White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels (Last minute gift idea!)

Recipe challenge, recipe #49.

Um, hardly a recipe. But I made a bunch to share at work this week so...

Almond bark (white or chocolate, really)
Peppermint extract
Pretzels
Sprinkles

In a 4-quart crockpot, melt the almond bark on low. It takes about 30-45 minutes.  Whisk it really well with a fork. For some reason, almond bark gets thinner when you stir it more.

Add in the peppermint extract and stir once more.

Add in the pretzels. I put about 3/4 of a large tiny twists bag into the crockpot. I used a wide spatula to cover them in the white chocolate. Folding, tossing, etc. Just don't crush them.

Once the pretzels are mostly covered, spread them onto a cookie sheet or wax paper, close to a single layer.  Top with sprinkles immediately.  Let cool for a few hours.

The almond bark hardens into bark (obviously) and I just peeled it off the paper so it turned into more of a pretzel bark than chocolate covered pretzels.

One of my coworkers eats gluten-free, so I also made a batch of this Rocky Road Candy. Holy cow. It did not all make it to work with me.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe challenge, week thirty-eight.

This is nothing new because I feel like I talk about these muffins every fall.

Do you, like me, fear running out of pumpkin?  Our first year in Alaska, there was a pumpkin shortage and that was slightly terrifying.  I don't remember it affecting me directly but I remember people talking about it.  To this day, I keep several cans in the pantry during the fall months.  Just in case.

Our first year in Alaska was also the year I started making these muffins at least twice a fall season.  It's Scott's mom's recipe and I don't actually know where she got it, but we love these muffins.  I've done them as mini-muffins too.

I'm cheating (again) this week and sharing a tried-and-true recipe simply because I made them for a cake walk at the school carnival this past week and I'm making them again, as I type, because I just seriously love them.  I would update with a picture but they're not done yet so maybe later.

Other things I could've put on Instagram this weekend but didn't: ice cream twice in one day, a hike up the Manitou Incline, and Jett goes to obedience school.  All will be discussed on the blog this week.  Eh, maybe not the ice cream thing. That's self-explanatory.

Cheers to Sunday night.  Kind of.  Go make these muffins. I like to eat them for breakfast with peanut butter.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Dry ingredients:
3 1/3 c. flour 
2 T. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Mix together and set aside

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. sugar

Blend the wet ingredients with a mixer and add the dry ingredients in 3 batches. You can use up to 1/2 c. of milk to thin the batter if necessary. It should be thick when it's all mixed together.

Add 1 c. of mini chocolate chips. Stir and spoon into a muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Apple Cake (or bread…your choice!)

I was pretty happy to have Scott come home this weekend. He finally arrived home late Saturday night after a month in Texas.  While it might seem like he was gone forever..it hasn't been forever but he was gone for 2 weeks, he was back for 8 days, and then it was 4 weeks.  So definitely not the definition of a long time.  But still.  Kinda seemed that way.  I maintain that long trips (2 months or more) are easier than counting by days or weeks.

This meant I got access to my old computer.  I was able to retrieve my Columbus vs. Pilgrims powerpoint, complete with real Mayflower-replica pictures.  So, of course, I spent a lot of time browsing through my old Toshiba.  It's actually really nice and then I remembered the reason for my upgrade to a MacBook:  the Toshiba won't hold a charge and won't work unless it's actually plugged in.

I did find some interesting documents, lesson plans, and pictures and it was nice to take a walk down memory lane.  This is a screen shot of some menu-planning I found from 2011.

I was an efficient little menu planner.  There were 3 months of menus that look like this.  The strikethrough clearly means "ACCOMPLISHED!"  I mean, I was baking sugar cookies that looked like states and continents.  I don't even know who I am anymore…

As you can see, I used to be quite organized.  I gave myself deadlines.  And I don't know what the asterisks mean.  Some sort of secret organizational code, perhaps? There's a lot more of them as you go through the document. "Re-blog" meant re-do for the blog because the first showcased terrible pictures.  When I showed this to Scott, he just laughed and then we said, "What HAPPENED?" at the same time.

