WC March/April Recipe Exchange - Regional Recipes

This recipe exchange was an interesting one. I have never made cheesecake and have never eaten (or made) pecan pie. I am currently on WW so I couldn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to but the little nibble I allowed myself was more than enough to tell me that it was a good combination of flavors.

I served the cheesecake to my girlfriends and they ate the whole thing :) I think I'll try this recipe again but next time I want to make my own pecan pie as a bit of a challenge. What do you think?

Source: Unknown from the South - all will be revealed soon :)

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

• 1 (2-pound, 4-ounce) package frozen Southern Pecan Pie
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 (8-ounce) packages Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup Confectioners Sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 19 pecan halves
  

Preheat oven to 325°. Thaw pecan pie according to package directions. Cut evenly into 20 thin slices, keeping wedges intact, and set aside.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs and next 3 ingredients; press mixture onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan.

Arrange 10 pecan pie wedges in a spoke design in prepared pan, placing 1 cut side of each wedge on crust with narrow end towards center of pan. Reserve remaining pecan pie wedges for another use.

Beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream, half-and-half, and vanilla; beat until blended. Fold in confectioners sugar and flour.

Carefully pour cream cheese mixture evenly over pecan pie wedges in pan, making sure wedges remain in place. Arrange pecan halves evenly around edge and center.

Bake at 325° for 50 minutes. Turn off oven, and let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight before serving.

Makes 16 servings

Mashed "Potatoes"

I have seen variations of this recipe floating around on The Nest and on the Weight Watchers boards and finally had a chance to try it tonight. It was simple, tasty and low in points! I think anyone would enjoy this recipe... well, anyone who doesn't detest cauliflower (like Joseph).

Source: Various Sources

Mashed Cauliflower

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 2 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Wedges
• 2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter light

Steam cauliflower until soft. Place in food processor with cheese and butter and puree. Once completely smooth, stop food processor and serve.

Serves 3
2 WW points per serving

Crockpot Magic

Each week I try to pick recipes that use a different spice I don't have yet. This week I wanted to try out paprika. I searched through my GR and didn't see anything I liked so I started looking though my Crock Pot recipes.

I <3 my Crock Pot. So as soon as I found this recipe I knew I had to try it. It included my new weekly ingredient, paprika, and something we can all love, garlic. I sort of screwed up but my Crock Pot still came through for me. I forgot to plug it in and realized it too far in to cook it on low for 6 hours so I cooked it on high for 3 hours.

Source: WW Crock Pot Word File

Garlic Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, no skin, no bone
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 garlic cloves, whole
• 1 onion

Slice onion into rings and place on bottom of crock pot. Mix paprika & s&p together and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Place chicken on top of the onions. Place garlic cloves on top of chicken. Cook 6 hours on low or until liquid is clear (I cooked for 3 hours on high and the chicken was very moist).

6 Servings (one serving = 1/2 a chicken breast, 2 serving shown in the picture above)
3 WW points per serving

Holy Guacamole!

Mmm... there's nothing better than a fresh avocado... wait, there is. Mix it with a few other ingredients and you have a tasty, healthy dip for chips and veggies.

With the very green basil sauce earlier in the week and this guac I guess I am going with a green theme :) A few weeks too late for St. Patrick's Day!

My girlfriend at work had picked some fresh avocados from her aunt's tree and brought a BOX of them into work for us to pick and choose. I went home with three (didn't want to be too greedy!) huge, very ripe avocados and knew I needed to make some fresh guac. I went to the local market to grab some fresh cilantro and jalepenos and as soon as I got home I went to work...

Source: My head

Guacamole

• 3 large avocados
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 jalepeno, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh salsa
• Salt and Pepper

Cut avocado in half. Using your knife gently tap the seed and twist out. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the avocado into a medium mixing bowl. Add all ingredients except for salsa and start to mash avocado with a fork until it's the consistency you want (I prefer a smooth guac).

Add salsa and stir in until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste (I recommend taking small samples as you add the S&P to get the correct taste). Serve with chips and/or veggies and enjoy!

