Here and Now

 Right now I am...

Listening: to Preservation Hall Jazz Band the Marching Down Bourbon Street album. My parents recently took a trip to New Orleans and hearing about their adventure inspired me to pull this one out. 

Tasting: Maple Bourbon Lemonade - a wonderfully refreshing cocktail that is perfect for warm nights on the patio. I have to make plenty because the boys love it almost as much as I do (sans bourbon, of course!)

 Watching: old episodes of King of the Hill. It's a guilty pleasure but it sure does make me laugh!

 Smelling: the warm sweet scent of the jasmine that is blooming along some of the fences we pass on our daily walk. It comes and goes and always catches me by surprise.

 Feeling: content. I am pretty happy with where and who I am right now.

Anticipating: a new and exciting season of Red Sox baseball!

Enjoying: my standing date on Thursday nights with a sweet friend. Her three kids are quite a bit younger than my 3 but they all truly love being together. It's a joy to see!

 ************

  Maple Bourbon Lemonade

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
2 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
mint leaves
good bourbon
ice

 Mix the lemon juice, water, and maple syrup in a 1 quart container. Fill a glass with ice and add a shot of bourbon. Gently bruise a mint leaf or 2 between your fingers and add to the ice and bourbon and swirl. Fill the rest of the glass with maple lemonade.

Cheers!

Irish Soda Bread

I love this recipe for Irish Soda Bread. It's so easy and so good, that I just can't bring myself to eat any other. It's nice and slightly crumbly with out being too dry. Sometimes Irish Soda Bread is too dry. It makes wonderful toast with raspberry jam, too.

I've been making this recipe for years. When the boys were all in preschool and kindergarden, I would make several loaves each year - one for home and a some for their classes. Now, however, I only need to make one loaf for home. (unless I am feeling generous and want to make some for friends!) This year I only made one loaf but I am feeling generous so instead of baking for everyone, I'll share the recipe!

Irish Soda Bread

3 Tbsp. butter, softened
2-1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup buttermilk


Heat oven to 375F. Grease a 8-9 inch round cake pan. Cut butter into flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt with pastry blender or two knives, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins and just enough buttermilk so that dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into round loaf, about 6-1/2 inches in diameter. Place on cookie sheet. Cut an X shape about 1/2-inch deep through loaf with floured knife. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

*Sometimes I brush the top with buttermilk and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar before baking. Gives it a little sparkle!

A Recipe!

Dinner of Quinoa Citrus Salad, pan seared tofu (teriyaki chicken thighs for the tofu adverse) and apricots.

I made this wonderful quinoa salad last week for dinner. I really like quinoa - it's so good and so good for you. This salad was great slightly warm the night I made it and even better then next day for lunch. I like having salads like this in the fridge for a quick and filling lunch.

Quinoa Citrus Salad

1 cup quinoa (rinsed well)
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c raisins
1/3 c fresh orange juice
1 shallot finely chopped
3 Tbls fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbls fresh cilantro, chopped
zest of 1 large orange
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbls olive oil
2 oranges, suprêmed

Boil water in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and slat, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered about 15 min, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Transfer to a large bowl and add the raisins.

Ina small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, shallot, parsley, cilantro, orange zest, cumin and coriander. Gradually add in the olive oil. whisking until well blended. Pour over the quinoa and toss to coat well. Gently fold in the orange sections.

Menu + A Recipe

The lower heating element in my oven stopped working. It's an easy fix but the part had to be ordered. While I wait, my crock-pot is getting a real work out. I love using my crock-pot but I have a hard time finding a variety of recipes for it. It's seems there are a lot of soup or bean recipes (which I love but the kids start to complain) or 'chicken in a cream of something soup' recipes (which all taste the same to me). I'm on a mission to find some new recipes to add to my collection.

