Pink and White Swirl Bread

Today I was thinking that I needed to make some sort of cute bread for Miss V's Valentine's Day lunch.  I have been using cookie cutters and making heart sandwiches and I remembered someone making colored bread.

So I made two pounds of white bread dough.  I figured that I would just split the dough in half and tint just one half.  Well I did and it was HARD!  I ended up pulling out my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook to mix in the pink gel.  It worked much better.  Next time I will do what my friend did and just add the color with the water and make two batches of dough.

So here is what it looks like:

I also split the dough into two pans.  I think next time I will just use one loaf pan and make a much taller loaf.  These will have to be itty bitty sandwiches. 

Cute huh???

I enjoy reading any and all comments! Feel free to ask any questions you have, about this recipe. If you have tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it or if you would change it in any way.

Lunch 2/13/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly on whole wheat bread cut into hearts
Strawberries
Snap peas
Horizon Strawberry Milk
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Florida Natural Fruit Nuggets
Oatmeal Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Pretzels and "cheese dip"
Melon Fusion Jello

Chocolate Waffles

Since I picked up the newest issue of Food Network magazine, Miss V has been asking to make the Chocolate Waffles.  We finally got around to making this morning.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate syrup, plus more for topping
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
Confectioners' sugar and/or berries, for topping (optional)

Directions
Melt the butter and shortening in a small saucepan, stirring to combine; remove from the heat and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Whisk the eggs, milk, chocolate syrup and vanilla in a large liquid measuring cup or a separate bowl. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until combined. (The batter will be slightly lumpy.) Whisk in the butter mixture until combined.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Preheat a waffle iron and spray with cooking spray. Ladle some of the batter into the waffle iron to within an inch of the edge (1/3 to 1/2 cup batter, depending on your waffle iron); cook until crisp. Transfer the waffle to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Divide the waffles among plates. Dust with confectioners'sugar and top with berries and/or chocolate syrup.

Miss V declared them "two thumbs up", but a little to sweet.  I think next time I will use much less syrup on top.  She loves chocolate, but not if it is to sweet.  She is a fan of dark chocolate and well so am I.

Lunch 2/10/2012 - Pizza Friday Snacks

Here is Miss V's snacks for Pizza Friday!

Oatmeal Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Florida Natural Fruit Nuggets (Green Apple)
Apple slices
Florida Strawberries
Peanut Butter Chocolate Breakfast on the Go pack
Pretzels
Capri Sun

Tater Tot Casserole

I really do not have a standard recipe for this because I usually "wing it" with what ever may be in the freezer.

1 pound ground beef
1 packet of brown gravy mix
1 cup cold water
3 cups frozen mixed veggies (thawed)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 package tater tots
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Brown the ground beef and drain.  Pour water and brown gravy mix over the ground beef.  Cook until thick and bubbly.  Stir in the mixed veggies.

Spread the meat/veggie mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the meat/veggie mixture.

Place tater tots on top of the cheese.

Bake for 20 minute.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on the tots and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and the tots are crispy.

Lunch 2/8/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch today.

Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter and Fluff Heart Sandwich

Apple Slices

Green Grapes

Pretzels with "cheese dip"

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast on the Go Packet

Chewy Granola Bar

Trail Mix Granola Bar

Horizon Vanilla Milk

Lunch 2/7/2012

Miss V's lunch today.

Peanut butter and strawberry jelly on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Colby Jack Cheese cubes
Snap Peas
Green Grapes
Fruit Snacks
Trail Mix Bar
Pretzels with "cheese" dip
Berry Blend Breakfast on the Go Packet
Toasty Cheese Crackers
Capri Sun

Antipasto Platters

Here is the antipasto platters that we brought to a Superbowl Party.

I love finding great things in the clearance section at Target.

 Pepperoni, Italian Dry Salami and Genoa Salami

 Meats, Caprese Bites, and Marinated Feta.

 Extra Mozzarella Pears with basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, extra Marinated Feta, Sweet Cherry Peppers and Mezzetta Italian Olive Antipasto.

Caprese Bites

I kind of made this up yesterday.

1 cup of balsamic vinegar
Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer.  Reduce the vinegar until thick and syrupy.

