Waste Not, Want Not

I bought a couple bags of Valentine M&M's for E's Valentines this year, then decided not to use them.  They'll get plenty of other candy, right?

So, in the spirit of not wasting anything, I used them to make cookies.

Good choice.

Homemade--Ranch Seasoning Mix

I've been trying not to buy so many ready-made food products lately, and my latest foray into homemade is ranch dressing.

I used this recipe, but I mixed it into my homemade yogurt.

It doesn't taste like store-bought ranch, but it's still really yummy!

I made it for snacks at C's preschool.  We'll see how the kids like it later today.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix

via $5 Dinners

Ingredients

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Add each of the dried spices to a bowl and gently stir.

(I dumped them all into an empty spice jar and shook.)

Whisk 1 Tbsp ranch seasoning with 1/3 cup mayo or yogurt and 1/4 cup milk (more or less depending on preferred consistency).

Season with salt to taste.

Use immediately or refrigerate up to three days.

Pizza

On Sundays, usually, we have pizza for dinner.

Homemade pizza.

I let each of the kids "make" their own mini-pizzas, and they are very, very predictable.

E wants only cheese and sausage. 

 C wants everything--pepperoni (turkey), sausage, mushrooms, olives, onions, peppers, etc.  

M's choices vary; it used to be cheese and pepperoni, but this week is was cheese and mushrooms.

Go figure.

Lunchtime Inspiration

I so easily get stuck in lunchtime ruts, serving the same thing over and over again.

The other day, though, I had an inspiration.  I introduced two of my kids to my favorite lunch:  apples with peanut butter and granola.

*yum*

Of course, I served it to them differently.  Let's face it:  apple halves smeared with peanut butter then dipped in granola is rather messy for adults.; I shudder to think what my kids would have looked like afterwards.

It was a hit.

Getting It

Along with making granola, I've recently begun to make yogurt.

My mom makes it a lot, but I never liked it when I was younger.  It was plain and "lumpy" compared to store bought.

Now, however, I get it.

It's still plain and lumpy, but it's also thick and creamy.

And customizable.

My kids like it with vanilla extract and powdered sugar.  I like it with honey and granola.

I also like that I know exactly what's gone into it and that I made it.

I get it.

Granola

I've been making my own granola for awhile now.

I normally use this recipe (I tweak it every time), but yesterday I used this one.

The jury is still out.  It has potential, but needs to be tweaked.  I like the ingredients in it, but it may need light molasses instead of the dark molasses I prefer.

That and my oven cooks hot, so I didn't adjust enough.  I'll give it another try, though.  Next week.

Homemade

I love baking bread.

It was one of the many things that intimidated me, as far as cooking, when I first got married.

Over the years, I have slowly gotten past my intimidations, and have been baking my own bread for dinner quite often, now, for a couple of years.

I have 4-5 go-to recipes, depending on what else is for dinner, and this one is pretty close to making that list.

Homemade White Bread

from Cooking Light via My Recipes

Ingredients 

• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 2/3 cups warm fat-free milk (100° to 110°)
• 2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in butter. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 4 1/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Roll into a 14 x 7-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Roll up rectangle tightly, starting with a short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place roll, seam side down, in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. Uncover dough. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until loaf is browned on the bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaf from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

Cravings

I was craving chocolate BAD this week.

So, I whipped this up.

Chocolate almond bark-covered pretzels.

Yum.

And so easy.

Melt almond bark in the microwave, add pretzels, mix up, spread out, let cool.

Again, yum.