Trying to get healthier...again!

Don't dig your grave 
with your own knife and fork.  

~English Proverb

A couple of you have mentioned wanting to start to track our weight loss again. I need some weight loss buddies! I've gained and lost the same 5 pounds all winter long. My goal was to loose 10. So, right now I'm up to needing to lose 15. (Yes, I am the perfect poster child for yo-yo dieting!) I got off track with my healthier eating during my dad's illness, and I didn't walk very much all winter. NOT a good combination! Well, spring has sprung, and I need to get serious about being healthier! I bought The Hungry Girl cookbooks a few months back, and they have managed to collect a nice, little layer of dust over the weeks! I've decided to brush them off and to try to put them to use!
I'd love to have you join me! "Misery loves company." No, no! I mean - "the more the merrier!" Right?! ;
Let me know, and I'll add your name to the list! I'll weigh in on Fridays. Weigh in any day you like. Just let me know, and I'll post your pounds lost!

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Straightening my freezer and fridge, I found a few items that need using: a pie crust left from the holidays, a box of frozen spinach and half a package of bacon. This quiche was a great way to use all of them! 

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (10-ounce) frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
4 chopped green onions, sautéed in bacon drippings
2 - 3 tablespoons chopped pimentos or roasted red peppers
5 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup cream, half-and-half or milk
1 cup cheese of your choice, shredded
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine ingredients.
Spoon into unbaked pie crust.
Bake for 35 minutes or until middle is set. Tent quiche with foil if crust becomes too brown before quiche is fully cooked,

Mrs. Ruth's Chicken and Rice Casserole - Favorite Recipes Friday

Favorite Recipes Friday

“Without rice, 
even the cleverest housewife cannot cook.”

“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; 
if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; 
if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” 
~ Old Chinese Proverbs

Mrs. Ruth McCullough, who was a long time educator, brought this casserole to us when one of the kids was born. She kindly shared the recipe, and it has been a family favorite ever since. 

It is a great dish to carry to a pot luck or share with a friend, as Mrs. Ruth did. I always think of her when I make this! Such a sweet and special lady!

Mrs. Ruth's Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 - 3 chicken breasts
1 cup rice
2 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup (homemade substitute)
1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 cup crushed corn flakes
3 tablespoons melted butter

Boil chicken breasts until tender. Reserving broth, remove from chicken from boiler and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces.
Cook rice according to package direction in 2½ cups of the reserved chicken broth. Freeze remaining broth for another use.
While rice is cooking, sauté celery and onions in butter.
Combine all ingredients and spoon into a large casserole dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
Top with corn flake mixture.
Bake for until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Overnight Buttery Baby Buttermilk Biscuits

 Overnight Buttery Baby Buttermilk Biscuits

“The hot biscuit runs a poor second to cornbread, but is considered of higher social caste. We abrogate and deprecate cornbread when we have guests, but we should consider ourselves deficient in hospitality if we served a company meal without hot biscuits.”
~Majorie Kinnan Rawlings, Cross Creek (1942)

These little biscuits are great for brunches, morning receptions and teas, and Sunday school!

Kids think they are fun anytime!

Of course, you can cut this dough into "regular-sized" biscuits, too.

Preparing this dough the night before makes baking hot, fresh homemade biscuits a snap the next morning! 
These are heap more tasty than the frozen variety - and a lot cheaper, too!

Overnight Buttery Baby Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour (I use White Lily. If you prefer Martha White, go for it! Do use a brand of soft, Southern flour.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons Butter-flavored Crisco
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoon sweet milk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Spoon flour and baking powder into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse several times to evenly distribute baking powder.
Add Crisco. Pulse until mixture resembles course crumbs.
(You may combine the flour and baking powder and cut the Crisco in by hand, if you prefer.)
Dump flour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
Add buttermilk and mix just until a soft dough is formed. Don’t over mix.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. (Use all-purpose flour for this. The leavening agents in self-rising flour can leave an undesirable bitter, chalky film on the outside of your biscuits.)
Handling dough very gently, knead a few times.
On a cookies sheet, pat dough into an ½-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap securely in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until morning.
When ready to bake, remove dough from the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cut the dough into three rectangle, widthwise.
Cut the dough into half, lengthwise. This will form 6 small squares.
Cut each of the small squares into four smaller squares. You can leave these as little squares, or you can gently use your hands to round the edges.
Place biscuits on baking sheet. You can allow the sides to touch, or place them an inch apart. It’s up to you!
Brush tops with sweet milk.
Bake biscuits until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Brush tops with melted butter.

