• 1 pound lean ground beef, 93/7
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 celery ribs, cut into bite-size chunks
• salt, pepper, onion salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can of tomato soup
• 2 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 7-ounce box of elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Brown the ground beef.  Add the pepper, celery, and onion.  Season with salt, pepper, and onion salt.  Continue to cook beef and veggies.  Add the garlic and cook awhile longer.  Stir in the soup and tomato sauce.  Season with chili powder and cumin.  In the meantime, cook and drain the macaroni.  Combine the beef mixture with the cooked macaroni.  Serve.

6 servings = approx 315 calories per serving; 8 servings = approx 236 calories per serving

• 1 C vodka
• 1 32-oz bottle ketchup
• 1 C apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1/8 C coarse salt
• juice of a fresh lemon

Mix well and then simmer on low for 15-30 minutes.  Note: I simmered for a full hour and it cooked down enough that I was able to fit it all back into the 32-oz ketchup bottle.

• 1 C brown sugar
• 1/2 C paprika
• 2 1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground red pepper
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt

Combine all ingredients well.  Store in an airtight container.  Use on meat of your choice; make sure meat is patted dry before rubbing.  This rub works well on pork.

• 4 slices of bacon (or 2 slices thick-cut bacon), cooked and crumbled
• 20 oz bag of Simply Potatoes hash browns
• 1/4 C butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 C 2% milk
• 1/2 C light sour cream
• 1 C Kraft triple cheddar shredded cheese
• 4 oz lite cream cheese, cubed
• 4 green onions, sliced

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook and crumble the bacon; set aside.  Place hash browns in a bowl with melted butter and mix lightly. (I’ll add some salt and pepper to the hash browns next time).  Press into the bottom of a 9×9 pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and milk in a medium bowl until blended.  Stir in the sour cream, cheeses, onions, and bacon.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Pour egg mixture over the potatoes.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until center is set.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I calculated a total of 2175 calories (6 servings = 363 calories/serving    9 servings = 242 calories/serving)

Note: original recipe called for 1 1/2 C Kraft shredded triple cheddar cheese with a touch of Philadelphia.  I couldn’t find it, so I improvised.  I cubed the cream cheese and left it as chunks in the mixture, rather than blending it in.

• 1 yellow cake mix (I used butter recipe yellow)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 C canola oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 (3.4oz) package of instant pistachio pudding mix
• 1 C lite sour cream
• 1 tsp green food coloring (cut to 1/2 tsp or omit completely if it’s not St. Patrick’s Day)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 C shelled pistachios, chopped (original recipe called for walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two loaf pans.  Mix all ingredients together until well blended.  Pour into prepared pans.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes then remove bread from pans and cool on a wire rack.

I calculated a total of 3550 calories.  20 servings = 178 calories/serving

• 5 frozen hash-brown patties
• 1 pound lean ground beef (I use 93/7)
• salt, pepper
• 1 can of Manwich original sloppy joe sauce
• Optional: diced onion, shredded cheese

Layer the hash-brown patties in a greased 11×7 pan (the 5th patty will have to be cut in half).  Brown the ground beef (with diced onion if you’d like) and season with salt and pepper.  Add the Manwich and stir well.  Pour the Manwich mixture over the frozen hash-browns.  Cover with foil and bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  If you’d like, you can uncover the last few minutes and sprinkle some shredded cheese over the top.  Yields 4-6 servings.

4 servings = 394 calories/serving

6 servings = 263 calories/serving

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• onion and chive spreadable cream cheese
• cheddar cheese slices
• bacon slices

Spread cream cheese over a chicken breast.  Top with a slice of cheddar cheese.  Wrap two slices of bacon around the chicken breast.  Bake for 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 canned buttermilk biscuits
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Squeeze the lemon into a bowl of water.  Peel, core and slice the apples vertically into 8 slices each. Add the apple slices to the lemon water to keep from turning brown.

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup water, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the butter and vanilla. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil over medium heat.

Separate each biscuit into 2 layers. Wrap a biscuit layer around a slice of apple, stretching the biscuit slightly to overlap, and seal on the bottom. Place the wrapped slices, sealed-side down, in a 9- by 12- by 2-inch casserole dish. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the apple slices. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the wrapped apples. Bake until golden brown, 35 minutes.

Serves 8.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 30 large marshmallows (a 10-ounce bag contains 38 to 40)
• 1 teaspoon green food color
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups cornflakes cereal
• Red-hot cinnamon candies, for decorating

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.  Once melted, remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon food color and the vanilla. Add the cornflakes; stir until coated evenly.  Drop mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, onto wax paper or parchment paper. Decorate with candies. Let stand 30 minutes, or until cool.

• 1/2 C solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
• 4 C powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Makes about 3 cups of icing.