Brocomoli Dip - SRC

During my growing-up years, my family never ate avocados. I don't think I even knew what one was, if you want to know the truth.
But somewhere in my adult years, I had my first taste of guacamole and I loved it.  It wasn't something I had often, but when I did, it was always a treat.

Several years ago, however, I developed some sort of sensitivity to avocados. One day after eating half of one for lunch, I had horrible stomach cramps and nausea for the next 8 hours. Didn't associate it with the avocado, just thought it was some sort of bug I picked up.
A few weeks later, the exact same thing happened. I realized the avocado connection and made the sad decision to eliminate them from my diet.

One time 2 years ago, I had a small bit of guacamole with a Mexican meal, like just a tablespoon or two, thinking that such a small amount surely wouldn't bother me. Same thing happened. Stomach cramps and nausea for 7-8 hours. Guacamole is definitely out of the picture for me. Boo.

So when I saw a recipe for Brocomoli on my assigned Secret Recipe Club blog for the month, I just had to try it.

I had the pleasure of browsing around Learning Patience this month, where Corey blogs about running and fitness, dealing with Type 1 diabetes, world travel, and of course, lots of food!

I would love to try her Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Romaine Veggie Salad, and I actually have the ingredients waiting in the fridge to make this luscious Mascarpone Cheesecake with Almond Crust.

But the Brocomoli was too tempting. I whipped it up in about 15 minutes and dove in. It's delicious!
Okay, so the kids didn't go crazy for it, but Grant and I declared it a real winner. Grant was skeptical at first, and although he won't replace guacamole in HIS diet for this dip, he was really impressed at how tasty it is and especially happy that I can have it too. :)

We ate it with crackers and corn chips, and Corey suggested using it as a spread for sandwiches too, which I'm sure would be great.

Brocomoli Dip
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets (use organic if possible)
juice of half a small lemon (I forgot to buy a lemon, used 1 T. bottled lemon juice)
zest of half a lemon
4 ounces low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 small bunch of green onions, diced
1 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp. sumac (optional - I didn't use)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Steam broccoli until tender.
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend thoroughly.
Store in the refrigerator and enjoy!

Note: Can be served hot or cold. Serve with crackers, chips, pita bread, as a spread for sandwiches, etc. 

Source: Learning Patience 

An InLinkz Link-up

Blueberry Muffins and a Birthday for for my Baby

A friend told me once, "Blueberries are like God's natural candy". I couldn't agree more. I have a hard time thinking of a fruit I enjoy more than fresh blueberries, especially ones we picked.
The kids and I picked 5 gallons of blueberries from local farms this June. Only 3 of those gallons made it to the freezer. In just a few weeks, we managed to eat 2 entire gallons of fresh blueberries. And we could have eaten more.

But I was determined to hide them away in the freezer for use throughout the fall and winter. I'm exceptionally stingy with them and won't let the kids just nibble at them whenever they want.
Sigh. One of these years we're going to have our own blueberry plants and not have to ration them so much. 

So my *baby* Miranda just turned 3 last week. Take a look at her.

Oh, this girl. So expressive, so affectionate, strong-willed, compassionate, clever, talkative, friendly, and full of sass. "Just like her mama," Grant says. (about the sass part)

And ohhhhh, those eyelashes. Just look at the upper right photo. 

Yeah. I'm jealous too. 

She is a blessing to our family and many others and just a precious delight. When she's not screaming, of course. :) 

We can't imagine our lives without her!

"Faces of Miranda"

Miranda is one of my biggest blueberry lovers. She would eat bowls full every day if I let her. So when deliberating what to make for her birthday breakfast, it didn't take me long to decide on blueberry muffins. (I decided against her original suggestion of spaghetti, mean mom that I am.)
Just as predicted, she was delighted, as were the rest of the children.

You just can't go wrong with tender, slightly sweet muffins with those juicy berries.
I decreased the sugar from the original by half, and the muffins are still sweet enough.
Of course, you can half the recipe if you're not wanting 24 muffins. I just always would rather  have too many than too little, and nobody complains about a leftover muffin the next day. I'm sure that extras would freeze nicely, too.

