No Bakes (cut out cookies)

My oldest daughter played with the cookie cutters all morning and begged me to make sugar cookies.  I  didn't have all the ingredients and wasn't up for baking today.  I told her we could make no-bakes, then she asked if we could cut them out.  I'd never thought of it.  Leave it to a three-year-old to come up with a brilliant idea.  We ended up with owls, which are kind of fall-esque, but cute nonetheless!

 No Bakes

1/2 C butter

2 C sugar

1/2 milk

Boil for 1 minute

Add: 

3 tbsp of peanut butter (or more)

3/4 C chocolate chips

3 C oats

1 tsp vanilla

Stir to combine and pour into a Deep Flexipat and let cool.  

My daughter picked an owl cutter, and we added Cheerios as eyes and a piece of a walnut as a beak.

Banana 'ice cream' with Nutella

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I was skeptical.  Bananas = smooth creamy ice cream? It was warm today, I had some ripening bananas, and the mood hit me right.  This morning I sliced 2 banana and placed the round discs on a Silpat on a perforated baking sheet and placed them in my freezer.  This evening, I pulled them out and created this beautiful concoction!  Try it!!  Unless you don't like banana, then I don't recommend it.  The only other catch is that you need a food processor.

Banana 'ice cream' with Nutella

2 large bananas

3 tsp Nutella

Slice bananas and place round discs on a Silpat on perforated baking sheet.  Place it in the freezer until frozen through (at least 2 hours) or overnight.

Place banana discs in the food processor (hold on tight to the machine, it will jump!) and turn on for several minutes.  Stop every now and again to scrape down the sides.  Don't be worried it will come together.  Add in Nutella (or peanut butter!!) and let the goodness spin several more rounds in the food processor.  Sprinkle on on a few chocolate chips and enjoy!

I'm officially addicted!

Health(ier) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don't let this photo fool you! I took it with my phone, which probably wasn't the best idea to portray the deliciousness, but this is all I've got, folks.  These do not disappoint and definitely satisfy the cookie craving!

I found a recipe on Chocolate-Covered Katie's blog, and changed it just a smidge.  

2/3 C + 1/2 C oats

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp flax meal

3 tbsp chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp butter, melted

3 tbsp milk

Pulse oats in food processor until fine (or use oat flour).  Add salt, baking soda, brown sugar, sugar and flax meal.  Combine.  Add in vanilla, butter and milk.  Combine.  Stir in chocolate chips and scoop onto a Silpat.  Bake at 380 degrees for 7 minutes.

Makes 12 cookies

97 calories each! 

Sausage, Asparagus, Bacon and Feta on Herbed Flatbread...A Pizza

Remember this little tutorial I gave on making your own pizza dough?  Well, you can use it once more to make this delicious treat.  Stick to the recipe except add 1tbsp of Demarle At Home Rosemary, Basil and Thyme herb blend to the dry ingredients.

 Once the dough has risen, separate it into two balls and roll out one onto a large Silpat. Save the other in the fridge for tomorrow or pop it in the freezer for next week.  Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil on the top of the rolled out dough and slide it into the oven for 5 minutes and bake at 400 degrees.

Take the partially baked crust out of the oven and top it with the following:

1 C finely grated mozzarella

1 lb ground mild Italian sausage, browned

2 C chopped asparagus sautéed with 2 cloves garlic, minced

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 C Feta

1/4 C finely grated mozzarella

Put the pizza back in the oven and bake for about 20 more minutes.

Cut and enjoy!

Stromboli

I get a lot of requests for Stromboli as a rendezvous menu item.  What seems to impress people, aside from the flavor, is the dough that I make.  I was once intimidated by yeast, but now we have an understanding.  I assure you that you can easily make your own pizza dough for stromboli, or of course, pizza. 

For the yeast: 

1 C warm water

1 tsp sugar

1 package yeast or 2 1/4 tsp

Use warm water out of the faucet or warm it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.  You want the water to be about 110 degrees.  I never measure the temperature though.  It should be just past luke-warm.

