Patti's Family Favorite Irish Shepherd's Pie

1 and 1/2 lbs. ground sirloin
1 small onion chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 Tab. Worcheshire sauce
2 tablespoons mustard
2 Tab. brown sugar
5 slices fat-free American cheese
1 can 16 oz green beans drained
6 cups approx mashed potatoes (fresh made or good
Idaho prepared mix for fast dinner)
paprika

Brown gr. sirloin and onion in fry pay. Drain off grease & transfer to colander. Drain off grease under warm running water to get rid of grease and hidden grease..transfer back to fry pan. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, mustard, and brown sugar. Simmer 20 minutes.

Line deep dish pie pan with green beans. Layer gr. beef mixture. Place 5 slices of fat-free American cheese on top. Mound mashed potatoes on top of mixture. Sprinkle paprika.
Bake 400 degrees 20 minutes, turn oven to 450 another 10 minutes or more till brown
lightly on top.

Great with oven roasted carrots, celery, onions.

Fresh Polish Sausage En Casserole a la Patti

2 pkgs fresh polish sausage Jewel meat case
1 large drained jars of sauerkraut
brown sugar to taste (litely)
4 apples chopped with skins
2 onions chopped large
3-4 sweet red peppers chopped pieces

Saute sausage in small amount real butter till brown. Place in large crock pot. Pour sauerkraut
over sausage layering with apples, onions, and lite sprinklings of brown sugar. Cook low in
crock 6 hours. Add red peppers on low for 1/2 hour or till crisp/tender.

My family went crazy for this......

Lite Pineapple Upside Down Cake

topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 stick margarine
pineapple rings
maraschino cherries

In cake pan on soft burner melt 1/2 stick marg. and 1/2 c. brown sugar together till liquid. Turn
off burner. Place 4 drained pineapple slices on the cake as shown and place cherries in ea.
pineapple hole and in the middle.

In lg bowl combine:
1 1/2 c. Bisquick (I used Heart Smart Lite)
1 egg
1/2 c milk
2 Tab. softened margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat for 4 minutes. Pour over mixture in pan. Bake 350 1/2 hour. Check till lite brown and
toothpick in middle of cake is clean when tested. Immediately flip cake over onto plate.
Delicious warm.

This cake literally melts in your mouth. I altered the recipe using no sugar in the Bisquick batter
and it is so lite, not heavy like any other upside down cake. I always double the recipe as every-
one wants to take some home, lol....

Note: May add nuts and coconut after pineapple is placed in sugar mixture in pan; otherwise
nuts appear on top and pineapple design will not show thru.

This cake is also delicious with peach slices and if you make it with apricots you'll never want
pineapple in the cake again...apricots in cake are the best, even if you dislike apricots, you'll
be amazed how great the cake is using them!

My Strawberry Almond Angel Food Lite Trifle

1 12oz lite Cool Whip
1 small sugar free vanilla pudding
1 pint fresh strawberries sliced
1 prepared angelfood cake torn in bite-size bits
Sliced almonds

Whisk Cool Whip and pudding together in medium bowl. In large glass bowl layer strawberries,
angelfood, pudding mixture. Layer keeping some strawberries close to edge of bowl. Sprinkle
with almonds. Chill overnite to blend flavors.

Lemon Jello/Yogurt Parfait-Sugar Free

2 small sugar-free lemon jello
1 container 8 oz fat-free lemon yogurt
1 12 oz lite cool whip

Make jello according to pkg. Add yogurt and cool whip whisking in. Pour in large glass bowl. Chill. Layers will separate creamy/clear. Great with lime jello/lime yogurt combo too.

Italian Herbed Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

6-8 chicken breasts bonesless, skinless
any combination of vegetables---I used
zucchini sliced lengthwise
small red potatoes quartered
sweet peppers quartered
1 lb carrots cut tips off
3 red onions quartered
1 pkg mushrooms

1 lg bottle lite zesty Italian drsg.
3-4 cups sugar-free 7-up
oregano

Place chicken in baking dish lay flat. In separate dish place potatoes and carrots (longer cooking veggies). In 3rd dish place zucchini, sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms (veggies that cook faster). Mix Italian drsg and 7 up. Pour over evenly chicken, and each dish of vegetables.
Sprinkle ea. pan with oregano. Mix vegetable with oregano. Marinate overnite or 4 hours.
300 degrees bake chicken covered with foil and potatoes/carrots uncovered one hour. Turn oven to 450 to brown chicken slightly. Remove chicken from oven when litely brown and cover with foil to keep warm. Add third pan of veggies and roast uncovered 40 minutes till brown.
Can keep potato/carrot combo in oven if not quite brown and when brown remove from oven and continue baking third pan of zucchini/pepper combination till those are brown.
Heat marinade if too cool at serving.

