Cranberry Buttermilk Scones

I have been looking for a good scone recipe for a LONG time! I used to eat a scone every morning when I worked at the school, until the place closed. My Aunt Vonnie and I happened to be talking about scones one day and she mentioned that she had a really good recipe. Well, I finally got it from her! I revamped it a little so that I can actually have one and not use all my points (Yes, WW points).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 c. White Flour
  
• 20 Splenda Packets
• 1/8 c. Sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 c. Cold Butter/Margarine
• 1 c. Buttermilk (I used 1TBS of Vinegar and the remaining of FF Milk)
• 1 c. Dried Cranberries
• 1 tsp Grated Orange Peel (I used more, just cause I like it)
• 1 TBS Milk
• Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle
  

In a bowl, combine the flour, splenda & sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda; cut in butter. Stir in buttermilk just until combined. Fold in the cranberries and orange peel. Turn onto a floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a ball and pat into a 6-in circle. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Place on stone. Brush with milk & sprinkle with cinnamon sprinkle. Bake at 400* for 20 min.

I calculated one of these to be 3 points. I'm sure if I used a lower fat margarine, it would be even less.

Almost Panera Bread's Black Bean Soup

There are lots of recipes out there, but this is my rendition on the recipe...
I am using dried black beans, well because I have a lot and I just like fresh beans.

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery ribs, coursely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 small Chicken Boullion Cubes (or 2 cups of fresh Chicken Stock)
• 1-1 1/2 cup Water
• 1 lb black beans
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Soak black beans overnight in a bowl full of water. If you forget to soak, then add the beans to boiling water, remove from heat and let soak for 2 hours. Once soaked, drain and rinse.
Add the soaked and rinsed beans to large saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Add Salt & Cumin.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for about an hour.
Take half of the beans and blend them in the blender & return them to the pot.
Add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and chicken stock in with the beans.
Combine the corn starch with 1 1/2 TBS of water, mix and add to the pot with the lemon.
Cooked until thickened.
You may top with a fresh salsa, sour cream or whatever your heart desires. I made Yeast Rolls to go with it.

It's Christmas Time, Time for Gumdrop Cookies

So, we lost this recipe this year & I went bazerk looking for it! I had to call my Grandma Wallace and have her pull it out and dust it off. It is a holiday traditional cookie for my family, and we can't go a year without them! So I am putting it on here...

Gumdrop Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
• 1 cup packaged sweetened coconut
• 1 cup gum drops , cut into pieces
• Powdered Sugar
  

Cream the butter, margarine and sugar together in a mixer. Add vanilla, and the eggs one at a time until well blended. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the sifted flour to the butter and egg mixture and mix well. BY HAND (if you try to use your electric mixer, you will be in need of a new one!), stir in the coconut flakes, oatmeal and sliced gumdrops (I've read that if you put the gumdrops into a bowl of sugar & cut the gumdrops, it helps with the sticking. My family tradition is, we have a cup of very warm water and cut them with a knife dipped in the water. This is a VERY messy, but utterly delightfully fun task!)until just mixed.

Refrigerate the dough until it is well-chilled (at least 3 hours). Chilling the dough will help the cookies keep their shape.

Once the dough is chilled, pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Take about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet about 6 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light brown.

Place the Powdered Sugar into a deep bowl. Once taking the cookies out of the oven, let them sit for 2-3 mins to cool a bit then toss into the Powdered Sugar to coat well.

Stand back and watch the magic happen =)

Split Pea & Ham Soup

Another Melissa original that turned out FABULOUS!

Ingredients:
2 lbs Split Peas
2 lg Carrots, chopped into bite size pieces
3 Celery Stalks, chopped into bite size pieces
1 Md Onion, chopped small ( I just use my Food Chopper)
3 Ham Hocks
1 stick of Butter
2 TBS Chicken Bouillon

Boil the ham hocks in 10 cups of water, until they just start to fall off of the bone. Remove & reserve the broth.
In a large pot, melt your butter. Add all of your vegis and saute until just softened. While they are sauteing rinse your peas in a collandar. Add the peas into the vegis and add your broth from the ham hocks. You should have 8 cups of broth. Simmer your soup until it cooks down (about 30-40 mins.
Add 2 more cups of water and then 2 more cups of with 2 TBS of chicken bouillon desolved. Let it come to a boil until your peas are cooked thoroughly (about 20 mins).
Enjoy!
My family LOVED it! They are picky soup eaters, but this was devoured, even by my mom who called it "Crap Soup".

Tri Tip Marinade

I searched the internet for a way to make my Tri Tip. Last time I made it, it was dry & didn't have much flavor. So after searching, I came up with my own recipe...

I took 1/2 an onion, 4 garlic cloves, olive oil, apple cider viniger, soy sauce & rosemary. Blended it all in the blender and marinated it. Then put it on the bbq, low & slow. It turned out Delish!!! Served it up with baked yams, PERFECT!

Chicken with Hashbrowns

An original Melissa Herrera recipe...Yes, I was confused about what to make for dinner. So I made up...

Chicken with Hashbrowns
6 Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless & frozen)
2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 Can of Milk
1 bag Frozen Hashbrowns (the shredded kind, not the O'Briens)

Place the Chicken, soup & milk into a baking dish. Season with Salt, pepper & garlic salt.
Bake at 350* for 1hour. Add the frozen hashbrowns to the top & bake for another 30-45 min.

I was worried about the kids eating this, because they're not big COM soup eaters nor do they like gravy (YES, my kids are strange!) But everyone really enjoyed it! I made some vegis on the side and voila, it was Dinner!
*Please remember the measurements are for my family of 7 1/2...so adjust for your family!*

Now wasn't that easy!?!? Why can't you bring your family back to the table?

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Ok, in all honesty...I want to be part of Hungry Girl! I seriously LOVE what Lisa does with the foods, I love revamping & trying to make things "healthy" or just not so bad for you. I love the experimenting with things & just the whole flipping the switch.
With that being said, I have a recipe I want to share. There are quite a few recipes out there for Strawberry Pretzel Salad, but not one is "health-i-fied" (I know it's not a word, but whatev.).
I am meeting up with my Roof family tomorrow & my Grandpa is a diabetic. Not to mention, I am trying once again to keep my life style change on the "good side". So I've taken this salad, originally made by Paula Deen (probably not "The Original", but she has featured it) and I've revamped it to a healthier version.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Snyders Butter Snaps Pretzels
3/4 Cup Melted Butter
25 Packets of Splenda
1 (8 oz) pkg of Neutfella Cream Cheese
1 TBS of Vanilla
1 (8 oz) container of FF/SF Whip Topping
2 (3 oz) pkg of Sugar Free Strawberry Gelatin
2 cups Boiling Water
2 (10 oz) pkg of Strawberries (frozen)
1 (8oz) can Crushed Pineapple
Extra FF/SF Whip Topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the crust, lay the pretzels in a single layer of a 9x13" pan, add butter & 5 packets of splenda (mixed together). Bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the other 20 packets of splenda & vanilla. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.

In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water (personally, I take the juice from the pineapple, then add water to make the 2 cups), and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

*Using the Butter Snap Pretzels helps you cut down on the amount of pretzels you are using. Replacing the Splenda for the sugar, cuts your sugar. FF/SF whip topping cuts fat & sugar. SF gelatin cuts more sugar. Because I'm not a scientific person & don't have time to figure out the calories, fat, etc. I can't give you the nutritional facts, but I can tell you, off hand, I'm cutting ALOT out & still enjoying an AWESOME desert!*

ENJOY