I digress.

This is a recipe for a healthy-ish fall bread that can serve as breakfast, a snack, or dessert.  I actually left the recipe completely sugar-free and just put a homemade cream cheese icing on top, but you can make the call on that.  I'd say a half cup of brown sugar would work just fine in there.  Of course, I highly recommend frosting, or at least peanut butter or something, on the top.  I made it over the weekend as a way to use up some gala apples, canned pumpkin, and extra frosting I had leftover from cookies the week before.

I followed all the food-blogging steps:  created the recipe, constructed the recipe, photographed the recipe, blogged about the recipe.  I'm definitely trying to get back in the groove here.

Pumpkin Apple Cake
makes one 8x8 pan

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup apple butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla

Combine all the wet ingredients with a mixer.

Then, in a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients:

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups flour

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  I used a convection oven and it took longer than I thought it would.  However, that also could've been the 6,000 foot elevation here.  I recommend starting to check it around 25 minutes.  You could also use a loaf pan and baking time would increase to about 45 minutes.  Just check the middle with a butter knife or skewer before taking it out.  

My go-to snack

I'm one of those people who has to eat every couple of hours.  I have a pretty strict schedule during the week.  Breakfast around 6:30am, a snack at 9:45, lunch at 12:30, usually a snack at 3:45 on the way home from school, and then it's fair game when I get home.  Sometimes I eat at 4:30 or 5:00.  Sometimes I get busy and dinner comes around 6:30 or 7:00.  That usually depends on Scott's schedule.

However, I can almost guarantee you that the snack at 9:45 always includes some kind of natural sugar + a healthy fat.  Honey PB with rices cakes is a favorite.  Another favorite is a Larabar with an apple.  Larabars are the one healthy snack food that I carry with me everywhere.  I always have one in my purse or in my desk at school.

I started buying Larabars as a sweet, but healthy, snack when we were in Alaska.  I would pay whatever I needed to pay for them at Fred Meyer and keep them in my desk at school.  They gave me a feeling of fullness and enough energy to make it to the next meal.  Before workouts, if I didn't have time to eat at home, they were quick and easy.

Larabars are actually the only kind of bar that I buy.  I don't invest in the granola bars you find in the cereal aisle because they're mostly sugar and they don't fill me up at all.  Plus, they have way too many ingredients for my liking.  If I'm going to spend that much on what can really be classified as a candy bar, I might as well buy the Larabars because they're so much better for you.

I do buy them at the commissary often, but they usually only have the same 4 or 5 flavors.  Cashew Cookie is probably my favorite, followed by Lemon.  The reason why I buy the same few flavors again and again is because they are only 79 cents at the commissary.  At other stores, they may have more flavors but are sometimes double the price.  I was seeing all these fun flavors online, but couldn't find them myself.

A few weeks ago, I emailed Larabar, which just happens to be based a couple of hours from me, and asked if I could try some sample flavors.  I definitely chose the right time of year to contact them, because they sent me their Seasonal Flavors!  I mean, you can't be seasonal flavors, be it coffee, candy, or Larabars, right?

These flavors were fantastic.  The Snickerdoodle has a hint of cinnamon and vanilla and the Pumpkin tastes just like a pumpkin cookie. I swear it does!  I'm not even a pumpkin-lover, but this bar is tasty.  The Gingerbread was sweet with a hint of spice.  

I'll be looking for more of these fun flavors so I can stock up before the season's over.  Let me know if/where you find these kind!

Thanks for the folks at Larabar for the samples!

Are you a Larabar fan?

Healthiness: Green Smoothie with Flax

We all need a super smoothie recipe in our arsenal, right?   Here's my new favorite.

Blue Diamond should sponsor me at the rate we go through this stuff.

Protein powder, flax, xanthum gum

My new love is ground flax.  I put it in oatmeal, regular and baked.  It's great in muffins and banana bread too.