Suggestion: If you plan on serving the guacamole later, I would suggest keeping one of the seeds in the guacamole so that it doesn't turn brown. The lemon juice will also help.

Pesto Perfecto!

I <3 pesto! It's so yummy and versatile. I was having some friends over for Womens Club and needed something simple and easy so I decided to go with salmon. I decided to go with the Pan Seared Salmon with Basil-Dijon Cream Sauce and added a pesto sauce to replace the cream sauce. It was soooo good! Too bad only two of us liked salmon :( But the other girls did enjoy the pesto!

Source: The Joy of Cooking (for the pesto)

Pan Seared Salmon with Pesto Sauce

• Large Salmon Fillet
• S & P
• 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning blend
• 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, pulse basil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese together while adding olive oil slowly in the top until well blended and smooth. Set aside.



Season both sides of salmon fillets with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.



Heat saute pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Place salmon (top-side down) onto center of pan and cook until slightly brown (2-3 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low.



Using a large spatula, flip salmon over, cover pan, and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches about 140 degrees, 4-5 minutes. Uncover and remove from heat. Transfer salmon to a plate and drizzle pesto sauce over fish.



Pesto serves 10, 4 WW points per serving

Great appetizers

While I didn't have a superbowl party, I drooled over all of the posts in the blogs that did have parties. I starred a few including one that I eventually tried when the craving hit. Well... a craving hit and I started to search through GR for something that I a) really wanted and b) had all the ingredients for. Well I was in luck. Not only did this recipe satisfy both requirements... it was also WW friendly! I spruced it up a bit and ended up with a great snack.

Source: The Foodie Fashionista

Loaded Potato Bites

• 6 baby red potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 packet Ranch dressing mix
  
• 4 slices Canadian bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cups fat-free shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice potatoes into coins. Place potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Chop up Canadian bacon into small bits. Top each coin with a bit of cheese and some bacon bits. Stir Ranch mix into sour cream and mix well; set aside. Bake for 15 minutes or until potatoes are done.

Serve with sour cream mix.

Serves 8, 2 WW points per serving

Delicious Screw Ups

While Joseph was away for business I decided to make a few recipes I know he wouldn't try in a million gazillion years. One of those recipes was for Quinoa Corn Chowder. I got the original recipe from the Foodie Fashionista but modified it a bit because I can't read directions so save me.

Reading Red Peppers as Red Pepper Flakes was a mistake... but a delicious one. This chowder had a spicy zing that cleared my sinuses and left me wanting another bowl, and another, and another! Despite the brown coloring it still tasted amazing (note to self... don't cook onions too long in a dutch oven or else your chowder/soup/stew will not be a creamy white).

Source: The Foodie Fashionista

Quinoa Corn Chowder

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove; crushed and minced
• 1 lg Potato; peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
• 3/8 cups uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup diced red pepper (I omitted)
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and pepper; to taste
• *added 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes*

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the corn and potato, cook for another 5 minutes. Add stock, bay leaf and quinoa; stir well. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add milk, dill, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves; add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with dill to serve.

Yields 4 servings
3 WW points per serving

BlakeMakes Giveaway: TCHO Dark Chocolate

I am a chocolate lover. It is one of the main reasons why I had to join Weight Watchers. I love all things chocolate. Even white chocolate (it isn't even real chocolate... no cocoa bean!). So when I saw BlakeMakes offer a tasting of Tcho's beta dark chocolate to a few lucky Sooper Heros I had to jump on it and make sure I posted on time.

Tcho? What the heck is that? Well, if you google them you'll not only get images of their cool packaging but also will be directed to their website and websites who've reviewed them. Tcho is a San Francisco based company who prides themselves on seriously good dark chocolate. They are set on having the perfect product and are testing the heck out of their different varieties.

Well my cute silver package came in the mail this week and I couldn't help taking a bite right away. I have to say... it was some pretty darn good chocolate. It was smooth and flavorful. Almost an earthy sweet taste. I only took a nibble from one square because I plan on making brownies this weekend with them. I will definitely be blogging more about my full experience soon.