Sunday
Lentil Soup
Crusty Bread
Chive Butter

Monday
Taco Soup
Tortilla Strips
Green Salad

Tuesday
Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Napa Cabbage

Wednesday
Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Thighs/Tofu
Quinoa Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Thursday
Pasta Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
White Bean Crostini

Friday
Shrimp and Grits
Green Salad

Saturday
Leftovers

****

Taco Soup

This crock-pot recipe is a favorite of ours. I love it because it is so quick and easy, using things that I normally have on hand and the kids love it because it's like a taco in a bowl! It makes a lot and it freezes beautifully.

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (lean beef or turkey)
1 cup chopped red onion
1 envelope of taco seasoning (I use a Tbls of my own)
1 envelope of Ranch dressing mix (I use 1 Tbls of my own)
2 (15 oz) cans of whole kernel corn, undrained (I use frozen)
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained
2 (10 oz) cans of Rotel Chili Fixin's (I like this kind of Rotel for this recipe because of the extra seasonings)
12 oz light beer
1 1/2 cups of water

Cook the beef and the onions together in a medium skillet. Drain.
Combine meat mixture and the rest of the ingredients in a 5-6 quart crock-pot. Cook on low 5-6 hours.
Top with shredded cheese, diced avocado, chopped scallions, sour cream or what ever you prefer.

Makes 16 cups

A (New) Favorite Meal!

for my sister, Alison

I made a great Indian inspired dinner recently and I promised my sister I would share the recipes. I have finally gotten around to writing them up.

Easy Curried Beans
Potato and Pea Samosas
Roasted Cauliflower

I made the curried beans using Christmas Limas from Rancho Gordo. They are big (huge!) dark beans with a bit of a nutty flavor and they cooked up so nice and creamy. I think the beans were even better as leftovers, too. We had them over Basmati rice for lunch.

My grocery didn't have fresh cauliflower so I took a chance with frozen. I thawed a bag of flowerets and then tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I spread it on a sheet pan and roasted at 425º, stirring occasionally. I don't remember how long, though. Just until it started to get caramelized. The frozen cauliflower worked really well.

The boys loved the samosas the best. There were a few left over and they were gobbled up at breakfast.

Potato and Pea Samosas

1 cup mashed potatoes (either use left over or cook a potato and mash)
1/2 cup petite peas
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastery
1 egg

Mix together the potato, peas, cumin, and curry powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut in to 16 squares. Place about 1 Tbls of filling in the center of each square. Dampen the edges of the dough and then fold one corner over to the opposite side forming a triangle. Seal edges. Transfer to a baking sheet. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush across the tops of the samosas.

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

If you make them, let me know what you think.

H is for....

Homemade

I really like to make things myself. I make my own bread. I make the boys' Halloween costumes. I cook from scratch and I make things like yogurt, barbecue sauce, and taco seasoning ( just to name a few of the most recent.)

I also make some other household items myself. Most recently I started making my own deodorant. I really got sick of all my white shirts turning yellow and all my dark shirts turning white in the armpits. My store bought deodorant actually started bleaching my dark shirts! That kind of scared me.

I live in Texas and I sweat. Not very lady like but it's true. I need something that will work and the natural deodorants I've tried don't work. My homemade deodorant does not keep me completely dry but it does keep me from stinking. That is all I'm asking for. To stay dry, I just dust with a little plain baking soda.

There are several similar recipes out there for homemade deodorant. This is the one that I use which is adapted from a few that I found. I chose the essential oils that I did because I like the way they smell and because of the benefits they provide. I haven't had any problems with my skin discoloring which I understand can happen with certain oils.

Maybe it's "H is for Hippie"!

Deodorant

1/4 c shea butter
3 Tbls baking soda
2 Tbls corn starch
1/4 tsp vitamin E oil
15 drops tea tree oil
15 drops rosemary oil
25 drops lavender oil

Melt the shea butter and then stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour in to a suitable container and place in the fridge to set up.

This is pretty firm so you could make some sort of a stick deodorant if you wanted. I just rub it on with my fingers.


I'm picking up where I left off with this project.

Making Yogurt

I make my own yogurt. Yep. I do.

