Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberries

Recipe: Betty Crocker

3/4 cup light chocolate soy milk
1/4 cup fat-free egg product
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
Sliced banana
Fat-free French vanilla yogurt

In medium bowl, beat soy milk, egg product and oil with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients except strawberries, banana and yogurt.

Spray griddle or 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat griddle to 375°F or heat skillet over medium heat. For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle.

Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other sides until golden brown. Serve with strawberries, banana and yogurt.

It made two plate sized pancakes. These were pretty good. The pancake didn't really have any flavor. The flavor definitely comes from the fruit and yogurt, so don't skip that part. I would say it was like a chocolate crepe, only thicker. I used Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt. I'll probably make these again. Sometime, when Mike is far, far away.

Linguine with Ham & Swiss

Recipe: Taste of Home

8 ounces uncooked linguine, broken in half
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper or green onion
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Cook linguine according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the ham, soup, 2 cups cheese, sour cream, onion, green pepper and butter. Add the pasta; toss to coat.
Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Pretty good. Very rich. You could cut down on the sauce quite a bit and still have plenty. Mike found the onions and wasn't too happy, but otherwise he liked it.

Lowfat Orange Poppyseed Dressing

Recipe: Taste of Home

4 teaspoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons cold water
1-1/3 cups orange juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
4 teaspoons honey Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons honey
1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in the orange juice, vinegar, mustard and honey. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in poppy seeds and salt. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.

Pretty good. The orange flavor was pretty overpowering. I will make it again, but I'll put in less orange juice next time.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

Recipe: Very Best Baking

CAKE
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

FILLING
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Delicious! Not as complicated as it sounds. If you've made any type of cake roll before, this is exactly the same, just pumpkin flavored. I thought the cream cheese filling was the best part, but Mike thought it was too sweet. So, he requested I make him one with just whipped cream in the middle.

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

Recipe: Taste of Home

8 medium red potatoes, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fat-free milk, warmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. Drain well. Add the butter, milk and salt; mash. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

Pretty good. The garlic was very pungent. I thought it needed more flavor, so I added some other spices. I also used more milk to make them fluffier. I'll use less garlic next time. A good starting recipe - and then make them your own.

Pumpkin Waffles with Nutmeg Syrup

Recipe: Simple & Delicious Magazine

Delicious! Not too pumpkin-y. The syrup is awesome! I added the rum extract and it was very good. We both loved it.

1 cup + 2 TBSP flour
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 TBSP butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. (first 6 ingredients) Set aside. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, pumpkin and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until combined.

Bake in waffle iron.

Nutmeg Syrup
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups cold water
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. rum extract (optional)

In large saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in the butter, vanilla and rum extract. Yield: 2 1/3 cups.