Pizza Pockets

These are super good and they freeze so well.  The first time I made these I doubled the recipe so that I could freeze them for my husband to take to work.  He shared them with friends there and everyone loved them and said I should sell them.

 The pockets

2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablesoon sugar
 1/2 teaspoon garlic 
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning

I put all of this in the bread machine and set it on the dough cycle.  No need to be a bread machine hater, you can do it by hand too. 

Sauce

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
 1 tablespoon ground oregano
 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
 1 ts sugar

I mix this in a blender.  It will make way more than you need, but I just freeze the extra in a ziploc.  Then when I want to make these again I pull it out and defrost and just clip the corner of the bag so I can just squeeze it onto the dough.

Separate dough into 8 equal balls.  Roll each ball into a circle shape.  Spread about a tablespoon of sauce evenly, but not all the way to the edge so that you can still seal them.  Sprinkle with cheese and pepperoni.  DO NOT OVER FILL!  If you do they will leak and make a mess.  Fold in half and seal with a fork.  I like to dip my finger in water and put water all along the edge before sealing.  Poke holes in the top with your fork 3 or 4 times and bake on a cookie sheet at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Halloween Mummies

A couple of years ago I came across this idea for Halloween.  The kids go crazy over these mummies.  They are super easy and pretty fast.  Serve them for lunch with some fruit or along side a bowl of chili for dinner.

1 pkg. Hot Dogs
1 pkg. Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out the crescent roll dough into a large Rectangle.  Cut very thin strips (about 1/8") with a pizza cutter.  Cut the hot dogs in half and wrap a strip around each half leaving a place for eyes to be added after they are baked.  Place the wrapped mummies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Before serving add mummy eyes with mustard or ketchup.

Choco-Banana Bars

I am slightly addicted to the combination of chocolate and banana as evidenced by the chunky monkey pancakes, double chocolate banana bread and chocolate banana cookies all posted on this site!  My kids really enjoyed this as an after school snack.  They are very moist bars, not like a cookie but more a cake or bread-like texture and with the use of applesauce, they aren't bad in the health department either.  My son took one to school in his lunch and he said all his friends were asking what in the world that thing was.  Apparently it didn't look that appetizing to them.  But what it lacks in appearance it makes up for in flavor, I promise!

1/4 C. Butter, melted
1/4 C. Applesauce
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 Over-ripe Bananas
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 T. Cocoa Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix butter, applesauce, egg and vanilla until frothy and light.  Mix in bananas until they are blended smooth.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix until just combined, don't over mix.  Remove 1/2 the batter to a different bowl.  Add cocoa to one bowl of batter and mix well.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread the cocoa batter into the bottom.  Drop spoonfuls of the white batter over top then swirl it all around with a butter knife until the chocolate and white batters are marbled.  Bake for 25 minutes then cool for 30-60 minutes before serving.

Sweet potato fries

The kids love these. They are already sweet so no ketchup, we use mustard to balance out the flavors.

4 pounds sweet potatoes cut into spears

2 t. Olive oil

Sea salt

Place potatoes in a bowl and coat with olive oil. Place in an oven at 400 degrees. Cook for 25 min. and turn over potatoes with a spatula half way through cooking time. Salt after cooking.

Oh and in case your wondering it is whole grain mustard that you're looking at. :)

Loaded Chicken Nachos

This was a last minute idea for dinner last Friday.  It was something I knew I could put together fast and nachos just seem like a Friday night kind of meal anyway.  They were a hit.  The entire cookie sheet was gobbled up by the time we left the table.

1 1/2 C. Shredded Chicken
2 C. Cheese
2 Cloves Garlic, pressed
2 tsp. Olive Oil
5 Green Onions
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped very fine
1 C. Salsa
1 Can Black Beans
1 Tomato, diced
Corn Chips
1 Can Sliced Olives (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Guacamole (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a skillet pour oil and press garlic cloves.  Slice white parts of onions into pan reserving the green tops of onions and then add chopped peppers.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add chicken, salsa and beans.  Cook until mixture is thick and most moisture has evaporated out.  Spread corn chips in an even layer on a large cookie sheet.  Spread topping over chips.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle diced tomato and olives over top.  Slice green onions thinly and sprinkle those over top.  Serve immediately with sour cream and guacamole on the side if desired. 

Chocolate Banana Bread

Confession: I have started hiding bananas from my kids.  "Why", you ask?   Because of this recipe.  I LOVE this bread.  Let me describe it for you: moist, chocolaty, with a subtle banana flavor and gooey chocolate chips in each slice.  Need I say more? 

1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1/3 C. Oil
3 Bananas, mashed
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C. Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour 1 regular size bread pan.  Mix together all ingredients except chocolate chips until well blended.  Fold in chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan.  Bake 60-70 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack.     

