Toasted bread with Cheese

Toasted wholemeal bread with bacon and mozarella cheese . Side dish - chicken nuggets

Goes very well with tomato sauce.

What's for dinner - Chinese

a) Pan fried fish coated with curry powder, sprinkled with coriander with dash of lemon.
b) Yaw mak vegetables cooked with beancurd preserved.
c) Corn soup with tomatoes and meat base.

Cooking time - less than 1 hr

Japanese fusion ?

Mixed vegetables consists of french beans, carrots, chopped cabbage and sprinkle of black sesame. Normal fried eggs , tomatoes and teriyaki sauce for dipping. This is a piece of fish fillet cooked with teriyaki sauce.

Time spent for preparing the above : 1 hr

Hats off to the chef!

I have to pat myself on the back for a wonderful, healthful meal last night. We had over three friends and I made a delicious meal and a new recipe! That’s one down for the month, and it was soooo easy! Everyone loved it!

We started off the meal with romaine tossed with cucumber, tomato, sunflower seeds, and a sprinkle of croutons. The salad was dressed, lightly, with homemade canola oil-based Caesar dressing, sans egg and any mayonnaise. I made fresh garlic bread with a loaf of Asiago cheese bread, made with Smart Balance and garlic powder. The main course was the new recipe, chicken tamale casserole. I added sides of squash and rosemary potatoes. The squash was cooked over the stove with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and the magic ingredient: brown sugar. DELICIOUS! The rosemary potatoes were diced red potatoes tossed in olive oil and crushed garlic, topped with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and rosemary which were baked at 400F for 45 minutes and came out with perfectly browned edges. I typically have trouble getting my potatoes to look so gourmet, but I pulled it off for our guests.

Dessert was left up to my husband: cookie cake. *eye roll*. I really wanted to go with cheesecake, but he vetoed it. Ends up, he was the only one who would’ve passed on cheesecake. I mean, really, who passes on decadent cheesecake?!

Anyways, dinner was a huge success and I have met my goal for the month in trying one new recipe. And the leftovers at lunch were glorious! Though I don't have a picture of the masterpiece (I need to get better at this!), I will leave you with the recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts*: CALORIES 354; FAT 14.1g; CARBOHYDRATE 36.3g; SODIUM 620mg; PROTEIN 18.9g; FIBER 2.5g

*I have not verified the nutrition facts for accuracy.

My Favorite Cookie Recipe (well, one of them, anyway!) (Buttery Oatmeal Lace Cookies)

There is a story attached to this recipe. It comes from my wonderful Aunt Ann who is now in her eighties. She hates to cook. She won't even make brewed coffee in the morning - instant is okay in her book. And she will readily tell you she is not a baker!

Maybe not, but these cookies are simply the best! They were my Dad's favorite cookie. The ingredients are simple, the method is about as easy as it gets, but this recipe is proof positive that sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (if you have ever made Ina Garten's Portobello Mushroom Lasagne from "Barefoot Contessa at Home", then you know exactly what I am talking about). If you don't have the book, download the recipe from the Food Network at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/portobello-mushroom-lasagna-recipe/index.html

Make a batch tonight (the cookies, not the lasagna). You probably already have the ingredients on hand. Roll into 1/2 teaspoon-sized balls, place on a tray and freeze. When completely frozen, store in a plastic freezer bag in one layer. These can go directly from the freezer into the oven, so bake off as many as you need, keeping extras in the freezer so you will always have them available to feed your addiction!

BUTTERY OATMEAL LACE COOKIES
4 oz. unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

3 tablespoons unbleached flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup quick-cooking oats

Place butter in a saucepan and melt over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Blend well, then add remaining ingredients. Chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Using a ½ teaspoon measure, scoop out dough in that amount and roll into balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or with parchment. Space cookies at least 2 inches apart as they will spread.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes until just golden. Do not overbake, as they will continue to brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 3 minutes. Using a large spatula, remove cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.

Yield: approximately 4 ½ dozen 2-inch cookies