Cheese-Stuffed Bread Sticks

I love my Quick Pizza Dough recipe but sometimes I don't want to heat up the kitchen with the oven for just me. One day I flattened the dough like a pizza and cooked it in my pan so I could dip it in the Roasted Marinara.  Then I realized I was missing out on the cheese. I decided to wrap a cheese stick up in the dough and then cook the dough.  Yum!  It's ooey gooey!  Quick and easy to make!

Cheese-Stuffed Bread Sticks                                                   Printable Recipe

3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon  sugar
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
couple dashes salt
1-1/2 cups flour plus more for dusting/kneading
6 cheese sticks (mozzarella or colby jack are best)

Add yeast and sugar to water.  Let set for 5 minutes.

Add olive oil, salt, and flour. 

Stir until completely mixed.  It is OK if it is a little wet.  You are going to add to a floured surface and knead. This will add flour and help complete your dough.

It should take you less than 5 minutes to get a nice smooth ball.  Cover with a towel and set aside for 15 minutes to rest/rise.

Divide dough into 6 pieces. 

Roll out into a rectangle that is large enough to cover your cheese stick.  Dampen the edge of the dough so when you fold over last edge it sticks.  Do the same on the end.  I lightly roll it all to be sure the are not holes for the cheese to seep out of as it melts.

Lightly oil a non-stick pan and heat to medium.  Add dough wrapped cheese to pan and cook until light brown. 

Flip each side and continue to brown/cook the dough.  If you want all edges brown you will need to gently hold the bread stick and hold the part of the dough you want browned to the pan.  I have learned that if you go too long they can leak but not as easily as when I did them in the oven.

Remove from pan and allow to cool for just a bit while you warm up your marinara sauce. I topped my sauce with Parmesan for extra cheesy flavor!  These are great to send in lunches too.

Check out that melty cheese!

I think next time I will make extra and freeze some.

PIN IT:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/273593746089071096/ 

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #138

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #137

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #136

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #135

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Everyday Granola

Don't get me wrong, I love my original granola recipe.  It's versatile and with a bit of nut and/or dried fruit change you can have it your way.  After having a bag full of a fellow Iowa blogger's granola treasure I knew I had to try and come up with a recipe that tasted like her granola. 

She had salt sprinkled in her granola and while I thought it was odd at first and a bit too much for me, I couldn't keep out of it.  I've lowered the salt taste a little in mine but the flavor is still there and it's so yummy! Each salt has a different texture and size so start off with the least amount and see what you like. She also had mini chocolate chips so you can add them too if you like. I didn't have them on hand at the time I made the granola so I skipped it.  Add them after your granola has cooked and cooled or you will have a chocolate mess.

I named this recipe "Everyday Granola."  Why?  Because I could eat this everyday!  I think this is the fastest we've ever eaten a batch of granola.  I'll need to double it for sure next time. 

Everyday Granola                                                                                 Printable Recipe

8 cups old fashioned oats
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup olive oil
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts pieces
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup plain flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together oats, salt and cinnamon.

In glass measuring cup, mix together olive oil, maple syrup and vanilla. It thickened as I stirred but then I remembered it is due to the cold syrup causing the olive oil to firm up some.

Pour all but 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the mixture into the oats.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. 

While the oats are baking, dump the rest of the syrup mixture into the coconut and nut mixture.

Stir to coat.

When oats are done cooking at 25 minutes, stir in nut mixture.  Return to oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring part way through.  Careful to watch so your coconut doesn't burn. 

Remove from the oven and cool.  Store in plastic gallon bag or other airtight container.  If you make a double batch you can freeze the cooled granola to enjoy later.

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

I'm not a huge fan of tomato soup.  My husband grew up on it. Tomatoes are easy to grow and easy to can. It's a cheap way to make soup.  For a family watching their budget it was the go to meal.  I remember his mom making it but not eating.  She had had her fill of it.  The rest of the family still enjoys a bowl full on occasion.  Whether you likes yours with croutons, grilled cheese sandwiches or maybe cheese quesadillas, this soup will hit the spot!

Roasting the vegetables gives it little bits of  burnt, slightly caramelized edges.  It adds a flavor cooking in a pot on the stove doesn't.  If you're thinking "I've seen something like this on your blog before."  You have.  My Roasted Marinara Sauce starts off much the same way.  The difference is the type of bell pepper and the amount of them is less.  They are spread out more so it is is a thicker soup with less juices to dump off.   

A fancy blender will give you a smoother soup but you can still do well with an immersion blender, food processor or regular style blender.  Check out my tips at the bottom for your type of appliance.

