Fat Frog Diary

Just a quick little tip for a snacker who doesn't want to fall off the wagon. (Me!) I'm sure you've seen those mini-peppers in the store in bags, looking colorful and tempting. Were you scared of the heat? Don't be. No heat! Those things wouldn't cause a hot flash even if Leonardo DiCaprio walked by stark naked. (Sorry Leo!) Cut them in half and you can stuff them with cream cheese and ground beef, but for a simple snack with no fuss, cut a mozzarella stick in half and stuff the pepper with that. I stuffed four peppers with four halves of two mozzarella sticks and microwaved them for a minute to melt the cheese to gooey deliciousness. Yum!

Ham Breakfast Braid Rated: Submitted By: MHFAB1 Photo By: Kelly Krocker Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour Servings: 6 "Crescent roll dough is covered with ham, eggs and cheese and then the ends are brought together to form a braid shape." Ingredients: 1/2 cup milk 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 8 eggs salt and pepper to taste 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent roll dough 4 ounces cooked ham, thinly sliced 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 2. Beat milk and cream cheese together until smooth. Mix in eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium high heat and cook egg mixture until eggs are almost s...

Spicy Cheese Soup Serves 4, doubles easily 1 lb Velveeta, cubed 1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained 1 can (8 oz) whole kernel corn 1 can 15 oz kidney beans 1 can (4 oz) minced jalapeno 1 14oz diced tomatoes with chiles 1 14oz stewed tomatoes 1 envelope taco seasoning mix Throw them all in the slow cooker on Low for no more than 6 hours. After that, reduce to Warm. Serve with corn chips if desired. (Yeah, it's that easy.) Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

Easy Chicken Rarebit Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 4 to 5 hours (low) or 2 to 2 1/2 hours (high) omg - this sounds soooooo good - for summer crockpot users: cook on back porch to keep heat out of kitchen and house cooler!   Ingredients 1-3/4   pounds  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (Yeah, I'll just use cheap thighs, thanks) 1   14- to 16-ounce jar  cheddar cheese pasta sauce 1   tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce 1   large  onion, halved crosswise and thinly sliced 6     pumpernickel or rye buns, split and toasted, or 6 slices pumpernickel or rye bread, toasted and halved diagonally Lower the carb count by skipping the bread. Serve on romaine lettuce rollers. 4     slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled (optional) 1     tomato, chopped (optional)     Kosher dill pickles (optional) Directions 1. Cut chicken diagonally into 1/2-...

Everyone knows the summertime grilling season here in the Northern Hemisphere. We Americans will soon celebrate Independence Day on July 4, and most of us will grill out, picnic, and other forms of mayhem. My family will include a family reunion in the mayhem. I'll probably bring the hot dog sauces. Here are my favorites below. Be aware some must be made well in advance. Who says hot dogs are boring? Not my family! Tart Apple Mustard 1/2 cup honey mustard 2 T shredded green apple (I used Granny Smith) 1/2 t. ground black pepper In a small bowl stir together all ingredients. Cover bowl and allow flavors to marry for at least 2 hours. Makes about 2/3 cup. Bacon Brown Sugar Mustard (Family favorite!) 3/4 cup yellow mustard 3 slices crisp cooked bacon, cooled and broken up 4 t. brown sugar or 2 t. Splenda Brown Blend them all together, cover and refrigerate overnight to blend the flavors. Hot Ketchup 2/3 cup ketchup 2 T. Worcestershire 1 t hot sauce (Tabasco) or a...

Check this out! Honey, this is like eating pizza or lasagna! It's gooood! Who says we can't have casseroles? Party-Pleasing Beef Dish 1 lb ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped ¾ cup beef broth 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste ## 2 tsp sugar 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 1 cup cooked rice Optional (but recommended) toppers Tortilla chips Shredded cheddar cheese Chopped green onions Sliced ripe olives Sour cream Chopped fresh tomatoes Taco sauce Hot sauce In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Line your crock pot. Dump the meat and onion mix in a 3-qt slow cooker. Add the next eight ingredients; mix well. Cover and cook on low 4 hours or until heated through. Add rice; cover and cook at least 10 minutes longer. Serve over the tortilla chips with the toppings of your choice. I had to double the recipe to feed four hungry adults....

