Carol Santee

Carol is the co-author of the Big Book of Freezer Cooking and the author of 30 Day Gourmet’s Slow Cooker Freezer Favorites, Freezer Lunches To Go and Healthy Freezer Cooking eBooks. She is a computer information specialist and works for a computer software company.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Low Fat, Recipes, Soups & Sandwiches, Under 350 Calories Comments Off

Apr 012008

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This is a great soup! It is fun and easy to make your own tortilla strips for the garnish. We have had Chicken Tortilla Soup at restaurants and this soup is very similar to what we have tried in the past.

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Advantage Cooking owners click here to download this recipe.

Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	6	12	18	24	30	36
Ingredients
Shredded or chopped chicken	2-1/2 C.	5 C.	7-1/2 C.	10 C.	12-1/2 C.	15 C.
Enchilada sauce mix	1 packet	2 packets	3 packets	4 packets	5 packets	6 packets
Canned tomato puree	28 oz.	56 oz.	84 oz.	112 oz.	140 oz.	168 oz.
Water	2-1/2 C.	5 C.	7-1/2 C.	10 C.	12-1/2 C.	15 C.
Canned chopped green chilies	4 oz.	8 oz.	12 oz.	16 oz.	20 oz.	24 oz.
Chopped onion	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
Minced garlic	1 t.	2 t.	1 T.	1 T. + 1 t.	1 T. + 2 t.	2 T.
Chicken broth	1-3/4 C.	3-1/2 C.	5-1/4 C.	7 C.	8-3/4 C.	10-1/2 C.
Chili powder	2 t.	1 T. + 2 t.	2 T.	2 T. + 2 t.	3 T. + 1 t.	1/4 C.
Salt	1/2 t.	1 t.	1-1/2 t.	2 t.	2-1/2 t.	1 T.
Black pepper	1/4 t.	1/2 t.	3/4 t.	1 t.	1-1/4 t.	1-1/2 t.
Chopped fresh cilantro	1 T.	2 T.	3 T.	1/4 C.	1/4 C. + 1 T.	1/4 C. + 2 T.
Frozen corn	10 oz.	20 oz.	30 oz.	40 oz.	50 oz.	60 oz.
On Hand Ingredients
Corn tortillas	4	8	12	16	20	24

Assembly Directions:
Slow Cooker: Place all the ingredients except corn in a slow cooker. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Stovetop: Place all ingredients except corn in a large stock pot. Stir to mix. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn down to medium and cook for 20 minutes or until the onions are tender but not mushy.

Freezing Directions:
Cool. Add corn to soup and stir to mix. Pour into freezer container or freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw. Reheat; stirring often. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tortillas into thin strips. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or brush with oil. Arrange tortilla strips in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until strips are browned, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool and sprinkle on top of soup before serving.

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving: 268 Calories; 4g Fat (14.0% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 50mg Cholesterol; 892mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 2-1/2 Lean Meat; 2-1/2 Vegetable.

April 2008 Chewin’ the News with Carol

2008, Chewin' the News 1 Response »

Apr 012008

Kitchen Fun with Carol

Hello everyone and welcome Spring! I am so glad that it is finally warming up and the sun is coming out. All the daffodils are blooming and the crabapples will be blooming soon. I am looking forward to opening up the windows in the house and letting the fresh air inside. I have several pots of Amaryllis bulbs that my mom gave me when we moved into our house. Every April the flowers start to come out and there are usually some flowers left on the plant when I move it out to our deck for the summer. They are spectacular!

Another sign of Spring that I always watch for is the pair of ducks that nest near our house every year. We have a creek that runs behind our house and the ducks like to take the baby ducks there to get to a pond that is down the street. It is always so much fun to watch the “parade” go by as the momma duck leads the babies to the creek. We also enjoy going down to the pond and watching all the duck families swim around together.

Last month I promised that I would share my Spring menu with you. This time I took a different approach to menu planning. I tried to select recipes based upon the cost to make them and the general nutritional value of the recipe. This is difficult since many lower cost recipes can be higher in fat or have high carbohydrates.

I decided to concentrate on soups, crock pot meals and recipes with chopped meats (stir fry recipes, casseroles, etc.). These are generally less expensive than making a roast or serving chicken breasts. For example, I can make beef stew for the family and use one pound of meat for a six to eight servings. A roast for the entire family would require at least 2 pounds to match the same number of servings.

