Veggie Hummus Pizza

I love hummus and once ate an entire Costco tub single handedly in a matter of days.  I soon found out I was pregnant, which explained my ravenous behavior.  But pregnant or not, hummus is awesome!

This has been my lunch a couple times this week.  It's healthy, tasty, and colorful!  Spread a piece of naan bread (found at the grocery store or Costco) with your favorite hummus and top with sliced fresh cucumber and red and yellow peppers.  So easy, and a delicious way to get those veggies in for the day!

After eating such a healthy lunch, I felt justified in eating a Ghirardelli dark chocolate square... or 2... or 3.

Another favorite healthy snack lately:
carrot chips (I swear it makes them taste better when they're cut like potato chips) dipped in hummus.

Cute Christmas Cookies (recipes and tutorial)

     

 I spent a day in my pajamas making these Christmas cookies, and I love how they turned out!  A while back, I tried making flow icing cookies and they looked o.k., but tasted not so great.  I used a different recipe this time , and they were delicious!  The flow icing technique is time consuming, but really fun!

 First, make the cookies using this recipe: http://www.kitchengifts.com/nofailsugarcookies.html

You don't need to refrigerate the dough for hours like it says, because you can use this cool trick...

 Roll out a circle of dough 1/4 in. thick between two sheets of wax paper and refrigerate for about 10-15 min.  Cut out cookies and bake.  I kept rotating new discs of dough to and from the fridge, and it went swimmingly.  This recipe is great because the cookies turn out smooth and flat for decorating.

Now the fun part!  I modified a recipe I found online to work a little better than the original.  Here it is...

Royal Icing

4 TBSP meringue powder

1 cup water (not quite filled to the top)

1 lb. powdered sugar

2 tsp. light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine meringue powder and water.  Sift in powdered sugar and mix until combined.  Add extract and corn syrup and mix on high for about 5 min.  It is ready when a stiff peak forms when lifting the beater out of the icing.  Color with gel food coloring if desired.  Put in squeeze bottle or pastry bag and use for outlining cookies.  The outline acts as a dam for the thinner icing you will use to "flood" the cookie. For filling in or flooding cookies, thin the icing with water a TBSP. at a time until it's the consistency of syrup.  A good test is to drizzle some from a spoon into the bowl of icing and it should  disappear in about 3 seconds.  Flood cookies and use a toothpick to help spread the icing. 

You can add decoration with another color of thinned flood icing.  If you decorate while the base color is still wet, you will get a smooth, flat finish like these.  If you prefer raised pattern, wait a few hours for the base to dry, then apply the details with the second color.  

Let the iced cookies dry overnight, or for several hours.  Once dry, they can be stacked without messing up the design.  This makes them easy to transport to parties, etc.  

Now EAT one or some because they are sooooooooooooooooooo yummy!

Naan naan naan naan na-nah (gettin jiggy with it)

My husband and I love to make curry.  It's quick, and easy and soooooooo good.  We get curry paste (I like red best) from the Asian Market, and follow the instructions on the back.  Generally, its a tablespoon or two of paste, mixed with a can of coconut milk, veggies.  If we feel like adding chicken, we cook it in some coconut milk in a sauce-pan before adding it to the curry.

Now- nothing pairs with curry quite like Naan.  Naan is like a middle eastern tortilla.  It's awesome, but until now, I have had a horrible time finding a recipe that is on par with the naan I've had in restaurants.    I found this recipe on Pinterest from The Café Sucre Farine, and it does not disappoint.  The only thing I did differently was mix the herbs into the dough right before cooking, rather than brush them on.  Another tip- make sure you get the dough really thin before you cook it, so there aren't' any doughy spots.

Herbed Naan
from: the Café Sucre Farine 
Ingredients:
2¾ cups hot water, 110-115˚F
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
6½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Ingredients for the naan:
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs, I like to use 1/2 cilantro and 1/2 Italian parsley, but other herbs would also be good*
sea salt

Directions for the dough
1. Mix the water, yeast and sugar in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container. Stir and let sit till yeast is bubbly. Stir in olive oil and sea salt.

