Italian Spread

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. mayo
2 T parmesan cheese
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. oregano
1 clove garlic

blend all ingredients. spread on french or sourdough bread, then broil.

Yammy Muffins

I found this recipe today in an old cookbook. I was intrigued by its ingredients and wanted to try them out on my kiddos. I was very pleased that the kiddos loved them!

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. skim milk
1 (15 oz) can yams, drained and mashed
1 T. grated orange rind
1/3 c. orange juice
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/3 c. canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine milk, yams, orange rind, orange juice, egg, egg white, oil, and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon the batter into muffin pans lined with a paper cup or coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are done.

Andrea Howard's Pistachio Nut Bundt Cake

This mild cake uses simple ingredients,
is not overly sweet and can easily be sliced and served as a finger-friendly dessert.

1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
2 (3.4oz) packages instant pistachio pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9 inch bundt pan.
Stir together cake mix and instant pudding. Add sour cream, oil and
eggs, mix well. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Combine
the brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon, sprinkle over the batter in the
pan. Cover with the remaining batter.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until cake springs back when
lightly touched. Cool for 15 minutes in pan before inverting onto a wire
rack to cool completely. When cake is cooled, dust with confectioners'
sugar. Makes 12 servings.

Jalepeno Poppers

Love those jalepeno appetizers in restaurants? Concerned about calories?

Check out this recipe for jalepeno poppers.

Andrea Howard's Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

2 cups (8 oz.) diced cooked chicken (or turkey) breast
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 tbs. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
2 tbs. chopped pecans
11 oz. mandarin orange sections, drained and cut into small sections
¼ cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 tbs. reduced-fat mayo
1 ½ tsp. brown mustard
½ tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
8 Boston lettuce leaves

Combine chicken, apples, cranberries and pecans. Add orange sections, set aside.
Whisk together yogurt, mayo and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drizzle dressing over chicken mixture while using a fork to gently mix in.
Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 salad plates. Mound ¼ of salad on top of lettuce
and serve immediately, accompanied with whole-grain crackers.

Iced Coffee

I've been on an iced coffee binge lately. I alternate back and forth between the regular caffeine kind and the decaf kind. Either way, its yummy. I make mine with artificial sweetener, french vanilla creamer and sugar-free chocolate syrup. These modifications and adding more water to my daily water regimen makes it fairly guilt-free for me. I use it as a "snack" when I am craving something yummy, and it helps to fill my tummy and tide me over until the next meal. Plus, did I mention that its yummy?

Here's the original recipe that got me started (it's another Andrea Howard recipe). Enjoy your iced coffee!

Andrea Howard's Mexicorn Dip

4 cans Mexicorn, drained
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
3-6 scallions, thinly sliced
8 oz. finely grated Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz. finely grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream*
1 cup mayo*
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
*I usually use low-fat or fat-free
Mix it all together. Chill well. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!!

Andrea Howard: Personal Chef Services

A family friend has recently started her own food venture. I have enjoyed perusing her blog and have even signed up for her newsletter. The first edition of the newsletter came this week. I am always excited to get new recipes and as this blog has become my filing system for recipes, I will be posting her recipes here periodically. I'm sure you will find them as exciting and useful as I do. So check back and look for posts titled Andrea Howard.

And while you are at it, click on over to her website and check it out!