Blueberry Muffins
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Yield: 24 muffins

4 cups all purpose flour (can substitute white whole wheat)
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 cup oil (I use expeller pressed coconut oil)
1 cup milk, warmed in microwave
4 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil. Add the warm milk and vanilla extract.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined. 
• If using fresh blueberries, wash and drain them, then stir into batter. If using frozen blueberries, place in a colander and run hot tap water over them for about 20 seconds. Drain berries well, then stir into batter. (This step really helps - if you don't do it, the berries will clump together  when stirred into the batter. Trust me, I know.)
• Use muffin liners or grease 24 muffin cups. Fill cups 3/4 full and bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If making mini-muffins, start checking at 10 minutes. 
• Cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Source: Adapted slightly from Tammy's Recipes (I reduced sugar and amount of blueberries)

Jalapeno Popper Dip - SRC

Y'all have undoubtedly guessed by now that I have a major sweet tooth.  Like, it takes up my whole head sweet tooth.  It's a real problem.  

But if there were ever an appetizer that would tempt me to indulge in it instead of having dessert, this is it.
Well, in all seriousness, it's hard for anything to compete with a dish that features 3 (!!) kinds of cheese, bacon, butter, and the scrumptious flavor (but not much heat) of jalapenos.

"I just want to dive into that dip!" exclaimed my friend after she sampled it.
I wanted to join her.
And our husbands did too.
The kids didn't go crazy for it, but that was really okay, because the four adults who were there managed to eat at least half of it during the Super Bowl (which none of us were watching).

And you know what?  While the dip was really best with corn chips, it was also totally awesome on some leftover steamed broccoli the next day.  Which made me feel like I was really making healthy choices. Clearly I have issues. 

So many thanks to Heather, who blogs at Join Us, Pull Up a Chair, my Secret Recipe Club assignment for this month. She has lots of delicious sounding recipes like Sausage Stuffed Zucchini (can't wait for summer to try that one!) and Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin.  I'm also planning on making her Roasted Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup this week, which sounds ridiculously yummy and might even get my children to eat cauliflower without complaints!

But this dip....ohhhhhhh, this dip.  I'm still drooling over the thought of it a week later and am looking for the next excuse to make it.  Preferably a gathering where there are people to share it with, but not so many people that I don't get my fair share.  :)

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Note: Use care when handling jalapenos - the seeds and membranes can cause some serious burning issues on your fingers.  Speaking from experience here. I usually hold the cut jalapenos with my hand inside the plastic bag from the store - since I don't have food-safe gloves on hand.

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
8 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped (I used turkey bacon)
6 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Topping:
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375°.  In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients (except for the topping ingredients). Pour into a greased 2 quart baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients with a fork and sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Let rest 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with crackers, chips, or vegetables.

Source: adapted slightly from Join Us, Pull Up a Chair

An InLinkz Link-up

Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip

We actually did watch the Superbowl last night.

See, Grant is a Niner's fan....in theory.  Being that he's from San Jose, CA, which is just miles away from San Francisco, he grew up being loyal to the local team.....and although he hasn't watched a game of theirs in probably 20 years, when we found out they were in the Superbowl, we had to watch.

Completely over-hyped, in my personal opinion.....all the hoop-la over football.  That was a solid 4 hours and 15 minutes of my life.....and if it wasn't for the food and good company, I would consider it a complete waste of time.  (Plus, we had to miss Downton Abbey - which I recorded, but we haven't seen it yet.)
Even the commercials were disappointing for the most part, and don't even get me started on the half-time show.  Ugh.  Be a lady and use your amazing voice for something good, whydoncha?  And put on some clothes while you're at it.  Okay.  Soapbox over.

But good food and good company there was.....and this was my favorite dish of the night.

Chunks of peanut butter cups swirled in a creamy peanut butter flavored cream cheese and brown sugar dip.......perfect on graham crackers or pretzels....although I preferred the graham crackers.  So. so. so. scrumptious.  Like, dangerous to have in the house because I might just sit down and eat the whole bowl, scrumptious.

Fortunately for me, my family agreed with me on its deliciousness and I have lots of competition to get my fair share of the stuff.  I mean, I had the tiny bit of leftovers out for like three seconds and suddenly two of my kids appeared out of the wood-works and were snatching bites as fast as they could.

Yup.  New favorite.  And I won't wait till we watch another football game to make more.


Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip (from Shugary Sweets)

1/2 cup butter (I used salted)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped Reese's cups (or an 8 oz package Reese's peanut butter cup Minis)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar.  Whisk until completely combined and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.  Whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until creamy.  On low, add in cooled brown sugar mixture.  Mix until combined.  Fold in mini chocolate chips and chopped Reese's cups.  Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy with animal crackers, graham crackers, or pretzels.

Praline Party Mix

When I was trying to think of goodies that could be packaged up and mailed to friends for Christmas, I remembered seeing this version of a Chex mix and couldn't wait to try it.  

Pralines and cream is one of my top flavors of ice cream.....so I figured that anything boasting the praline flavor must be delicious.  Well, when you figure it's butter and brown sugar, what could possibly be bad about that?  And calories don't count. 

After I made the recipe and packaged it up, there was just a tiny bit left for snacking.  My mom enjoyed it so  much that she made several more batches to give to her friends and my dad's co-workers.  I lost track of how many cute treat bags she had.  Thankfully, she ended up with too much and we got to nibble on the leftovers for several days.

I have to admit, my mom's version was even better than mine - I think because she didn't use quite so many pretzels and used more cereal.  I left it the original way in the recipe - you can do how you choose.  I ended up using almonds and walnuts instead of pecans because they're a lot more affordable - and they were fantastic.  I'm sure pecans would be equally yummy, if they're in your budget.  

Maybe I should plant a pecan tree in my backyard.  I adore pecans.  When I was young, I remember my family going to my dad's work building and harvesting the pecans from some trees in the parking lot.  It was so much work to crack the nuts and pick out the meats....but definitely worth it.  

Praline Party Mix (adapted slightly from The Sweets Life)

1 (16 oz) bag of pretzels (sticks, rounds, or knots)

1 box Crispex or Rice Chex cereal

3 cups raw almonds, walnuts, or pecans - or mixture of all

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 250°.

Combine pretzels, cereal, and pecans in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt until it boils, stirring constantly. Boil for 4 minutes, stirring from time to time (the mixture will bubble and froth).

Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Pour the mixture over the cereal mix and stir until well coated.

Lay the cereal mixture in a large roasting pan or on cookie sheets and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread mixture on wax paper until cool. Store in containers with lids or zip-lock bags until ready to eat!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

Countdown to 2013 - Best Snacks/Appetizers of 2012

I am really enjoying participating in the Countdown - as usual.  It's so fun - and enlightening - to look back over the recipes of the year and see which ones have become family favorites, and I'm also seeing which food categories are sadly lacking in many new options. (Like the Soup/Bread category for me).  

Well, I won't be lacking in the category for tomorrow.  Can you guess what that is???

Pizza Rolls
These are so fun for people to eat - especially for kids.  They're a perfect food for a birthday party or a game night and any leftovers reheat wonderfully.  I'm sure they'd freeze well also.  

Cinnabon Popcorn

Yeah.  It's as good as it sounds.  I could eat this stuff all day long.

White Chocolate Popcorn

A fun variation on caramel corn, it's very popular with folks and makes great gifts.

Mini-Pretzel Dogs
I can't even tell you how excited my family gets when they hear I'm making these.  Especially Grant!

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
I love how fresh and healthy the fruit salsa is, and the homemade cinnamon chips are a great accompaniment or just a tasty snack on their own.  You can always buy some cinnamon sugar pita chips if you're short on time.


If you want to see other bloggers' favorites from this year, check out Finding Joy in my Kitchen's Countdown Series! 

S'Mores on a Stick

This is just about as easy and fun of a treat as you can get. 

For Annika's 5th birthday party, the theme was "Horses".  The menu included grilled hot dogs, carrots with dip, sliced apples ('cause those are things that horses eat, of course), chips, trail mix, Haystack cookies, lemonade and root beer, and these little goodies.  I figured s'mores are a campfire treat, and cowboys sometimes ate around a campfire (although probably not s'mores....), so it sort of fit.

The kids didn't care if it fit the theme, they just loved them.  Loved. Them.  They all would have eaten fistfuls of them if I had let them, but since these were keeping them occupied while I was getting the cake and ice cream served, I didn't want them to eat too many.

I can't remember where I found the idea - I searched so many blogs and websites for horse party ideas and didn't bookmark everything.  I do know that where I saw it originally, they used lollipop sticks, but I figured that craft sticks were much cheaper and would work just fine.  They did.....but I'm sure lollipop sticks would be great too.

