Brownie Pops for Kate's Baby Girl!

Today was my coworkers last day, as she is having a baby on Friday. We decided to have a fun, good luck and congrats lunch for her, so I was so excited to have an excuse to buy Wilton's Brownie Pop pan! I have wanted it for awhile, but Pat convinced me that I didn't need it until at least after our trip. However, I printed off my 40% off Micheal's coupon and got it for only $5.00! I then bought some pink candy melts (she is having a baby girl) and some fun sprinkles, and cookie sticks and was set to go. They turned out very cute and seemed to go over well, out of 24, only 3 were left and we don't even have 24 people working at our school! I would suggest these to anyone who is entertaining or having a party, you can use any color candy melt and decorate them however you'd like. You can even make them into cute pumpkins or ghosts for Halloween.

 

All I used to make these were a box of brownie mix, colored candy melts, sprinkles, and cookie sticks. You can make homemade brownie mix but we didn't have all the ingredients and I didn't want to buy them since we will be out of town. They were delicious!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I got this recipe from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes and it was tasty! We were trying to use up ingredients we have on hand and not go to the store before our trip, so we will see what we come up with. This recipe was very good and it is good for you. It was very simple!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Calories: 188 • Points: 4 ww pts

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce
• 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Coconut Chicken Strip Salad

I normally don't like coconut, I never have. In fact, when I turned 5, my grandmother baked me a homemade coconut cake for my birthday. She was so sweet to do so, but didn't realize I really did not like coconut. My mom had me choke it down to be polite, that may have been the first time I didn't eat all of my cake! When I saw this recipe, I was a little hesitant given my bad past with coconut, but it sounded good at the time. I am glad I did because the flavor was good and there was only a hint of a coconut taste to it. This recipe was just for coconut chicken strips, but I chose to put it over a salad and serve it with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette that I made and mango salsa, yum!

Coconut Chicken Strips
From Cook Yourself Thin Faster
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 cup Corn Flakes Cereal Crushed
1 Egg
1/2 cup coconut flakes

1. Crush the corn flakes and combine with the coconut flakes.
2. Dip the chicken breast in the egg, coat, then dip it in the cornflake/coconut mixture. Turn to coat evenly.
3. Place the chicken tenders on a baking sheet and cook for 8-12 minutes or until slightly brown at 350 in the oven.

I served these over a bed of lettuce with mango salsa, what combo will you come up with? Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made these yummy Cake balls, compliments of Bakerella, for my class today. You can see her amazing desserts on her site by clicking here! Hers look much nicer than mine, but the taste was still delicious! This was my first batch that didn't turn out as well as I wanted, but the pictures of the second batch were blurry, so I settled for these. You can use any food coloring for the cake or use colored candy melts instead of almond bark for whatever the occasion. Try these, yum!

Recipe Word for Word from Bakerella:
Red Velvet Cake Balls
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake) (I used 2 boxes of Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix and added green food coloring to mine)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.) (I ONLY USED 3/4 the can)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate) ( I used white chocolate)
wax paper
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)
I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Bread Pudding for my Mother

My parents came over for dinner tonight and my mom LOVES bread pudding, but I had never made it before. So I went to my trusted friend, The Pioneer Woman, and found that she had a recipe for me that sounded delicious and for an added bonus, I only had to buy a few ingredients for it! I forgot to take a picture of it, but we all inhaled it so there wasn't any time. I borrowed The Pioneer Woman's picture to show you what it looked like! I had to send the leftovers home with my mom because I don't think Australia needs to see what anymore bread pudding would do to me! This is SOOO good!

The Best Bread Pudding
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 to 5 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup pecans, chopped finely
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add sugar and mix until sugar is dissoved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a nine-inch baking dish, keeping the crust facing up around the edges in scattered within the dish. Pour liquid over the bread. Sprinkle pecans all over and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top.
While the bread pudding is baking, make the Whiskey Cream Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup Jack Daniels
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Pour a small amount over the individual servings of bread pudding.
Store leftovers in fridge. Walk by every hour and pop a cube of bread in your mouth. Smile contently.

French Toast Bread Pudding

Another great and easy recipe from Cook Yourself Thin Faster. We made this for breakfast yesterday and I have to admit, I didn't fully follow the recipe. It says to refrigerate overnight, but I made it immediately. It still tasted great. We even added some frozen strawberries to it for extra flavor, it was delicious. A must try! I realize  I need to take better pictures, as the pictures never seem to do the dish justice! Trust me, it is good and I highly recommend putting strawberries or some type of fruit in it, even thought it already has mashed bananas, it gives it extra flavor!

