Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.

Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.
Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.


When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites


6-8 oz. bacon (1/2 of 1 package)
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small (or 1/2 larger) green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 28-oz. can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/8-1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce (no need to measure it, just add a few shakes and go from there)
1 1/2 c. long-grain rice


Cook bacon until crisp in a Dutch oven if possible. Remove from pan and drain the grease, reserving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent. While the onions are cooking, place the tomatoes in the jar of your blender and pulse 2-3 times to chop them. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice is not burning. Serves 6-ish and makes great leftovers.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

I love having muffin batter for fresh muffins whenever I want them. Sarah says these are good without the dates, as well. I got this from the Lion House cookbook, I really don't know what the difference is between this and what mom used to make.

2 cups boiling water
4 cups bran cereal (Bran Buds, All Bran, or Fiber One - I prefer All Bran)
1 pound dates, pitted and chopped, or 2 cups raisins
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup oil (I substitute most of the oil with unsweetened applesauce)
2 cups sugar (reducing the sugar a little works with applesauce)
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups bran flakes cereal or Raisin Bran

Pour boiling water over bran cereal and dates. Sift dry ingredients together. Cream oil and sugar; add eggs, hot bran mixture, dry ingredients, and buttermilk. Add the 2 cups bran flakes cereal. Mix just enough to combine. Bake in greased and floured muffin tins or line with cupcake papers at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 6 dozen muffins. Batter may be stored in a covered container in refrigerator up to 6 weeks. Bake any amount as desired.

Cherry-Pineapple Sunrise Cake

This recipe came from Kathryn's aunt, Anne Goodman. They've always called it "dump cake," but I thought you might like a name that's a little more appetizing. The beauty of this cake is that you just dump all the ingredients into a 9x13 pan with no mixing (hence the name), bake it, and eat a delicious cake an hour later. Super easy and super delicious. So, here you go.

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put ingredients into pan in order listed below:

• 1 can cherry pie filling (21 oz)
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 white or yellow cake mix
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake at 325 for 1 hour.