A Twist on Pizza...

This is a recipe I acquired at a Pampered Chef party when we were first married.  It was probably the first semi-complex thing I made.  I hope this does not scare anyone from making this because it really isn't that difficult and the taste is worth every ounce of effort!  The recipe came with step by step pictures/instructions and I was grateful!  I love a visual, in fact, I rarely will make a new recipe if I cannot see what the end product is supposed to look like.  I think this is why I love those home cooking shows (which I never seem to find time to watch) and I love cookbooks with pictures. 
So if you are in a pizza mood (it seems I always am) this is very yummy!

Pizza Twist 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1 pkg pepperoni (3.5oz), diced
1 can (3.25 oz) pitted olives, drained & chopped
1 TBS dried parsley (2 TBS fresh)
1 clove garlic
3/4 C mozzarella cheese
2 TBS flour
2 tubes of refrigerated french bread dough
1 egg white
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Pizza sauce (for dipping)
*Mix the first six ingredients together:

The flour really helps the pepperoni to not stick together...you may need to separate them with your fingers.

Next you need to unroll your french bread onto a lightly floured surface:

      Cut a 1/2-1 inch slit down the middle of each roll then spread open and dust the inside with flour and add pepperoni mixture.

 Next pinch sides together:

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and put both rolls on the pan ends together:

                  Take one roll and cross over the other, repeating back and forth like a twist ;)

Take your egg white and Italian seasoning  and mix together:

Isn't that little mini-whisk adorable?  I am pretty sure this came in one of my daughter's cooking sets, but I sure have used it a lot lately.  Its the perfect size for small seasoning mix-ups!

Spread the egg white mixture over the entire pizza twist.  You can use a pastry brush or your hands.  Before you put it in the oven you will want to make a few slits in the top and sprinkle with cheese:

Bake for 30 minutes and when you are done:

What do Stay-At-Home-Mom's Do All Day????

I have heard people say things of this nature and while every day isn't this crazy, most of them are!  This is another reason I have such a hard time updating my Facebook status - how do you pick just ONE thing and I find it difficult to resist the urge to "explain" everything. 
So today went a little like this:
Coffee
Feed the children
Read a few verses from Acts
Clean the dishes
Answer the phone
Answer some emails
Marinate chicken for dinner - later
Get meals organized for a family in our church
Make grocery list (I cannot express the amount of mental energy that goes into this process)
Cut/print coupons
Put clean sheets on the guest bed
Do a birthday sign craft with the girls
Get myself ready
Make arrangements to get coats for a family coming in from Singapore
Pick-up coats
Drop off table
Pick-up costume that needs to be returned
Drive to Grand Rapids and drop-off costume
Refrain from road rage
Go to Costco
Pick-up last minute Christmas gifts/groceries
Stand in line for what seemed an eternity
Get gas
Refrain from more road rage on 28th street
Go to Meijer
Come home and unload a mini-sized Meijer store into my cupboards
Start cooking dinner
Make a Boston Cream Pie
Kathryn & Jesse arrive!! :)
Have a fun filled evening catching up with friends
Clean up more dishes
Think for a split second about waking up at 3am to see a red moon...naaaah
This is not an exhaustive list, I did leave out diaper changes, disciplinary chats, cleaning up spilled milk, etc. 

Homemade Sanitizing Wipes

So I had heard of making your own sanitizing wipes, but what really pushed me over the edge to make these was when I discovered you needed to use your electric knife.  That poor electric knife sits in my kitchen drawer all year waiting for Thanksgiving and even then we traditionally go to my grandparent's house - it is indeed a lonely life being an electric knife in my home.   I also happened to stock up on paper towels at Costco the last time we went so I had everything on hand.  Here is what the before looked like:

You just cut the roll (you may need a partial roll, depending on the size of your container), add whatever mix of cleaner you want (some use vinegar for the "greener" option), I personally was only in on this project for the knife. :)  I used water and liquid Lysol, I wanted to use them to disinfect my counters and I like the throw away aspect.  I used Bounty paper towels and they held up amazingly well!  Let the paper towel soak up your liquid and then pull out the inner cardboard tubing...

 

And Voila! Wipes :)

Kindergarten

Christmas vacation has officially begun for Chloe!  Unfortunately, in order to stay on tract, we had to "sneak" in school for Olivia.  If I state it really excitedly like "let's play school!!!!"  The girls are in almost every time.  Of course I try not to overuse that phrase and I was hoping Olivia would not realize that Chloe was in fact officially on "vacation."  Thankfully, Chloe loves school and she didn't mind "playing" with us.  I did Kindergarten at home with both the girls and I really did/do enjoy it.  It was a good experience, but it also makes me thankful that we have a Christian school option. 
So today as we were "playing school" Chloe recognized Olivia's paper and said "OHHHH, I remember that one!"  I didn't think much of it until we were almost done and Olivia was coloring these balls and was in no way making an effort to stay in the lines.  The thought crossed my mind "I wonder what Chloe's paper looked like when she was at this age."  I don't want to come across like it is a competition, but it is incredible to see the different personalities and developments that take place.  So I dug out Chloe's Kindergarten file and found that I did not have that particular page (of course I found the page before and after, but not that ONE).  Murphy's Law.  I did however find the penmanship paper for that day and what I found made me chuckle.  We have recently learned the letter "V" and Olivia does not like to slant her lines.  Can you guess who else did not like to slant??  

 

 It really cracked me up to see their work side by side.  It was good for Olivia too, to see that this big sister of hers (who she feels like she will never catch up with), was at her stage and made the same mistakes.  She was smiling like the Cheshire cat while we looked at her big sisters papers.  It was fun for Chloe to see her progress.  It made me a lot of things...sad that two years has already FLOWN by, happy that I have another six months with Olivia, amazed at how much they learn in one short year, privileged that I can teach my girls to read, ecstatic that I get a three year break before we even have to think about school for Megan, and lastly, longing to freeze time.