It definitely adds a nice nutty texture to green smoothies.  I highly recommend it.  I've also tried this with wheat germ, so that's an easy substitution if you don't have flax.

Green Smoothie with Flax
makes 2 big servings (that's not all of it in the glass above)

1/2 cup blueberries
1 banana, frozen and cut into chunks
Optional: 1/2 cup other frozen fruit (strawberries, peaches, mango, mixed…whatever you feel like)
1 T ground flax (We use Bob's Red Mill.)
1-2 T vanilla protein powder (I like the flavor you get from it…I'd use more if it was before or after a cardio workout.)
Pinch of xanthum gum
1 cup almond milk (We use regular unsweetened.)
2 cups fresh spinach
Water, if needed, to help blend it

Blend it up!

{I'm not blind: I know it looks gross.  But it tastes so fresh and is very filling.  If it wasn't so much work to clean the dumb blender, I'd probably make 2 a day.}

Football Food

Don't forget to mail out your Sweetheart Swap packages by tomorrow!  

Our link-up will be on Thursday, Feburary 13th!
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Skirt: LOFT // Sweater: The Limited 

(My fancy ponytail looked much better at 7am…at least that's what I told myself.)

The sickness will just not leave this house.  The general rule of thumb is that I bring the diseased germs home from school, I get sick, then Scott gets sick.  He always gets it 3 times as bad as me.  While I'm on the road to being able to breathe and speak normally (though I do succumb to a coughing fit after my daily cold smoothie…), he's still on the couch.  

I doubt we'll be doing anything fancy this weekend (and honestly, doesn't today feel like it should be freaking Saturday already?).  I plan on putting the finishing touches on my swap packages (sorry guys…I'll see the post office come Monday), maybe a light workout, some organization around this place, and some sleep.  

Apparently there's a Superbowl this weekend.

I haven't watched a Superbowl since 2011.  The Steelers lost to the Packers and Caleb, the Patriots fan in my 4th grade class that year, never let me forget it.  

However, if I was having a Superbowl party, this is what I'd want to eat…

Guacamole. You can't go wrong.

Black Bean Salsa.  Our favorite!

Jalapeño Popper Dip.  This one really impresses the guests.

White Chicken Chili.  My favorite kind of chili.

Buffalo Chicken Stew. Easy as can be in the slow-cooker.

Pizza. Obviously.

S'mores Fondue.  There are no words.

Ice Cream Cake. Birthday Cake-flavored or Peanut Butter

No-Bake Cookies I made these for the Superbowl in 2010, and had to pawn half off on the neighbors.

…and the ever-popular Cookie in a Skillet.  

You use the big game as an excuse to make football food too, right?  What are you making?

Funfetti Popcorn

A pre-scheduled post...

As I type on this snowy April day, I'm quite annoyed at the stupid bag of funfetti popcorn that I made.  Some of it got more caramel-y marshmallow-y sauce on it than other parts.  So I'm digging through the bag, picking out the chewy stuff, ruining my dinner and my teeth.  

Hmph.

If you're going to make this, just...share it.  Please. I threw the bag across the room.  Scott found it and finished it off.  Teamwork is important.

Funfetti Popcorn

inspired by this recipe

1 T. butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vanilla or cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup powdered cake mix (white, yellow, or funfetti)

1 t. vanilla

2 T. corn syrup

2 cups mini marshmallows

Sprinkles

1 bag popped popcorn (Pour the popped popcorn into a bowl, and then put the popped kernels into another, bigger, bowl to separate the unpopped kernels...does that make sense? You do not want to chomp down on an unpopped kernel. Speaking from experience. Twice.)

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and corn syrup together.  It doesn't have to boil or anything.  Stir in the cake mix and frosting.  Once combined, add in the marshmallows.  Stir well and let them melt.  When the mixture is nice and smooth, pour it over the popped popcorn and fold with a spatula to coat.  Decorate with sprinkles.  Serve warm or store in an airtight container once cooled.

