Definitely serve this one warm with some vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream – it’s a great dessert that bakes up quickly and tastes so homey.

Peach Cobbler

8 servings
190 calories per serving

5 c sliced frozen peaches
1/3 c maple syrup
1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 T MINUTE Tapioca
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 c Bisquick
2 T sugar
¼ – 1/2 c milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix peaches with syrup, brown sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil then pour into 9 inch square baking pan. Stir Bisquick, sugar and milk until soft dough forms then drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto hot fruit. Optionally sprinkle with a little more cinnamon then bake 28 – 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Any grilled cheese sandwich is a winner in my book and this one is no exception – and here the sweet roasted peppers are a nice contrast to the provolone.

Grilled Provolone and Peppers

2 servings
200 calories per serving

4 slices 45 calorie bread (Pepperidge Farm Light Multi Grain)
4 slices low fat provolone (sliced thin)
2 roasted red bell peppers, drained, rinsed and dried – and cut into strips
Pam
ICBINB Spray

Make sandwiches and spray the outsides with the butter flavored spray. Heat a skillet to medium high and spray with Pam. Cook each side 2-3 minute or until browned and the cheese is all melted.

Flavorful with or without the sauce ! Grilled London Broil is one of my favorites, but sometimes it lacks flavor because it is a lean cut. This recipe puts all the flavor back in…and then some !

Grilled Chili Rubbed Sirloin

4 servings
160 calories per serving

1 lb. boneless sirloin steak
1 ½ T chili seasoning (or a mix of chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder)
¼ t pepper
Pam
½ c water
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t instant coffee
1 ½ t Worcestershire sauce
¼ t salt

Sprinkle meat with chili seasoning (go heavier on the seasoning if you wish – it adds miniscule amounts of calories) and pepper and then spray with Pam. Use short little sprays so you don’t blow the dry ingredients off the meat. This makes a nice spicy ‘paste’ and keeps the meat from sticking to the grill. Heat grill and cook meat 6-10 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Alternately heat a skillet and cook steak 6-10 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove from grill or pan and tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Combine water, vinegar, coffee and Worcestershire and add to small pan and cook until reduced to ¼ c (about 5 minutes). Slice steak thinly and drizzle with sauce.

What a GREAT sauce this makes ! I think it would be equally as good on chicken or even steak. You definitely have to give this one a try for a nice change to pork chops – these are definitely NOT boring, old pork chops. Try serving with Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

Braised Pork in Cream Sauce

6 servings
200 calories per serving

6 4 oz. boneless pork chops
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
¾ c beef broth
1 T barbecue sauce
1/3 c fat free evaporated milk
1/3 c fat free sour cream
3 T flour
Pam

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and cooked in a heated skillet sprayed with Pam. Cover and cook 3 minutes on each side. Combine ½ c broth and the barbecue sauce and pour over the chops and cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and cook 10 minutes. Remove pork chops and keep warm. Combine ¼ c broth, milk, sour cream and flour and mix with a whisk. Pour into skillet and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes and thick. Pour over chops and serve.

The flavor here was subtle, but definitely enough to make it a nice change up from eating just plain pretzels or popcorn. I like it best when it was fresh out of the oven and still warm

Parmesan Pretzels and Popcorn

6 servings
170 calories per serving

2 T grated parmesan cheese
½ t basil flakes
½ t parsley flakes
3 c mini pretzel twists
3 c air popped popcorn
Pam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine spices and mix well. Mix pretzels and popcorn and spread in an ungreased 15×10 baking sheet. Spray mix with Pam (pretty heavily) and sprinkle with cheese mix. Do not stir and bake 6 minutes or until hot.

These are a GREAT addition to salads, as a side to Italian flavored dishes, etc. 2 ingredients + quick fry method = savory side in next to no time !