I also decided to group my recipes together by cooking method. I started with a blank Worksheet G – Monthly Menu Planner. I chose my recipes and filled in the menu by category. I decided that

Sunday is quick and easy recipes for after church
Monday is recipes cooked in the oven
Tuesday is soup and salad night
Wednesday is grill night
Thursday is slow cooker meals
Friday is stovetop recipes
Saturday is reserved for Dad to lend a hand in the kitchen or on the grill

Here is my Spring menu:

Quick/Easy	Oven	Soup	Grill	Crockpot	Stovetop	Dad’s recipes
Brats or Chili Dogs (members can access online)	Polynesian Barbeque Pork Marinade	Beef and Barley Soup	Grilled Chicken Parmesan	White Chicken Chili	Spaghetti and Meatballs	Hoisin Chicken Marinade (below)
Burritos and Rice	Meatloaf	Italian Meatball Soup	BBQ Chicken or Country Pulled Pork	Beef and Noodles	Ravioli	Pizza
Chicken Patty Sandwiches (members can access online)	Parsley Parmesan Chicken (members can access online)	Chicken Tortilla Soup (below)	Hamburgers	Crock Pot Mac and Cheese	Chicken Stir Fry	Pancakes and Eggs (members can access online)
Italian Chicken (members can access online)	Wet Tacos	Beef Stew	Ocean City Pork Chops	Crock Pot Chicken Lasagna	Chicken Fajitas	Pizza

Here are some of the rules that I apply when trying to cook healthy meals for my family:

I added a soup day to my menu and tried to choose soups that are lower in fat and full of vegetables.
I try to cook with leaner cuts of meat. That means watching for and taking advantage of good sale prices since the leaner cuts are generally more expensive.
I use reduced fat ingredients. I always substitute reduced fat or fat free sour cream for regular sour cream. I cook with reduced fat cheeses and try to use cheese less often.
I have been cooking with high fiber or whole wheat pastas. I use whole wheat bread and buns for sandwiches. I also try to use more brown rice in recipes.
I have discovered that my family enjoys salads so I am incorporating them in the menus more often.
I make Fat Free White Sauce from The Big Book of Freezer Cooking instead of using canned soups.

How do you change recipes to be healthy or more nutritious? Do you have any helpful hints or cooking day tips to share with the rest of the readers? Send your suggestions to me and I will share them in the next newsletter with the rest of the 30 Day Gourmet cooks.

Bonus Recipes

Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is a great soup! It is fun and easy to make your own tortilla strips for the garnish. We have had Chicken Tortilla Soup at restaurants and this soup is very similar to what we have tried in the past.

Hoisin Chicken Marinade
We are always looking for a good marinade. The family really enjoys this one. Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark sauce that is spicy-sweet. Hoisin sauce can be found in the Chinese food section at your local grocery store.

Freezer Cook of the Month

Update from Last Month’s Winner

In last month’s newsletter, the Freezer Cook of the Month, Michelle, shared a story with us about Tracey. She was in an automobile accident and Michelle made meals for Tracey’s family while she was in the hospital. Michelle wanted to share an update on Tracey’s condition:

Update on the family – Tracey spent 2 weeks in Iowa City until the clotting got under control, and spent another 3 weeks at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. She is now home, and moving around a little, but with supervision. Her mother from Indiana has came in to help for a little while. I have made more meals for the family, this time though I had a couple of other John Deere wives that helped me. It is so encouraging to hear how you help others in need.

Thanks, Michelle, for sharing this update with us.

Freezer Cook of the Month Winner

Our winner this month is Cindy from Missouri. Cindy shares her story of how she was introduced to 30 Day Gourmet and how she has used 30 Day Gourmet to help others.

Let’s hear from Cindy:

I have never been much of a planner as far as meals go but last May I was racing my daughters and tore the cartilage in my knee. I was laid up for 6 weeks before my surgery and then for 8 weeks after. During that time a good friend brought the 30 Day Gourmet Freezer cooking book to my attention. I read through it and made a list of dishes I thought my children would like. My mom came to help me before the surgery so she got the pleasure if taking me to the grocery store to get the items on my list. I was able to do a little prep work but the next day my friend, Kim, came over and we made a months worth of meals. For us it lasted a little longer. It was such a wonderful blessing for my family. I still do freezer cooking on a smaller scale but I always have 10-15 meals in my freezer. For my story it ends there but I have more to add. Last week someone came to me and said her neighbor was a drug rep. It had been raining for a few days so she pulled her van into the drive to load her supplies. All that they can figure is she forgot to put it in park. As she loaded it, the van began to roll back pinning her underneath. She was drug down her driveway, across the street, and into the neighbors yard. She survived but has broken arm and leg. This lady is a single mom and can’t make food for her son. I sent several of my freezer meals over to her. Her son is able to make the food because of the simplicity of your recipes. I want to thank you and all the other 30 Day Gourmet crew for making recipes so easy to follow that a 10 year old can care for his mother or as in my case an 11 year daughter can start supper before dad gets home from work. This cookbook is a blessing to so many. I pray you will have continued success.

