Me, Post about Food? Never

I love cooking. Well ok, I really love eating. I especially love cooking and eating with our dear friends Donna and Jerry, who visited us recently. (OK, I love cooking and eating with most people, but anyone who makes a fuss over my food is high on the list) My camera is still on the blink (I think I need new rechargable batteries, but it can't be that simple, can it?), so here I go again with recipe posts. Sorry. Its an addiction, I know. Welcome to my world.

Since I started weight watchers two weeks ago (and have lost 10 lbs) I have been trying not to become obscessed with a new diet, but truly change the way I eat for life. I've always known what to do, but doing it seems so difficult. So with the support of many coworkers, we all joined weight watchers, and I LOVE it! I feel full but not stuffed, eat healthy foods, and am beginning the long process of shrinking. Oh, I could go on and on and on, but then there would be no time for sleep or recipe posting. I wanted to post these tried and true yummy weight watchers recipes. You'll never know they are actually good for you. Kris has outlawed the use of points language for at least 4 minute increments, so I must include them here...hehehe. POINTS POINTS POINTS.

Someday I'll post something non-recipe like and thoughtful. Maybe. Or I'll read a thought provoking book. They seem to be piling up on my nightstand unread. Will sleeping with them under my pillow help? No, not likely. I'll read all of Jeff's post someday, Just not any time soon...I just sigh in awe, thank God for my fav cousin's godly husband, and scroll looking for pictures of the baby. Alas, I must return to Emily's blog for my Benjamin fix. Then over to Laura's for my Ella fix. Then drive 4.8 minutes to Abbie's new house ((((((yipeee)))))))to hold Faith again (my FAVORITE pasttime: I like this better than talking about POINTS) and am getting quite the strong left arm. But I digress. Babies make me do that. Back to POINTS and food.

For my company for lunch I made my crab stuffed mushrooms, veggie quiche, and French onion soup. But my favorite was dessert! Prior to WW, I usually ate such large portions that I was too full to enjoy dessert to the extent I do now. Have I mentioned my obcession with points lately? NO? hmmm... POINTS POINTS POINTS. hehehe. Its OK, Kris never reads my posts.

SO, Lets start with dessert:

Creamy Lemon Pie

This is so easy you can't even earn any exercise points making it...And Aldi has bags of lemons just calling for you to make this...
POINTS® Value: 3 Servings: 10 Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 15 min
This pie was creamy and tasty. I put the leftover peices in individual serving containers to avoid eating the entire pie that night.

Ingredients
· 6 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers
· 2 Tbsp butter
· 11 oz fat-free sweetened condensed milk (I used 14 oz, what my store had)
· 2 large egg(s)
· 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons unless very large)
· 1 Tbsp lemon zest (I zested all the lemons above and added some lemon extract too)

Instructions
· Preheat oven to 350ºF.
· Grind graham crackers in a food processor until fine, or place crackers in a deflated resealable plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin depending on your stress level. Guess which one I did? WRONG! I used the little chopper. Place crumbs in glass pie plate.
· Melt butter and pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Or use your hands so you can lick them. Not that I did. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; place crust in refrigerator while preparing lemon filling.
· Place condensed milk and eggs into a bowl and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest and stir until incorporated. Pour milk mixture into prepared crust.
· Bake pie for 15 minutes. Cool completely, and freeze for up to two weeks before serving. For best flavor, serve chilled.


When Kris and I were first married, we fell in love with French onion soup while vacationing in Canada. We were at a little bed and breakfast on the St. Lawrence River and so young and in love. And skinny then too. We had no idea how many points were in the traditional version. I was so happy to find this recipe, which with my addition of some no points seasonings really is close to the origonal. I just had to say points again.

Low Fat French Onion Soup


POINTS® Value: 3 Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 16 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
· 2 medium onion(s), thinly sliced (I used 3 vidalias)
· 4 Tbsp dry sherry, or nonalcoholic wine
· 4 cup fat-free beef broth
· 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
. Salt and pepper
. 1 tsp poultry seasoning
. 1 bay leaf
· 4 slices French bread
· 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano (I used low fat swiss)
Instructions
· Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large saucepan, combine onions, seasonings, and sherry; sauté until onions are tender, about 6 minutes.
· Add broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
· Meanwhile, toast bread until golden brown. You can toast the cheese on the bread, or you can broil it at the end. Just don't touch the bowls with your bare hands after broiling, because you will burn all your fingertips and have difficulty typing your recipes later. Not that I did. I hardly feel the burns.
Remove bay leaf, then divide soup among bowls. Place toast and top each with 1/2 tablespoon of grated cheese. Yields 4 servings

Want more? I could go on and on...But you all probably scan my posts for pictures of Jim and Abbie's new house or the kids or Bella right? Well, I'll just try to fix my camera tomorrow and post some. Maybe. Or I'll count my points and plan menus for my birthday. Did I mention that yet? Hmm, that could be a non-recipe post. But I could work points it in somehow. We'll see.
Love you all!