I don't like all the unnecessary sugar (and other things) in store bought flavored yogurt and Chaz doesn't like yogurt that is not smooth so I started buying plain yogurt and flavoring it myself. Then Chris, the gadget guy, bought me a little yogurt maker. It took me a while to really get into it but once I did - there's no going back! Homemade yogurt is so very easy, so good and pretty economical, too. (and guess what - you don't even need a yogurt maker!)

I have 2 different recipes for yogurt. They are both good. Chris, however, has a little trouble with dairy sometimes so I switched to the first recipe and he is much happier.



Yogurt #1

3 3/4 c water
1 2/3 c powdered milk
1/4 c plain yogurt with active live cultures

Heat the water to 110º. Stir in the powdered milk and then the yogurt.

Yogurt #2

4 c milk (any kind, cow, soy, goat)
1/3 c powdered milk *
1/4 c plain yogurt with active live cultures

*if you use whole milk, you can leave the powdered milk out. If you use no-fat or low-fat milk the powdered milk adds a little richness and creaminess

Heat the milk to 175º and then cool to 110º. Stir in the powdered milk and then the yogurt.



This is the yogurt maker I have. I just put the mixture in and let it go for my desired* amount of time.

You can, however, make yogurt in the oven or even a crock pot.

In the oven:

Heat the oven to 110º and then turn it off. You may need to set the oven a bit higher and then let it cool back down a little. Place your yogurt mixture in to canning jars, cover with the lids and place on a pan in the warm oven. You can wrap them in a warm towel to help hold in the heat. Let it go for the desired* amount of time checking the oven temperature periodically. It should stay around 100º.

In the crock pot:

If you have a warm setting, use that. If not, heat some water on low and check the temperature. You don't want it to get too hot (about 110º is perfect). Place the yogurt mixture in caning jars and put the tops on. Place in to the warm crock pot with enough water to come about half way up the jar. Cover with a folded towel to hold the heat in and let it go for the desired* amount of time.


* How long? You can let it go anywhere from 5-10 hours. It's pretty forgiving. The longer it "cooks" the tangier it will be. I've let it go for as long as 12 and then it made some pretty good sour cream. You just need to experiment to figure out how long you like it. I usually average about 8.



When it is done, immedietly take out 1/4 cup for your next batch and set it aside in the fridge (if you don't and you're like me, you'll forget and eat it all. Then you'll have to go buy more yogurt just to make yogurt). Chill the rest of the yogurt. Homemade yogurt is not exactly like store bought. There's no added gelatins or pectins to make it really thick. I don't like it too runny so if my yogurt is a little thinner than I like (check after it cools, it thickens as it cools) I thicken it up a bit by straining it. I put it in to a strainer with a thin flour sack towel and drain it for 5 minutes. If you strain it longer, you can make a really great yogurt cheese. I also save the liquid that I drain off and use it when I make bread or soups.



Today's breakfast: homemade yogurt with strawberries, nectarines and chopped almonds.

Beans!

Oh how I love beans!

And this summer I've discovered the joy that is fresh beans (or Southern Peas) from my farmer's market. This recipe is one that I make on a regular basis. It's so good and so easily adaptable.

Use whatever kind of beans you like. This time it was pinto beans. Sometimes I use pink-eyed peas. It doesn't really matter.

We had it topped with a little cheese, a fried egg and some corn relish with sweet potato fries on the side the last time I made them. These beans go with everything though.

Drunken Beans

1 lb of fresh beans or 2 cups of dried beans
1 bottle beer
1/2 Tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 peppers, chopped (use what you like, bell, sweet banana, chiles, etc)
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tomatoes, diced
limes

Directions:

If you are using dried beans, soak them and cook them according to your preferred method. If you are using fresh beans, drop them in to a pot of boiling water and cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the size. (small beans 5 min, large beans 10 minutes)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped peppers, onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the drained beans, 1/2 the bottle of beer and the cumin. The beans should be just slightly soupy. Add more beer as needed or turn the heat up to cook some of the liquid off. Cook on medium for about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cover. Cook another 5 minutes.

