Mother's Day

So, it seemed like before we could wash the dishes from Easter lunches and dinners, we were already preparing for Mother's Day! A two week turn around on big holidays wasn't enough time it seemed! Anyhow, I hope you all, if you are any form of a mother, had a fabulous day and that you were pampered and made to feel special in some memorable way.

We had people over to our house that late afternoon to enjoy time together as a family. I cooked a very non-traditional Mother's Day dinner. The menu was Taco Soup (a favorite recipe given to me from my best bud Amy Cristina), corn muffins (came from a package, so I will not include that recipe :) and Magic Cookie Bars for dessert. Not a crazy menu by any stretch, but it was filling and enjoyed by all.

Taco Soup
(This recipe calls for ground turkey, but I have been making it without the turkey lately. The vegetarian version is cheaper and make for faster preparation.)

1 1/4     pounds lean ground turkey breast

1          cup chopped onion

1          (4-ounce) can mild diced green chiles

1          (14.5-ounce) can sliced, stewed tomatoes, undrained

1          (14.5-ounce) can no-salt petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1          (8-ounce) can no-salt added tomato sauce

1          (15.5-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1          (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2    cups frozen corn

1          (1.25-ounce) package reduced-sodium taco seasoning

1          (1-ounce) package ranch dressing mix

2          cups water

            Light sour cream

            Corn tortilla chips

v  Coat a large saucepot with nonstick cooking spray and cook turkey, onions and chiles over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink.

v  Add remaining ingredients to pot, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. For a thinner consistency, add additional water. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and crushed chips.

Serves: 6-8

Magic Cookie Bars

(This is a familiar recipe to most, but I do make a few variations with peanut butter chips in place of butterscotch. I also use light butter and fat-free sweetened condensed milk. You can crush your own graham crackers to make the crumbs, but buying the prepared crumbs really cuts down on prep for this recipe and makes it a cinch to prepare.)

1 1/2     cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2        cup light butter, melted

1           cup chopped walnuts

3/4        cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4        cup peanut butter chips

1 1/2     cups flaked coconut

1 1/3     cups fat-free sweetened condensed milk

v  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray.

v  In small bowl, melt butter and stir in graham cracker crumbs. Press into pan to create crust. Sprinkle walnuts, chocolate and peanut butter chips, and coconut over crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over top.

v  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Cool at least 20 minutes then cut into desired sized bars.

Makes: 18-24 bars

Variation:

I have not tried this, but I thought about it as I made these Sunday. You could use the same graham cracker crust but use white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and omit the coconut. Then stir some slightly warmed raspberry jam with the sweetened condensed milk for a white chocolate, macadamia nut raspberry bar that would be yummo! If you try it out, let me know. :)

(Sorry for the difference in font for this the directions on this last recipe. I cannot figure out why it has done that!)