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!

Dining Out Southeast: Hatter Cafe, Mentone, AL

As part of my Birthday Month, we traveled about an hour to the lovely little town of Mentone, Alabama to dine at The Hatter Cafe.

As you can imagine, this is an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant and I was overwhelmed with wonder from the time we entered until we finished our meal.  So much so that there will be a separate blog post just for the decor!

We were warmly greeted by Chloe as we entered and she immediately confirmed our reservation and escorted us to our table.  The tables aren't numbered here, but named.  We were seated at the Humpty Dumpty Table and you will definitely want to check out the next blog post to experience it as we did!

We started off with iced water as we looked over the menu.  Look at these glasses!

Each place setting has its own unique doily placemat and napkin ring.  

We began our dining experience with stuffed mushrooms.

There were five per order.  The mushrooms were tender, but not soggy.  The filling was a nice combination of breadcrumbs and (maybe) cream cheese.  Minced parsley and shredded parmesan were available for topping your individual mushroom if you desired.

Chloe was almost a vision of Alice herself.  She handled the dining areas solo and kept every table on track and drink orders refilled promptly.

Sweet Harold chose the pan-sauteed catfish (it's also available Cajun style) with baked potato salad (served cold) and honey balsamic glazed carrots.

We'll start with his catfish.  In two words:  loved it!  Very lightly breaded with panko and sauteed just until done.  Perfectly seasoned (more on that later) and not one bite had that greasy taste that can come from the deep fat fryer version.  Added bonus:  the tartar sauce was homemade and had a dill flavor that was the ideal accompaniment to the fish.

The baked potato salad was a nice contrast to the catfish.  

It was topped with shredded sharp cheddar and crumbled bacon and very lightly dressed with mayo.  He gave it two thumbs up as well.

And then there are the carrots.  If there are carrots on the menu, SH will order them.  I knew this was going to be a selection and hoped they would meet his approval.  They did.

Now, my turn!

I always, without fail, want to order crab cakes.  Now y'all know sometimes those crab cakes are "Bread Crumb" cakes with a little bit of crab.  I trusted my instinct that these would be all that.  Oh, they were!

The order had two large jumbo lump crab cakes served over Southern Hot Corn.  This is my new favorite side dish.  So much flavor.  I had read where some diners thought it was too spicy.  Well, as we all know, spiciness is in the mouth of the beholder.  For me, it had a great balance of heat and flavor. 

Look at those pieces of crab!

Back to the seasoning I mentioned above.  Neither of us even thought of reaching for the salt or pepper shaker.  Everything arrived at the table with the seasoning exactly right.

When Chloe came around to ask if we wanted dessert, we didn't hesitate for a moment.  We had been saving up those Weight Watchers points for this!

Sweet Harold ordered the Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding with Custard Sauce (and yes, he added ice cream).  

Another winner!  I'm not a fan of raisins or bread pudding so I didn't ask for a taste, but even if I had, I'm not sure he would have given me one.  Yes, he scraped the bowl clean.

I ordered the Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake.  I declined the offer for ice cream because I don't like the ice cream making my cake soggy as it melts.

Anyway, this delightful and beautiful cake was served in an individual tea cup.  To me, it was more brownie than cake (which was perfectly fine with me!) and with hot fudge sauce in the middle with a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar on top.  

As you can see, the presentation on all the dishes was spot on across the meal.

I'll share pictures of the menu below.

Don't forget to come back and check out the next blog post for all the decor and a peek into the gift shop located next door.

The Hatter Cafe is worth the drive to Mentone, not merely because it's whimsical, but because the food actually lives up to the setting.

Thank you Hatter Cafe and Chloe for being a fun and delicious part of my Birthday Month.  We hope to see you again soon.