Pumpkin Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Frosting

There are tons of pumpkin cupcake recipes out there. When I was in search of one to make I was pointed in the direction to "The Way the Cookie Crumbles" blog. The writer of the blog made 3 different types of pumpkin cupcakes (the 3 top rated and talked about on the internet). After sampling the variety her and her husband both decided that the pumpkin cakes recipe by David Leite via Smitten Kitchen reigned supreme. So I made them. Why waste time cooking and eating other cupcakes that weren't going to be as good? Have I ever told you that I was gullible? :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients

- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
- 1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¼ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

:: Directions ::

1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.

2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.

3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Divide the batter equally between the cups. (They’ll be about ¾ full.) Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 4oz cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
- In a large bowl beat together butter & cream cheese with mixed.

- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth & creamy.

- Beat in vanilla extract

*Since its pumpkin & fall I decided to add some Wilton orange coloring gel to my frosting to make it pretty*

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lime

I got this recipe out of Rachael Ray 365: No repeats. I'm usually not a big fan of Rachael's cooking, it usually taste kind of bland to me, but what do you expect for making dinner in 30 minutes? I once ate at this delicious Mexican restaurant and had the chicken tortilla soup, it's one of my favorites so when I came across this recipe I decided to give it a try. It was surprisingly good and had a lot of flavor. I almost messed up the recipe but after a reminder from my husband that I dont know to follow it word for word, I was able to quickly save it and make it yummy.

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 cups yellow corn tortilla chips
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1/2 c sour cream
- 1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 4 scallions, white & green parts thinly sliced
- salt & pepper
- zest & juice from 2 limes

::Directions::

- Preheat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil.

- Chop the chicken tenders into bite size pieces and season with salt & pepper, then add to the soup pot.

- Lightly brown the chicken, 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno, onions, celery, cumin, coriander, salt & pepper. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

- While that is cooking, place the tortilla chips into a food processor and process until well ground. If you dont have a food processor place the chips into a sealable storage bag and crush with rolling pin. Add the ground tortilla chips to the soup pot and stir to combine.

- Add the chicken stock and bring the soup to a simmer *. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes.

- Ladle the soup into bowls & garnish with the sour cream. Pass the lime zest, chopped cilantro, and scallions in shallow bowls for each person to add to taste. **

* In case you noticed, the recipe never says what to do with the hot sauce, silly Rachael! This is when I would add it (I actually didnt noticed until after I cooked and ate dinner that I forgot to add it).
** I added half a lime juice to the soup, along with a handful of cilantro and scallions half way into the simmering process.

colorado chili

This recipe is so good and so easy to play around with. I've made it 3 or 4 times now and every time I add something different. I found this recipe from my friend Katie, you can view her blog here, "Busy Mom's Cookbook", she has tons of fabulous recipes!

Here is the original recipe copied from her blog, I used 1 pound of ground turkey for a smaller batch. Enjoy!

Colorado Chili

This recipe is a combination of a few recipes I've tried. Deon really likes Boulder hot italian sausage and hates kidney beans so this is the chili recipe I came up with for him. If you don't like sausage just use 2lbs of ground beef or turkey. And of course, you can use dark red kidney beans instead of plain red beans. It also makes a TON of Chili and freezes very well. We ended up with about 5 meals for the two of us (very generous portions). We ate one and I froze 4 in gallon ziploc bags.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 lb hot italian sausage - We like Boulder Sausage. (Boulder sausage is a Colorado thing - don't kill yourself trying to find it if you don't live here, :P)

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green sweet peppers

4 garlic cloves minced

2 (14 1/2 ounce)cans tomatoes , cut up (I used one plaincan and one can of rotel for extra kick)

2 (15 ounce)cans red beans , rinsed and drained

2 (8 ounce)cans tomato sauce

4-5 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried basil , crushed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a large saucepan cook meat, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat.