Mozzarella Pearls
Grape Tomatoes (cut in half)
Basil Leaves (sliced in half lengthwise)
Toothpicks

Spread the vinegar syrup in the bottom of a small serving dish.

Take a half of a basil leaf and fold in half and then half again.  Skewer it onto a toothpick.

Then add one half of a tomato cut side down.

Then gently skewer the mozzarella pearl.

Place the skewer mozzarella side down onto your vinegar syrup.

Continue until your dish is full.

I totally forgot to snap a picture of the process.  I will try and make a couple this afternoon and update with pictures.

Easy Taco Casserole

I made this for dinner Friday night.  It was pretty good, but did not photograph very well. The recipe comes from the Taste of Home Ground Beef magazine.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I subbed sour cream, the idea of cooked mayo turns my tummy)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 cups shredded lettuce

In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the salsa, mayonnaise and chili powder.

In an ungreased 2-qt. baking dish, layer half of the meat mixture, chips and cheeses. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Just before serving, top with tomato and lettuce. Yield: 6 servings.

It was kind of bland.  I think it would be better with taco seasoning.  I also used mild salsa and I could have used medium for more flavor and spice.

Marinated Feta and Olive Skewers

Repost (with picture)

I made these to go on an antipasto type of platter for a superbowl party.
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
4 tbs fresh orange juice
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
4 oz feta block cut into 24 cubes
24 fresh mint leaves
12 pitted green olives, cut in half
1/4 large English cucumber cut in 1/2 inch chunks
24 toothpicks

In a medium bowl, combine the fennel seeds, orange zest and juice and pepper. Gently stir in the feta. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature of up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

To assemble the skewers, push a mint leave about 3/4 inch up the toothpick, then add a chunk of cucumber, and an olive half. Gently place a cube of the marinated feta on the end.

Lunch 2/6/2012

Here is Miss V's Lunch

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Florida Strawberries
Carrots & packet of Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
Colby Jack Cheese Slice
Peanut Butter Crackers
Oatmeal Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Pretzel Sticks
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Capri Sun (lemonade)

Lunch 2/3/2012 - Pizza Friday Snacks

Here is Miss V's snacks for Pizza Friday!

Pretzels
Fruit Snacks
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Gripz
Capri Sun Lemonade
Danimal Smoothie
Strawberries
Snap Peas with Green Goddess Dressing

Pierogi Beef Skillet

This also comes from my new Taste of Home Ground Beef magazine.  I can say this one came out much better than the one from last week.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
1 package (16 ounces) frozen cheese and potato pierogies, thawed
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings.

Sprinkle flour over beef and drippings; stir until blended. Gradually add beef broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in the pierogies, vegetables and seasonings. Cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 4 servings. 

I did find it a bit bland so I added 1/4 tsp salt and some extra pepper and Italian seasoning.

Lunch 2/2/2012

Here is Miss V's Lunch

White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter on a whole wheat Goldfish
Fresh Florida Strawberries
Snap Peas with a tablespoon of Green Goddess Dressing
Danimals Smoothie
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Oatmeal Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Sweet N' Salty Trail Mix
Nut Blend Breakfast on the Go packet
Peanut Butter Crackers
Horizon Vanilla Milk

School Lunch 1/31/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch today

Nutella Roll Up
Danimal Smoothie
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Berries and Cream Breakfast on the Go Pack
Chips Deluxe Gripz
Peanut Butter Crackers
Oatmeal Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Horizon Chocolate Milk
Yellow Bell Pepper Slices
Fresh Strawberries

School Lunch 1/30/2012

Here is Miss V's Lunch

Crunchy Fluffernutter on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Capri Sun
Danimal Smoothie
Pretzel Sticks
Chewy Granola Bar
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Apple slices
Strawberries

School Lunch 1/27/2012 - Pizza Friday Snacks

Here is Miss V's Pizza Friday Snacks

Capri Sun (lemonade)
Lime Jello
Pretzel Sticks
Peanut Butter Crackers
Colby Jack Cheese stick
Chewy Granola Bar
Apple Slices
Fresh Strawberries

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

When I spotted this recipe in my Taste of Home Ground Beef Magazine, I knew that I would have to make it.  In theory it sounds so yummy.  Well after making last night it did not live up to the hype in my head. 

