the way to their heart...

 What could be more romantic than having a lovely home baked breakfast treat ready for Valentine's morning?

In continuing my quest to create yummy foods with low to no fat for my mom to make for my dad (his post stroke low fat diet), I've found a way to make a scrumptious coffee cake that has virtually no fat.

Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of Krusteaz brand cinnamon swirl crumb cake mix

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup of applesauce

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 packet of maple brown sugar or cinnamon instant oats

Mix all of the ingredients (except the brown sugar and oats) with the packet of cake mix in one bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the topping packet with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 packet of maple brown sugar instant oats.

Pour 1/2 of the cake mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan.

Then sprinkle 1/2 of the topping mix over the batter.

Cover the filling layer with the remainder of the cake batter.

Finally, cover the top of the second layer of batter with the rest of the topping mixture.

Place the cake into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. I begin checking mine at 35 minutes. Once a toothpick can be inserted and come out cleanly (meaning there is no more uncooked batter on the toothpick), the coffee cake is done!

This coffee cake can be baked the night before. It is almost better the second day! Each serving has approximately 1-2 grams of fat.

CLICK HERE

for a link to purchase Krusteaz boxed mix.

* also available in gluten free!

It's an easy and delicious way to start your Valentine's Day.

Let the people around you know how much they mean to you by doing small acts of kindness. It's not about expensive gifts, it's about gifts from the heart!

Happy Valentine's Day...

all my love,

reinvented classic

 One of the best things in life is to sit down to a family dinner. Is it the conversation? The companionship? The shared memories? Or the foods that take us right back to our childhood?

My dad loves our family, our family gatherings, our memories and my mom's wonderful cooking. But since his stroke, he has really restricted his diet by cutting out the fat...and thus the flavor.

Well, I have made it my mission to reinvent some of our family's holiday dishes with low fat options. I started with holiday dishes because those are the meals we try to still gather together for (pre-pandemic that is).

With a little experimenting, I have created a candied yam casserole recipe that is all but fat free.

ingredients:

2 cans candied yams drained

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

toppings:

marshmallows

low fat cinnamon grahams

fat free butter spray

* preheat oven to 350 degrees

coat bottom and sides of an oven-proof baking dish with cooking spray

Drain and fork mash 1 can of the candied yams.

Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the  toppings (marshmallows and graham crackers).

Mix well.

Fold in the second can of drained candied yams.

Pour the mixture into your greased oven dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

The casserole should be fairly well set.

Crumble low fat cinnamon grahams.

Add the quantity you wish depending on preference.

I place the grahams in a plastic baggie and crumble into crumbs with a marble rolling pin.

Cover the top of the casserole with marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs and spray the top with butter spray.

Place the casserole into the oven and broil

until the toppings are golden brown.

Watch closely as not to burn.

I don't think anyone will miss the fat!

This is a wonderful side companion with my low fat pork tenderloin. 

For the recipe...

CLICK HERE

Here are a few suggestions to modify the recipe:

add spices to the mixture that you enjoy such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or cloves

add praline pecans to the topping.

I am still on my quest to modify some of our family favorite dishes. Do you have a favorite low fat dish? I am very open to suggestions!

Enjoy!

cottagecore

 Have you heard of cottagecore?

It's a term that's actually been floating around the internet since 2014 but it has become more prominently used during this quarantine period. It's basically a nostalgic movement with a return to traditional homemaking skills like baking, gardening and crafting.

For some of us, this is just our way of life. But now a lot of people are looking to escape the stress of everyday life.

My cottagecore life is:

Appreciating the natural world.

Using vintage linens.

Cultivating seeds.

Gardening.

Having a feminine wardrobe.

Harvesting...

...and enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Flower arranging.

Cottagecore means different things to different people. It's an escape of the stress filled world, the pressures of real life trauma and the long sleepless nights. It's an alternative to "doom-scrolling" the endless negative news stories online, on television and in newspapers.

Strange how cottagecore has become a movement. This is truly no different than how I have lived my entire life.

It's a good idea to embrace...especially now.

Unplug and give it a try.

isolating but not isolated

For those of you who know me,

I'm pretty much a hermit.

So being quarantined is not that unusual.

It can be really hard for some people though.

I'm not making light of a truly difficult time. What if you take some time to turn off the news and have a pretty moment for yourself and or someone you love.

 

A tea party for one...or two.

 

 

Kick off your boots

and set a pretty table.

 

Bake a sweet treat.

 

Place some pretties around.

 

Fill a vase or gorgeous pitcher

with flowers.

 

And if tea and cookies aren't enough,

wine is a good option too!

 

I guess I will expand my party

to make room for one more...

 

How can I turn down this face?

 

I wish I could invite you all to sit at my table. But in these tough times we need to find other ways to connect. Please reach out to me here, on Facebook or message me any time.

 

I can wrap you with a hug from afar and send a prayer.

We're all in this together.

Love,

 



valentine's day

For those of you who visit my blog, you know that I try to practice what I preach. Live a slow paced, simple yet beautiful old-fashioned life. If it can't be everyday, then it should at least be on special days like Valentine's Day.

Here are a few ways I try to incorporate

romance into the day...

 

 

Wear something that will make you feel beautiful.

Add elegant jewelry or a flower in your hair.

 

Hand write notes or cards

to the special people in your life.

 

If you're having dinner at home,

set a gorgeous table.

Even if you order take-out!

 

Make something from the heart.

It doesn't have to take long.

Just make a batch of cookies

and decorate them in a lovely way.

 

Last but not least, make a heart-warming bed.

The perfect place for sweet dreams!

 

Happy Valentine's Day

from my house to yours!

 



sweet treat

A house full of fresh flowers and sweet treats could be any day of the year at my house, but it's super important to have these essentials on Valentine's Day!

 

Here is a quick and easy recipe for a homemade candy that is a little salty and a lot sweet!

 

What you will need...

pretzels

honey roasted peanuts

cashews

melting white and milk chocolate

 

 

You can keep the nuts whole or do a rough chop and break the pretzels into one inch or less pieces.

 

Then melt the white chocolate or almond bark in a microwave safe container according to the directions on the package.

 

Mix the cashews, peanuts and pretzels into the melted bark being sure to completely coat everything as evenly as you can. Place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

 

Next, melt the chocolate almond bark in a

separate microwave safe container. 

 

 

 

Melt the chocolate bark and stir well until it will run in a smooth consistency off of a spoon.

 

Gently drizzle the melted chocolate over

the chilled white bark mixture.

 

You can use a toothpick to thin the large puddles of chocolate.

 

For a little extra sparkle...

 

...sprinkle decorative silver sugar over the warm melted chocolate.

 

 

Place the cookie sheet back into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes until the bark is completely hardened.

 

Use a butter knife to break the bark into bite sized pieces.

 

 

From my treasure-trove of vintage dishes I decided to use the red and green transferware to serve my sweet homemade treats!

 

It looks good enough to eat!

 

Serve up your treats to those you love. You can even place a little cellophane around a teacup full of candy and wrap it with a ribbon to give as a homemade Valentine to someone special!

 

I hope you're inspired to make something this Valentine's Day!