2. Stir in undrained tomatoes beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil, and pepper.

3. Bring to boil; reduce heat.

4. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Crockery-cooker directions: Cook meat, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic as above. Drain fat. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart electric crockery cooker combine meat mixture, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and pepper. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

sausage, spinach & roasted red pepper alfredo

I got this recipe from my friend Joie, you can view her blog "Cook Now, Eat Later". It is so easy and cheap to make it but the taste is incredible! Perfect for a weeknight meal when you are in a hurry. My 2 year old also loved this, woohoo!

Ingredients
- 1 jar roasted red pepper alfredo (Classico)
- 1 box frozen spinach
- 4 mild Italian sausages *
- 1 box fettucine

Directions::
- Put the sausage in a pan and cook half way. Take them out and cut into bite sized rounds. Put them back into the pan until cooked through.

- Microwave spinach to defrost ** Squeeze mositure out of spinach using cheesecloth (or dishtowel that you dont mind staining).

- Add the spinach to the sauce and break it up. Add the sauce and cook until heated through.

- Serve over boiled fettucine

* Next time we will use spicy sausage, we like the extra kick
** I defrosted the spinach by leaving it in the sink for most of the day while the sausage defrosted.

creamy broccoli soup

Broccoli soup is one of my favorite soups, its so delicious on a cold fall day. This recipe is also delicious!!

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- Hot Sauce
- 2 10 ounce boxes of frozen chopped broccoli *
- 1 quart of chicken stock
- ½ cup of heavy cream or half and half

- 1/4 cup cup parsley
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 1 cup of shredded sharp Cheddar
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Directions::
- Heat a large soup pan over medium heat and add the extra virgin olive oil.

- Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the crispy bacon and let it drain on a paper towel.

- Add the onions, garlic and thyme to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions are tender.

- Add the broccoli and heat thoroughly. Transfer the onions and broccoli ** to the food processor with ½ cup of chicken stock and puree until smooth. ***

- Add the pureed mixture back to the pan and then add the remaining chicken stock and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

- To finish the soap add the lemon zest and juice and stir to combine. Dish up and Serve. ****

* I used fresh broccoli, about 3-4 cups.
** I added some of the bacon to the blender also.
*** Next time I will leave some out so its chunky, we prefer chunky soup.
**** I added this to bread bowls and it was delicious! My 2 y/o gobbled it up.

Apple Brownies

I got this recipe from my wonderful mother in law. Apparently she has a whole stash of old family recipes from her aunt. This was a favorite of my husbands growing up and he begged me to make it after I came home with 2 pecks of apples from an apple picking adventure. So from our family, to yours, enjoy!

Apple Brownies
1/2 c margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a few apples (pealed, cored & chopped)

- Whip margarine while gradually adding sugar & egg.
- Beat until light & creamy
- Mix in apples
- Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl than combine with margarine mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

This fills one small 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. I doubled the recipe for my 13x9 baking dish. To get the apples into small enough pieces I peeled, cored & diced than added them to my kitchenaid chopper.

Baked Pasta with Veggies

This was pretty darn good and it smelled magnificent while it baked. I think with a few minor modifications it will be much better next time!

Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 1 lg onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 zucchini, slices (works with summer squash, carrots or eggplant, I used eggplant)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1lb ziti or penne pasta
- 1 c ricotta cheese (definitely use 2-3 cups)
- 1/4 c Parmesan cheese plus 1/2 c
- nutmeg, just a pinch
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 c shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 c bread crumbs

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place a large pot of salted water over medium-high heat.

- Toss onion, garlic, red pepper and zuchini in a large bowl with olive oil; season with salt & pepper to taste. Place veggies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

- While veggies are roasting, add pasta to water and boil about 2 minutes short of package directions (it should still be slightly firm). Drain.

- In a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1/4 c Parmesan, and nutmeg. Season with salt & pepper. Gently toss pasta with the ricotta mixture, vegetables, tomatoes, oregano and mozzarella. Pour mixture into a baking dish.

- Sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan and bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

* You can assemble through step 4 and refrigerate up to a day a head *

** When I made this, it ended up filling 2 13x9 baking dishes.**

Fress Tomato & Basil Pizza

This pizza was so good! The dough was perfect and the overall taste was delicious! Definitely will be making this again!

