Berry Good

August already? Time sure flies. Next week I’ll be headed to Chicago for the Healthy Living Summit and cannot wait to meet all the other food blogger’s, and of course tour the Windy City, eat good food, and enjoy what’s left of my summer.

Thought I’d share some pictures of the last banquet we held at work. It was fun being in charge of dressing up the place a bit. I liked the idea of black and white decor—it’s always classy. And I got a little lesson on decorative napkin folding which was quite interesting.

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So I was looking back at blog posts, and realized I haven’t featured one single recipe containing my favorite summer berry—the blueberry! I know, I almost started panicking, and realized I haven’t even eaten many and their season is slowly coming to an end. So what does that mean? Well, just expect a few more blueberry recipes in the next coming weeks—definitely not a bad thing! Not only are they sweet, juicy, and delicious, they also provide a lot of health benefits. Check it out…

• Blue berries are an excellent source of Vitamin C—a serving contains 25% of your daily requirements.
• Blueberries are a good source of dietary fiber.
• Blueberries are an excellent source of manganese.
• Blueberries contain substances that have antioxidant properties—the highest capacity of any fresh fruit.
• Blueberries neutralize free radicals which can halt disease in an aging body.
• Blueberries can aid in reducing belly fat.
• Blueberries help promote urinary tract health.
• Blueberries have been proven to preserve vision.

So since blueberries are so healthy, I figured it’s ok to pair em’ with my favorite not-so healthy food, cheesecake. But wait..not totally unhealthy—one slice will cost you just 116 calories if you stick with my Fiber One pie crust =)

Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 Fiber One pie crust (recipe here), or pre-made graham crust
• 1 pint fresh blueberries—rinsed well
• 8 oz fat-free cream cheese
• 2/3 c Splenda or other calorie-free sweetener
• 1/2 c water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c eggbeaters
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp cold water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F
• Beat cream cheese, 1/3 c Splenda , and vanilla until fluffy. Add in egg and eggbeaters—add lemon juice.
• Bake 25-30 min or until top begins to crack.
• Meanwhile, combine blueberries, water, 1/3 c Splenda in small saucepot—bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch and water together until no clumps remain. Add into blueberry mixture and stir until thick. Take off heat.
• Pour on top of cheesecake layer and chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Makes 6 servings

What’s your favorite way to eat blueberries?

Sweet Shop Sunday

This work week definitely caught up with me and I am so thankful for Sunday’s off! I need to catch up on housework, other things, etc. but instead I am going to go meet my parents for the afternoon—so everything else can wait. :-)

But what can’t wait is this..

• My first time making homemade granola bars—love them!
• And, a new video tutorial on how to make my beloved Fiber One Pie Crust..I get quite a few questions on it, so this video is well overdue.

With the pie crust you can make all of these recipes:

• Rhubarb Banana Cream Delight
• Creamy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Cherry Ricotta Cheesecake
• Springtime Strawberry Cheesecake
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Black Forest Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Glaze
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Peanut Butter Cup Pie
• Whipped Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Pie

So sit back and enjoy the (short) show!

Video Notes

• 1 1/2 c Fiber One original cereal goes into a Magic Bullet or food processor.
• Once ground up, add in 1 Tbsp of Fat Free I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread.
• Stir, then add in 1 cup of warm water and mix until there are no loose crumbs left.
• With a spatula, press into 9 inch pie pan and continue with desired pie recipe—you can pre-bake this as well, or just fill with pie filling and eat.

Now onto the granola bar recipe many of you are waiting for!

By the way, if you can make Rice Krispie bars, you can make these!

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 cups plain granola

1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup any other kind of chips (peanut butter, white chocolate, toffee, etc)

Directions:

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

These are SO good and very open to customization. What flavor combos are you thinking of trying?!

Just in Time for Summer: Fabulous Fruit Pies

Thank you all for the well wishes will my new job—I am still on cloud 9. I made a trip to the library to get  a few books to do some culinary cramming. I know a lot, but there is SO much to learn in the culinary field, I’ve just scratched the surface. So in other words, I’ve gone from college textbooks to culinary books—I am definitely not complaining!

Also, I’ve been in the process of covering my pantry door with a variety of food magazine covers—I’m liking it!

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So, lately, a lot of blogger’s have been focusing on summer produce from the grocery stores or farmer’s market, so it’s about time I jump on the bandwagon! And what better way than with some sweets right? And even better when they are a little on the lighter side of course!

