Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites

Chocolate.  Doesn't the word just give you warm and fuzzy feelings? It's almost my BFF.
But unfortunately, a lot of the chocolatey goodness sold today is pretty much h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e for us.


*tears*

However, when I came across the recipe I'm about to share, I was giddy with excitement. You mean I don't have to feel guilty about eating something chocolate? Oh my. Sign me up.
I found the original recipe via The Cheapskate Cook.
Ladies, these are splendidly simple and you can mix things around. It's totally forgiving. (My kind of recipe)

photo from The Cheapskate Cook

The list of ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats*
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (sweetened works fine)
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds (or ground nuts or flaxseed) **
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or raisins, mini chocolate chips, M&M’s or ground nuts)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Here's the entire recipe.

*(From the Cheapskate Cook herself) "My only disappointment with these is that they use uncooked oats, which according to my research aren’t the easiest for your body to digest. I’m sure these can be replaced with something healthier, but up until now I’ve just been thankful for a frugal treat that doesn’t have an ingredients list a mile long."

**Instead of the sesame seeds, I ground up raw walnuts, raw almonds and raw organic pumpkin seeds. I also sprinkled in a tiny bit of ground flax. (Not a huge fan of the taste of flax, but that stuff packs a nutritional punch, so I put in just enough to get something out of it, but not enough to really taste it ;)

I like that this recipe uses honey as the sweetener. It's still a sugar, but it's nature's sweetener. Good ol' raw honey.

Just FYI: Your kids will totally think you are the coolest mom ever if you give them a few of these beauties for breakfast.  I honestly don't feel bad doing that every now and then, because not only is this recipe a "not as bad as..." one, but depending on which ingredients you choose to add, and their quality, these Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites can actually be very nutritious! 

Now, I'm off to the fridge to get my Chocolate fix. And I'm not feelin' an ounce of guilt about it ;) 

Crusty Cheese Bread

I love to bake.

But since I've drastically cut down on the amount of sugar I eat, I haven't been baking dozens of cookies each week like I used to. Sigh.

So, I've turned my attention to homemade bread.

I've always been nervous around recipes involving yeast. Not sure why. But I've dodged yeast-necessary recipes for years.

However, I think I'm becoming more courageous as I age. It's probably motherhood that's done it for me. After all, if I can survive the shockingly wild tantrum of an almost three year old boy while simultaneously nursing a 10 month old baby girl, I should be able to handle a recipe that involves yeast. ;)

The recipe I'm sharing today is from Hallee the Homemaker. And my word, it's good. I'm a carb and dairy lover by nature, so this is heaven in my mouth!

Crusty Whole Wheat Cheese Bread --- Here's the link to the recipe

2 packages (4½ tsp) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (it should feel warm to the touch – if it feels hot, it’s too hot)
5-5½ cups of whole wheat flour {I used unbleached all purpose flour}
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp Kosher or sea salt
2 TBS unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley leaves
16 slices provolone cheese {I didn't quite have enough provolone, so I added freshly shredded Mozzarella}
-----------Directions--------------
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. 
Grease a large bowl. Grease the bread pans. 

Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and salt, garlic, and herbs to bowl.  Stir (or if using a stand mixer, mix on power level 2 with bread hook for 1 minute.)

With the mixer running, gradually add the yeast and water mixture, warm milk, and softened butter.

Mix on level 2 for about 2 minutes. Add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time until the dough is no longer sticking to the side of the bowl.  Don’t use all of the flour in the recipe unless you need it – the amount of flour used will be dependent upon the moisture content of your flour. 

Knead dough for 2 minutes on power level 2 (or knead by hand for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.)

Place in greased bowl, turning over to grease the top.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, for one hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half.

Place dough on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle approximately 9×14 inches.

Evenly distribute 8 slices of provolone cheese.

Starting at the short end, roll the dough tightly. Pinch the ends. Place in greased bread pan.

Repeat with the second ball of dough.

Cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375° degrees F (190° degrees C).

Bake each loaf for about 40 minutes, or until browned.

Remove from pans and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Slice and enjoy!

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

I stumbled across one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes several months back and I've just gotta share it.

I was craving something sweet one night (as usual) but I didn't quite have enough of the ingredients I needed to make the standard Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe.

So I went to my buddy, Allrecipes.com, and found "Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies"

These glorious morsels of sweet, chocolatey goodness take less butter, sugar, flour, eggs and chocolate chips than the recipe I'd always used before. AND the recipe calls for oats and peanut butter which means a little extra protein and fiber (anything to make me feel less guilty about consuming hoards of cookies)

**For those non-oat/peanut butter cookie people, you've gotta give these a chance. I'm pretty sure you'll be outrageously surprised.

My family LOVES this recipe and asks for me to bake them often.

The dough hardly spreads so I'm always able to fit several cookies on one sheet. I'm very impatient, so that fact makes me very happy. I also use a cookie dough scoop to achieve uniformity.

I've messed up a lot of cookie recipes but this one has been perfection every time!

If you try these cookies, I'd love to know what you think!

• Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 
  
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (I sometimes switch the sugar measurements. I adore brown sugar)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Happy Baking!

Baked Cheese Crepes

Baked Cheese Crepes is one of my go-to dinners. I always seem to have all the ingredients on hand. And my family loves it. Yes, even my husband! Which is always exciting for me =)

I saw this prepared on Everyday Italian a couple of years ago. Give it a try sometime!

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Heat a 6-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.

Brush the skillet with some butter. (Or just use your hands like I did--I need a new brush!)

Working quickly, pour 3 tablespoons of the egg mixture into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.


Cover and cook until the egg crepe is just set, about 1 minute.

Invert the skillet over a plate, and allow the egg crepe to drop onto the plate.

Voila!

