Today I Am...

...pleased with my Hummingbird. We went to a festival over the weekend with some friends and I saw this Hummingbird made out of a spoon and some forks. I had to have it for my flower bed! The artisan was also selling other garden decorations made out of silverware. There were dragonflies, butterflies, frogs, and turtles. So fun, now I need to fill up my empty flower beds with actual flowers.

...looking forward to leftover cookies. Yesterday I made some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies to share with friends. There are two leftover cookies and I'm looking forward to having them with my lunch.

...headed to the grocery store. I usually do my grocery shopping on Monday. And, I can usually find a good selection of "Reduced for Quick Sale" meats when I get there early. This has been a great money saving trick for me over the years and it allows me to offer my family a larger variety of meats without crushing my budget.

What is going on with you today?

Nutella Swirl Bread

Nutella is a treat at our house. If you are not familiar with this chocolate hazelnut spread, give it a try. It is sold along side of the peanut butter at the grocery store. I warn you though, it is not a health food, it is more like dessert. But my kids love it, so we will indulge once in a while.

I prefer to eat my Nutella as a snack on crackers. My kids, however, like it in a sandwich. So, that got me thinking that they might enjoy it baked into bread just like Cinnamon Swirl Bread. And, I was right. It was gooey and delicious and I'm sure I will have many requests for this in the future!

Nutella Swirl Bread

1 lb. Artisan bread dough
1/3 cup Nutella
1Tbsp. Melted butter

On a floured surface, roll out bread dough into a rectangle (approx. 9X18). Spread Nutella onto the dough. Roll up the dough, starting with the short end. Pinch the seams to seal. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover with a towel, and let rise for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. Serve warm.

Note: I use the method outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day written by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. You can find the Master Recipe for this Artisan Bread Dough along with an instructional video here.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Mondays.

Caesar Salad Wraps

It has been a while since I have updated you on my New Year's Frugal Kitchen Goal. I have worked hard to bring down my weekly grocery bill, and I am happy say that I have been able to consistently keep within budget for the last six weeks! Plus, I have been taking advantage of some of the weekly specials and stocking up my pantry at the same time. Although it takes a conscientious effort to eat up produce before it goes bad and careful planning to utilize leftovers, it has been worth it.

So, with my Frugal Kitchen Goal in mind, I noticed a new idea on the lunch menu at a local restaurant last week while eating with friends. It was a Caesar Salad Wrap. Earlier in the week we had eaten Chicken Caesar Salad for dinner and I had some leftover homemade dressing in the fridge. So, for lunch one day I piled some lettuce, chicken, Parmesan cheese, and the leftover dressing onto a flour tortilla. It was delicious, and I'm certain that I will make more Caesar Salad Wraps in the future.

Recipe Link: Chicken Caesar Salad & Dressing

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Mondays.

Canning Jar Solutions

Canning jars come in handy for so many things. They are perfect not only for jams and jellies, but also for things like yogurt, dried fruit, and cereals. Recently I have learned a couple of new solutions that I have found so helpful in my kitchen that I decided I needed to share them with you !

 

This storage idea is so simple and it keeps my baking drawer from becoming cluttered and messy. These are paper mini muffin liners in a half pint canning jar. I also have full size muffin liners in a larger jar. Storing the liners in a clear jar makes them easy to see and keeps them from getting crumpled and lost in the back of my drawer. Plus, they look so pretty! 

 

reCAP Mason Jar Pour Caps

 

This second canning jar solution is so practical for storing liquids. I saw these lids originally at Owlhaven and I knew that I had to have them right away for my cinnamon syrup and coffee creamer. But, they would also be perfect for salad dressing, chicken broth, and chocolate syrup. I purchased a set of four with two wide mouth lids and two regular lids.

Do you have any unique canning jar storage or organization tips? If so, please share your ideas in the comments below!

Chocolate and Oat Bars

Last weekend I went to a BBQ and I was asked to bring a dessert. However, I'd had a busy day and did not have lots of time to fuss over the dessert. Plus, I wanted to make something that could be eaten without a fork. So, I looked through my recipes and chose these Chocolate and Oat Bars. It had been a long time since I had made them and I was glad to see that I had all of the ingredients on hand.

At the BBQ, a lady sat down next to me with her plate of food, including one of my bars. And, she ate her dessert first, before her meal! It made me giggle and we became friends right away. Over the last year I have learned for sure, that life is too short not to eat dessert first every once in a while.

Chocolate and Oat Bars

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
¾ cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
½ cup melted butter
14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, oats, sugar and butter. Reserve ½ cup for topping. Press oat mixture into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350º for 10 min.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over the crust. Sprinkle with pecans, chocolate chips, and reserved oat mixture. Press down the toppings into the crust. Return to oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and serve.

 

This post has been linked to the Penny Pinching Party.

One Timers

Several recipes have failed their taste tests recently at my house. And, in an effort to be “real” with you I am going to share these flops today. As I have told you before, we have a term at our house for food that will be tolerated once, but will definitely not be served again.. We call these culinary disappointments One Timers, and you can read more about how this term came about here. Below are three recipes that we have chosen not to have again, ever.

 

 

This first one is Grilled Flat Bread made using Artisan Bread Dough. It was simple and quick and had two cheeses sprinkled on top for extra flavor. But, it failed with all four of us, and sadly to say, some of it made it to the trash can.

 

This second one is Baked Pasta. The nice part about this recipe is that the pasta cooks in the sauce while it bakes. It took five minutes to prep and it was super cheesy due to the ricotta and mozzarella chesses. I liked it, but my kids hated it. And, it made so much that we ate it twice. No one likes a fight at dinner time, so I am choosing not to make this recipe again!



 

This third one is Mocha Snack Cake. What's not to like about chocolate right? Well, this cake was ok warm, but terrible once it cooled. The recipe lacked salt and I'm sure that had something to do with the flavor, but I'm not going to try it again to find out for sure!

So, friends be encouraged. Recipes fail sometimes, the key is to keep trying. Once in a while you will find a family favorite and it will be worth it all.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Mondays.

Corn Muffins

The other day I was contimplating what to make for dinner when I realized that I hadn't made Corn Muffins in months. How could I forget about them? My kids love them and they are quick to make. Two out of three of my kids cheered when they saw them come out of the oven. I was a hero!

These Corn Muffins are slightly sweet because of the sugar and a bit more dense than traditional corn muffins because of the white whole wheat flour. This recipe can also be made in a 8X8 baking pan, but I prefer to make them into muffins because they are less crumbly for the kids to eat.

Corn Muffins

1 cup corn meal
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
2 Tbsp. sugar (raw or white)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup melted butter

Measure dry ingredients into a bowl. Add milk, egg, and melted butter. Stir, just until combined. Scoop into a greased muffin pan. Bake at 425º for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm with butter. Yield: 12 muffins

The Breakfast Press

On Monday, I told you about The Breakfast Press that I had while visiting family friends in Florida. This sandwich is Cousin Dee Dee's specialty. Whenever the extended family gets together, everyone begs for her to make it for breakfast. I asked her to show me how to make it so that I could share it with you. One of the men was sent out to get fresh baked bread for us and it was worth the wait. The Breakfast Press would just not be as special using everyday sandwich bread.

What's nice about this is that you can use any meat or cheese that you have on hand. And, despite the lengthy instructions below, it is a simple sandwich to put together. Although Dee Dee recommends removing one of the yolks, you can certainly skip that step if you wish. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!

The Breakfast Press

French Bread
Butter
2 eggs
Milk
2-3 slices ham or turkey
1 slice cheese

Cut a piece of French Bread 4-5 inches long, then cut it in half horizontally to open it up for the sandwich. Butter both the inside and the outside of the bread. Toast lightly using a panini/grill press.

While the bread is toasting, crack the eggs into a bowl, removing one of the yolks (reserve for another use). Add a splash of milk and whisk together. Cook in a buttered skillet over medium high heat as if making scrambled eggs, but being certain that the eggs remain in one intact piece for the sandwich. Remove from skillet and add the meat, heating it just until warm. 

Flip the bread so that the outside crust will be on the inside of the sandwich. Layer the cooked eggs, meat and cheese onto the bread and cover with the top slice, again making sure that the outer crust is on the inside of the sandwich. Return to the panini/grill press and toast again until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break for us. And, for the first time in two years, we took a vacation! A college friend asked us to accompany her and her two kids on a trip to Florida. We spent a day and a half visiting some of my friend's extended family, playing at the beach, and celebrating Easter. We all had a good time making new friends, digging in the sand, and hunting for eggs.

 

 

On Easter morning we ate these Breakfast Press Sandwiches that were oh so delicious! They are Cousin Dee Dee's specialty and she kindly showed me how to create this breakfast masterpiece. Later this week I will tell you more about it.
 

Our second destination was Legoland Florida! We spent three full days ridding rides, attending shows, and splashing in the waterpark. A delight for elementary school and preteen kids.

Finally, when I saw this Baker, made completely out of Legos, I knew that my You Can Make That readers would enjoy seeing it!

What did you do during Spring Break?

A Book Review

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter Written by Jennifer Reese

Which foods are better made at home? Is it cheaper to make everything from scratch? And what about raising/growing your own food? These are some of the questions that Jennifer Reese tackles in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. 

From raising goats to making pickles, Jennifer evaluates some of her family's best loved foods. And what she discovers is sometimes surprising. Chicken and Rice Soup is worth the effort to Jennifer; however, she found that she preferred canned pumpkin over cooking fresh pumpkin for pies. And, along with her findings, Jennifer shares the stories behind all of her food adventures in a humorous and enjoyable manner. 

This is a fun book with lots of personal anecdotes. The cost comparisons make the advice practical, but Jennifer's Make It versus Buy It opinions are a matter of personal preference. However, there are dozens of tasty looking recipes and the writing style is witty and fun. A worthy book to read if you enjoy food writing.