This is delicious and low cal, low fat. Thanks to my coworker Patti for the recipe for the marinade. This has an almost sweet/sour taste with an Italian twist. This is unbelievably juicy for the chicken. My family went crazy for it.

Lemon Jello/Yogurt Parfait-Sugar Free

2 small sugar-free lemon jello
1 container 8 oz fat-free lemon yogurt
1 12 oz lite cool whip

Make jello according to pkg. Add yogurt and cool whip whisking in. Pour in large glass bowl. Chill. Layers will separate creamy/clear. Great with lime jello/lime yogurt combo too.

Cheesy Corn Chowder

4 cans low sodium cream corn
3 cans kernel corn drained
4 cups skim milk
salt, pepper to taste
one can green chilies
1/2 minced onion sauted in pan with non stick spray
1 large sweet red pepper chopped
1/2 stick butter
Topping:
minced chives
low fat sharp cheddar cheese

Heat in heat all in large pot or place in crockpot. Cook on high 2 hrs or low 3 hours till bubbly.
Watch carefully. At serving sprinkle with chive litely and add sharp cheddar to ea. serving. I
also serve this without cheese.

Fresh Dill Red-Skinned Potato Salad Low Fat

5 lbs. cook cubed red skin potatoes
4 stalks celery chopped
1/2 onion minced
12 eggs hard-cooked, peeled and sliced
low fat miracle whip
Greek no fat yogurt
sugar or Truvia no cal sweetener
sprigs of fresh minced dill
sea salt, pepper to taste
paprika

In very large bowl combine potatoes,celery, onion, 8 eggs. Add half large container of Low fat Miracle Whip, combine in 1 container 16 oz of no fat Greek Yogurt. Add salt, pepper, sweetener and fresh dill to taste. Decorate in large bowl with sliced 4 eggs left and sprinkle paprika. Let set at least 6 hours in fridge for fresh dill to flavor salad. This is for a large crowd size.

Chicken Creole Orleans (my recipe)

2 pkgs (4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast sliced lengthwise
2 lg sweet onions sliced
1 bag frozen okra (optional)
2 pkgs frozen tri-color peppers (found at Trader Joe's) or fresh peppers 4-5 sliced
crushed red pepper
4 cans Campbell's tomato bisque soup
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
handful of bay leaves

On stockpot spray with non-stick spray, saute onion till crisp/soft and set aside. Add chicken breasts to pot and cook over med. heat till lightly brown. Pour over tomato bisque soups, add 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice, handful of bay leaves. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add onion, peppers, okra (optional), few shakes of crushed red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving. Serve with cooked brown rice. Ladle sauce over rice.

Patti's Chicken Brushcetta With Artichoke and Tri-Color Peppers/ With Vegetable Risotto

2 pkgs chicken breast sliced thawed and slit in half, thawed
one package of frozen artichokes
one package tri color sliced sw. peppers
2 jars Trader Joe Brushcetta
one can chopped tomatoes
one cup light white wine (I prefer Pino Grigio)

Place chicken in casserole dish. Pour brushetta evenly over chicken. Pour diced tomatoes over chicken. Arrange artichokes and sweet peppers over chicken and evenly pour wine over all. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees one and half hours. Last half hour uncover foil and heat till bubbly in oven. Serve with risotto:

2 pkgs Trader Joe Rissoto
2 pkgs mixed veggies frozen 16 oz.

Prepare in dutch oven with little water, adding frozen risotto and veggies frozen. Heat till bubbly, pass fresh parmesan grated to taste.

Composed Herb Strawberry Salad with Raspberry Vinegarette

Mixture of fresh herbs and lettuce mixes
Handful of Gorgonzala cheese crumbles
1 can drained mandarin oranges
handful of sunflower seeds
sliced strawberries to your liking
large chopped walnut pieces
dried cranberries to taste

Combine in lg bowel

Newman's Light Raspberry Walnut Drsg.

IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE FROM IRELAND

makes 4 loaves:

12 c. flour unbleached
2/3 cup sugar x's 4
4 Tab baking powder
4 teas. baking soda
4 teas. salt
4 cups raisins (larger container)
Combine dry ingredients.

