Cooking with ChristyB

Lunchbox S’mores

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:58:57 +0000

Here is another “not really a recipe” idea for the kids’ lunchboxes. I thought it up in my own little brain one morning when searching for something, anything to stick in their lunches because I hadn’t been to the store. To my surprise, they liked them! I call them Lunchbox S’mores.

Take some graham crackers and spread on a little nutella and marshmallow fluff. Stick them together and what have you got? My brilliant idea!

P.S. I’m well aware that this has probably been done a million times before I thought of it. I’m just impressed with myself for actually thinking of it.

Homemade Meat/Cheese/Crackers Lunchables

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:26 +0000

I know this isn’t a recipe or anything really that special. I just thought I would continue this week’s school lunchbox ideas by sharing how I replaced the expensive purchased Lunchables with my own homemade version.

I’m by no means claiming these are healthier than the purchased brands. But it is cheaper to make your own. Again, I make up several and stick them in the fridge. Then I just plop them into the lunchboxes when I need them.

I start by using a circle cookie cutter, or shot glass if you don’t have the right sized cookie cutter, and cut out cracker-sized circles from a couple of layers of lunch meat. My kids chose bologna.

I put 6 slices of meat, 6 slices of cheese and 6 crackers in each “lunchable”. This time I used two different types of cheese for some variety.

The lunch meat left after cutting out the circles is placed in a container and the kids sometimes eat the pieces for snack after school.

I like to use the Lock&Lock brand mini containers. You can even find them at our tiny town’s grocery store! I feel like it’s a waste to use so many snack sized Ziploc bags, so I wrap the crackers in plastic wrap instead.

Voila! A simple low-cost homemade lunchable.

3-2-1 Cake

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:37:22 +0000

So, I got this email from my mom. It was one of those forwarded emails that go around. Usually I just skim over them and then hit delete. I don’t have time to re-forward them. I’ll take my chances at losing out on something big happening to me because I didn’t forward it on to 30 of my closest email friends. I’m doomed for eternal bad luck. Only this particular email didn’t foresee millions of dollars in my future. It predicted CAKE in my future. That called for another read through of the email before hitting delete!

The email was a recipe for 3-2-1 Cake: individual little cakes that are ready to eat in one minute without all the fat and calories of traditional cake. Count me in! I immediately thought these mini cake servings would be perfect for my kids’ lunches. They are actually a great alternative to the high calorie, high fat, expensive prepackaged snack cakes that are so devilishly good. Best of all, you can make up several mini cakes in just 5 minutes and store them in the refrigerator. Then just pull them out and pop them in their lunch when needed. I’m hooked!

3-2-1 Cake
*Recipe from a forwarded email

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 box cake mix – any flavor (*I will say from experience, lemon flavor doesn’t work very well.)
2 tablespoons water

In a Ziploc bag, combine the two cake mixes together and mix well.

For each individual cake serving, take out 3 tablespoons of the cake mix combination and mix it with 2 tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe container. Microwave on high for 1 minute and you have your own instant individual little cake.

Don’t mind the strange texture, it tastes great!

Keep the remaining cake mixture stored in the Ziploc bag and use whenever you feel like a treat.

You can top each cake with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping, if desired.

This recipe is called 3-2-1 Cake because all you need to remember is “3 tablespoons mix, 2 tablespoons water, 1 mintue in the microwave”. Try various flavors of cake mix like carrot, red velvet, strawberry, etc. Just remember that one of the mixes has to be the Angel Food mix.

Now here is the tricky part. I opted to purchase these little Glad reusable containers to use in the kids’ lunches. They are the prefect size for a sweet lunch treat. Just note, for these containers, you have to use 2 tablespoons mix, 1 tablespoon water and cook for 45 seconds. Otherwise the cake will bubble over the container while cooking.

Make several in advance and you have a week of sweet treats ready for their school lunches. Super easy!