Parmesan Crisps

10 servings
56 calories per serving (1 serving = 4 crisps)

1 c grated parmesan cheese
1 t flour

Combine cheese and flour. Heat a non stick skillet to medium high heat. Spoon a thin layer of cheese into a 1 inch circle in hot pan. Repeat with as many as will fit in the skillet without touching. When they begin to sizzle and bottom is golden, flip over and cook until the next side is golden. Work in batches and finish up all the cheese and flour. This will go very quickly.

The good folks at PlentifulPantry sent me a couple of their dessert mixes to try and here is the second installment….Chidester Farms Blondies with Maple Sauce. The mix makes is sooooo simple to whip up a batch in no time and the blondies were very good – but what made this dessert GREAT is the maple sauce !! IT was rich and sweet without going overboard. It is a perfect sauce – I want to buy it and put in on EVERYTHING

Blondies and Maple Sauce

The big box comes with enough ingredients to make 2 batches – 2 batches would fit in a 9×13 baking dish while 1 fits nicely in an 8×8 baking dish. This is as simple as putting together a cake mix – - simple, simple, simple . And the blondies….oh they just melt in your mouth !

Blondies and Maple Sauce mix

As well as the mix, you will need a few ingredients:
¼ c water
1/3 c vegetable oil
2 eggs

1 batch yields 12 servings
250 calories per serving

Just follow the package instructions and then sit by the oven and wait – because you want to dig into these as quick as humanly possible !

Try serving with some lite vanilla ice cream or some whipped topping.

Be sure to visit PlentifulPantry and check out their products – they have a whole bunch of ‘partially prepped’ products that get you out of the kitchen faster without skimping on quality. This is also available this month at Costco – so be sure to get some and put the sauce in your coffee, on your morning cereal, in your granola – and even on the blondies

As part of FoodBuzz Daily Specials, I’ll be making a some special posts over the next couple of weeks that relate to a specific topic. Today’s special is about Mandolines.

Mandolines are GREAT tools that make slicing a cinch. You can make paper thin cucumbers for salad, julienne carrots for stir fry, thick sliced potatoes for roasted potatoes, and the list goes on and on. You basically attach your food to the safety grip and then run it up and down the mandoline which drags it across the blade and creates the cut.

You change the blade by dialing a knob which rotates and sets the blade in position for cutting.

My main pieces of advice for using a mandoline – do NOT try using it without the safety grip. It’s more comfortable to just grab the potato or whatever in your hand, but the blades is sooooo sharp and it takes but a second to loose a good part of your finger (poor Josh !!!) I go an extra step and wear a cooking glove that has kevlar in it – then you can just fly through the prep without a worry.

Try a mandoline and you’ll see why chefs around the world use them on a daily basis.

A quick sandwich to throw together that doesn’t taste like a boring sandwich ! The slaw gives it a nice twist.

Turkey Slaw-Wich

1 serving
290 calories per serving

½ c coleslaw blend (shredded cabbage and carrots)
1 T Miracle Whip
1 t Dijon mustard
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
3 slices deli roasted turkey breast
1 slice fat free American cheese

Mix coleslaw, Miracle Whip and Dijon then make sandwiches with all the ingredients.

This chicken is delightfully lemony while the spinach wilts just the right amount with the addition of the rice and shallots. This is a great quick chicken dinner that is restaurant quality.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Spinach

4 servings
350 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. chicken tenders
1 t grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
1 T water
1 T oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ t rosemary
Pam

8.8 package precooked brown rice
¼ c chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c packed fresh baby spinach, chopped coarsely
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder

Heat a grill pan or skillet and spray with Pam and cook chicken 4 minutes per side or until browned and done. Combine lemon zest, water, juice, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary and spoon over chicken then cover and let sit 5 minutes.

Microwave the rice to heat it and keep it warm. Heat a skillet and spray with Pam then cook shallot and garlic 3 minutes or until tender. Put spinach in a bowl and add rice and shallots and mix together so the heat wilts the spinach a little. Stir in salt, pepper and garlic powder. Serve alongside the chicken.