Wonder and cheese proving I AM A REAL WOMAN

Today, I was back on my game and what helped the most was my hot pink cowgirl hat! If you don't believe me just check out how on it I am in this hat! The dentist fixed my tooth for less than I thought and I am back in the kitchen making the most delicious stuff with Philadelphia cream cheese. Have I told you yet that I have entered the "Real Women of Philadelphia" Competition with Paula Dean as our unwavering leader? Well, I have. That is what spurred the videos. I am having a blast and there are amazingly talented women all cooking their hearts out using Philadelphia cream cheese.

I have become rather obsessed. Let's just start with this morning. We ran out of cream for our coffee and my dad suggested cream cheese? Then we were on a walk and discussing how to make our famous Fiesta potaotes, naturally I suggested cream cheese. Then we discussed dessert options.. Naturally cheese cake, bread pudding with cream cheese are both great options. Pretty much anything we think about making we figure out a way to make it better with Philly cream cheese. Check out the competition you will probably be a little blown away by all the enthusiasm. I know I was, but I am pretty enthusiastic myself so I 'm hangin'.

So here are the latest Philly cream cheese creations from my kitchen. I did a Cowgirl Calzone that is kicked up a notch and a low-fat Apple Cupcakes! I paired the calzones with some easy Italian Style Sauteed Spinach to get our greens and it was the perfect healthy meal that didn't taste healthy, yet delivered lots of lean protein and vitamins from the tomatoes, spinach, and ground turkey! The dessert is virtually fat free with all the flavor of really delicious bakery style cupcakes!

I think you will love both of these recipes and stay tuned for more. This competition goes until June! And hey, why not join yourself? Okay, just a crazy thought.

Cowgirl Calzones

1 tbsp. of olive oil

1/2 cup of minced white onion

2 tbsp. of minced garlic

1 pound of ground turkey

3 cups of tomato sauce

1/3 cup of barbecue sauce

1 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. of hot sauce

8 ounces of Philadelphia cream cheese

1 tsp. of chili pepper flakes

1 tbsp. of dried Italian seasoning

6 ounces of tomato paste

1 package of phyllo dough

1/2 cup of sliced black olives

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the ground turkey meat and continue to saute for another 7 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to season the meat.

2. Add 2 cups of tomato sauce (reserving one cup for later) and the Worcestershire, hot sauce, and barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Add the Philadelphia cream cheese, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, and chili pepper flakes. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes and the sauce will thicken.

3. Now it's time to build the calzones! Lay out 3 sheets of phyllo dough on a flat surface and spray with olive oil. Place 1/2 cup of filling in the middle and add a small handful of green olives and shredded cheese. Fold the phyllo dough over the filling making a triangle and spray the top with olive oil cooking spray. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat until you have 6 calzones.

4. Sprinkle the top of the calzones with more shredded cheese. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and top with the reserved tomato sauce and top with still more cheese and dive right into the middle! 

 

Italian Sauteed Spinach

 16 oz. frozen spinach

1 can artichoke hearts (14 oz)

1/2 cup minced black olives

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup minced white onion

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions become translucent. About 3-5 minutes. 

2. Add the rest of the ingredients listed above and continue to saute over medium heat for 20 minutes. The spinach will wilt and absorb some of the flavors of the artichoke and olives and it is a light and healthy side to go along with just about anything!

Luscious Low Fat Apple Cupcakes

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup bread flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

2 eggs

1/3 cup splenda

1 tbsp. vanilla

8 oz. cream cheese (1/3 less fat)

1 cup shredded apple

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. all spice

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 cup walnuts; chopped

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl using a whisk. 

2. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients including the shredded apple. Next mix the wet and dry ingredients together and add the walnuts if desired.

3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

4. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Place the batter in a muffin tin filling each tin fully. Bake for 20 minutes. They are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. While they cook, let's make the frosting!

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz. low fat cream cheese

1 cup splenda (baking variety)

2 tbsp. butter (unsalted)

1 tbsp. spiced rum

1. Put the cream cheese, splenda, butter, and spiced rum in a food processor and mix until smooth.

2. To frost, using a small spatula spread the frosting over the top of each cupcake. For garnish, I combined some cinnamon and walnuts and sprinkled them over the top of my cupcakes! They were completely delicious and guilt free!

Mental Health Benefit: This meal is easy to prepare and still looks elegant and is extremely nutritious. You can feel good serving this to your family and it is elegant enough to serve to your guests too! It can also easily become two meals if you make extra cowgirl sauce. You can just cook some whole wheat pasta and serve the sauce right on top of pasta for another delicious meal later in the week! It is a two for one! Who doesn't love that kind of ingenuity! Just double the sauce recipe and reserve half for later. You can even freeze it for a really busy day and still put a healthy meal on your family's table for dinner!

Health and happy meals from our kitchen table to yours!

~ "Too Lovely" 'Hot Messes in the kitchen