Baking Bits: 4 Pinterest Food Reviews

I haven’t done a Food review in a while, so I thought I’d share with you a few recipes we’ve tried from my Pinterest obsession. (See it does come in handy…I find new recipes and try them on my family! hehe) These are a few of the "winners" our family has tried over the past few months. Hope you enjoy them too!!!

#1 Weight Watchers Salsa Roll-ups

This recipe is SUPER easy and quick. I whipped up a few of these last week and was surprised at how simple they really were! And yuuuummmmy too! In fact, the Hubster was caught more than once sneaking a bite or two! So, if you’re looking for a snack that’s easy to make and take – this one would be perfect! Be sure and check out her blog over at Chef-in-Training for more yummy recipes.

#2 Chicken Roll-ups

This is another super easy and quick recipe. I think it literally took me a total of 10 minutes to get it ready!! Now that’s quick! Now, ours were a little over stuffed, but they were still DELICIOUS!!! They were a hit with 2 of the 3 kiddos too! (Mister Mouse is super picky, so we don’t take his vote most of the time!) The only thing I did different is use my own homemade Ranch dressing mix rather than a store-bought package. You can find the mix I used here.

#3 Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sammies

Okay, talk about mouth-watering…these sammies are to-die-for! I mean, first of all, how can you go wrong with Hawaiian Sweet Rolls?! And, second…they’re just plain good! They do take a little bit of time to prepare (approx 20min), so allow yourself that extra time in addition to cooking them. But, trust me – they are absolutely worth it! The first time I had these were at a Women’s night at a church – YUM!!!! Then, I made them again for our small group (two pans even) and they were gone in lightening speed!! THEN…we had them for our small family Christmas and WOW!! Still yummy! So, if you see Hawaiian Sweet Rolls on sale or just out on the shelf, pick up a package and make these babies! You won’t regret it!! (NOTE: I used dried minced onions rather than real ones. They are so much smaller and they really crunched up nicely!)

Okay, last one – I promise!

#4 Chicky Nuggets

So, who doesn’t like Chick-fil-a nuggets? Let’s face it…not many people dislike their delicious chicken (not to mention the fact they have a great indoor playground for my kiddos). This recipe takes some up-front planning, but its well worth it!! This quickly became a frequently requested meal at our house. We’ve had to limit it to 2-3 nights a month! My kids would eat this twice a week if I let them! I do recommend using peanut oil to fry them in for several reasons: 1) That’s the way Chick-fil-a does it and it’s yummy, 2) peanut oil stays cleaner longer, so you won’t have to change the oil after one batch and 3) did I mention it made them YUMMY?!

So, there ya have it! FOUR Pinterest recipe reviews. I’m working on taking pictures when I cook, so that I can share several more recipes with you over the next few weeks!! Being new at this regular blogging thing, I’m still getting used to keeping the camera close-at-hand. Well…that and I keep moving it out of reach from wandering little hands!

Join me next week for another YUMMY recipe!!!!

Blessings,

Annette


I'm linking up to these parties today: 

Lemon-Crumb Chicken

Doesn't this look absolutely DELICIOUS?!

Okay, I know…THREE posts in one day! It’s crazy!! But, I just had to share this recipe with you! I was looking through some old recipe files I had stored away on my computer and came across this delight. And what a delight it was tonight! YUM-O!!!! I must confess, however, that we did not have wheat bread, so I used white or reduced calorie Mayo, so I used regular. We also didn’t have minced parsley so I just added a little more than a Tbs of the flakes. But, TRUST ME…you’re going to want to try this recipe!! After we baked it and cut it up, I squeezed a little extra fresh lemon juice on my chicken. Ooohhh!!!! What a scrumptious taste it was!  We paired our meal with corn-on-the-cob tonight. It was a HUGE hit with the entire family too! The oldest came back several times for more (we had to cut him off!) and the middles both ate well too! This will definitely go in the FAVORITES section of my recipe binder!

