Oh, yes.

So, one of my favorite things to get at Outback or Chili's is the Blooming Onion/Awesome Blossom. So good. Well, what do you know, I found a recipe for a way to make it by baking it instead of frying! Suh-weet. Here it is:

1 large sweet onion (the biggest one you can find)

1 T. butter, melted

2 t. Dijon mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)

3 T. dry bread crumbs

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Dipping sauce:

1/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. mayo

1.5 t. dried minced onion

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. dill

With a sharp knife, slice 1/2" off the top of the onion. Peel the onion. Cut the onion like a pie, into 16 wedges, but stopping about 1/2" from the root end so that you don't cut all the way through.

Place the onion on a double thickness of foil. Fold foil up around the onions and seal tightly. Place this in a baking dish and bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and mustard. When the onion is done, open the foil and fold the foil down around the onion. The onion should fall open a little, you can spread the pieces out a bit more with forks. Brush the butter mixture over the onions. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over. Bake again for 18-25 minutes or until crispy and tender. The tips of the onion pieces should turn dark.

Combine dipping sauce ingredients and enjoy when it's done!

Yum. Of course it's not quite as good as the real thing, but hello, so much better for you. It'll do.

Makeover Mac 'n Cheese

So, I am a subscriber to the Taste of Home brand magazine, Healthy Cooking. I love it. One of the things I love most about it is that readers can submit their favorite recipes that are, shall we say, not exactly "lite," and ToH's cooks will revamp the recipe and make it a million times better for you, but still really, really yummy. It's pretty cool. I have yet to submit a recipe, but I will someday. As you can probably gather from the title of this post, someone submitted a recipe for homemade mac 'n cheese. When I saw it I thought, yeah, no way that is going to be as good as regular homemade mac. But I tried it anyway. SO good. I love it. Beware, it makes a LOT. We STILL have leftovers and I've been eating some every day for a bit. Here you go...

Makeover Macaroni and Cheese

1 pkg. (16 oz) elbow macaroni (or whatever noodle you want)

2 T. flour

2 c. milk

1 pkg. (16 oz) reduced-fat process cheese, (e.g., Velveeta) cubed

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in process cheese and 1/2 c. cheddar until smooth. Drain macaroni. Stir into cheese sauce.

Remove from heat; sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Now, for the best part. Get this:

Nutrition Info for 1 serving of the original Mac n Cheese:

Calories: 593

Fat: 32 g

Saturated fat: 20 g

Cholesterol: 100 mg

Nutrition Info for 1 serving of the makeover Mac n Cheese:

Calories: 403

Fat: 11 g

Saturated fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 36 mg

Carbs: 54 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 23 g

And really, this makeover recipe was yummmmy. Mac n Cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods. I am so glad I found a recipe that will let me eat it without killing myself slowly. :)