I think these would also be great rolled in chopped salted peanuts or pretzels instead of the graham crackers - or dipped in melted Nutella - or covered with cute colored sprinkles - or any number of crazy ways you could make them your own.

Kids love food on a stick, especially when there's marshmallows and chocolate involved - and let's be honest - the adults do too. 

S'Mores on a Stick
Yield: about 18

18 Large marshmallows
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1-1/2 graham cracker sheets

Craft sticks or lollipop sticks
Floral foam blocks (for holding the treats upright)

1. Insert the sticks into the bottom of the marshmallows, making sure that they don't go all the way through to the other side.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and stir until smooth.
3. Crush the graham crackers in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin and then pour into a bowl.
4. Dip the marshmallows partially into the chocolate.  Scrape off any excess - you don't want it super thick.  You can also just use a spoon to spread the chocolate around on the marshmallows.
5. Immediately roll the chocolate-dipped marshmallow in the graham cracker crumbs. 
6. Set the stick upright into the floral foam.  Repeat until all the marshmallows are dipped. 
7. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.  Best eaten the first day, but okay on the second.

Linked to Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos), Trick or Treat Tuesday, Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

My favorite part about summer is the fresh fruits and veggies. 
I'm ambivalent about the beach (gasps of disbelief from some of you, I know, I know)......
I detest mosquitos, and don't even get me started on the heat and humidity. 
I am not a summer gal.
But I do have a tremendous appreciation for the produce. 

Unfortunately for us, our garden has flopped miserably this year - we did get a few meals worth of green beans and my basil plant is fine, but the tomatoes just didn't work out. Sooooo sad.  Fresh from the garden tomatoes are my favorite. 

I love the abundance of inexpensive strawberries throughout the summer, also.....and decided to take advantage of them last week by making this fruit salsa.  I made it several years ago and just adored it.....and for some unknown reason, hadn't made it since.  How silly of me.

The original recipe calls for raspberries, but they're on the pricey side, so I skipped them.  You could certainly add diced mango or peaches also.....I'm sure those would be delicious.

As is, though, it is such a treat.  And the tortilla chips are a completely addicting snack on their own, crispy and sweet and very similar to Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips, but a whole lot cheaper.

And when you scoop up some of the fresh fruit salsa on one of those chips, it's just a party in your mouth.
Love it.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips (adapted from Allrecipes)

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

1 Gala apple, diced

1 pound strawberries, stemmed and chopped finely

2 tablespoons fruit-only raspberry preserves (or other desired flavor) 

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

butter flavored cooking spray

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apple, and strawberries. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat fruit preserves until melted, about 20 seconds. Gently stir into fruit to coat evenly.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° F (175 degrees C).

Coat both sides of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. (or you can spread with a very thin layer of butter if you prefer).  Cut into wedges. I just stacked the tortillas on top of each other and cut them into 8ths all at once.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a pie plate or large bowl.

Dredge the tortilla wedges in the cinnamon-sugar, coating both sides. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes.

Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Linked to Crazy Sweet Tuesday and Trick or Treat Tuesday

Mini-Pretzel Dogs

You know how sometimes when you see a new recipe, it sounds so good that you just want to make it right then and there?

That's how I felt when I saw these.

Except it took me weeks to finally get around to making them.  

But they kept coming back to my mind over and over.  I just knew they would be fun to make, and that the kids would love them.  I had a feeling I'd like them too.

I had NO idea how much Grant would like them. 

When I made them on the 4th of July for a little cook-out we were doing, they smelled so good as they were baking and we couldn't wait to dig into them.....and I have to say.....they were the hit of the night. With children and adults alike.

Oh, we had delicious grilled chicken and some yummy salads and a fantastic berry trifle too.....but these humble little hot dog halves wrapped in pretzel dough were just amazing.  

I liked them dipped in a mixture of ketchup and mustard.....but even unadorned, they were fantastic. 

Mini-Pretzel Dogs - from Joy the Baker

Yield: 16 mini-dogs (half hot dogs)

1 ½ cups warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
4-1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
8 hot dogs, cut in half

For boiling:
about 10 cups of water
2/3 cup baking soda


For topping the pretzels before baking:
1 large egg, beaten, with a splash of water
Kosher salt or coarse sea salt and pepper for topping

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warm water and sugar.  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and set aside for 5 minutes.  The mixture will begin to foam and froth.  If it doesn’t, throw the mixture away and start again with new yeast.