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1 pound ground beef
6 bacon strips, diced
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Barbecue sauce and prepared mustard, optional

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard drippings. Drain pasta; add to the skillet. Stir in the soup, beef and bacon; heat through.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with barbecue sauce and mustard if desired. Yield: 4-6 servings.

First I subbed Rigatoni for the penne because that is what I had in the pantry. 

Next....the bacon. I have stainless pans and bacon just does not cook well in them.  I should have went with my gut instict and just cooked the bacon in the oven on a broiler pan like I normally do.  So my bacon was still pretty fatty which I do NOT like....

Then there was the canned tomato soup.  I am not a fan of tomato soup never mind canned tomato soup.  It really did not help this taste very well.  I think it would have tasted better with just a can of plain tomato sauce.

Would I make this again?  I am really not sure.  If I do it will be with some minor changes.

School Lunch 1/26/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch

Flour tortilla with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter and extra raisins
Apple Slices
Strawberries
Lemonade Capri Sun
Fruit Snacks
Danimal Smoothie
Pretzel Sticks
Peanut Butter Crackers
Berry Jello
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Chewy Granola Bar

School Lunch 1/25/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch today.  Can you tell I finally went grocery shopping?

Flour Tortilla with super chunky peanut butter
Florida Strawberries
Red Pepper Strips
Danimals Smoothie
Chewy Granola Bar
Fruit Snacks
Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast on the go packet
Almond Grunch Granola Bar
Colby Jack Cheese slie
Horizon Plain Milk

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays are her long day at school so I pack a few extra snacks.

School Lunch 1/24/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch today

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter on a Whole Wheat Gold Fish
Horizon Chocolate Milk
Colby Jack cheese slice
Fruit Snack
Chewy Granola Bar
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Scooby Snacks
Berry Jello
Apple Slices
Fresh Florida Strawberries, which are soooo delicious right now

(I really need to get to the grocery store today)

School Lunch 1/23/2012

Miss V has been begging for salad lately.  I made one for her lunch and realized that I didn't have any protein for it.  Hopefully she won't be to hungry in the afternoon.

Salad:  lettuces, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes and craisins (small container of green goddess dressing)
Apple slices
Oatmeal Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Cheeze its
Sweet and Salty Trail Mix
Fruit Snacks
Colby jack Cheese slice
Lime Jello
Horizon Strawberry Milk

School lunch 1/20/12 - Pizza Friday

Here is Miss V's snacks for Pizza Friday!

Horizon Milk
Carrots
Apple Slices
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Chewy Granola Bar
Fruit Snacks
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Lime Jello

(kind of boring, time to go grocery shopping)

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I keep seeing this in my Taste of Home Fall Baking 2009 magazine and I finally made it last night.  I am going to bring it to a meeting this morning.

INGREDIENTS  Make sure they are all room temp.
3/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

FILLING:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition.

Spoon a third of the batter into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle half over batter. Top with half of the berries. Repeat layers. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm coffee cake. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Unfortunately, I can't show you a slice yet or tell you if it was good or not.  BUT....It does smell great!!!

School Lunch 1/19/2012

Here is Miss V's lunch today

Peanut butter and Strawberry Jelly on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Breakfast on the Go Pack, Berries and Cream
Strawberry Yogurt
Gripz cookies
Florida Naturals Fruit Nuggets
Raisin Chewy Granola Bar
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Lime Jello
Carrots
Apple slices
Horizon Chocolate Milk

Chicken Parmesan

I made this Chicken Parmesan last night for dinner.  I found the recipe on Food Network.  I did make a couple changes though.  The recipe calls for making your own sauce, but I just used a jar of Newman's Own Marinara

Cooking spray
4 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds total) (I used 3 breasts and slightly pounded the thicker part)
Salt to taste
2 large egg whites (I just used an egg and a bit of water)
6 tablespoons dry Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 to 5 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the cutlets with the salt. Lightly beat the egg whites in a medium bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan on a sheet of waxed paper. Spread the flour on another sheet of waxed paper. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip both sides into the flour, shaking off excess. Dip each piece into the egg, shaking off excess, and then press both sides into the breading to coat.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (in batches, if necessary) and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken, in 1 layer, to the baking dish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake, covered loosely with a tent of foil, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, about 12 to 15 minutes.

