Sweet Potato Casserole

2 or 3 Large sweet potatoes peeled & sliced                         
1 or 2 cups shredded havarti cheese                            
2 tablespoons melted smart balance margarine                   
1 refrigerated pie crust                                       
Cooking spray for the pie pan                                  
Dash of salt                                                   

Peel & slice sweet potatoes into thin slices (use a food processor if you have one).  Spray non-stick cooking spray on a pie pan. Use one pie crust to line a pie pan.  Layer sliced sweet potatoes on the bottom of the pie crust.  Next lightly drizzle fat free margarine (like Smart Balance) on the sliced sweet potatoes.  Sprinkle shredded Havarti cheese (adjust amount of cheese to your liking).  Repeat the layers until the pie is filled.  Top the pie with a dash of salt. Use extra crust for decoration on the top.   Bake at 400’ for 40-45 minutes or until crust & cheese is a golden brown. 

Variations: Add a layer of sautéed chopped spinach (use frozen).  Sauté a box of frozen spinach in a teaspoon of fat free margarine or olive oil.  Add a ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic.  Drain all excess liquid from sautéed spinach.  Use spinach as an additional layer.

Serves 6

Fresh Tomato Sauce

20 ripe plum tomatoes sliced and seeded                        
1/3 cup olive oil                                              
1 clove mashed garlic                                          
Pinch crushed red pepper flake                                 
6-8 fresh basil leaves                                         
Pinch salt                   

In a pot put olive oil, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and 20 sliced & seeded tomatoes.  Cook over low heat for 1 hour and periodically mash tomatoes with a masher.  Add fresh basil leaves after one hour and cook on low for another 20-30 minutes.  You could also use 2 large cans of whole plum tomatoes instead of 20 fresh tomatoes.  If sauce if to tart, add a pinch of sugar.  Sauce is ready to serve after 1 1/2 hours, you can also cook on medium heat for 1 hour for a quicker serving time.
Serves: 4
Eat with pasta, pizza, or lasagna.

Easy Pulled Pork

1 pork butt or shoulder                                        
1/2 can ginger ale                                             
1 peeled & sliced onion  
                                     
Trim the fat off the pork.  Place pork in crock pot,  put sliced onion over pork, pour ginger ale over pork.  Cook on low-medium heat for 12 hours.  Pork will fall off the bone when done.  Once pork is done, take it out of crock pot & place on a plate.  Let pork cool for 15-20 minutes.  Clean out crock pot.  Pull pork off the bone and put back into the crock pot.  Put your favorite BBQ sauce over the pork & mix.  I prefer Sweet Baby Rays.

Serves: 12