Yield: 24 baby biscuits

For more great recipes, visit: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!

Hot and Cheesy Chicken Ranch Dip

 Hot and Cheesy Chicken Ranch Dip

I created this for the "Lost Crew," from ingredients I had on hand. They all gave it a big thumbs up! 
I think adding a few chopped green onions to this would taste good and add a pretty color, but I didn't put them, as I wasn't sure the teens would care for them.

Hot and Cheesy Chicken Ranch Dip

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Dash or two of hot sauce
1 large can chicken, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, dressing mix, garlic powder, onion powder and hot sauce.
Add chicken, stirring gently.
Spoon into baking dish.
Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
Bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 - 20 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Barbecued Chicken Salad

Barbecued Chicken Salad

I love the Barbecued Chicken Salad at Harvey’s, an area chain of casual dining restaurants. 
My friends, Julie and Mitzi, and I all order this almost every time we go to Harvey's.
My homemade version tastes very, very similar. I bake my tortilla strips. Harvey's fries theirs. That's about the only difference. Once you "crunch them down" into your salad as you're eating it, there's really no difference in taste at all. I have been making this salad for years, ever since one of their chefs demonstrated it on a local news channel's cooking segment. Maybe that's why mine tastes so similar!

Barbecued Chicken Salad

This is more of a list than a recipe!
Purchase the amounts of the following ingredients needed for your family:

shredded or chopped lettuce (Harvey's uses shredded, so I do, too!)
ranch dressing (I usually make it for the dry packet.)
canned black beans, drained and rinsed
canned shoe peg corn, drained
chopped green onions
chopped tomatoes
grilled chicken breasts strips (homemade or pre-cooked) tossed with your favorite bbq sauce
corn tortilla strips (homemade or commercially prepared, which are found in the crouton section at the grocery) or you can use crushed tortilla chips, if you don't want to make or buy the strips
shredded Mexican cheese blend

I like to chill all my ingredients, other than the chicken and tortilla chips, if time permits.

Homemade tortilla strips:
Baked Version:
Stack corn tortillas and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Spread strips slightly apart on a nonstick 12x15-inch baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Bake in a 400º oven, stirring occasionally, until crisp and lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Fried Version:
Stack corn tortillas and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.

To put salad together:
Toss shredded lettuce with ranch dressing. Top with the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Drizzle with a bit more ranch dressing, if you like.

Visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays for more great recipes!

Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Substitute - Regular and Reduced-Fat Versions

Although very convenient, commercially prepared condensed soups are expensive and may contain additives and ingredients you'd prefer to skip. You can use these condensed soup substitutes in dishes instead of commercially prepared condensed soups. These homemade substitutes are very easy and quick to make! They taste much better, too. I have almost stopped purchasing the canned versions.
Using heart-healthy butter spreads, low-fat or fat-free milk, and low-sodium broth allows you to make these recipes more healthful.
You can customize with these simple recipes by adding other seasonings such as garlic powder, celery salt, onion powder, etc.

Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup Substitute
Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
Condensed Cream of Mushroom Substitute

Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Substitute

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
½ cup finely chopped celery
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add celery and saute until tender.
Add flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; gradually add milk, whisking to keep smooth. Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in chopped mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Reduced-Fat Version - Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Substitute

1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free milk
½ cup finely chopped celery
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add celery and a bit of water. Saute until celery is tender.
Add flour and a bit of the milk; whisk until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; gradually add remaining milk, whisking to keep smooth. Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in chopped mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste.