Skinny Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

October 4, 2019 Amanda Plott

Oh, my goodness. Oh. My. Goodness.

The first time I intended to make this soup, I had it planned for a while , and oddly enough a similar butternut squash soup was served to me at The King's Feast of The Texas Renaissance Festival. I had never had butternut squash soup before then, but I immediately fell in love. It was thick and rich and served with some sort of toasted seed and herb topping.

It was such a good soup that I thought I would have dreams about it that night.

I was a bit curious when I got home if the recipe that I had come up with would be anything similar to the amazing one that I had at the feast. Needless to say I was somewhat skeptical that so few of ingredients would actually come together to make such an amazing soup…

Beef & Barley Stew

February 19, 2019 Amanda Plott

It is cold, raining, and yucky here today. So, naturally… that calls for a hearty meal. Stew sounds about right to me! And with St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon, you know I’ve got to be sure there’s some Irish stew going on.

This beef stew is one of my new favorite dinners for cold weather. Which let me just say, isn’t a label that comes lightly. I haven’t worked with barley a whole lot before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But, it was a wonderful addition to stew! There’s big chunks of beef, mushroom, vegetables, and of course that barley in there to help thicken it all up…

Skinny Leftover Turkey & Mushroom Pot Pie

January 5, 2019 Amanda Plott

Can you believe it…? I STILL have meat in my freezer that’s leftover from Christmas, y’all! The turkey has now OFFICIALLY been all used up. (Though there is still plenty of ham socked away. - Someone buy me a deep freezer please and stop this madness!) With all this meat still taking over my freezer, I’m still working on coming up with delicious ways to use it all up.

So far… it’s been in a quiche, which is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers. Another fun way is… pot pie! Even though I’m a southern girl, I don’t think I ever had a homemade pot pie. And now that I’m an adult and sticking with this healthier lifestyle, this Skinny Leftover Turkey & Mushroom Pot Pie is as close as we’re going to get!…

Skinny Eggnog Bread

December 12, 2018 Amanda Plott

It’s been a while since I made some homemade bread. And being that it’s baking season, I thought it was high time to made another loaf! I’ve been without my hand dandy bread machine for a long time, so that means that any bread requiring yeast is pretty much out of the question. Yeast, outside of a bread machine use, scares me!

Don’t worry though! If yeast breads intimidate you too, then this Skinny Eggnog Bread is a perfect yeast-free option that is easy to toss together, and requires no kneading and very little hands-on time…

Skinny Cranberry Upside Down Cake

December 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

The great Christmas and New Year dessert debate is in full swing! It seems like every year my Mother and I get into ‘the great debate’ over what cookies and desserts we’re going to be making for the holidays. She likes this. I like that. And we aren’t the only ones with opinions on desserts either.

I usually try a few new things out as we get closer and more into the thick of the holidays. Some don’t make the cut, but others become fast family favorites. I think the last one that made the official traditional rotation was my Cranberry Cherry Pie. But… I have to say. This Skinny Cranberry Upside Down Cake may be taking the throne…

Skinny Cranberry Orange Cookies

November 27, 2018 Amanda Plott

With Thanksgiving over, it’s now time to move on to the next round of Holiday. Christmas is just around the corner, and then it’s New Years! For several years now, my mom and I get together and bake up a few different kinds of cookies together. We each pick a few of our favorites and we make them in tangent to share with friends and family as a fun homemade gift.

Cranberry Orange cookies are always one of my mom’s go-to cookie recipes. They’re sweet, tart, and really are the perfect bite of holiday cheer. I mean… look at them! They just scream fa-la-la-la-l'a’!…