More About KECDMC

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These are a once in a while treat only.

Very Good (1 rating)

Instead of the traditional heavy cream which Alfredo sauce recipes traditionally use, I've substituted whole milk with teriffic results. In my opinion it's the perfect substitutuion because the fat is reduced significantly, and yet the taste is still awesome. In fact, I don't taste any difference. It still tastes just as rich and creamy over fettucini, but with less fat, a definite win- win situation.

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This is the traditional peanut butter cookie with the Hershey kiss in the middle made without any substitutions.

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This is simply the peanut butter blossom cookies I grew up with, with Reese's miniature peanut butter cups inserted into the center of the warm cookie, instead of the usual Hershey's kiss. A new twist on an old favorite.

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This recipe uses the full fat varieties of butter and sour cream, simply because they wouldn't be as good if they were made with substitutes. Since they are a treat for my family at Christmas time, we all enjoy this little indulgence.

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This is our family's favorite stuffing recipe, lightened up by using reduced fat sausage.

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This recipe makes 3 full pies or 24 servings. They freeze well and are a decadent treat..

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These are not in any way shape or form low cal. They are simply a Christmas cookie tradition in our household.

Incredible! (1 rating)

This is the standard recipe minus the nuts.

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This is the ultimate sugar cookie recipe from the recipe card inside the package of butter flavor crisco. The frosting recipe is from my Betty Crocker Cookie cookbook. Because of their high calorie content, I only indulge in them at Christmastime.

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This could be made with ground turkey, with terrific results. However, this was my concoction created to use up my leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Very Good (3 ratings)

This is the traditional Campbell's green bean casserole made with a can of regular (not reduced anything) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and skim milk.

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This is by no means a low cal dish, but it definitely ranks up there with the other comfort foods.

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This recipe was modified from the original Betty Crocker Cookbook, by substituting skim milk and smart balance for the whole milk and butter or margarine.

Incredible! (1 rating)

This is my family's favorite Italian wedding soup. The mini meatballs are a huge hit with the kids. Although many people use spinach for the leafy green in wedding soup, the recipe that was handed down to me called for endive lettuce, so that is what I use. Endive costs a lot less than spinach, and my family and I have always enjoyed our soup made with it. . If spinach is your favorite, feel free to make a substitution.

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Despite using cooked and drained 90% lean ground beef, light sour cream, and reduced fat cheese, the calorie count on these is still higher than I'd like. Fat free sour cream and cheese could be used if you wanted to reduce the number of calories even further, but it would definitely alter the taste. Sometimes it's not worth going that far. I'd rather have less of something I love, than to be able to have all I want of something I hate.

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115 calories / square is about as low as I think possible for these treats. After seeing another spark members recipe that claimed each square was only 57 calories I decided to double check it using the specific brands I usually buy.

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Everyone has their own favorite stew recipe, and this one is definitely mine. It's a recipe I got over 10 years ago from a Campbells / Swanson's recipe book, and I've been enjoying it ever since. In my opinion, some recipes get too elaborate with too many ingredients. This one is wonderful in its simplicity; just meat, carrots, and potatoes in a delicious gravy.
I've even been known to make this into a chicken stew by substituting boneless skinless chicken thighs (flavorful dark meat) and chicken broth, with terrific results.

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These are by no means low -cal, but one portion of a pan cut 8 x4 yielding 32 bars, is ok as an occasional treat.

Cook's note: I would not advise substituting reduced fat peanut butter in this recipe. Having tried this myself, I can say that they turn out hard as bricks. Sometimes portion control in moderation is better than a substitution.

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I got this recipe from an ad for Colavita olive oil over 10 years ago, and my family just loves it. My normally picky eaters can't get enough of my "green noodles". Fresh basil sold in the supermarkets as potted plants will work fine, (not the stuff sold in the plastic clamshells), but whenever it's possible, I pick it fresh from the garden.

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If 90 /10 % lean ground beef is unavailable, and you ned to use 80/20% lean ground beef, this makes a leaner end product.

Bad (1 rating)

While Kraft Mac & Cheese is by no means a "health food" it still is a comfort food. This is how I've been preparing it since switching to smart balance buttery spread several years ago. Even with my substitutions it is still very caloric and high in sodium, simply because of the way the company processes the mix. My goal in making the substitution was to reduce the calories while still having it taste just as good. If prepared according to the package directions a 1 cup serving = 410 calories. Using skim milk and smart balance makes a 1 cup serving 375 calories. Granted the 35 calorie difference isn't huge, but every little bit helps when you're trying to lose weight and still want some of your old favorites.

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Serve 1/2 cup over 2 split popovers. (separate recipe from KEC)

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serve over turkey newburg

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a nice alternative to the "fried" variety