Peaches

When I was taking my son to school this morning, I saw a road side fruit stand at the gas station. The only thing they were selling was South Carolina Peaches. This gives me great hope that my friends from Marshall Farms and Windy Hill Orchards will soon make their appearance at the Dixie Classic Fair Farmers Market.

When we lived in Texas, there was a peach orchard near our house and we would buy bushels of peaches for $10.00. Like strawberries, I would make various tasty treats with them. I always had to make extra peach freezer jam for my son. He would raid the freezer, eat the jam frozen out of the jar, he said it was better than ice cream.

I am going to share with you a few of our favorite peach recipes most of them either simple easy or quick to make.

Quick Peaches Flambé

This is a great recipe for when you have unexpected or impromptu guest for dinner. Please remember to use proper fire safety when making any dish that involves fire.

1 canned peaches, (you need 8 halves), drained, reserve ½ cup of syrup

½ pound of butter

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 jiggers (6 Tablespoons) 100 proof Bourbon

1 quart French Vanilla ice cream

 

Combine syrup and butter in shallow Pyrex or chafing dish

Warm over medium heat until the butter is melted and completely mixed with the syrup

Add Cinnamon and peach halves

Stir and baste halves until heated throughout

Remove from heat and pour bourbon over peaches

Divide ice cream into four dishes

Flame the bourbon in the chafing dish until the flames die, then spoon 2 peach halves and sauce into each dish of ice cream

 

Crock Pot Peach Cobbler

I don’t know about you, but I hate having to heat up the house in the summer with the oven. I try to make thing I can in the crock pot or do my baking first thing in the morning while the house is still cool.

2 cups frozen peaches, sliced (undrained)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 -9 ounce Jiffy white cake mix

4 tablespoons melted butter

 

Lightly grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot; place peaches in the bottom.

Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss.

Drizzle with vanilla and sprinkle brown sugar over all.

Sprinkle with cinnamon then cake mix.

Drizzle melted butter evenly over cake mix.

Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

 

Peach Crisp

6 or 7 large peches

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup sifted flour (I use whole wheat)

¾ cup rolled oats

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup margarine

 

Preheat oven to 325° F

Peel and slice peaches and sprinkle with lemon juice

Mix flour, oats and brown sugar in a bowl

Cut in margarine

Press mixture into peaches

Bake for 30minues or until peaches are tender

Which Name Do You Prefer Chick Pea or Garbanzo Bean?

It really does not matter which on you prefer, this little legume is filled with protein, zinc and foliate. Just one cup provides 45 grams of carbohydrates, and 12 grams of fiber. For a woman that is half of our suggested daily intake of fiber. If you are battling, high cholesterol levels, fiber has been known to help reduce the levels.

So how do you eat these little beauties besides loading them on your green salad? There are a million recipes out there. If you have any vegetarian, friends ask them if they could recommend a few. The Chick Pea is a staple in many vegetarian diets because of the high protein levels.

So here a couple of my favorite recipes, that uses the Garbanzo Bean or Chick Pea

Chick Pea and Parmesan Salad

This is such a simple salad, that pairs well with summer picnic foods.

 If you like spicy food, increase the crushed red pepper. We love garlic; I always double the garlic in most recipes. During the summer months, I might even triple the amounts to help ward off mosquitoes.

Since canned chick peas are high in sodium, make sure you drain and rinse well to eliminate the majority of the sodium.

The secret behind this salad is letting the ingredients to marry for at least half hour for before serving.

You can mix everything but the chick peas and parmesan cheese a day ahead of time if needed.   

2 15-ounce cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

 In a bowl, toss together adding the parmesan just before serving.

 

Chick Pea and Tomato Curry

Since my family likes spicy food, a curry dish is always a good choice. What I like about this recipe, is instead of using an over abundance of curry powder, you can adjust the flavors you want to bring out with this recipe. Curry powder is after all, a combination of most of the spices listed below.

If you don’t like spicy food, I would omit the jalapeño.

