Well Folks! I FINALLY feel like summer is here! Although I didn’t really feel like we even had a spring the weather in Northern Iowa is BEAUTIFUL! and I am finally in the summer spirit!

My brother is getting married next weekend! THEN we get to celebrate the 4th of July! I want [...]]]>

 

Well Folks! I FINALLY feel like summer is here!    Although I didn’t really feel like we even had a spring the weather in Northern Iowa is BEAUTIFUL! and I am finally in the summer spirit!

My brother is getting married next weekend! THEN we get to celebrate the 4th of July!  I want cookout foods, long walks outside, cold drinks and berry pie.  Oh do I love pie!

I really never knew good pie crust until about 2005 when my husband brought me home to meet his family for the first time.  See I am from Chicago, and my husband is from Iowa.  I never realized that many families in Iowa really take family pie crust recipes seriously!  And the should!  My mother in law’s pie crust is to DIE for!

Perfectly wonderful fattening pie crust should only be eaten on special occasions though.  If you love homemade pie filling like to do, and you want a guilt free version of pie.  Try making pies using wonton wrappers as the crust!  This way, you can continue on with all the other wonderful BBQ foods of summer and not feel ( as ) bad!

I usually find Wonton wrappers in the organic department of my local Hy -vee store.   I know grocery stores are all different though.  Wonton wrappers are 26 calories each. I used 2 for each pie.  Not bad for a great pie treat!

Other recipes where I have used egg roll wrapper/ wonton wrappers are my Egg roll wrapper calzones.  

When I make pie filling, I like to use a minimal amount of sugar.  I chose to make raspberry pies.  I usually but whatever berry is on sale.  I heated them up in a pan and added a little bit of corn starch.  I love it when raspberries are tart!

Preparing a wonton wrapper pie is easy.

1) Place a teaspoon or so of pie filling on a wonton wrapper.

2) Place another wonton wrapper on top of the filling.

3) secure the edges of each pie with a fork

4) using a pastry brush, brush some egg wash over easy pie.

5) Bake your wonton wrapper pies in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Then you get this beautiful mini pie!

They kind of look like little ravioli. Don’t you think?

I sprinkled just a dash of sugar on top of these pies.  I wanted them to look pretty:)

What a great ” Light” way  to satisfy a summer craving!  I think I need to make these again to celebrate the 4th of July!

Looking for a healthy and refreshing snack for a hot summer day?

Try Jicama snack sticks and make a yummy dip for them! Jicamas are crunchy and sweet like apples and starchy, like potatoes. They are Paleo friendly and low calorie. They are also VERY filling and delicious!

Not familiar with jicamas? Don’t [...]]]>

 

Looking for a healthy and refreshing snack for a hot summer day?

Try Jicama snack sticks and make a yummy dip for them!   Jicamas are crunchy and sweet like apples and starchy, like potatoes.  They are Paleo friendly and low calorie.  They are also VERY filling and delicious!

Not familiar with jicamas?  Don’t worry, many people don’t know what they are!  I feel like 1/2 the time I am at the grocery store purchasing a jicama someone approaches my grocery cart and asks me ” What is that?”.

I am usually happy to tell them what it is, then I tell them to go buy one.  That they are wonderful.

Here is what a Jicama looks like.

And here is a little description for you!

I always plan on cooking these or doing something different, but then I get home and cut it up raw because raw jicama is so amazing!

You will want to peel your jicama.  Peeling a jicama takes a bit more muscle than peeling a carrot. Hopefully you won’t make as big of a mess as I did:)

Then, using a knife, cut your jicama into snack sized sticks ( or any other shape you might prefer)

Lightly season your jicama sticks with sea salt and some pepper. This really helps bring out the body in your jicama sticks.

Honey Lime Dipping Sauce 

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons of Greek Yogurt

1 teaspoon of honey

1 teaspoon of lime juice

1 pinch of sea salt

mix with a spoon and serve!