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp yellow cornmeal
- homemade or purchased pizza dough
- 6 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/3 cups, shredded mozzarella
- 2 Roma tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4" thick slices
- 1/4 grated Parmesan
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 6 fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

- Sprinkle cornmeal over pizza baking sheet and roll out dough into over the pan.

- Drizzle 2 teaspoons of oil over the pizza dough. Sprinkle on the mozzarella, leaving a 1" border around the pizza.

- Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer over the cheese, sprinkle with Parmesan.

- Arrange basil leaves on top, drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle garlic all over.

- Bake pizzas until the crusts are crisp and brown on the bottom and the cheese is melted on the top, about 15 minutes.

- Drizzle 1 tsp of oil over the pizza, sprinkle basil for garnish and salt.

Japanese Mum's Chicken

This recipe is quite yummy! I got it off a friends cooking blog, Busy Mom's Cookbook. It was really quite tasty! I made extra so that there would be leftovers but we were pigs and ate it all! It is definitely worth the try and not too spicy, it just has a little bite to it but of course you could leave our the red pepper flakes and some of the garlic if you arent a garlic person.

Ingredients:
- 8 chicken drumsticks, skin on. (I actually used 4 boneless, skinless breasts and it turned out just fine!)
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed (I used 3 cloves smashed and 1 clove minced)
- 1 small hot chili pepper, slit open, seeds removed

* I also added 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch (dissolved in water during the reducing process) *

Directions:

- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently in the sauce and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze.



- Arrange chicken on a serving platter, remove the garlic cloves & chili pepper from the liquid and spoon the glaze over.

I made this and topped it over brown rice. Very good!

Asian Beef Stir-Fry

Yum, Yum, Yum! The only word that describes this super quick, easy & kid friendly meal. Oh, and did I mention it is also healthy?

Ingredients:
- 2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked (I used the brown rice boil-a-bag)
- 1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed, drained
- 1/4 cup Asian Sesame with Ginger Dressing
- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce

- Cook rice as instructed on box (boil or microwave)
- Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high and add garlic & meat.
- Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add vegetables (I never bothered thawing mine), dressing, and soy sauce, stir-fry until veggies are tender. About 3 minutes.
- Serve over brown rice.

That's it! So simple and REALLY good!




::Nutrition Information::
Calories- 400
Total fat- 11g
Saturated fat- 3g
Cholesterol- 60mg
Sodium- 740mg
Carbohydrate- 45g
Dietary fiber- 4g
Sugars- 7g
Protein- 27g

buffalo chicken pizza

My favorite recipe ever! Fred is actually the one that makes this and it tastes so good and my mouth waters as I smell it cooking! YUM!

I've searched online to find a buffalo chicken pizza and there are tons of them. So we mixed them all together and came up with our favorite way to make it. So yummy!

Ingredients:

- chicken breasts
- pizza dough (frozen, homemade or store bought)
- mozzarella cheese
- blue cheese dressing
- scallions
- a bottle of hot sauce/wing sauce
- blue cheese crumbles

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Spread pizza dough on pizza sheet (we use the dough already made in the deli section(it comes in a ball), but frozen works good or you can make your own).
- bake the dough (there is no set time, just watch it, you want to cook is so that it isnt all gooey), if you use the dough that's already made, you can skip this step.
- cube chicken and cook in a pan over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil.
- Once chicken is cooked add in hot sauce (wing sauce works better because it sticks to the chicken).
- spread a thin-medium layer of blue cheese dressing on pizza crust
- cover with mozzarella cheese, blue cheese crumbles, chopped scallions and buffalo chicken pieces
-bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (watch it so it doesnt burn)
- let it sit for about 5 minutes so its not a gooey mess when you cut it)
- Enjoy!

It's so good!

baby food: plums

Plums are high in fiber, low in cholesterol, sodium free and rich in Vitamin A & Vitamin C. Like other fruits that are high in fiber, Plums are great aids in reducing the risks of cancer and heart attack and sustaining healthy cholesterol levels. (Wholesome Baby Food)

Plum Puree
- Drop plums into a pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes, or until fruits are soft

- Place fruits into a bowl of cold water to cool

- Remove skins and pit

- Place into blender and puree. Add water to reach the desired consistency.