 Serve over steamed rice and place a dollop of you plain or vanilla yogurt on top. If you can’t get past the idea of yogurt, use sour cream.

For a more traditional Indian Curry, take the time to make fresh Chick Peas, instead of canned. Again make sure you drain and rinse them well to reduce the sodium they are packed in.

 

1  medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp Garam Masala

 1 tsp ground Cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

 ¼ teaspoon cloves,

 ½ teaspoon ground  cinnamon,

 1 chopped Jalapeno

1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot

2 cans (15 oz each) chick peas, drained, rinsed

2 cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen® organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)

Hot steamed rice, if desired

Plain yogurt, if desired

 

In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook the first, ten ingredients in 1-tablespoon olive oil

For  about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender.

Stir in chick peas and tomatoes. Heat to boiling.

Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Stir in cilantro, lemon juice and salt.

Serve over rice; top each serving with yogurt.

Grilled Pineapple with Butter Rum Sauce, From Man Cave Cuisine

So you want a different dessert for summer instead of plain ice cream? Try this for a quick easy and refreshing change. Serve the kids ice cream sundaes and the adults Grilled Pineapple with Butter Rum Sauce at your next barbeque.

What I like most about this is you can make the sauce and grill the pineapple ahead of time. When it comes time for dessert, just assemble and watch your guest devour this “adult” twist to ice cream!

The recipe came from Man Cave Cuisine.

You’ll need:

§  1 Pineapple (you can sometimes find a fresh pineapple already sliced in the produce dept)

§  Vegetable or Canola Oil

§  Brown Sugar

§  1 Cup Rum

§  1 stick of butter

§  Vanilla Ice Cream

In a small sauce pan combine the rum, butter and a pinch or so of the brown sugar. Heat until the sugar is melted then let it simmer (the sauce is going to thicken up) for about 10 mins. Whisk often.

In the meantime, slice the pineapple (make sure you core it if you bought a whole pineapple), brush each slice with oil and then coat with the brown sugar. Grill until you have nice grill marks and make sure to keep an eye on the pineapple slices because the sugar will burn pretty quick. 2-3 mins per side.

In a small bowl top each pineapple slice with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream and the butter rum sauce. Garnish with a crispy cookie or wafer.

 

What To Do With Strawberries...

So you have gone out and picked more strawberries than you can eat, what do you do with them? If you are lucky enough to have had the weather to pick strawberries, I am jealous! It has been so wet in North Carolina that strawberry season might be over even before it gets started.

If you have made jam, pies, short cake, eaten enough to turn your tongue red and still have strawberries left over, don’t let them go to waste.

You can remove the tops, lay the berries out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and then freeze them. I prefer to leave my berries whole. After they are frozen, place them in a freezer bag and store them up to a year in your freezer. Freezing them this way they will not stick together and won’t get as mushy when you defrost them. I use mine in smoothies, once or twice I have even made a strawberry pie in the dead of winter.  

Okay you don’t have room in your freezer, why not dehydrate your strawberries? This is super simple, even if you don’t have a dehydrator. Slice your strawberries into quarter inch thick slices and arrange on a cookie sheet. I place my berries on wire racks (like those used for cooling baked goods) on my cookie sheet (for easy clean up line the pan with parchment paper before setting the racks on the pan.)

Use the lowest temperature setting on your oven, mine is 170°F. Leave the oven door cracked to ensure the air circulates inside the oven. Bake for six to eight hours. Personally, I like to turn the fruit over after three hours, just to make sure they are drying equally.  

If you happen to overcook, the berries and they become hard chips. Don’t throw them away! Put them in a spice grinder, food processor or even blender and coarsely grind them up.  You can sprinkle them over ice cream, frosted cup cakes, smoothies or even use to flavor your iced tea or lemonade. Yum!

You can use this method of drying fruit for bananas and apples too!

Not real big on dried fruit, try canning your strawberries. Yes, you can process your strawberries just like peaches or fruit cocktail in syrup. You can use canned strawberries over pancakes, ice cream, in yogurt or even use to make strawberry-lemonade.

