Lolly's Mexican Street Corn Casserole

I started out with the idea to have a Weight Watcher friendly version of a street corn side dish.  With a few tweaks, I was able to make a delicious casserole that in no way tasted or looked like "diet food."  In fact, I believe next time I might just add some shredded chicken to make it the main course!

1 can Del Monte Street Corn, drained
1 can Del Monte Fire Roasted Corn, drained
½ medium onion, finely diced
1 small can diced green chiles, drained
1 small fresh jalapeño, finely diced
5 oz. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
3 T. Duke's mayonnaise
1 cup Reduced Fat Mexican Blend cheese, shredded
A little additional cheese for topping
1–2 T. lime juice
1 t. chili powder
½ t. smoked paprika
½ t. cumin
¼ t. garlic powder
2 T. chopped fresh chives or cilantro

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray an 8 × 8-inch baking dish with olive oil spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin and garlic powder.

Stir in corn, onion, green chiles and jalapeño.

Fold in 1 cup of the reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle a little additional cheese over the top.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the cheese is beautifully browned in spots.

Let it rest for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle generously with the fresh chives before serving.

Pork Sirloin Roast

I recently came across a Pork Sirloin Roast at Food City.  I'll be honest, I have never cooked a pork sirloin roast.  But this was a good price and I was feeling adventurous.  

I didn't want to heat up the oven, so I opted to use the air fryer and the roast setting!

But first I needed to season this roast up!

I sprayed the roast lightly on both sides with olive oil spray.  Then I sprinkled all of these all over the roast!

Then into the air fryer on "Roast" for 35 minutes.  I checked it at 32 minutes and it was right at 145℉.  Perfect!  I let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

This roast was flavorful, beyond tender, and super easy.  I mean, really, how more simple could it be?  Season, 35 minutes in the air fryer, 5 minutes of resting, and dinner was served!

I'll be purchasing more of these!

Air Fryer Cube Steak

Sweet Harold requested cube steak for his Sunday supper.  I knew that battering and frying was not going to be Weight Watcher friendly.  So the air fryer to the rescue!

Super easy and no mess from frying.  That's a win.

I seasoned the cube steaks with onion powder, granulated garlic, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper and placed them on the grill pan for the air fryer.

I cooked them at 400℉ for six minutes, removed them from the air fryer, and then flipped them over to the other side.

After another 4 minutes, they were all done!

I had also cooked sliced potatoes in the air fryer instead of mashed potatoes (save on those Weight Watcher points!), green beans, and creamed corn.  

This was a nice Sunday Supper.  

Sloppy Joe Potato Pile-Up

I continue to experiment with ingredients with zero Weight Watcher points while striving to get delicious flavors and food that doesn't seem like deprivation.

On the WW plan that I am on presently, potatoes have zero points which helps tremendously when you only have 23 points on any given day!  Weigh Zero Points against Four Points for a regular burger bun.  See?  You have to be creative.  

So I decided that I wanted Sloppy Joes, but didn't want to use any more points than I needed to.  Sloppy Joe Potato Pile-Ups was the result!  A delicious result as well.

Here's what I started the process with:

1 lb. 93/7 ground beef

2 cloves of garlic

1 can Manwich

5 medium-ish potatoes

Reduced Fat Mexican Blend Cheese

Finely Chopped Onions

Fresh AND pickled jalapenos (I prefer fresh; Sweet Harold loves the pickled variety)

I peeled and diced the potatoes and lightly sprayed with olive oil spray.  Then I seasoned them well with Hardin's Seasoning.

I placed them in the air fryer on 425℉ for about 10 minutes, then flipped them around with a metal spatula and put them back in for about another 6-7 minutes.  You want them golden brown and crispy!

While the potatoes were cooking, I prepared the beef.  In a large skillet over medium high heat, I browned the beef, breaking it up as it cooked.  Halfway through I added the chopped garlic cloves and let the meet finishing browning.

