Friday Night Sweets - Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

We have kind of started a tradition around here of making a nice dessert on Fridays for all of us to enjoy over the weekend. It came about because my Mother-in-Law will only eat sweets between 7 PM Friday and 7 PM on Sunday, nothing during the week (like a mini Lent or something like that).

Anyway I saw this recipe of Paula Deen's and it just looked so good and perfect for the season. I will warn you though that there is NOTHING healthy about this dessert lol. Those of you that know Paula's Deen's recipes know that there isn't much you can do to make it healthier. This is also VERY rich so servings should be kept small. Trust me a little goes a long way but it's very delicious, like a pumpkin pie on top of a moist cake. YUM!

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE
=== cake ===
1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
=== filling ===
1 8 oz.pkg cream cheese, softened
1 15 oz can pumpkin pie filling
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 16 oz box powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking pan. In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, egg and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Dump in powdered sugar and beat well. Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly.

*Bake for 40 - 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream. These little cakes are very, very rich and a little will go a long way!

Taco Salad

I got the idea for this from Kalyn's Kitchen and I only changed it a bit here and there. As usual I used turkey meat instead of beef but I found you really can't taste the difference with all the seasonings in there. I also use a light cheese and of course a light ranch dressing but I put out regular ranch for the rest of the family. When I can find them I get the low sodium black beans to help with the sodium content because the taco seasoning tends to have a lot of salt.

I find this tastes best when the meat is still a bit warm (not hot) and the lettuce is cold and crisp. Perfect for those hot summer days but also good on cooler cloudy days like today. This is also a great way to stretch your meat by adding more of the salad fixings which helps your budget :)

TACO SALAD

=== meat/bean mixture ===
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 tablespoon oil
1 can black beans
1 T chile powder
1 tsp. ground cumin

=== for salad ===
3 cups romaine lettuce, torn, washed
ranch dressing
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup grated low fat cheese
1 cup diced onion

Dump the can of black beans into a colander in the sink, then rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. (This removes some of the undigestible carbohydrates that can make beans hard to digest.) Let drain while you cook meat.

Heat olive oil in large heavy frying pan, then add ground meat, breaking apart into small crumbles. Cook meat over medium high heat until well browned. When meat is browned, add beans, and seasonings and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before using on salad. (This can be made ahead and frozen. To use after freezing, thaw and then reheat for a couple of minutes in a microwave.)

To assemble salad, put lettuce in large plastic bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing. For each salad bowl add some of the lettuce mixture, add slightly warm beef/bean mixture and top with diced tomatoes, diced onions and grated cheese. Toss and eat!

Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

This another one of those recipes that has evolved over the years. I think the original recipe was more of a side dish and did not have the ham in it but had the Mushroom soup and some sour cream and a lot more cheese. At some point I changed it to accomodate a bunch of left over ham I had after Easter one year and it has just stayed this way. The original recipe I remember being very rich so by eliminating the sour cream and half the cheese and adding some ham to make it a main dish I was able to serve it more often. I always seem to have so much left over ham after big holiday meals that I had to come up with several recipes to use it all. This is just one of them.

I will add that normally when I make this dish I use the O'Brien style of hash browns but the store was out so I used the plain instead. It still tasted good but I prefer the O'Brien potatoes, it adds more flavor I think.

HAM AND HASH BROWN CASSEROLE
1 32 oz. bag of frozen Hash Brown potatoes (I usually use the O'Brien style)
1 6 oz. Farmer John Boneless Ham Steak (or other equivalent)
2 cans of Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of No Salt Added Peas, drained
1 1/4 C cheddar cheese, shredded - divided

Preheat oven to 400

Cube ham steak into 1/2 in. size pieces.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix well and pour into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 1 hour and remove from the oven. Sprinkle the last of the cheese on top and let melt.

** It does not matter if the hash browns have been thawed or are still frozen when putting this together.

Turkey Patties

I had some baked potatoes and wanted to make something easy that I had on hand to go with them so I threw together this dish. It was one of those that I just made up as I went along. Sometimes those backfire on me and I end up with something almost inedible but this one didn't turn out too bad. They were quite tasty and moist.

TURKEY PATTIES
1 lb lean ground turkey
3/4 C chopped onion
2 slices of bread, cubed
1/2 C oatmeal (uncooked)
1/4 C skim milk
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to season as desired

Put all ingredients except the turkey into a bowl and combine. Let sit for about 30 minutes or so to absorb all the milk. Add the turkey and using your hands mix well and form into patties. You should get between 4 and 6 patties depending on the size you make them.