2. Mix in the flour with a large wooden spoon or a heavy duty large whisk till all flour is incorporated.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and colapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 3-4 days.

Directions for the naan:
1. Combine oil and herbs in a small bowl.

2. When you're ready to make the naans, remove dough from refrigerator. Liberally sprinkle flour on a work surface. With a large spoon, scoop up 10 lumps of dough about the size of a small apple. Refrigerate remaining dough for another use (check these out).

3. Roll dough balls in flour to coat all surfaces, then flatten each with the palm of your hand. With a rolling pin, roll dough into circles (don't worry, they don't have to be precise circles, real naans aren't supposed to be perfectly round) about 8 inches in diameter. Keep work surface well dusted with flour to prevent sticking. Stack rolled dough circles on a platter, separating them with parchment or waxed paper.

4. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Coat surface lightly with olive oil. Place one dough circle in heat pan. Brush top surface with herb/oil mixture. If bubbles begin to form in dough just flatten them with your brush. This will give your finished naan lots of interesting texture. Continue cooking until bottom side is a light golden brown.

5. Flip naan to other side and brush top side lightly with herb/oil mixture. Continue to cook until second side is light golden brown, then flip one more time and cook for another 20 to 30 seconds. Remove naan to a plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat process with other dough circles, stacking them on a plate, separating each one with paper towels.

Ice Cream Cone Cake Balls

Despite his face, these really were enjoyed by all!

I love cake balls and was looking for a cute way to decorate them, without having to be extremely talented... or patient. 
I was afraid the mini cones would be a nightmare to find, but they are conveniently located at my (and probably your) local Walmart.

Here's what you need:

1 pack Mini Ice Cream Cones

1 Cake Mix (any flavor)

1 Container of Frosting (i always use Cream Cheese flavor, but i hear any flavor will work)

1 package Candy Melts or Almond Bark (only use GEL food coloring if you plan to color your Almond Bark)

Any "Toppings" to decorate your "ice creams". I used sprinkles, melted milk choc chips, and mini M&M's.

Directions:
1. Bake the cake according to instructions on box. Allow to cool completely.
2. Crumble cake into large bowl. I don't like mashing food with my hands... So, I break the cake into the bowl in large chunks then use my hand mixer to pulverize the cake into crumbs.
3. Add an entire container of frosting to the cake crumbs and mix until combined. I also use the hand mixer for this, although some prefer using their hands.

4. Scoop 1" balls onto cookie sheet. A cookie scoop is VERY useful for this step. Roll balls to create a more uniform/smooth ball.

5. Place cookie sheet in freezer for an hour, or until firm.

6. Melt candy melts in microwave for 30 sec increments until completely melted. DO NOT OVER HEAT!

7. Remove from fridge and press a ball into a mini cone just enough for it to stay put.

8. Dip into candy melts making sure to dip the upper part of the cone. This will help "cement" the ball to the cone once the candy melts harden.

9. Add sprinkles, mini M&M's, or any other toppings before the candy melts harden, this will "cement" the toppings to the ball.

10. Store in fridge until candy melt coating is hard, then serve!

Spinach-Topped Tilapia Recipe

 Spinach-Topped Tilapia

Really, this would probably be good on any kind of fish, but tilapia is cheap and still tasted great.

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
½ cup onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 oz baby spinach
½ Tbsp fat free cream cheese
1 tsp basil
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Garlic powder
Shredded Parmesan 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Season fish with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Saute onion in olive oil until soft, then add garlic and cook for another minute. 
• Add spinach and cook until completely wilted. Remove from heat.
• Add basil, salt and pepper. Stir in the cream cheese.
• Spoon mixture onto tops of tilapia and sprinkle with Parmesan
• Bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes off easily

And while we're talking about recipes, I'm just going to send you right to this Balsamic Nectarine Pizza recipe. YUM!