Here is the method I used last year from the blog “Putting up with the Turnbulls.” The berries did blanch a bit in the jar while processing but should not change the taste.

 I made a huge mistake when I made my batch last year. There was one jar that lid was not tightened down, and leaked juice into the water bath. I did not want to take the risk of guessing which jar leaked so I tossed the entire batch, rather than risk botchalism. This was also the last batch of strawberries I had, so I was not able to make more. Bummer!

RECIPE FOR WHOLE STRAWBERRIES IN SYRUP:

16 cups strawberries ~ tops removed (select berries that are similar in size and on the smaller side)

2 1/2 cups sugar

1. Wash strawberries well and remove stems.
2. Place strawberries and sugar in a large stainless steel saucepan and stir gently until all of the berries are well coated.  Cover and set aside in a cool place for approximately 5 hours.
3. Prepare for water bath canning.
4. Heat berry and sugar mixture over medium low heat stirring gently to be sure not to break apart the berries.  The sugar will dissolve, turning into the syrupy liquid that will cover the finished product and the berries should be heated through.  Note: you want to make sure that the berries are warm right through this will help to prevent fruit float.
5. Remove from heat and using a slotted spoon fill hot sterilized jars with strawberries.  Ladle hot liquid into each jar, leaving 1/2″ headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary by adding more hot liquid.  Note: if you do not have enough of the sugary liquid you can add boiling water. 
6. Wipe rims with a damp paper towel.  Center lid on jar and screw band down to finger tip tight.
7. Process 1 pint jars for 10 minutes and 1 quart jars for 15 minutes in a boiling hot water bath. 
8. Remove lid and wait 5 minutes before removing the jars.  Note:  leaving the jars in the hot water bath rather than removing them quickly will help to prevent siphoning.  Siphoning commonly occurs when there is a rapid change in temperature. 
9. Let cool, check seals, label, and store.

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

Last year I planted an artichoke plant and it did nothing more than look pretty in my yard. This year, I have two nice size artichokes almost ready to be picked. I have always eaten my artichokes steamed then dip the petals in mayonnaise mixed with curry.  

I found this recipe in the Texas Celebrity Cookbook for Italian Stuffed Artichokes. When you make these make sure you have a flat bottom, but cutting the stem as close to the petals as possible. Also making sure the pan you use will snuggly hold the artichokes, will prevent them from tipping over.

The recipe calls for salt pork to be placed on each artichoke. I didn’t have any salt pork. I sliced bacon into one inch pieces and arranged them on top.

Ingredients:

4 cups bread crumbs

4 cups Romano cheese, grated

5 large garlic cloves, minced

4 artichokes

Salt and pepper to taste

4 small pieces of salt pork

1 cup of olive oil

Directions:

Mix first three ingredients in a small bowl.

Cut tops of artichokes and spread the leaves apart.

Fill each artichoke with as much stuffing as they will hold (you may have to spread the leaves out more to get the stuffing down in the leaves)

Place stuffed artichokes in a Dutch oven filled with enough water in the bottom to touch the bottom leaves.

Salt and pepper the top of the artichokes, place one slice salt pork and pour ¼ cup of olive oil over each.

Bring water to a boil and cover. Cook on medium heat until a leaf can be easily pulled off.

Add more water to pan if needed; do not let it go dry.

Can be served hot or cold.

Blueberry Spinach Salad

 

 

We all know how good spinach is for us and we need to eat more of it. What better way to eat spinach in the summer than in a salad with fruit. Strawberry spinach salad is always a crowd pleaser, what about when the strawberries are gone for the season.

Lucky for us peaches, blueberries, and nectarines will also pair well with spinach.

 

I personally didn’t add the mint in this salad, it is just a personal choice of taste. I remember one time a Girl Scout encampment they made a wonderful fruit salad. They only problem, they ruined it by putting fresh mint it. The mint was too overwhelming and nobody at my table ate it.