Test for doneness and seasoning. I like my beans cooked through but still a little firm. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top before serving.

Farmer's Market Sandwich

My market basket is empty this week. Edmund had a leadership training meeting to go to on Saturday so Chris was gone all morning with him and a certain small person was having one of those mornings. I really missed going and I will miss it all week with each meal I prepare.

BUT I do have a recipe to share using some of my favorite farmer's market finds.



This is probably my absolute favorite sandwich. I can't begin to describe how good it is! Just try it for yourself - then you'll know.

Farmer's Market Pan Bagnat

2 medium eggplant, sliced in to 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 lb green beans trimmed
1/2 c roasted red peppers cut in to wide strips
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella sliced in to 1/4 inch rounds
3 Tbls olive tapenade
1 ciabatta loaf halved lengthwise

Vinaigrette
1/4 c olive oil
2 Tbls red wine vinegar
1 Tbls fresh parsley minced
1 1/2 tsp shallots minced
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray. Lay eggplant on sheet in a single layer and coat with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 10 min, turn and bake another 10 min (or you can just grill the slices) until brown and tender.

Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling water for 5 min. Drain and rinse under cold water. Pat dry.

Mix together vinaigrette until smooth.

Spread bottom half of the bread with the tapenade. Brush with vinaigrette. Spread green beans over the tapenade and press firmly. Lay pepper slices followed by the cheese and then the eggplant.

Brush the top of the bread generously with the vinaigrette and place on top of the eggplant. Press the sandwich together and chill 1-4 hours. Slice in half and then each half in half again on a diagonal.

- If you wrap it really tight, it travels well for a picnic, too.

Taco Seasoning

I always have a couple of envelopes of taco seasoning in my pantry - at least I used to. They are a little too salty for me and the low sodium version is not always easy to find. I say I used to keep them because one day I took a look at the ingredient list to see exactly what I was seasoning my food with. I was really surprised at what I saw!

Now I keep a jar of my own in the pantry. It's so easy to mix up and I can control the salt, the heat and the flavor.

Tonight it's chicken tacos and pinto beans - flavored with our own taco seasoning!

Taco Seasoning

1/2 c chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 Tbls paprika
2 Tbls cumin
2 Tbls coarse salt
3 Tbls black pepper

Mix and store in an airtight container. 2 Tbls = 1 packet

Adjust the seasonings to your own taste. Enjoy!

Grandma Wetzler's Arugula Salad

I don't know who Grandma Wetzler is but we love her salad! Last night we had it with Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken and tomatoes from the farmer's market.

Grandma Wetzler's Arugula Salad

4 slices of bacon
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1 large bunch of arugula
12 small red potatoes (golf ball sized)
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped

Cook the potatoes in salted water until easily pierced with a fork and then cut in half. Set aside.

In a small skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and crumble. To the bacon fat in the pan, add the sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.

Place the potatoes in a large salad bowl and toss with a small drizzle of the dressing. Add Arugula and toss with remaining dressing. Top with bacon and egg.

Cookie of the Week

Yes, I am still making cookies! Well, I missed last week and I haven't even thought about this week yet, but let's not talk about that. I have a few recipes to share from the past month.



These are so good! A little rich and buttery but that is not neccesarily a bad thing! We had these for breakfast as well as dessert.

English Matrimonials

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 sticks butter, cut into pieces
1 12 ounce jar of your favorite preserves ( I use peach)

Mix all ingredients except Apricot Preserves. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8 inch square pan. Spread the preserves over the crust. Sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares.



This is one of my favorite cookies. It always makes me think of my grandmother and I'm not exactly sure why. I don't really remember her making these but I always think of her when I make them.

This is a two-fer recipe. You make a batch of butter cookie dough and divide in half. Half goes to these cookies and half gets wrapped in the freezer for another cookie recipe that I'll share later or another batch of these.

Basic Butter Cookie Dough
1 lb butter softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 large egg yolks *
2 tsp vanilla
4 2/3 c flour

Beat the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour until combined well.