Cherry Ricotta Cheesecake

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• Fiber One piecrust (recipe here), or one store-bought graham crust
• 4 oz fat-free cream cheese
• 1 c ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp sugar, or Splenda
• 1/2 c eggbeaters, or egg whites
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• For serving—cherry pie filling (recipe below), and Cool Whip, if desired

Homemade cherry pie filling:

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups fresh tart cherries, pitted

1-1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 drops red food coloring, optional

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the cherries, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in food coloring if desired. Yield: 4 cups.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Prepare Fiber One or store-bought piecrust.
• Add medium speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy, 1-2 min. Add ricotta and sugar, beat until smooth and creamy, 3 minutes. Beat in egg whites, flour, vanilla, and almond extract.
• Pour batter into pan; bake 1 hour 15 minutes, until center slightly jiggles. Turn oven off; let cheesecake cool in over for 1 hour.
• Chill at least 4 hours.
• If desired, spread about 3 Tbsp cherry pie filling onto individual slices and top with a dollop of Cool Whip.

 

Creamy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie 

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• Fiber One piecrust (recipe here) OR store-bought graham piecrust 
  RHUBARB LAYER:
• 2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 1/4 cup sugar, I used Splenda
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 
  CHEESECAKE LAYER:
• 1 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened—I used fat-free
• 1/4 cup sugar, or Splenda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp egg beaters or egg whites
  TOPPING:
• 3/4 c fat-free or regular sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, or Splenda 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tsp strawberry Jell-O powder

Directions:

Prepare Fiber One crust.

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine rhubarb, sugar and flour; spoon over the crust. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add egg whites, beat on low speed just until combined.

• Pour over hot rhubarb layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, Jell-O powder, sugar and vanilla; spread over hot cheesecake. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.

Refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate leftovers.

Spring Sweets & Sips

Do your eats tend to change seasonally?

Mine usually do—fall and winter are filled with comfort foods, hearty casseroles, baked goods that fill the house with a spiced aroma and an array of winter produce. Spring and summer are a variety of grilled fare, lighter and colorful mixed salads, and a rainbow of produce ranging from yellow summer squash to deep purple eggplants.

But one taste palate that never seems to change throughout the year is my sweet tooth—yes, it changes from fruit-studded tarts and back again to rich carrot cakes, however, it never seems to disappear throughout the 12 months of the year. I like to try a different  dessert once a week to switch things up, and every so often, I’ll make a recipe that deserves to be made once, twice, or in this case, three times within a three week period! I almost considered dedicating one whole post to this first strawberry-studded sweet treat, but figured if a little persuading and a few pictures couldn’t convince you, then a whole post certainly wouldn’t. So instead, I’ll give it the honor of being featured first, and then followed by a few other sweets I’ve been enjoying this spring.

Enjoy!

Springtime Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt Pie

Serves:6

Ingredients:

• 1 Fiber One pie crust (recipe here) or a store-bought piecrust
• 2 c thinly sliced strawberries
• 2 Tbsp strawberry jam—I used sugar free
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1-8 oz package of fat free cream cheese
• 1 (6 oz) container of strawberry cheesecake yogurt(from Target), pictured below
• 2 Tbsp sugar—I used Splenda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 c frozen (thawed) fat-free whipped topping

Directions:

• Add sliced strawberries, 1 tsp sugar, strawberry jam, and 1 Tbsp water together in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil and then lower to a simmer until thickened, about 10-12 min. Remove from burner—let cool completely.

• In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on high speed 30 to 60 seconds or until fluffy. Beat in sugar until blended. Add yogurt, vanilla and almond extract; beat on low speed 30 to 60 seconds until well blended and smooth. Fold in whipped topping just until blended. Spoon into crust; spread gently to edge.

• Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until chilled.

• Top pie with strawberry sauce. Store pie in refrigerator.

By far one of the best pies that I’ve ever tried/made..and if you make it with my Fiber One crust, it’s clocks in at just about 150 calories per huge slice!!

Cinnabon Clone with a Twist

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 1 c apple pie filling—I used sugar free
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened—I used fat-free
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Spread the apple pie filling evenly across dough, leaving enough of an edge so it doesn’t squeeze out.

Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

The addition of the apple pie filling really adds a lot to these Cinnabon clones and takes them from delicious to out-of-this-world.

Chocoholic’s Scotcheroos

Ingredients:

• 1 c light corn syrup—I used Lite, see below

• 1 c sugar
• 1 c dark chocolate dreams peanut butter (from PB & Co.)