French Toast Bread Pudding

Cooking Spray

4 c (about 8 slices) whole wheat bread

Cut into 1 inch cubes (put in your baking dish and set aside)

In bowl mix:

4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Mix Well then add:

2 Large eggs (one at a time)

2 egg whites (one at a time)

¾ c lowfat milk

3 tbs pure maple syrup

½ tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange

(Mix well and pour over bread, refrigerate overnight)

1 tbs confectioners' sugar, for garnish

375º let sit for 15 minutes after taking out of refrigerator, bake for 30-40 minutes.

Pizza with Sweet Peppers and Goat Cheese

Another great recipe from Cook Yourself Thin Faster. We love pizza and we are always looking for new pizza recipes or flatbread pizza recipes, this is a new favorite of ours. It was so delicious and had a very sweet taste. I highly suggest you try it out!

Ingredients:
Olive Oil cooking spray
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1/2 medium sized white onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 (10 oz.) jars (about 2 cups) drained roasted red peppers, thinly sliced (packed in water, not oil)
3 T. sugar
1 T. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 T. water
Kosher or Sea salt
1/2 lb. store bought pizza dough (I used Target's premade Flatbread pizza)
1/4 lb. goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Spray a 17x11 inch rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened but not browned, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the roasted peppers adn cook for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the sugar, vinegar, and water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the liquid is reduced, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. season with salt to taste and let the pepper mixture cool slightly. (This can be done ahead of time and refrigerated)

3. Stretch the dough (or use flatbread pizza) directly onto the baking pan, pressing and gently stretching to fill as much of the pan as possible. Spread the pepper filling evenly over the dough, place in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan, crumble goat cheese over the surface of the pizza and continue to bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, until the center of the pie is fully cooked.

4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cut into slices and serve.

Kung Pao Chicken

Last night we had our good friends, Jackie and Reid (and Sally Girl), over for dinner! I gave them our menu for the week and told them to take their pick, they chose Kung Pao Chicken, good choice guys! My sister, Jenny, shared this recipe with me. It was delicious! It had really good flavor and was actually very simple to make. Sorry I didn't make more guys, I wish I would have doubled the recipe, or made a yummy dessert. Next time...:)

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken breast (cut into chunks)
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. oil
3 T. green onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 to 1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 to 1/2 t. ginger
4 T. wine vinegar
4 T. soy sauce
4 t. sugar
1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
4 c. rice (cooked)


Combine chicken and cornstarch to coat. Heat oil and stir fry until not pink (5-7 minute). Add onions, garlic, red pepper, and ginger. Stir fry 15 sec. and remove from heat. combine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a bowl (my sister recommends doubling this combination). Stir well and add to the skillet. Stir in chicken, while heating. Stir in nuts right before serving.

Stuffed Peppers with Orzo and Olives

Yum! Another great recipe from Cook Yourself Thin Faster. I was very skeptical about this recipe, but thanks to this blogging assignment, thought I'd better try it for a new recipe. I am glad I did, I normally would have skipped over it, which is why I love this blog, it has forced me to try recipes I normally wouldn't try and make things outside of my regular, comfort, cooking routine. To be honest, I really wasn't sure what Orzo was, do you? I always thought it was just a kind of pasta; however, it is an Italian rice made from barley and it has really good flavor. The flavors are amazing and it is so easy to make. Try this one for sure!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 t. salt
1 zucchini, diced
1 tomato, cored and diced
1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and halved
(I also added feta for even more flavor!)


1. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a 13X9 pan with aluminum foil.


2. Cook the Orzo until al dente according to package directions.


3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the tomato, olives, and orzo. I also added feta to the mixture.


4. Divide the orzo mixture among the peppers and arrange  in a single layer in the prepared pan. Bake until the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes.

Birthdays and Bake Sales!

We celebrated my nephew, George's, birthday yesterday, along with my mom's as well. George loves Legos and requested a lego cake, so I found a fun and easy recipe for a Lego Cake on Betty Crocker's website to help me make his cake. It turned out better than expected! I do need to invest in a bent icing knife to help make my icing look a little neater, but George didn't mind if the surface wasn't perfectly smooth!