Yogurt Granola Parfaits

I've mentioned before that we've been "off" of cereal for awhile now.  I recently finished off the Frosted Mini-Wheats, so now we're officially out of cereal.  It took awhile!

Before we ran out of of Great Grains Cranberry-Almond, I came up with a new use for it.

*Edit:  By the time you read this, we will officially be back "on" cereal.  I'm sorry.  I'm weak.  I need to keep just a bit around for last minute breakfast emergencies.  You know the kind.  You wake up and hate the fact that it's 8am and pitch black outside and you need to eat something tasty to even have a shot at having a good day.*

1/2 cup Yoplait vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
1 small diced apple
+1/2 cup dry cereal or granola

Add a drizzle of a honey and you have a sweet, crunchy, and healthy breakfast. 

I found myself liking this enough to want it for another week, but I was now out of cereal.  So I made my own!

The cranberries add anti-oxidants and sweetness.  The walnuts add protein and omega-3.  The Greek yogurt adds protein, while the vanilla balances out the texture a bit.

I can't eat plain Greek yogurt without honey, so save that for the end and see if you need it for your tastes.

Cranberry Walnut Granola
adapted from Espresso and Cream

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Mix everything except the walnuts and cranberries in a large bowl.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Pour the oat mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring the granola every 15 minutes or so.

Allow it to cool and then add the walnuts and cranberries.  Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.  It's never lasted for more than 2 weeks in our house, but I imagine it would keep for quite a while. 

Recipe Re-do: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins + 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

I'm linking this recipe to 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  Check out the linked-up blogs and start thinking about what delicious treats you'll be making this year!

My first posted recipe.  Actually this is probably the first thing I baked when we moved to Alaska two years ago.  Second was pumpkin cookies (coming soon!).  Third was Hershey's Kiss cookies (also coming soon!). 

Scott's mom makes these.  They are healthy(ish) and yummy at the same time.  Everything you want in a breakfast treat.

Speaking of convenient breakfast foods...

Do you ever look inside that sterile-and-looks-kinda-vacuum-sealed glass case of pastries at Starbucks??

I do.

And I think, "I could make you and you and you and you and, oh, you too banana bread, for less calories and fat and mine will taste better too, so I'll just take my nonfat white chocolate mocha and be on my way thankyouverymuch."

In addition to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (which would probably go just a little too perfectly with a Pumpkin Spice Latte), try any number of my desserts/cakes/pastries.  While I may prefer to buy my coffee from a coffee shop (a habit I am determined to soon break), I like to make my own baked goods.  They're preservative free and I know what went into them.

Or just go eat a Clif bar.  At least you'd get some nutrients that way.

Please, just don't order out of the sterile glass case.  Take your $12 latte and run.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. 

Also being shared at:

Sweet Treats Thursday

Coffee and Conversation Thursday

Sweet Tooth Friday 

Sweets for Saturday 

Tuesday Talent Show 

Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration

Banana Chocolate Protein Muffins

My latest thing is Clif Bars.  It was never my goal to adopt this expensive habit, but alas...here we are.  I bought a large box of them at Costco.  Why?

Well, I like to know that I have something with me to eat while on the road (i.e. out shopping for the day, running errands, etc.) that will have good-for-me ingredients, tastes good, and will fill me up.  Especially because I always seem to be out and about around a mealtime.  Clif bars pretty much fit this description.

However, they are rather...calorie-laden.  About 240 per bar.  So that's not a snack.  That's more like a meal replacement and I've taken to eating one for lunch with Greek yogurt a couple of times a week.

So I wanted something with protein and flavor without quite so many calories.  I'm one of those who are guilty of not eating breakfast because it's really early and I'm just not quite feeling hungry yet.  If I have something I can take with me to eat right before school starts, the world would be an easier place for me to exist in.  I'm sure of it.