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup                          Printable Recipe

2 pounds roma tomatoes, deseeded and quartered
1 small onion, cut onto chunks

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks

olive oil
1⁄2 cup milk (2% or whole)
1⁄2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #134

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35+ Knock Your Socks Off Brownie Recipes

Soft, dense, ooey goey, frosted, plain or stuffed full of treats. There are so many ways to make brownies. I've gathered 35+ chocolately goodness recipes for you to check out.  Whether you like them plain or doctored up I know you will find a recipe here to try. 

Epicurean State Shaped Cutting Board Giveaway

I never seem to have enough cutting boards.   I use them for everything from cutting fruits and veggies to raw meats and then a new board for the cooked meats.  I know most of you don't have a need for a second one but since I have a special needs child with food prep needs I need that second board. 

When Epicurean recently contacted me about their new custom designed shape boards I was intrigued.  I could have any of 49 states (sorry Hawaii,) animals, fruits etc! I chose Iowa since I live there but if they had had a goat shape I might have chosen that.  

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #133

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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

I saw these cookies at a local gas station one day when I came in get a bottle of water.  The clerk told me these cookies were fantastic so I had to try them out.  I have to agree, they were quite delicious.  The next time I came to the gas station I found they had the cookies again.  This time with an ingredient label on the package.  To my dismay, there weren't strawberries in them at all.  It was some concoction to make strawberry "bits" and a list of ingredients that was crazy long.  The dried strawberries I found at the store are made of  real strawberries and cane juice.  I thought they tasted like fruit roll-ups!  You can also find them online, but watch the ingredients and also make sure they aren't freeze dried.

I set out to make a similar cookie so we can enjoy them at home. This base makes a thicker cookie than they had but are still tasty. You could easily switch out the strawberry bits and white chocolate chips for other delicious add ins and have a whole new flavor of cookie.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies                                                      Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped dried strawberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

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Apple Cider Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

My family has recently discovered steel cut oats.  They haven't been run through a bunch of processes other than a quick cut so when they cook they aren't mushy like quick or regular oats.

If you are looking for a warm, nutritious breakfast but don't have the time in the morning, try this oatmeal recipe.  You can throw all of the ingredients into the crock pot before bed, set a timer (in the electric section of the store that will turn your crock pot on and off for you based on how you set it) or program on your crock pot and you're off to sleep.  The oatmeal cooks without effort and in the morning you will have an aroma that smells like baked apple pie filling your kitchen.

This recipe makes plenty and you can save the leftovers in the fridge to heat up for another tasty quick breakfast. I made ours for dessert since I was testing the time needed to cook and wanted to be awake during the process.  After our family of four we devoured our share, there were still 2-3 servings to be re-heated for breakfasts.

Apple Cider Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal                                   Printable Recipe

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups apple cider (or use 3-1/2 cups and leave out the water)

1-1/2 cups water

1 cup steel cut oats ( I used organic Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar (I used raw)

Optional: chopped pecans or walnuts and pure maple syrup

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Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

I saw a bag of Key Limes at the store the other day.  Curious about these tart little fruits, I bought the bag.  Not sure how to go about making Key Lime bars I looked a few recipes and then came back to the Apple Pecan Cheesecake Bars I made last fall and tweaked the recipe a little bit.  A little sweet, a little tart. They are perfect little bites of yummy!

If you don't have Key Limes where you are or don't want to take the time to squeeze those little guys you can use regular limes or lime juice from the bottle.

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars                                                             Printable Recipe

Crust:

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

6 Tablespoons butter

Filling:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 Tablespoon Key Lime zest

1/3 cup Key Lime juice

8 ounce package light cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

Crumb Topping:

6 Tablespoons all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons old fashioned oats

2 Tablespoons quick oats

3 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed

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Corn Salad

I had this at a potluck and had to hunt down the one who brought this in and get the recipe.  It's fresh and crunchy and you'll find yourself grabbing a second helping.  If you are headed to a party, make this dish.  It's a unique dish so there's a good chance there won't be 2 to 3 other dishes just like it. There is only so much macaroni and potato salads one can eat at a meal. 

It tastes just as good the second day although it loses its corn chip crunch.  Sprinkle on a couple more crushed pieces and you'll be back in corn salad heaven!

Corn Salad                                                                                               Printable Recipe

2 cans yellow kernel corn, drained (or four cups frozen corn, thawed and drained)
1 green bell pepper, diced (approximately 1 cup)
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
8 ounce block of cheddar cheese, shredded (approximately 2 cups)
Chili cheese flavored Frito-Lay corn chips