* save the egg whites and freeze for later use.

Jelly Bowl Cookies

1/2 batch of Basic Cookie Dough
3/4 c jam (I like Strawberry)

roll the dough in small balls and place on a prepared cookie sheet. Using your thumb, press an indentation in to the dough to for a little bowl. Fill will a small about of jam. Bake at 350 for 12 min.



There is not much really to say about these cookies. They are kind of light and crumbly (in a good way) with a great taste of honey. It's a simple cookie that stores well.

Honey Tapioca Cookies

1/2 c butter, softened
1/3 c honey
2 Tbls brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 c tapioca flour
1 1/4 c rice flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter, honey and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg. Add remaining ingredients and mix for about 2 minutes. Roll in to tablespoon sized balls, slightly flatten and place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.



What can I say about chocolate chip cookies?! Everyone loves them and these are no exception. The kids (mine and the neighbors) have no idea that they are made with whole wheat flour so you can sneak a little more whole grains in to their diet (let's just not talk about the sugar, though!) The whole wheat flour gives them an almost nutty quality. You can't go wrong with chocolate chip cookies!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
2 c butter, softened
4 eggs
2 Tbls vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 3/4 c whole wheat flour
4 c semisweet chocolate chips

Cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and baking soda until well blended, then mix in the flour. Stir in the chocolate chips last. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets so they are about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to brown at the edges.

Cookie of the Week

This week's cookie is a small batch cookie - only 16 2x2 bars. They are filling though. They are also the kind of cookie that is perfect as part of quick on the go breakfast. Don't let the ultra healthy ingredients turn you off. They are solid but not dry. And more importantly, my kids like them. That is the ultimate stamp of approval.

Raisin Bars

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup raisins, finely chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/3 to 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 325º and grease an 8x8 baking pan. Blend the flour, oats, salt and oil. Mix in the raisins, nuts if using and water. Use the larger amount of water only if needed to make the mixture hold together. Press the dough in to the pan, pressing down very well. CUt in to 16 squares before baking. Bake for 30 minutes.

I think these would be good with other dried fruits besides the raisins. Dates, maybe? We leave the nuts out because of allergies but I'm sure they are wonderful with that little bit of crunch.

Menu Plan Monday (and Recipe!)

Once again, Monday has snuck up on me. I'm really not sure why. I shows up right on schedule every week. I suppose that means that I am the one that is off schedule. We have a busy week this week and my menu will be my saving grace. What to have for dinner will be one less thing to worry about each day.

Spring is here in full force and last night's dinner really celebrated that. The highlight of the meal was the Cantaloupe Sorbet. Our ice cream maker is going to get a real work out this Summer! (if you have a favorite ice cream/sorbet recipe let me know!)

The boys are ready for dining al fresco. This week we'll have to get the table and chairs cleaned up so we can move our meals to the backyard. That is until the triple digit temperatures of the Summer hit, anyway.

Sunday
Grilled Chicken
Caprese Salad
Cantaloupe Sorbet

Monday
Scallion and Ginger Fried Rice
Sugar Snap Peas

Tuesday
Crispy Shrimp
Red Cabbage Slaw
Apple Slices

Wednesday
Crockpot Meatloaf with
Potatoes and Carrots
Mixed Green Salad

Thursday
Curried Lentils and Tomatoes
Quinoa

Friday
Lasagna Primavera
Green Salad
Garlic Toast

Saturday
Out to Dinner!

***



Cantaloupe Sorbet

When the chatter during dinner stops and the bowls and licked sparkly clean, you know it's good!

1 cup simple syrup *
3 cups canteloupe (peeled, seeded and cubed)

Place the syrup and the melon in the food processor or blender and whir until smooth. Poor in the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions. Enjoy!

*Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a slow boil. When the sugar is completely melted and the syrup is clear again, remove from heat. Allow to cool before using. Store in the refrigerator.

