Slow Cooker Lightened Up Baked Potato Soup

December 29, 2021 Amanda Plott

To celebrate this Winter season a bit more, I decided that even though it was still 70 degrees out, I was going to make some baked potato soup. Not just your average baked potato soup either. But the loaded kind. The kind that warms not only your stomach, but your heart too!

I've had a BUNCH of leftover potatoes from the holidays, and what better way to use those up than in a potato soup? For this soup, it really doesn't matter what kind of potato you use, but I went with russet. I kept the peels on about half of them and removed them from the other half. That's because I like the peels, but too much is too much and I didn’t want the soup to be brown. I lightened this soup up simply, by using reduced fat evaporated milk and cheese…

Christmas Cake Roll

December 22, 2021 Amanda Plott

With Christmas just a few days away now, I thought I would try my hand at making a dessert to have on hand that was not only festive, but tasty too! I really enjoy roll cakes, even though they aren’t the easiest of cakes to make, they are always super impressive. Especially when you make them colorful and halfway homemade; which is exactly what this Christmas Cake Roll is!

I started off with a simple box mix that I whipped together, colored, baked, and then filled with a homemade buttercream frosting. The frosting here is always the best part, that’s because it’s homemade and not out of a can. Although, I will say that everything has its place. Even canned frosting…

Caramel Popcorn (Instant Pot)

December 16, 2021 Amanda Plott

Sometimes, a girl just needs some caramel corn.

Way back in the day there was this amazing microwavable caramel corn that was my most favorite movie night treat in all the world. And… then it disappeared off store shelves to never be seen again. What’s a girl to do? Well, apparently it’s not enjoy warm gooey caramel popcorn for years and years until they stumble across the notion that they can just make it themself.

This caramel corn takes it a step further. It’s able to be homemade with all your own ingredients and with little time and effort. And let me just tell you, this stuff is delicious!…

Gingerbread Waffles

December 13, 2021 Amanda Plott

I’ve been using the hell out of waffle maker ever since I got it. I’m sort of in love with the idea of making everything into a waffle at this point, and gingerbread was not about to escape! These Gingerbread Waffles are easy to make with the help of some waffle mix, molasses, and gingerbread spices to boot. They are perfectly gingerbread flavored without being over powering and make for the best festive breakfast option during the holidays!

Being as these are made with a mix, the only thing you can really do here to lighten them up is potion control. My waffle iron makes big giant Belgian style waffles that take a full cup of batter to make. I was able to get 4 large waffles out of what I made and half of one of these waffles is plenty for me…

Pecan Upside Down Cake

December 1, 2021 Amanda Plott

This tasty upside down cake has been winterized for your pleasure! That’s right, I’ve taken a classic upside down cake and made it into something that’s more festive to the season with ooey gooey pecan topping! This Pecan Upside Down Cake is super easy to make with most of the ingredients being pantry staples and it’s perfect not only for dessert, but also as a sweet option for breakfast or brunch.

This cake is the perfect mix of a pecan pie and an upside down cake. All of the pecan crunch and goo paired with a simple cake mix. I prefer this to be served warm and straight away with some homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream…

Biscuit & Gravy Waffles

November 22, 2021 Amanda Plott

Waffles, waffles, waffles! These waffles are extra special and made with a quick and easy to make biscuit like batter and then topped off with a homemade sausage gravy that takes no time at all to come together. I saw this idea a while back and once I got my waffle maker, I knew it was going to have to be on my list of things to try out.

The biscuit waffle batter is super simple and made with just a handful of pretty standard ingredients. I went with a self-rising flour just because I happened to have it on hand and I knew that it would help fluff these waffles up in just the right way.

I kept these lightened up by swapping in unsweetened almond milk where I could and also by using a turkey breakfast sausage instead of pork. My waffle maker makes REALLY BIG waffles. About a quarter of one of these waffles could stand to be a serving, but I am completely full and satisfied with half of one of these bad-boys.

These waffles ended up crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside while that sausage gravy on top was perfection to the biscuit and gravy goodness!

Biscuit & Gravy Waffles

Yield: 8

Author: The Skinny Fork (Amanda Plott)

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 6 MinTotal time: 21 Min

Biscuit waffles topped off with a tasty homemade lightened up sausage gravy. Yep, that's right, biscuits and gravy in waffle form!

Ingredients

Waffles

2 1/4 C. Self-Rising Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
6 Tbsp. Butter
1 1/2 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Whole Large Egg

Sausage Gravy

1/2 Lb. Turkey Breakfast Sausage
5 Tbsp. Butter
7 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 Tsp. Seasoning
4 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk

Instructions

Biscuit Waffles

Preheat the waffle iron accordingly.
Stir together the 2 1/4 C. flour, 1/2 Tsp. salt, and 1/2 Tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.
Cut in the 6 Tbsp. butter until a course sand like mixture forms.
Slowly stir in the 1 1/2 C. milk and 1 egg until just coming together.
Spoon or scoop the dough onto the prepared waffle iron, close and cook according to waffle iron instructions. (Mine is right at about 6 minutes.)
Once done, remove from the waffle iron and set aside.
Rinse and repeat the cooking process with all of the batter.

Sausage Gravy

Cook the 1/2 Lb. sausage in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through and browned.
Add in 5 Tbsp. of butter along with the sausage to melt.
Add in the 7 Tbsp. flour and stir to cook for a minute or two to make your roux.
Whisk in the 1/2 Tsp. seasoning and slowly add in the 4 C. almond milk.
Bring it all barely to a bubble, whisking constantly.
Once the gravy starts to bubble, it should be getting nice and thick!
Turn the heat off and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

318.76

Fat (grams)

18.67

Sat. Fat (grams)

10.37

Carbs (grams)

32.28

Fiber (grams)

1.64

Net carbs

30.64

Sugar (grams)

0.27

Protein (grams)

5.67

Sodium (milligrams)

809.75

Cholesterol (grams)

47.65

Nutritional Claims: Sugar Conscious • Peanut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Red Meat Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free