Semi-Food Related...

It's my birthday!

I have an excuse for not posting in a while. I've been super busy with *er* birthday related stuff... yeah. That's it. Well... the truth is, I have all of my pictures taken but getting the pictures from the SD card to the computer takes some effort and today... I just don't have it. But I didn't have it the day before either. Or the day before that. This weekend is the weekend... I promise ;)

Anyway, on with my post. Today was the most spectacular birthday ever. I woke up to a backrub and a present from my hubby. I got the flat iron I wanted (Sedu 1") and the cutest card ever. I than went to work and everyone brought breakfast. A few hours later I was surprised by a delivery from Edible Arrangements...


Courtesy of Joseph! I than headed out to the San Diego Habitat for Humanity annual Hats Off to Women luncheon with my boss. It is such a great cause and a great birthday present from my boss. We're going to do a Woman's Build soon so if anyone's interested let me know and I'll send you the information. After work I headed over to The Prado for happy hour with a few friends and had great drinks, apps, and dessert! YUM!

All in all it had to be the best birthday ever... now I am off to bed!

*** normal dinner postings to come soon ***

Book Club: Three Cups of Tea

I love book club. It's a great excuse for a bunch of girls to get together to eat, drink and... gossip! My favorite part about this month's book club was that I got to host. It was so much fun to have everyone over and I got to make use of some of the platters I received as wedding gifts.

A fellow nestie and book club member, Gillian, suggested that we have a Tea theme because of our book, Three Cups of Tea. It was a great idea and I tried to run with it. I served sandwiches, quiche, scones, salad, veggies and lots of tea!

Below are a few snipets of the goodies I served. I was also lucky enough to receive wine and desserts from some of my guests. Thank you to all who attended!


Heavenly Whole Wheat Bread (for cheese & crackers platter)

*this recipe is for a small loaf*

• 3/4 to 7/8 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine (I used butter)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
• 2 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (I used Red Star brand)

Place all ingredients in bread pan, using the least amount of liquid listed in the recipe. Select Medium Crust setting then the Whole Wheat cycle and press start. (you didn't think I'd be doing this by hand, right? I <3 my bread machine!) Observe the dough as it kneads. After 5 to 10 minutes, if appears dry and stiff, or if your machine sounds as if it's straining to knead it, add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms as smooth, soft, pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch. After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.

Source: Bread Machine Magic by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway

No WW point info just yet

Victoria's Quiche

• 1 1/2 cups eggbeaters
• 1 onion
• 8 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar
• 16 oz fat free cottage cheese
• 1 cup broccoli (I added this)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour in pie dish and bake for 10 minues. Reduce oven temp to 350 and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy! (How easy was that??)

Source: My WW friend, Victoria

8 Servings, 4 WW points


Blueberry Scones (I doubled this recipe)

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles pea-size crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl, add the blueberries and stir to mix.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream until blended and add to the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir to form large, moist clumps of dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press with your hands until the dough comes together. Roll out the dough, flouring as needed, into a 10-inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 equal-size wedges and place on baking sheet (my dough was too sticky so I ended up making scone globs). Bake until the scones are golden, about 25 minutes.

Transfer scones to cooling rack. Let the scones cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 scones.

Source: Williams Sonoma

If doubled, 16 servings. 5 WW points each (lots of fat in these but oh so good!)

My very first blog award!

First off, thank you soo much Katye for this wonderful award! I get so excited to read comments on my posts so seeing your comment on my latest post with this award definitely made my day! I am always so inspired by everyone's blogs on the WC board and was inspired enough to start this blog. One of the people who inspired me to get in the kitchen was you! You're always so nice and helpful whenever you can be.

So now onto those who have made my day (besides Kayte!):
Natalie, Alanna, Amanda, Rachel, Julia, Miranda, Renea, Melissa, Elly and Mary Ellen

Thanks girls for making my day time and time again with your great blogs and ideas!

Pineapple Madness

I was craving a little sweetness tonight so instead of a vegetable I decided to go with a fruit with dinner. I haven't had pork chops in a while so pineapple and pork chop sounded great. I just sort of looked in the cupboard and pulled out what looked good.