When I took the foil off some of the cheese came off one of the breasts.  So I added more and put it under the broiler for a couple minutes.

This came out really good!!!  I would will definitely make it again.

School Lunch 1/18/2012

Miss V has had the last two days off from school and it was hard getting up this morning. 

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Apple slices
Cucumber slices
Carrots
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Horizon Milk
Cheez it
Florida Naturals Fruit Nuggets
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Chewy Granola Bar
and Lime Jello

School lunch 1/13/12 - Pizza Friday Snacks

Here is Miss V's lunch.  Friday's are pizza days so she does not need to bring a sandwich or meal, just a drink and snacks.

Fresh Florida Strawberries
Red Grapes
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Horizon Chocolate Milk
Lime Jello
Smartfood Popcorn
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Florida Naturals Fruit Nuggets

Turkey Thighs in Spicy Cranberry Sauce

This is what we had for dinner.

1 (16 oz) Jellied Cranberry Sauce (I used whole berry)
1/2 cup bottled chili sauce
1 tbs white vinegar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 1/2 to 3 pounds turkey thighs skinned (shhhh I used 4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts and told Miss V that it was turkey.  For some reason she is on a chicken strike)

Stir together cranberry sauce, chili sauce, vinegar and pumpkin pie spice and pour into the bottom of your crock pot.

Place turkey thighs, meaty sides down on the sauce mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours or on high for 4 1/2 to 4 hours.  I cooked it for 6 hours on low and did flip the poultry once and spooned the sauce over the poultry pieces.

Transfer turkey to a serving dish.  Skim fat from sauce.  Serve sauce with turkey.

My dilema was that it smelled so much like Thanksgiving while it was cooking and I didn't know what sides to serve with it.  I needed to use up a bag of sweet potato fries.  But my head kept telling me that I needed stuffing so I made some up quickly and steamed up some broccoli.

This recipe also came from the Better Homes and Garden Better Than Most Slow Cooker Recipes.  It was a huge hit.

School Lunch 1/12/12

Here is Miss V's lunch

Dark Chocolate Dreams on a whole wheat Goldfish

Apple slices

Sliced cucumber

Carrots

Chewy Granola Bar

Colby Jack Cheese Stick

Florida Naturals Fruit Nuggets

Breakfast on the Go, Berries and Cream packet

Smartfood Popcorn

Lime Jello

Horizon Vanilla Milk

Thursdays are now her long day at school so I packed a few extra snacks.  I am sure she will be starving on the ride home.

Margaritaville Coffee!!

Last night a little birdy showed up on my door step with gifts!  I love gifts!!! 

I have four bags of the Margaritaville Sunrise in Paradise (light/medium roast) and two bags of Latitude Attitude (medium roast).

I just made a pot of the Latitude Attitude for my husband and ooooh weeee it smells good but a little strong for my taste.  I prefer light roasts and did you know that lighter roasts have more caffine?.  I will have him give me he thoughts on it later today.

Lunch 1/11/12

Here is Miss V's Lunch

Peanut butter and Strawberry Jelly on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Sliced cucumber
Carrots
Fresh Florida Strawberries
Horizon Chocolate Milk
Chewy Granola Bar
Colby Jack Cheese stick
Cheez-It package
Berry Jello
Florida Natural Fruit Nuggets

School Lunch 1/10/12

Here is Miss V's lunch:

Horizon White Milk
Peanut butter and Strawberry Jelly on a Whole Wheat Goldfish
Fresh Florida Strawberries
Ants and Red Ants on a Log
Sweet n' Salty Trail Mix
Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Chewy Granola Bar
Florida Naturals Fruit Nuggets
Berry Jello

Plum Sauced Chicken in Tortillas

I just happened to be flipping through an old cookbook called Better Than Most Slow Cooker Recipes from Better Homes and Gardens and spotted a picture of this recipe.  So I decided to make it for dinner last night.  My only problem was trying to find canned plums.  I couldn't so I just bought 1.5 pounds of fresh plums.