 Lemon Crumb Chicken

2 slices whole wheat bread made into crumbs (1 cup)

1 Tbs Parmesan cheese grated

1 Tbs Minced parsley

1 Tbs grated lemon zest

4 (1/4#) boneless chicken breast

½ t salt

½ t pepper

2 Tbs. reduced calorie Mayo

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and lemon zest in medium bowl.  Transfer to a sheet of waxed paper.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Spread mayonnaise on both sides of chicken.  Coat chicken with bread crumb mixture.  Arrange on sprayed baking sheet.  Bake until crust is golden 20 – 25 minutes @ 425 degrees.

Annette’s tip: To make bread crumbs, toast both slices of bread on a mid setting. Then, crumble them onto a baking sheet. Set your oven to broil and put them in for about 7-10 minutes. WATCH THEM CLOSELY so they don’t burn! After you take them out, just start tapping on them to make the crumbs even more fine crumbs.

Blessings,

Annette




UPDATED TIP: When talking with my husband about this recipe last night, we discussed how you could change up the ingredients a little and have several VERY tasty meals!!! Here's a few suggestions:
* Garlic-Lime chicken (just nix the parsley & lemon and sub garlic and lime)
* Parmesan Crusted Italian Chicken (sub Italian seasonings for parsley)
* Change up the meat and use FISH! (Parmesan crusted Tilapia, Cod or whatever!)

Monday Meals 9 Jan 2012

I plan to post our weekly meal plans every Monday in addition to my Maid for Monday post.  I’m working on re-vamping my site so I will have tabs, including a recipe tab that will also include prices (& where I shop for those prices).  Most of these recipes are ones I’ve found and tweaked. I also started using recipes I’ve pinned here and will review them Monday following the week we tried them (if they’re new to us or ones I haven’t reviewed on here yet). I have several different food categories on my Pinterest, so I’ll be sure to post the exact link to make it easier for you to find. But, while I’m at it – if you don’t have a Pinterest account, be sure to email me or comment below to request an invitation. TRUST ME – You won’t be sorry!!! I absolutely love, Love, LOVE this site!! I have pretty much anything and everything I could ever want in one place! I don’t have to search 50 million blogs or websites to find ideas for homeschooling, DIY crafts, gift ideas, decorating ideas (okay…I can’t decorate – that gift was not passed on from my mother, but I sure like to look!), recipes and SO. MUCH. MORE!!!! I’m sure once you take a look around Pinterest, you’ll become as addicted as I have! It’s just so much FUN!!

So, here’s this weeks meal plan! If you don’t understand what I’ve described – ASK!!! Let me know if you try anything from my meal plan and how you liked it or changed it! I’m always open to new ideas!! Happy Planning and Happy Cooking!

Monday 1/9

Breakfast: Oatmeal

            Lunch: Corn dogs, blueberries, chips

            Dinner: Crock-pot Italian chicken

Tuesday 1/10

            Breakfast: dry cereal (My kids’ favorite is Grape Nuts!)

            Lunch: Mac & Cheese w/ mini cocktail weenies (had these leftover)

            Dinner: Tacos/Burritos/ Salad

Wednesday 1/11

            Breakfast: Oatmeal

            Lunch: Fishsticks or Ham n’ Cheese, chips/pretzels, fruit

            Dinner: Leftovers (this possibly seems strange to have leftovers in the middle of the week, but my actual shopping week is Wed-Tues, so that’s how I actually plan my meals. This is the last day of our “week” so we often have leftovers to clean out the fridge! And, its church night, so we eat & run.)

Thursday 1/12 (Dad’s day off!!!)

            Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, eggs (whatever the kids want)

Lunch: Homemade Bacon & Pepperoni Pizzas 

            Dinner: Corn dogs for the kids & Creamy Potato Soup for small group (aka My Guinea Pigs!)

Friday 1/13

            Breakfast: Pop-tarts (this week I’m going to make this healthy option & see how that goes.)

            Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas

            Dinner: Sweet Chicky Nuggets, mashed potatoes, corn, salad

Saturday 1/14

            Breakfast: Dry cereal or Oatmeal

            Lunch: Fishsticks or Ham ‘n Cheese, chips, fruit

            Dinner: Tater-Tot Casserole, green beans

Sunday 1/15

            Breakfast: OvernightCrock-pot Breakfast Casserole 

            Lunch: Crock-pot White Chicken Enchiladas

            Dinner: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (this is our typical Sunday night meal. The hubster works overnights & so on Sunday’s he’s usually up until after lunch & then sleeps the rest of the day away until he returns to work that night. So, the kids get a yummy meal and mom takes it easy!)

Well, there ya have it!! As you can probably tell, my kids are VERY PICKY eaters! I’m slowly working on them, but as I quickly figured out – I can’t change their entire menu in one week. So, we’re trying new dinner dishes and seeing how those go for a while and then we’ll try changing up the lunches. My middles don’t like sandwiches (really the cold meats & sliced cheese is what they don’t like, but they’ll eat shredded cheese – WEIRD!) or certain kinds of pastas either. So, I try to sneak in new pastas when I can!

We’re getting there – slowly – but moving forward nonetheless. Meanwhile, I’m learning to enjoy the journey!!!

Blessings,

Annette

This email will post each Monday. I hope to have tabs/buttons soon to make it easy to subscribe to specific daily posts if you like! Be patient with me as I re-work my website. Thank you!!

Pinterest Food Reviews - Week 2

Since I have become OBSESSED (more or less) with Pinterest, I decided I could do some good with my new obsession!! So, I plan to do weekly reviews of main dishes, desserts, snacks, candy, etc. on Pinterest. I will always link back to my own Pinterest page so you too can find the recipes and enjoy them along with my family. So, here’s my week 2 reviews:

Bacon-Chicken Crescent Ring

This recipe was SUPER easy to make and absolutely scrumptious!!! My kids loved it (again, except for the 2-yr old who has decided that his diet should only include pretzels and BBQ chips!). I did make a few changes to the recipe though, so here are my changes & thoughts & some pictures to help explain the directions a little better. Hope this helps!

 *You want to make sure & overlap the crescent rolls like this – so it looks like a nice, pretty sun.

*You will spoon the “stuff” into the middle of the crescent like this.

(TIP: Place the crescent rolls further out on the pan/stone so you have a larger sun than we did. It will make for less “stuff” in each bite, plus it will go further!)

 *It should look something like this when you’re done scooping. YUM!!!!!

*Now you’re going to fold the outside tips towards the middle & press them into the flat-side of the crescent rolls in the center.

*And, when you’re done – VOILA!!!! A nice, pretty, symmetrical crescent ring!

Now just bake & enjoy!!!! Mmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about these!

Here are the changes we made:

**We used cheddar instead of swiss (our kids don’t like swiss cheese).

**We omitted the red peppers (again – for the kids!)

**We used minced onions instead of chopped (yep, you guessed it – for the kids! If I use minced onions, they don’t know they’re in there and the hubster and I get to enjoy the flavor of onions without the drama!!! Hehe)

**We were in a pinch for time, so we used real bacon bits instead of bacon and it was just fine. (Not as healthy I know, but the taste was there.)

**I also used this homemade Italian Dressing dry mix. (Yet another mix to add to my obsession collection!!) I have the dry mix stored in a glass jar in our pantry to use on various recipes. But, then I also have it available if I want it for a salad I whip up or a dip for some veggies! YUM!!!

Again, this was a HUGE hit with the Hubster and my kiddos. We will definitely be adding this to our menu rotation!! Yes, I said menu rotation. I’m still working on it, so when that comes to fruition I will write about it and fill you all in on the glorious-ness that makes my menu planning life so much simpler!

Another recipe we had this past week are these wonderfully delectable Sweet Chicky Nuggets. Oh my are they YUMMY!!!! I’m not the professional on these, the hubster is, but I do know they are WONDERFUL!!!! My kids eat these like they’re going out of style! Seriously, we cook nearly double what the recipe calls for and they are STILL gone in a matter of minutes!

Here are the hubster’s tips:

*cook 4 pounds of chicken tenders (they are easier to dice up & have

LOTS of meat for what you get)

*follow the rest of the directions exactly

*use peanut-oil to fry them in if possible (it doesn’t get mucky & gunky

when you’ve fried as many chunks as you’ll have. In fact, we’ve

used the same oil at least twice in our little fryer and it still looks

good! Regular canola oil gets murky very quickly & just feels heavy.