Banana Chocolate Protein Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1-2 ripe, mashed bananas

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 scoop (about 1/8 a cup) of chocolate whey protein powder

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 t. baking soda

2 egg whites

1 t. vanilla

2 T. softened butter

1/2 cup milk (you probably won't need it all)

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Stir in the protein powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, flour, and oats.  Mix well and add milk a little at a time until the batter reaches desired "muffin-batter" consistency.  Add in the banana and mix well.  Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Spoon into liners in a muffin tin and bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

*Inspired by skinnytaste.com.  

I was out of applesauce so I omitted it and the muffins turned out just fine. 

Shared at:

Sugar and Dots  

Lady Behind the Curtain:  Cast Party Wednesday 

This Chick Cooks

Ranch Seasoned Pretzels

 Otherwise known as crack-for-the-sober.

But before we get to the pretzels, I have a question for you.

Can anyone tell me what this is?

Anyone?   Anyone??  (Bueller....Bueller?)

I wouldn't know either if I wasn't there for the construction process.  And no, it's not an elephant coffin.  Or a polar bear coffin, considering we live in Alaska. 

I do lovingly refer to it as an elephant coffin.

Scott doesn't like that so much.

Okay.  I'll tell you.

It's a fish box.

In Alaska, fishermen can dip-net.  On a good day of dip-netting, if the limit is high, one fisherman can get up to 40 salmon.  Salmon are big.  Coolers are expensive.  Big coolers are even more expensive.  Hence, the box.

This particular model was built from scratch for under $100 (or so I've been told).  It's purpose was to bring fish home from the Copper River.  Due to a series of unfortunate events, no fish were brought back from the Copper River.

Scott and I have really ironic luck.  Not that I really wanted 40 salmon anyway, but that's not the point.

Anyway, we have now have an elephant coffin that will most likely reside in our yard...until we move again.  Could be years.  There's no room for it in the 3-car garage.  Scott has a lot of hunting/fishing/boating/Army equipment that takes up the garage real estate.  Plus, we have a really big trash can.

I'm full of excuses.

For example, it was raining one day, so instead of leaving the house/exercising/walking to the mailbox, I watched Extreme Couponing for 3 hours and made these pretzels.

Enjoy!  The more dill you add, the better they taste. 


P.S. If you're in the market for an elephant coffin....

P.P.S.  If you're one of those animal rights people, I'm kidding.  

Ranch Seasoned Pretzels

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp dill weed
1 dry Ranch Seasoning Packet
3 cups of pretzels (I use the thick sourdough kind and break them up.)


In a bowl, whisk together the oils and seasonings.  Spread the pretzel pieces onto a baking sheet (I cover it in foil first to eliminate clean-up).  Pour the seasoning mixture over the pretzels.  Toss them around so they're evenly covered.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, but watch them carefully.  They start to smell delicious when they're just about done!

 Shared at:
Fresh Food Friday
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday
Savory Sunday 
What's Cooking Wednesday 

Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars

Did you know that Anchorage is the second-most diverse city in the U.S.?  It is.  Do you know what the first is??

Don't say NYC....don't say NYC...








It's Honolulu.

I've recently completed my 6 required graduate credits that will allow me to keep my job in the state of Alaska.  Alaska Cultures and Alaska Studies is what I've been doing.  This is the funny part...

It's my  job to teach Alaskan kids about their state.  The 4th grade curriculum is Alaska Studies.  Me, the Pennsylvania girl who loves history, gets to teach a kind of history she knows nothing about.  Fortunately, I had a manual, a great state mentor, and some museum field trips last year.  I learned a lot.  Probably more than the kids...which is a good thing considering that I'm the...teacher.

My preferred fields of history are Colonial American and WWII-era European. (go ahead, call me a nerd...i'll wait) I knew nothing about the state of Alaska before I started teaching Alaska history.  I feel like my brain has been expanded in the last year and all kinds of new information has been stirred into the mix.  I really like that feeling.

Speaking of knowledge and learning, this is a great back-to-school snack.  Store-bought granola bars scare me.  Making my own gives me a bit of peace of mind.   You should try it.

Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Craisins
1/3 cup chopped almonds

In the microwave, melt the peanut butter and honey together for 1 minute.  Stir together and add in the oats.  Stir well until they are all coated.  If needed, you can add more honey or peanut butter if the oats seem a little dry.  Add in the Craisins and almonds and mix well to combine.  Press into an 8x8 pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting into bars.  Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

 
Shared at:

Sweet Treats Thursday

Momtrends Friday Food

Make Your Own: Granola Bars

I made some awesome Peanut Butter Granola last week.  It was amazing with only 5 ingredients, so my next step was to try bars. (yes, i also think that i should buy stock in Quaker Oats.)

The more I read, and I read a lot, the more I realize that I've got to get the processed junk out of this house.

I had bought a box of like 80 granola bars at Costco awhile back for $10 and thought, "Wow, what a bargain!".  Yeah.  A bargain in processed sugar.

If I'm gonna double the sugar I eat each day, it's going to be through homemade cookies, you know?

I think we've all been tricked into thinking granola bars are healthy.  When did that begin?

Make Your Own:  Granola Bars

I took 3/4 a cup of trail mix and 1/4 a cup of the dark chocolate pomegranates and food-processed them together.  Use whatever you have.  I'm truly just trying to get rid of those pomegranate things.  I also had just a few chocolate chips left in that bag so I tossed them into the food processor with everything else.

1 cup trail mix
1/4 cup chocolate chips, if desired
3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 t. vanilla

In a food processor, chop up the trail mix and chocolate chips.  Stir into a big mixing bowl with the oats.

In a small saucepan, melt the honey, peanut butter, and vanilla together on low heat.  Stir frequently.  It may start to boil, but just let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir well.  Press into an 8x8 pan, cover, and refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting into bars.

Store cut bars in the refrigerator. 

Strawberry Sorbet

I bought a giant box of strawberries at Costco again.  I've learned that it's dangerous to buy too much of any one perishable ingredient without having a plan.  That's why I don't buy lettuce anymore.  (seriously, i don't.  we won't eat it.) 

So as I'm standing in Costco, I'm running through my mental Rolodex and wondering if the $8 will prove to be worth it.

Strawberry Shortcakes, smoothies of different varieties, Strawberry Scones, and now Strawberry Sorbet.

That's what I got out of this box.  I feel very accomplished.

 

Strawberry Sorbet

2 cups of strawberries, roughly chopped

1 container (6 oz.) of strawberry yogurt

2 T. sugar or honey or other sweetener

1 cup of finely diced strawberries (to stir in before freezing)

Combine the 2 cups of strawberries, yogurt, and sweetener in a food processor (a blender would probably work too).  Pulse until it's well-blended and creamy.  

Pour into a freezer-safe container and stir in the finely diced strawberries.

Freeze for at least an hour. 

If freezing for a longer period of time, it's easiest to microwave the sorbet for 30 seconds to a minute to soften it up. 

 

I'm so messy.  But this was the SECOND time I've used my food processor this week.  I do feel very accomplished. 

Homemade Tortilla Chips

We have a problem with tortilla chips around here.
They are so not good for you.
Yet, they are such a necessary evil because you can eat them with anything.
I've made a meal out of tortilla chips and hummus more times than I'm willing to admit.

When we run out of tortilla chips, I know we'll need them for something, so I always try to keep a bag on hand.

The 3 lb., $6 bag from Costco has literally lasted a month.  That was a good investment if you forget the fact that that means we ate a 3 lb. bag of tortilla chips.

I don't know if I just never paid attention to it in Pennsylvania, but tortilla chips are insanely expensive in Alaska.  I have no idea why, but they just are.  Usually $4.50-$5.00 for a 10-14 oz. bag and I'm not willing to pay that.

So I will put tortilla chips in the cart, whether I want them or not, if they are on sale.  "Sale" is usually $.99-$3.00.

I decided to take it up a notch and make my own.

