pizza lunchables

Okay so my kids love Lunchables but I refuse to buy them. With every kid needing lunch it can really add up. Well we came up with our own version of the Lunchable. Pizza seems to be the number 1 choice at our house so this is what I came up with.  I make the crust and put all the toppings into there own individual bags so that they can assemble thier own pizza at lunch. Plus they are alot more healthy with out all the preservatives.

Recipe
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tbls yeast
1/2 tbls salt
3 c flour

Place all the ingredients into mixer and let the mixer do the work.  You will know when the dough is done because it will completely pull off from the sides of the bowl.  You want a firm dough not to tough. You may need to add more flour or use less flour. 

Cut and roll the dough into  20 balls and let raise until double 15min or so.

Roll into 6 inch circles and bake for 6 min at 400*

Cool and place in to Ziploc sandwich bags. Place a bag of cheese, bag of pepperoni, a bag of sauce (sauce recipe found at the end of the post).

I place all of the them into one giant Ziploc and place in the freezer. They are great and by the time lunch comes everything is still cold and unthawed. They are even great for the kids for a meal when things are a little crazy. So under one hour and less then $7.00 I have 20 pizza lunchables for the kiddos. They love them and constantly have friends wanting to trade with them.

Pizza sauce
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp of brown sugar
Heat all ingredients through and place 1 lg. Tbls into a bag.

raspberry and cream scones

Lunch for me often consists of meeting my husband at our favorite little bakery for the best sandwich around.  A few weeks ago I finally tried their scones and have been on a quest ever since for a recipe to create something similiar at home.  I think I finally did it the other night when I mixed up a batch to go with the scrambled eggs and hashbrowns we were having for dinner.  My family ate all the scones and we ended up mixing up another batch for dessert and lunches the next day.  I adapted a recipe I found in Everyday Foods Magazine.  I loved how simple it was and yet how great they turned out.

Raspberry and Cream Scones

2 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg yolk

1 cup rasperries

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces

flour, to roll out the dough

1 tbsp. sugar, to sprinkle on top of scones

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the food processor and pulse a few times.  Add the butter and pulse until pea size pieces form.  In another small bowl mix the buttermilk and egg yolk until blended and then pour into the processor while pulsing just until dough comes together.

Transfer dough to a slightly floured surface and flatten.  Sprinkle the raspberries and cream cheese on top and fold dough over a few times to incorporate.  Roll dough to about 1 inch thick and cut into 2-3 inch pieces.  Place scones on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 15 minutes.

focaccia bread

I discovered this recipe last week on the Studio 5 website (love this site), and have made it six times since then. It is so simple and easy but it makes a fabulous artisan like bread.

Check out the Kathleen Alder's recipe on the site and watch the video with her. She gives great tips and she also explains how to make it into pizza.

Here is the basic recipe and my tips to go along with hers.

3 cups flour

1 2/3 cups warm water

2 T. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. yeast

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together, until moistened. It will be a very soft dough. Cover tightly and let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Then pour the bread onto a greased baking sheet and carefully spread it out, without disturbing it too much. Drizzle with olive oil and top with anything else you would like (my favorite toppings are basil, coarse salt, and fresh Parmesan). Let rise for 15 to 20 minutes and then bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

I found that:

-it is really done in about 18 minutes.

-the bread will stick unless the pan is sprayed really well. Coating the pan with cornmeal also helped.

-trying to do it quickly (in about an hour) makes a warm bread but nothing like the the really good bread that comes from sitting for 12-24 hours.

-it only takes a few minutes to mix it up the night before or in the morning and then it can just be forgotten about until it is ready to bake for dinner.

-when it is time to bake the bread, turn on the oven to preheat while putting the bread on the pan and letting it raise. By the time the oven is preheated the bread will be ready to bake.

-almost anyone can make this bread and everyone I know who has, loved it.

stuffed cheesy breadsticks

Stuffed Cheesy Breadsticks

2 1/4 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tb yeast
1 Tb salt
2 Tbs oil
About 6 cups of flour
6-8 String Cheese Sticks
Garlic Butter
400 degrees for about 15 mins
16-18 Breadsticks

I made these with my favorite french bread recipe.

2 1/4 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tb yeast
1 Tb salt
2 Tbs oil
About 6 cups of flour

In mixer or bowl combine warm water and sugar and yeast. After this has softened (a couple of minutes) add oil, salt, and begin adding flour 1 cup at a time. Add until a soft dough if formed. Let this rise for about 10 min and then mix and then let rise again. Repeat this about 3 times.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into 16-18 pieces.

I use string cheese sticks to stuff mine. I split my cheese into three pieces but you could also do two. Flatten out a piece of bread and place cheese on top.

Wrap your bread dough around the cheese. Seal it well or all of your cheese will leak out.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place them on a greased cookie sheet and let rise for about 15 minutes.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Brush with garlic butter while warm.
YUMMY!!

warm fresh flowers

I know that rolls may be a small part of Sunday dinners but it is one of my favorite, especially warm. Being creative with bread dough is fun for your children and adds something a little special for holidays or special family traditions. Use your favorite dinner rolls recipe or Rhodes dough also is a great option. They have many great ideas on shaping rolls and other recipes even if you do use your own bread dough.

For the flower rolls start with a roll size piece of dough and form a rope. Cut this into six pieces with a pair of scissors. Place five pieces in a flower shape on a greased cookie sheet and then add the last piece in the middle for the center of the flower. Let raise and bake according to instructions of your recipe or package. I also put sesame seeds on these (optional). You could also make letters, numbers, words, bunnies, more bunnies, eggs shapes, etc.

I also found this yummy recipe for lemon pull-apart rolls. I have not tried them yet but I sure will by this weekend!

muffin mix and muffins

Muffins at our house are a quick easy snack or side dish to dinner. Muffin mixes can make them even faster. Muffin mix is simple and easy to make and can be used to make many different kinds of muffins.

Muffin Mix:

8 cups flour (can use a mixture of whole wheat and white)

2 cups sugar

3 tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Store in an airtight container or a zip-lock bag with instructions for making the muffins.

Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 400.

3 cups muffin mix

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil (can use1/4 cup oil and 1/4 applesauce to lower the fat)

1 egg

1 cup fruit (optional)

--blueberries, apples, cranberries, raspberries, bananas, pumpkin, raisins, or 2 cups canned pumpkin.

Put muffin mix in a mixing bowl. Mix the milk, oil and egg in a smaller bowl. Stir the milk mixture and fruit into the muffin mix and stir just enough to moisten.

Fill greased or lined muffin pan and bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with streusel if desired.
Makes 12 muffins.

Optional streusel:

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. butter

Mix with a fork or your hands, until the butter is in small pieces. Sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking.

Our favorites:

Blueberry or Mixed Berry: Add one cup fresh or frozen berries when mixing. Sprinkle streuesel on top. Add 3-4 minutes cooking time if using frozen berries.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip: Mix in two cups canned pumpkin, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. allspice.