Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Taste of Home! Step in from the cold and warm up with a winter-themed meal featuring Snowman Party Stew and Cauliflower Snowman.

Now that 2008 is here, use light recipes like Zesty Turkey Spaghetti Sauce and Mock Caesar Salad to help stick to your New Year’s resolutions.

You won’t have to give up all sweet treats, especially with these delicious light desserts. Plus, find healthy diet tips from other readers for advice on shedding those holiday pounds and eating healthy all year.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the new Web site for Taste of Home. Now you'll find even more information about each of your favorite recipes. For example, Snowman Party Stew includes links to Related Recipes and Related Meals as well as Related Tips and Related Videos.

You can also sign in to add, save and rate recipes using "My Recipe Box." Plus, you can tell everyone about how you change, modify or prepare a recipe by using the "Add Comments" option.

• In this issue:
• Snowman Meal
• Looking for Lighter Fare
• Light Desserts
• Healthy Eating Tips

 

Snowman Meal

Youngsters will dig right into this playful potato-topped Snowman Party Stew, loaded with ground beef and vegetables, from our Test Kitchen. The dashing details are easy to add after baking.

A homemade white sauce seasoned with Swiss cheese and garlic salt adds great flavor to this speedy Cauliflower Snowman.

Edible Evergreens require only two ingredients and are a snap to assemble. Just gather the edge of a fruit roll as you wrap it around a sugar cone "trunk" to make pretty evergreen "branches."

Creating this charming Sweet Snowman is even more fun than building the real thing—and you don't need mittens to do it. All the purchased treats kids love give this frosty fellow his engaging identity.

SNOWMAN PARTY STEW

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen vegetables for stew, divided
• 1 can (10-1/4 ounces) beef gravy
• 2 cups mashed potatoes (prepared with a small amount of milk)
• 16 whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup ketchup

In a skillet, cook beef until no longer pink; drain. Remove 24 peas and one carrot chunk from the stew vegetables; set aside. Add the remaining vegetables to beef. Cook until vegetables are thawed. Add gravy; mix well.

Pour into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Top with eight mashed potato snowmen, using 1 tablespoon of potatoes for each head and 3 tablespoons for each body. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, cut the reserved carrot into eight strips. Insert one strip into each snowman for a nose. Place three reserved peas on each snowman for buttons. Add peppercorns for eyes. Drizzle ketchup between head and body to form a scarf. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Find more stew recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

CAULIFLOWER SNOWMAN

• 6 cups cauliflowerets
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 10 whole ripe olives
• 1 baby carrot

In a large saucepan, cook cauliflower in a small amount of water for 6-7 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain well. In a medium saucepan, saute onion in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add salt, garlic salt and pepper. Place half of the cauliflower in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish; top with half of the sauce. Repeat.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Add olives for eyes and mouth and a carrot for the nose. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Find more cauliflower recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

EDIBLE EVERGREENS

• 6 green Fruit Roll-Ups, unrolled
• 2 sugar ice cream cones

With a scissors, cut roll-ups widthwise into thirds. Gather each piece, beginning with a long side, to form ruffles. Place ice cream cones on a serving plate. Starting at base of cone, attach ruffles by wrapping around cone. Pinch at top to form a point. Yield: 2 trees.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Fruit Roll-Ups brand, which has fruit pieces measuring approximately 5 x 5 inches. If roll-ups have precut designs in them, place unrolled fruit between two sheets of greased waxed paper. Microwave on high for 10-15 seconds. Roll fruit flat with a rolling pin. Remove waxed paper.

Find more food craft recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

SWEET SNOWMAN

• 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting
• 3 Sno Balls
• 3 wooden skewers (8 inches)
• 1 chocolate wafer (2-1/2 inches)
• 2 chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies
• 1 piece red shoestring licorice (12 inches)
• 2 brown M&M's
• 1 piece candy corn
• 5 miniature chocolate chips
• 3 semisweet chocolate chips
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Place 1 teaspoon vanilla frosting on top of each Sno Ball. Stack Sno Balls on a serving plate on top of each other to form the snowman. Cut skewers slightly shorter than the height of the snowman; insert through the center of Sno Balls to secure them. Place chocolate wafer on top to form hat brim. Place a dollop of frosting on top of one sandwich cookie; top with other cookie. Attach to wafer with frosting to create the hat. Carefully tie licorice around snowman for a scarf.

Use frosting to attach M&M's for eyes, candy corn for nose, miniature chips for mouth and semisweet chips for buttons. Dust confectioners' sugar around base of snowman if desired. Yield: 1 snowman (3 servings).

Editor's Note: Hostess brand Sno Balls are coconut marshmallow-covered chocolate cakes with cream filling.

Find more food craft recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

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Looking for Lighter Fare?

“Zesty Turkey Spaghetti Sauce is good for you because it calls for lean cubed turkey instead of meatballs,” says Sue Yaeger of Boone, Iowa. “For extra flavor, I add turkey pepperoni to the sauce, along with fresh green pepper, onion and mushrooms—the seasonings can be modified to fit anyone’s tastes.”

Mock Caesar Salad—a lightened up version of the classic—is a tasty compliment to a soup or main dish. “Best of all, the thick, creamy dressing has all  the flavor you’d expect with just a fraction of the fat,” says Sue.