Then I added the Manwich, lowered the heat to low and let it simmer while the potatoes finished cooking.

Now the fun of "piling up!"

This is a salad sized plate, y'all.  I didn't fill up a big dinner plate.

I had about two cups of the diced potatoes.

Then I spooned over a couple spoonfulls of the Sloppy Joe mixture.

Next about 2 Tablespoons of the reduced fat cheese.

A little onion and a few slices of jalapenos.

And just a tad of sour cream to finish it off!

Of course, if you wanted to add red onion or guacamole or whatever topping you like, please do!

Our verdict?  YUM!!!

Lolly's "Lighter" Peach Cobbler

Now that Sweet Harold and I are having great results on our Weight Watcher plans. I wanted to make a nice dessert for Labor Day, but knew I'd have to watch the sugar (calorie) content!

The result?  A buttery, peachy cobbler made with Splenda and Zero Sugar Italian Sweet Crème Coffee Mate.  Yes, I replaced the sugar with Splenda and the milk with the coffee creamer!

Now this is the often repeated and reposted dump it all into the baking dish without stirring method to allow the crust bake up through the peaches.  Was it the same consistency of a regular peach cobbler? No.  Was it satisfying to have a peach dessert for Labor Day and not have to feel deprived?  You bet!

4–5 cups peeled, sliced peaches

1 cup Splenda, divided

½ cup water

6 T. butter

1½ cups self-rising flour

1½ cups Zero Sugar Italian Sweet Crème Coffee Mate

Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the peaches, ½ cup Splenda, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Place the butter in a 9×11-inch baking dish and put it in the oven until the butter is melted.

In a mixing bowl, combine the self-rising flour, remaining ½ cup Splenda, and Italian Sweet Crème creamer along with a 1/2 t. of cinnamon. Stir until smooth.

Pour the batter over the melted butter. Do not stir.

Spoon the peaches and their syrup over the batter. Do not stir.

Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the batter is set in the center.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Use 1 cup Splenda total: ½ cup for the peaches and ½ cup for the batter.

The 1½ cups of Zero Sugar Italian Sweet Crème replaces the milk.

A 9×11-inch baking dish gives the cobbler a deeper layer than a 9×13.

Baking time may vary depending on the depth of the dish and how juicy the peaches are.

Around Lolly's Sideboard: Paris in Summer

I decided to call this sideboard display "Summer in Paris."  These are some of my most favorite pieces and I enjoyed them for most of the summer, but am just now getting around to sharing them with y'all.

These glasses were purchased at Williams Sonoma along with the larger ones on the shelves next to the dinner plates.  The pitcher with the fleur de lis motif was a purchase from the former Classic on Noble restaurant after they closed their doors for the final time.  It's nice to have a little bit of that history here at my home.

My nephew gave me this really cool (and clever!) French toast tea towel.  It always makes me smile.

I found these two plates at an antique store years ago.  I really need to find the others in the set.

If you've never tried any of her recipes, please do.  This is one my bestest cookbooks.

This set of dinnerware was purchased at Dillard's.  I absolutely love the shape, design, and color.  Not only is it a beautiful color to use during the summer months, it's lovely at Christmas time as well.

This really made an inviting display through late July and Augusst!

Take a Trip with Me Down the Rabbit Hole to Hatter Café, Mentone, AL

 

Last night, we drove up to Mentone and enjoyed a delicious meal at The Hatter Café.

Now y'all know when you go down the Rabbit Hole, things can get a little "unhinged."  Things that should be big are small.  Those that should be small are huge.  Straight becomes crooked. Time gets altered. You begin to wonder what exactly happened to you when you walked through the door.  In short, I began to feel as bewildered as Alice must have felt!

So, here we are.

I attempted to put these photos into some sort of chronological or sensible order.

I gave up.

Here they are in all their wonderful Mad World of the Mad Hatter glory. 🎩🐇🫖

And after you enjoy the delicious meal and the exceptional service, walk across the drive to the Gift Shop and go down another Rabbit Hole!