White Christmas Punch

Here is the punch from Chantelle's Shower...

2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 tbsp Almond extract
3 ( 1/2 gal) cartons of vanilla ice cream, softened
6 (2 liter) bottles of 7 up, chilled

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add evaporated milk and almond extract; let cool. Chill until ready to serve.

Combine milk mixture, ice cream, and 7 up in punch bowl, just before serving. Yields about 3 1/2 gallons. (For Chantelle's shower- I used about 3/4 of the milk mixture, 1 gallon of ice cream, 2 1/2 liters of 7 up)

Chicken Cream Cheese Cups

I made these tonight out of the new Kojie Cookbook some of you now have (page 111) -- they were super easy and everyone ate them, which I consider a big hit!

3 oz cream cheese, softened
3 T. butter, melted
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
salt & pepper
2 T. milk
1 T. chopped onion
1 can grands biscuits
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I only used about 1/2 cup)

In bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add chicken, S&P, milk, and onions. Put bowl aside. Use palm of your hand or rolling pin to flatten each biscuit into flattened circles. Place biscuits in greased muffin tin. Fill biscuit dough with chicken filling. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuscan-Style Chicken with Italian Sauteed Beans

Tuscan Style Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken cutlets
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves (5–6 oz)
1 cup fresh pre-sliced mushrooms (rinsed)
1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes (undrained)
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese



Steps

1.Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper (wash hands).
2.Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Arrange chicken in pan (wash hands); cook 3–4 minutes on one side or until lightly browned.
3.Turn chicken and add remaining ingredients to pan (except cheese). Cover and cook 4–5 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness. Meanwhile, slice mozzarella thinly.
4.Remove pan from heat. Top chicken with cheese slices; cover and let stand 2–3 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve.
CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 310kcal; FAT 15g; CHOL 80mg; SODIUM 500mg; CARB 5g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 30g; VIT A 80%; VIT C 20%; CALC 20%; IRON 25%


Italian Sautéed Beans
Ingredients

1/2 cup roasted red peppers
5 fresh garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 fresh basil leaves (rinsed)



Steps

1.Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Cut peppers into 1/4-inch slices.
2.Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Crush garlic, using garlic press, into pan. Use knife to remove garlic from bottom of press. Stir in peppers and remaining ingredients (except basil); cook 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beans are thoroughly heated.
3.Stack basil leaves and roll tightly; slice thinly into fine ribbons. Stir in basil; reduce heat to low and cook 1–2 more minutes or until fragrant. Serve. (Makes 6 servings.)
CALORIES (per 1/6 recipe) 200kcal; FAT 5g; CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 510mg; CARB 27g; FIBER 7g; PROTEIN 7g; VIT A 15%; VIT C 25%; CALC 6%; IRON 15%

I got this from my grocery store ad this week, and it was really easy and really tasty. Only took about 20 minutes start to finish.
Enjoy!

Banana Almond Muffins

This is a super healthy muffin recipe that I got from Joy Bauer's book, Food Cures. She says it only has 180 calories per muffin; it has 4 grams of protein and 4g of fiber, which is always nice.

Ingredients:

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C reduced-fat margarine or butter, softened

2 egg whites

3 bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 C)

1/4 C water

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 C barley flour (I didn't have this, so I just used regular flour)

1/2 C ground flaxseed

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and butter. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the banana, water, almond extract, and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl mix together the dry ingredients and then stir them into the other mix until the flour is just combined--do not overmix.

4. Fill each muffin cup half full with the batter. Bake 13-16 minutes until the tops of the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

5. Turn the muffins out on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, the muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 mo.

Enjoy!