Hershey Bar Pie...Oh My!

Alright, so I know that I shouldn't be making things that aren't exactly on my diet. Of course, I'm not gaining weight, so that's a good thing! I had a few "I don't really care" days last week. I've felt like crap on and off for over a week, actually more like two weeks. One day I'd feel good and the next I'd feel practically bedridden.

While I was on the phone with a friend on Friday, I was looking through a cookbook called "Sugar Bitches Just Desserts" by Jackie Mclure and Stacy Saba. I came across the recipe for this pie, and I might add I have read this recipe a ton of times. I just thought to myself, today is the day to make this! I'm thinking maybe I can somehow make Steve think that it's a vegetable or something in order to get him to eat some. He never pays attention to what I'm making anyway, since he doesn't share my enthusiasm for food. I figure if I just tell him what the carb count is (he's diabetic) he'll take enough insulin to cover it. Besides, he needs to live a little and try one of my desserts! It will probably never happen however.

Oh yeah...the "Bitch" in "Sugar Bitches" means Babe In Total Control of Herself.

While I was making this pie, I was thinking of all the different variations and combinations of products that could be used. After I've recovered from eating some of this pie, I'll post another made differently. The only changes I made were to use a lower fat pie crust and light whipped topping.

After having a piece, I expected it to taste a little richer than it did. You could really tell that it had a marshmallow texture.

Here's the recipe:

Hershey Bar Pie

1/2 cup milk
6-1.35 oz Hershey bars with nuts
21 large marshmallows
4-1/2 oz whipped topping, thawed
1-9-inch graham cracker pie crust

In a double boiler, place the milk, Hershey bars and marshmallows. Melt the mixture and then remove from the heat. Fold whipped topping into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the pie crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Serves 6.

Hamburger Hot Pot

Colder weather and casserole comfort foods seem to go together. I've been reading this recipe for Hamburger Hot Pot over and over. I found it in "Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Cuisine by Rival". Today I finally tried it. The combination of the seasonings, ground beef, onions, potatoes and soup just sounded so good to me. Of course, I made the usual changes including extra lean ground beef, lower sodium salt and Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning. I couldn't find a lower sodium or fat-free golden mushroom soup, so I just had to use the regular version. Ground turkey could also be used in place of the ground beef. We liked it, but next time I'll use round steak cut in cubes and cream of mushroom soup. The original recipe called for three onions, which I thought was excessive. I just used one and a half.

Hamburger Hot Pot

1-1/2 pounds ground chuck or lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 medium onions, sliced
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup water

In skillet, lightly brown ground beef; drain well. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper; set aside. Place half the potatoes and half the onions in greased Crock-Pot. Add browned beef. Top with remaining potatoes and onions. Combine mushroom soup and water; spread over top, being sure to moisten and cover evenly. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutritional Value Per Serving: Calories 443, Fat 21 gm, Sodium 999 mg, Protein 28 gm, Carbohydrate 35 gm, Cholesterol 82 mg

Recipe Of The Day - Spiced Maple Banana Oatmeal Smoothie and Berry Morning Medley

I found some interesting breakfast drink recipes while paging through a "Best Recipes Smoothies and Summer Drinks" booklet. They're very short, so I will post two of them. The first recipe caught my eye because it has cinnamon in it and I love cinnamon. The other thing that sounded intriguing is the fact that both recipes have oats in them.

Spiced Maple Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

1/2 cup ice

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup yogurt

1/4 cup nonfat (skim) milk

1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus extra for garnish

1/4 cup quick oats

Dash of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

Crush ice in blender. Add banana and milk; puree. Add yogurt, maple syrup, oatmeal, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses; drizzle with maple syrup.

Nutrients per Serving: Calories: 128, Total Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: less than 1g, Protein: 5g, Carbohydrate: 26g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Fiber: 2g, Sodium: 57mg, Dietary Exchanges: 1/2 Milk, 1 Fruit, 1/2 Fat.

Berry Morning Medley

1 cup frozen mixed berries

1-1/2 cups nonfat (skim) milk

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cups granola or rolled oats, plus extra for garnish

Process berries and milk in blender until mixture is thick and creamy. Add yogurt, sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add granola; pulse for 15 to 20 seconds. Divide into 2 glasses. Sprinkle extra granola on top, if desired.

Nutrients per Serving: Calories: 237, Total Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: less than 1g, Protein: 12g, Carbohydrate: 38g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Fiber: 4g, Sodium: 128mg, Dietary Exchanges: 1 Milk, 1 Fruit, 1/2 Starch, 1 Fat.

I'm anxious to make both of these smoothies but I will have to substitute soy milk for the skim. The other substitute I will have to make is to use soy yogurt, which I haven't been able to find here in Minocqua. When I make my next trip to Rhinelander I will have to stop in The Country Seed and see if they carry it. I had stopped in there last summer when I was just here visiting and thought it was such a fantastic natural store.