Tag Archives: weight watchers points

Just Desserts

6 Aug

The one prized possession I received in what I inherited from my Grandmother (beyond the awesome furniture, jewelry, and art) is her recipe folder.  There are recipes in here torn out from newspapers from decades ago and scribbled notes from friends (and friends of friends).  Some of them are so stained by butter that they are nearly translucent and the ink is almost impossible to read. 

 I have only just begun to explore the treasures in this folder.  The first one I sought out, however, was the famous brownie recipe.  I made these first thing when the family was getting together to celebrate my Grandmother’s life.  I have made them about a dozen times since and introduced them to friends and coworkers.  They are ALWAYS a hit.  They have even been called “the best brownies I’ve ever tasted.”  Thanks Grandma.

The batter is “old style,” using Baker’s chocolate (and none of that new age, chip stuff!)  It’s actually quite hard to find sometimes… but I try to keep a stash for the days I want to make a treat for someone.

The cook up so perfectly.  Crispy on the outside and on the top, fudgey on the inside.  Every time. 

And I’m sure you’re all licking your lips for the recipe, however, I am a terrible tease and will not be sharing it.

Though since I’m not ENTIRELY mean, I’ve also included the easy rugelach recipe I made a few weeks ago.

The secret to this is Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations, which is the same as their crescent rolls but without the pre cut slits.  (I used them before on the delicious chicken tarts).  You can roll it out thinner to use as the basis for rugelach.

I mixed up the classic filling, fruit and nuts.  I went with two variations.  The first was blueberries and nuts.

The second was strawberries with mini chocolate chips and nuts.

You slice the dough into long triangles and fill it with a thin layer of fruit.

Then you roll them up from the big end to the little end.

I layed them all on a Silpat and then sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar.

They baked up very nicely, though next time I would back them a little more so they get a little crispier.  They tasted DELICIOUS, however.  Great and easy treat to bring to a picnic.

And they are only 1 Weight Watcher point per cookie! Not bad!

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RECIPE
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Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Rugallach

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray (or silpat mat)
  • 1 can of Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations
  • ~1/2 cup fresh fruit (your choice)
  • ~1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
  • 1 Tbl. granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbl. flour
  • 1 Tbl. powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbl. cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with a Silpat
  3. Combine fruit, nuts, and granulated sugar in a separate bowl
  4. Roll out crescent rolls to 1/8” thickness on a lightly floured surface
  5. Cut into about 16 long triangles (a pizza slicer works best for this)
  6. Spoon about a teaspoon of filling into center of triangle, leaving ends free of filling
  7. Roll the dough from the wide edge to the point
  8. Place rolled cookies onto cookie sheet
  9. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown
  10. Let sit for about 5 minutes
  11. Dust cookies with cinnamon and powdered sugar (if you push them all together, it makes this easier, but I never bother)

Chicken in Blackberry Ginger Balsamic

30 Jul

Our trip through Maine brought us to Fiore, a specialty shop for balsamic vinegars and olive oils.  One vinegar we bought was the Blackberry Ginger variety that seemed to just scream “cook with me!”  So our first meal back, that’s just what we did.

We paired it with a boxed cous cous.  DELICIOUS! And sooooo easy.  One reason I love balsamic is that it packs a lot of flavor, is easy to cook with, and super low in Weight Watcher’s Points.  

Weight Watchers Cooking: Baked Omelette

25 Jun

I wanted something hearty and healthy one night, and after flipping through Hungry-Girls’ 1-2-3 cookbook, I decided to edit one of her recipes.  She had oven-baked omelette lasagna which used zucchini instead of lasagna noodles (a recipe I MUST try, especially after ready about Lori trying it).  Unfortunately, however, on this day I didn’t have zucchini.  So I figured I’d forgo the lasagna part of the recipe and just make a giant baked omelette.  And wow was it easy!

I basically just combined everything I’d normally put in an omelette (tomatoes and mushrooms being the key pieces, plus spices) and used fat-free liquid egg substitute (I happened to use Better’n Eggs since I had so much luck with Better’n Peanut Butter). We also threw in some Purdue Short Cuts for extra protein.  Then I topped it with Weight Watchers shredded cheese…

And baked it…

The portion was HUGE for the points and I was totally stuffed after eating this.

One quarter of the full recipe is FIVE points!  That is insane!

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RECIPE
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Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Better’n Eggs (they come in a 3 pack of 1 cup containers)
  • 1/2 – 2/3 box of Purdue Short Cuts
  • 1/3 cup canned tomatoes, drained
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 3/4 cup Weight Watchers Shredded Mexican Style Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper, Garlic Powder, Oregano to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
  2. Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with nonstick spray (sides too)
  3. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except cheese
  4. Pour mixture into pan
  5. Top with cheese
  6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown and cooked through