Snickerdoodle Yumminess

You may have seen that i was baking a few days ago! 

I have volunteered to make appetizers for our church service on Saturday nights one time a month. 

This time it was my turn to do a dessert and some sort of vegetable. 

The vegetable was easy: a veggie tray! 

But the dessert clearly needed to be made! 

This is one of those moments where Pinterest comes in handy! 

I definitely had a few options! 

Source: daydreamkitchen.com via Simone on Pinterest

Source: daydreamkitchen.com via Simone on Pinterest

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com via Simone on Pinterest

I ended up choosing Snickerdoodle Bread! 

Source: lilluna.com via Simone on Pinterest

And here is my version! 

A few notes: 

- The recipe called for Cinnamon chips and they are a seasonal item. I must have missed them in the stores though i have never seen them before! I opted for white chocolate chips instead! this was a great option and way more readily available.

-The bread was perfectly moist! Loved that! I think it must have been the sour cream! 

- The recipe calls for it to be baked for 35-40 min. for mini loaf pans, but i do not own mini loaf pans. I used the larger loaf pans plus 2 more 8x8 pans! It took quite a bit longer for them to bake through. If you choose to use a different sized pan, just keep and eye on them. Mine took about 55 minutes a piece. I kept testing them with my knife to make sure the middle was done! 

- I highly recommend utilizing the "measure once, mix twice" rule that helps when baking more than one batch! This means i do end up with a few more dishes, but it helps with not having to measure the same thing twice. (Basically i measure out my ingredients in the order the recipe calls for and then measure the same ingredients into additional bowls! It makes the second batch go so much quicker!

- The white chocolate chips melted into the bread making it super yummy!  

-I cut up each loaf and put it on trays. There was all but 6 pieces left after church! Everyone loved it! I saw several people going back for more! 

Overall, this was a great recipe! 

I will be making it again! 

Today i am also participating in the GFC Blog Hop! 

Come and join in the fun! 

 

What's Cookin'?

So much has been bubbling up in my kitchen that i thought i would share a few of my meals. All of these have been found on pinterest and some have been altered a bit to make them lunch-package ready. 

Here they are: 

Last week we had Spaghetti Squash! Here's the step by step photos! 

 Step 1: Cut the squash in half lenghtwise and scoop out the seeds using a spoon. 

Step 2: Cover half the squash with saran wrap and pop it into the microwave. The cooking time will vary on the size of your squash, but i start with leaving 1/2 in the microwave for 5 minutes. I then add a couple minutes of cooking time if it doesn't feel soft enough. When the cooking is done the insides of the squash look moist all the way to the peel of the squash. (While it is in the microwave, gather an assortment of spices, olive oil, minced garlic, sauce, and some parmesean cheese. Oh, and you can't forget the turkey meat balls! 

Step 3: One the squash is done, take it out and let it cool a couple minutes. 

***WARNING The squash will be VERY HOT when you take it out of the microwave. Use oven mitts! ***

Once a few minutes have passed, use a fork to shred the squash. Half a squash can make two meals or even 3 depending on how light of an appetite you may have!

Step 4: Once all is shredded, add you seasonings, olive oil, a little parmesean and mix! This step really give the squash more flavor. You could skip this and just throw on the sauce, but this adds more flavor to the sqush itself! 

Step 4: Have the turkey meatballs headed and ready to go! 

Step 5: Throw on some sauce and a little more cheese! Add the warmed meatballs and it's time to mangia! 

That is a favorite of ours! The best part: Trader Joe's makes this meal really affordable! The squash is only $2.49!!! I can make to meals out of one squash, can of sauce, and one bag of frozen turkey meatballs! It all costs about $12, which means that each dinner is about $6 for 2 people. 

WOWIE! 

Here's what else has been bubblin up:

That's my version of Gina's Skinny Taste Crockpot Three Bean Turkey Chilli! 

Yum! And super easy! 

We also had a yummy taco salad this week that i loved! Here's the link! 

Sorry, forgot to take photos because lunch time is a super busy meal! (I eat with my kiddos by taking bites between opening packages!)

Source: wholeliving.com via Simone on Pinterest

The only thing i changed was that i used dried mangoes instead of fresh because the store didn't have any fresh the day i went! 

So that's what i have been cooking up! 

Thought i would strut my stuff and link up with Six Sisters too! 

Recipe Review

I feel a review is in order... A review of last weeks menu items. I am contemplating this becoming a weekly part of this blog, but not sure it will be as regular. 

So, this week I found a fresh salad from Veggie Belly, you can find it HERE. 

My version of Mango Blueberry Quinoa Salad is one where i just used this salad as a topping to salad greens. Also, instead of the mango i saw at the grocery store, i used dried mango that i chopped up. I added the suggest garbanzo beans as well and made my own dressing. 

Here was what i did for the dressing:

Orange Muscato Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

2 Tb. Orange Muscato White Vinegar (from Trader Joe's)

1 Tb. Olive oil

1 Splenda packet

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

I whisked this all up and made more as needed because i packaged up everything for lunches this week! It was nice and light for the salad. All you need is an ounce or 2 for one serving. 

Overall the salad was tasty and had lots of flavor. I really enjoyed the addition of the garbanzo beans! Overall this was a great Pinterest find! Let me know if you try the dressing or even if you try the salad! It was tasty! If you like my find you can also follow me on Pinterest! Just click the link below!