Once the yeast and water is frothy, add the flour, salt, and melted butter.  Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until well combined.  Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough until it is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, creating a ball of dough around the dough hook.  Beat on medium speed for approximately 4 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl.  The dough will be soft, pliable, and just a bit sticky.  That’s perfect.  Scrape any residue out of the bowl and coat the bowl with a bit of oil.  Place the dough back in the bowl, sprinkle with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and store in a warm place to rise.  Allow dough to rise, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Place baking racks in the center and upper third of the oven.  Preheat oven to 425° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and lightly brush the paper with oil.  It’s important to brush the parchment paper or the pretzels will stick! 
(Note: I only baked one sheet at a time - if you bake both sheets at once, I would recommend switching the pans mid-way through the baking time)


Combine water and baking soda in a large pan (8 quart is fine) saucepan and bring to a boil.
While the water comes to a boil, turn the dough out onto a clean, slightly oiled work surface.  Divide dough into 16 pieces.


Start with the fingers of both hands in the center of the dough, and roll, moving your hands outward as you roll.  Roll the dough along the oiled surface until you have about a 12-inch piece of rope.
Wrap dough around a hot dog half, making sure to seal the ends.

When water has come to a boil, gently lower a few pretzel dogs into the boiling water.  Boil for 30 seconds.  Remove carefully, using a flat, slotted spatula.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  Brush boiled pretzels with beaten egg, and add coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Bake until deeply golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving warm.


Soft pretzels are best enjoyed the day they are made.
If you’re not going to enjoy all your pretzel dogs, double wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.  When ready to serve, transfer out of plastic and into a piece of foil.  Wrap well and bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes, or until heated through.

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

White Chocolate Popcorn

This is such a fun recipe.

It's quick to throw together, has that irresistible combination of sweet and salty, with the occasional bit of chocolate thrown in for good measure.  How can you go wrong with that?

Now, I will admit that I prefer the Cinnabon Popcorn for overall taste, but this is a great variation that is perfect for barbecues, movie nights, or for packaging up in little cellophane bags to give to friends, as shown here.

Corban and Marissa handed them out to all of their teachers at our home school co-op on the last day, with short hand-written notes attached.  A nice yet affordable token of appreciation.....as we had 12 teachers total to thank!  (I doubled this recipe to make sure we had enough.....we definitely did!)

Recipe: (adapted slightly from Alaska from Scratch)

2/3 cup popcorn kernels
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken
1 cup M&Ms
1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 T. shortening
Sprinkles, if desired

Pop corn kernels as you normally do - either in the microwave in a brown paper bag (if you use this method, you'll need to do it in two batches), on the stove top, or with an air popper (our method).

Put the popped corn in a huge bowl.  Add the pretzel sticks.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips with the shortening for a minute, then stir.  If not completely melted, heat again for 15 second intervals, stirring after each one.  When completely smooth, drizzle over the popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.  I drizzle a bit, stir, drizzle some more, stir, and so forth to evenly distribute the chocolate.

Add in the M&Ms and sprinkles if desired and stir some more.

Spread on wax-paper lined cookie sheets to dry.
Store in airtight containers.

Pizza Rolls

We love pizza.  

Okay, who doesn't love pizza?  

There's someone around this house (cough-Grant) who is particularly fond of  Barbecue Chicken Bacon Pizza, so that's what I usually make.  A couple of times a month at least. 

Not that I'm complaining...I love it too.....but it is nice to have different flavors once in awhile.

I recently had the chance to make some appetizers for a get-together and 

decided to make these Pizza Rolls.  

Homemade dough stuffed with pepperoni or bacon, two kinds of cheese, and some spices,

rolled up into an easy-to-grab-and-dip-into-pizza-sauce form.  

To be honest, I was worried that the cheese would leak out and make a huge mess,but thankfully, that wasn't the case at all.

We thought they were great!  

Since I actually made a double batch of this and we had tons of leftovers, we were delighted to munch away on them for lunch for a couple of days as well, although the kids actually preferred them plain, no sauce.  

Recipe: adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

 (makes 2 pizzas, which is 22-24 rolls)

*Pizza Dough

• 1 T. instant yeast
• 1 cups very warm water (110°-115°)
• 1 T. sugar or honey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 cups flour (I use at least half white whole wheat)

1 t. garlic salt

2 t. Italian seasoning (or just basil if you prefer)

1/2 cup sliced turkey pepperoni

1/2 cup cooked turkey bacon, chopped

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or pepperjack)

1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

For pizza dough:

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Allow to sit a few minutes until it gets foamy.

Add salt, oil, and gradually stir in flour until dough forms into a ball.  Knead by hand or with a dough hook in your mixer for 5-6 minutes.  Remove from bowl, grease the bowl, return the dough to the bowl and cover with a damp towel or greased wax paper.  Allow to rise in a fairly warm place for 20-30 minutes. 

To make the Rolls:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches long.  Just think about the size of a piece of notebook paper.

Sprinkle each half with equal amounts of garlic salt, Italian seasoning, cheeses, and pepperoni or bacon (or both!).  Starting at a short end (oops, I think I started at a long side....and they turned out just fine, so I guess it doesn't matter!) roll up dough tightly to form a log.  Slice into 1-inch pieces.  Place rolls on lightly greased baking sheets (or use Silpat liners - works great!).  Bake for 10 minutes or until browned on top.  Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Linked to Life as Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap: Grains

Cinnabon Popcorn

So the Super Bowl was last night.

The Giants won. 

We only knew that because we felt obligated to check the score after

Downton Abbey was over, just so we wouldn't appear to be completely ignorant to anyone who

might mention the game.

(Do you guys watch Downton Abbey?  After my sister introduced it to us via Netflix on her visit

here over the holidays, we have been seriously addicted. Seriously.)

Yeah, to say we're not football fans is probably the understatement of the year.

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy tasty snacks with friends! 

This has to be one of my favorite snacks ever. 

I am a huge fan of the regular Caramel Popcorn that I've made several times, and this recipe

is very similar, but with the additions of cinnamon, pecans, and a white chocolate drizzle. 

It was wildly popular with the friends who shared it with us as well, with requests for the recipe.

So here ya go.....enjoy every delectable bite!

Recipe: adapted from the Girl Who Ate Everything

16 cups popped popcorn (I used air popped, about 1/2 cup kernels)

1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped (optional)

1-1/3 cups brown sugar, tightly packed

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup karo syrup (or honey could work)

10 T. butter (1 stick plus 2 T)

1-1/4 tsp. vanilla

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3 squares almond bark

Preheat oven to 250° F.

Line two jelly roll pans with foil and set aside.

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside.  Use the largest bowl you have!!

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a large microwave safe bowl. Mix well.  Chop butter into chunks and place on top of the sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup over the top of everything.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds then stir to combine.  Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes.  Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.  *If you microwave it too much, your popcorn will turn out really hard.*

Remove from microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.  Stir to combine.  Mixture will foam and rise.  Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir very well so everything is well coated.  *Stir more than you think you need to!*

Spread popcorn mixture onto prepared pans.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir.  Melt almond bark according to package directions.  Drizzle over popcorn.  I found it easiest to put in a sandwich bag, snip off a tiny corner, and drizzle it that way. 

When the almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and enjoy!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I was in the mood recently to try a different granola bar recipe.  My family still loves these Chewy Granola Bars, but since good quality honey has gotten even more expensive and harder to find around here, I wanted to find a recipe that used less than 1/2 cup.  These are a delicious alternative and were liked by my whole family, which isn't always easy to do. 

I love the peanut butter flavor and would probably enjoy chopped nuts in these as well, so maybe I'll add some next time.  The flexibilty of granola bars makes them so much fun - you can add in whatever dried fruits or chips (chocolate, peanut butter, etc) or nuts or coconut you want or have on hand. 

I also liked using a combination of oats with this recipe - it just gave them a nice texture.  I'm sure you could use 100% of either and they would be just fine, though. 

Recipe: (adapted from Allrecipes)

1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 egg
2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3-1/2 cups rolled or quick oats (I used 1 cup quick, 2-1/2 rolled)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. 
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add in flaxseed and oats and stir to combine.  Add cranberries and chocolate chips (or other desired add-ins). 
Press into a buttered 13 x 9" pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Cut into bars after 5-10 minutes, after bars have cooled some but are still warm. 

