A Hint of Spring...

The forecast for the weekend sounded too good to be true. Both days have been sunny and warm enough to open windows. I took a walk this afternoon and the mountains of snow are beginning to melt. I do believe spring will come after all.

Since I knew it was supposed to be nice and I would have a chance to get out I planned my table accordingly. The crock pot came out of hibernation and became the center of my food preparation. Here is what is on the table this week:

Cheese Straws
Tuscan Chicken and Sausage Stew
Watermelon Peach Salad

Brunch on Sunday:
French Toast with Fresh Fruit and Yogurt

The cheese straws were very easy. The flour, butter, seasonings, and cheese all were in the processor until the dough formed a ball. The dough was rolled out and cut into long strips and baked. They were the crunch factor with the stew and the cayenne pepper gave them a bit of a kick. Will do them again. 2 points for 3 straws

The stew was a real winner. Cubed chicken (both white and dark meat) are browned as is chicken sausage cut in 2 inch pieces. The browned chicken is the bottom layer in the crock pot. The rest of the layers are sliced cremini mushrooms, chopped red onion, chopped garlic, and seasonings. A package of thawed artichoke hearts and a chopped red pepper are added. Chicken broth is poured over the top and the mixture is cooked on low for about 6 hours. Lots of flavor and the aroma is mouth watering. Should be a nice dinner with the rest of the cheese straws for most of the week. 1 1/2 cups of the stew is 9 points.

I'm not a fan of watermelon, or any melon for that matter. However the picture of the salad was so colorful I couldn't resist. The watermelon and peaches are cut in bite size cubes. An English cucumber is thinly sliced and added. I had some jicama left from last week, so I cut it in thin strips and tossed it in with the rest. Not much in the way of dressing, salt and champagne vinegar are added and left to marinate with the fruit and cucumber for about 15 minutes. At serving time thin slices of green onion are added and a bit of crumbled goat cheese. I may have changed my mind about watermelon....at least when it's mixed with other fruit. Refreshing and colorful. 1 cup is 4 points

With the stew as the centerpiece, I didn't feel the need for a soup. Instead I tried a simple French toast with fruit for brunch on Sunday. Since the toast is baked in custard cups in the oven, it is necessary to cut an 'X' in the center of the bread before dipping it in a mixture of beaten egg, a bit of water, cinnamon and nutmeg. The cups are sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. The bread is gently tucked into the cup. It is baked for about 15 minutes and cooled for a bit. Removed the cups to the serving dish and fill the center with your choice of berries. I used blueberries, blackberries and sliced strawberries. A spoon of non-fat Greek yogurt (my favorite is Fage) on the berries and just a tiny drizzle of maple syrup over the top. This recipe didn't come out of the Weight Watcher cookbook, but from Food Network. I estimate one serving is about 4 points. It's a very pretty dish and whatever fruit is in season would make it very versatile any time of year.

That's it for this week. Stay dry, since by Thursday the temperature might reach the upper 50's. Bye Bye snow, bring on the spring flowers.