Closing Comments from Carol

I hope everyone is enjoying your Spring. Next month I will share some slow cooker recipes. I love using my slow cooker for meals. It works out well for days when we have track meets and we need to eat a late supper when we get home. We walk in the door and dinner is ready! It is also great to have slow cooker recipes that you make on cooking day.

Do you have any recipes that you would like to share? I’d love to try and share them with everyone. You can post your recipes on the 30 Day Gourmet Facebook® fan page or click here to send me an email. Or do you have any other topics that you would like me to cover? Click here to send me an email. I enjoy hearing from you!

Have fun in your kitchen!

Carol

March 2008 Chewin’ the News

2008, Chewin' the News Comments Off

Mar 012008

Kitchen Fun with Carol

Hello everyone! It is hard to believe that it is the beginning of March already! Another track season starts this week and before you know it Easter will have come and gone. Time has really flown by and so much has happened so far this year. The boys are juniors this year and they are in the process of taking college entrance exams, selecting colleges to apply to in the fall, and picking out their classes for their senior year of high school. It does not seem possible that it is almost time for them to graduate. Where has the time gone?

The weather has been crazy this winter all over the country. I think that almost everyone has experienced extreme weather from tornados and flooding to ice and snow storms. Our area just experienced a blizzard. It was the largest amount of snowfall in a 24 hour period in over 100 years! I know it is probably nothing compared to what people experience in the snow belt but it was a lot of snow for our area. And through all of this crazy winter weather my sons have been learning to drive on their own! What an experience as a mother to let your kids drive in bad weather alone for the first time. They are doing a great job and we are very proud of them.

Every newsletter I always ask for suggestions on topics you would like to cover. I have said this before. This newsletter is for you and I want to talk about the topics you have questions about. My motto has always been that no question is a too big or too small. It is almost guaranteed that for every question you ask there is at least one other 30 Day Gourmet cook out there with the same exact question – so ask away! I will do my best to answer your questions.

I have received several emails on topics to cover in the newsletter. Several of you have requested that I publish more menu ideas. I have also had questions on how to freezer cook for one or two instead of a whole family as well as questions on what freezer burn is, what causes it and what can you do to prevent it. Others are interested in cooking healthier meals for their families. These are all great suggestions and I plan on covering these topics in upcoming newsletters.

I have been amazed at the prices I have seen in the grocery store lately (and the gas station!). My son and I went to the store to pick up some odds and ends the other evening. I needed eggs for a recipe that I was making. The eggs at the store were 1.99 a dozen. I told my husband that I have never paid that much for eggs in my life! Luckily I was able to find them for a better price at another store. And that is just one example. The price of food has really jumped up in the past few months.

I do not know what effect this has had on your budget but this has really changed the way that I plan my cooking days. I keep a close eye on the Meal Inventory Checklist (Worksheet F) to make sure that I do not make a recipe that I already have on hand. I also rely more on my On-Hand Inventory List (Worksheet A) so I don’t spend more on ingredients than I need to for my cooking day. Also, instead of having a large session where I make all my recipes at once I have been cooking based on what is on sale. For example, this week my neighborhood grocery store has flash frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for 3.99 for a 3 pound bag. That is a great deal at 1.33 a pound!

So I quickly planned a chicken cooking day. I need to restock my lunch supply so I will be making Turkey and Noodles (with chicken), Montreal Chicken Sandwiches, chunk chicken for Chicken Salad Sandwiches, and Bowtie Soup and Chicken Pockets ( both from the Freezer Lunches to Go ebook). To make sure there are no leftovers I have measured each recipe and noted how many lunch servings each makes versus dinner servings. There is only so much soup that will fit in a thermos! For example, one Turkey and Noodles recipe is six dinner servings. When sent for lunch, one recipe will fill about twelve thermoses which is three lunches for my family.