Makes 18 bars.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

The kids and I went strawberry picking at a local farm a few days ago and had so much success picking luscious huge berries that we had a hard time stopping!  Our visit to the farm hadn't really been planned beforehand, so I wasn't sure what exactly to do with all the berries while they were still fresh.  We ended up making a quick stop by the grocery store for ice cream for strawberry shortcake and later made it to Wal-Mart to snatch up the last two packs of Ball (8 oz) plastic freezer jars (the ones with the purple lids - aren't they cute?).  They come in packs of 5, which was perfect, because each pack of pectin I had on hand made about 5 half-pints.  

I ended up following the recipe on the pectin package and we could not be happier with the end result.  It's not super jelly-ish, more like a strawberry spread really, but it is so delicious I'm sure we could eat both batches we made within a few weeks.  We're hoping to get back to the strawberry patch before the season is over so we can make some more jam.  

Spread it on some homemade wheat bread (recipe coming soon) and it's like dessert.  Seriously good.  

So like I said, we made two batches and got 11 pint jars plus some left over.  

Recipe: (from Ball Instant Pectin box)

1 packet Ball instant freezer jam pectin

1-1/2 cups sugar

4 cups crushed strawberries

In a large bowl, stir together pectin and sugar.  Combine well.  

In a separate bowl, crush strawberries with a pastry cutter and/or potato masher until thoroughly mashed.

Add berries to sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes.  

Ladle into pint jars and put lids on.

Let set for 30 minutes at room temperature. 

Can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for a year.  

The kids had so much fun they were begging to go back practically as soon as we left the place.  

This will definitely be a yearly tradition for us.  

Zannie's Black-Eyed Pea Dip

Trying desperately to stay a smidgen true to my southern roots and eat black-eyed peas for New Year's Day, I bought a can of them and intended to serve them plain (or drizzled with ketchup, which believe it or not, is really good).  Then I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman Cooks and realized that I had all the necessary ingredients and by golly, it sounded a lot tastier than plain black-eyed peas. 

Oh, it was.  Grant was a bit skeptical, I think, but he and I really enjoyed this dip.  So did my sister and her boyfriend, who got to help eat the leftovers a few days later. 

I had lots of bean dips, but never one with black-eyed peas.  While I'm sure that this one would be tasty with pinto beans or black beans, I thought the flavor of the black-eyed peas was really unique and delicious. 

Recipe:

1 (14-15 oz) can black-eyed peas

1/4 of an onion, chopped fine

1/4 c. sour cream

8 slices jarred jalepenos

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

3 T. salsa

Hot sauce, to taste

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Drain black-eyed peas and partially mash, leaving some whole.

Add all the other ingredients and stir to combine.

Spread into a 1-1/2 qt. baking dish (I used a 9" square pan) and bake for 20-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: If you have them available, you can use canned black-eyed peas with jalepenos.  Then you can omit the extra jalepenos.  I've never seen them here. 

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

I've been MIA for the past week due to a lovely visit from my younger sister and her boyfriend.  I haven't seen her in a year (and this is our first time meeting him) so blogging hasn't exactly been on my top priority list.  Today is their last day here....but I thought I'd jump on and share this delightful recipe that I tried out over the holidays.  (I'll be sharing a few photos of their visit soon.)

Chicken Enchilada Roll-ups are a great party food, no doubt about it.  They're perfect for making the day before, since they're supposed to be served chilled.  Can I just say that when I'm entertaining, it makes life SO much easier if I can make several things the day(s) before?  Those recipes that have to be completed at the last minute so stress me out.   

These are also just plain delicious.  Not too spicy, but definitely have lots of flavor and a little kick.  I enjoyed the leftovers as snacks or lunch for a couple of days.

Recipe: (from Annie's Eats)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, pepper jack, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Handful of cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained well
6-8 soft taco sized tortillas

Directions:
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and let cool.

In the meantime, combine all of the remaining ingredients except tortillas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Once the chicken is cool, transfer to a cutting board and chop or shred into small pieces.  Add the chicken to the filling mixture and stir well to incorporate.