Repeat to make 10 crepes total, brushing the skillet with melted butter as needed and stacking crepes on the plate.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.
Arrange 1 egg crepe on a work surface.
Place some of the fontina and mozzarella (I just use mozzarella) cheese in the center of the egg crepe, then sprinkle with some basil. (Italian Seasoning works well, too, if you don't have fresh basil)

Roll up the crepe. Place the filled crepe in the prepared baking dish, seam side down.

Repeat with the remaining egg crepes, cheese, and basil. Spoon the marinara sauce over the crepes. (I have yet to make the homemade marinara that goes with the recipe. Store bought tastes great, too!)

Sprinkle with the Parmesan...

...and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter.

Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes.

I usually serve green beans and breadsticks with these.
It's one of my favorite comfort meals!

What's the Dill?

I have a new found interest in Dill. Dull, huh?

Seriously though, it's quite the healthful little herb.



Here's the Dill....

This common ingredient for modern do-it-yourself "picklers" was so historically valued that the ancient Israelites were required to tithe from their supplies. The ancient Greeks and Romans also cultivated dill as a kitchen herb. Dill has been used traditionally as a remedy for cancer and estrogen deficiency, and research supports dill's 3,000-year use as a digestive aid and remedy for excessive intestinal gas.
Dill-seed oil inhibits the growth of several bacteria that attach to the digestive tract. As a tea, it soothes the stomach and intestines and also relieves upper-respiratory ailments. Its oil is so strongly antibacterial that it inhibits organisms such as anthrax (Bacillus anthracis). Dill contains various phytochemicals that act as insecticides, enhance estrogen levels and serve as a uterine relaxant, and fight infection, bacteria, and insects.
Source: James A. Duke, Ph.D., Herbs of the Bible: 2,000 Years of Plant Medicine

Dill isn't so dull after all!

Here's a yummy dill sauce recipe to try:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/8 t. garlic powder

1 t. fresh lemon juice

2 T. chopped fresh dill (organic if possible!)

Mix together and serve! Goes great with Tilapia.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

Proverbs 15:17

Deceptively Delicious

Have you all heard of Jessica Seinfeld's (Jerry Seinfeld's wife) cook book called Deceptively Delicious (DD)?

She's learned the art of adding veggies into her meals--yes, even desserts--without her kids knowing it!

The other day I picked a yellow squash from our garden and really didn't know what to do with it.

Bob doesn't like squash and I probably wasn't going to eat it all on my own before it went bad, (plus we both need more nutrition in our diets! You can read about some of the health benefits of squash here) so I had to think of something! I glanced over and saw the DD cookbook and inspiration struck!

I decided to make cheese enchiladas, which Bob loves...
but what he didn't know was that I was going to add pureed squash!! Muahaha! =)

I've tried recently to eat as much nutritious food as possible. It's hard to do that when all that's in the pantry is ready-made packaged foods....all filled with ingredients that are harmful to our bodies.

So, I made the tortillas for the enchiladas as well as the enchilada sauce. Thankfully, they were yummy! Not only did Bob not realize there was squash in his enchilada, but the tortillas were made with whole wheat flour (he's not too fond of whole wheat anything).

Here's what I did...

I started with the tortillas. This is the recipe I used.

Here are some pictures of some of the steps...

First, I shredded some cheddar cheese

then I minced the Jalapenos with my trusty Magic Bullet

I used half whole wheat and half white flour...the dough is usually more manageable when there's a little white mixed in.

Then I formed 8 balls of dough...

and let them "nap", covered, for approx. 5 minutes

As you can see, I'm terrible at rolling out a perfect circle!
I just put them on an ungreased electric skillet until a few brown spots appeared and then flipped them. The first time I attempted tortillas I cooked them WAY too long and then ended up being more like chips!

Ready to become an enchilada!

First, I diced up the squash

Then, I steamed them just until tender so they were easier to puree.
Veggies don't lose as many nutrients when steamed.

The deception is about to begin.
Here's the pureed squash + some jalapeno juice to give it some kick.

Down goes the squash on the tortilla

and then some yummy cheddar to try and hide the deception!

Just before the oven...

Right out of the oven..ready to eat, YUM!

Shhh....don't tell Bob about the squash!

Fun With Food

I, by NO means, am a great cook/baker; but I sure do have fun trying to be one!
Here are a few things I've made recently...

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Just a yellow cake mix with choc. chips added)
with Chocolate Frosting

Mozzarella, Raspberry & Brown Sugar Panini (with Rosemary)

Grilled Peaches (Butter, Brown Sugar, and a bit of Balsamic Vinegar--I used my George Foreman Grill) & Vanilla Ice Cream

Just a simple sundae for the hubby...he doesn't like peaches

Chicken Chipotle Panini

Chicken Enchiladas
- A Family Favorite! -

Homemade Potato Chips
(these probably look kinda gross, but they actually tasted pretty good!)
I was out of store bought chips, so I improvised!

That's all, folks!

Cause for a Tongue Burn

As I've admitted before, I LOVE desserts. Oftentimes when I'm baking and that timer goes off, I have to taste test before the dessert has had any time to cool at all...resulting in one burned tongue! But hey, I guess it's worth it =)

My most recent tongue burn came from testing this pie straight from the oven:
Sister Lizzie's Southern Buttermilk Pie

I got this recipe from Aunt Ruthie's Sugar Pie Farmhouse.

You'll love her site! Check it out!

I really didn't know what to expect b/c I'd never had Buttermilk Pie before but it was soo good!! My pie doesn't look nearly as pretty as Aunt Ruthie's (I think it was in the oven a little too long--my burn is more severe than usual hehe) but it sure tasted delicious!! I had a lot of fun making it too--baking is relaxing to me.

YUM!