Olivia 5 yrs old

Chloe 7 yrs old

Hot Fudge Sauce

Probably my most favorite dessert - - no, by far my favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce, and depending on the mood a warm gooey brownie is a wonderful addition.
My hubby and I had the benefit of a date night last night.  This involved dinner, Christmas shopping for the girls, and a Christmas concert.  It was a blast.   We ate too much at dinner to indulge in dessert and Eric had just tried on jeans and we were commenting on skinny jeans being all "the rage".  See, Eric is a very tall/lean guy and if he can't pull off skinny jeans - who can?!?!  He took a pair into the fitting room and didn't realize they were the "skinny" fit and he said he couldn't get them over his ankles.   Fast forward to Macy's and I was looking over a sweater (we were supposed to be shopping for the children, I know, I know).  I saw it on the mannequin and thought it looked cute, of course she had some sort of tights/leggings on and I sort of laugh and say "I could NOT get away with those", to which Eric replies "I don't get the waif look."  I said "you're right babe, you don't GET the waif look, you get the plumper version."  After laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes, I make my purchase and we really do finish shopping for the girls - I promise.
Now, on to the reason I can't pull off skinny jeans - Hot Fudge Sauce (see this did have a point after all!) :)....
This is by far the best recipe I've found for hot fudge and the secret wasn't found in the ingredients but in an extra step at the end - beating or blending the sauce!  Perhaps this is no secret to others, but I surely was "enlightened."  My crafty side got the best of me and instead of doing traditional fudge or cookies this year as teacher/neighbor gifts we are doing fudge...sauce.
Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 (or more for darker choc.) cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Combine butter, cocoa, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator. 
*To make this in a large amount use the following measurements and it almost makes 5 pints: 1.5 cups of the cocoa, 1Tbs vanilla, double everything else and boil for 9-10 minutes.

Ready to go!

Applesauce Day

I scored a LARGE bushel of already peeled/sliced apples from a friend who was doing a pie fundraising event.  I was even more thrilled when I found out they were using Ida Reds (the only way to make applesauce, right Grandma Burnett??!?!).  My Grandma is the reason I love to do this and the reason it makes me smile.  I had been meaning to do this post sooner (since this event actually happened in October), I was looking for a picture my sisters and I had taken with my Grandma a couple years ago making applesauce with her (learning from the best!).  Sadly, I haven't  been able to find it.  She is the prettiest lady and would have made this a much better post.  Perhaps she will have a copy I can get when we see them on Thanksgiving!
Back to applesauce...I rarely use all four burners on my stove, and for whatever reason it delights me to do so!  It really makes me feel like I am being productive.

I made most batches "chunky" style, but I did use the Vita-mix and made some smooth, this works for when I substitute applesauce for oil in baking recipes.  I had also stocked up on a bunch of Ziploc containers the week before, they were super cheap (ranging from .50-.75 cents)! 

My sweet grandmother!

Gluten Free Adventures

A few weeks ago we had a great group visit our church for some special meetings.  One of the girls traveling had some food allergies (gluten/dairy/soy).  I was in charge of getting meals together and this was a challenge that I really did enjoy!  Ok, I will admit I was nervous at first, I mean who wants to be responsible for putting one of God's servants in the ER?!?! lol  The girl was from my alma-mater (PCC) and was the sweetest person you could ever meet! Anyways, in the process we actually discovered some new recipes that we love as a family and are very healthy.  I learned a lot...for instance, I was calling Quinoa (qui-noah) and according to the package at Costco it's pronounced (Keen-Wah).  It is a rice/couscous like texture, packed with protein, and has a great nutty flavor.  The first day was a Quinoa Salad with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette Dressing.  Using blue agave vs. maple syrup as the natural sweetener.  You can find the recipe here.
Our favorite though is found below, and I've made it since for our family - yummo!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Pine Nuts & Raisins

1 large Portobello mushroom per person
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the stuffing:

Chopped fresh garlic, to taste
About 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa per mushroom cap
A handful of yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending upon size
1 scallion (spring onion) per person, sliced
A sprinkle of raisins
A sprinkle of toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped parsley, basil or mint

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a baking or gratin dish.

Gently clean off the mushroom caps; slice off the stems and using a sharp teaspoon carefully scrape out the gills. Place the caps in the baking dish. Drizzle with a scant amount of olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Season with a little sea salt and pepper. Pre-bake the mushrooms for about 15 minutes to soften a bit.

In a skillet, heat a little olive oil and toss in the garlic. Stir for a minute. Add in the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, scallions, raisins, pine nuts. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper. Stir to combine. Moisten with more olive oil, as needed. Gently heat through, briefly. Remove from heat. Add in the fresh chopped herbs.

Stuff each mushroom cap. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, till the mushroom cap is tender. Tent with foil to keep it moist.

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I also found this salad dressing recipe and have made it several times since - it has a fresh Mexican flavor and I LOVE me some Mexican food!

Dressing:

2 TBS lime juice 

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp maple syrup (I've been using 3/4 tsp of blue agave since we have it right now.  It is very sweet so you don't need as much)

dash or two of chipotle hot sauce

 

I've used it on salads, wraps and just drizzled over black beans and corn as a simple side dish...love this stuff.  It doesn't make a lot so you may consider doubling the recipe.  If you do double, like with all other recipes, you don't necessarily need to double the spice amounts (maybe 1 1/2 times)...those can be added to taste at the end if needed.  Spices carrying over quite well!