Homemade Pizza Lunchables

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:23:12 +0000

If you been introduced to the wonderful world of Pinterest, I dare you to search “bento boxes”. If you do, you might very well see how miserably you are failing your children by sending plain old rectangle PB&J sandwiches in your kids’ lunches. Thankfully my kids are pretty much too old for the fancy sandwiches made to look like a chicken or a robot but I do still make their lunches. EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. About a year ago I set out on a quest to get rid of the store-bought Lunchables, chips and Hostess cupcakes (mainly because I couldn’t stay out of them) and make healthy school lunches for my kids. To my surprise, they accepted the change without any complaining forgoing the chips for fresh fruits and veggies and often omitting the dessert. The only downside, the busier and more tired I get, the less healthy the lunches become. With the new year, I’m re-focusing my efforts. This week I’m going to feature several quick homemade lunchbox meal ideas. The first idea I have for you is homemade pizza lunchables – taste tested by my kids and confirmed they taste “like the real thing”. If you would like to go the extra mile and shape the pizza dough into spaceships, I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll stick with plain ~~circles~~ blobs.

Homemade Pizza Lunchables
*Recipe from MommysKitchen.net

1 recipe No Fail Pizza Dough (BELOW), your own recipe or store-bought pizza dough
1 (14 ounce) jar/can pizza sauce or homemade
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese
Pepperoni slices
Snack size sandwich bags
Plastic spoon
1 snap shut sandwich container or lunch size sandwich bag

Prepare pizza dough according to recipe. Separate dough into 18-20 golf ball size pizza dough balls. Set aside and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface roll out each pizza dough ball into a 5 inch circle.

Place each pizza round on a pizza pan or baking stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms are very lightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pizza pan.

To assemble lunchables, add two pizza crusts to a plastic container with a lid (*I used sandwich sized Ziploc bags). Add about 2-3 tablespoons pizza sauce to a snack size zip lock bag and seal. Add mozzarella, cheddar cheese and pepperoni if using to a second bag and seal. I added about 1/2 cup cheese.

Place everything into a plastic container (or Ziploc sandwich bag) and place a plastic spoon inside to spread the pizza sauce. Close or snap shut and add to your child’s lunch box.

Store additional “pizza lunchables” in the freezer and pull out as needed.

No Fail Pizza Crust
*Recipe from MommysKitchen.net

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 (1/4 ounce) packet rapid rise yeast

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and set aside. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together. Add the softened butter and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. Add the yeast mixture and stir together to combine. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until well blended. Place the pizza dough into a oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat. Let rest for about 20 minutes. Cover the bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap while the dough rests. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Proceed with baking as directed above.

Crock Pot Herb Roasted Potatoes

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:51:35 +0000

I seem to have a theme going of super simple recipes lately. This is no exception. Cut up a few potatoes, sprinkle on some seasonings and turn on the crock pot. Done!

Crock Pot Herb Roasted Potatoes
*Recipe from TastyKitchen.com

3 whole russet potatoes, large
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried, minced onions
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons cold butter

Wash your potatoes and cut them into bite sized wedges then toss them into the crock pot. Pour the water over the potatoes. Mix together your seasonings and sprinkle over the potatoes, adding salt and pepper to your liking. Cut your butter into little pieces and place the pieces randomly over all of the potatoes. Cover and set your cooker to high and cook for 2 hours. If needed add more salt and pepper after you get a chance to taste them.

Five Minute Fried Mozzarella Sticks

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:41:32 +0000

If you’ve made a resolution to eat healthier this year, this might not be the recipe for you. It’s definitely not low-fat. But I bet if you tried a bite, you couldn’t eat just one. These homemade mozzarella sticks are another recipe that’s very simple to make. Hey, it doesn’t hurt to indulge every now and then!

Five Minute Fried Mozzarella Sticks
*Recipe from TastyKitchen.com

12 whole individual mozzarella sticks
12 whole large egg roll wrappers
Italian seasonings, to taste
Canola oil, for frying
Pizza sauce for dipping, optional

Add 1/2-inch of oil to a tall-sided skillet and heat to 375°F over medium to medium high heat.