No Mayo Avocado Chicken Salad

YUM! I saw this on Pinterest but the link turned out to be spam, so here's my take on it.

Ingredients:

1 Can chicken breast meat

1 ripe avocado

2 tsp guacamole mix packet

cilantro

lime juice

Directions: Mix all ingredients together add cilantro and lime juice to taste. Enjoy with tortilla chips or however you like to eat chicken salad!

So easy and SO GOOD! Try mixing in any other favorite guacamole ingredients. (garlic, tomatoes, black beans, onion, corn, etc)

2 tasty recipes

My friend gave me this recipe for "healthy" cookies. I guess really healthy people reserve these for their treat, but I justify eating them all day long because they have so many healthy ingredients.

Mix together:
3 mashed bananas
2 cups of oats
1/2 c dried cranberries (or any dried fruit you like)
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c almond milk
1 tsp. cinnimon
bake at 350 for about 15 min.
Less healthy version ( I recommend)
add:
dark chocolate chips
a drizzle of honey in the batter
pinch of salt


I made these mini-quiches (hate that word- and you know why, so they will henceforth be called cheese-baskets)for a brunch yesterday and they were a big hit, and totes easy.

basil & goat cheese baskets


3 tablespoons of fresh basil (or pesto)
1 package of puff pastry dough
4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
3 eggs
1/2 c. half and half (2% milk works fine)
1 T. flour
3/4 C. tomato, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Blend together eggs, cream, flour, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

cut pastry dough into squares and place them into a greased muffin tin. Bake for 5 min at the recommended temp. on the package. Take the tin out of the oven and sprinkle basil, tomato, and goat cheese into each cup.

Pour the egg mixture into each cup, filling about 3/4 of each cup. Bake for about 15 min @ 400 (keep an eye on it though, because I can't really remember how long I kept them in for).



Consider these variations:
-sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh
- zuchinni & rosemary
-cheddar & parm if you don't like the tang of goat cheese

Post your favorite quiche filling combos in the comments so I can try them!!

PS these photos were ripped off google images. They are not mine, but they look a lot like the recipes

Easy Fish Tacos

I love these tacos! The ingredients I use make them pretty healthy, and they even rival Rubios in taste! The biggest bonus is that they are SO EASY to make.
Ingredients:

Frozen Fish Fillets (I use multigrain breaded tilapia)

Shredded Cabbage

Flour Tortillas (These are the BEST whole wheat, low carb tortillas ever! They taste just like white flour tortillas. I get them at Walmart.)

Aioli (I couldn't find it in any stores out here so I used THIS recipe and like it better!)

Limes

Hot Sauce (Valentina is my favorite with these tacos)

Directions:

Bake your fish according to directions on box then split each fillet down the center.

After warming tortillas, layer on the aioli, fish, cabbage, and hot sauce. Add a squeeze of lime and any other toppings you desire! Enjoy!!!

Pinterest Hit or Miss

So I've been trying out a lot of recipes from Pinterest and some are just as fantastic as they look and others...not so much. So I thought I would do you all a favor and tell you which ones are actually worth trying. I would also appreciate if you would do the same!

Chic-fil-A Copycat Sandwiches

These are exactly what they claim to be, so if you love Chic-fil-A, you will love these. In general, it's just a good-tasting breaded chicken recipe that could be used for lots of things. I'm excited to try it cut up in a salad.


Saucy Roast Big-Mouth Sliders

Jacob loved these! I thought they were pretty good and really easy. The recipe was WAY too much for the two of us so the beef ended up lasting forever and was good wrapped up in a tortilla too!


Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

It was fine, but a little blah. Not something I would make often.


Mongolian Beef

This was really good but kind of a lot of work. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to cooking.


