Colie's Kitchen

Dec 12, 2013

Iced Oatmeal Cookies @SwerveSweetie #Switch2Swerve #ad

We had some friends over a few nights ago for a small intimate Christmas party. We knew because of time restraints this would be our last time to get together before Christmas.

I decided I wanted to make something that was in the holiday spirit but something that consisted of less sugar because one of my friends is trying to lose a few pounds before the holidays. I wanted her to be able to have a few cookies without feeling too guilty.

Instead of sugar I added Swerve Sweetener to the recipe instead of sugar and Swerve Confectioners’ Sugar in the icing instead of traditional confectioners’ sugar.

These cookies turned out delicious and no one had a clue they were eating guilt free cookies. Have you tried Swerve? If not get a Free Sample Here! It’s amazing how fast calories can add up when you are using sugar. With Swerve all you have to do is make a few simple changes to save a whole lot of calories!

What a wonderful night we all had. Cookies and all everyone had a fantastic time!

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda Recipes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Swerve confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.
Place rolled oats in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds until coarse.
Mix oats with flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Using an electric mixer cream butter and sugars.
Add in eggs one at a time then vanilla extract.
Gradually add in flour mixture until combined.
Roll dough into 2 tablespoon size balls and place on baking sheet spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms begin to brown.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Mix confectioners sugar and milk together in a medium bowl.
Quickly dip tops of cookies into glaze and let excess drip off.
Place back on wire rack until glaze sets.

Original Recipe Source

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*As required by the Federal Trade Commission: The information and gift packs have been provided by Swerve to Colie's Kitchen at no cost to Colie's Kitchen, nor is Colie's Kitchen being paid to endorse this product. All that was asked of Colie's Kitchen was to review the product, and give our honest opinion. Full DisclosurePolicy*

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Darling Doodles "Forgotten Chicken"

I was pleasantly surprised how great this dish is. It’s full of flavor and the chicken comes out very tender. I love the fact that basically your entire dinner is done in one pan. Other than the dish I cooked a side of veggies. This is a great recipe to put together at the last minute.

This recipe would also be something you could easily make for guest or even try in a crock pot. I think you could do so many things with it including adding another can of soup and some mixed veggies. Wow talk about easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups water
3-4 boneless chicken breast
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
Butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter a baking dish then set it aside
In a mixing bowl, combine canned soup, rice, water, salt, pepper, and half the package of dried onion soup mix.
Pour the soup mixture into a baking dish then top with chicken breast
Top chicken with remaining dry onion soup mix.
Cover, put in the oven and forget about it for about 1 1/2- 2 hours.

Original Recipe Source

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(Not So...) Wordless Wednesday: Survival in the Concrete Paradise

This picture is very random and off the wall for me. I got a frantic call from my Mom giving me a location and asking me to meet her there with my camera. Apparently we were having an impromptu photo session.

My Mom is a commercial artist and see’s things far different than most. She was in love with this weed and the symbolism that came with it.

Her idea that this is a small weed that broke through the concert city streets to become a healthy living thing. Her point is that anything can survive in the big city with a little strength, determination and perseverance. Hot weed in the city?

Actually is was a very cold and weed that day! She was so fearful that if we didn’t get it on Saturday that the cold weather would kill it. Survival is the only option in the big concrete city!

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Classic Pumpkin Pecan Pie @SwerveSweetie #Switch2Swerve #ad

I had never made a pecan pie because I had heard so many horror stories that they never turned out right, so I never took a chance. This Thanksgiving I decided to make a Pumpkin Pecan Pie and it turned out fantastic. It came out of the oven beautifully with no problems.

Because the first and only pumpkin pecan pie went so fast I decided to make another one just for my family eating left over's with us on Friday. There was more to go around that way.

I decided to make it with Swerve Sweetener instead of sugar because my Mom and Aunt are both diabetic and trying to keep themselves under control. They avoided all the pies on Thursday and I have no doubt they hated every minute of that. I didn't say anything to anyone, except my Mom and Aunt, about the switch from Sugar to Swerve. I wanted to see if anyone said anything. Everyone else had the real deal with sugar the day before. Would they notice a change?

My Mom must have asked me 100+ times if I was sure I didn't use sugar because the pie looked just the same, didn't have a weird after taste, and she LOVED it. No one even questioned the change. They gobbled it up just the same way they did the day before. Before everyone left today I asked them if they could tell a difference in the two pies. Everyone looked shocked. All I heard with It was fantastic ... when are you making it again? Christmas? Ha!

In the end my pies turned out beautifully. Not only did they come out beautifully they both tasted wonderful with the Swerve and with the sugar. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the two different pie flavors actually mingle together nicely.

Making a pumpkin pecan pie was like getting two different pies but only having to do the work of one. I only made one the first day which was a big mistake. I should have made two... at least. It was gone FAST! I can’t wait to make another one. It was incredible, easy, and made with Swerve Sweetener instead of sugar the second day!! One cup of sugar is 773 calories! That's a huge calorie difference. That is saving eat person almost 100 calories a slice and they didn't even know it!

Ingredients:

3 eggs, divided
1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1 cup sugar or Swerve (saving you 773 calories), divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
dash salt
2/3 cup light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 prepared deep dish pie crust*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
*If using a frozen pie crust, do not thaw; preheat a baking sheet in the oven and place the pie on the cookie sheet to bake.
In small bowl, combine one egg, pumpkin, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Spread in pie crust.
In medium bowl, beat remaining two eggs slightly. Stir in corn syrup and remaining 2/3 cup sugar, the butter and vanilla; stir until well blended. Stir in pecans. Carefully spoon over pumpkin mixture.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until filling is set around edge. Cool pie completely on wire rack.

