Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Rich, sweet, healthy--or at least not too unhealthy.  These are things divas adore.  This mousse pie is another.  And easy.  Really easy.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

1 can pumpkin

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg to taste

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, softened

1 graham cracker pie crust

Mix the pumpkin with the spices.
Add the yogurt.
Mix well and pour into pie crust.
Freeze for a few hours.
Move to refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.

 Make it a meal:  Dessert is a meal, darling.

Wine:  Coffee with Irish cream

Creamy Corn Salad

This is the perfect accompaniment to any Mexican dish.  I served it last night with my Creamy Burrito Casserole (see post).  Is that too much creamy for one dinner? This diva says impossible!  I adapted this from my latest Cooking Light magazine.  Theirs calls for Cotija cheese.  Say what? It's something close to Parmesan or Romano. 

Creamy Corn Salad

1 can of corn

2 pinches sugar

1 small scoop mayonnaise

3 squeezes lime juice

3 shakes chili powder

1 shake coriander

1 dash salt

3 pinches Parmesan cheese

Saute corn with a bit of olive oil and the sugar.
Add mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, coriander, and salt; stir.
Sprinkle cheese over corn.
Serve warm, room temperature, or cold!

Make it a meal:  Serve with above mentioned burrito casserole and skip a green vegetable tonight.  You can make it up with a big salad for lunch tomorrow.

Wine:  Chardonnay goes nice with creamy.  Another option is a Spanish red like Tempranillo. 

Pan Bagnat

Oooh, what a lovely name for a sandwich.  Just assemble, wrap, and refrigerate.  Simple!  Divas are complicated, so simple food is a must.  This is the perfect picnic food.  The real Pan Bagnat is made with tuna.  Mine is made with deli roasted chicken, but turkey, or ANYTHING will work.  Also the traditional sandwich has hard-boiled eggs, but I didn't feel like making those today. 

Also I made mine with a multi-grain baguette, but a sourdough round would do nicely.

Busy Divas Pan Bagnat

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

4-ish Tbsp. olive oil

sliced roasted chicken

1 baguette

chopped onion (mine are pickled--see recipe)

sliced red roasted pepper (from a jar is easy)

sliced tomatoes

oregano

Optional:  capers, olives, artichoke hearts

Whisk the vinegar and mustard, then add some olive oil. 
Cut the baguette in half; remove some of the bread to form a cavity.
Layer the chicken slices, onion, and red pepper.
Drizzle some dressing on top.
Add some tomato, then some more dressing.
Top with oregano.
Cover with the other half of the baguette, slice, and wrap each part in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 3 hours up to overnight.

Make it a meal:  Serve with Spicy Bean Salad (see recipe).

Wine:  Beaujolais

Corn Dog Muffins

So, I'm not a big corn dog eater, but it's Fathers Day and Father is a fan.  The rest of the menu included greasy ribs and baked potatoes with lots of butter.  Hold the salad.

Corn Dog Muffins

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

a couple of hot dogs (I like Hebrew Nationals)

Make the mix.
Grease some mini muffin tins.
Pour mix into the empty spots.
Cut the dogs into about 1 inch pieces.
Squish the dogs into the middle of the batter.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool for 5 minutes before trying to remove.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of Creamy Burrito Casserole (see recipe).

Wine:  Champagne!

Creamy Burrito Casserole

My husband loved this.  He went back for thirds!  Make this on a rainy Sunday and have it for lunches all week.  Ole!

Creamy Burrito Casserole

1 pound hamburger 

onions, diced

1 package taco seasoning (I prefer to make my own)
 
3 large flour tortillas
 
1  can refried bean

shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup sour cream

Optional:
1 tomato, diced
sliced olives
 

Brown hamburger and onions. 
Drain off grease. 
Stir in taco seasoning, refried beans. 
Mix soup and sour cream in a pretty bowl. 
Put 1/2 sour cream mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. 
Tear 1 1/2 of the tortillas in small pieces and spread over sour cream mixture. 

Put 1/2 the meat mixture on top of that.

Add a layer of cheese.

Repeat the layers.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

Options:  Top with tomatoes and black olives and garnish with guacamole.

Make it a meal:  Serve with a small side salad.

Wine:  Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Eggs

These are lovely appetizers.  They are rich.  Divas love rich!  They are a gorgeous breakfast.  Bring these to your next garden party and they will disappear quickly.  

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Eggs

Hard boiled eggs

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard

Real bacon bits

Shredded cheddar cheese

Mash the egg yolks with everything else. 
Stuff into the empty spot in the whites.  Duh.

Make it a Meal:  These are already a great breakfast on their own. 

Wine:   Champagne

Spicy Bean Dip

You can, of course make this as spicy or mild as you like.  Being a Busy Diva, I like mine SPICY.  Hot stuff is what I'm about.  Make it healthier by using fat free ingredients, just watch the amount of sugar in those products.  Busy Divas don't want to become Diabetic Divas.

Spicy Bean Dip

1 can refrained beans

1/2 brick cream cheese

2 glops sour cream

Some chopped up jalapenos

hot sauce--I pour it on

smoked paprika

garlic powder

cumin

chili powder

oregano

1 handful shredded cheese (I like Monterey  Jack for this recipe)

Mix everything except the cheese together in a pretty bowl.
Transfer it all to a pretty baking dish.
Spread the cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Serve with some nice tortilla chips or crackers.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of Chicken with Saucy Cranberry (see recipe) and green beans.

Wine:  Something red like a nice Cabernet Sauvignon