Noodling around on the internet I happened upon a peppers download from the Univ of Calif. It had an apricot pepper jelly recipe that is very similar to the big batch but using powdered pectin. It has more apricots, more vinegar and less sugar. No onions but I could sub some for some of the bell peppers. I would finely dice the veggies rather than put them in the blender. APRICOT PEPPER JELLY Makes 6 half-pint (250-ml) jars. 1 1âÂÂ4 cups dried apricot halves, finely slivered 300 ml 1 cup red or green bell pepper strips 250 ml (about 1 medium-size pepper) 1âÂÂ3 cup chopped jalapeno or other hot 75 ml pepper, stems and seeds removed 2 cups cider vinegar (5%) 500 ml 4 cups sugar 1 L 1 package powdered fruit pectin 1 package 1âÂÂ2 tsp butter or margarine 2 ml 5 drops red or green food coloring 5 drops (depending on the type of pepper used) 1. Cover dried apricots with boiling water. Leave for approximately 10 minutes. Drain. 2. Combine bell pepper strips, chopped hot peppers, drained apricots, and 1âÂÂ2 cup (125 ml) vinegar in a food processor or blender. Process until partially ground with small chunks remaining. Pour into a saucepan. 3. Mix 1âÂÂ4 cup (63 ml) sugar with pectin. Stir into fruit mixture. Add butter and food coloring. 4. Bring to a boil quickly, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in remaining sugar. 5. Bring to a full boil, stirring, and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. 6. Skim foam off the top. Then ladle jelly into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1âÂÂ4 inch (0.5 cm) of headspace. 7. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Secure lids and ring bands, and process in a boiling water bath as prescribed in Table 8. Table 8. Recommended Processing Time for Apricot Pepper Jelly in a Water Bath Canner Processing Time at Altitudes of 0-1,000 ft 1,001-6,000 ft above 6,000 ft Jar Size half-pint or pint 15 min 20 min 25 min

Here's a recipe I copied from a Cook's Illustrated "Healthy" Cooking magazine. It's really not bad, and I'd load it up with a bunch of steamed vegetables, probably some broccoli, red peppers, maybe peas or peapods, some mushrooms. Use whatever you like and that sounds good, the vegetables will add lots of bulk and few calories to the final dish. The notes included in the recipe are not mine, they were included in the original recipe. Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo Most standard recipes for Fettuccine Alfredo call for copious amounts of cream, butter and cheese. We wondered if a slimmed-down version of this decadent dish would be worth attempting and, most importantly, worth eating. Much to our excitement, we found we could cut three-quarters of the fat from our original recipe and still produce an Alfredo big on creamy, rich flavor and texture. Here are some of the ways we did it. Test Kitchen Discoveries Instead of heavy cream, we used a combination of whole milk and half-and-half to create a reduced-fat sauce that was both creamy and rich-tasting. To replicate the thickening effect of heavy cream, we settled on a roux made with just 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons of flour. This combination thickened our sauce effectively. By adding just a pinch of nutmeg and a lot of fresh-ground pepper, we were able to give our sauce a robust savory flavor. Simmering a crushed garlic clove in the sauce added an even deeper level of flavor. Traditional fettuccine alfredo has 580 calories, 43 grams of fat, and 27 grams of saturated fat per main-course serving. Our Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo has 320 calories, 12 grams of fat, and 6 grams of saturated fat per main-course serving. 1 tbls unsalted butter 2 tsp all purpose flour 3/4 cup whole milk 1/4 cup half and half 1 garlic clove, peeled and lightly crushed Salt and pepper Pinch nutmeg 1 cup grated parmesan 1 9 oz. package fresh fettuccine Cook pasta in 4 quarts water Heat butter over medium heat in large saucepan until foaming. Whisk in flour until mixture is smooth and golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Wisk in milk, half and half, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and nutmeg and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard garlic, stir in parmesan and remove from heat. Add 1/3 cup pasta water and cooked past; toss until evenly coated. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Add more cooking water as needed to thin sauce to proper consistency and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately in warmed bowls. Annie

That sounds yummy. Which reminds me I had Chicken Marasala for the first time yesterday at lunch. Yummo! I rarely eat the entire dish at a restaurant, but I ate every bit of this. Well, not so much on the mushrooms just a couple. Mine was served with sauted Spinach and Pine Nuts. Although I wasn't at Olive Garden this is their recipe. Olive Garden's Chicken Marsala 4 ea Chicken half-breast, boneless & skinless 1/4 cup(s) Flour ("Wondra" preferably) 1/2 tsp Salt Pepper to taste 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried 4 Tbsp Oil 4 Tbsp Butter (or margarine) 1 cup(s) Fresh Mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup(s) Marsala wine Procedures Pound chicken breasts between sheets of "Saran Wrap" until about 1/4" even-thickness Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano, blend Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shake off excess Heat oil and butter in frying pan over medium heat. Cook the breasts on medium heat for about two minutes on the first side, until lightly brown Turn breasts over to second side to cook, add the mushrooms around the chicken breasts Cook breasts about two more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side, stir the mushrooms When lightly browned, add Marsala around the chicken pieces, cover and simmer for about ten minutes Transfer to serving plate.

I will throw in a pork chop one I have used for years and shared with many, easy and very good. Crockpot Pork Chops 4-6 boneless center cut pork chops salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion 1 small can mushroom pieces or chopped fresh mushrooms 1/2 cup diced celery (optional) 1 can cream of onion soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2Tbs worchestershire sauce Tonys Cajun seasoning to taste Cut onion into slices and place on bottom of crock pot. Salt and pepper and season chops, to taste. Layer chops over onion slices. Drain mushrooms; dump on top of chops. Add celery, if desired. Mix two soups and worchestershire sauce in a bowl, then spread over layers in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice. This can be done on top of the stove also but I lightly flour chops and brown them in a little oil along with some chopped onions and the celery if using it. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook till chops are done. I use fresh mushroom when I have them. and this is my crockpot stew recipe, it is the only way I do stew now. Crock Pot Stew 1lg red onion chopped 2lg carrots well scrubbed cut in rounds(do not peel) 2red potatoes cubed(i don't peel) 1pk lipton onion soup mix 1stalk chopped celery sliced mushrooms(fresh)about a handful(this is optional) 1lb lean stew meat 1can cream of onion soup or cream of celery soup 1/2cup flour 2TBS worstershire sauce 1 1/2to2TBS cajun seasoning(I use Tony Chacheres) 1TBS garlic salt 1soupcan of milk 1soupcan of water *1cup frozen peas Spray inside of crock pot with pam. Put flour and meat in a zip lock bag and shake till coated Put all ingredients in crock pot, pour meat and flour in crock pot(all of it) Mix VERY well (add any other seasonings you desire) *Put the frozen peas in during the last 30 mins of cooking Cook on high till potatoes are done (4hrs) *optional ingredient 1TBS kitchen bouquet(adds flavor)