chocolate I layer mine. The recipe follows. If you try it out make sure and comment and let me know if you liked it, what you changed, etc. The best part about baking is sharing ideas to make newer, better things!

Peppermint Bark a la Bragg

Ingredients

• 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening, divided
• ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract, divided
• 12 candy canes, broken into small pieces

Instructions

1. Line a 9-inch x 9-inch pan with wax paper or aluminum foil.
2. Using a double boiler melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable shortening, stirring frequently to prevent the chocolate from scorching.
3. When almost melted add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract and continue stirring frequently until all of the chips are melted and smooth.
4. Immediately pour the melted semi-sweet chocolate into the lined pan and spread evenly.
5. Top with ½ of the broken candy canes and place in the refrigerator until the white chocolate is ready to pour.
6. Repeat steps 2-4 with the white chocolate chips.
7. Top with the remaining broken candy canes and refrigerate one hour, or until set.
8. Remove candy from pan by turning it upside down onto a hard surface.
9. Carefully peel the wax paper or foil from the candy and break from the bottom into the desired sized pieces.
10. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe: Potato Cabbage Soup!

I mentioned on Facebook tonight that I had made this soup, and it garnered some interest...so I figured I might want to jot my recipe down here for everyone to enjoy! I serve this soup with hot, fresh from the oven cornbread.

Potato Cabbage SoupServes 6-8

Ingredients
8 Idaho potatoes, peeled & diced
4 cups green cabbage, shredded
Water, enough to cover the potatoes & cabbage
1 medium onion, chopped
4 oz. ham, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 chicken bullion cube
6 cups 2% milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Scallions or chives

Instructions

Put potatoes and cabbage in a large soup pot, put enough water in the pot to cover the potatoes, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and boil until potatoes are fork tender; about 10 minutes.

Strain liquid out of potatoes and cabbage, reserving 1 cup. Place potatoes in cabbage in a large bowl and set aside.

Place the large soup pot back over the heat, and add the onions and ham to the pan. Cook over medium heat until the onions are tender; about 3 minutes.

Add reserved 1 cup of water and chicken bullion cube to the pot and stir.

Add in the flour, quickly stirring to mix into the water.

Add the six cups of milk all at once, whisking until smooth. Once smooth add the salt and pepper, and add the potatoes and cabbage back into the pot.

Bring back to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the soup begins to thicken.

Allow to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and scallions or chives and serve.

Copycat Recipe

One of my favorite "fast food" things to eat is Penn Station's Artichoke Sub. It's made of ooey-gooey goodness. I was really craving one yesterday, but wasn't about to head out into the torrential downpour that was occurring all day long to drive and get one.

To the cupboard I went, and after some scrounging I came up with an aritchoke sub of my own, and a healthier version of it, at that!

I figured I couldn't be the ONLY one who appreciated this sandwich, so I'm offering my recipe to you all. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

4 extra-large artichoke hearts, chopped roughly

1/4 cup natural mozzarella cheese

1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin

1/4 cup mushrooms, slided thin

1 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 whole wheat sub bun

Parmesan cheese to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat

Add the artichoke hearts, red onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook until onions are tender, stirring often.

When tender add in the balsamic vinegar and stir to mix well.

Preheat your broiler or toaster oven.

Spread the mayonnaise evenly over both halves of the sub bun.

Top the bottom portion of the sub bun with the artichoke mixture.

Put half of the mozzarella cheese over the artichoke mixture, and the other half over the top portion of the sub bun.

Season to taste with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Place about 4 inches below the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.

Makes 1 sub. Calories - 480, Total fat - 14 grams, Fiber - 8 grams.

Week 11 Weigh-In

Wow, what a week! I'm so excited, because I lost 2.2 pounds this week.

This is a big deal, since Saturday was our eleventh wedding anniversary. I took the day off dieting, and we went to Red Lobster and A-T-E. I was miserable I ate so much. I needed it, though. It has made me appreciate the healthy way my new way of eating makes me feel.

I've now lost over 10% of my body weight, and am just under a third of the way to my final goal! *does the happy dance all OVER the place*

I'll end this by sharing a new recipe I came up with a little while back. I made it again this past week and was reminded of how good it was, so I figured I'd put it out there for whoever is interested.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pine Nut & Garlic Spinach

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 of a small red onion, diced
10 Kalamata olives, chopped
16 oz. package of frozen spinach
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat your indoor grill (an outdoor grill cooks too slowly, taking away the flavors).
2. Using a meat tenderizer, pound out the chicken to 1/4" thick.
3. Combine the feta cheese, diced red bell pepper and red onion, and Kalamata olives in a bowl.
4. Divide evenly between the chicken breasts, being careful not to overstuff.
5. Fold the chicken up so that the stuffing will stay inside when cooked.
6. Cook the chicken on the indoor grill until cooked through.
7. Combine the frozen spinach, pine nuts, and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl.
8. Cover and microwave according to the package directions.
9. When done, divide the spinach evenly between four plates.
10. Place a stuffed chicken breast on top of the spinach on each plate.

This is an incredibly easy dinner to make that even my picky 9-YO loves! From beginning to end it only takes me about 45 minutes to prepare and cook. Let me know what you think, and more importantly, ENJOY!!

A yummy way to eat healthy!

One of the hardest things for me to give up during this diet has been Mexican food. I have always been an ethnic foods type of gal, and Mexican has always been my first love.

That being said, I've come up with a great light lunch that allows me the guilty pleasure of eating Mexican without busting up my diet!


This is a cheese quesadilla and guacamole. The total Weight Watcher's points value of this plate full of ooey-gooey goodness is 7. That's right, folks! That got me to thinking that I should probably share the wealth, so to speak, and let folks know what I used.

Cheese Quesadilla

1 whole wheat tortilla
1/3 cup Weight Watcher's shredded Mexican cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil cooking spray

1. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, and heat to medium heat.
2. Lay the whole wheat tortilla on the skillet, and cover with shredded cheese.
3. Taking care not to burn yourself, gently fold the tortilla in half.
4. Let brown, then flip and brown the other side.
5. Serve hot with 1/4 cup of homemade guacamole (recipe below).

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados
1 ripe tomato, seeded & diced
1/4 of a small red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lime, zested & juiced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped fine
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Pit, peel & mash the avocados in a medium bowl.
2. Add the lime zest and juice, red onion, garlic, cilantro, salt & pepper and mix well.
3. Gently fold in the tomato.
4. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

If this isn't quite enough food for you, Progresso has now come out with some wonderful new soups that are zero Weight Watcher's points! One that would be good is their Santa Fe Vegetable.

Make sure to leave me a comment if you try this recipe out and like it!