Crispy Chic Peas (Garbanzo Beans)

I have seen a lot of recipes for roasted chic peas, so I figured I had to give these a try! Boy am I glad I did!!! These little things are delicious!!! They were pretty easy to make, the hardest part was waiting till they were done!

Here's what I did:

Chic peas, garlic (of course!), ranch dressing mix, salt and oil.

Heat about 1-2 tbsp oil in skillet for a few minutes.

Put in about 1/2 can of chic peas. Stir around to coat in oil.

Add seasonings. 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp ranch dressing mix. Stir.

Continue cooking till chic peas are golden brown and crispy. About 20 minutes.

Look at all that crispy yumminess ( is that a word?!?). ;)

These are great just as a snack, or used on top of a salad!

-Tiffany

Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Today I had a kitchen filled with 10 kids! Yes, 10!!! My 5 littles had their 5 friends over for apple pie baking! It was a lot of fun and a quick way to get a lot of apples peeled and chopped! I took time yesterday and did some prep work and made all the pie crust. That made things a lot easier! Here's a few pics I got when they got started,

You can see all their little hands busy peeling apples!!

but then I forgot to get pics of my island covered in apple peels :/. But anyway, everyone had a great time regardless of my lacking in the photo department!

Alright, use your favorite crust recipe and get the crust put in your pan. Then you'll need about 5-6 apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick slices. Mix in 1/2 cup flour, 2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 cup sugar in with apples. Stir till all apples are coated. Put apples in prepared crust. Now you can top it with another crust, or put on a crumb topping. Here's the recipe for the crumb topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

1 stick butter

Cut butter into flour with pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Mix in rolled oats and brown sugar. 

Mix with pastry cutter. 

Sprinkle over apples. 

This recipe makes enough topping to cover 2 pies.

If your are not making 2 pies, you can freeze remaining topping for another time.

Bake at 375* for 45-50 minutes.

**Here's a yummy twist: I drizzled caramel ice cream topping over the crumb topping after pie came out of oven. Mmmmmm! Can't wait to try it! 

-Tiffany

Healthy Choices- Quinoa

The next healthy choice I am going to talk about is quinoa. 

 I like quinoa because it is so versatile. It can be cooked the same as you would cook rice and topped with some butter and salt and served as a side. Or it can be mixed in as a filler to meatballs. I cook it first and then mix it into my meatball mixture. It is a great way to get the health benefit of quinoa and it is a great filler to stretch your ground beef.

 Here's a few highlights of quinoa:

-great source of protein

-fiber

- lots of minerals

-gluten free

-antioxidants

If you are interested in learning more about quinoa, check out this website:

http://authoritynutrition.com/11-proven-benefits-of-quinoa/

Remember, little steps towards better health goes a long way!

So start today, one step at a time!

-Tiffany

Sneak Peek

OK, I am ssssoooooo excited right now! My fingers can't type fast enough!!! You are probably wondering why, well let me tell ya!  ITS HOLIDAY TIME!!!!!!! I LOVE the holidays! You have an excuse to be in the kitchen cooking and baking all day, besides just cooking for your family of 8! You get to have special get togethers with friends and family! You can wear cozy clothes and if someone stops by and your in your slippers and hoodie, its OK cause its the fashion of the season! And you get to bake all day in the kitchen! OK I think I mentioned that one ;).

Anyway, I wanna give you all something to be excited about too!! So I am going to give you all a sneak peek at what I have planned for November and December.

Here's just a few things to look forward to:

• Pumpkin, pumpkin and more pumpkin
• Thanksgiving decorations and crafts
• What to do with leftovers?
• Sweet potatoes casserole
• Holiday drinks, wassil, egg nog and 'the best hot cocoa ever' ( named by some of my littles friends!)
• Homemade gift ideas. I'm excited about this one. We have a great one planned for grandma this year ;). 
• Countdown to Christmas. I will give recipes, crafts and activities to do each day with the kids!

Im sure I'll find more along the way! I hope you will check back often and join me for some holiday fun!

Enjoy all this baking and cooking cuz come January, we'll be talking health and fitness!!

Be sure to check back often!
- Tiffany

Chilli Cornbread Bake

This recipe is a yummy comfort food perfect for this time of year. And another bonus is that it is super easy and it is a complete meal and you only use one skillet!! (That is of course, if you use cast iron, if not then you will have to use a baking dish as well).

First, make your favorite chilli. I used ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, chilli seasoning, corn, black beans and spaghetti sauce.

If you are using a cast iron skillet, then leave the chilli in pan and shut off heat. Make sure your pan is not too full of chilli. I had to remove about a third of my chill to make room for cornbread topping. Your chilli should fill about half of the skillet. 

If you are not using a cast iron skillet, then now is the time to transfer your chilli to a baking dish.

Next, put on the cheese layer. I use cheddar cheese sauce. I buy it in a large can at Sam's Club. I didn't measure how much I used, I just put a decent layer down! The more, the yummier! 

Now its time for the cornbread layer. You can use your own recipe or use my recipe. (Recipe follows). I drop it in dollops over the top of the cheese so it is easier to spread.

Now spread smooth....

Now bake at 350* for 40-50 minutes. Edges will be slightly brown when its done. Check center for doneness. 

We had this for dinner last night and there were no leftovers!

Cornbread

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix dry ingredients.

Add in wet ingredients

Mix until blended. 

Dollop over chilli and spread evenly.

  

I love easy recipes!!

Have a wonder-fall day! 

-Tiffany

Healthy Choices- Flaxseed

I'm going to start a series on some simple healthy choices that can be made 

and are beneficial to your health.

The first one I will start with is flax.

You can buy it as a seed...

 or as meal...

I like to mix the seeds into homemade granola bars, bread, cookies and peanut butter balls. Now in my house we have a love/hate relationship with flax seed. We love the healthy benefits but we hate it stuck in our teeth!

Which is why I was so excited when I discovered flax meal!!! I can add it to just about anything (especially since I don't follow recipes anyway!!) and we get the health bonus, and don't have to pick it out of our teeth!

Here are few benefits of flaxseed:
~omega 3 fatty acids
~fiber
~lignans- which has antioxidant properties

You can go to 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81
For more info on flaxseed.

-Tiffany

Coming Soon .... To a Kitchen Near You

APPLE TIME!!!

It was so nice to go outside this morning and take a few pictures.

The fall air was so refreshing. I even had a few visitors.....

Mmm... yum!

I love this time of year.... cool crisp air, fall baking, and more baking, cozy slippers , and hot drinks!

After I finish all the pumpkin goodies, I will then start with the apples!

That is, of course, if I have any apples left with the way my littles have been gobbling them down!

Have a wonderful fall day!

-Tiffany