They are baked, which we all know means "healthy and eat as much as you want", plus I could use up the whole-wheat tortillas before they started to go bad.  A lot of stuff goes bad when I don't pay attention.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

4 whole-wheat tortillas
Olive oil spray or Pam non-stick spray
Sea salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges.  Spray a baking sheet non-stick spray and spread the tortilla wedges over the sheet.  Mist the spray over the top of the wedges to provide a glue for the seasonings.  Sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, and onion powder over the wedges adjusting to your own taste.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until slightly crispy.  Serve with any dip.  I like them with hummus because they're more filling than regular tortilla chips or crackers and obviously healthier.

They were also pretty tasty with this dip from Costco.

Banana Bread

To me, bananas have the best consistency when they're still almost green.  When they get brown spots, I have trouble eating them.  So I end up with a lot of leftover, very ripe bananas.  I guess it was my dad who taught me that those over-ripe bananas have a purpose, and it was always suggested that I make banana bread.  I would say that this recipe came from my grandma, and it did, but it's also off of the Bisquick box.  There are millions of banana bread recipes out there and I know this because I googled "banana bread" last weekend when I was out of Bisquick and couldn't make my own recipe.  However, they all looked ridiculously involved for banana bread, and all had mixed reviews.  So I waited until I went to the store, bought Bisquick, and then made the tried and true recipe.

Banana Bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup shortening (Crisco butter-flavor is what I use.)
3/4 cup sugar

Cream all of that together with a mixer.


Add:
2 cups Bisquick
2 mashed bananas
Chopped walnuts or pecans, optional


Mix together and pour into a greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, checking the center with a butter knife to see if it's done.

Top with vanilla or cream cheese icing,if desired.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My new favorite thing is food blogs. If someone makes a recipe and cares enough to share it, it must be good. Most of blogs I've been perusing are by busy moms, so I know the food has to be easy, somewhat healthy, and taste good. I've discovered that trolling the internet mindlessly is the perfect way to unwind from a long weekday, so that's how I spent my Thursday night. I was so enthralled with one blog that I read almost the entire thing (over a year worth of posts) in one night. It's really made me realize that I need to start cooking more. I haven't even baked anything from scratch in months..until today.

This is how our week goes. Saturday is recuperation day. Sunday is church, shopping, and depression because Monday is right around the corner. Monday is the longest day ever and sometimes I don't make it to Friday before it's time to go out for dinner. This past week, we went out for sushi on Wednesday (Wednesday was field trip day and those are the longest days of all). Last week, we made it to Friday before it was time to call The Great Alaska Pizza Company for dinner.

But I'm determined to start cooking more. And I do cook. We really don't eat out that much. Maybe once every 10 days? And it's usually because we're invited out or are with other people. (However, we do take advantage of Papa John's being 1/2 a mile away.)

Today, after making lunch from scratch (Guiltless Alfredo Sauce), I decided it was time to use up the can of pumpkin in the cupboard. I made Linda's (Scott's mom) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Her recipe uses whole-wheat flour, but I use regular because I always forget to buy whole-wheat. I also created my own Cream Cheese Rum Icing to go along with the muffins. It started as a cream cheese icing, but as I was looking for a tupperware container for the icing, I came across the rum. It must have been fate. (Note: The muffins, of course, are fine the way they are. However, I like putting butter or something on muffins, and butter doesn't seem to go well with these. That's why I came up with the icing.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Dry ingredients: 3 1/3 c. flour 2 T. pumpkin pie spice 2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt
Mix together and set aside

Wet ingredients: 2 eggs 1 can pumpkin 1/2 c. oil 1 1/2 c. sugar
Blend the wet ingredients with a mixer and add the dry ingredients in 3 batches. You can use up to 1/2 c. of milk to thin the batter if necessary. It should be thick when it's all mixed together.

Add 1 c. of mini chocolate chips. Stir and spoon into a muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Rum Icing

4 oz. cheese cheese (I used light) 2 cups powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla 1 t. rum
As much milk as needed to get the consistency you'd like

Blend all together with mixer. You definitely won't need more than this amount of icing for one recipe of the muffins.