Lime Pork with Peppers

This is a really tasty stir-fry found in my ToH Everyday Light Cookbook. Served with Lemon Fried Rice and Pineapple Smoothies, it was a citrus-y well rounded meal. Plenty of meat and sweet, colorful veggies, this dish looks, smells, and tastes delightful.

Lime Pork with Peppers
serves 4 


2 med Limes
1/4 c. reduced-sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. dried Oregano
1/2 t. dried Thyme
1/8 t. Chipotle Powder (or Cayenne Pepper)
3 sprigs Fresh Parsley, stems removed
1lb Pork Chops cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Bay Leaf
1 T. Olive Oil
1 t. Brown Sugar
2 medium Onions, cut into 8 wedges
2 Bell Peppers (I used Green and Yellow)
2 medium Tomatoes, halved then cut into 8 wedges (16 pieces)

Finely grate lime peel, reserving 2T. Juice the limes. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, chipotle, parsley, lime juice and reserved lime peel.

Pour 1/2 cup marinate into a gallon Zip-loc bag; add the pork and bay leaf. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain Pork and discard marinade and bay leaf. In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add sugar, stirring until bubbly. Add meat; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until browned.

Reduce heat; add onions, peppers and reserved lime mixture. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add tomatoes and cook 1 minute longer. Serve.

Nutritional Information:
240 cal
8g fat (2g sat)
63mg chol
540mg sodi
18g carb
3g fib
26g pro

Pork Chop

Lemon Fried Rice

I am immensely enjoying my new ToH Everyday Light Cookbook. Last week I made a tropical/citrus themed dinner. Lemon Fried Rice, Lime Pork with Peppers, and Pineapple Smoothies. BIG. HIT.

Update is after the nutritional info.

Also, this side comes together really quickly, so you can make it up to half an hour ahead of time and cover with foil and it will remain hot.

This calls for pre cooked sushi rice. Cook rice ahead of time and refrigerate.
Sushi Rice
1 part rice and 2 parts water in pot.
Bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Lemon Fried Rice
makes 8 - 2/3c. servings


1/2 c. chopped Sweet Onions (or sliced Green Onions)
1/4 c. minced Fresh Parsley
1/4 c. Butter
4 c. cold, cooked Sushi/Sticky Rice
1 - 1 1/2 c. frozen Peas
2-3 T. Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce
3 t. Fresh Lemon Zest
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Jalapeño Sauce (or other hot sauce)
2 T. fresh squeezed Lemon Juice

In large non-stick skillet or wok, stir-fry onions and parsley in butter for one minute.

Add the remaining ingredients; stir-fry for 4-6 minutes or until peas are tender and rice is heated through.

Nutritional Information
186 cal
6g fat (4g sat)
16mg chol
391mg sodi
28g carb
2g fib
4g pro

Update!!!!: I have made this with Brown Rice now. Add more lemon juice and zest than directed. Add to taste. Brown rice has a stronger taste on it's own, so it takes more lemon juice to bring out the citrus flavor. Taste as you go.

Chicken and Dumplings

Hello, welcome back from your Christmas Cookie Hangover. Let's make something nutritious, ok?

The first thing I made from my new Taste of Home Light Everyday Meals cookbook was their Easy Chicken and Dumplings. The recipes in the ToH cookbooks are usually pretty easy and can actually be made without you being a Master Chef.

Best part of this recipe? (besides the flavor) It only takes two dishes.

Chicken and Dumplings
serves 6


3 ribs Celery, chopped
1 c. sliced, fresh Carrots
3 cans (14 1/2 oz.) reduced sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 t. Poultry Seasoning
1/8 t. Pepper
3 c. cubed, cooked Chicken Breast
1 c. Peas
1 2/3 c. reduced fat Biscuit Mix
2/3 c. fat free Milk

I used a 12" skillet, 3" deep skillet.

Spray skillet with non stick cooking spray and saute celery and carrots for 5 minutes. Stir in broth, poultry seasoning, and pepper. If you want it thicker than your standard soup, put about 4T of flour in a container with a lid and shake well. Stir in and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered.

In small mixing bowl combine biscuit mix and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes -without removing cover- until toothpick comes out of dumpling clean.

When I served these I put a dash of paprika on the biscuits for color.

Nutritional Info (not including flour mixture or peas):
282 Cal
5g Fat
1g Fiber
28g Protien

Bisquick

Christmas Cookware!

I hope you all had a great Christmas. I loved spending so much time with my family, especially when my mom was in town, visiting from Alabama.