Let the yeast sit on your counter for about 5 minutes.  It should start to bubble and froth. 

Meanwhile, in your kitchen aid with a dough hook attachment add:

3 C bread flour 

1 tsp salt

3 tsp olive oil

(You can use all purpose flour, but I think the dough turns out much softer with bread flour.)

While you have the olive oil out, drizzle a little into the bottom of a mixing bowl.  This will be the resting place for your dough once it comes together.

 See how the yeast is frothy?  Yep, it's ready for action.

Pour the yeast mixture in with the flour.

Start the mixer on a low speed (2) and let the ingredients start to come together.

Once things have started to combine, turn your mixer up (4).

You might need to add a teaspoon or two extra of water or olive oil here.  If it seems too dry add one or the other.  Usually, I put a few drops of water into the yeast container once I've emptied it.  I give it a little swirl motion to get the extra froth off the sides and that's what I use if I feel the dough needs a little extra moisture.  Let the mixer do the work.  Sit back and relax for 2-3 minutes.

The dough will become shiny and smooth.  It's ready to rest.

Place the dough in the bowl drizzled with olive oil, cover and let it sit for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

I turn on one of the elements on my stove for a few seconds, then turn it off.  It becomes slightly warm.  That's where my dough sits until it's ready.  Be careful though, this only works if you have an 18/10 grade stainless steel bowl.

After an hour or so, your dough will be ready.  Punch it down and fold it over on itself a few times.

The Roul'Pat is one of my favorite products.  I use it when making sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls, scones and stromboli.

Side note: if you want to use this dough to make pizza, just roll it out on the Silpat, top it, and bake.

 Place the dough in the center and roll it out.  The rectangular Roul'Pat is the perfect size to make a large stromboli.  You can separate the dough into two even balls and make smaller versions with different fillings too.

See how it goes to the outer edges?  This means the dough is the perfect thickness and ready to top.

For this stromboli I used salami, sausage, turkey pepperoni, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Rosemary, Basil and Thyme blend.  My favorite combination is salami, black forest ham, pepperoni, provolone, Parmesan and the herb blend. 

1/4 lb salami, sliced thinly

1/4 lb black forest ham, sliced thinly

1 package pepperoni

1/4 lb provolone, sliced thinly

1/2 C grated Parmesan

1 tsp Rosemary, Basil and Thyme blend

1/2 C mozzarella, shredded

Roll up the stromboli. Fold the edges up.

Place the stromboli seam side down and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

If you want, you can warm marinara in the microwave for dipping.  I like to cover things going in the microwave with the Octagonal Silpat to prevent splatter.

Once the stromboli is ready, use your cake server knife to cut it.  Remember, you don't want to use knives on your products.

See how easy that is?  It's a crowd please too. Enjoy!

Bacon and Apple Brussel Sprouts

1 pound brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved

1 large Granny Smith apple, diced

6 slices bacon, cooked and diced

1/4 C olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Mediterranean Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Combine brussel sprouts, apple and bacon in a bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk olive oil, balsamic, honey salt and pepper and pour over brussel sprout mixture.  Dump mixture onto Silpat on a perforated baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Borrowed from Back To Her Roots

Quinoa Salad

This bowl of delishiness has been my dinner for several days. I love the crunchy ingredients paired with the scrumptious dressing. Healthy and full of fiber and protein, this salad is a meal on its own or would be a delicious side dish.

Quinoa Salad

1 C quinoa

2 C water

1 cucumber, peed and diced

1 red pepper, diced

3/4 C cilantro, chopped

2/3 C feta

1-2 green onions, diced

1 C broccoli, diced

1/4 C Mediterranean Fig or Spiced Apple Pear Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 C olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 1/2 tbsp honey

Cook quinoa according to the directions on the package. Spread quinoa out on a Silpat and let sit for 7 minutes to cool.

