Baked Mini Corn Dogs

I was looking for fun foods to try for Mr. B's birthday party I came across this adorable little doggies & knew I had to give them a try.  Since he loves all things Corn Dog & I'm a big fan of cute, these fit the bill perfectly. They took a little bit of time & boy were they worth it!  I served with Dijon and honey mustard.  Everyone loved them!  Enjoy!

Baked Mini Corn Dogs
1 cup reduced-fat milk
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
9 reduced-fat hot dogs, halved crosswise
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (optional - I couldn't find and they were still cute)

Warm the milk to about 110 degrees in a saucepan; pour into a medium bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and let soften for about 2 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, brown sugar and cornmeal with a wooden spoon. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and cayenne pepper; stir to make a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, insert a wooden stick or small skewer into each hot dog half, about 1 inch deep; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a large baking sheet. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 18 pieces. With your palms, roll each piece into a 10-inch length. Wrap each piece around a hot dog half, tucking and pressing the edges to seal; place on the baking sheet.

Brush the dough-wrapped dogs with the beaten egg; sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake until golden, 15 minutes.

Per serving (2 reduced-fat beef corn dogs):

Calories 265; Fat 11 g; Cholesterol 27 mg; Sodium 825 mg; Carbohydrate 31 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 10 g

A Holiday Re-Post

Well November is officially here and that means it's time to start planning your Thanksgiving Day feast!  This is one of my favorite time saving dishes for the big day, so I figured it was worth a re-post.

I don't know about you, but in my holiday meal experience, those final minutes in the kitchen tend to be a bit on the hectic side. Chances are you've got ten thousand people in the kitchen, there's a giant bird to be carved, gravy to be made, rolls to be burned - er, I mean warmed... you know all those last minute things that can't be done in advance. One of the things we scratched of the list years ago in our family was mashing the potatoes. This recipe is SUPER basic, and WAY too delicious! The greatest part, all the time consuming stuff can be done the day before. All you have to do the day of the big meal is throw it in the oven and enjoy!


Holiday Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs Potatoes, peeled & cut
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Half & Half
½ Cup Butter, + more for top
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Season Salt
1 tsp Regular Salt
1 tsp White Pepper

Boil & drain potatoes.

Mix Cream Cheese and half & half until creamy, add hot potatoes & beat. Add melted butter & seasonings; beat well.

Spread in 9” x 13” baking dish. (Can be done the night before up to this point.)

Top with melted butter & paprika. Bake 35 - 45 min @ 350 degrees.

Walking Tacos

So once upon a time I saw this post from Picky Palate & knew right away that it would have star at one of my parties one day.  I fell in love with the concept of Walking tacos!  What's a Walking Taco you ask?  Simple, take a mini bag of Frito's with the top cut off (you may need to remove a little of the chips),  add a scoop of your favorite chili (a thicker, meatier chili works best), and top with your choice of toppings.  Dig in - all you need is a fork!  The only tough part was finding the mini bags of Frito's - hint gas station convenience store.

I decided to add these to the menu for Mr. B's birthday party last month and they were a hit!  They'd really be great for your game day party.  I prepped all the bags, had the chili in the Crock Pot and offered cheese, sour cream & jalapenos as toppings.  It's a fun way to enjoy simple food.  I can't wait to have them at another party.  Enjoy!

Mini Zucchini Pizzas

Looking for a quick weeknight meal?  Well if you are lucky enough to have any of those really big zucchinis lingering in your garden, this is the perfect dish for you.  If not just grab a regular one and make mini pizza bites.  These can be changed up to include your favorite toppings, or whatever you happen to have on hand.  I happened to have some leftover caramelized onions and some sausage meatballs that I thought would be perfect.

Prep your topping and have on the side.  Slice your zucchini, drizzle or spray with a little olive oil & sprinkle some house seasoning (or your favorite seasonings).  Place on heated grill.  Flip once and add toppings.  I used a spoonful of marinara sauce for each, topped mine with caramelized onions and Mr. B's with cut up sausage meatballs, and a little grated mozzarella on each.  Close the lid on your grill and cook for a few minutes.  Your cooling time will vary based on the size of your zucchini.  I served with some penne pasta with marinara.

Quick, simple & delicious!  Enjoy!

Low Fat Pumpkin Pie Dip

It's fall, which means my obsession with pumpkin everything may take over this blog!  I can't help it, I go all summer anxiously waiting for acceptable pumpkin cooking & baking time.  I saw this recipe over at skinnytaste.com & new it was a must try.  I whipped it up in no time before heading over to a friend's house for a Monday Night Football & it was a BIG hit.  The best part, this lightened up version is low in fat & calories.  So you can dip away without feeling guilty!  If you are fan of pumpkin anything, give it a try.  Enjoy!

Low Fat Pumpkin Pie Dip

15 oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
8 oz Cool Whip
Apples & Graham Crackers to Dip

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well. Mix in yogurt. Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Makes about 6 cups

Note:  You could of course use a regular serving bowl.  But how cute is the little pumpkin bowl?!?  it's a cute inexpensive way to add an extra little touch.  Just purchase a small round pumpkin, cut the top off, scrape out all the goo and seeds, rinse, dry and fill.

Mini Pizza Muffins

Ok, so there may be a trend forming here but I had to do it.  After the success of the mini corn dog muffins I had to try out Mr. B's favorite dinner, pepperoni pizza, in a mini muffin form.  I spotted this recipe over at Lick The Bowl Good and decided to give it a whirl.  They were tasty.  Next time I think I will add some chopped pepperoncini to the mix.  I served them on the side this time.  These would be great for your game day spread as well.  Give 'em a try.  Enjoy!
Pepperoni Pizza Mini Muffins
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cubed pepperoni
1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes (if using) ; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce (and ranch dressing if you like) for dipping.

Low-Fat No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake in a Jar!

Quite a mouth full for such a simple little dessert!  But let me tell you, this is the easiest dessert ever and it's so tasty!  And putting it in the little jars is such a great added little touch!  I picked up a big package of the short canning jars at the grocery store and I know I will use these often!  Such a fun way to serve your dessert.  When I served them, everyone was thrilled to get handed their own personal mini jar.  For those who don't scrape the jar clean, you can just screw the top back on, stick it in the fridge and save it for later.  Do try this next time you are looking for a no fuss treat.  Enjoy!

Low-Fat No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake in a Jar
About 15 Reduced Fat Oreo cookies, roughly chopped
8 ounces Low-Fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces Low-Fat Cool Whip
About 8 4-ounce quilted jam jars
Coarsely chop the cookies and set them aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and set aside. Gently stir in the Cool Whip and 3/4′s of the chopped cookies.
Scoop even amounts of the mixture into the eight jars. Top each one with a little bit of the remaining chopped cookies. Screw the lids onto the jars and refrigerate them for at least four hours, or until firm.