Place patties in a non stick skillet sprayed with a bit of cooking spray. Brown on each side about 3 to 5 minutes, cover and reduce the heat. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with brown gravy if desired.

Super Easy Tator Tot Casserole

This dish brought back some memories. I haven't made this in many years but it's a great old standby and so easy to make. Kids love this casserole and I love the way the tator tots break apart when this cooks and are so moist. This is another one of those dishes where you can substitute just about any vegetable you want.

TATOR TOT CASSEROLE

1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1 pkg tator tots; thawed
1 can peas
1 cup low fat or fat free sour cream
1 can Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups low fat cheddar cheese; shredded - divided
1/2 cup diced onions
Pepper and garlic powder to season
red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F

In a large skillet cook ground meat and onions. Add seasonings. Drain and put aside. In a large bowl mix together tator tots, peas, 1 cup of the cheese and the soup. Add the meat and onions. Mix thoroughly and pour into 3 qt. greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 40 min. Remove from oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese on top and let melt.

Anything Goes Casserole

The original recipe for this is the very first recipe I ever learned to make. I got it in Boarding School when I was 12 (I won't tell you how many decades ago that was). It has truly stood the test of time and one my family loves. Of course over the years I have tweaked it here and there as I do with most recipes but the basic recipe is still very good to this day. The original recipe called for just the meat, onions, soup and macaroni but over time I started adding veggies here and there and using variations of the cheese soup.

Since it first came out they now have Cheddar and Broccoli soup as well as a couple spicy versions of the original cheddar cheese and they all work just as well. I love to add corn and carrots to the casserole and have on occasion added broccoli florets and cauliflower depending on my mood. As the title implies, anything goes with this casserole.

ANYTHING GOES CASSEROLE
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 med onion; chopped
2 cups macaroni
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 cup sliced carrots, cooked
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Grated Low Fat Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Seasonings of choice

Preheat oven to 375°F

Cook macaroni according to directions on package. Drain.

Brown ground beef or turkey in skillet with a bit of oil, add the onion and cook til meat is no longer pink. Add seasonings of choice. I usually add ground black pepper and garlic powder.

In a large bowl add soup to macaroni and combine well. Add vegetables and stir well. Add the parsley and stir til combinied. Pour into greased 3 quart casserole dish.

Bake for 30 min.

Sprinkle top with a bit of grated cheese or Parmesan if desired.

OPTIONS: You can substitute Cheddar Cheese and Broccoli soup or Fiesta Cheddar Cheese soup for the Cheddar Cheese soup if you wish. You can also swap the veggies for any others you may desire. This casserole is easily adaptable. Anything goes!

Pork Medallions With Balsamic-Honey Glaze

Here's another recipe I haven't made in many years. Cooking this fills your home with the most wonderful aroma. I love the smell of Rosemary and what's great is I just discovered there is a large Rosemary bush growing in the backyard so all I had to do was go out there with my little scissors and snip me off a few sprigs. Now I can have it any time I want!

This is a very simple meal to prepare and cooks up in no time. I love these small pork loins you get prepackaged from the store as most of the fat is already trimmed off and you can sliced them to whatever thickness you wish or just season it and throw it on the grill.

Most of the time I served this with rice but tonight I thought it would be nice to make some oven roasted potatoes with just a touch of Rosemary added to them.

PORK MEDALLIONS WITH BALSAMIC-HONEY GLAZE
=====Balsamic-honey glaze=====
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper

=====For the pork=====
2 lbs pork tenderloin
canola oil, for searing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the glaze: Put garlic and rosemary in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, honey, olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper, to taste, and stir to combine.

For the pork: Slice the tenderloin into 1-inch thick medallions (rounds). Cover the bottom of a medium skillet with a light film of canola oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork slices in 1 layer, season with salt and pepper, and sear for 1 minute. Turn and sear for 1 more minute, until lightly browned.
Pour the glaze over the slices and turn them to coat.

Cover and simmer for about 20 to 30 min, turning over about half way. Remove from heat and keep warm, loosely covered until ready to serve.

To serve place pork medallions on a platter and spoon the balsamic-honey glaze over them. Garnish the platter with the rosemary sprigs.