• 3 c Rice Krispies cereal
• 3 c Envirokids Leapin’ Lemurs PB and Chocolate cereal

• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 1 c butterscotch chips
• 1/4 c Reese's Pieces for garnish, if desired

Directions:

• Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add cereals. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Sprinkle with Reese's Pieces if desired. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

I loved coming up with this recipe—using the dark chocolate PB and the PB and chocolate cereal really separates these from the original Scotcheroos, and makes them more gourmet.

And now onto my latest favorite springtime sip…

A few weeks ago I decided to drop an insane $4 on a Starbuck’s Lite Vanilla Frap—big mistake. It was so good, and I could see that a possible bad habit could be formed. Instead, I figured out how to make an almost identical version for only a few cents! Here’s my mock Starbucks Lite Vanilla Frap tutorial:

1. Fill a blender or a Magic Bullet with 1/2 c ice.

2. Pour in 1 cup of cold coffee—I keep a pitcher in the fridge.

3. Add in about 2 Tbsp of milk—I use unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze—I recommend a vanilla flavored milk.

4. Add in sugar free vanilla syrup, about 1 Tbsp. I use Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup—found at Wal-Mart.

5. Blend by pulsing about 5 times.

6. Stick in a straw if desired, and slurp!

Twice and Still Nice

**The winner of my Progresso Soup giveaway is….**

True Random Number Generator

Result: 7

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congrats to Fresh Local and Best—please email (apinchandadash@live.com) and I will forward it onto Progresso so we can have your soup on the way!

Is it really Saturday already? This week flew by which was surprising—I thought for sure it would drag by due to the fact that it’s the kick-off of spring break! I get 10 days off which is great, and when I go back it’ll be 1/4 of the school year left—time flies! Today won’t be a relaxing Saturday—I need to finish packing and  take care of all the last minute things around the house. I leave for Boston tomorrow morning from the local airport and return on Thursday, so posting may be somewhat scarce! If you have spring break, what are you going to do?

So awhile back, I posted about my first eating encounter with buffalo. I really developed a taste for it and couldn’t wait to try it in some more recipes. Substituting it for beef was my goal since I am not the biggest fan of  beef flavor. And since we’ve finally fired up the grill—helloooo spring fever!---what better meal to make then good ol’ grilled hamburgers? Bison burgers that is! Just a note—bison is a bit drier due to the fact that it is very lean, but it still makes a superb burger. And you know me, I don’t like eating the same meal twice, so I decided to turn the burgers into a whole other dish—I am satisfied with both—try em out!

Grilled Bison Burgers

Makes 6-7 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb ground bison meat
• 1/4 c Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp Lawry’s seasoning
• 6-7 whole wheat buns
• Optional toppings: Caramelized red onions, sliced pickles, skillet fennel apples. (1 thinly sliced braeburn apple, 1/2 tsp oil, 1 tsp fennel seed---sautéed 4 minutes or until soft)

Directions:

• Put ground bison in a bowl, mix with breadcrumbs, and Lawry’s seasoning.
• Warm grill to low heat, place on the grill--cook to desired doneness, flipping once.
• Meanwhile, prepare toppings—toast buns on grill if you want.

Italian Butternut Bison Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 bison burger—crumbled
• 1/2 c fresh button mushrooms
• 1/4 c roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 parsnips
• 1/2 c cubed butternut squash
• 2 Tbsp  c milk
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 c crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Spray two 3 cup custard cups with nonstick cooking spray.
• In medium bowl crumble bison burger. Add button mushrooms, tomato sauce, roasted bell pepper, and Italian seasoning.

• Divide evenly among custard cups.

• Slice parsnips into 1 inch slices. Put cubed butternut squash and parsnips in microwave safe bowl—microwave for 4 minutes or until fork tender. Add veggies, Worcestershire sauce, and milk to food processor or Magic Bullet. Pulse until a mashed potato consistency is formed.
• Divide mixture in half, and spread evenly on top of bison mixtures. Top with feta cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until top starts to brown.

 

Have a great weekend!

What’s the Difference?

Finally the weekend—it seems as if the week leading up to the weekend just drags by, and then the weekend itself is gone in a blink of an eye! Can anyone relate? Today my parents are coming down for the day and we’re going to have a nice dinner together and just catch up a bit! So I decided to make the dessert ahead of time (yesterday) just in case it didn’t turn out. I have never made a Black Forest Cheesecake before, but I am a fan of anything with cherries and/or cream cheese so that sealed the deal!

But first, while I was in Wal-Mart the other day getting groceries for the weekend and such, I was rifling through the cream cheeses to find the lowest priced one when it hit me as to how many different types of cream cheese there was; regular, low-fat, fat-free, and Neufchatel. Of course I knew there was various types, just like most things, but I wanted to find out the difference in how they perform in certain recipes. As I was researching, I found some other interesting differences in foods that I thought you would like—enjoy!