I am not quite finished creating my spring menu but I still want to take advantage of this sale. I estimate that we eat approximately ten chicken meals per month. On average, four of those meals will use 2 to 3 cups of chunk chicken. These are some examples of our favorite recipes that use chunk chicken – Freezer Quesadillas, Chicken Fried Rice, my own rendition of Italian Chicken and Santa Fe Chicken. That is about 10 chicken breasts for the chunked chicken. That leaves about 24 breasts (6 meals times 4 breasts per meal) for the remaining recipes. This is a total of 34 breasts for the month or about 5 bags of chicken. With a little quick planning, I can easily take advantage of a great sale to save my family some money.

How are you and your family coping with the rising prices? Do you have any helpful hints or cooking day tips to share with the rest of the readers? Click here to email your suggestions to me and I will share them in the next newsletter with the rest of the 30 Day Gourmet cooks.

Bonus Recipes

Corn Bread Muffin Mix
This recipe is an absolute staple at our house. It is a wonderful mix to have on hand when you are in a hurry. We serve the muffins with Taco Chili, Beef Stew, and Ham and Lentil Soup. They are good buttered or with a little bit of honey on them. This is one of our family favorites.

Pumpkin Dessert
I know it is a weird time of the year to share a pumpkin recipe with you but one of my husband’s favorite desserts is pumpkin pie. I made this dessert for him to celebrate Valentine’s Day since he loves pumpkin so much. My sons love to eat this for breakfast during the school week. It is an old recipe that I found in my recipe box so I am not sure where it came from but it is very good and it freezes well.

Freezer Cook of the Month

Our winner this month is Michelle from Iowa. Michelle shares her story about helping others out with 30 Day Gourmet.

Let’s hear from Michelle:

There is a new guy that started working with my husband, his name is Dave. Dave and his family recently moved to our state from Indiana so they do not have family here. Just a few new found buddies, mainly the people Dave works with. Dave’s wife, Tracey, and their 3 kids were in a terrible car accident. The guy driving the other vehicle was the cause of the accident. He had a heart attack while going through his red light. He ended up dying, not only because of his heart attack, but because he was ejected out through the windshield. He was not wearing a seat belt. I feel bad for that guy, having to die in such a brutal way.

Well anyways, he hit Tracey’s vehicle, t-boned them on the driver’s side. Tracey took the brunt of the hit. She ended up with a fractured neck, broken pelvis in multiple places, and some internal injuries. Dave and Tracey’s oldest daughter was in the front seat with her, she ended up getting over 30 stitches, and her poor face looked like a pin cushion from all the flying glass, her right knee also had a gash in it from hitting the dash, so there are some more stitches. Thank heavens the 2 younger children were in the third seat. Dave had commented if they were not the one on the drivers side they would have been killed. The other 2 kids were fine, just shook up. Dave was at work when this happened. He thought the boys at work were messing with him when he got the call. They play pranks on each other once in awhile to stay sane from all the stress. Once he realized what had happened and that is was true, he immediately went to the hospital where he found his family in the Emergency Room.

Well with them just moving here and having no family around, I talked to my husband. He wanted me to just send flowers. I said no, flowers just die and she can not enjoy them being in the state she was in. So I suggested I wanted to make some freezer meals. My husband said that is a stellar idea and they would be much more appreciated than flowers. I made a total of 10 meals in one day (I was in the kitchen all day, never done any freezer meals before). Well I work at the hospital that Dave’s wife is at, so I called him that same afternoon and asked if I could meet him somewhere. I had a gift for him and his family. Well the next day I had to work second shift and he was just leaving to go home from the day of being there. He had his 3 kids with him. I asked him to pull his vehicle around to my vehicle and so he did. I opened my truck and there were all the meals. He gave me a big hug and had tears in his eyes, he said he was so grateful to have met such nice people. He had tears in his eyes, which of course made me tear up. All the kids said thank you because they were getting tired of “DAD’S COOKING”. And Dave also said he was running out of ideas of what to cook, and getting tired of eating out, and how expensive that was. That moment made me feel so special and that I have done a great deed for someone in need.

Since all the meals, I have seen Dave, he has told a lot of people what I have done. My husbands’ boss heard the story and he was just ecstatic, (the boss is also Dave’s boss) and wants me to do it again for them, and he wants to pay for all the ingredients this time.

Tracey on the other hand, we just found out on Friday, that she has taken the turn for the worse, she was transferred to University of Iowa Hospital, her blood is clotting, and they have found clots in her lungs and possibly one in her brain. When I saw Dave last week he had commented that he is working on the last couple of meals. So I am going to make more meals for him and his family.