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

In the back to school spirit, I am posting these cookies which are perfect for an after school snack.  I got this recipe from a friend who brought them over after I had my baby.  These are in my top three favorite cookies and, with 6 C. of oats in the recipe, they are a pretty healthy cookie too. The recipe made 10 dozen cookies for me so just remember that when you are looking over the amounts of everything needed for this recipe and don't forget to use your largest mixing bowl!  You're going to need some freezer bags too unless you're very, very hungry!

2 C. Butter
2 C. Brown Sugar
2 C. White Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 Eggs
3 C. Sifted White Flour (you can do 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat)
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking Soda
6 C. Quick Oats
1 1/2 C. Coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well then add all dry ingredients.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes depending on how crisp you like your cookies.  The dough can be refrigerated for a couple of days and the baked cookies freeze very well. 

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins/Bread

Is your garden producing obscene amounts of squash like mine is?  I am always looking for new ways to use it.  This is a fantastic recipe.  I love the addition of blueberries to this summertime favorite.  This recipe makes a lot (12 muffins and 4 mini loaves).  So freeze what you don't eat for an easy breakfast on a busy morning or share with a few neighbors. You'll be their new best friend!

3 Eggs
1/2 C. Oil
1/2 C. Applesauce
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar
3 C. Zucchini, grated
3 C. Flour (you can use 1/2 wheat flour)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 T. Cinnamon
1 1/2 C. Blueberries (thawed if frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 dregrees.  In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla and sugars.  Mix well then add zucchini.  Add all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly then fold in blueberries.  Grease pans well then fill each 2/3 full.  Mix together struesel topping by mixing 1/2 C. Flour, 1/2 C. Brown Sugar, 1 tsp. Cinnamon and 1/4 C Butter with a pastry blender.  Sprinkle 1 T. of topping over each muffin then divide the rest among the mini loaf pans.  Bake muffins 25 minutes and mini loaves 45-50 minutes. 

Stuffed Quesadillas

I know it has been a long time since anyone has heard from me on this blog.  Where have I been?  Well, I didn't take any exotic vacations but I did have a sweet little baby boy in June!  He is so, so cute and I have been way more interested in cuddling him than in any recipe, no matter how alluring the ingredients might be!

But recently my cookbooks and appliances have been calling my name and I finally feel the urge to cook again.  Here is a new recipe that I tried a couple of days ago.  I love meatless dinners in the summer!  This recipe is completely delicious while also lowfat, quick, very filling and convenient since you probably have everything in your pantry to make this meal right now!  I loved the slightly sweet flavor of the filling with brown sugar in it.  And, by the way, if you end up liking these, give my chicken taco recipe a try.  It's pretty similar to this recipe and my family loves them.

2 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Can Corn, drained
1 1/2 T. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Salsa
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
Cheese
8 Tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in a skillet and add onion.  Cook until translucent.  Add beans, corn, sugar, salsa, and red pepper flakes.  Cook in skillet until any excess water has cooked out and mixture is pretty thick.  Sprinkle a small amount of cheese over one half of each tortilla then divide mixture evenly among tortillas and spread over the cheese.  Sprinkle a little bit more cheese over bean/corn mixture and fold tortillas over.  Place quesadillas on a large baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until tortillas are crispy and lightly browned.  You can also place them under the broiler for a few minutes on each side.   

Fruit Salsa

I was being adventurous and decided to try something new. I was also trying to use my fruit before it went bad. I found this recipe and it was a big hit. It does take time cutting all of the stuff up, but it looks so nice. I didn't have the kiwi so I just left it out. It was still great, but would have looked better with it.


Salsa
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Chips
10 flour tortillas
cooking spray
cinnamon and sugar mixed together

Mix salsa together and chill. For chips spray on side of tortilla with cooking spray. Cut into wedges and sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon and sugar mixture. Repeat with all tortillas. Arrange on baking sheet. Bake @ 350 for 8 minutes.

Apple Cranberry Granola Bars

This morning I wanted to make my kids a healthy snack for after school.  I have never made homemade granola bars and have always wanted to.  After consulting several recipes I created my own version.  I wanted to imitate this apple cranberry granola bar that we can't find anymore at our local grocery store.  Most granola bars, homemade or otherwise, have corn syrup in them.  Disgusting.  I stay away from that stuff as much as possible so I used a combination of butter, applesauce, and honey and the result was so delicious.  If you want to give this a try and you don't have dried cranberries on hand try using raisins and omitting the almond extract. 

2 C. Quick Oats
1/2 C. Rice Crispies
1/4 C. Coconut
1/4 C. Dried Cranberries
1/4 C. Pecans, chopped pretty small but not into dust
1/4 C. Dried Apples, chopped into small bits (if you don't have dried apples just use fresh)
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Egg
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1/2 C. Applesauce
1/2 C. Honey
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients and mix together well.  Add egg, butter, applesauce, honey and extracts.  Spray a 9x13 (or a 8x12 pan if you want your bars to be a little thicker) with cooking spray and press granola mixture into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars.  Allow to cool for another hour or until completely cool before serving.