Versatile Pizza Sandwich

My brother hates bringing sandwiches to school for lunch.  He does, however, have a crazy-wild fondness for pizza.  

One morning, my Mom decided to whip up this special sandwich in hopes that my brother would take the bait.  Her attempt was pretty straightforward, inspired by a classic pepperoni pizza.  The results?

Versatile Pizza Sandwich

1/4 cup cream cheese

1 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning

1-2 pinches garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. olive oil (optional)

2 slices bread

Pizza toppings of your choice (be creative!):

Sausage, pepperoni, ham, bacon, or hamburger

Thinly sliced onion, peppers, or tomato(blotted)

Chopped spinach, olives, or mushrooms...

The choices are endless!

Mix the first 5-6 ingredients in a small bowl until well combined and everything looks the same.  Spread cream cheese mixture generously on one side of each slice of bread.  Layer chosen pizza toppings on one slice of bread, covering cream cheese layer; top with second slice - cream cheese side IN, of course :).

If you really want to go wild (we didn't), you could also add some pizza sauce in a small container to dip the sandwich in!  The cream cheese spread is also good on crackers, topped with slices of pepperoni.  Mmmmmmm.

Overnight Coffee Cake

Hello, everyone! Today's recipe is another breakfast one, except this time it is a coffee cake. To be honest, this was my first time ever making coffee cake. I had just never thought of doing it before, and I never realized that I hadn't until I went to make one and had no idea how. Thankfully, I found a recipe in a cookbook I had on hand, and after changing it up and messing around with it, it was amazing. It makes the perfect breakfast for a rushed morning, because you can prepare it the night before, and throw it in the oven the next morning, instead of having to get up early and prepare the whole thing quickly. It saves a lot of time, and tastes really good as well! It is perfect for a Sunday morning before church, or any time you have to rush somewhere and don't have much time. If you make it, we'd love to know how it turned out! Enjoy!!

Overnight Coffee Cake

                                    Cake: 

2/3 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup Buttermilk

                                                                

                Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (any kind)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all of the cake ingredients in the order listed. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan, and set aside. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the crumble. Sprinkle it evenly over the batter, then put the whole thing into the refrigerator. Refrigerate it overnight, or for about 8 hours. 

When you are ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 350*. 

Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm. 

This cake was delicious. It makes the perfect breakfast on a hurried morning! 

                                                                                                                                 ~Nutmeg

Breakfast Apple Cake

Our family eats cake for breakfast.  That's right; CAKE.  Sometimes we eat pie for breakfast too, but that is another story...

We  celebrated the first days of autumn by going apple picking.  There are few things more inspiring than a few bushels of apples gracing your kitchen countertop!  For today's recipe, I wanted something not-too-sweet so that we could enjoy it at breakfast time.

To be clear, this recipe is not a coffee cake, nor is it a "cake" cake.  It's just a nice, moist hand cake chock full of apple-y goodness.

Breakfast Apple Cake

2 Tbs. butter (or refined sunflower oil for dairy free)

1/2 cup sugar

2-3 eggs (3 if you really want to use up some eggs!)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. each, nutmeg and ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 whole white wheat)

3 cups diced apples (about 3 apples)

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease an 8x8 baking pan (or line bottom with parchment).  In a medium mixing bowl, cream, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla;  stir in dry ingredients.  Fold in apples and pecans.  Mix until apples are covered and mixture becomes moist.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Isn't that easy?  Now there's no excuse not to whip this up for breakfast tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Homemade Caramel Apples

Hello, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the fall weather! I have personally only had a caramel apple once, and I loved it. Every time I see them in candy shops or in the store, my mouth always waters. To me, caramel apples speak autumn. I mean, apples and caramel...how much better can you get? I came up with this recipe, and I love it. They taste amazing. Enjoy! 

Homemade Caramel Apples

1 bag caramel bits (or caramel chips)

2 Tablespoons water

3 granny smith apples

Butterfinger crumbs, or candy of your choice

3 Popsicle sticks or wooden skewers 

Put a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a plate, and lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Push the sticks into the center of the apples. Set aside. 

In a microwaveable bowl, combine the caramel bits and the water. Microwave them for about 2 minutes, or until smooth, stopping every thirty seconds to stir. 

Dip each of the apples into the caramel, making sure it is evenly coated. Turn it above the bowl to let the excess drip off. Roll it in the candy of your choice, then place it carefully on the plate. Don't let it tip over! Set it in the refrigerator for an hour, or until set. So yummy!! 

These apples were amazing. I think they would be great with M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, or even sprinkles! They were very simple to make, and it was very mess-free. Try them out and let us know how you liked them! 

                                                                 ~Nutmeg

Desperate Mom Trail Mix

Hello Everyone!  Okay, the title of this post needs a little explaining.  It should probably be called desperate babysitter trail mix, but I figured that moms are occasionally in desperate need of a snack and usually throw things in a bag, calling it trail mix.  That's what I did anyway.  The kids I was babysitting loved it!