Closing Comments from Carol

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter! Next month I will share my Spring menu with you and I will talk about my efforts to make healthier recipes for my family.

Have fun in your kitchen!

Carol

Pumpkin Dessert

Recipes, Snacks and Desserts, Under 350 Calories Comments Off

Mar 012008

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I know it is a weird time of the year to share a pumpkin recipe with you but one of my husband’s favorite desserts is pumpkin pie. I made this dessert for him to celebrate Valentine’s Day since he loves pumpkin so much. My sons love to eat this for breakfast during the school week. It is an old recipe that I found in my recipe box so I am not sure where it came from but it is very good and it freezes well.

Click here to go to a Printer Friendly Page
Advantage Cooking owners click here to download this recipe.

Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	16	32	48	64	80	96
Crust Ingredients
Yellow cake mix; divided	1 box	2 boxes	3 boxes	4 boxes	5 boxes	6 boxes
Eggs	1	2	3	4	5	6
Butter or margarine	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
Filling Ingredients
Canned pumpkin	29 oz.	58 oz.	87 oz.	116 oz.	145 oz.	174 oz.
Sugar	3/4 C.	1-1/2 C.	2-1/4 C.	3 C.	3-3/4 C.	4-1/2 C.
Cinnamon	2 t.	1 T. + 1 t.	2 T.	2 T. + 2 t.	3 T. + 1 t.	4 T.
Ground ginger	1/2 t.	1 t.	1-1/2 t.	2 t.	2-1/2 t.	1 T.
Ground allspice	1/4 t.	1/2 t.	3/4 t.	1 t.	1-1/4 t.	1-1/2 t.
Ground nutmeg	1/4 t.	1/2 t.	3/4 t.	1 t.	1-1/4 t.	1-1/2 t.
Eggs	3	6	9	12	15	18
Milk	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
Topping Ingredients
Sugar	1/4 C.	1/2 C.	3/4 C.	1 C.	1-1/4 C.	1-1/2 C.
Butter or margarine	2 T.	1/4 C.	1/4 C. + 2 T.	1/2 C.	1/2 C. + 2 T.	3/4 C.

Assembly Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For each box of cake mix, remove 1 C. of the mix and set aside.
For Crust: Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Mix remaining cake mix with egg and butter or margarine. Press on side and bottom of the 9 x 13 pan.
For Filling: Thoroughly mix all the filling ingredients and pour over crust.
For Topping: Mix the cake mix that was set aside with the sugar. Cut in the butter or margarine with a fork or a pastry blender. Sprinkle topping over filling.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Freezing Directions:
Cool completely. Place pan in a 2 gallon freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze.
Or
Cool completely. Cut into squares. Place in a freezer container with wax paper separating layers. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw and enjoy!

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 290 Calories; 12g Fat (37.3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 316mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 2-1/2 Fat; 2-1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Corn Bread Muffin Mix

Breads and Breakfast, Low Fat, Low Sodium, Recipes, Under 350 Calories Comments Off

Mar 012008

Share This Recipe

This recipe is an absolute staple at our house. It is a wonderful mix to have on hand when you are in a hurry. We serve the muffins with Taco Chili, Beef Stew, and Ham and Lentil Soup. They are good buttered or with a little bit of honey on them. This is one of our family favorites.

Click here to go to a Printer Friendly Page
Advantage Cooking owners click here to download this recipe.

Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	72	144	216	288	360	432
Makes	12-3/4 C.	25-1/2 C.	38-1/4 C.	51 C.	63-3/4 C.	76-1/2 C.
Ingredients
Flour	6 C.	12 C.	18 C.	24 C.	30 C.	36 C.
Corn meal	4-1/2 C.	9 C.	13-1/2 C.	18 C.	22-1/2 C.	27 C.
Sugar	2 C.	4 C.	6 C.	8 C.	10 C.	12 C.
Baking powder	1/4 C.	1/2 C.	3/4 C.	1 C.	1-1/4 C.	1-1/2 C.

Assembly Directions:
Sift all the ingredients together at least three times, or stir with a large spoon VERY well. Store the mix in a covered container at room temperature. Label the container.

To Make Muffins:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, stir together: 3/4 C. milk, 1 egg, and 1/4 C. oil. Add 2 C and 2 T. Corn Bread Muffin Mix. Stir just until moistened. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins or paper liners and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Nutritional Info: per muffin
Per Serving: 145 Calories; 5g Fat (33.9% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 94mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

December 2007 Chewin’ the News

2007, Chewin' the News Comments Off

Dec 212007

Kitchen Fun with Carol

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent time catching up and visiting with my family on Thanksgiving Day. On Friday we had a surprise visit from some out of town relatives. What a fun time! It is great to spend time with one another and visit with our siblings and nieces and nephews.