Original Recipe Source

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*As required by the Federal Trade Commission: The information and gift packs have been provided by Swerve and Bookieboo LLC. to Colie's Kitchen at no cost to Colie's Kitchen. All that was asked of Colie's Kitchen was to review the product, and give our honest opinion. Full DisclosurePolicy*

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Wordless Wednesday: Fall Is In The Air

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Wordless Wednesday: Just Hangin' Around

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(Not So) Wordless Wednesday.... NASCAR #SilveradoStrong

Check Out the Video My Husband Filmed

Thanks to Silverado Strong last weekend my husband and I had the opportunity to go to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas to watch the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on Saturday and the NASCAR AAA Texas 500 Race on Sunday.

I must admit I wasn’t too sure about going. I had never liked anything about NASCAR in my life. I knew who a few of the drivers were because of my husband but that was about it.

My husband on the other hand was over the moon excited. He has been a NASCAR fan for as long as he can remember and this was going to be his very first race also. He was like a little excited kid. In his words this was a chance in a lifetime experience.

Like I said I didn’t think I would like it at all, as a matter of fact I was only going to make my husband happy. I must admit it was exciting and SUPER loud even the ear plugs were not much help. The speeds were faster than anything I could have ever imagined. I also loved the colors of the cars and the smell of the tires, second by second I fell in love… seriously I fell in love! I can’t believe it myself.

Thank you and thank you again Silverado Strong for this wonderful opportunity and thank you for making me a new NASCAR Fan! Congratulations to Brad Keselowski and Jimmy Johnson on their weekend wins!!

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Slow Cooker Chicken with Stuffing

This recipe is pretty good but unlike the recipe I didn’t mix the stuffing and the liquids all together and I made it in the oven and not the slow cooker. I should have… mine was a bit dry because I didn’t. This recipe really is good but it could be great if I had mixed it right.

The recipe is super easy and it has a great flavor. It’s something different which I loved and the chicken was very tender. There are some things that are worth having dry and this chicken recipe was one of them.

I would certainly make this anytime. If you would like to make this in the oven follow the same directions just in a baking dish and baked on 400 degrees for about 1 hour.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (6 ounce) box stuffing mix
1/2 cup water

Directions:

Place chicken into bottom of a slow cooker
Pour broth over chicken
Mix soup, stuffing, and water in a bowl; spoon on top of chicken
Cook on Low for 7 hour

Original Recipe Source

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Tortilla Taco Soup (Paula Deen)

This recipe is delicious! I needed something extra to go along with dinner one night. At the last minute I decided to make this recipe. I had browned ground beef with the bell pepper, onion, and garlic in the freezer so that made it go super-fast, and after opening up a few cans and packets of seasoning my soup was in the crock pot ready to roll.

I let it cook all day. When we got home that night the house smelled amazing. We couldn’t wait to dive in. The soup ended up being the main dish instead of what had already been prepared. Yes, it was that good.

I love the ease of this recipe and it’s delicious too. You could easily leave the meat out and double up on the beans to make this vegetarian.

Ingredients:

1 pounds ground beef
1 medium diced onions
1 medium diced green pepper
2 garlic cloves minced
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can black beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
tortilla chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish
Hot Sauce

Directions:

Brown the ground beef, bell pepper, garlic and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat
Next transfer the browned beef mixture to a large slow cooker or a stockpot.
Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove.
To serve, place a small hand full of tortilla chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos or whatever you would like. Allow to sit a few minutes so the tortilla chips can soften up.
Add hot sauce to give it a little heat if desired

Original Recipe Source (Adapted)

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What is a Chalupa?

What is a chalupa? That is a question I get almost every time I add it to our menu plan either as a post or in an email. I didn’t realize that most people have never heard of a chalupa, or sometimes referred to as a tostada. I am in Texas and believe me you probably won’t find a native Texan who doesn’t know what a chalupa is.

The best way I can describe a chalupa is it’s kind of like a flat taco or at least along the same premise as a taco. You start with a corn tortilla that has either been fried or baked until it’s a crispy golden brown. You can bake it at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes on each side. You will want to watch them closely while they are in the oven or maybe not. When they get a deep brown (almost to the un-savable point) they have a nice flavor also.

Normally a chalupa will have a base coating of hot refried beans slathered over the top of the corn tortilla from one end to the next. I don’t really recommend just using the refried beans out of a can because they lack a lot of flavor. Here is a great recipe to jazz up a can of refried beans. Then from there you can add taco meat, fajita meat, or simply leave on just beans. You can also use fat free refried beans and make these vegetarian. Normally I just leave on beans unless I have some extra taco meat in the freezer.

Next it’s time for your toppings. I like cheese, lettuce, guacamole, tomatoes (in that order), but you can add hot sauce, sour cream, salsa, onions, Spanish rice, or whatever makes you happy.

I like to use this as a quick and easy go to meal. You will always find corn tortillas in my freezer, either a can of refried beans or a frozen bag of cooked pinto beans in my freezer, and you will certainly always find lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream in my refrigerator. Those items are staples in our home.

So there you have it! That’s what we call a Chalupa or in other words a flat taco, or a quick and easy go to meal! Enjoy!

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