Makes: 12
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
3 1/2 pounds peeled new potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, divided
1 cup fat-free half-and-half (like Land O' Lakes)
2 or 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
4 ounces softened fat-free cream cheese
Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium. Add garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Set aside. In a Dutch oven, cook potatoes in boiling water for 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash potatoes in a large bowl. Stir in cooked garlic, 1/4 cup Gouda cheese, the half-and-half (see note), peppers, margarine or butter and cream cheese. Mix until well-blended. Spoon into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Gouda cheese and bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Note: If you can't find fat-free half-and-half, use whole milk, NOT regular half-and-half.
Per serving: 160 calories, 7 grams protein, 3 grams fat (16 percent calories from fat), 1.2 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 7 milligrams cholesterol, 146 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
OH BOY! IT'S A SHIRT ... CAKE (Sunday)
Makes: 20
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: baking the cake (follow box directions); standing time: 10 minutes
1 (18.25-ounce) Dad's favorite-flavor reduced-fat cake mix (like Sweet Rewards)
1 (16-ounce) container reduced-fat vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
Prepare Dad's favorite cake using a mix; bake in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty foil (see note). Cool 10 minutes. Then, use the foil to lift cake from pan and cool completely. Line a sturdy shirt box with a sheet of teal-colored, extra-wide plastic wrap that extends about 8 inches on both sides of box. Remove foil from cake; place cake in box. Cover sides and top of cake with frosting.
To make a tie: Fold a 12-inch sheet of extra-wide teal-colored plastic wrap lengthwise into an 18-by-3-inch strip. Pinch three inches from one end. Cut a 1/2-inch piece from bottom; wrap it around pinched area to secure and form a tie knot. Cut 3 more inches from bottom; set aside for pocket. Trim end to shape tie bottom; lay tie lengthwise on center of cake. Lay small strips of another color plastic wrap on tie to make stripes; secure with frosting if necessary.
To make the pocket: Trim the 3-inch piece of wrap into the shape of a pocket; place on one side of cake.
To make the collar: Fold a 6-inch sheet of teal plastic wrap in half to make a 9-by-6-inch sheet; fold into a 9-by-2-inch strip. Cut a small "V" into center of folded strip to form collar opening. Place on cake over tie knot; push ends into frosting so wrap stands slightly upright like a shirt collar. Let frosting dry completely. Fold ends of plastic wrap over cake and place top on shirt box.
NOTE: To line pan easily, turn pan upside down and press sheet of foil around it. Remove foil. Flip pan over and drop foil inside. Crimp edges of foil to rim of pan.
Per serving: 204 calories, 3 grams protein, 4 grams fat (18 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 39 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 248 milligrams sodium, no fiber.
NO-FUSS LASAGNA (Wednesday)
Makes: 12
Preparation time: 20 minutes; chilling time: 6 hours to overnight
Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
4 cups lower-fat marinara sauce (like Healthy Choice or another brand)
2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup low-fat small-curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
12 ounces uncooked regular lasagna noodles
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix together ricotta and cottage cheese, parsley and garlic. Pour 1 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of pan. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles in the pan so that they touch, but do not overlap. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over noodles. Top with 1/2 the mozzarella. Top this with 1 cup sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, the remaining cheese mixture and the mozzarella. Add another cup of sauce, the remaining noodles and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, 1 hour 15 minutes.
Per serving: 222 calories, 14 grams protein, 5 grams fat (18 percent calories from fat), 2.5 grams saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 459 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.