- Once done, dump into ice cube trays to freeze then transfer frozen cubes to ziploc bags.

baby food: peas

One cup of peas contains more protein that a tablespoon of peanut butter and also provides calcium, Vitamin A and C and Iron too.

Pea Puree
- Open the pods and scrape out the peas from the pod.

- Place fresh peas into a steamer basket in a pan with a just a little bit of water.

- Steam until tender

- Place into blender and puree. Add water to reach the desired consistency.

- Once done, dump into ice cube trays to freeze then transfer frozen cubes to ziploc bags.

baby food: peaches

Peaches are a great food for baby because they are high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A and also contain a lot of fiber. Peaches are known to be a good natural laxative, so they are perfect for baby's that have constipation.

Peach Puree
- Bring 3 or 4 cups of water to a rolling boil

- Add peaches water and boil for 3-5 minutes

- Remove fruit to a bowl of cold water, allow to cool for 2 minutes

- Take off the skins and then remove the pit

- Place into blender and puree.

- Peaches will be a smooth thin consistency you can either add infant cereal to the puree now or mix it in when serving.

- Once done, dump into ice cube trays to freeze then transfer frozen cubes to ziploc bags.

fast food fun!

I made this for the 4th of July, it was bit time consuming but fun non the less. My husband seemed to enjoy it, he had several of them so I guess it couldnt have been that bad! lol

These are adorable little mini burgers & fries for dessert. It ended up making 1 dozen. It could have easily made 2 dozen if you make another batch of brownies.



The bun is a cup cake, the burger is a brownie and the fries are sugar cookies.

I got this off of Bakerella, so you know it has to be good!

I made the tray out of card stock, just printed it and cut it out. And the french fry case is made out of parchment paper but you can use vellum if you can find it at the craft store.

I cheated and used mixes because I had absolutely no time to make something from scratch, but you're more than welcome to if you want.

I used yellow cake mix for the cupcakes, make sure you bake them in baking cups. A family size brownie mix and 1 package of sugar cookie mix. On the back of the sugar cookie mix are instructions to make cut out cookies, follow those.

Once everything was baked and cool I sliced the cupcakes in half. I used a circle cookie cutter 3" to cut out the brownies. Place the brownie on the bottom half of the cupcake. For frosting I used classic white and divided it into 3 containers. I used Wilton Christmas Red for the ketchup, Wilton Golden Yellow for mustard and Wilton Leaf Green for the lettuce. Then I just put each color into a Ziploc bag and cut the tip of one of the bottom corners off.

(photo by Bakerella)

Add the icing to the top of the brownies then had the cupcake top to complete. I then lightly brushed water onto the tops of the cupcakes and sprinkled sesame seeds.

(photo by Bakerella)

For the french fries, I rolled the cookie dough out flat then cut it into thin strips. I sprinkled with sugar before I baked it. These still came out pretty chubby so I immediately sliced them again and added a bit more sugar.

(photo by Bakerella)

Perfect!!

baby food: avocados

Avocados are super easy too! Just like bananas! And you wont find avocado on the shelf with the Gerber baby foods so definitely make your own so baby can try lots of foods.

Avocado Puree

- Cut avocados and remove the pit



- scoop out the "meat" and add it to the blender.




- Mix in a little bit of water and puree
- Scoop into ice cube trays and freeze.
- Once frozen, remove from trays and distribute into freezer bags.

baby food: banana

Bananas are by far the easiest baby food to make! They are actually easier to make then it sounds and it sounds pretty easy!

Banana Puree



- Peel bananas
- Cut into small slices
- Mash with a fork
- Add bananas to a blender and add in some water until you reach the desired consistency.



Most likely the mixture will turn brown before you get to freeze it, that's fine and ok to use (I double checked!).

- Pour banana mixture into ice cube trays and freeze over night.
- Remove from tray and divide into freezer bags for easy storage.

baby food: butternut squash

I've decided to tackle the adventure of baby food making. It's super easy, I dont know why I was nervous about doing it!!

