Not Your Typical Fruit Salad

I called to find out what we could bring to the Easter dinner we were invited to... and fruit salad was the answer. Suuurrreee, let me head to the kitchen and whip up some good ole fruit salad.

Yeah right. Fruit salad? I have no idea how to make fruit salad.

In fact, I don't even eat fruit salad.

So, this is my idea of a  fruit salad (adapted from all recipes).

It's more of a dessert.

Layered Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

About a cup or two of your 5 or 6 favorite fruits--> it depends on how big your bowl is as to how much fruit you want to use (we used frozen blueberries and peaches, but the rest were fresh)

1 eight ounce package of low fat cream cheese

1 eight ounce tub of whipped cream

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1/4 cup pecans or almonds

Cute glass bowl :)

Cut up your fruit

Layer in the glass dish

Mix the sugar and cream cheese until smooth

Fold in powdered sugar

Spoon over the fruit

Add nuts

Like I said, this is not your typical fruit salad.

It's better.

Seriously.

And prettier.

Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Again this recipe is by The Frugal Girl. These make for a great dinner roll. They freeze nicely so I put them in a bag in the freezer and we  take a few out for dinner when we want them.

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/11/wedneday-baking-pull-apart-garlic-bread/

Cornbread and Wheat Bread

This recipe is delicious. I usually just make Jiffy cornbread because it's cheap, sweet, and delightful. I thought I would try this one since I have a snow day. It doesn't take much longer than using Jiffy, but it does dirty an additional bowl. I don't think it's as sweet as Jiffy. I do believe it's worth it though. Very yummy!

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Sweet-Corn-Muffins.pdf

On another note, Chris and I have officially gone 1 month without buying bread! I have made all of our sandwich bread, rolls, and pizza crust. My new favorite Wheat Bread Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions:
1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. (An hour at my house; I guess it's cold...)

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover.  Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm!  Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.
Recipe from http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ under "Homemade Wheat Bread".

Im Late.

We are in the midst of a snow ice storm at the moment, and going on day two of being out of school. Who knows what tomorrow will hold weather wise. Purdue closed for the first time since 2007 today! Chris and I spent the morning doing homework/ grading papers, watching Psych, I cleaned a tad, we went and got smoothies, and went sledding. It was wonderful. I love days at home with the hubbs.

Saturday night Chris and I made our first homemade pizza. We have been wanting to do this for a while now because it's so much cheaper than frozen pizza. It turned out fabulous, so here's the recipe. You should make it this weekend. Seriously. :)

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Ingredients
◦1 teaspoon white sugar
◦1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
◦1 tablespoon active dry yeast
◦1 tablespoon olive oil
◦1 teaspoon salt
◦3 1/4 Cup Wheat Flour
◦Italian Seasoning (add to your taste)

Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

2. Stir the olive oil, italian seasoning, and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roll a ball of dough with a rolling-pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

5. Take crust out of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 425 degrees. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

You can find the original recipe on allrecipes.com under Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. This recipe calls for a mixture of wheat and white flour. I chose to omit the white and use only wheat.

Saturday (Creative, huh?)

It's been a long week. I will spare you the details, but I just hate when people are selfish. I really do. But date night was last night, and today will be wonderful after I suffer through a run. This goal thing is working- I convinced myself not to go run, but then realized I posted it- so I guess I am going...

Chris leaves for a trip soon, so I will be making two batches of granola bars for him to take on the road. I am a big fan of homemade granola bars for many reasons: they are cheaper, they are healthier, and we can make them however we want them! This will be the second recipe I have tried. The first recipe was very rich and wonderful- it was perfect for after a run, but a little too much for a snack. I make them and keep them in the fridge for days I don't have time to make a lunch... ;D

This recipe is another one from thefrugalgirl.com: www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/06/homemade-granola-bars/

I am going to try both the Cinnamon raisin and the chocolate chip. I will for sure do the wheat flour and wheat germ. If you have never used wheat germ I highly recommend it. It is rich in vitamins and nutrients, fiber filled, and can help with heart issues. I know I sound like a commercial, but seriously, you should try it. :)

After the yummy granola bars, it's cookie time! I have three cookie exchanges this week, so that means dozens and dozens of cookies! Here are the two I am planning on making:Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and The $250 cookie (or Neiman Marcus). I have made the previous before, and they are delicious!

So that's my Saturday- and I am pumped! Baking is my second best stress reliever!

Thanksgiving

Here are a few pictures from our first "at home" Thanksgiving! We had a blast preparing for it, and more fun eating. We were able to start the morning with a 5K (pics to come) and then come home to cook and plan for Black Friday. We joined friends for dessert and then went to Hailey's house for a second meal!

Chris getting the turkey ready.

Table! My brother helping set the table.The boys helping...

Me and the hubbs!

All of the food in the oven.

Black Friday ads. I didn't get Hailey's list in the picture. She was ready!

Fighting for the wish bone.

Carving the turkey.

Dinner!

Yummy bread

I wanted to share a recipe with all of you today! It's very good bread, and super easy. It was my first loaf ever and I plan to make it often. Here is the link to the blog I found the recipe at: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/03/wednesday-baking-cheap-cheap-breadfrench-bread/ I used white flour, but I plan on doing half wheat next time.

I recommend looking around the blog because it's awesome. She has some great ideas and recipes.

Update: My dad has an appointment for December 6 to get blood work done. Though this is an awfully long time to wait, I am grateful to have a day set. Thank you for your outpouring of love. Please continue to pray, especially for my mom, who isn't handling things as well as I thought.

Also, on a happier note, I ran for the first time since surgery. Even though the doc says to wait longer, I didn't. I have a 5K on Thursday and needed to get some miles in. It felt WONDERFUL! How I have missed it! :) I have been doing a Body Pump class three days a week, which rocks! If you have the option to take this class- you should!



And, guess what I had this morning.... That's right. A Starbucks Peppermint Mocha! Thanks to Becky for making a Starbucks run after our workout this morning!

These are the words I am determined to live by. I think I have been short with my students and Chris lately. I blame it on everything going on, but that isn't an excuse.

"When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything

she says." Proverbs 31:26

Thanksgiving

I am very excited about being able to host my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. I have been thinking about all of the foods that I want to serve, and of course Chris keeps reminding me that there will only be four of us there and I can't serve EVERYTHING I was use to having. Nonetheless, we will be having a feast, and I am sure there will be many leftovers. I mean it is Thanksgiving; there are certain things that must be served. :D

First, Turkey. Of course- though my husband would prefer something else. We got a brine to soak the turkey in from Trader Joes. It should be pretty yummy! This will be the first turkey Chris and I will make!

Second, Creamy Corn Casserole! Yum! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-and-Easy-Creamy-Corn-Casserole/Detail.aspx

Next up, the traditional Green Bean Casserole! I use the recipe on the back of the dried onion (I think that's what it's called...).

And my favorite is Cranberry sauce! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cranberry-Sauce/Detail.aspx

For the hubby we will have mashed potatoes. Sadly, the potatoes will be a new experience for me. We have pretty much switched to sweet potatoes so I haven't had the opportunity to make mashed potatoes yet! (Mashed sweet potatoes reminds me of baby food, so I refuse to make them). We decided to leave out the sweet potatoe casserole even though it is one of my favorites!

And of course Gravy. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Turkey-Gravy/Detail.aspx

My second favorite dish on the menu is dressing. What's thanksgiving without dressing! Love it!http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mommas-Cornbread-Dressing/Detail.aspx

My friend Hailey will be making yummy bread. She makes awesome bread, so I am super excited!

We are having dessert at a friends house so I don't have to worry about making pies!


And the best part of all is that my younger brother will be joining us! Yay! He is flying in on Monday and I can't wait to see him! :)

I am in the process of trying to figure out place settings and such. Once I do I will post them!

What are some of your Thanksgiving favorites?

Can you say 'Yum'?

So, I love all things unhealthy. I am not proud of this, but it's the truth. We saw these made on the food network (Sandra's Money Saving Meals) and thought they looked amazing! We were right. Here's the recipe.

Mini Apple Spiced Glazed Donuts

You need:

1 (7.5 ounce) can of biscuits -Don't use the flaky ones... home style works best.
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbl. Apple Juice
3 cups Canola Oil


Place the biscuits on a flat surface- we used a baking sheet.
Using a bottle cap, create a hole in the center of each biscuit. The removed hole becomes a donut hole.
Let the biscuits sit for a few minutes, until they reach room temperature.
Glaze: In a mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar, apple juice, and pumpkin spice.
Heat the oil in a medium pan. Letting it reach 350 degrees.
Fry the doughnuts 3 at a time, for one minute on each side.
Place the doughnuts on paper towels to soak up some oil. While the donuts are still warm, dip one side if the donut into the glaze.
Cook the donut holes the same way the donuts are cooked.
Let the glaze sit for about 5 minutes.

Super easy, Super yummy!