I’m From Minnesota eh.

Can someone please just whisk me away from the arctic tundra of a place..?

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I don’t know about you, but I’m sure glad it’s finally the weekend. Not that I had a long week, being that it was cut a day short, but mostly for the fact that I can stay cuddled up inside till the temps warm up a bit instead of having to trek out in the wee hours of the frigid morning to class. Heck with snow days, I think someone needs to instill cold days into the university policy..eek!

I loved hearing about all of your favorite Progresso soup flavors. We all pretty much agreed that Progresso knows what they are doing in the soup department! Speaking of which, I suppose you’re wondering who one the fabulous Progresso prize pack?

Drum roll please…

We have a winner!

Jessica from The Novice Chef Blog! Great blog by the way—I love her sense of humor! So please send me your contact info and we will have all your goodies in the mail ASAP! :-)

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No food fun today folks, I have quite a bit of homework I need to get a head start on. So instead, I did this Dialect Vlog I’ve been seeing floating around the blog world. It’s all about how everyone has different accents from all corners of the globe. Can you tell I am from northern Minnesota, eh? ;-) Have a great weekend all!

p.s. If you decide to do this, let me know—I’d love to tune in!

The Questions:

1. What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
2. What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
3. What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
4. What do you call gym shoes?
5. What do you say to address a group of people?
6. What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
7. What do you call your grandparents?
8. What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
9. What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
10. What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

The Words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

 

Do you say anything different than I do?!

Cookie Monster

 

I think we all have an inner cookie monster persona, am I right? Ok, so maybe not as cookie crazy as say, Cookie Monster, but to the point where we each have our favorite cookie and like to enjoy it occasionally.

It’s Friday, so it’s an excuse to relax, bake some of these cookies, and have a few!!

Recipe for cookies shown in video here.

What’s your favorite cookie?

Mine are spritz cookies!

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?!

Live Tour of The Pinch of This, and a Dash Of That Apartment!

Hey friends!

Hope your weekend didn’t fly by as fast as mine—busy week ahead, and next week is Halloween already. Did I mention that is 8 weeks until Christmas? Sorry if I just put you in a state of panic!!

Anyways, here is a LIVE apartment tour—I have been meaning to make a video now for only about 4 months—eek! Enjoy! =)

Food to come this week, so stay tuned!

 

Lunch in the Kitchen With Me!

Hey everyone! Hope your Sunday is ending on a good note! I originally planned to have this video posted this morning, but good ol’ Youtube was not cooperating—don’t you just love technology and all its’ glitches surprises? Eek! But, Tinypic came to the rescue and was on my side, so I’ll stop chatting and let you get to the video. [Recipe and pictures below]
Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Seaside Pasta Dish w/Yellow Bell Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 oz angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
• 3/4 c mix of prepared shrimp and tilapia, chopped to your liking(if frozen, previously thawed)
• 1/4 canned pineapple chunks, drained
• Parmesan cheese, if desired

For sauce:

• 1/4 c yellow bell pepper and onion,chopped and sautéed
• 1/4 c canned stewed tomatoes + 2 Tbsp liquid from tomatoes
• Preferred seasonings

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to box—strain and set aside in bowl.
• Sauté chopped bell pepper and onion until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
• Once done, put into food processor along with tomatoes, tomato liquid, and seasonings of your choice. Pulse for about 1 min, or until sauce consistency forms.
• Meanwhile, chop your mixture of fish however big or small you like it. (I left my shrimp whole and cubed the tilapia.)
• Spoon sauce mixture (yields about 1/2 C) over pasta, top with fish, shrimp, and pineapple and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if you wish!!!

Homemade Semi-Gourmet Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 slice of sandwich bread, white or wheat
• 1/2 clove of garlic
• 1 Tbsp butter spread
• 2 Tbsp shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450 F.
• Mix garlic and butter spread together and spread evenly on bread.
• Top with a sprinkling of cheese and bake for 5-8 min—watch carefully, it browns fast!

Have a super start to your work or school week!

And keep an eye out for gorgeous fall leaves :-)

Video Post Numero Dos!

Yay for video posts! I got two for you today—one for Whole Wheat Fennel Rolls and one for my homemade Rustic Tortellini Soup! I will post the recipes below in case you don’t want to watch me blabber on for 10 + minutes!(Don’t worry I will understand ha!) Have a wonderful Sunday.

 Whole Wheat Fennel Rolls

 Rustic Tortellini Soup

<<Recipes>>

Rustic Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C butternut squash, chopped
• 1/2 C zucchini squash, chopped
• 1/2 C diced bell pepper(preferably not green)
• 1/2 C sliced yellow onion
• 9 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed
• About 8 oz of cheese tortellini pasta
• 6 C beef broth or other broth of choice
• 1 C water, or 1/2 C water-1/2 C red wine
• 1 can of sliced carrots
• 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
• 2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
• Seasonings of choice

Directions:

• Chop all veggies(including carrots with a little juice from the can, otherwise strained) and add the a skillet sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Sauté at medium heat until fork tender 3-5 min, adding the minced garlic right before the next step. Then add in both cans of tomato sauce, turn on low and let simmer until needed in the next step.
• In a stockpot, add broth, water, noodles, stewed tomatoes, and spinach—stir together. Put stockpot on another burner and turn on low heat.
• Add the sautéed veggies/tomato sauce to the stockpot, pouring carefully. Once you’ve done that, make sure to give it a good stir.
• Add in seasonings of choice or even a shot of lemon juice, let simmer on low-medium for about 25-30 minutes until heated through. Make sure to keep stirring to avoid things stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Fennel Rolls

Makes: 16

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C warm water (105-115 F)
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 envelope (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp fennel seeds + 1 more for sprinkling
• 2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 C whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup warm skim milk
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the warm water and honey. Stir yeast into the water mixture and let stand until foamy, about 7 minutes.
• In a large bowl and add fennel seeds, all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour. Whisk to blend, then make a well in the center of the mixture.
• In a small bowl, stir together milk, olive oil and salt. Pour into well of flour mixture, along with yeast mixture. Stir until dough comes together. Knead until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp, clean towel and allow to rise 45 minutes. Punch down dough, then knead lightly. Divide into 16 pieces, then roll each into ball, tucking any seams under. Place on a large nonstick baking sheet and cover with damp towel. Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 375°. Uncover dough, brush rolls with egg white, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon seeds. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and hollow-sounding when tapped lightly. Serve warm.

Good for You Goodies[First Video Post!]

Hey guys! I decided to change it up a bit by presenting you with a video post. Hope you enjoy =) By the way, here is the link to the company featured today.