This recipe is the best. My Grandma Geoffrion (my mom’s mom) used to make this and it’s terrific!  I suggest if you are trying to lose weight NOT to eat this. Substituting for low-fat ingredients just takes away from the great taste!

Grease 2qt casserole dish. Cook 2 1/2 cups egg noodles, drain. Blend with 3TBSP butter, cover with clean dish towel and put in warm place.

In a big bowl, mix 8oz Breakstone cottage cheese, 6oz softened Philadelphia cream cheese, and 1/3 cup Breakstone sour cream. Add 1/3 cup minced onion, 2tbsp chopped green pepper, 1tbsp pimiento, 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp Accent. Mix together and set aside.

Brown 1 pound ground beef (I use 93% fat-free to cut down on the grease). Drain fat. Stir in 2 cups Hunts tomato sauce, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2 tsp Lea & Perin’s Worchestire sauce and 3(or more - to taste) drops Tabasco Sauce.  Stir.

Now it’s time to layer: Put meat sauce on bottom of casserole(just a little) - half the noodles over that, next all of the cheese mixture, then the rest of the noodles over that and finally the rest of the meat sauce over that. Make sure the noodle are covered. bake covered at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Uncover the last 5-10 minutes.

ENJOY!

I found this recipe in the Kraft Food & Family magazine. It’s really good and super simple… I’ve written this exactly as it is written in the magazine.

Prep: 10 min.   Total: 1 hour 10 min.

~ 2 eggs, beaten

~ 2lb lean ground beef

~ 1 pkg (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken

~ 1 cup water

~ 1/2 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, beat eggs lightly with a fork. This makes it easy to incorporate them into the meat mixture, so you won’t have to overmix.

2.  Place lean ground beef, stuffing mix, water, beaten eggs and 1/4 cup barbecue sauce in large bowl.

3.  Mix all ingredients with wooden spoon just until blended.

4.  Shape meat mixture into an oval loaf in a 13×9-inch baking dish. Using a large baking dish makes it easier to pour out and discard excess fat.

5. Top meatloaf with remaining 1/4 cup barbeque sauce. Substitute: For a bolder taste, try Bull’s-Eye  Barbeque Sauce.

6. Bake 1 hour or until cooked through. No need to guess when the meatloaf is done cooking; just use a meat thermometer to check that the center has reached 160F.

NOTE: The meat thermometer comes in REALLY handy, especially since some ovens do not cook the same. Nothing like cooking it for an hour only to cut into it and it still be red in the center!

I got this recipe from my days back at COSI in Columbus. The ingredients can be deceving but trust me it’s really good!!!

• 1 can(15oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 can(4oz) chopped black olives, drained
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 2 TBS fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 green onion sliced
• 1 pkg(8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 2 hard cooked eggs, peeled & chopped

1. Mix all ingredients, except cream cheese, eggs and green onion. Cover and refridgerate at least 2 hours.
2. Spread cream cheese on serving plate.
3. Spoon bean mixture evenly over cream cheese.
4. Arrange eggs over bean mixture.
5. Sprinkle sliced green onion.
6. Serve with sliced taco chips or whole wheat crackers - I think taco chip taste the best!

ENJOY!!

So I’ve been asked by a few people for the recipe I use for peanut butter fudge.  Here it is - like I said it’s EASY!!

Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

courtesy Alton Brown

1 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Pour into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with waxed paper. Place a second piece of waxed paper on the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.