Cream Cheese Corn...

Ahhh, another Pinterest special :)  The picture looked so good, I couldn't say no!  The original recipe can be found at Budget Savvy Diva.  I did add some onion and bacon, since I had them on hand from my other cooking and thought it would be a good addition.  Since I waited a little while to post, I have had a couple of servings and it's delicious.  You certainly wouldn't need the added ingredients, but I probably still would if I had them on hand.  I also doubled the recipe and changed the original portion size to go with the taco cups I made this month.  It's super, ridiculously easy too, so that's always a bonus.  Oh, and I forgot to take an ingredients pic on this one...sorry!  Here's the recipe as I made it:

Cream Cheese Corn
12 servings - 120 calories each

Ingredients
2 - 16 oz. bags frozen corn
2 T. butter
8oz. block cream cheese
2 T. bacon bits
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Seasonings, to taste

Directions
Here's the easy part...mix all ingredients together in saucepan, and heat, stirring occasionally until cream cheese is incorporated and onions start softening.  And that's it!  Enjoy!  :)

Twice Baked Potatoes...

Alrighty, I've procrastinated posting these couple of recipes for long enough...it's been a busy week since I cooked, and I just haven't been motivated to get on here and type everything up.  But I had an awesome, productive day yesterday, so we're going to try to keep up the momentum!  So this is my own personal recipe for twice baked potatoes.  Rarely can I say any of these are anything that I put together on my own...I'm a recipe girl for sure...but on a particularly stubborn afternoon a couple of years ago, I decided twice baked potatoes really can't be that hard...and lo and behold, they weren't :)  lol.  Plus, I do the first round of "baking" in the microwave, so that saves time.  The beauty of the baked potato is that you can put whatever you have on hand in it.  If you have bacon or ham or vegetables or whatever hanging around the kitchen, throw it on in!  The recipe below is what I actually put in today, and is for 8 potatoes, since that's how many I was making to go with the meatloaf portions, but obviously, you can adjust it for whatever you actually need :)

Twice Baked Potatoes
8 servings - Approx. 250 Calories Each

Ingredients
- 8 small to medium russet potatoes
- 1 to 1 1/4 c. milk, to desired consistency
- 1/2 c. + 1/2 c. shredded cheddar
- 1/4 c. sour cream
- 2 T. diced green onions or chives
- 2 T. bacon bits
- 2 T. butter
- Seasonings, to taste

Directions
Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork several times.  While still wet, microwave potatoes between paper towels in 2 batches until tender (approximately 8-10 minutes on high).  Cut a thin slice off of the top of each potato and scoop out the inside into a bowl, and set the skins on a baking sheet.  Mix in butter until melted.  Add all other ingredients (reserving the second 1/2 c. of cheese) and mix...add more milk if necessary...you want to make sure it's creamy or when you bake it again, it'll be dry.  Spoon mixture back into the potato skins.  Top with remaining cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.  And that's it :)  Enjoy!

July Recipe Plan...

July is going to be a remix month.  With the social plans and commitments I have in the next month, time and money are at a bit of a low point, and I'm saving energy and creativity for my planned scrapbooking weekend, so I'll be pulling favorites from old menus and adding in just a couple of new side dishes to put on here.  Recipes I've already done on here are linked, new items have an asterisk, and as always, calories are estimated at CalorieKing.com.  Here goes:

- Chicken Pillows (335 calories) with Potatoes ala Boulangere (117 calories) for 8 servings at 452 calories each.

- Sausage Rolls (334 calories) with Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes (123 calories) for 6 servings at 467 calories each.

- Taco Cups (203 calories) with Cream Cheese Corn* (120 calories) for 12 servings at 323 calories each.

- Meatloaf (250 calories) with Twice Baked Potatoes* (250 calories) for 8 servings at 500 calories each.

- Tuna Noodle Casserole (310 calories) with a Crescent Roll (100 calories) for 6 servings at 410 calories each.

- Baked Honey Oatmeal with Raspberries & Pistachios (223 calories each)

It worked out well substituting walnuts for the pistachios last month in the baked honey oatmeal, so I might try the leftover pecans I have around this month.  I don't think it probably matters, since I primarily see it as a texture bonus anyway.  lol :)  Also, the twice baked potato recipe is actually mine (I know, right?) from a bunch of experimenting a few years ago, and I haven't made them in forever, so I figured it was about time, even though the calories aren't exactly great.  I might figure out a way to slim them down a little before I actually cook...I'll post the updated calorie info when I actually post the recipe.  And that's all for today...cooking in a couple weeks!

June Recipe Update...

Well, the time has come to recap another month of recipes.  Here we go!

Penne Rosa with Chicken - I apparently had a moment of amnesia when I picked this recipe and actually decided to go with the whole wheat pasta they recommended.  I WANT to like whole wheat pasta...I keep trying it over and over again in all sorts of different dishes...I just don't like it though.  I don't think it picks up flavors as well, and it just seems bland no matter what I do.  That said, I may still try this again sometime, only with regular pasta.  Substituting the swiss chard for spinach worked out swimmingly though, and I will keep that in mind if my sister's in town again.

Santa Fe Enchilada Bake - This was really good and hearty.  I would consider making it with beef sometime as well.  My only sticking point is the corn tortillas...I might try it with flour tortillas next time...for some reason I have a bit of a texture issue with corn tortillas, and while it wasn't SUPER noticeable, it bothered me every once in a while.  I'll give it another try with some new variations though sometime.

Tortellini with Walnut & Mascarpone Sauce - This was the big winner for the month.  Ohmigosh was it ever delicious.  I will DEFINITELY be making it again.  I feel like it'd be a good go-to dish for when company is over too.  We'll see :)

Creamy Chicken Casserole - This was good.  The potatoes were DELICIOUS, and I will definitely be making them again, possibly on their own.  The chicken wraps were alright, but not super impressive.  Worth a shot to try again, but not at the top of my list.

Ham, Sauerkraut, and Apple Rolls - These were good too.  At least I did learn this month that I DO like sauerkraut, at least in this particular situation.  As with the creamy chicken casserole though, it was nothing to write home about necessarily.  And the potatoes weren't nearly as flavorful in this preparation.  I probably won't be making this again, but I AM glad I tried it.

Pain au Chocolat - Oh my lord...was this ever amazing.  It was totally worth four days of prep.  My sister and I kept a couple at the house, and I took the rest to work, and they were all gone when I came back on Monday, so they must've thought they were alright too.  I'll only be keeping these in mind for special occasions or when I'm feeling particularly domestic though, because 1) they simply must be terrible for you, and 2) it's a lot of work.  lol :) 

Next up, the July menu plan...  :)