32 oz. can whole, unpitted purple plums, drained
1 cup hot-style vegetable juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
4 1/2 tsp. quick-cooking tapioca
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. 5-spice powder
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless breasts)
6 x 7-8 inch flour tortillas
2 cups packaged shredded broccoli or packaged shredded cabbage with carrot

Remove pits from plums. Place plums in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Transfer plum puree to a 3 1/2 or 4-quart crock pot. Stir in vegetable juice, hoisin sauce, tapioca, ginger, ad 5-spice powder. Cut chicken into strips. Stir chicken into crock pot.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours, for 2 to 2/12 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot, reserving juices.

Spoon about 1/3 cup from the chicken mixture onto each warm tortilla just below the center. Drizzle with the reserved juices. Top each with 1/3 cup shredded slaw mix. Roll up Tortillas.

Number of Servings: 6

I served this with rice and pineapple chunks.

These were pretty good.  Miss V kept saying how the house smelled to spicy and wouldn't try it.  I told her that she would have to try it before she could eat her pineapple.  Well she tried it and liked it...

They did smell "spicy" but not like a hot spicy if that makes sense.  I don't normally cook with 5 spice powder and I think that is what she was smelling.

School Lunch 2/9/12

I have noticed that if I don't about Miss V's lunch daily, I forget to do it on the weekends.  So back to my regular daily school lunch posts.

Ham & Cheese on a Goldfish thin.  Normally I would not buy them since they are kind of pricey, but they were BOGO last week at Publix.
Florida Strawberries
Carrots
Simply Go-gurt
Chewy Granola Bar
Sweet & Salty Trail Mix
Horizon Chocolate Milk
Berry Jello
Florida Naturals Fruit Nuggets

Jello....Miss V likes certain kinds of jello, but they don't sell the already made cups.  So I got smart and made up the jello and then poured it into 6 snack size gladware containers and put in the fridge.  It also saves a little money too.

Parmesan Twists

I pulled out my old Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook on Saturday and decided to make a batch of Pamesan Twists to go along with dinner which was Pasta and Sauce with Italian Sausage.

3/4 cup water
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon bread machine or quick active dry yeast
1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese


MEASURE carefully, placing all ingredients except margarine and cheese in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

SELECT Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.

REMOVE dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Place dough in greased bowl, and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

GREASE cookie sheet. Punch down dough. Divide dough into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece into 10 to 12 inch rope on lightly floured surface. Pinch ends of 2 ropes together, starting at pinched end. Place twists on cookie sheet; tuck other ends under. Mix margarine and cheese; brush over twists. Cover and let rise in warm place 20 to 30 minutes or until double.

HEAT oven to 400°. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack.

Mine only made 9 and I HAD to sample one before I took the picture.  Oh these are super yummy!!!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mix (sorta copycat)

I threw this together last night since I am always running out of the packets.  Also there has been many times I see the box in the pantry and think, "oh I don't need to buy any this week" only to find out that the box is empty and didn't get put in the recycle bin.  I figure I can keep better track with it being in a clear container.

Ingredients:

5 cups of quick oats

1 cup of brown sugar

2 (or so) tsp of ground cinnamon

1 bag of dried apples, chopped into small pieces

I shook the container up to mix, but noticed that the apples still were stuck together.  I separated the apple bits with my hands and made sure that they were coated with cinnamon/sugar and then they were mixed in well.  You could also add a bit of salt to bring out the flavors better.

It came out great!!! 

Chocolate Cheerios - Review

Have you seen these?????

I am normally very strict about the kinds of cereals.  But lately Miss V has been having some issues of not being hungry or things just don't taste very good.  We go through this a few times a year.  When this happens, I loosen up a bit.

Anyway she spotted these a few weeks ago and had a coupon so into the cart they went.  The next morning she tried them and really loved them.  She had them a few times and the only thing she didn't like was that it turned the milk to chocolate milk. 

So she now prefers to have these as a little snack, but will eat them dry and have a cup of milk on the side.  Personally I loved them even the chocolaty milk.