Cookie of the Week

This week's cookie is Chocolate Snappers. They are like a crispy little brownie cookie. Great with a cold glass of milk! (I'm still looking for a great fudgy brownie recipe recipe, by the way. If you've got one, please let me know!)

Chocolate Snappers

1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar (reserved)

Cream the butter, brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Blend in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 350º. Roll chilled dough in to 1 inch balls and then roll the balls in the reserved sugar. Place on a prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-12 minutes depending on how crispy you like them.

Menu + A Recipe

I had a few inquiries about my stuffed bread from last week so I'll include my recipe (of sorts) at the end. It's so easy!

This week, we are eating from the freezer and the pantry. We are pretty well stocked with the staples so it was relatively easy to plan a well rounded menu for the week. I even have plenty of frozen veggies on hand from a big sale last month. I love when I can do this! I'm hoping that I only need to shop for things like milk, eggs and fresh fruit.

Sunday
Grilled Steak
Oven Fries
Spinach with Caramelized Onions

Monday
Pasta with Sweet Peas and Toasted Garlic

Tuesday
Taco Soup
Yeast Risen Corn Bread

Wednesday
Honey Mustard Chicken
Roasted Broccoli
Rice

Thursday
Fish with Lemon Butter
Quinoa Salad with Green Beans,
Corn and Tomatoes

Friday
Leftovers!

Saturday
Family Camping with the Cub Scouts!

***

Stuffed Bread

This is a recipe 'of sorts'. Meaning that is not an exact recipe but more of my method for making stuffed bread. It's really pretty simple and so easy to customize. Stuffed bread is sort of like a calzone or stromboli.

This time I made pepperoni and cheese stuffed bread because that was what the kids wanted (as always!) and I already had the ingredients on hand.

1 lb of your favorite pizza dough
approx. 1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce
approx. 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
a few handfuls of pepperoni

Cut the dough in half, form 2 balls, cover and let rise for about 45 minutes.

Roll one ball into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread with half of the pizza sauce leaving a 1/2 border around the edges. Sprinkle with half the cheese and then top with half the pepperoni. Carefully roll jellyroll style, starting at the long edge. Wet the edge with water and seal. Place the seam underneath the roll. Brush with olive oil. Let sit 15 min. Repeat with second ball of dough.

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450º. Sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal. Slide bread on to the hot stone and cook for 20 min or until top is golden and sounds done when you tap it.

Slice and eat!

There are so many different things you can fill your bread with. Adjust the amounts to suit your family's tastes. I like broccoli or spinach cooked with garlic. Ham and cheese is good. Cooked, chopped chicken with sauteed peppers and onions or browned ground beef and cheese, or well, the combinations are limitless!

Enjoy, it just as good the next day as it is fresh from the oven.

Menu + A Recipe

This photo is for you mom!  If I could I would send some meatballs to you but since I can't, this will have to do until you visit again.  xo Me


My menu planning notebook is filling up with all sorts of wonderful meals and ideas. I thought I should get back to sharing some of that here again. This week is a special one. Along with Easter, we are also celebrating a birthday! Because of Cub Scouts, Chaz decided he wanted his Birthday Dinner a day late. Smart boy! This way he is able to relax and really enjoy his food.

In honor of this week's celebrations, I have a little gift for you. I am sharing my secret recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs! It's a highly requested recipe that I have, until now, closely guarded. Enjoy it!

Sunday Easter!
Braided Easter Bread
Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb
Asparagus Orzotto
Greek Style Yogurt with Strawberries and Honey

Monday
Onion Glazed Grilled Salmon
Broccoli
Black Bean and Corn Salad

Tuesday
Leftovers

Wednesday Chaz's Birthday Dinner
Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
Cheesy Garlic Toast
Tossed Salad
Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Thursday
Zucchini and Summer Squash Quiche

Friday
Texas Style Beef Stew
Corn Bread

Saturday
The boys are having a sleepover. We'll probably do "make your pizzas"

***

"The World's Best Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs"

Meatballs:

1/2 lb ground veal
1/2 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 c fresh bread crumbs (about 4 slices of good bread whirred in the food processor)
1/4 c seasoned dry breadcrumbs
2 Tbls chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 c fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 big fat cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg lightly beaten
3/4 c warm water

Combine all ingredients lightly in a large bowl. (your hands are best for this) Don't compress or your meatballs will be hard and a little dry. From in to meatballs - what ever size you prefer. We like them slightly smaller than a golf ball. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350º until done and a little crispy on the edges. The exact time will really depend on how big your meatballs are.

