Lightened Up Twice Baked Potatoes.

Today was a "use what you have" type of lunch. Thanks to Pinterest, I found this recipe. I actually didn't use all the ingredients in the recipe, but it turned out great!

Obviously, I didn't make it as "healthy" as the recipe called for - I just could not let go of my sharp cheddar cheese! But I did learn one lesson today: Greek yogurt is the perfect substitute for sour cream! Tastes every bit as tangy and is healthier, too!

 It's chow time!

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup.

I do believe it's common knowledge that one of the best comfort foods is: tomato soup (it's even better with a grilled cheese sandwich)! I decided to try my hand at making some. I chopped lots and lots of local tomatoes and boiled them with onions, garlic, chicken broth, and a ton of spices.

Then, of course, I pureed it! It smelled so good; I could hardly wait!

It needed a grilled cheese, though, and cream! For all you "healthy" folk, you can just pass on the cream. :) It tastes just as amazing and is a deeper red.

I usually make a huge pot of this soup because it always disappears in one sitting! Good thing it's both delicious and nutritious!

It's chow time!

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake.

In honor of Thanksgiving (albeit a little late), I have to at least post one pumpkin food! It's a little late, but better late than never! Or so the saying goes. Usually, I make a pumpkin pie, but I decided to combine pumpkin with one of my favorite desserts: cheesecake! It was so creamy and delicious.

Sorry that I didn't take a picture of a slice so you could see the layers. It was gone before I could even think of grabbing my camera!

 Annnnd, here's just some Thanksgiving food because it's just so yummy. Happy belated Thanksgiving!

It's chow time!

Red Velvet Cupcakes.

I make this recipe from time to time.

Red velvet cupcakes. This is the best recipe I've ever encountered. It's very dense and rich (which is why I made cupcakes!).

Of course, you can't have a red velvet anything without cream cheese icing! This is homemade icing, as well.

Yummy with a glass of milk.

It's chow time!

Sugarless Banana Oatmeal Cookies.

I got this recipe from Rachel at cooks.com.

Definitely a cookie to turn to when I need to indulge but cannot afford the calories! I used really ripe bananas so the cookies could be as sweet as possible. :)

The texture is not like a "normal" cookie, but that's okay. I've tried these with chocolate chips as well; they're really good!

It's chow time!

Chicken Pot Pie.

I love chicken pot pie, so I recently made some for my friend and me. I'd wanted to make chicken pot pie for a very long time but never got around to it. Now that I have a great recipe, I can't seem to stop making it!

I made a pretty flower pattern out of the excess dough. :D

 

As you can probably tell, these are two different pies, two different crusts. Oh, well. Same filling recipe, although I like the crust in the first picture better, both by taste and look.

It's chow time!

Sugar Cookie Buttons.

I got inspiration from Bakerella to make button cookies! Hers are peanut butter, but since I was making them for a birthday and didn't know if anyone was allergic to peanut products, I made sugar cookie dough.

To make the button shape, I pressed the centers with a bottle cap and punched holes with a straw.

 They looked a little plain - especially for a child's birthday party, so I took it a step further. Bakerella dipped her cookies in chocolate. Since mine are sugar cookies, I thought that might be a bit too rich. So I made some runny blue icing and dipped the cookies in them

Voila! They tasted pretty good, too.

It's chow time!