Top 11 of 2011

(I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!! I sure did...spent lots of time with family and tons of time stuffing my face...doesn't get better folks.)

Welp,it's that time of year. The years-a-changin'.

In a matter of days we'll be trading in 2011 for 2012; "the last year on earth as we know it"...

Does that mean I can eat whatever I want and spend all my money shopping rather than on bills?

Bring on 2012 then!

I haven't been able to blog as much as I would like...due to lack of time and lack of a good working digital camera. But I do have enough blog entries to choose my favorite 11 of 2011.

Here goes! (oh, and these are in no particular order of awesomeness...)

Cupcake Bark

Spicy Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup

Peanut Pretzel Bark

Chocolate Cream Cheese Coffeecake

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Waffles

Funfetti Cake Balls

Lighter Peanut Butter Pie

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Hot Reuben Dip

Buffet-Style Chinese Donuts

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Is this real life?

I mean is Christmas really in less than a week? And I only have about 25% of my shopping done?

Crap.

Also, random. Because I am often random. Has anyone else watched the Food Network show "Sweet Genius"? It's like the pastry chef version of "Chopped" (which I love me some "Chopped". Anyways, I love the idea of this show and was so excited about it until I got a whiff of the host.

God, is he not irritating to anyone else? When he's judging (which why is he the only judge anyway? lame) he'll pause for what seems like 20 minutes and then sputter out some random word, totally unrelated to food, between his awkwardly puckered lips.

Ew.

I mean he'll "mysteriously" declare that the bite he just had was "melancholy" or "electric" and its like wtf is that supposed to tell me about how that tastes?

(disclaimer: those aren't his exact word choices but yes, they are that weird)

Thanks for ruining what could be an awesome show for me weird dude. Thanks.

I'm sure he would probably say these cookies are "inspiring", "sedating" or "awakening" but I'll take that. I think. Because they are yum.

I had some pumpkin pudding in my pantry and replaced a tablespoon or two of the flour with it for some more moisture. I suggest you do the same. You wont be disappointed.

Unless of course you don't like deliciously moist cookies that last for days.

In that case, you best go somewhere else.

Cuz you're weird like that "Sweet Genius" dude.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Pumpkin Oatmeal and Cranberry Cookies

It is December 13th and I am still on the pumpkin train.

I don't plan on getting off. Ever.

I'm one of those crazy people who thinks any holiday includes pumpkin-somehing-or-another. I tend to buy enough cans to feed a small country in the beginning of fall and you would think that by the time Christmas rolls around I would be sick of pumpkin after making 4 loaves of pumpkin bread, 6 types of pumpkin cookies and a handful of pumpkin cheesecakes.

But no. Never. Pumpkin and are are forever the best of friends.

Pumpkin never lets me down.

I'll admit it. I actually have a small panic attack when I see that I am down to two cans of pumpkin in my pantry. Panic I tell you.

This recipe, on the other hand, is more fall-like. What is more Thanksgiving than cranberry+pumpkin? Nothing...unless you throw stuffing and turkey in the mix. Then you have an awesome sandwich.

That's another story.

Pumpkin Oatmeal and Cranberry Cookies
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Roasted Thyme Sweet Potatoes

My eyes still burn from chopping onions...2 hours ago. I want to close them but it seems to make them burn more.

How can this happen to someone who loves onions as much as I do?!

Blasphemy I tell you.

The onions have nothing to do with this post actually. I am just straining to keep my focus on the computer screen when I just want to cry. I made slimmed up a version of Panera Bread's broccoli soup for dinner tonight. Stay tuned my friends.

Now this post...is the side I made for the apple cider glazed chicken I made a couple weeks back. The pairing is magical I tell you.

You may be wondering why my sweet potatoes are not orange (or whatever color that is)...well apparently white ones exist. Ch'yeah, who knew?

On, and they're tasty. If your store happens to have 'em...snatch them up.

Roasted Thyme Sweet Potatoes
From Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves, plus 6 thyme sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss. Arrange potato slices in single layer on heavyweight rimmed baking sheet or in 13x9-inch baking dish. Place on top rack of oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with thyme sprigs.