I do not know where you are with your Christmas baking but we are just finishing. We did some early baking. We sent some of the cookies in the mail as care packages to relatives who live far away. My side of the family has a cookie table where every family brings two or three dozen of their favorite cookies to share with everyone. It is fun to see all the different types of cookies that each family brings. So far we have made Snickerdoodles, Buckeyes, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Spritz, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, and Microwave Chocolate Fudge to share. We also like to make cookie baskets for our neighbors. It is nice to share a little joy with others.

One of our family traditions is to make and decorate sugar cookies. My high school sons even enjoy this project! In the last couple of years they have invited their friends over to help in the decorating process. One of our favorite Sugar Cookie recipes is from the 30 Day gourmet web site. It is very easy to make since you do not have to chill the dough.

I always stock up on sprinkles, colored sugars, and decorative dots to use as decorations. These are also good for decorating Chocolate Covered Pretzel Sticks. You dip the ends of the pretzel sticks in dipping chocolate and then coat them with sprinkles before for the chocolate dries. After the chocolate dries, wrap them in clear or colored plastic wrap and tie a ribbon around it to close it. It makes a great last minute gift for that chocolate lover on your list.

If you need some recipe ideas for the holidays, a great source for recipes is the 30 Day Gourmet web site! Click here to access our recipe database. Choose the kind of recipe you’re looking for (Side and Salad, Bread and Breakfast, etc.) and scroll through the list to see what sounds good to you. There are hundreds of recipes to choose from. There are lots of recipes on the web site that would make great last minute gifts. Some of my favorites are White Chocolate Snowmen (from the January 2007 newsletter), Hot Cocoa Mix, Pasta Fagioli Soup Mix, Peppermint Patties, Brown Sugar Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Brownie Bites, Oreo Truffles, Pretzel Turtles, and Holiday Jar Cookies.

Bonus Recipes

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are very rich and will satisfy that chocolate craving. They taste just like chocolate brownies but in cookie form. We make them with two kinds of chocolate chips. We use white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you want an even richer chocolate taste use all semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Closing Comments from Carol

I received a great email from Dawn about the Pumpkin Cake Roll recipe on the web site. She pointed out a typo on the recipe page and her sons’ reaction to the typo:

Thank you, Carol, for what I’m sure was an unintentional giggle. My boys and I were looking at your Pumpkin Cake Roll recipe and noticed a typo that made both boys giggle. If you note, in the assembly instructions, it says “For each recipe, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, gloves and salt in a small bowl..” My seven year old shouted “Gloves!?! I wonder if someone would really add GLOVES to the recipe instead of clover!” LOL! We all make typos, but yours was adorable. Thanks so much for the holiday giggle.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! Best wishes to you and your family this holiday season.

Have fun in your kitchen!

Carol

Easy Cherry Pie Filling

Low Fat, Low Sodium, Recipes, Snacks and Desserts, Under 350 Calories Comments Off

Dec 012007

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You can freeze many of your favorite fall pies’ fillings easily. Making the filling for several pies hardly takes any longer than doing just one. Keep crusts on hand in the freezer and you can put a pie together in no time.
Click here to go to a Printer Friendly Page
Advantage Cooking owners click here to download this recipe.

Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	8	16	24	32	40	48
Ingredients
Sugar	1 C.	2 C.	3 C.	4 C.	5 C.	6 C.
Flour	3 T.	1/4 C + 2 T.	1/2 C. + 1 T.	3/4 C.	3/4 C. + 3 T.	1 C. + 2 T.
Salt	1/8 t.	1/4 t.	3/8 t.	1/2 t.	1/2 t. + 1/8 t.	3/4 t.
Butter or margarine	2 T.	4 T.	6 T.	8 T.	10 T.	12 T.
Sour pie cherries (Fresh, frozen*, or canned and drained)	4 C.	8 C.	12 C.	16 C.	20 C.	24 C.

Assembly Directions:
In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and salt. With a fork, mix in butter until it is crumbly. Stir in pie cherries, stirring to coat well. Pour cherry mixture into a labeled freezer bag or container. Remove excess air, seal and freeze.