Peanut oil feels lighter when you’re eating it.)

*Plan ahead so you can really give the chicken a good soak. It really will

make the difference!

The last recipe we tried this week were these Chicken Roll-ups. They were good, but I think we’re going to make some changes next time to see if they can be even better! The hubster and I felt the filling was a little too rich for us. So, next time we plan to actually use 2 cans of 8ct crescent rolls (we only used 1 can (8ct) this time) to help spread out the filling. I also left out the salt and it wasn’t even missed. We also left off the bread crumbs, because I didn’t think my kids would like that part; however, since the 2 yr old isn’t eating anything but pretzels anyway I think I’ll add them back in next time! Overall, this recipe is one I think we’ll keep and tweak until it suits us.

Let me know if you give any of these recipes a try. And as always…your insight, tweaks and tips are welcomed!!

Happy Cooking!!!!

Annette

P.S. If you’re not on Pinterest and you’d like an invitation, shoot me an email or leave me a comment and let me know! I’ll be glad to send you an invite so you can join in my obsession too!!! 

Pinterest Food Reviews

Week 1 of Pinterest Food Reviews

Since I have become OBSESSED (more or less) with Pinterest, I decided I could do some good with my new obsession!! So, I plan to do weekly reviews of main dishes, desserts, snacks, candy, etc. on Pinterest. I will always link back to my own Pinterest page so you too can find the recipes and enjoy them along with my family. So, here’s my week 1 reviews:

I tried two new recipes for our small group last week (they are often my guinea pigs for new recipes – and such good sports too!). First, I made the Chubby Hubby bars. I originally intended to make these as my 4^th dessert for Thanksgiving, but since that didn’t happen, I made them for our small group. (You see…it’s a win-win making new things for my small group! 1) If it’s good, they usually eat most of it, so I don’t have the leftovers to tempt me at home and 2) they will be honest with me & I can taste things to see if my kids would actually eat it & not be left with ¾ of a recipe for leftovers they won’t eat!!)

Anyway…the Chubby Hubby bars were SUPER easy to make and oh-so-yummy!!! I followed the recipe exactly and they were WONDERFUL!!! Here are a few tips that I think will make them even better!

1) Be sure you allow the top layer of chocolate to completely harden. It wasn’t completely hardened when we took them to group & they were a bit gooey. We had some leftover & kept those in the fridge overnight and BOY HOWDY were they even better the next day!!

2) I would increase the amount of pretzels you use to 2 cups (at least). They were super-dooper yummy when you got a good bite of the pretzels & chocolate!! I just think there needs to be more, so you can experience that goodness with each bite!!

I’m all about the sweet & salty combo and these absolutely deliver!!! I can’t wait to have an excuse to make them again!!

The 2^nd recipe I tried this past week was the Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sammies. I was so excited to make these for our small group. I was able to eat them at a women’s event a couple weeks ago, but honestly wasn’t that impressed with them and I just knew they had to be better than that! So, I decided to make them myself and try them again. And, boy was I right!! They were DE-LI-CIOUS!!!!! And, they were GONE in a matter of minutes! I even had several ask me for the recipe before we left small group! They were super easy to make too! (I say that a lot, don’t I? But it’s true – I promise!)

The only thing I changed was that I used dried, minced onion rather than fresh. It was a short-cut & out of necessity with 4 young children not in cooperating moods that afternoon. I just used 4 TBSP of dried, minced onion per recipe. However, I would recommend using fresh onion if possible! Ours tasted GREAT, but I don’t think the onion was quite strong enough & the mixture didn’t spread as well as hers does in the picture! And, that irritated me – yes, because I’m super silly about things like that. If I see a picture of them I want mine to look just as good (if not better, which is rare)!!

Anyway, those are the two we tried last week and as you can see – they were a complete success!!!! Check back here next Monday for the Bacon-Chicken crescent ring review and more!!

Blessings friends!

Annette