Well, I don't know about you but I sure scored some awesome stuff for Christmas. Right now I am updating from my brand new HP laptop (Thank you Daddy), and I got a Crock-Pot with a locking lid for easy travel (Thank you Sarah), some super awesome Pier 1 Imports "Tasting Party" mini flared cups (Thank you Chelle), and a 2010 Taste of Home cookbook (Thank you Mom)! I used gift money to buy myself a Taste of Home Everyday Light Meals and a 1001 Easy, Short, Inexpensive Meals cookbooks. I am very excited to use all my new stuff and let you know how things turn out.

In return, I got dad a 2c. fat separating measuring cup from Cooking.com. It's great for low-fat gravy making. I also got him Knife Block and Cooking Utensil Set from Seventh Avenue. I helped my sister find him a set of trenched cutting boards from Kmart.

All in all, we've got some great kitchen adventures ahead of us : ). Over the past 2 weeks I have made 3 batches of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and given it to 4 of our neighbors, 5+ friends and families, work, and our own freezer! Bring on something new.

What did you make for the holidays? What did you give and get?

Sugar Cookies

It's the week before Christmas and all through Crin's house,
not a child is running, nor looking to pounce.
The children are seated 'round the table with cheer
for they know why the babysitter has seated them here.
They saw the pink box that sat hidd'n on the shelf
and felt for a moment just like Santa's elf.
Preparing for Christmas includes lots of cooking,
so into the box they started their looking.
Off flew the lid and amid all the clutter
their eyes open wide and their little hearts flutter.
There was cookies, and icing, and sprinkles, and frosting.
-Little did I realize this could be so exhausting.

Last week I was feeling adventurous and it was my friend Crin's birthday. I watch her kids a few days a week  (Girls - ages Kate 2 and Sophie 4 and Boy - Gavon 1) and I thought it would be fun to let them do some decorating of cookies for their mom's birthday! So the night before, while watching Bones on FOX, my aunt and I found an Alton Brown Sugar Cookie recipe off www.foodnetwork.com and we made cookies. The next morning on my way to babysit I picked up frostings, icing, and sprinkles.

The girls were so excited to decorate cookies (and devour them). We ate breakfast, then decorated some, watched some snow white, then finished them. Thankfully I thought to put plates with raised edges down, or the table and floor would have been a mess; for some ages, the wax paper place mat just doesn't cut it. They had so much fun.

I didn't get any picture of the cookies, but I have some of the kids being silly. Note: the looks on their faces have no relation to the taste of the cookie lol.

Sophie (pic #2) took my camera phone and took these pictures. I'm a bit more skilled with a camera, no worries.

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network and Alton Brown.

Sugar Cookies
makes 3 dozen... ish


3 c. All-Purpose Flour
3/4 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
1 c. Butter, softened
1 c. Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1 T. Milk
Powdered Sugar, for rolling out dough

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add butter and milk to combine. Put mixer on low and gradually beat in flour until dough pulls from sides of bowl.

Divide dough in half, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, til firm.

Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle flat surface with powdered sugar and roll out one half of the dough to a 1/4". Make sure dough is not sticking to counter.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on cooking sheet. HELP: dip cutting edge of cookie cutter in powdered sugar to help with easy release, and spatula for moving dough shapes from counter to cookie sheet.

Bake 375 for 7-9 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Let cookies sit on baking sheet 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Wacky Cake (egg-less)

When my mom was little she was allergic to eggs, so my grandma found this recipe for chocolate cake that doesn't require eggs. Wacky, right? : ) It's a very easy cake to make, and bakes up almost the same as the Pumpkin Bread a few recipes down, so, as noted in that recipe, it is great to use for a checkerboard cake, or just baking at the same time.

They make pretty tasty cupcakes.

In honor of National Cupcake Day:

Wacky Cake


3 c. All-Purpose Flour
2 c. Sugar
6 rounded T. Cocoa Powder
2 t. Baking Soda
1 t. Salt
4 T. Butter
2 c. warm Water
2 t. Apple Cider Vinegar (or regular vinegar)
2 t. Vanilla

Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl.

Melt butter and pour into warm water with vinegar and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until smooth.

Pour into 9x13 or two 9" round greased pans and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Cupcakes and Mini-Bundt cakes take 22-24 minutes.

Frost, ice, or dust with powdered sugar and serve.

This cake is so easy to throw together, and it tastes so good and is nice and moist.

Cocoa Powder

NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY!!!!

I am on the phone with my mom _right now_ and she just informed me that it is

National Cupcake Day. 

I just thought you should know. Now I have to go bake. Next up: Wacky Cake.

What are you making?