Spread a thin layer of the filling mixture over a tortilla, leaving a small border clear around the edge.  Roll the tortilla up tightly into a spiral.  Place the rolled up tortilla on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into 1- to 1½-inch thick segments.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve chilled or at room temperature.

This post is linked to Picnic Recipes: a 4-Moms Link up

Spicy Sausage Dip

I made this for a little party recently and it was a big hit.  It's very easy, very tasty, and a nice alternative to this sort of dip for those who don't want to use or have access to Velveeta.

Recipe: (from Annie's Eats)

1 lb package sausage, your favorite (I used mild turkey sausage)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1/2 c. salsa (I used hot)
Hot sauce - to taste

Brown sausage in a large skillet until no pink remains; drain.
Cut up cream cheese into cubes and add to sausage with tomatoes and salsa.  Stir over medium heat until melted and combined.  Add hot sauce to taste.  I also added a little salt and pepper.

Serve with desired chips or crackers; we loved the Fritos Scoops.


This post is linked to Life in a Shoe - 4 Moms: Snacks and Appetizers for a Crowd

Sugar Coated Pecans

Say hello to one of my very favorite treats, ever.  

I found this gem on Allrecipes years ago (modified it by adding vanilla and extra cinnamon) and make them every fall to go with pumpkin cheesecake and at Christmas just to eat or to give as gifts.....if I can stand to part with them.  

Have you ever had those awesome spiced-sugared nuts at those kiosks at the mall.....where you can smell them before you see them and they hand out free samples and after the first taste you determine to buy at least 3 lbs to eat on the way home, but then when you see they cost $12 a half-pound, you change your mind and walk away holding your breath so you don't have to keep smelling that intoxicating scent? 

These are just as good, if not better, than those.  

No kidding.

And considering you can buy 2 lbs of pecans at Sam's Club for less than $11, it's a pretty good deal to make as gifts, too. 

Recipe:

1 lb. pecan halves

1 egg white

1-1/2 t. water

1-1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 cup sugar (white)

1 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk egg white with water and vanilla until bubbly and frothy.

Add the pecans and toss to coat well.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Sprinkle over pecans and stir until evenly distributed.  

Spread out on baking sheet and bake for 45 min - 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. I usually stop around 50 minutes or so.  

Try to let them cool before eating.  

You won't believe how good your kitchen will smell.  

These will be topping a new pumpkin cheesecake I'll be making tomorrow.  Hurray for Thanksgiving!

For the record, in case you were wondering, I say "Puh cahns", not "Pee Cans".  What do you say?  

Crockpot Applesauce

I got a great deal on a couple of 3 lb bags of Gala apples a few weeks ago and since they were on the smallish side, they didn't tend to get eaten just plain.  I hated to waste them and was debating making an Apple Crisp....but then the idea of Applesauce hit me.  I have never tried making applesauce myself, although when I was growing up my mom made some wonderful applesauce.....we kids always loved running the hot cooked apples through the food mill.  

Ahhh....childhood memories.....I probably remember it more fondly than I thought of it at the time.  :)

Well, anyways, I don't own a food mill.  I figured I'd better peel the apples first.  Thank heavens for this.

Bought on clearance from Wal-Mart for $5, it's not something I pull out for every day use, but for projects like this one, it's a lifesaver.  

Put the boy to work!  He begged to be released from schoolwork to help make applesauce - I figured this is home-ec, so why not?  

We made fast work of 5 lbs of apples, let me tell you.   He peeled them, I cored and cut into slices. 

I knew we were going to have a busy day, so I wanted to use my crockpot if at all possible.  Worked wonderfully.  I considered running it through the blender for a smoother texture (which Grant would have preferred) but due to the time and mess involved, just left it a little chunky.  The kids and I didn't mind.  

The taste is amazing.....so yummy I don't want to cook with it, I just want to enjoy eating it plain.  

Recipe: based off of one from A Year of Slowcooking 

5 lbs apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8ths

2 t. cinnamon (you can certainly use less, this had a strong cinnamon flavor, which we like)

1/4 c. sucanat or brown sugar

2 T. lemon juice (didn't prevent mine from turning brown, as you can tell, but added a nice flavor)

2 t. vanilla

2 T. water (not needed - will omit next time)

Toss everything together in a crockpot.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until apples are very tender.  Mash with a potato masher or large fork.