This is such an amazing light summer snack!  And its a GREAT way to coax your kids into eating some vegetables!  I know.  I tricked my 20 month into eating them, and he usually won’t voluntarily  touch anything that resembles a vegetable!

My 19 month old LOVES cookies! It’s probably because Cookie Monster is his favorite character on Sesame Street. Sesame Street is the only show he watches! I know that it is not a good habit to give your kids cookies all the time, but I thought I would come up with a cookie [...]]]>

My 19 month old LOVES cookies!  It’s probably because Cookie Monster is his favorite character on Sesame Street.  Sesame Street is the only show he watches! I know that it is not a good habit to give your kids cookies all the time, but I thought I would come up with a cookie that wont result in an over- the- top sugar high!

A few months ago, I made  Greek Yogurt Banana pancakes.  I used the banana in the place of sugar.  I thought, well why not use a banana in the place of sugar when making my little man cookies?

I used a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe but substituted the banana for sugar and egg.  When you add a banana to a baking mixture, you don’t need to add an egg because you will have enough moisture with the banana 

I was pleased with the results.  Fruit is truly nature’s candy Its amazing how sweet some fruits are.  I promise that you will NOT miss the sugar in these cookies at all!

After dinner tonight, my son and I dipped our cookies in milk and really enjoyed them!

Ingredients 

- 1/3 cup of room temperature butter

- 1 mashed up ripe banana

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cup of flour

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips 

In a bowl, mix together banana and vanilla and chocolate chips.  Add dry ingredients and continue to mix.  Using your cookie scoop, drop the cookies 1 inch apart from each other on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

I made my cookies mini.  I don’t think my toddler needs a huge adult size cookie, even if there is no sugar added!

I will be making these again sometime!  I am really happy with the way they turned out!

I have a few good Facebook friends who like to post pictures of what they eat for dinner! You know the type. I am totally that person myself! I actually wish people did it more! I like to see what people are having for dinner!!

So anyway, a friend of mine [...]]]>

 

I have a few good Facebook friends who like to post pictures of what they eat for dinner!  You know the type.  I am totally that person myself!  I actually wish people did it more!  I like to see what people are having for dinner!!

So anyway, a friend of mine posted a picture of her amazing looking pizza!  It was homemade stuffed crust with string cheese used as the cheese in the stuffed crust!   I happened to have some pitas in my kitchen.  AND I didn’t have time to make homemade pizza crust for dinner tonight.  So I decided to switch up her idea and make garlic and cheese stuffed pita pizzas!

1)  I sliced open a pita and stuffed it with garlic olive oil and cheese. ( I made garlic olive oil by mincing garlic into 2 tablespoons of olive oil) 

2) I baked the cheese and garlic filled pita bread in the oven at 350 degrees f for about 8 minutes. 

I made my pizza sauce by sautéing 1 pound of ground turkey with a jar of pasta sauce.  This mixture makes for a much healthier pizza topping then sausage or pepperoni.  This tastes great and I had enough for another meal after making three pita pizzas.

3 ) After the Pita bakes, add pizza toppings to the top of your pizza.  toppings can be whatever you want them to be:) 

4) Bake your pizza for another 7-8 minutes or until your cheese is melted to your satisfaction. 

This was sooo good! I cannot even tell you!  I really felt like to was biting into restaurant pizza!  It was so crisp and cheesy!  But I am sure it was much healthier!

I hope to integrate this meal into my family’s dinner rotation!

Why Hello! It has been a while! Why yes it has been!

My family is settling into our new house! We moved out of Southeast Iowa on May 2nd and stayed with family until last Friday! I really thought I was going to be able to continue blogging while at my parents [...]]]>

Why Hello!  It has been a while!  Why yes it has been!

My family is settling into our new house!  We moved out of Southeast Iowa on May 2nd and stayed with family until last Friday!  I really thought I was going to be able to continue blogging while at my parents house, but they were having work done and I wasn’t able to do what I had hoped.  I have so many recipes and projects in the works, I hope that you will start following again!