 

 In place of the mint, I added some Feta cheese. I kept recipe as it was given to me, for those who want to try it with the mint.

 

 

 

Ingredients:
4 cups baby spinach (4 oz)
1/4 cup mint leaves
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chopped shallot
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 nectarine, thinly sliced

¼ cup pecans
1/2 cup fresh blueberries (or 1/4 cup dried)

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, toss spinach with chopped mint leaves.
2. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, vinegar, shallot, and salt. Whisk in the oil and season to taste with pepper.
3. Pour the dressing over the greens, tossing to coat lightly. Divide the greens among 4 plates and top with nectarine slices, blueberries and pecans. Serve immediately.

Mock Gumbo

 

It is not very often; I make a new dish that everyone in the house goes bonkers over. Last night, I was faced with the day before grocery shopping and nothing in the house to cook dilemma.

Some of the best recipes come from just throwing stuff into the pan and hoping the combination will be eatable. Last night was one of those nights.

I am calling this a mock gumbo since I did not add any roux and was missing one part of the “Cajun holy trinity.” What is the Cajun holy trinity? Well it is celery, green peppers and onions. I was missing the green peppers. The next time I make this I will add okra and green onions, but for just throwing it together, it was good combo.

2 pounds Hillshire Farms smoked beef sausage, sliced ½ inch thick

1 can rotel tomato and chilies,undrained

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup frozen corn

1 onion, chopped

10 ounce can of Mary Holmes Hoppin John (blackeye peas with tomatoes, onions and jalapenos),undrained

3 tablespoon dried parsley

2 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning (you adjust to personal preference. If you do not like spicy food only add in one tablespoon.)

1 cup water

8 cups hot rice

Directions:

In large cast iron (18 inch) or soup pot, heat a tablespoon of oil

Add onion, sausage, celery, and corn, sauté until onions are soft.

Add in parsley, Rotel, Hoppin John, cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add water and Creole seasoning, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

Serve over rice

Pineapple Flop Cake

 

Well here, we are at day three of ant warfare. We spray in the cracks and crevices and think we have gotten them all until dinner when little pests find a way through. They have moved from the counters to the floor. Sigh

I have decided to make a pineapple flop cake. This is great little cake with tropical twist in the icing. The frosting has coconut and pecans in it. This is a crowd pleaser; especially with those who love pineapple upside down cake.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ cups sugar

20 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained

 

Directions:

Preheat to 350°F

Mix flour, baking soda and sugar in a bowl

Stir in pineapple

Pour into prepared pan

bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden

 

Icing Ingredients:

1 small can evaporated milk

1 stick margarine

1 cup white sugar

½  teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coconut, shredded

½ cup chopped pecans

 

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring margarine, milk, and sugar to a boil

Stir constantly for four minutes

Remove from heat, stir in pecans, coconut and vanilla

Pour evenly over hot cake

 

 

 

 

Invasion!

There is no recipe from the kitchen today.  I am plotting homicide on the yearly invasion of ants. I was hoping the little buggers weren’t going to make an appearance, but I was wrong. It is spring and it is time for the invasion.

I came out this morning they were everywhere on the counters, in the drawers and cabinets, they only place they were not is where the food is!

 For quick mass killing,I use Windex window cleaner. The ants don't like being clean and die!!!!

 There are several home remedies you can use, such a vinegar and water, cloves, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and lavender.  Some swear by the nonchemical natural ways kill ants. The majority of those involve boric acid and either sugar or peanut butter. These are bait killers, since the ants will take the acid back to the nest. To me this takes too long and draws too many. I want instant action!

 I will be back with anew recipe for you Wednesday after I have killed, treated, and then scrubbed every inch in the kitchen.

Alton Brown’s Fire Crackerrs

If you like bread and butter pickles you might like these Fire Crackers from Alton Brown at Good Eats. What are Fire Crackers? They are pickled baby carrots. Many people who don’t like carrots love the taste of these babies.

I will admit they are kind of addicting. I have been thinking about using this recipe for pickling eggs, cauliflower, and asparagus.  

