Christmas Eve Dinner

I love this soup.  It's delicious and looks pretty too.  The red pepper and green vegetables make it look a little Christmassy!  Though if you switch out the red pepper for an orange one and serve it in orange bread bowls, it's great on Halloween too!  This is what we have on Christmas Eve with this yummy salad (the dressing is incredible).  It's a nice winter meal.  Hope you like it!

-Em

Salt Lake Style Clam Chowder

4 Large Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed

4 Large Carrots, Cut into 1 ½ Inch Julienne Strips

½ Pound Bacon, Sliced into Small Strips

1 Large Onion, Sliced

3 Stalks Celery, Sliced, Leafy Tops Included

1 Red Pepper, Sliced into Thin Rings

1 10 Oz.  Pkg. Frozen Corn

3 6 ½ Oz. Cans Chopped Clams, Juice Reserved

½ Tsp. Coarsely Ground Pepper

½ Tsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (Optional)

2 10 ¾ Oz. Cans Cream of Potato Soup

1 Quart Whole Milk

2-3 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley

2 Cups Grated Mild Cheddar Cheese

In a large stockpot boil cubed potatoes and carrot strips in water and cover for 20-30 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Saute bacon in medium skillet until done, but not crisp.  Remove bacon and sauté onions and celery until limp.  Place onions and celery into the stockpot with the vegetables.  Add bacon, red pepper, corn, clam juice and seasonings.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add potato soup and milk; simmer for 15 minutes more.  Add clams and parsley 5 minutes prior to serving.  Allow to heat thoroughly.  Serve with grated cheese on top.

Green Salad with Pears

2 Heads Romaine Lettuce

1 Head Mixed Greens or Red Lettuce

½ Pound Bacon, Cooked and Broken Up

4-5 Ripe Pears, Sliced

½ Cup Almonds

1 Pkg. Craisins

4 Oz. Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese

Dressing:

2 Cups Sugar

2 Tsp. Salt

1 Small Onion, Chopped

2 Tsp. Poppy Seeds

1 ½ Cups Canola Oil

2 Tsp. Dry Mustard

1 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

Sausage Rolls (Beth)

These are my family's favorite breakfast food. So easy! I got this recipe off the back of a Hormel sausage package a couple of years ago. I usually make 2 batches of these. They go fast!

1 package (10) sausage links (I like to use Banquet Brown and Serve Turkey links)
1 package (10) biscuits
cheese
mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pop open biscuits and flatten out. Place a very small amount of mustard on. (I smear it around the biscuit) Sprinkle some cheese on and then place the sausage on top. (I like to microwave the sausages for 2 minutes beforehand, so they aren't frozen in the middle of the biscuit. It takes longer for them to cook all the way through.) Roll up the biscuit and seal all edges. Cook for 10 minutes.

Virtually Fat Free Black Forest Cake (Beth)

Oh How I have missed swapping recipes with my incredibly amazing cousins!!!! I hope you are all having a wonderful new year and that all of your loved ones are healthy and happy!!!
I thought maybe I would post this recipe because I just came up with it a couple of months ago and everyone seems to be focusing on diet right now with it being the new year. So I'm giving you the opportunity to have your cake and eat it too!!!

1 can pumpkin (approximately 2 cups)
1 chocolate cake mix (I love Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge)

Mix together and bake in 2 9" cake pans according to package directions.

Let cool.

Black Forest Frosting:

1 tub fat free Cool Whip
3 containers black cherry yogurt

Mix together and frost cake.

This is so good, so easy and very guilt-free! I made this for a neighborhood party and it was the first thing gone! I also shaved some chocolate on top for decoration.

*You can also change the yogurt flavors for a different variation (strawberry, raspberry). But the pumpkin only works for chocolate cake. Unless you want to make maybe a pumpkin cake using a spice cake mix with vanilla yogurt frosting. That would be awesome!!! I just thought of that!

Here's your challenge:
What is your new low-fat, fat-free, low-cal, whatever recipe?