Lemon Feta Pasta

This looked really good. I don't know if we got the recipe wrong or if it was because we didn't use fresh basil, but ours was pretty nast. I don't think I'll even bother trying to make it the right way.

#8 Oreo Pops

I've been wanting to try the dipped oreo pops floating around on pinterest.  I was in charge of treats for my niece's baptism, so I came up with my own version of oreo pops to create a number "8" for the occasion.It's just two mini oreos on a flat craft stick, dipped in melting chocolate.  I used some flower sprinkles I already had for the centers of the "8".  I think using an M&M would be even better proportionally, but I forgot to get them at the store, and didn't want to make another trip with the 3yr. old!  Next time!

To make these, I opened up each oreo, lined up two, placed the stick on the frosting side, squirted a little of the chocolate on like glue, then put the tops of the cookies over that.  I then put them in the freezer for a while before dipping them.  I used a spoon to help get them coated with the chocolate, then put the sprinkles on while the chocolate was still wet.  I put them back in the freezer so they would be solid.  They were a hit at the baptism party and tasted so yummy! 

Christmas Goodies

I have been saving Crew's formula cans for the last couple months in hopes to find a clever way to use them. Then while looking for cute goody packaging ideas I saw the idea of using the formula cans for our Christmas goodies this year. I just wrapped a 4" thick strip of wrapping paper around them and cut a circle for the lid (to cover the Enfamil label). They were just the right size, and I was able to cram a lot of stuff into the cans. I made matching bows out of coordinating wrapping paper using this tutorial I found on Pinterest.
For the goodies, I kept it relatively simple. I dipped some Oreos in white chocolate and put Landon to work making our version of "bulls eyes"(snap pretzel + Rolo + peanut butter m&m). The "hardest" thing I did was make this toffee. I was surprised at how simple it was to make, and it turned out SO SO SO good! I threw in some Butterfinger Bells (for the kids, since I do not believe in sharing Ghirardelli with children) and topped it off with a few Lindor Balls. We had a blast looking at Christmas lights while passing out the cans to our friends and neighbors.

Landon has 4 teachers this year... So since I didn't have enough cans, I decided to make some of the cute paper gift boxes I've seen on Pinterest.

I used this tutorial and can't stop making these! I even made some mini ones for part of my YW lesson last Sunday. I used 12x12 cardstock and filled the teacher boxes with toffee. I made the labels on Picnik.com and cut strips of scrapbook paper to "tie" the box closed.

Low Carb Pesto Pizza

I love pizza! It's probably my favorite food, however it is not very carb friendly. This version is delicious, and since you can eat the whole pizza for around 300 calories it makes a lovely meal!Ingredients:

1 piece Whole Wheat Flat bread, or a Wrap, or you could even use a pita (I used a low carb wheat wrap)

1 T Pesto Sauce

1/4 C Mozzarella Cheese

1/8 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Onion

Red Bell Pepper

Chicken (optional, I just had some left over rotisserie)

Basil

Italian seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 425 and toast your wrap by "baking" it for about 4 min.

Spread Pesto onto crust and layer cheese and other toppings (being as generous as you like with the veggies)

Sprinkle on the seasonings to your liking.

Bake for an additional 5-8min depending on your "crispiness" preference.

ENJOY!

Pink Drink!

Yesterday Landon asked, "Is Crew back in your tummy?".

I guess this means it's time to throw out the m&m's and get my butt off the couch! This recipe is from the F Factor Diet book. I really enjoyed this diet and felt SO good while on it. This is the first time I've made this and I LOVE it!!Please excuse my pumpkin cup, it's the only see through cup currently unpacked.

Strawberry Yogurt Shake

1 Cup crushed ice

1 1/4 Cup strawberries

1 container (5.3 oz) Fage Total 0% yogurt (this is greek yogurt and I bet Chobani would work?)

1 tsp vanilla

1 packet Splenda (I used 1 tsp of Truvia since that is what I have... plus I hear it's better for you.)