Desperate Mom Trail Mix

1 cup honey combs cereal

1 cup popcorn

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup almonds

Directions

Put all in a large ziploc bag and toss.  Enjoy!

Sheesh, that was easy!  I hope this trail mix helps you out sometime!

Pumpkin Pie Shake

Hello, everyone! The weather has cooled down drastically lately, and it really feels like fall now. Naturally, I have already been drinking my pumpkin spice coffee, lighting candles, and waiting (rather impatiently) for the leaves to turn. If you couldn't tell, fall is by far my favorite season. :) 

Today I have a pumpkin recipe! *surprise, surprise!* This shake is delicious. It tastes almost just like pumpkin pie filling. I couldn't help but share it with you all. I had a very difficult time taking a good picture of it, however. Perhaps I need to look into some food photography tips. Anyhow, here is the recipe! I highly suggest trying it, because it is quite yummy. 

1 cup milk (for dairy free, use almond milk)

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend it until it is smooth and well combined. 

Pour it into glasses and enjoy! 

This shake was so good! I hope you try it out and like it as well! Have a great week!! 
                                              ~Nutmeg

                                          

Almond Crepes

Hello Everyone!  When I was younger, my favorite breakfast was crepes.  Come to think of it, it probably is still!  My mom doesn't make them a whole lot though, because they are SO time consuming.  Even the small batch that you get from this recipe takes about an hour and a half to make and finish! Personally, I think they are worth the effort if you have the time.  I love that you can put anything in them when they are finished!  My favorite combination is cherry jelly, with mini chocolate chips and whip cream. 

Almond Crepes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 T. sugar

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups almond milk

2/3 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

splash almond extract

Directions

Combine all dry ingredients.

Combine all wet ingredients.

Whisk together wet and dry ingredients until minimal lumps are found.

Heat a large skillet and add a small amount of butter.  Pour in a half cupful of batter (or less, these could probably get pretty thin) and tip the pan to coat the bottom.  Flip when top of crepe appears to be almost dry.  Enjoy!

Yum....I love these!  I hope you all enjoy them as well!  If you make them, leave a comment to tell us what you filled  them with!

Birthday Cake Puppy Chow

Hello, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying our blog! 

I am sure at some time or another you have had puppy chow. You know, that extremely popular peanut butter and chocolate covered Chex covered in powdered sugar? Well, today I have a variation of that. I have been wanting cake like crazy lately, and since I haven't had time to make it, I came up with this substitute. It has the flavor of cake, with half the effort, half the time, and no complicated ingredients. Plus, it has sprinkles, and that makes everything better. This was very easy to make, and it is a really good last-minute junk food snack! Enjoy! 

Birthday Cake Puppy Chow

5 cups corn Chex cereal

10 oz. vanilla flavored almond bark coating

1 tsp. vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups yellow cake mix

1/2 cup powdered sugar

sprinkles (as many or as few as you want)

In a medium bowl, measure out the Chex cereal. Set it aside. 

In a large bowl with a lid, combine the yellow cake mix and the powdered sugar. Set this aside also while you melt the almond bark. 

Cut the almond bark into smaller pieces. (If you get it at Walmart, it is in huge block.) In a double boiler over medium heat, melt the almond bark with the shortening. Be very careful! White chocolate is extremely easy to burn, and it will seize if you aren't careful. Stir it constantly, and remove it from the heat while it still has a few small chunks in it. Keep stirring it until it is smooth. 

Carefully pour the almond bark over the Chex, then stir it gently to evenly coat it. Make sure you are careful not to break the cereal. Stir in the sprinkles, and make sure all of the cereal is coated well. 

Now add the Chex to the powdered sugar and cake mix. Put the lid on the container and toss the cereal to make sure it gets evenly coated. There should be no more wet cereal or stickiness! Once you have finished, let it cool, then you are free to eat it! 

This was SO delicious! Everyone in my family loved it. If you make it, we'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tell us your thoughts! 

                            ~Nutmeg

Raspberry Cheesecake Popcorn

Hello Everyone!  I was babysitting recently, and brought this as a snack.  The kids went absolutely bonkers.  It was quite funny actually.  I personally thought the popcorn was too rich to eat as much as they did, but kids don't really care!  The only problem is you have to eat all in one day, or it get really stale.  Although, I'm not sure if you all think that is a problem!

Raspberry Cheesecake Popcorn

4 cups popped corn

8 oz. vanilla Candi Quik, or almond bark

1 pkg. raspberry Jello mix

1 pkg. cheesecake pudding mix

Directions

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine jello and pudding mix.

Melt chocolate.

Mix together three tablespoons jello pudding mixture and chocolate then drizzle over popcorn.  Toss, and refrigerate for five minutes.  Enjoy! 

The popcorn was extremely enjoyable.  I think that it was one of the fastest, simplest recipe I have ever done!