These pork chops were tasty and had a different after taste to it. Almost a cool, refreshing flavor. I think that it's because of the nutmeg and pineapple but I am not really good with identifying flavor combos/reactions/etc. Let me know what you think.

Source: My Head and Pantry

Pineapple Pork Chops

• 4 3oz pork chops (thin, 1/4")
• 1 can pineapples, reserve juice (or fresh if you have some)
• 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat baking dish with non-stick spray. Place pork chops in baking dish.

Mix brown sugar, spices, teriyaki sauce, and juice together. Spoon half of the mixture over pork chops. Add pineapples on top of the pork chops. Pour remaining mixture over pineapples and pork chops.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy over a bed of jasmine rice.

Serves 4
6 WW points per serving

I forgot...

I was just going through my pictures and remembered a few recipes I didn't blog about! Silly me! I definitely want to give credit to those who contributed to my weekly meal planning successes! The first recipe I tried was Alanna's Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Halibut (originally from Cooking Light 2008). I couldn't find any halibut at the store so I used trout fillets. It was pretty good. Next time I will definitely try the halibut.

Source: Cooking Light 2008 via Artists in the Kitchen

Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Trout

• 1/2 C panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (I used dried)
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten (I used 1/4 cup Eggbeaters egg whites)
  
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 trout fillets
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• cooking spray
  

Preheat oven to 450. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine egg whites and egg in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 fish fillets; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 450 for 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Serves 3
9 WW Points per fillet

Oh Orzo, how I love thee!

I have a confession... I've never had orzo! So tonight I decided to try it out. I found a great recipe while browsing Annie's blog, Annie's Eats. It looked simple enough and full of flavor.

And... extra bonus... It included a spice I didn't have! Score for me! You see, in an effort to expand our spice rack (and get rid of the old spices we still have from when we moved in 4 years ago) we have been slowly buying one spice a week when out grocery shopping. McCormick came out with an organic line so we've been converting to that as well. This week's spice: Herbes de Provence.

Source: Annie's Eats adapted from Smells Like Home and Food Network

Herb Rubbed Chicken with Creamy Orzo (changes in italics)

• 6 oz. orzo (original recipe called for 8 oz)
• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin (I cut both in half to make four breasts total)
• 2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 ½ cups fresh broccoli florets
• ½-2/3 cup whipping cream (I used 1/2 cup fat free half and half)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used 1 ounce)

Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil over medium-high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees (to keep chicken warm). Season chicken breasts on both sides with Herbes de Provence (1 tsp. per breast), salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook 4-5 minutes before turning. Once chicken has been turned, cook 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and place in oven to stay warm (use oven safe dish).

Add the shallot and garlic to the pan and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes (adding more olive oil if necessary... I didn't). Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the broccoli florets to the pan and cook for 4 minutes more, until tender but still firm.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the whipping cream. Add the cooked orzo to the pan and stir to coat. Remove from heat and add grated Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken.

Serves 4 (orzo actually serves more like 6)
6 WW points (if calculating orzo at 6 servings)

Simple, Creamy, Yummy Sauce

I want to start out by saying that I was too lazy to get out my Nikon tonight... So I used the click and shoot. Not the best pictures but definitely a blog worthy meal. Not only because it was tasty but because it was so simple! 5 ingredients simple (not including pasta and veggies).

I found this recipe while lurking on one of the Weight Watchers boards. These girls know every trick in the book to make low-fat/healthy ingredients into great meals!

Source: Weight Watchers message board (many girls posted this recipe so I am not sure who the "original" source is)

Laughing Cow Alfredo (with Broccoli)

• 3 wedges of your favorite Laughing Cow (I used garlic and herb)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
  
• 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (I used Romano)
• 1/2 Tbsp Margarine (I used ICBINB Light)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put all ingredients in a small sauce pan and set on low. Cook for 20 minutes or until creamy and smooth. I suggest that you stir the sauce for most of this time.