“My husband, Mike, made Chocolate Mousse one night using skim milk and a few lighter convenience items,” Sue explains. “The result was this fluffy rich-tasting dessert that the kids and I request time and again.”

ZESTY TURKEY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

• 1 pound uncooked turkey tenderloin, cubed
• 1 medium green pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 jar (15-1/2 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup sliced turkey pepperoni, halved
• 1/2 cup dry red wine or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 10 ounces uncooked vermicelli

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, saute the turkey, green pepper, onion and mushrooms in oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, wine or broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Uncover; simmer 15-20 minutes longer or until thickened. Meanwhile, cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain. Serve with sauce. Yield: 5 servings.

Nutrition Facts: One serving (1 cup sauce with 1 cup vermicelli) equals 428 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 77 mg cholesterol, 752 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 37 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 3 vegetable, 2-1/2 starch.

Find more spaghetti sauce recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

MOCK CAESAR SALAD

• 1/3 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups torn romaine
• 1/2 cup fat-free salad croutons
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

In a small bowl, whisk together the first seven ingredients. In a salad bowl, combine the romaine, croutons and cheese. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Yield: 5 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups equals 90 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 299 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 fat, 1/2 starch.

Find more lettuce salad recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

• 3/4 cup cold fat-free milk
• 1 package (1.4 ounces) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
• 1 tablespoon chocolate cookie crumbs

In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes (mixture will be very thick). In a mixing bowl, beat the sour cream, cream cheese and vanilla. Add pudding; mix well. Fold in whipped topping.

Spoon into individual dishes. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup equals 186 calories, 9 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 263 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 fat, 1-1/2 starch.

Find more mousse recipes using the Taste of Home Recipe Finder.

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Light Desserts

Nanette Swinson from Hope, Michigan didn't have much confidence that our Test Kitchen home economists would be able to pare down her gooey brownies, but she was pleasantly surprised with Makeover Rocky Road Fudge Brownies. The lighter version has all the sweet satisfaction but about 40% fewer calories and less than half the fat and saturated fat than Nanette’s original.

Cottage cheese is the secret to this creamy slimmed-down Cherry Cheesecake Pie submitted by Sandra Lee Herr of Stevens, Pennsylvania. It's festively topped with sweet cherry pie filling.

"The first time I made these sweet chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, I didn't tell my family they were low in fat," says Julie Hauser of Sheridan, California. "Their reaction when they found out? 'No way!'"

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Healthy Eating Tips

• In an effort to reduce the fat in my family’s diet, I use 97% extra-lean ground beef in any recipe that calls for ground beef. I brown the ground beef in fat-free beef broth instead of oil. The ground beef keeps its moist texture and beefy flavor.
  —Georgia C., Raymond, New Hampshire
• I have always loved cinnamon toast, but I’m watching my calorie intake these days. So I toast slices of diet bread and spray them with Parkay no-calorie spray. I mix cinnamon with a little Splenda sugar substitute and shake it on my toast. It’s a wonderful treat with a cup of coffee. —Elizabeth C., Shrewsbury, Missouri
• I am on a very low-salt diet and struggle when making some of the old recipes my husband likes. For example, several casseroles call for very high-sodium ingredients like onion soup mix. So I came up with a handy substitute. I use two packets of very low-sodium beef bouillon powder and 2 tablespoons of dried minced onion. This doesn’t significantly change the taste or texture of the dish. But because it now has only 10-15 mg of sodium instead of 400-500 mg, we both can enjoy it.
  —Sue T., Pasadena, California
• On a low-salt diet, I’m allowed just 1,000 mg of sodium per day. So I use Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Seasoning Blend and cider vinegar instead of salt at the end of cooking dishes such as stews, soups and sauces. Sometimes I add a little sugar if needed to boost the flavor. When baking, I use no-sodium baking powder instead of regular baking powder. It can be found in health-food stores.
  —Betty L., Sacramento, California
• My husband, who is diabetic, and I are watching our weight and trying to cut fat in our diet. For a treat, I make low-sugar cupcakes and muffins. Then I top them with fat-free sugar-free frosting. To make the frosting, I combine a package of fat-free cream cheese with a little vanilla, cornstarch and sugar-substitute. This makes enough frosting to top 24 cupcakes or muffins.
  —Diana B., Olympia, Washington
• To measure out the correct amounts of foods listed in a recipe or on a diet plan, I use a food scale that is accurate to the ounce. It’s so easy to get the right amount of an ingredient, such as pasta, especially if you’re taking it from a partially empty box. I also buy weighed meats from the deli for sandwiches so I know I’m within the limit for a meals’ serving. —Betty K., Florrisant, Missouri
• Being on a low-fat, low-sodium diet has its challenges. I like to substitute fresh parsley for salt called for in most recipes. To keep the parsley fresh, I cut 1/2 inch off the bottom of a bunch from the grocery store and put it in a glass of water like a bouquet. I cover with a plastic bag from the produce department and keep it in the fridge. It lasts for several days. This works with fresh cilantro, too. —JoEllyn M., Reedsburg, Wisconsin
• Substituting whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour is a great idea and can be an easy way to sneak extra fiber into your diet. For best results, it is recommended that equal proportions of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour be used. Keep in mind that baked goods made with whole wheat flour tend to be denser and have a coarser texture. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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