One of the best things about staying with my mom is her cooking!  My mom’s Italian cooking is to die for!  She makes amazing risotto, chopped salads and pasta dishes.  Everything she makes is always from scratch and amazing!

My mom brought home some pretty looking tomatoes home from Whole Foods and we made a caprese salad to accompany dinner.

I love Caprese Salad so much that it is hurts!  And it is sooo easy!

1) Cut up a tomato into slices.  Tomatoes are best when they are still warm and freshly picked.  I have not had the opportunity to pick fresh tomatoes at my in law’s organic garden yet this year, but we are not too far away from this are we?

2) Cut fresh mozzarella cheese and place  slices on each tomato- Using fresh mozzarella cheese for a summer caprese salad is a must.

3) Top each tomato with freshly picked basil - My mom has a wonderful herb garden at her house.  I need to get mine started at the new house.

4) Sprinkle with salt and pepper- There is nothing quite like a warm summer tomato sprinkled with a little salt and pepper.

5) Drizzle with a little olive oil- But only a little.  Don’t overdo it!

6) Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.  Or a Balsamic vinegar reduction might even be better 

And that is how my mom taught me how to make the prefect caprese salad on a summer day!

Are the tomatoes ready yet?

My cousin Jeanette has the cutest little girl! She is 6 months older than my son and I love watching them play together! Alayna recently had her second birthday. Last year I gave her a ” Book of the month club”. I think that maybe jeanette looked at some of the gifts that [...]]]>

My cousin Jeanette has the cutest little girl!  She is 6 months older than my son and I love watching them play together!   Alayna recently had her second birthday.  Last year I gave her a ” Book of the month club”.  I think that maybe jeanette looked at some of the gifts that I made on this blog, because around Christmas she went out of her way to request a ” Felt Pizza”.   I am in the middle of a move, and I didn’t have time to make Alayna a felt pizza.  I thought she would have lots of fun with this Felt Cookie shop!  

Along with Alayna’s felt cookies, I found some cheap items from Wal-mart so Alayna can make cookies just like her mom!  I found a small cookie sheet for .99 cents and a plastic spatula for under a dollar as well.

Items included in Alayna’s Play Cookie Shop:

1) Felt Cookies.  Sewed and Stuffed with pillow stuffing.

2) Cookie dough. So Alayna can ” roll out” her cookies and cut them out with a cookie cutter

3) Cookie decorations! ( felt circles in a sprinkle container)

4) frosting decorations.  ( Felt cut outs)

5) A Spatula

6) A Cookie Cutter

7) Cookie Pan.

I used floss to sew these cookies.  I am finding floss to be a better sewing tool than thread.  It makes hand sewing go faster.  I sewed these cookies while watching movies with my mom after my almost sister in law’s bridal shower!

Jeanette has told me multiple times since I gave this to Alayna a month ago, that she loves playing with it!  Isn’t it the truth that fun activities for kids are always the inexpensive ones?

Is there anything better then caramelized onions? I can only think of a few things. I am a little embarrassed to share that I spent the first 25 years of my life hating onions. I mean HATING them. ( really I was scared to touch them). I don’t recall what changed my [...]]]>

Is there anything better then caramelized onions? I can only think of a few things.   I am a little embarrassed to share that I spent the first 25 years of my life hating onions.  I mean HATING them. ( really I was scared to touch them).  I don’t recall what changed my mind about them.  I still wont eat them raw, but I Love them Grilled, Fried and LOVE them caramelized!

Dip is not something that usually enters my home.  Another one of those self control issues that I have.   But last month when I hosted my  Bunco Group.  I decided to try this recipe, since I would be sharing it with others:).  I loved this recipe.  The Sweet Potato Chips I purchased made this recipe even better!

Yes, I have become obsessed with the Sweet Potato Chips you can get at Aldi!  OBSESSED!  ( they are so good and cheap!)

The night before I hosted bunco, I made this dip, so I could easily put together my spread.