To Serve:
Thaw filling, pour into pie shell, and seal top crust or sprinkle with crumbs. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°. Bake for 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbly.
* If starting with frozen fruit, do not thaw, and increase the measurement of fruit by 1 cup.

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 177 Calories; 3g Fat (14.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 75mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1-1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Holiday Jar Cookies

Low Fat, Low Sodium, Recipes, Snacks and Desserts, Under 10g Carbs, Under 350 Calories Comments Off

Dec 012007

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Tammy: Tired of the same old “apple-theme” gifts for your kids’ teachers? Give them a break, and yourself too, by giving them a gift in a jar from your kitchen. At this extra-busy time of year, they appreciate the homemade touch. And since it’s a mix, they can enjoy it freshly made when it suits them best. I’ve given the Holiday Jar cookies as gifts the last 2 years for my kids’ teachers, and most of the teachers have asked for the recipe. That’s a pretty good endorsement! I usually make a jar for us too, because the kids enjoy eating the same cookies they gave their teacher, knowing they’re so delicious. Layering the ingredients in the jar is easy enough that the kids’ can help you with it. Then they’re that much prouder of the gift they give their teacher!

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Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	48	96	144	192	240	288
Makes: gift jars	1	2	3	4	5	6
Ingredients
Sugar	1/4 C.	1/2 C.	3/4 C.	1 C.	1-1/4 C.	1-1/2 C.
Brown sugar	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
Flour	1-1/2 C.	3 C.	4-1/2 C.	6 C.	7-1/2 C.	9 C.
Baking soda	3/4 t.	1-1/2 t.	2-1/4 t.	1 T.	1 T. + 3/4 t.	1 T. + 1-1/2 t.
Baking powder	1/4 t.	1/2 t.	3/4 t.	1 t.	1-1/4 t.	1-1/2 t.
Rolled oats	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
Chocolate covered candy*	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
Chocolate crisped rice cereal*	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.
White chocolate chips	1/2 C.	1 C.	1-1/2 C.	2 C.	2-1/2 C.	3 C.

Assembly Directions:
Layer the ingredients listed in a wide mouth quart jar, in the order they are listed. Pack each layer down so the ingredients will stay in layers, and also because the jar will be full to the top. An ice cream scoop or similar utensil works well to pack each layer down. Put the lid on and you just need to add a gift tag and directions! You can use a quart jar that isn’t a wide mouth, but it won’t be as easy to get the ingredients in.

Gift Tag Directions:
Use a recipe card for the gift tag. The front should have lines and the back should be blank. Fold it in half, so the lines are on the inside. Punch a hole in the top corner of the folded card. You will thread a ribbon through the hole to attach it to the jar after you write on it. On the blank front of the card, write “Happy Holidays”, or write the recipient’s name on the card, or if it’s a teacher gift, have your child write their teacher’s name on the card. Decorate it as desired with stickers or markers.

Write the following directions on the inside of the card:

“To make your Holiday Cookies, cream together 1/2 C. butter or margarine, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 2 eggs in a large bowl. Add the contents of the jar and stir until well blended. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 4 dozen cookies.”

Thread a ribbon or string through the hole in the card and attach it to the jar lid. You can attach it by tying the ribbon in a bow around the jar ring. Or you can unscrew the jar ring, put the ends of the ribbon through the center of the ring and screw the ring back on the jar. Then the ribbon is held on by the jar lid. Curl the ends of the ribbon, or cut them off. Put a sticky bow on top of the jar and it’s ready to give. Or, use a square of holiday fabric that’s slightly larger than the jar ring. Cut the edges with pinking shears if desired. Put the metal lid on the filled jar, lay the fabric over it, and screw the jar ring on over top of the fabric, threading the ribbon tag under the jar ring as described above. Or, put the lid and jar ring on the jar. Put the square of fabric over the top of the lid and use the tag ribbon to hold the fabric on, tying it around the jar ring. How (and if) you decorate the top of the jar is up to you… these are just some ideas to get you started!

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 73 Calories; 3g Fat (41.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 52mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Low Fat, Low Sodium, Recipes, Snacks and Desserts, Under 350 Calories Comments Off

Dec 012007

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These cookies are very rich and will satisfy that chocolate craving. They taste just like chocolate brownies but in cookie form. We make them with two kinds of chocolate chips. We use white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you want an even richer chocolate taste use all semi-sweet chocolate chips.