While the oil is heating, lay a mozzarella stick near the bottom corner of an egg roll wrapper and sprinkle with a small pinch of Italian seasonings. Fold the bottom corner over the cheese stick and roll it up about halfway up the wrapper. Fold the sides of the wrapper in toward the center, moisten the remaining corner with a fingertip dipped in a bowl of water then tightly roll it the rest of the way to seal the wrapper. Repeat with remaining sticks and wrappers.

Fry the sticks in the hot oil, working in batches if necessary and taking care not to crowd the pan, for between 30 and 60 seconds per side, or until deep golden brown. If your wrappers start to leak molten cheese, you can remove them earlier.

Use tongs or a strainer to transfer the cheese sticks from the hot oil to a paper towel lined plate or platter. Let them rest for at least two minutes before biting into them.

Serve, if desired, with pizza sauce for dipping.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:54:04 +0000

To stop the harrassment I’ve gotten from not updating the cooking blog in a month, I’m sharing a new recipe today. It’s a dish that is so easy, you can make it even if you can’t boil eggs. It’s delicious, too. Good enough for me to eat leftovers. And if you know me, you know I don’t like leftovers. Almost as much as I don’t like being harrassed to update the blog. I know I slacked updating over the holidays. I guess it’s good to know someone actually reads this blog.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
*Recipe from BettyCrocker.com

2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup with 30% less sodium
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® enchilada sauce
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 package (9 oz) frozen cooked southwestern-flavored chicken strips, thawed, chopped (*I used some shredded chicken I had on hand.)
(2 cups) 3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

In 3-quart saucepan, mix all ingredients except tortilla chips.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.
Top individual servings with tortilla chips.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pretzel Bites {Christy B}

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:07:04 +0000

It’s time to start thinking about holiday baking! These Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pretzel Bites are sure to be a hit. Sweet and salty together with a little crunch. Delish!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pretzel Bites
*Recipe from TastyKitchen.com

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 package (about 12 Oz. size) mini pretzels
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons Fluer De Sel, for sprinkling *I used Coarse Sea Salt

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Scrape down the bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without it sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll.

Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of mixture for each ball, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel before the chocolate hardens. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Chicken Thingies

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:21:30 +0000

Yep, that’s really what this recipe was called. I’ve made a few versions of this recipe before. You can’t go wrong with chicken cream cheese and puff pastry.

Chicken Thingies
*Recipe from TastyKitchen.com

8 ounces chicken
8 ounces cream cheese
1 envelope (about 1 ounce packet) Seasoning (Ranch Dressing, Golden Vegetable Soup, Etc.) *One whole packet of Ranch Dressing made the Chicken Thingies pretty salty. Next time I wouldn’t add a whole packet.
1 box (about 11 ounce size) Puff Pastry

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the chicken (you could also use chicken that’s already cooked or canned chicken). I either boil it or cook it in the oven. Let it cool until you are able to shred it. Combine chicken, cream cheese and seasoning in a bowl. Roll out puff pastry and cut into triangles. Put a tablespoon of the chicken/cream cheese mix in each triangle. Gather the points of the triangle and pinch each seam shut, as well as the top.

Place on a baking tray and cook 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Bloomin’ Garlic Parmesan Bread

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:00:58 +0000

You’ve probably had a Bloomin’ Onion but have you tried Bloomin’ Garlic Parmesan Bread? This is a fun recipe when you are looking for something a little different. Of course, our little town grocery store didn’t have a regular loaf of round bread, so I made personal bloomin’ bread rounds out of Italian rolls. Fun and tasty!

Bloomin’ Garlic Parmesan Bread
*Recipe from TastyKitchen.com

1 loaf round bread, unsliced
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the bread into slices lengthwise and then width wise, being careful to not cut completely through the bottom of the bread. The idea is to have little pieces that you can pick out and eat.

Next, take your softened butter in a small bowl and mix it with your garlic and parsley until everything is evenly incorporated.

With a spatula, spread the butter mixture over the entire loaf of bread, then sprinkle on all of the Parmesan cheese and using a thin spatula or butter knife, run it along all of the slices “pushing” the butter/cheese mixture into all of the slices.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the bread starts to spread and it’s turning golden brown.