Low-fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thanksgiving came and went.

Like woah.

I can't believe December is 2 days away. Snow...I'm not ready for you.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and a long lazy weekend.If you're at all like me, you go into hiding on "Black Friday". I love me some bargains but I can't withstand enough patience for a standard trip to the mall.

But I love Thanksgiving more and more with each year that passes.

I celebrated Thanksgiving with Shawn and his family, who I love. Who make me feel so welcome everytime I go there. I'm very lucky that they are so wonderful.

I did faint on Thanksgiving morning.

Yep, right on the living room floor.

The memory is a little fuzzy to me but I remember waking up to the smell of pancakes...yes, pancakes. As much as I love staying in bed I couldn't ignore the visual of light and fluffy pancakes soaking in butter and dripping with glistening sugary syrup. If I weren't so dehydrated from the one two three four too many vodka diets I had the night before. I decided my disheveled hair and smeared "makeup'ed" face wasn't worth the fuss and raced up the stairs into the kitchen. Immediately, had that "I got up way to fast" feeling and remember trying to escape into the living room. I remember not being able to see and then waking up to very concerned looking faces.

My bad.

Guess I was really too excited about the whole stuffing my face and having the excuse that it was for the sake of a holiday excuse.

I may have eaten an entire pound of stuffing. When I was younger, I hated the stuff. Now, I can't get enough. In fact, I could go for some right now.

I'm sad Thanksgiving is over, but Christmas is coming and it is my favorite holiday so I suppose I'll manage.

If anyone has any leftover pumpkin in their fridge but can't fit into their jeans because of Thanksgiving, these cookies might be an excellent thing to invest that pumpkin in.

They are a little more crunchy than your average cookie, but the flavor is there and the guilt is not.

Sign.me.up.

Low-fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg white
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with non-stick silicone baking liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice; stir to blend. In another bowl,whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, pumpkin puree and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths
out.

Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks.

Apple Cider-Glazed Chicken

I was in Bob Evans one sunday morning...probably more excited than I should be for my biscuits and gravy, home fries and pancakes...aka the most healthy meal of my life.

It was sunday...I was allowed.

Anyways, I saw something about apple cider-glazed chicken and pork chops and decided then and there to scour the internet in search of a similar recipe because that sounded...well...amazing.

The one I found was just that. It was fairly easy to make and tasted like fall. I made it with thyme roasted sweet potatoes...delish if I do say so myself.

Apple Cider-Glazed Chicken
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat, for about 1 minute or until the surface of the pan is hot. Add the oil and heat until rippling on the surface. Pat the chicken breast dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the pan and cook until the meat is golden, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts, lower the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook until firm to the touch or an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.

Pour off any fat remaining in the skillet. Add the vinegar and deglaze over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the cider and the broth. Bring to a boil and cook until it thickens to form a sauce, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice and thyme leaves. Return the chicken to the pan, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.

Pumpkin Cookies

I have learned that there is definitely a plus side to having to go to class...and that is having people to bake things for.

I don't want 48 cookies all to myself...scratch that...I don't NEED 48 cookies all to myself so when I make something, I can have a couple
few and then bring the rest in to some guinea pigs...my classmates :)

I've made three kinds of pumpkin cookies so far...these got the best reviews so I'm posting them first.

They're cakey which is expected with pumpkin cookies. I personally think the glaze is the "kicker". It kind of tastes like a caramel or maple syrup glaze...weird? Try it, you will know what I am talking about.

Pumpkin Cookies
From food.com

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt


Penuche Glaze:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2-2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Have ready some ungreased baking sheets.In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy.Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract.In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.Mix flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture.Drop tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges.Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks.Let cool completely for a least one half hour, then frost with glaze.

For Glaze:
In a medium saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until slightly thickened. Beat in the milk. Blend in confectioner's sugar until the glaze is smooth and spreadable. Using a silicone basting brush, which I love and use religiously now, or a butter knife to spread glaze on cookies is the best tip. Please note; this glaze will harden fairly quickly. I suggest that you keep the saucepan over the stove on the lowest heat possible to prevent it from hardening.

Pumpkin Turkey and White Bean Chili

I hope everyone had a good Halloween weekend.