This is a great recipe! You can adjust it to make the carrots to your liking.

 Diabetic, no problem, use Splenda instead of sugar.

Watching your weight, that too is no problem. Weight Watchers used to (I don’t know if they still do) classify carrots as a zero point food.  

I have made these and they are wonderful. The longer they sit, the hotter they get.

I made my first batch last year per the recipe, and there was really no heat to them. If you like hot and spicy, increase the chili flakes(crushed Red pepper) and whole chili peppers.  

If these turn out too sweet for your taste, reduce the amount of sugar or try using Splenda.

To tangy, you can reduce the cider by ½ cup or switch to regular white vinegar.

Once you adjust the recipe to your liking, consider giving them as gifts. Use as hors d'oeuvre, cut up in a salad, eat hot as a side dish, or just straight out the jar for snacking.

Ingredients

1/2 pound mini carrots

1cup water

1cup sugar

11/2 cups cider vinegar

1teaspoon onion powder

1/2teaspoon mustard seeds

11/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1teaspoon chili flakes

2dried chilies

 

Directions

Place carrots in aspring-top glass jar. Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar, onion powder,mustard seeds, salt, and chili flakes to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan.Boil for 4 minutes.

Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots, filling the jar to the top. Place the chilies in the jar. Allow the carrots to cool before sealing. Refrigerate for 2 days upto 1 week before eating.

Red Snapper with Risotto Rice

   

Want a simple and low fat Red Snapper dish? If yes, then this is for you. This recipe will make four servings and is only two fat grams per serving! Yee Haw!

As I have told you before, just because it is low fat does not mean it is not tasty! The orange juice and roasted red sweet peppers really makes this recipe a showstopper.  If you do not want to roast your own peppers, you can buy them. If I remember correctly, they are in the aisle with canned vegetables. I cannot remember the brand I use, but they come in glass jar. Sorry I know it is vague!

 

1 lb. fresh or frozen red snapper or grouper fillets, about ¾ inch thick

1 cup Orange Juice

2/3 cup long grain rice

½ cup chicken broth

1/3 cup chopped roasted red sweet peppers

¼ cup sliced green onions

2 Tbsp. orange juice

½ tsp. minced garlic

¼ tsp. Pepper

 

 

 Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish and pat dry. Set aside.

 For rice, in a medium saucepan combine 1 cup orange juice, uncooked rice, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in sweet peppers and onion. Remove from heat. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl stir together 2 Tbsp. orange juice, garlic, and pepper.

Preheat broiler.

 Spray unheated rack of a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place fish on rack, tucking under thin edges.

Brush with orange juice mixture. Broil 4 inches from heat for 6 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Divide fish into 4 serving-size pieces. Serve with rice. Garnish with orange slices, if desired.

Cumin-Rubbed Steaks with Avocado Salsa Verde

This is a real quick meal total preparation and cook time is about 20 to 25minutes. Just because it is quick does not mean it is not without flavor.

You can eat this as is, use in various different ways. The second time I made this after cooking the meat I chopped it up and used it in nachos. The avocado salsa verde was a nice change from regular tomato salsa. The third time cooking this, I sliced the beef then served on tortillas, with black beans and rice on the side.

The recipe actually came from a label on thin shoulder center cut steaks I had purchased on clearance. Now don’t cringe at the word clearance meat. If you cook it that day or freeze, it will still be fine. I like to go to shop early in the morning. This is when stores set out the re-priced meat. I have gotten some good deals this way too on good expensive cuts of meat like Prime Rib. Yummy!   

Even though this recipe calls for shoulder center steaks, you can substitute them for 1 inch thick top loin or strip steaks; which is what I prefer.

2 beef top loin steaks 1 inch thick (about 8 ounces each)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

¾ cup tomatillo salsa

1 avocado diced

2 Tablespoons cilantro, fresh chopped.

Directions:

Press cumin evenly onto the steaks

Heat large nonstick skillet over med heat until hot

Place steaks in skillet and cook 12 to 15 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally

Combine salsa, avocado and cilantro in a small bowl

Carve meat into slices; season with salt if desired, serve topped with salsa.