What’s the Difference

Cream Cheese

• Neufchatel- Real Neufchatel cream cheese hails from the town of Neufchatel France in the Normandy region.  It is a soft, unripened, somewhat salty, yet mild cheese with a fat content of 20 to 45 percent. In America, Neufchatel cream cheese has a fat content of 23 percent.
• Low-Fat- Emulsifiers—which help ingredients stick together—and thickeners account for most of the rest of the extra ingredients needed to stabilize the cream cheese. Not a huge taste difference from the full fat version.
• Fat-Free- Fat-free cream cheese is a good choice for some recipes but doesn't work everywhere. It is made with skim milk and the texture is not as creamy as regular cream cheese or the low-fat versions. The best use for fat-free cream cheese is to use it in a chilled dip, dressing or dessert or where it is blended into other ingredients. It can work well in baked goods also

Brown Sugar

• Brown sugar is simply regular white sugar combined with molasses.  To make sugar, the juice from the sugar cane is boiled and the sugar crystals are then extracted.  The remaining syrup is molasses.  Dark brown sugar has a higher concentration of molasses and hence, a stronger flavor than the light brown.

Corn Syrup

• Corn syrup is made by processing cornstarch with acids and/or enzymes.  Cornstarch is the starch harvested from the endosperm of corn kernels.  Light corn syrup has been refined to increase its clarity and remove any color.  Dark corn syrup has had caramel coloring added and has a stronger flavor.

Cocoa Powders

• Cocoa beans are fermented and roasted and then ground to remove most of the cocoa butter, (the natural vegetable fat in the cocoa bean).  What remains is a paste called chocolate liquor.  This is dried again and ground to produce cocoa powder.  Dutch cocoa powder has been treated with an alkali which neutralizes the powder’s natural acidity.  Depending on the recipe, you cannot substitute regular cocoa powder for Dutch cocoa powder or vice versa.  The leavening effect of many baked goods requires a delicate balance of acid and alkaline ingredients.  Regular cocoa powder is acidic while the Dutch variety is neutral.

Coffee and Espresso

• The term espresso refers to the method of making the coffee, not the beans or how they are roasted.  Nevertheless, espresso normally employs beans that are roasted more than regular coffee beans and then finely ground.  The espresso part of the equation is injecting very hot, pressurized water through the grind to produce a dark, rich cup of coffee in a fraction of the time of regular coffee.  A cup of espresso has about the same amount of caffeine as a regular cup of coffee BUT a “cup” of espresso is approximately 2 oz. as compared to a 6 oz. cup of regular coffee.  Thus, ounce for ounce, espresso has notably more caffeine. 

Black Pepper

• Ground pepper, like any ground spice will lose its flavor rapidly.  Within no time it will have little taste although it might retain its kick.  It is absolutely worth buying fresh peppercorns and grinding them as needed on your dishes.  You will add greater dimensions of flavor as well as a bite to your food. 

Black Forest Cheesecake

6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) low fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar (I used Splenda)

1 cup (8 ounces) fat free sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 carton (8 ounces) fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 chocolate fiber crust (recipe below) OR 1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches)

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1 can (21 ounces) sugar-free cherry pie filling

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Fold in whipped topping.

Spread half of the mixture evenly into crust. Fold cocoa and confectioners' sugar into remaining whipped topping mixture; carefully spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Cut into slices; top each slice with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Chocolate Fiber Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 c Fiber One cereal
• 1 bag Chocolate Fudge Hybrid Cookies(pictured below)
• 1/4 c I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• water as needed

Directions:

• Pulse cereal and cookies in a food processor. Add butter, vanilla, and water until completely moistened.
• Press into 9-inch pie plate and bake on 350 F for 10 minutes.

Info adapted from here.

South Bound

Hey everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to conquer 2010—I have a feeling it’ll be a great year. As for resolutions, I don’t have any fitness goals, but more so just live life like it’s my last day everyday. I look back in 2009 and think to many days I took to many things for granted and this year I need to focus on counting my blessings a bit more. What is your major or minor New Year’s resolution?

So yesterday my grandma and I  left –30 temperatures in Minnesota, hopped on a plane, and ended up in a much warmer 60 degrees in Orlando. Although this week in Florida is supposed to hit record lows, I’d take sunny skies, palm trees, and mid-sixties any day over snow, blizzard winds, and bare trees!