I had a rough time coming up with a costume idea. I tend to like to do silly or funny costumes rather than the scantily clad outfits that most girls my age adorn for Halloween.

I have always been obsessed with all things vintage and fascinated with the many different eras and decades prior to my lifetime. I love old hollywood glamour and everything from the 20's to now.

I decided to be a flapper. Not too creative, but pretty fun to twirl around in.

Trying to get the hair right was a pain in the butt. My hair is long...like to my lower back long and pinning all of it up was not easy. I have never liked the way I look with short hair but you can't be a flapper without a bob...you just cant. It's like illegal or something.

I also feel that I must say. I have been a victim of ABC Family's 13 days of Halloween. Normally, I just get really into it around Christmas but they have been playing "Adams Family", "Practical Magic", and "Hocus Pocus"...no lie...who can resist that?! My productivity has gone down major points.

Thanks ABC Family...I'm sure my teachers will find you to be a legitimate excuse as to not having my work done.

Ps, they are already showing previews for 25 Days of Christmas. I don't know whether to jump with joy or cry. I love my some Christmas but I am not ready for my beloved fall to depart and be replaced by snow and 7 pounds in my mid-section.

Nope, not ready at all.

Speaking of 7 pounds...This chili is once again from one of my "food blogger idols" at Gina's Skinny Recipes. I have made pumpkin chili before and I liked it, but this one was waaaay better...and healthier...and easier...and cheaper.

Win. Win. Win. and Win.

Pumpkin Turkey and White Bean Chili
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

cooking spray
2 lb 99% lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder, to taste
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 (15 oz cans) of white northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
4.5 oz canned chopped green chile
2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
fat free sour cream for topping (optional)
chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large heavy saute pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil.
Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes. Add to crock pot.

Add oil to the saute pan, then onions, garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes;
add cumin and sauté another minute.

Add to crock pot. Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chilis, broth, chili powder, oregano, and bay leaves.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.

Pumpkin Pudding Muffins

I am slightly ashamed of myself.

We all know I love fall. This is my favorite time of the year to get in the kitchen and throw pumpkin in everything...and I have in fact been going crazy in the kitchen...

But I seem to be lacking the time to share all the fall goodies and things that make me squeel with delight.

It is already nearing the end of October and I haven't posted pumpkin-anything. What the heck!!

So to make up for it, I'm going to link some of my favorite fall recipes from the past and continue to try my best to share with you all of the things that have been making me fat, and happy.

Low-Calorie Pumpkin Bread (you can't even tell it's low-calorie, seriously)
Pumpkin Spice Granola (your house will smell a.m.a.z.i.n.g.)
German Pumpkin Cheesecake (one of my all-time favorite things I have EVER made)
Pumpkin Cream Puffs (the filling alone is to-die-for)
Pumpkin Roll (classic. just like Grandma made it)
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (you read right)

I decided to make muffins this year. I had this little box of pumpkin spice pudding just begging for me to do something with it...this recipe is actually for pumpkin bread but I swapped out the flour for some pudding and tried out the recipe for both pumpkin bread and muffins...

The bread didn't work out too well. But the muffins rocked. They were moist for days. Seriously.

Ingredients:

1/2 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3.4 oz box pumpkin spice instant pudding (dry)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pudding, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

Where in the heck is time going?!

I'm having a hard time finding time to blog. Let alone breath. But I'm hanging in there...barely.

My birthday came and went. I find that tends to happen as you get older. This has been a year of growth for me. I have learned a lot about myself and about the people in my life.

I have found that I so often spend time worrying about the people letting me down instead of appreciating the people there rubbing my back as I am crying over the people who disappoint me. I have an amazing select few in my life who make up for all of those who don't really care. Gosh, I'm lucky.

I've also found that I tend to confuse positivity with having high expectations. I strive to be a positive and optimistic person, but sometimes in doing that I set these high, sometimes unreachable expectations which only lead to disappointment. It's easy to forget to appreciate things for what they are, and accept people for who they are and what they offer you, rather than what they didn't. I will spend my 24th year here remembering that for sure.