This is a "We can convert this to Low Carb!" recipe. Read the original, then see the substitution. Yes, go ahead and use the cream of chicken soup in a can. Condensed soups work well in a crock pot, and since you're only going to have a tablespoon or so of sauce, it's not going to blow your low carb regimen. Hash Browns with Ham 1 pkg (32 oz) frozen cubed hash browns (Substitution below) 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham. (Yeah, I used Spam. Get over it.) 1 small onion, chopped 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese **DIVIDED** 1 can (14.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted ½ cup of butter, melted (1 stick) 1 cup sour cream Line your slow cooker or spray it well. Combine the potatoes, ham, onion, and 1 cup cheese. Combine the soup and butter. Pour over the potato mixture. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or until potatoes are tender. (Switch on warm until dinner.) Stir in the sour cream. Cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with remaining chee...

OMG!! I despise onions. Really hate them. I cook with them normally only when I can whirl them to oblivion in the food processor. This recipe made me change my mind. I'd serve this ANYTIME. I made one major recipe change. At my favorite grocery, the sweet onions were available by the bag. Knowing I'd have to make this recipe, I wrinkled my nose and bought the bag of sweet onions. Do try the sweets for this. Vidalia is the best known.They're only available late April through mid-June and only from a certain area of Georgia. However, other sweet onions are available at different times of year. Mine this time came from Peru. Ingredients: 3 small onions, thinly sliced 1/2 T butter, melted 1 T. Splenda 1 dried bay leaf 3/4 lb. beef stew meat. Note to bandsters-- I whirled my beef in the food processor to get them small enough to pass my band. You may have to decide if you can cut up the chunks finer, or if you need the processor. 16 oz condensed beef consomme 2 T. dry s...

I've been playing with this one a little, and I've found that the tuna alternative is just as tasty! How inexpensive can you get? Next, I think I'll try a can of tiny shrimp, or maybe I'll even splurge just a little and get a bag of frozen shrimp. That'll make several pies.

Yeah, I've posted this one before, but this bears repeating. This is a fast and easy quiche with no crust. You can mix and match the meat, cheeses, and veggies to anything you want! My fave substitution is a classic-- make this into Quiche Lorraine by substituting pre-cooked (you do bake your bacon and save it, right?) bacon and Swiss Cheese. Don't be afraid to toss in some frozen veggies! I've been known to raid the freezer for the remainder of a bag of frozen green beans, a few broccoli tops, and about a cup of bell pepper strips for stir fry. This is one of those recipes that also makes a superb leftover for the lunch box. While I do prefer mine warmed in the microwave for a minute, it doesn't have to be. Cool the pie in the fridge overnight, then cut into 1/6 slices. Wrap them up in foil or zip-top bags, and freeze. I gave up making just one pie at a time. I make two and take the remainder of the second one as lunches for later days. If you need more similar rec...

First, an explanation and elaboration. I love Baked Eggs, aka Shirred Eggs. They're easy, first and foremost. I keep a pile of custard cups around, as well as some cheap Corningware coffee mugs just so I can make baked eggs whenever I like. Custard cups work best, but when feeding a crowd, sometimes my little six cups just aren't enough! Thank goodness for Corningware! Now take your basic Baked Egg recipe and put on your thinking caps. How do you like your eggs? Me, I like a little meat, a little broccoli, a little bell peppers, and a whole lot of cheese with my eggs. DH likes onion, hash browns, cheese, and peppers on his. Dante likes his with a whole lot of veggies and a little deli turkey or ham.. DD3 likes hers Mexican style with chilies, olives, and Monterrey Jack cheese. Drag out those leftovers, wield your chopping knife, and add what you want to your cups the night before! Put the egg in the cups in the morning, and throw them in the oven in the steam bath. Bake t...

Another quick and easy snack. Do you need the pecans? Not really. They just add extra flavor and crunch. They are somewhat dry, so don't be afraid to add more cheese, a dash of hot sauce, or something. Next time I make them, I'm going to try substituting ground up pork rind for the flour to lower the carb count even more. Maybe I'll even put little slices of bacon or cheddar sausage on top of the cheese in place of the pecans. Hmm...

This is a dependable do-ahead. I make it in the food processor, let it age double-wrapped in plastic wrap so it avoids picking up food odors, and serve it with low carb alternatives like melba toast, celery, and romaine leaves. This works as "author food" when I need something to munch on while on marathon writing sessions. Save this for the holidays as well. You'll want something to keep hungry family out of the kitchen but happily munching. If I don't serve up appetizers, I may have masculine vultures hovering! LOL!