Boil some water for your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat organic spaghetti) and cook pasta as directed on the package.

Once the sauce and pasta are done add some broccoli florets (or any other veggie you want to add... I think mushrooms might be nice too) to the sauce and than top with the hot pasta. Stir and serve.

Makes 2 servings of sauce
2 WW points per serving (only includes the sauce)

Eat to the Beat: Apple Pie a la Mode

Elly from Elly Says Opa, started a new blogging event called Eat to the Beat! Now let me tell you... I was so excited to see this new event. I haven't joined many blogging events because I really don't feel them, ya know? But this event... I feel it. I LOVE music. And lyrics really do mean a lot to me so I think that bringing music and food together is a great idea. I also love to cook with my iPod blasting so...

It was really hard to decide what to make but my decision was made for me when I began to explore what I could create with my PBDDL from BlakeMakes.com. Who doesn't like apples and peanut butter (besides Joseph... but he's allergic to peanut butter)? I definitely made the right choice. Simple, quick and perfect for movie night!

I just want to preface this by saying that this is not the type of music I typically listen to. No offense to anyone who does love Destiny's Child... I actually enjoyed the song (downloaded on iTunes... to listen to while I "bake", of course!)

The song I chose was...

Apple Pie ala Mode
by Destiny's Child

Lullaby love
Where have you been all of my life?
Your chocolate covered, strawberry, apple pie a la mode

It's all in the way you look at me
Apple Pie A La Mode
I'm sure I'll me enjoying your company
Apple Pie A La Mode
you turning me on with your modesty
Apple Pie A La Mode
You have such a beautiful personality
Apple Pie A La Mode

Source: adapted from Epicurious.com

No-Bake Apple Ice Cream Pie

• 4 mini store-bought graham cracker crusts
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks (I forgot to peel them and it turned out great)
• 1/8 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (I used Splenda for Baking)
• 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche, plus a bit extra for drizzling (or other caramel topping if your husband is allergic to peanuts)
• 2 cups Breyers Light vanilla bean ice cream
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  

Melt the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add the apples and cook, stirring, over medium heat until they're just about tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, cook for another minute or so, and remove from the heat. Scrape the apples and their juice onto a large plate and let cool.

When the apples are almost cool, scrape them and their juice into the pie shell, spreading them evenly in the crust. Slowly pour a tablespoon of PBDDL on each pie.


Put the pie shell in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up the apples and caramel. When you do this, put the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften it.

After 30 minutes, spoon 1/2 cup of softened ice cream over each pie, pressing it down and smoothing it out with the back of a fork. Now pour as much of the remaining PBDDL over the ice cream as you like. You can pour it in a spiral, a zigzag, or any decorative fashion you like.


Sprinkle the nuts over the top of the pie, then put the pie back in the freezer for 1 hour to firm it up. No cheating and taking it out before an hour is up. Enjoy!

5 WW points per serving (serves 4)

A sneak peak...

Can you guess what I am going to make with my PBDDL? I'll give you a clue...

I will be attempting this recipe for No Bake Apple Ice Cream Pie shortly. Stay tuned.

Mmmm... Chicken done simple

I have had a few unfortunate incidents with my pictures recently and a few of the things I made for dinner this week did not end up being blog worthy because of it. But tonight was the night to get going again. I saw this recipe on my friend Alanna's blog, Artists in the Kitchen, and it definitely looked healthy enough for my WW lifestyle.

This meal was so easy to put together. It was ready in under 30 and will definitely be added to our rotation. Alanna was right with the flavor. I too thought it might be lacking in that department but it was great! And I used real butter. I didn't think that a recipe this simple needed less of anything. And it included wine! What's a better excuse to finish up the bottle you have in the fridge? I used a bottle I purchased for... brace yourselves... $2!! Yep. That's right. It was on sale for $5 and then I had a coupon for $3 off. YAY for saving money!

Source: Cooking Light

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce

• 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, broth, and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes. Add asparagus; cover and cook 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and juice. Serve asparagus and sauce with chicken.

2 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, about 5 asparagus spears, and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

6 WW points a serving