Its National Brownie Day!!!

Now like most of us who can resist a delicious brownie??
So in honor of National Brownie Day I decided to put up a wonderful recipe for Brownies. This too can make a great holiday treat for your family and friends. Enjoy!

Ingredients
* 1 cup margarine or butter
* 2 cups sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 4 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1 cup all-purpose flour or unbleached flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 8 ounces (8 squares) semi-sweet chocolate (coarsely chopped)
* 1 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch pan. In medium saucepan over low heat, melt margarine. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt; mix well. Add chocolate and pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until set. Cool. Cut into 36 bars and for a special touch for the holidays sprinkle confectioners' sugar on top of the brownies.

Celebrate National Cookie Day!

Tomorrow, December 4th, is National Cookie Day in America. In honor of the holiday, take time out of your day bake, and enjoy some deliciously baked cookies!

Here is a simple recipe for 3 dozen chocolate chunk cookies:

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
16 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Baking and preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.

Combine the first three ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and combine well. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place each ball two inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool cookies on sheet for five minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Easy, Delicious Leftover Turkey Recipe

Turkey Broccoli Quiche- Turkey Broccoli Quiche recipe with eggs, Swiss cheese, and a little curry powder.

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh broccoli
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup chopped cooked turkey
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook broccoli and onion, stirring frequently, until tender. Drain.

Sprinkle broccoli and onion, turkey, and cheese into prepared pie shell.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly; beat in half-and-half, curry powder, and salt. Pour egg mixture over turkey and broccoli mixture. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° continue baking for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Sweet Potatoes Two Ways

Since it is Sweet Potatoes Awareness Month I decided to put up some Sweet Potatoes Recipes. Theses recipes are easy, delicious and something your whole family can enjoy and perfect for the Holidays.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
* 1 cup salt
* 1/4 cup black pepper
* 1/4 cup garlic powder
*(add all these seasonings together )
* Olive Oil, for tossing
* 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long slices, then 1/4-wide inch strips, using a crinkle cut knife
* Oil
* 1 tablespoon of (salt,black pepper, and garlic powder mixture)
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with SeasoningMixture and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Mash Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes, about 2 pounds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• cinnamon, to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons half-and-half or milk

Directions:
Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water until tender. Let cool slightly; peel. Mash with salt, butter, and maple syrup. Add cinnamon to taste then continue to mash with the milk or half-and-half to desired consistency.
Serves 4 to 6.

Enjoy!

Happy Sweet Potato Awareness Month!

In the celebration of it being Sweet Potato Month I decided to let people know the benefits of eating Sweet Potatoes.

First thing is Sweet Potatoes and Yams are not the same thing. Sweet Potatoes are more moist, sweet and grown in the USA. Where Yams are dry, starchy and imported from the Caribbean.
Sweet Potatoes are known as a Super food!! and the reason being because there are rich in beta-carotene and they help meet your daily need for vitamin A. Sweet Potatoes provide nearly a third of the vitamin C you need each day.

Not only are Sweet Potatoes delicious they are also filled with fiber. When sweet potatoes are cook a certain way ( roasted whole or cut up into french fries) they can provide you with as much fiber as a half cup of oatmeal. Also Sweet Potatoes are good for lowering your blood pressure and they are perfect for diabetics because they help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Well I hope gaining a little information on Sweet Potatoes lets you enjoy them even more during the Holidays!!

Diabetes Friendly Recipes for Diabetes Awareness

Stuffed Turkey Breast Dinner- alternative to cooking a whole turkey for thanksgiving

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 of an 8-oz package of herb stuffing cubes
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup reduced-sodium ready-to-use chicken broth
8 boneless, skinless turkey breast cutlets (4 oz each)
1 jar (12 oz) turkey gravy

Preparation
To make this a gluten-free recipe, use gluten-free stuffing cube substitute, gluten-free chicken broth and gravy, and nonstick cooking spray with no flour added.

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing cubes, dried cranberries, and broth; mix well.
3. Place the turkey cutlets on a work surface and place an equal amount of the stuffing mixture in the center of each.
4. Roll up each cutlet and place seam-side down in the baking dish.
5. Pour gravy over the roll-ups.
6. Cover and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through and no pink remains in the turkey.

For more diabetes friendly recipes and meals, American Diabetes Association website.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month!

This year, November is Diabetes Awareness Month. This is a time to reflect and highlight the seriousness of this disease. Diabetes is a life-threatening condition that can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation. In the Unites States, over 24 million children and adults have diabetes, 57 million people are at risk diabetes, and 1 out of every 3 children born today will contract diabetes if the current trends in the United States continue. So this month join Dixie HomeCrafters in the national movement to face, fight, and most of all stop diabetes. Visit this website to see how you can join the movement!