This Lenten season at my school we are selling "Juiceboxes for Jesus" and we are having a bake sale. Every week a different grade is responsible for baking goods to sell for the week. All of our profit is going to the Haiti Outreach program. My class, along with sixth grade, is in charge this week so I decide to make some things to sell. I found a cute recipe for Teddy Bear cookies on a stick ( I used sugar cookie dough instead of peanut butter due to peanut allergies at school) and my sister gave me a few recipes and on one of the pages was a recipe for popcorn balls.  Hopefully the kids like them and buy them all so I don't end up eating them myself! :)

Popcorn Balls

6 T. butter

1 cup brown sugar

26 big marshmallows

Popcorn

Mix the butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows until it is smooth and well blended.

Add the popcorn and stir to coat. I also added M&Ms to the mixture. Then the popcorn mixture into balls. Super easy, super good!

Eggs Italian Style

I was sick of our regular weekend breakfasts of pancakes and smoothies or breakfast sandwiches and smoothies. So I went to my trusted "Cook Yourself Thin Faster" cookbook and found this recipe, it was different and delicious! It was really light, but was actually enjoy to fill us up!

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
4 half-inch polenta slices from a ready made polenta log
8 half inch tomato slices
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 t. chopped fresh rosemary
4 large eggs

SERVES 4 (we halved the recipe)
Calories: 159, Fat: 9g, Sodium: 435mg, Sugars 2g

1. Heat half of the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the polenta and cook until crispy, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add the tomato, and season with half the salt and pepper, and all of rosemary, and cook until the sugars in the tomatoes begin to slightly caramelize, about 30 seconds per side. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and crack the eggs. Season with the remaining salt and pepper, cover, and cook until the yolks are just set and the whites are opaque, about 2 minutes.

3. To serve, place the polenta on each plate, top with 2 tomato slices, and slide an egg over the tomatoes. It won't be a perfect fit, so place the foods on an angle for a pretty presentation.

Creamy Corn Chowder

This is another great recipe from Cook Yourself Thin. We had this soup with a BLT and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 slice bacon, chopped
• 1 small yukon gold potato
• 1 small chopped sweet onion
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups frozen corn, thawed
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)

Directions:

• Brown bacon in large soup pot over med-high heat until crispy.  Remove from pot with slotted spoon, leave renderings behind.
• Add onion and sautee in bacon grease until browned and soft (about 5 mins).
• Add potatoes & half the thyme.  Let sautee for a couple of minutes to bring out the fragrance of the spice.
• Add water. Bring to low boil and let simmer about 10 minutes until potatoes are soft.
• Add corn and simmer another 5 minutes.  Add remaining seasonings and taste.  Adjust taste as needed.
• Transfer 3 cups of the soup to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Pulse into a puree, add back into the pot and simmer. Serve with chopped bacon on top.

Penne with Chickpeas, Feta, and Tomatoes

 We found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine. It was delicious! It has so many bold flavors, I can't wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I suggest that you try this recipe, especially during Lent, you could have it on a Friday since there is no meat in it. It is very light, but fills you up! Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1/2  cup  chopped shallots
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1  (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 3  cups  halved cherry tomatoes
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3  cup  small fresh basil leaves
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in bell pepper and chickpeas; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in pasta and reserved cooking liquid; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Add feta and remaining ingredients; toss to combine.

This Little Piggy went to the......

Who knew, but today is National Pig Day! No I do not follow all of the silly "holidays" that they have out there, but I was looking through a cookbook for a cute treat to bring into my class. They just tried out for our play on Friday and did a fantastic job, so I wanted to give them a treat. While as I was searching my cute cookbook that my mother-in-law gave me, I came across these adorable little pig cookies. And low and behold, it turns out that March 1st is National Pig Day. I had to make them right then and there. I realize some of you are probably laughing at me, but if you were a third grader teacher you'd understand. The excitement on their faces, the way they each went about eating them, and the new fact that they learned that March 1st is National Pig Day made it all worth my time and effort! We also read Charlotte's Web this year, so a few of them felt bad about eating "Wilbur". Take my job for a day and you'll understand, trust me! I will post the recipe later, as I don't have it on me, but I wanted to share the pictures. They turned out really cute and although they were slightly time consuming, it was worth it seeing the expression on my students' faces!