In seperate bowl combine liquid:
8 eggs
1/2 gallon buttermilk
8 tab oil

Combine dry and liquid ingredients, alternating, adding little liquid at a time to combined dry
ingredients. Stir with huge spoon. Spray 4 cake pans and 4 round oven proof soup bowls with
non-stick spray. Pour batter 3/4 up. Bake 1 hour 350 degrees in oven---2 bowls, 2 cake pans
on each of two racks. After half hour cut cross ontop of each loaf and alternate racks--bottom loaves come up to top/top loaves to the bottom. Bake till slightly brown ontop and knife inserted comes out clean from middle of loaf.

Czech Stuffed Peppers

10 green or red bell peppers
(Core and dip in boiling water 7 min. and drain)
Place in extra large baking dish with at least 3 inch height
around perimeter.

3 lbs. ground sirloin
1 cup brown rice cooked (becomes 3 cups)
cinnamon, allspice
1 c. catsup
2 extra large cans tomato soup
3 cans diced tomatoes with juice/no salt added
1/2 jar dehydrated onion

Mix gr. sirloin uncooked in a large bowl with cooked rice. Mix well. Add 1 c. catsup and 1 can diced tomatoes with juice. Give two shakes of cinnamon and two light shakes of allspice to meat/rice mixture in bowl. Mix well into beef mixture. With tablespoon fill ea. pepper with meat/rice mix. Spoon left over ground sirloin mixture around peppers. In large bowl combine two extra large tomatoes soup cans (no water!) and two 12 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with juice. Add light shakes of cinnamon and allspice. If you like add little Nevelle sugar sub (couple teas. to meat mixture. Stir sauce and pour over peppers in casserole. Cover with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 till ground sirloin/rice mixture
is cooked well through.

Boeuf Bourgignion My Own Composition

1 5-6 sirloin beef rolled roast
1 lg can mushroom soup low fat
2 cups shiraz red wine
fresh chopped basil 3 Tab.
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 jar minced onion dry
teas. crushed red pepper
few shakes seasoning salt
2 8 oz containers sliced fresh mushrooms

Place all except mushrooms in crock pot on high 5 five hours or low all day. Shred beef in pot with two forks in the gravy. Add two containers fresh sliced mushrooms and cook high another hour. Serve over small bakery style buns.

Family Meatloaf Made Healthier

3 lbs. ground lean beef (80% lean or better)
2 lbs. ground chicken or turkey--chicken best
(Best of meatloaves have a mixture of beef and pork.
I prefer a healthier choice and to me tastier of lean
beef and ground chicken)
1 1/2 onions minced
3/4 lb of minced carrots
5 stalks celery minced
2-3 cups old fashioned oats
4 eggs

Chop veggies till almost minced in food processor. Combine in very large bowl, mix thoroughly. Place in one 9 x 13 pan and another large bread
rectangular pan for later freezing after baking. Bake 350 oven 2 hours.

Topping:
One large bottle organic catsup
handful of dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons mustard
1 teas. Worchestershire sauce

Mix topping ingredients. 15 minutes before ready to serve meatloaf from oven pour sauce
over top of loaves, bake another 15 min till set. If freezing meatloaf in rectangular pan, keep sauce separate.

Makes two large meatloaves---one to freeze after baking. I have always made two as my kids love it and it is a quick meal freezer to thaw to table
on a busy evening.

Jalapena Popper Dip Gone Healthy

2 pkgs low fat cream cheese (1 fat free/1 low fat 8 oz ea.)
1/2 small can chopped jalapena peppers
One large can crushed pineapple drained
1/2 cup fat free may
1 cup parmesan cheese
chopped green onion or chives to taste (optional)

Combine in small casserole dish. Microwave on high 6 minutes stir and microwave again till bubbly and heated through stirring occasionally. Takes about 15 minutes. Serve with healthy tortilla chips or triangle pitas. Any healthy chip. Takes good cold too, but most prefer warm. Everyone
seems to go crazy for this dip I make thanks to my buddy Susan for her original recipe---I just
changed it to low fat.....

Thank you Suzy!

Patti's Chicken Vegetable Soup

2 whole chickens
bay leaf handful
fresh vegetables all kinds
6 cups chopped
celery chopped 2 cups
onion chopped
garlic crushed
crushed red pepper to taste (careful use
sparingly very hot)
2 - 16 oz bag carrots
2 c. brown rice
2 cans peas
2 cans corn
3 lbs. potatoes chopped large
bite size pieces
yellow food dye for color
natural sugar sub. or sugar to taste
chicken boullion to taste
1 bunch fresh dill chopped fine
1 bunch fresh parsley chopped fine
2 bags small whole grain penne or desired pasta

In very large stock pot place two cleaned whole chickens in pot and cover with water. Add bay
leaves, good handful. A truly good vegetable broth is enhanced with good amount of bay leaf.
Simmer 4 hours. Strain broth thru collander removing chicken into large bowl. Set chicken with bay leaf aside. Bring broth back to stock pot. Add fresh chopped veggies, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, carrots. Add dill and parsley and crushed red pepper. Simmer 1/2 hour and add boullion and enough yellow dye to give color. Add canned veggies of corn and peas last. Add water if needed. Add little sugar or substitute and penne. Simmer 1/2 hour. While broth is simmering debone the two cooked chickens. I set the breast white meat aside and freeze or use for chicken salad and use the rest or most of the dark meat for the soup adding it last before serving the soup.

