southwest macaroni & cheese.

my family devoured this tonight. my kids both loved it. even my picky husband had seconds {and maybe thirds}.

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack or other peppered cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked corn
1/2 can diced green chiles {or more, if you like!}

directions:
cook & drain macaroni. in a medium saucepan, melt butter. blend in flour and then milk. cook and stir until sauce thickens. add salt, pepper, garlic powder & cheese. heat and stir until cheese is melted. add corn and green chiles. combine with macaroni. pour into casserole dish & sprinkle with more cheese. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

serve with salsa & beans, or whatever else your heart desires.

chewy low fat banana nut oatmeal cookies.

{how is that for a title, eh? sorry for the un-amazing pic!}



ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (1 small banana)

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

directions:

combine dry ingredients. separately, cream butter & sugar. add egg, then banana & vanilla. stir in dry ingredients & oats. combine well, then add nuts. drop in heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment or wax paper lined sheets. {as you can see, i didn't do that. i just made sure the pan was well greased.} bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes {most always done at 8 minutes}. cool on sheet 3-4 minutes. transfer to wire rack.



Braided Spaghetti Bread

* 1 loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
* 6 oz spaghetti, cooked
* 1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
* 1/2 pound brown ground beef or 1/2 pound cooked Italian Sausage
* 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1 egg white
* shredded Parmesan cheese
*Parsley flakes

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray or sprinkle counter with flour. Roll loaf or combined dinner rolls into a 12x16 inch rectangle. Carefully place onto greased baking sheet. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rest. Cook spaghetti according to package. Drain and let cool slightly. Mix spaghetti sauce and ground beef with the spaghetti. Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti mixture lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of dough. Add cubed mozzarella cheese on top of mixture. Make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley. You can also add garlic powder. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Double Chocolate Mousse Dessert Cups

These delicious little cups were a hit at our Super Bowl party last night.  And the best part about them??  SUPER easy to make.  You can mix up the mousse and serve it out of bowls if you want, but I had these cute little graham cracker crusts on hand, so I decided to make little mousse cups.  And since they are mini cups, it's totally kosher to eat more than one right?? 

Double Chocolate Mousse Dessert Cups
(Recipe adapted from JELL-O)

1 1/2 cups cold fat-free milk, divided
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
1 large package (2.1 oz.) Jello Chocolate fat free sugar free instant pudding
1 1/2 cups whipping cream or fat free cool whip (I prefer the taste of home whipped cream, but if you are looking for less calories, fat free cool whip is the way to go)

Microwave 1 cup milk and chocolate chips in a bowl for 2 minutes; stir with a whisk and keep heating until chocolate is melted.  Add remaining cold milk and dry pudding mix.  Beat for 2 minutes with a hand mixer.  Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow mousse to set up.  Just prior to serving, stir 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream or cool whip into the chocolate mousse mixture.  I put it back in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, then used a large cookie or ice cream scoop to fill my graham cracker cups.  You can garnish with a dollop of whip cream and some chocolate chips or fresh raspberries.

***For extra deliciousness, I put a few chocolate chips in the bottom of the cups before filling with mousse.  There is something about having a little bit of a crunch with the smooth consistency of the mousse that makes me happy!