We flew Allegiant Air, which only flies out of select airports which is too bad because it’s a great airline. A total roundtrip flight ticket came to $220 including luggage fees and taxes. We could have saved $30 if chose not to choose our seats. I was a little leery with the price that the flight itself would be a little on the down side, but I would highly recommend Allegiant Air over any other airline I’ve flown.The staff was highly interactive with all the passengers and always joking over the intercom. I was even impressed with the snack and food options they offered.

Lots of organic foods, fruits, and healthier chip options—prices weren’t bad at all either! I almost wished I hadn’t just eaten what I packed. Do you pack your own food/snacks when you fly? I packed a baked potato with salsa, half a egg strata with ketchup I made.

And the last piece of my belated-Christmas cheesecake with an apple for munching.

The flight was a bit bumpy which left my stomach a tad upset, but once we landed and I rested for a bit I was ready to trek back to the hotel, unpack, and go out to get some groceries for our room. I always like to get a hotel with a fridge and microwave so  that I can fuel up with a good breakfast before we leave for the day. Here’s what we got for our week away:

Assorted cereal, bananas, protein drinks, squashes, and soup.

Clementine's, apples, soymilk, milk, diet soda, spinach, wraps, cottage cheese, blueberries, eggbeaters, and  of course the necessary ketchup.

As soon as we got out of the airport I was starving, so we stopped at the nearest restaurant which happened to be Denny’s. I decided to get grilled chicken breast, homes style potatoes, corn, and some chicken noodle soup.

 

Unfortunately the chicken noodle soup was way over-salted and looked more like a cream soup than a broth-based. I ate what I could and put the rest aside. Do you normally send dishes back that don’t meet your standards? I sometimes do, but I was already full after my meal, so it was no big deal.

Tomorrow make sure to check back for a re-cap on our road trip to the beach. Have a wonderful Sunday!

 

A Fun and Thrifty Gift

Happy Saturday friends!

Hope your out celebrating the start of the weekend—if not, maybe your home watching Christmas shows and baking like me? I can’t get enough of the holiday spirit this year!!

Speaking of which, doesn’t it always happen to you this time of year when you think you have all your gifts ready to go, but then you think of a handful of other people that you’d like to give something to? Well don’t run off to the nearest store just yet..you may have everything you need at home to make a gift guaranteed to please!

Layered Gift Jars

Every year I whip up a bunch of these to give to friends and family. What is a layered gift jar you ask? Basically it’s a half-ready recipe—the jar has all the dry ingredients of a recipe layered into it and then you attach a tag with the wet ingredients needed and instructions for baking. So in other words, when the gift recipient opens the jar, they just pour it in a bowl, add the butter, eggs, etc., form into cookies and bake! It’s basically a homemade cookie that didn’t take much effort on their part, which is perfect for this hectic time of year. Plus you can personalize them to suite your recipients tastes!

• First, I buy these pretty glass jars every year at our local Dollar Tree and then get started.
• I will set up an assembly line of sorts, and put the first ingredients in all of the jars, press it flat with a long handled spatula, and move on to the next ingredient.
• You then want to attach the ribbon around the neck of that jar and make a tag with the name of the recipe, ingredients, and instructions.
• You can then finish by wrapping up the jar with a bow on top, or just putting it into a gift bag with some tissue paper.

Four easy steps to a stunning gift. I figured I’d share what recipe I used for this years cookies.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Mint Chocolate Chews

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

For the jar layered in order:

• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c Andes Peppermint Crunch baking bits
• 1/2 c semi-sweet chips OR 1/2 c holiday colored M&M’s

Ingredients the recipient will need to add:

• 1 jar Melt-In-Your-Mouth Chocolate Chews
• 1/2 stick of butter, softened
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
• Place contents of jar in large bowl. Using fingers, work butter into flour mixture. Combine eggs and vanilla in small bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until dough forms.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls, place balls 3’ apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Enjoy!

And don’t just stop with a cookie jar..here’s some other fun ideas!!

• Tea and biscuits mixes
• Soup and side dish mixes
• Puddings, sweets, candies and yogurts.
• Jam, chutney, pickles, and preserves.
• Condiments, herbal vinegars, and oil.
• And for furry friends—dog treats and biscuits!

Head here for a GREAT collection of gift jar recipes and ideas.

By the way, glad you all were drooling over the PB Chocolate pie—I made new version, so I thought I’d share! It’s easy to make this stunner into a Chocolate PB Banana Pie—just swap the cheesecake pudding for banana flavored pudding instead—I actually like this rendition better :-)

 

Have a great weekend—stay warm!