Sauce:

1 Tbls olive oil
1 baseball sized onion chopped
2-3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c Chianti or other good red wine
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbls chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbls chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

*When the meatballs are done, scrape up all the browned bits from the cookie sheet and add them to the sauce.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch Oven. Add onions and saute until translucent, 5-10 min. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook on high for about 3 min, cooking down the liquid slightly. Stir in the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for an hour or so (or longer, it doesn't matter. Though you'll probably want to cover the pot if you go for longer than an hour). Add the meatballs whenever they are done and gently stir.

I always double or triple (or sometimes more!) the recipe and then freeze in meal sized portions. I do think that one batch of meatballs is probably good for two batches of sauce. The sauce and meatballs are not only wonderful with pasta, but they make a great meatball sub or even a filling for a calzone. Don't forget to plan for all of the meatballs that will be snuck from the pot while the sauce is cooking!

Cookie of the Week

This week's cookie is a little less cookie and a little more.... I don't know, something else. A snack, maybe? A breakfast on the go? A healthy treat disguised as something sweet?

This week I made granola bars.

I love how easy they are and so customizable, too. The boys can pick their own combination of fruits, nuts and seeds to make a treat that suits their tastes. Much better than store bought (then again isn't homemade anything better than store bought?)

Granola Bars

14 oz can condensed milk
2 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dried fruit of choice (diced apple, cranberries, raisins, etc)*
1 cup seeds of choice (pumpkin seeds, sesame, sunflower, etc)*
1 cup nuts of choice (we need to be nut free so I just split this cup between the fruit and seeds but peanuts or almonds are a nice choice, too)*

* this time I used 3 cups of Not Nuts Mountain Mambo nut free trail mix by Enjoy Life. You just need a total of 3 cups of whatever combination of stuff you like. If you add chocolate chips, they'll get all melty and very unchip like but that might be ok, too.

Preheat the oven to 250 F. Oil a 9x13 baking pan (I just line it with parchment paper. Less to clean up). Lightly oil a large mixing bowl.

Warm the condensed milk in a saucepan. Combine all the other ingredients in the oiled bowl. Pour the warm milk over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Spread the mixture in the prepared pan with a rubber spatula or with your hands (light coated with oil so the gooey stuff doesn't stick. You can get CSI-like and wear gloves but I don't have any and haven't bothered to get some.)

Bake for 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes and then cut in to bars. Makes 16-24 bars depending on how big you like them.

Enjoy! These store really well. I keep them in a cookie tin lined with some of the same parchment paper that I lined the baking pan with. (I'm frugal that way!)

Cookie of the Week

This week's cookie is a quick and easy cookie. It also happens to be a gluten free cookie using potato flour and rice flour instead of wheat flour. The batch is a small one but the cookies taste best when they are fresher. I think it's better to make a second batch halfway through the week than to try and double the recipe and make it last.

Raisin Spice Cookies

1/2 c honey
1/2 c coconut oil
1 egg
1 c brown rice flour
1/2 c potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 c raisins

Preheat oven to 375º

Cream together the honey, oil and egg. Add all ingredients except raisins. Mix well. Stir in raisins gently. Drop on to a prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cookie of the Week

I had a request this week for Oreos. I'm not feeling up to figuring that one out right now so we compromised. This week's cookie is a White Chip Chocolate Cookie.

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/ tsp salt
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. in a separate bowl, cream butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chips. drop by spoonfulls on to a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, until centers are set. Be careful not to over bake as it is hard to tell if they are done by color.