Place all ingredients into a blender. Mix on high until well blended. Pour into a glass and serve.

Serves 1

Nutritional Info: 137 Calories, 19g Carbs, 5g fiber, 14g protein, 1g fat, 2mg sodium.

Cornflake Cookies

Don't let the name scare you!  These cookies are delicious! They are crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside, and addicting inside and out! I love chocolate chip cookies, but sometimes it's nice to have something different.  The dough is tasty too, so beware!  Here is the link:Cornflake Cookies

3 Cheese Tomato Basil Pizza

YUM! This was the easiest thing I've ever made, and one of the most delicious. I made it up, so I don't have exact amounts. You can't really mess it up.

Ingredients:

Refrigerated pizza crust

Olive Oil

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Sliced provolone cheese

Mozzarella cheese

3 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin

Fresh basil, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

After rolling dough into pizza pan, spread olive oil onto crust and bake 400 degrees for 5 min. Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese, then layer provolone on top. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese then top with sliced tomatoes, and fresh chopped basil. Top with salt and pepper, and bake an additional 10min at 400 degrees.

Easter Morning Rolls

This is an Easter tradition the kids can help with.  These rolls are made with a large marshmallow rolled inside refrigerated roll dough, but after they are cooked, the marshmallow melts away, leaving the roll empty inside, just like the tomb.  We made them Easter morning last year, and plan on doing it again this year.  My kids loved them.  Here is the link to the recipe: Easter Morning Rolls

sunflower cupcakes

I got the idea for these out of the book Hello, Cupcake.

what they should look like

Having had bad experiences in the past with all things involving frosting and fancy tips, I dumbed down the directions quite a bit.

Basically I just frosted the cupcakes with green frosting and stuck an oreo in the middle. Then I put yellow and orange frosting into a ziploc bag, wrapped scotch tape around the corner and cut a little upside down V shape into the corner (If you have fancy frosting tools, use them instead!). Then I squeezed the little petals all around the oreo, starting with the bottom layer. You can also add a red m&m with black frosting for the lady bugs.

Here are my sad wannabes.


So I may not be a very good cupcake decorator but I am pretty good at making up cheesy object lessons, which I did so I could give these to our Sunday School class. It was on faith, so I held up a sunflower seed and said "what is this?"

kids: it's a sunflower seed, stupid.

me: yes. And what do you believe will grow from it?

kids: a sunflower...

me: yes, BUT is having faith that a sunflower will grow enough? Will it grow just because you believe it will?

kids: no.. you have to plant it and water it and crap

me: Exactly! Faith without works is DEAD!
Faith with works=sunflowers!

went down something like that. At least they thought the cupcakes were pretty cool.

French Dip Sandwiches

These were sooo good and so easy to make! Instead of following a recipe, I just cheated and bought a packet of Au Jus mix from the store. whoop.

You need:
-sandwich buns
-4ish lb roast
-1 tsp rosemary
-1 tsp thyme
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1 Au Jus mix packet
-provolone or mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare the Au Jus according to package directions
2. Mix in the seasonings
3. Put roast in crock pot and pour the Au Jus over it. Add a little water so that it covers the whole roast
4. Cook on low for 9-11 hours. When it's done, shred it up.
5. Slice buns, butter and sprinkle with cheese. Toast in oven or toaster oven
6. Put however much meat you want on the sandwiches
7. Pour remaining juice from crock pot into a small bowl(s) for dipping.

Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

I found this recipe on all recipes last night, and it's a keeper!  They turned out soft and chewy.  I left the raisins out, and they were great. I'm sure they're good with raisins, or even better with chocolate chips!

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, butter flavored shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

more on my favorite subject (food)

Check out this recipe for Bajio's Green Chile Chicken Casdilla. (click that, it's a link)
Ok this one isn't quite as healthy and takes a little time, but is SO worth it. Seriously, they're good. Be sure to use good tortillas though..like the ones from Costco that you cook yourself.