Homemade Poptarts

A couple of days I ago, I attempted homemade poptarts.   What a great idea!   I made the dough (which was super easy) and then rolled it out, put homemade raspberry jam in the center and then sealed the two sides and baked them in the oven.

They were just "ok".   Mostly because of my mistakes though.  I didn't roll out the dough thin enough.   I didn't let the dough sit and become more "unified".   I didn't use enough jam.  The ones that I used applesauce in were not sweet enough - there is no sugar in the dough.   But I will try again.  A friend gave me another recipe which I am going to try maybe in a couple of weeks.   But I did get some sweet time with my little helper.   Wouldn't your baking be so much more fun with this one at your elbows?

Trying out something new

Say Mmm is a FREE website devoted to meal-planning, grocery shopping and generally making your life easier.   I just planned out my week's worth of breakfast, lunch and dinners.  It does take some time to get used to the site and it would definitely take time to import all my recipes and grocery lists.  I did import two recipes and so I'll give you the link to one of them.   Just to see if this works  :)

Chinese Savory Beef is one of my favorite recipes.  It is something I grew up eating and now totally love.   I adapted the recipe to use the crockpot since that is a more efficient use of energy. (and you know I am all about efficiency!)  Enjoy!

Homemade Peanut Butter

This is so easy!  I can't believe it's taken me 33 years to try this.  Take out your food processor, dry roasted peanuts and turn it on.   I also add a drop or two of olive oil and some honey to sweeten it up.

Grind the peanuts past the chopped stage.   Soon it will "ball" up.  You can stop at this point or you can go a little bit further to get it creamier.   

Try some on a cracker!

You won't go back.  I promise.  The test...does a toddler like homemade peanut butter?

(Please forget about how nasty her hair is...it really is, you see her nose has been running and her hair is matted into her snot....see, it really is terribly gross.   And yes, I always said I wouldn't be that mom who let her kids run around with snotty noses but here I am)

She liked it so much she abandoned the cracker and went straight for the peanut butter.  Try it today!

Yummy Delicousness

A couple weeks ago we had brunch at our ladies bible study and one lady brought this.

Oh how good it was!  And then I decided that I needed to make it for Paul too.   I got the recipe and made it and oh how delicious it is.    Would you like to make it too?  It is super easy!!!!  

Here is the recipe:
Put 24 frozen bread rolls in a bundt pan.

Mix up the following ingredients and pour over frozen rolls. 
1 package butterscotch pudding (NOT instant)

½ cup brown sugar

¾ tsp cinnamon

½ cup chopped nuts

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter and pour over the rolls and dry mixture.  Place seran wrap over and allow to rise overnight.(If you live in a warm climate, you may want to do this a lot later in the night so that they don't rise too much)

In the morning, bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.  Invert and eat yummy deliciousness!!!!!

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

This is not your mama's meatloaf.  This is definitely a comfort food for me.....try it, you'll love it.

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

¾ to 1 lb ground beef

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/8 tsp pepper

¼ cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms (I use a food processor to get them really small)

2/3 c. oatmeal or bread crumbs

½ tsp salt

½ cup chopped onion

1 T soy sauce

Sauce:

½ c. brown sugar

2 T worcestershire sauce

¼ c white wine (or apple cider vinegar)

1 T. mustard

Combine and shape into a bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. covered. Mix sauce and pour over meat loaf and bake 30 more minutes uncovered.

Grilled Pizza

I wish I had taken some pictures of this process - maybe next time.  

Grilled pizza tastes great but don't make it for company the first time you try it.   (Unless you have adventurous company).   I think it will take some tweaking to get it just right.

A couple of things we learned the hard way
1)   Make sure you only have one level to your grill.  We had the upper wire on and it got in the way of flipping the pizza.
2)  Heat up some olive oil with garlic.  Then baste onto the top of the rolled out dough.   Place this side face down on the grill.  Spread olive oil on the new top.  Allow crust to bubble up and get brown.  Then flip it over.
3)  Have your sauce and toppings READY!!!!   You have to get them on right away since the crust cooks so fast.   Have your grill at the lowest setting and cook until the cheese melts.
4)  Don't roll your crust too thin -   it will burn.
5)  If any toppings need to be cooked, do it ahead of time.

We made two different kinds tonight.  The first was meat (bacon, salami and pepperoni).   The second one was a veggie, pesto pizza.   I broiled the veggies ahead of time so that I could just put them on the crust.   Totally girly and totally yummy.   Pesto, pine nuts, carrots, zucchini, squash, red onion, feta and mozarella cheese.

I probably left something out so please ask if you have any questions.