Salmon Pizza

Wednesday, I needed to use up some Pita or flat bread that was about to expire. The best way I thought to use it was to make individual pizzas. I laid out all the ingredients for the kids and let them make their own pizza. This of course was a huge hit, since they were able to place any topping they wanted on their pizza. The Pita bread worked out real well giving a nice crispy thin crust pizza.

The kids of course used cheese, ham, pepperoni, and left over bacon. My husband would say I am strange by the combination I used, but it worked. Not only did it work it was fabulous!

I adjusted the portions for a large 12-inch pizza. I used Chicken of the Sea brand smoked salmon. This can be found next to your canned tuna in the grocery store, in a 3-ounce pouch. The salmon is boneless, skinless and ready to use.  I used sun-dried tomatoes that were packed in olive oil, and then used the olive oil from the jar to brush on the pizza.

 

1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup smoked salmon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 (6 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

¼ cup black olives, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat an oven to 400° F

Brush olive oil over the pizza crust, sprinkle with the smoked salmon, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes.

 Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pizza.

Bake until the cheese has melted and is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Ruth's Baked Onions

I have always heard about onions so sweet you can eat them like an apple. I have had Vidalia onions before and never found that to be true. I just thought it was one of those myths, wives tales, etcetera. Two weekends ago, at the farmers market, Ruth from Whitaker Farm proved me wrong.

This week when I bought more Ruth told me her recipe for baked onions and had my mouth watering. Ruth said cook these in foil at 500°, after cooking place a dab of butter on top and eat the onion as if you would a baked potato.

Holy Moly! These onions are fantastic!

4 large Vidalia onions

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded (fresh) Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

Preheat to 500°F

Cut the top off the onions and skin

Score the onions, place a pat of butter on top then wrap in aluminum foil

Cook for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the onion

Remove from foil, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese if you choose to use it

Two Versions of "Better than Sex" Cake

Sometimes there is a dessert so good and people will call it better than sex. These desserts are full of fat, and usually full of mind-blowing chemicals from chocolate that release those happy endorphins in our brains.

I have to different versions of “Better than Sex” cake for you today. The first is a full fat version the other is a reduced fat, or a diet version. Both are scrumptious and really suggest you try both versions. For the lower fat version, unless you stated it was low fat, your guests would not know that it was.

Feel free to change the toffee out for other candy such as M&M’s, chocolate curls, Chocolate Jimmies, Whoppers or even chopped up Milk Duds!

The first recipe is the low fat version of this cake.

1 (12 ounce) can Diet Coke

1 (18 ounce) box devil's food cake mix

1 egg white

6 ounces fat free caramel topping

7 ounces fat-free condensed milk

1 English toffee-flavored candy bar (I like Heath Bars), chopped

8 ounces fat-free whipped topping

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

 

Mix cake mix, egg white, and diet soda.

Bake for 35 minutes in a greased 9x13 pan.

In a saucepan on low, heat caramel and condensed milk stirring until smooth.

After baking, remove cake from oven and pour caramel over top.

Sprinkle half the heath bar on top.

Cool completely.

Cover with whipped topping and remaining heath bar bits.

Store in the refrigerator

 

 

For the full fat version, you can see the recipe is not that much different from the other recipe. With simple substitutions, you can modify most of your normal recipes into low versions.

 

10 1/4 ounces German chocolate cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (16 ounce) jar caramel topping 8 ounces Cool Whip

1 (8 ounce) bag toffee pieces (or bits)

 

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Make and bake cake as directed on package in a 9 x 13 pan.

Poke top of warm cake every 1/2" with handle of wooden spoon.

Drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over cake 

 let stand until milk has absorbed into cake.

Drizzle with caramel.

Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake.

Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until cake has chilled.

Spread cool whip over top of cake.

Sprinkle with toffee chips.

Store cake covered, in the refrigerator.