Pinterest Made Me Do It

Lately, I've made a genuine effort to cut back on carbs.  I started doing a food journal and quickly realized that I have a serious problem with carbs, and that I've been in denial about it.  But I also know that sometimes you just have to have some bread!

 

One night I was making dinner and knew rolls would really go great with our meal (I don't even remember what it was now).  However, there was nothing but stale sandwich bread in the house:  no biscuits, rolls or french bread to be found.

 

With the main dish already cooking, and me not wanting to go to the store, I went to Pinterest to look for a quick recipe that included ingredients that I already had in the cabinet.  The name alone, "30 Minute Rolls," got me.  And now, as I read through the recipe, I realize that I didn't follow it exactly.  Since I was in a hurry, I'm pretty sure that I didn't let the dough rise for the amount of time it says.  And I also don't have a fancy stand mixer with a dough hook, but I thought they turned out great anyway.

 

 

Give these a try the next time you need an easy, quick recipe for rolls.  Let me know if you like them!

Pinterest Made Me Do It

 

 

I love, love, love to eat chicken Parmesan; in fact, that's what we had for Christmas dinner last year. But I don't love to cook it.  It's a little bit more time consuming than I like, especially on weeknights.

 

SO...when I saw this little gem on Pinterest, you bet your hiney I pinned it.  When I clicked the link and saw that the blog title was named "Chicken Parmesan Casserole--HOLY CRAP!" then I knew it had to be good.  You can't just blindly make that kind of statement without backing it up.  The blog is very cool too; these girls apparently spent an entire summer making recipes from Pinterest and blogging about it. 

 

The only thing I modified in their recipe is that I used thawed chicken breast tenders and cubed them, instead of whole breasts.  Put a little olive oil and garlic in the bottom of a baking dish, then put in the chicken pieces.  I covered it with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and crushed croutons.  Repeat the layering process. Bake on 350 for about 45 minutes, I think.  I was so surprised that the croutons gave it the taste of breading on the chicken.  I served it over bowtie pasta because that's how we roll.  Add a salad and some bread and it's done.  DELISH!

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I'm remembering right, even the kiddos ate this one.

 

Sorry, Blogger is giving me fits today so my photos are jacked up.  Oh well.

My (sorta, kinda) Random Act of Kindness

When I think about what "random act of kindness" means, I immediately think of someone paying for my meal or drink at a drive through.  That's just what I've always associated the term with, until recently.

 

As part of my work with Petit Jean Meats, I was given the opportunity to perform my very own random act of kindness.  In the process of brainstorming what I'd like to do, and for whom, I thought about many things.  Above all, I wanted to do something nice for someone who needed it.  But I also knew it might be a tad awkward to approach the homeless man outside our nearby grocery store and hand him a ham.  And, if I cooked him a meal, what would he do with the leftovers?  I'm being serious.  I'm practical like that.

 

So, I decided to make a meal for the youth at our church.  Each Sunday, the youth groups meet for dinner and Sunday evening events at church.  They often need the adults to provide dinners for them, so I thought this would be a perfect chance for me to pitch in and help.

 

With my trusty little kitchen helper, we made enough hammy sliders with cheese to feed a small army.  I also made a double batch of Rotel dip, and some homemade chocolate chip cookies to go with the sammys.   I threw in a few bags of chips, and it was done! I kept it simple because I know what I would have wanted when I was that age...and it wasn't a casserole! We delivered the goods to a very happy and appreciative group of kids and adult helpers.

 

 

 

 

This was a fun way for us to do something to serve others. I had to admit, it felt a little bit strange spending so much time in the kitchen that wasn't for my own troops.  But it was also quite soothing.  I love that it was a good lesson in being a servant that I could teach to Big Sis while she helped me in the kitchen.  Strangely, I didn't get her picture until we got to the church. Her reward for helping was getting to try out the brand new playground that just opened last week.  She gives it two thumbs up!

 

 

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Petit Jean Meats Blue Diamond Club. Through this affiliation, I get to try out products, and give my opinions on new products and branding for the company. My opinions are my own and honest reflections of how I feel. I was given product for this #PJActs, so that I could have an opportunity to pay it forward to someone else.  No money was exchanged.

Fun in the Kitchen

As I've said before, we do a lot of cooking--it's just easier and arguably less expensive for a family of five.  The downside to cooking dinner most nights is that you will eventually find yourself in a dinner rut.  We are there now.  It's also no secret that I'm not very adventurous with my eating, so I'm probably not doing a very good job of getting my kids to experiment either.  I am trying to work on that, though.  I promise.  I know it will be helpful now that I've made some new food bloggy friends like Amy at Our Everyday Dinners and Debbie at Dining with Debbie to give me some fresh ideas.

Here is a little something that I whipped up one night last week. It was very easy and quick for a school night.  I will call it Pizza Bites, since I don't have a real name for it.  I also don't have a real recipe; it was just something the gals at work were talking about one day.  We discussed a few different variations, but I decided on this one.

I used canned biscuits, flattened out for the crust.  Next I put one slice of pepperoni down, stacked on a slice of a mozzarella cheese stick and topped with another slice of pepperoni.  Then I folded up the dough over the toppings and pinched it together to close.  Last, I gave it a couple of sprays of butter and sprinkled on some Italian seasoning.  They baked in the oven on 400 for about 10 minutes, until they turned a toasty brown.  Served with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.  It was a hit!

Hint:  I was tipped off not to use shredded mozzarella with this recipe. Apparently, the shredded kind will be too thin or cook into the dough.  The cheese stick worked well because 1) I already had some in the fridge and 2) it didn't melt very much, but still tasted good.

Note: I am not a food photographer, which you can probably tell by these pictures. But, hey, I did remember to actually take photos before we ate the dinner!