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Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	42	84	126	168	210	252
Makes	3-1/2 dozen	7 dozen	10-1/2 dozen	14 dozen	17-1/2 dozen	21 dozen
Ingredients
Butter or margarine	1 C.	2 C.	3 C.	4 C.	5 C.	6 C.
Packed brown sugar	1 C.	2 C.	3 C.	4 C.	5 C.	6 C.
Sugar	1 C.	2 C.	3 C.	4 C.	5 C.	6 C.
Eggs	2	4	6	8	10	12
Vanilla	2 t.	1 T. + 1 t.	2 T.	2 T. + 2 t.	3 T. + 1 t.	4 T.
Flour	2 C.	4 C.	6 C.	8 C.	10 C.	12 C.
Unsweetened cocoa powder	3/4 C.	1-1/2 C.	2-1/4 C.	3 C.	3-3/4 C.	4-1/2 C.
Baking soda	1 t.	2 t.	1 T.	1 T. + 1 t.	1 T. + 2 t.	2 T.
Salt	1/2 t.	1 t.	1-1/2 t.	2 t.	2-1/2 t.	1 T.
White chocolate chips	1 C.	2 C.	3 C.	4 C.	5 C.	6 C.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips	1 C.	2 C.	3 C.	4 C.	5 C.	6 C.

Assembly Directions:
Preheat oven or 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs adding one at a time, then add vanilla. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until thoroughly combined. Fold in white and semi-sweet chocolate ships. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

Freezing Directions:
Cool. Place cookies in a freezer container or freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw and enjoy!

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 155 Calories; 8g Fat (42.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 119mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1-1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

November 2007 Chewin’ the News

2007, Chewin' the News Comments Off

Nov 012007

Kitchen Fun with Carol

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As the holidays approach I am putting together my cooking plans for the big festivities. Planning ahead always takes the stress out of holidays and lets me spend more time on the things that are more important such as spending time with family and friends. I plan for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even if I am not hosting, it helps to have recipes made ahead for hostess gifts, potlucks, or small impromptu gatherings.

This year I am in charge of desserts and breads for the big Thanksgiving Day feast. For dessert I will be making Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Pumpkin Cake Roll , Freezer Cheesecake and Pecan Pie Bars. For the breads I will be making Crescent Rolls and No Knead Bread. My kids like to cook so they will be helping me prepare these recipes. It is fun to work in the kitchen together.

I still bought a turkey even though I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year. I could not pass up the great deal. Turkeys here are .39 a pound. We will cook the turkey sometime between Christmas and the New Year. We will have it for one meal and then the rest of the leftover meat is used for freezer cooking. Some of my favorite recipes for left over turkey are:

Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Fried Rice
Cheesy Chicken and Noodles
Chicken/Turkey Patties (from Members Only Section)
Chicken Tetrazzini (from Members Only Section)
Country Chicken/Turkey Pot Pie (from The Freezer Cooking Manual )
Freezer Quesadillas
Turkey and Noodles

My kids are older but many of my nieces and nephews are 10 and under. We always try to plan some type of craft activity for the children. In the past we have helped the children make Holiday Jar Cookies or we have made and decorated Sugar Cookies together. One of their favorite activities is making ornaments for the Christmas tree. Last year we made foam snowmen and beaded wire ornaments. They were great fun! You can pick up kits at your local craft or fabric store. For other ideas, check out FamilyFun.com. They have lots of kid friendly craft ideas for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Check out the Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats for Thanksgiving or the Scented Ornaments for Christmas.

Do you need some recipe ideas for the holidays? A great source for recipes is the 30 Day Gourmet web site! Click here to access our recipe database. Choose the kind of recipe you’re looking for (Side and Salad, Bread and Breakfast, etc.) and scroll through the list to see what sounds good to you. There are hundreds of recipes to choose from.
Do you need help planning your holiday meal or learning how to cook for a crowd? Then our Holiday Freezer Cooking ebook is for you. There are lots of helpful tips and hints, tally sheets, a shopping list form, and a count down sheet that helps you plan that perfect meal.

Bonus Recipes

Pumpkin Snack Cake
The is a very moist cake that tastes great warm with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It is also good sprinkled with powdered sugar or with your favorite cream cheese frosting. My boys say it tastes just like pumpkin pie.

Snickerdoodles
If you have never had a Snickerdoodle you are missing out! They are basically a type of sugar cookie that are cover with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. This is one of our favorite cookie recipes. We usually make them for Christmas but lately I have been making them to send for lunch. There must be a million different recipes for Snickerdoodles. This is the one my family uses.

Closing Comments from Carol

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Have fun in your kitchen!

Carol

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