CHEERS!
And what better way to welcome Fall then with a toast to health & happiness and a trip to Federici's in Freehold for some of their super delicious pizza...
...complete with their famous cracker-thin crust. Always a winner! J Welcome Fall, indeed!
After pizza, we did something that has been VERY out of character for me lately...
That's right: We went for ice cream.
Jersey Freeze has been featured on many a 'best of'' list/TV shows...and for good reason, they have some of the creamiest & richest custard in ye ole Garden State...
Ask Scott, he thinks their milkshakes are some of the best ever...but my eyes were focused on their list of featured flavors for the evening...
And to welcome myself back into the world of ice cream, I went with a small cup of cake batter ice cream with rainbow jimmies....
Sweet, super creamy, rich & luscious...this certainly isn't a bad 'welcome back', no? (although I'd be lying if I didn't say it felt oddly bizarre to chow down. I think it'll be a while before I indulge in ice cream again...it's just so strange right now. Who knew? J)
The rest of the weekend was spent getting everything properly FALL-ized....from my stock up of Fall soap scents from Bath & Body Works (mmmmm...Creamy Pumpkin!)
Finding great Fall-appropriate shopping bargains. My new pretty plaid ('Italy appropriate!'...eeeee!!) purse: originally $25, marked down to $14 and rang up $7! SCORE!J
Breakin out my "you're never too old for candy apple" flavored lip glossJ ...
And completely festooning my house with all things pumpkins & leaves...
And if that above picture is any indication, the other huge part of this weekend was the return of...
College Football! I can't say I was ever much of a football fan, but now that is a TRUE indication that Fall has arrived in our house: well, I've come around in my fan-domJ
And football's returned just REQUIRED a fun dinner! After perusing some recipes, I managed to make not only a VERY FUN and FOOTBALL FRIENDLY dinner....but get this: This one is COMPLETELY GUILT FREE!!!!
Awesome, right??? Who says football/sports snacks have to be loaded with fat & calories?? Try out these recipes the next time the big game is on...you & your waist line will thank me!
And dinner all come together with the help of one handy kitchen tool: The food processor...
First up was a recipe I stumbled on in my Weight Watchers cookbook: Chickpea cakes. I figured we needed something a little more 'hearty' to hold us over, and the protein in the chickpeas just hit the spot. In the processor you whirl up:
- 1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
Mix until smooth, scoop mixture into bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. (meanwhile, you can work on your OTHER dish...see belowJ)
Once the mixture has been chilled, roll into about 10 small cakes & coat both sides in MORE cornmeal. (mix will be super sticky...but they will firm up, trust me!)
Finally, cook chickpea cakes on a skillet spritzed with olive oil and cook for 4-5 minutes. Spritz the tops of the cakes with a bit more olive oil and flip over to finish off cooking for another 4-5 minutes.
Topped off with a little salsa and WALLAH! Crispy, creamy chickpea cakes with a little ZIP from the SAL-SA! These were awesome! And if you think these aren't "guy food", guess again...Scott polished off the other EIGHT of these babies! They were that good!
But I must say: TOP HONORS OF AWESOMENESS for the evening went to our OTHER dish...
Bethenny's Guilt Free Spinach Artichoke Dip!!! This tastes like the most decadent and delicious spinach artichoke you've ever tasted, but with a 1/2 of the fat and NONE of the fake, nasty ingredients from other low/non-fat recipes.
Guilt Free Spinach Artichoke Dip
Adapted from The Skinnygirl Dish
Serves 6
- 1 bag frozen artichokes (9 oz), defrosted & drained VERY well
- 1 box frozen spinach, defrosted & drained VERY well
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta
- 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Blend all ingredients in a bowl with a food processor or immersion blender.
- Serve cold OR pour mixture into a oven-proof pan, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Allow dip to sit for 10 minutes.
- Serve!
How easy and fantastic is that????????? And believe me...it is as fantastic as it is simple! You could fake ANYONE out with this dip...no one would EVER know it was guilt-free!
In fact, I loved it so much that I'm whipping it up today for our little Labor Day get together. And if you need some last minute picnic ideas, here are a few to try out:
And one dish I will be making today: Sweet Potato Salad
Alright, well I hope you guys are enjoying one last lazy day of this long weekend! Kick your feet up, enjoy your day and I'll see you tomorrowJ
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