Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

WARNING: THIS IS EXTREMELY GOOD AND NOT LOW FAT

I found this recipe in a Southern Living Magazine and made it this past weekend for Jay's family.


Ingredients

1 boxed fudge brownie mix (prepare in 13x9 pan)

10oz pkg peanut butter chips

2 13oz pkgs mini peanut butter cups

4c cold 2% milk

2 pkg (5.1oz each) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 c creamy peanut butter

4 tsp vanilla extract

3 8oz cartons frozen whipped topping, thawed

Add Cooking Step

Directions

1. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13x9 pan at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (be careful not to overbake). Cool on a wire rack and cut into 3/4 inch pieces.

2. Cut peanut butter cups in half ans set aside 1/3c for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes, or until soft set. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in 1.5 cartons whipped topping.

3. Place 1/3 brownies on the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon 1/3 pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping. Garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled.

Add/Edit Notes

Notes:

20 servings

Lazy Lasagna

I got this recipe from CookingLight.com We enjoyed it! ( I cut this recipe in half for just us, but this is the original recipe):

1 lb ground lean beef
1 26 oz jar low fat spaghetti sauce
1 16 oz carton fat free cottage cheese
2 tblsp Parmesan cheese
1 8 oz pkg precooked lasagna noodles
1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook meat in large skillet until brown. Drain. Add sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. Combine cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.
Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture in bottom of 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over the meat mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture; 1 cup meat mixture;1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat these layers ending with noodles. Spread the remaining meat mixture over the noodles. Cover and bake for 30 min. Uncover, sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese and bake 5 more min or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Pepper Jack Meatloaf

I have never been a big fan of meatloaf. The very few times I have made it, I always look for a different kind of meatloaf recipe to change things up a bit. I tried this one last night, and it wasn't too bad. Jay really liked it, I would rather have something else....I did like the pepper jack cheese though!

Pepper Jack Meatloaf

1 egg
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 chopped onion
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 to 1 1/12 lb ground lean beef
1 cup of pepper jack cheese,shredded

In a large bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper. Crumble the beef over the mixture and mix all together well. Press half of the beef mixture onto the bottom and half way up the sides of a greased 8 in x 4 in loaf pan. Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the meat to within 1/2 in of the sides. Pat the remaining beef mixture over the cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Servings:6 Some versions said you can serve with salsa. We used good old fashioned ketchup!

I served it with green beans and brown rice.

Low Fat Beef and Bean Bake

8 ounces extra lean ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 15.5 ounce can of black beans, drained
1 14.5 ounce can no salt added tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tbsp no salt added tomato paste
3 8 inch tortillas
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray large size skillet with Pam and heat to medium-high heat. Cook beef until no longer pink. Add onion, jalapeno and cumin and cook until onion is soft. Stir in beans, tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with Pam. Place 1 tortilla on the bottom. Spoon half of the beef and bean mixture on top. Place a second tortilla on top of that, followed by the rest of the beef and bean mixture. Place the third tortilla on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve. Top with a little fat free sour cream. Jay ate a little salsa with his. I served mine with mexicorn on the side. Very good!

Taylor Family Beach Vacation

Laser Tag: Jay won, of course. I think he cheated!

Happy One Year to us!

Mom, Dad, and Adrian came over on Saturday for the day!

Looking for wildlife behind our cottage. Saw nothing besides wasps!

Eva Michael loved the pool!

Some good lookin' guys right there!

Putt Putt

Our sweet cottage!

Putt Putt with Uncle Jay!

After we ate at Bubba's. The best meal we had down there!

We had the BEST time! Looking forward to next year!

One Year Ago....

a couple of important events took place in our life.

First, our beautiful niece Eva Michael was born. May 15, 2009


And yesterday, May 15, 2010, we celebrated her 1st birthday party at Foscue Park in Demopolis.


I cannot believe she is a year old! We have loved every minute of being Uncle Jay and Aunt Reba! We love seeing her grow and change. She brings such joy to our family!

And second, on May 16, 2009, I married my best friend.


And today, May 16, 2010, we celebrated our one year anniversary. I cannot believe we have already been married a year! Time flies when you're having fun! These past two years that I have been with Jay have honestly been the best of my life. We have enjoyed our first year of marriage and look forward to the many years we have together as husband and wife! I thank my Lord for blessing me with such a strong, confident,Godly, handsome, supportive, giving, and compassionate man! I am so thankful to be Rebecca Taylor!

New Addition

We have a new addition to the Taylor house:




And we love it! Jay loves to grill and last night we had bar-b-que pork chops and they were wonderful!

No recipe this time. I fixed carrots and brown rice to go with the pork chops.

For Dessert:

Cinco de Mayo

We stayed in for Mexican on Cinco de Mayo. I found a healthy WW recipe online for baked chimichangas and they were pretty good! I took a picture of them that night and today realized my memory card was not in the camera when I took it. Oh well, but here's the recipe.

Baked Chimichangas:

8 ounces ground 90% lean turkey or beef ( I used beef)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup chunky salsa

1 teaspoon chili seasoning

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

1/4 cup no-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 475° F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil-flavored cooking spray.

In a large skillet sprayed with olive oil-flavored cooking spray, brown meat and onion. Stir in garlic, 1/2 cup salsa, and Jo's chili seasoning. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup meat mixture into center of each tortilla. Lightly spray tops with butter-flavored cooking spray.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

For each serving, place a chimichanga on a serving plate, spoon 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream over top.

Serves 4 (2 each). Serving size (2 chimichangas)

This came with the recipe: Per serving: 276 Cal, 8g Fat, 2g Fiber Healthy Exchanges: 2 Bread, 1 1/2 Protein, 3/4 Vegetable, 15 Opt. Cal. Diabetic: 2 Starch, 1 1/2 Meat, 1 Vegetable

WW Points: 6 pt.

I served it with black beans.

(picture I got online)

Pollo Loco and Rachael

Rachael is in town for a work trip/visit this week and we've enjoyed her being here! Wednesday night I made strombolli's (Daph, you were there in spirit!) and last night I made a new recipe that I am calling Pollo Loco. It was very tasty and very easy because it was from the crock pot!

Pollo Loco:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of mexicorn
1/2 pkg of taco seasoning
1 jar of salsa
1 8 oz of cream cheese
1 pkg flour tortillas

In a crock pot, place the chicken breasts, taco seasoning, mexicorn, and salsa. Cook on low for about 6 hours. For the last hour (around hour 5) put the pkg of cream cheese on top. The cream cheese will melt in the dish. After it's done cooking, get a tortilla, fill up, and roll into burrito! (The chicken shreds as it cooks) Can be served with black beans, or what we had, Bush's Grillin Beans Black Bean Fiesta..they were good also!

I forgot to get a picture of the dish, but here is Rach eating the dish!

This was dessert. My sweet cousin Dana not only gave me the recipe for Pollo Loco but she made 3 small chocolate chip cake's for us for dessert! Yum! Thanks again!!

Shepherd's Pie

This recipe I found on kraftfood.com and it was so good! I haven't had shepherd's pie in years and thought it would be something different I could try to make. And it wasn't bad nutritionally either! Calories 320, Fat 9 g, and Dietary Fiber 6 g, for a total of 6 Weight Watchers Points for a serving size of 1 and 1/2 cup! I was excited!

Shepherd's Pie:

1-1/4 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks

3 large cloves garlic, peeled (I used garlic powder)

3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream

1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

2 Tbsp. flour

4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

3/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth

2 Tbsp. ketchup

PLACE potatoes and garlic in large saucepan; add enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 20 min. or until potatoes are tender. Drain; return to saucepan. Add sour cream; mash potatoes until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.

HEAT oven to 375°F. Brown meat in large nonstick skillet. Stir in flour; cook 1 min. Add vegetables, broth and ketchup; cook 5 min. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with potatoes.

BAKE 18 min.; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 box of spaghetti noodles
2 oz of cream cheese
1 1/2 cup of sour cream
1/3 cup of green onions, chopped
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the meat and drain. Boil the noodles and drain. Mix sauce in with the meat. Put the cooked noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, and green onions. Spread this mixture on top of the noodles. Then spread the meat and sauce mixture over the sour cream mixture. Top with as much cheddar cheese as you want. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. After that time is up, uncover and bake for additional 5 minutes. Can be served with salad or bread. Tastes good!

Home Sweet Home

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

We are finally in our new house!! We are so excited to have a place of our own! Jay's parents, sister, and uncle came up this weekend and helped move all the big and small stuff. We could not have done this without them! They worked so hard and we are so thankful to them! Words cannot describe how much we appreciate what they did! We are looking forward to their next visit! We love you guys! Here are a few pictures of the house with stuff in it! (some pics are not good quality cause of the lighting..I'm not a pro!)

Front door/foyer area. Mirror will be hung on the wall. Room to the right is office.

This is all that is in the office right now. My cousin Dana gave me this. I love it! The office eventually will have a desk, treadmill, and hopefully a futon sofa or something similar. The office has a high ceiling.

Guest bedroom, a.k.a. Alabama Room: Photography by Tracy L. Taylor
Last night was our first night to stay in our home and Tracy was our first guest to try out the guest bedroom!

Guest Bathroom. There is a nice size linen closet behind the door. And you can't see this in the picture, but the ceiling is also very high.

Inside shot of guest bathroom.

Living room.

Dining area

Kitchen. I'm not used to all the counter space! Thank you Mrs. Terri for organizing the kitchen for me!!
New appliances!


Master Bedroom. I didn't get a picture but there is a big walk in closet that Tracy organized for us! Thanks Tracy!

Master Bathroom. The "love" sign will be hung on the wall. There is also a walk in shower and a double vanity.

And this picture is for Sonny. Yes Dad, we watered the plants today!

So that's our new home! It's still a work in progress but we love it and are thankful for it! We are blessed! The Lord gave us this house and we give it back to Him! He is the reason we have this house. We give God the glory! Thanks again Mr. Jeff, Mrs. Terri, Tracy, and Uncle Brad!!! You all did SO much and we still can't tell you thank you enough!!