Book Trailer Monday...

     Here's next month's Read 'Til YA drop selection. It's a goody.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     I don't know why, but little things are always appealing to me, especially where food is concerned. So, when I saw this on Pinterest and linked to the blog Little Bit Funky (http://www.littlebitfunky.com/2011/10/what-i-made-for-monday.html), I knew I had to try them since I have a bag of apples in my refrigerator.

Mini Apple Pies
(This recipe makes 24, but you could easily make 12)

Start by cutting up 8 cups of apples into 1/2 inch bits.
Mix the apples with:
12 T. flour
1 1/2 C. sugar
4 heaping tsp. cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (depending on how much you like nutmeg. You could also leave it out.)

You will also need:
4 T. chilled butter, cut into 24 equal portions
2 boxes Pillsbury pie crusts, (4 chilled, not frozen)

Make sure you stir everything around, getting the apples nice and coated.Unroll your first pie crust and cut several circles out.Continue this until you have enough crusts. A wide mouth mason jar ring works perfectly. Line each cup of your muffin tin with a tiny pie crust. The gal from Little Bit Funky found that pinching the edge of the dough around the top edge of the tin and making a hammock of sorts worked really well. You can then gently fill the crusts with your apple mixture and push the crusts down the rest of the way. You should be able to fill until slightly mounded.Then take your equally divided butter and put a dab on each pie.Cover as desired with leftover dough. Bush with melted butter and bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes. She started checking on hers at 10 minutes and then every 2 until they were perfect.


Try 'em out! I know I will!

Book Trailer on a Tuesday just for fun!

     Here's a trailer for one of my favorite books that I've read this year. Wasn't expecting it to hook me as much as it did...See what you think.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     I was flipping through my Food Network Magazine this month and saw this recipe that I wanted to try. I've noticed pretzel recipes around a lot lately, so I figured maybe someone else would like to try and make their own too!:) It's a bit involved, but sounded fun on a Saturday home.

Here goes...

Soft Pretzels

3 T. unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus melted butter for brushing
2 T. packed dark brown sugar
1 3/4 oz. packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
6 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
Cooking Spray
2/3 C. baking soda
Mustard, for dipping (optional)

1. Combine 2 C. warm water, the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. If the yeast does not foam, discard and try again with fresh yeast.
2. Add 3 cups flour and 2 teaspoons salt to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed, then increase the speed to medium as the flour starts to incorporate. (Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.) Mix in the remaining 3 cups flour on low speed, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough gathers around the hook and pulls away from the bowl.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface; knead until smooth, 5 minutes. Brush a large bowl with melted butter, add the dough and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough, then divide it in half. Divide each half into 6 even pieces with a knife; cover with plastic wrap. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
5. Tape a 24-inch-long piece of string to the countertop to use as a guide. Roll out a piece of dough on the countertop with your hands, starting in the middle and working your way out to the ends until you have a 24-inch-long rope. Ass you roll, occasionally lift the dough by the ends and slap the middle against the counter to stretch it.
6. Lift the ends of the rope to make a U shape, then cross one end over the other twice to make a double twist in the middle. Fold down the ends and attach them to the bottom of the U, forming a pretzel shape. Transfer to one of the prepared baking speets; repeat with the remaining dough, arranging 4 pretzels on each baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
7. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees. Fill a wide pot with 10 cups water; add the backing soda and bring to a low simmer, whisking to dissolve. Use scissors to cut the parchment around each pretzel, leaving a 1-inch border. Slide the pretzels (on the parchment) off the baking sheets, then coat the baking sheets with cooking spray. Working in batches, carefully invert each pretzel into the water and use tongs to peel off the parchment. Simmer until the pretzels plump, about 45 seconds per side. Remove with a slotted spoon, letting the excess water drip off; arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt.
8. Bake the pretzels until golden brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter and serve with mustard.

Book Trailer Monday...

     It's all the rage....Duck Dynasty!! Here's a book by the family patriarch...Happy Happy Happy

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     I know I posted a similar recipe to this one already, but it was soo good and my kids have requested it again and again, so I thought I'd add this one for a little something different....Taken from www.budgetbytes.com

Easy Sesame Chicken

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Total Cost: $5.15

Cost Per Serving: $1.29

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 large egg $0.17
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch $0.08
• 1 pinch each salt & pepper $0.05
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs $2.14
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying) $0.04

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce $0.20
• 1 Tbsp water $0.00
• ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil $0.85
• 1½ Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
• 1½ Tbsp rice vinegar $0.17
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated $0.11
• 1 clove garlic, minced $0.08
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds $0.29
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch $0.04

For Serving

• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice $0.69
• 2 whole green onions $0.22

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
2. Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired.
3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (You can grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater).
4. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.
5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

I didn't forget a book trailer this week! Yay!

This is on my nightstand. It was recommended to me by our Teen Librarian, Emily.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     So, here's a recipe I've looked at a million times and always thought, "Hmm. Those look good. I should try them," but never got around to making it. This week, a friend of mine and mom of 4, raved about this recipe and how well it worked for snacks for her children when supper was going to be late, or after school when they were starving.
     Here you go! See what you think! Recipe taken from http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

No-Bake Energy Bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: About 3 dozen

These delicious little no bake energy bites are the perfect healthy snack!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

(c) 2013 Gimme Some Oven. All rights reserved.

Ali’s Tip:

Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients! Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter. And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed. I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.

Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients. The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible. If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats). If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter. It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better. And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled. Enjoy!!

Book Trailer Monday viewed on a Tuesday...due to the Holiday :)!

David Sedaris, author of several books including, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and his most recent title Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls has been touted has the funniest writer alive. Check out this interview with him and then stop in and check out a book for a good laugh!