Butternut Squash

Squash may be offered as early as 4 - 6 months old. Consult your pediatrician before starting baby on any solid foods. The best way to cook butternut squash for baby food recipes is to bake or roast the squash. It will retain the most nutrients while bringing out the most flavor.

- With a sharp kitchen knife, cut the butternut squash in half - lengthwise.

- Scoop out the seeds from the round end of the cut butternut squash

- Lay butternut squash "face" or meat-side down in a baking dish with about 1-2 inched of water.

- Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes or until shell/skin looks puckery and turns a darker tan.

- Scoop out the insides of the shell into a blender (a bowl would be fine if using a hand blender)

- Add water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.

After that I then poured the puree into ice cube trays and froze them over night. You could also buy baby food making sets from One Step Ahead but ice cube trays are a lot easier. Each ice cube is about an ounce of food.

Once it is frozen you can then take them out and place them in a freezer bag for easy storage. Make sure you label your bag with the product & date.

Crock Pot 3 Bean Turkey Chili

I needed something healthy & easy to make since my husband was going to be working late and I knew I wouldnt have the time to cook with both kids underfoot. Im not much of a bean person but will eat them in chili. I will definitely be making this again!!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Turkey Chili
by Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

Servings- 12 :: Serving size- 10.8oz :: Prep Time- 20 minutes

- ground turkey breast
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (16oz) tomatoe sauce
- 1 can (4.5) chopped chilies, drained
- 1 can (15oz) chickpeas, undrained
- 1 can (15.5oz) black beans, undrained
- 1 can (15.5oz) small red beans, undrained
- 2 tbsp chili powder

* I couldnt find chopped chilies so I substituted the can of diced tomatoes with 2 cans (14.5oz) of diced tomatoes with chopped chilies. *

Topping:
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- shredded cheddar

* The recipe doesnt call for sour cream but I topped mine with it. I also left off the red onion and cilantro since I was in a hurry*

- Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.
- Drain any fat remaining and transfer to crock pot.
- Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder mixing well.
- Cook on high 6-8 hours.
- Garnish with onions, cilantro and cheese and enjoy!

Broccoli & Cheese stuffed Chicken with Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes

This dish was so good, I could have had 2nds and 3rds but decided not to blow my new healthy eating on a stuffed potato. *sigh* It was delish and hard to resist though!

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken
by Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

Makes- 6 pieces :: Time- 40 minutes

• 3 chicken breast halves
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp water
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 cups broccoli floret, cooked, chopped small
  
• 5 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese (I used Lacy Suiss)
  
• salt
• spray oil
• toothpicks

- Preheat oven to 350°.

- In a small bowl, combine egg, water and a little salt.

- Beat with a fork to make an egg wash. Set aside.

- Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.

- Slice chicken breast halves into thin cutlets. Pound them to make them thinner if you wish. This helps when you wrap the cutlets.

- Cut each slice of cheese in half.

- Place a 1/2 slice cheese in the center of the chicken and top with a little broccoli.

- Wrap chicken around to completely cover cheese, using toothpicks to secure. Season with a little salt.

- Dip chicken into egg wash, then breadcrumbs.

- Spray cookie sheet with oil and place chicken on cookie sheet.

- Bake about 25 minutes, until cooked



Stuffed Red Bliss Potatoes
by Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings- 4 :: Time- 1 hour

• 8 small red bliss potatoes, about 2" diameter
• 3 tbsp Light Mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp olive oil
  
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme
  
• 4 tbsp grated parmesan or asagio cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika
  

- In a medium pot, cover potatoes in water and add 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until soft (about 12 minutes).

- Drain and run under cool water. Set aside.

- While the potatoes cook, in a small pan, add oil and garlic and cook on very low heat, about 12 minutes, till soft.

- Remove garlic and discard oil. Mash garlic.

- In a medium bowl combine garlic, thyme, cheese, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix well.

- Preheat oven to 350°.

- Using a teaspoon, scoop out potato leaving 1/4 inch shell.

- Mix the potato with the other ingredients and fill potato shells.

- Sprinkle with paprika.

- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes