Finding Joy in My Kitchen: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Rice Krispies

For Bible study two weeks ago, I made Rice Krispie bars.

These bars are nothing super special, just a treat that we hadn't had in a long time.

I know... marshmallows and rice cereal isn't that great for you, but every once and a while we splurge.

When I pulled my box of cereal out, I was shocked to not see their recipe on the box! One phone call to my mom solved that problem -- and thus, why you are seeing this recipe here. I'm pretty sure everyone has this recipe somewhere, and now I do too.

Rice Krispie Bars - Adapted from Kelloggs

6 C rice krispie cereal

1 (~10 oz) package marshmallows

3 T butter

Begin by melting the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.

When the butter is nearly all melted, add in the marshmallows. Stir continuously, as they melt.

Once the marshmallows have melted, stir in the cereal.

Carefully {so as not to crush the cereal} and quickly, stir the cereal until it is well coated.

Scoop cereal mix into a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Press (using a lightly oiled hand or spatula) the cereal in tightly.

Allow the bars to sit for 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving.

Next time, I'm aiming to try this recipe using brown rice puffs and homemade marshmallows. We'll see how that goes :)

Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday Favorite Finds

Happy Friday!

It is truly a happy Friday here...

Frog Prince returns home tonight and

doesn't have to travel again

until mid-June!!!

Woot.

We're excited to have his every-other-week traveling

since January 1 stint come to an end.

So, here's to a Fabulous Friday.

And, here are my Friday Favorite Finds!

Oatmeal Creme Pies

{Sugar Bananas}

Breakfast Quesadillas

{Good Life Eats}

Orange French Toast

{Super Healthy Kids}

Homemade Cadbury Eggs

{Confessions of a Cookbook Queen}

Broccoli Salad

{Brown-Eyed Baker}

Strawberry Sweet Rolls

{My McDonald Meal}

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

{Diddles and Dumplings}

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

{Sugar Crafter}

Bacon, Mushroom and Extra Sharp Cheddar Potato Crusted Quiche

{For the Love of Cooking}

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

{Comfy Tummy}

Fudge Brownies

{A Cozy Kitchen}

Strawberry Rhubarb Preserve

{Tracey's Culinary Adventures}

Cheesecake in a Jar

{My Baking Addiction}

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

{What's Gabby Cooking}

Link up a post containing the recipes you've found and bookmarked this week.Please do not link up individual recipes-- save those for other blog carnivals. Also, don't forget to link back to our Friday Favorite post.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Breakfast Pockets

Frog Prince and I have been on a quest to have breakfasts that are not pancakes/waffles/muffins at least one morning each week.

This recipe is a hybrid -- it brings together our beloved carbs, and mixes it with yummy veggies, scrambled eggs, and of course, a little cheese.

We made a big batch of these up over the weekend, and unlike my pizza pockets, these actually made it into the freezer! So, we have a quick breakfast pocket in the freezer just waiting for growling tummies in the morning.

Breakfast Pockets

{makes ~10 pockets}

Dough

1 C really warm water

1 tsp. honey

1 T yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 C white whole wheat flour

Filling

~1 C shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 C broccoli, chopped

4 eggs

1/4 C milk

salt and pepper, as desired

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked

Begin by preparing the dough. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bottom of a large bowl (or mixing bowl if you are using your stand mixer). Allow the yeast and water to sit for about 1 minute. Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil. Stir in the flour. You can either do this by hand, or with your mixer. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth. Allow the dough to sit, covered for 5 minutes while you prepare your filling.

Add the sliced veggies to a skillet with a few drops of olive oil. Saute the veggies until crisp tender.

While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the 4 eggs and the 1/4 C milk. Scramble the eggs in a lightly greased skillet until eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine the veggie mixture together with the eggs. Then, crumble up the cooked bacon strips and mix them into the egg veggie filling.

Now, divide the dough into 10 small balls. Flatten and roll out those dough balls into dough circles. Place the dough circles on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Now is also the time to preheat the oven to 400.

Divide the topping mixture into proportions equal to the number of pockets you have to fill. For us, that equated to about 1/2-3/4 C mixture per pocket. Place the filling on half of the dough pocket.

Sprinkle each pocket with shredded cheddar cheese.

Using a pastry brush, spread water around the edges of the dough.

Fold the dough over the filling and press to seal. Use a fork to seal the edges tightly.

If desired, sprinkle the top of the pockets with Italian seasoning, or chives.

Bake at 400 for 12-14 minutes until pockets are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.

Serve warm.

If desired, cool the pockets completely. Then, freeze in plastic freezer bags. To cook, remove the breakfast pocket from the freezer and microwave for 1-3 minutes (depending on your microwave) until warmed.

Linked to: What's Cooking Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, These Chicks Cook, Ingredient Spotlight

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Pepperoni Grilled Cheese

Sometime the week nights are just plain busy.

And, you need dinner in a pinch.

We threw together these easy Pepperoni Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and called dinner a success.

Pepperoni Grilled Cheese
{Serves 2}

4 slices of wheat buttermilk bread
4 slices of mozzarella cheese {or, cheese to your taste}
12 turkey pepperoni slices

Begin by placing your bread slices onto a griddle, heated to 300 degrees.

Top with cheese slices on one side of the bread.
Then, place the pepperoni slices on the other side.

Cook for about 5 minutes until cheese is semi-melted. Check the bread to make sure the griddle isn't too hot that you'll end up with burned bread.

When the cheese is slightly melted, move the cheese covered slice of bread and flip on top of the pepperoni covered slice, cheese side down.

Allow the cheese to finish melting.

Serve warm with green veggies.

Linked to: What's on Your Plate?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Raspberry Blueberry Banana Muffins

A simple, fantastic breakfast (or afternoon snack).

Bananas.

Raspberries.

Blueberries.

Applesauce.

Whole Wheat Flour.

Honey.

The list of goodness in these muffins just grows and grows. Hope you enjoy them too.

Raspberry Blueberry Banana Muffins - Inspired by Bake for Happy Kids

1 C white whole wheat flour
1 C whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C honey
1 medium overripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
1/4 C applesauce
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C blueberries
1 C raspberries

Begin by combining the flours, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.