This makes A LOT OF SOUP!!! I chill overnite to blend flavors and freeze portions. Serve
with whole grain fresh hot bread.

Healthy Crab Dip

1 can crabmeat drained
1-8oz low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup lite or fat free mayo
1 cup parmesan cheese
chopped fresh dill to taste
1 chopped fresh sweet red pepper

Combine all ingredients in small casserole dish. Microwave on high for 10 minutes stirring
occasionally till lightly browned. Serve with bagel chips or crackers.

Peanut Veggie Slaw

1cup chopped red cabbage fine
2 carrots chopped fine
sprig broccoli chopped dine
1 red sweet pepper chopped
1/2 cup jicama chopped
4 radishes chopped
1 branch celery chopped fine

Separate:

3-4 Tab Spicy peanut Thai vinaigrette
1/2 cup peanuts dry

Place in bowl. Add 3 Tab. spicy peanut Thai vinaigrette. Mix. Add 1/2 cup peanuts. Serve.

Apricot/Apple Spiced Glazed Pork Roast

One 5 lb . rolled pork roast
16 oz chunky applesauce (unsweetened if poss.)
1/2 12 oz jar Smuckers sugar-free apricot or peach preserves
cinnamon
allspice
garlic powder
paprika
crushed red pepper few good shakes,
be careful or it will be to spicy hot
celery salt
minced onion (dried) or chop fresh grn onion
chopped parsley

Cover dusting generously with all spices except parsley. Place in crock pot. cover with jar of
applesauce, cover with spoonfuls of preserves, cover with more onion, top with parsley. Place
on low all day. Remove juices and place in small pot heat to boil. Mix 2 Tab cornstarch and 12 oz. cold water. Stir with fork to mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into slightly boiling juices and stir till thickened. Slice roast and serve gravy with roast. Add salt to gravy if necessary.

Serve with Italian bread, bread dumplings, potatoes, noodles....

This dish is my own composition.

Man Bait Sandwiches, LOL!!!! From Kathleen Jones

3-4 lbs Beef roast any kind (I use sirloin tip;tried other did not work well)
12oz beer any kind (not light, as miller, bud light)
12-14oz pepperoncini peppers (stems removed;coarsly choped) in crock pot 12-14 hours (LOW) shred - mix package AuJus in 8oz hot water add to crock cook on low 2-3 more hours. Serve on french bread.

I call them man bait sandwiches!! I brought these to super bowl parties (at bars), and other get togethers and the men ate them as if they were going to the chair!! I live close to the Navy Base and the sailors I knew could not get enough of them.

JUST RECEIVED THIS RECIPE FROM KATHLEEN JONES, SOUNDS GREAT AND CAN'T
WAIT TO MAKE IT!!!! THANKS KATHLEEN!

Chili for a Crowd

3 lbs. ground lean beef (if prefer can use gr. turkey only,
I prefer the mix for better flavor)
3 lbs. lean ground turkey
2 16 oz cans tomato sauce
4 cans tomato soup
4 cans tomatoes diced with green chilies, zesty
2 largest cans pinto beans
1 large can kidney beans
4 pkgs chili mix seasoning
3 large onions chopped large pieces
2 bags Trader joes tri-color sweet peppers,
frozen and thawed
salt to taste
2 tablespoons cocoa
sugar sub to taste or little sugar

Options:
1 box whole grain elbow macaroni
tortilla chips
fat free sour cream
lite shredded Mexican cheese
sliced jalapenas
flour or corn tortillas

In large stock pot brown beef and turkey together. Drain in a collander, spray warm water over meat mix to get rid of hidden fat. Place back in stockpot. Add soups, tom. sauces, tomatoes with chilies, beans, seasoning chili mix and simmer 45 min. Add onions and simmer till softened, then add cocoa, salt to taste, 2 bags peppers, and sugar sub to taste. Simmer till heated through.

Serve with options listed.

Thanks to my pal Susan Riley who started this recipe and I made my own alterations.