In a mixing bowl combine cucumber, red pepper, broccoli, feta, green onion and cilantro.

In a mason jar combine balsamic vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Shake.

Add dressing and quinoa to vegetable mixture and combine.

White Chocolate, Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies

These cookies are awesome and are my new favorite. I am typically not a white chocolate fan, but mixed with oats and pecans this trio is something to be reckoned with.

White Chocolate, Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies

1 C butter, room temp.

1 C brown sugar

1 C sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 C oats

1 1/2 C white chocolate chips

1 C pecans, chopped

Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla. Combine. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats. Combine. Add white chocolate chips and pecans. Mix gently.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

This recipe makes several dozen. They are soft and delicious. And irresistible.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

These is the perfect treats for a Valentine's Day party. They are sweet, salty, chocolaty, and peanut buttery...

Mash up some pretzels.

Melt some butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter.

Add in some Rice Krispies and crunched pretzels and press them down onto a Silpat.

Let them cool. Then cut the sweet mixture into hearts.

Drizzle, frost, dollop, or dip them with chocolate.

Share them with your friends.

Or, hide in a closet and devour 1 or 7 of them.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

1/2 C butter

1 16 oz bag marshmallows (minus the 6 you used for hot chocolate last week)

1 C peanut butter

6 C Rice Krispies

3 C pretzels, crunched

1 C chocolate chips, melted

Makes 30

Spaghetti Sandwiches

I love it when an impromptu meal turns out to be a yummy creation. Meatball subs were on the menu this week, but I forgot to purchase meatballs and I forgot to take the hamburger out of the freezer to thaw so I could make my own. With lunch quickly approaching, I wondered why I couldn't just use the ground beef. Enter the spaghetti sandwich. With this little baby now in the menu rotation, meatball subs will be kicked to the curb.

Spaghetti Sandwiches

1.5 pounds ground beef

1 1/2 C chopped mushrooms

1/2 small onion, diced

4 C your favorite spaghetti sauce

6 French rolls

1/2 C cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan blend

Brown hamburger, add in onions and mushrooms and sauté until tender. Pour in sauce and heat through.

Cut the French rolls in half and hallow out the middle. Place them on a Silpat. Fill the wells with the meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese blend. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

The great thing about using the Silpat is that the outside of the bread will get crispy, while the inside stays moist. Close them up, cut them in half, and serve them up with a salad for a complete meal.

Give them a try! I think next time I'm going to add some shredded carrots and diced zucchini into the meat sauce for an extra dose of veggies.

P.S. Don't you think we can count these as low carb since the meal isn't made of pasta AND bread? Oh, and don't forget we hallowed out the French roll. For now, I'm going to pretend they are low carb.

Parmesan Crisps

One of the reasons I love my Silpat is because NOTHING sticks to it! In fact, you can bake cheese right on it and it will slide right off. Enter... a parmesan crisp. I made them to put atop a chicken caesar salad, but they are delicious on top of any salad, really. Alone even.

Just preheat your oven to 400 degrees and dump heaping tablespoons into piles onto your Silpat. Press them down slightly and bake them for 6-8 minutes. Make extra because these go quick!

Avocado Chicken Pita Pizza

This is a huge hit every time I make it! It's delicious and on the healthier side, so the kids are happy and so is mama.

Remember how I showed you to roast a chicken? Use some of the leftovers for this recipe. Dice up a tomato and shred some Monterey Jack cheese. In a small bowl smash up two avocados and add some salt, garlic powder, lemon juice and a few teaspoons of taco sauce.
Place the pitas on a Silpat and bake them at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. (note: if you are using a regular baking sheet you will need to brush them with oil before baking)
Once they have a crisp outside top them with the avocado mixture then layer with a bit of cheese, chicken, tomato and little more cheese.
Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
Slide them onto a cutting board and cut into the 4 pieces. Enjoy!