I'm going into this year a more positive, open, understanding and thankful person. I have all the wonderful people in my life, or who were once in my life to thank for that...and all the moments I have that remind me of these things, and the many MANY other things I need to keep in the back of my mind at all times.

This is a rather serious post eh?

On a less serious note, I carved pumpkins for the first time in forever on my birthday. I have announced many times how much I love lazy sundays and my birthday was just that. I appreciate the simple things in life...and thankfully my birthday represented that.

I spent my birthday with someone who showed up at my door with Coldstone Birthday Cake Remix, took me to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins and carve "awesome" faces on them...by "awesome" I mean slightly embarrassing but still humorous as they looked like a couple of 6-year-olds did them (this is ironic as we are a couple of old folk), then we had a very fancy candlelit dinner on my coffee table and devoured Taco Bell...yep, per my request. My birthday ended with an intense game of Cribbage...and I won. Perfect day :)

None of that has anything to do with Thai food...or chicken...or pineapple...or even stir fry. But here it is. It's yummy. And I am OBSESSED with Gina's Skinny Recipes. Literally.Ob.Sessed.

Thai Chicken and Pineaplle Stir Fry
Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 cups cubed assorted colors bell peppers (1/2-inch cubes)
1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup chili sauce
cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornstarch; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers,onion chili pepper if using and pineapple;stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp.

Add soy and chili sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from skillet.

Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add chicken; stir fry5 minutes or until cooked through.Return bell pepper mixture to skillet; stir fry until well blended.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown rice or plain.

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Clusters

I turn 24 in 5 days.

I can't say I am particularly excited about it. 24 doesn't seem all that eventful, and I kind of like the number 23...and 24 is really close to 25 which is 5 years away from 30...

Gross.

Yeah, these next 5 days can go slow if they want.

I'm cool with that.

I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and family watching some sketch comedy and enjoying a night of dancing and girlie drinks...I'm okay with that...but that's about it.

I made these little treats when I didn't feel like baking...and knew I would indeed devour more chocolate than I needed so I wanted something "light"-ish.

These are good if you're trying to get a quick and somewhat guiltless sweets fix...but they aren't a no-bake cookie thats for sure...

Mmm...no-bakes...maybe I'll make an entire batch of those for myself for my birthday.

Yep, done.

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Clusters
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the top pan. Remove the double boiler from the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate. Remove the top pan with the chocolate in it, gently wipe the bottom of it and set it aside for a moment. Replace the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water. Put the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water. This will keep the chocolate at the right temperature while you make the clusters.

Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

Jalapeno Grilled Cheese

Its Sunday.

Sunday means football, being lazy,and eating whatever you want.

Sundays are my favorite.

Speaking of football...I have said it before and will say it again, I don't know much about it...yet, I love it. I don't know if its the culture, or the competition or the excuse to stuff your face with pizza, wings a beer...but I love it.

I was watching the Browns game today...cuddling on the couch with my little fatty and I drifted into a wonderful little nap. There is something about the sound of football on my tv that is so comforting to me.

Maybe it's because it reminds me of my dad...or Thanksgiving at my Grandpas house...or visiting my family up in Minnesota and falling asleep on the comfy couch watching the Vikings...I'm not sure.

Just as I have professed my love of football numerous times, I have done the same with jalapeno poppers. I frickin' love 'em. I even made up a dip once...and yes, it rocked...my...socks.

This "recipe/idea" here wasn't my idea (darnit) but rather an ex who was quite the genius. He made up this amazing grilled cheese that tastes like a popper but doesn't take all the time and effort to make a popper.

Yep, genius.

Jalapeno Grilled Cheese
Dame Good (kinda)

Ingredients:

makes 1 sandwich

2 slices of whole wheat bread
2 slices of fat-free american cheese
1/2 tablespoon chopped (jarred) jalapenos
cooking spray
fat-free ranch dressing

Directions:

Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.

Place one s'lice of bread in the skillet and layer one piece of cheese on top of that. On top of the cheese, spread out the jalapenos and then top that with the second piece of cheese. Finally, top that with the second piece of bread.

Allow to cook 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and allow the same amount of time for the other side.

Serve warm with ranch dressing.