I prefer my caramelized onions brown.  These take a long time, but are well worth it!

When The onions were done caramelizing, I pulsed them in my food processor for a little bit and mixed them with sour cream and let the flavors settle in the fridge overnight.

Let me tell you this turned out wonderfully.  I want to make it again! I am trying to watch what I eat because I am standing up in my brother wedding next month!  Maybe after that I will splurge a bit!

Sorry I have been a little inconstant with my posts lately. I moved last week and now I am staying with my parents in the Chicago suburbs for the next three weeks before we can move into our new house. My family is moving from Ottumwa, Iowa to Cedar Falls, Iowa. I can’t [...]]]>

 

Sorry I have been a little inconstant with my posts lately.  I moved last week and now I am staying with my parents in the Chicago suburbs for the next three weeks before we can move into our new house. My family is moving from Ottumwa, Iowa to Cedar Falls, Iowa. I can’t wait to get to my new town.  It is going to be so nice there !

The bad news is that I am off schedule and homeless. ( makes blogging harder).  The good news is, that my parents have a beautiful kitchen and all different pretty plates for me to use!

My toddler’s eating schedule has been ” off” since the move happened.  I thought I would make him some ” Mac and Cheese”.  But instead of  the ” Cheese” sauce. I made ” Cauliflower Sauce” that looks like Cheese!

Win for him. Win for me!

My little one is only 18 months old, he is easy to trick.  he gobbled up his Mac and ” Cheese” like it was actually Mac and Cheese! Maybe when he gets older he will expect cauliflower in his Mac and Cheese:)

Sneaky Mom’s Cauliflower ” Cheese” Sauce.  

Disclaimer.  This actually has no cheese. But I am sure if you added a little bit, it would be even better than it already is! 

Ingredients 

1 Head of Cauliflower 

1 teaspoon olive oil 

Sea Salt 

1/3 cup of Milk. 

1) Cut a head of Cauliflower.  Spread out on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  

2) Roast Cauliflower at 400 degrees f for 30 minutes. 

3) After Cauliflower is Roasted to your satisfaction, Puree it in your food processor.  Add the milk at this time.  

I LOve this dish.  It is so hard not to eat it all myself while I am preparing it! Not only is this healthy, but it is also flavorful and salty! I promise that you don’t miss the cheese at all~

I will certainly be making this again!

I wanted to get my son’s mothers day craft out-of-the-way early this year. We are moving, and I am not about to breakout the finger paints at my parents house while we are staying with them next month! I thought of something cute that both of Evan’s Grandmas would use! A Farmers [...]]]>

I wanted to get my son’s mothers day craft out-of-the-way early this year.  We are moving, and I am not about to breakout the finger paints at my parents house while we are staying with them next month!   I thought of something cute that both of Evan’s Grandmas would use!  A Farmers Market Bag!

Both of Evan’s Grandma’s are organic ” Food Snobs” ( I mean that as a compliment) who like to attend farmers markets, shop local, and reuse grocery bags.   Why not make them something they can use, and  also show off to people that they have an awesome grandson?

I did some research on Pinterest  involving ” handprints Fruits and Vegetables”.  This afternoon, my 18 month old and I went to work on this project and I was really pleased with the way it turned out!

Before starting this project. I found my carrot footprint here. and  The Eggplant footprint here .  

I also tried to think of other things my 18 month old would be able to do that would look like items found at the farmers market.

I found these blank canvas bags at Hobby Lobby and used toddler finger paint to make these.  ( just incase he wanted to eat it)

My footprints are not perfect.  But remember, I was working with a rambunctious 18 month old boy.  I wanted to make this as much Evan’s project as possible. After all the prints were made, I outlined them with black puffy paint to make the designs look complete.

The Peppers are actually stamped with a real bell pepper.

I actually made two of these bags.  One for each Evan’s grandmas. I know they will love this mothers day present!  ( Hopefully they wont see it here first. Oh well, that what they get for snooping). LOL I am just kidding:)