Sticky Buns

I, like millions of people out there have discovered the joy of Pinterest.  It allows organizationally challenged people like me, to keep all of their ideas and recipes together in one place.  Hallelujah!  So this week I have tried out several recipes.  Today's is Sticky Buns.  Super easy, delicious {like eat the entire thing yourself before the kids find out how good it is}, and quick.
I so wish I had thought of this recipe first.  Here's the link Sticky Buns.  For once I did not change a thing!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup (any brand you like, I used Mrs. Buttersworth)

1/3 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Instructions:

"Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!"

 

Pre- Bake

As you can see my daughter was much more excited about this than her dinner.  I can promise you they are well worth the minimal effort!

Greek Pita Sandwiches

{please excuse the terrible photo, but considering the rate at which Alex and I were eating the filling, I'm lucky there is even this photo}

Ingredients
1 can of marinated artichoke hearts
1 can of medium black or green olives-sliced
1/4 cup of raspberry vinagrette
4 cloves of garlic-minced or pressed
1 pint of quartered grape tomatoes
1zucchini- diced or quartered
3 Tb olive oil
Sundried tomato feta
Cream cheese-softened
1/2 lb. sliced or shaved roast beef sandwich meat
Pitas with pockets  {bake in oven for 5 minutes at 375 degrees}

Directions
1.Mix together artichoke, olives, vinagrette, garlic, tomato, zucchini, olive oil and feta in medium bowl.
2. Take pitas (cut in half, if full pita circles) and spread a little bit of cream cheese inside.
3. Place desired amount of roast beef inside.
4. Scoop the filling from bowl in to the pita to finish it off.

Bite, drool, sigh and proceed to stuff yourself.  These are my new favorite dish and I think about them more often than I should.

Disclaimer- I am not Greek, have not studied Greek cuisine or even read a Greek cookbook.  I do plan to though.  Its just more fun for me to call them "Greek Pitas" rather than --- Pita.

Stuffed Shells-Stuffed Bellies

This recipe is from http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/featured-brands/healthified-sausage-stuffed-shells.aspx.  I have tried about 12 times to type up the recipe on here, but blogger is acting wonky. So, my apologies, but you will have to visit their site to get the recipe.  It is so, so good.  The only things I changed were
1. I substituted cottage cheese for the ricotta
2. Used ground turkey

Sort of Chicken Divan

I set out to make Chicken Divan tonight.  I had all of the ingredients, I was ready.  But then I procrastinated.  And I didn't want to feed my family at 7, when it would have come out of the oven.  So I improvised.  And it turned out fantastic!! 

I present to you Chicken Divan Penne!!

Ingredients
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets- cooked in microwave for about 6 minutes and drained
1 can of 98% fat free mushroom soup
1 onion-diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp. curry
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breasts- cut in strips
olive oil
1 box of whole grain or white penne

Directions
1. In skillet, drizzle about 4 Tb. olive oil over chicken and cook until no longer pink
2. As the chicken cooks add in the diced onion and garlic
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Start penne cooking in a pot
5. Push chicken to sides of skillet and pour in the can of soup and curry.  Stir with the juices from chicken and onion.  Warm thoroughly.
6. Toss chicken and broccoli in the skillet with the sauce mixture.
7. Drain penne and dish onto plate, topping it with the chicken and broccoli mixture
8. Sprinkle on a little bit of cheddar and enjoy!

4 Ingredient Italian-esque Wedding Soup

I love this soup.  I wish I could list a ton of ingredients that I so expertly put together to meld into one pot of deliciousness.  But I can't.  There is only four.  It is so easy, so healthy, and all my kids + husband love it.  It is absolute, Wintery heaven with some crusty, warm, french bread.


Ingredients
One package of frozen, chopped spinach
5 cups of chicken stock
One cup of orzo pasta
Chicken sausage stuffed with mozzarella and spinach (I get it at super walmart), but really any kind of link sausage you want will work.  If you like spiciness use chorizo.

Instructions
In large pot, pour in the stock
2. Toss in frozen hunk of spinach (embarrassingly simple)
3. While spinach defrosts in pot, slice your sausage into thin rounds
4. When stock is boiling and all spinach is defrosted and cooking, add in sausage and one cup of orzo
5. Boil for 9 minutes or until orzo is al dente.

I double this recipe for my family of 6, and so I can have leftovers.  Let me know what you think!

Food Gardens to Low Income Families of Elyria, Ohio

This isn't a recipe today.  It is a call to help.  I live in a city that is desperately in need of hope.  It is in need of inspiration and help.  Like many cities across America, we have been hit hard by unemployment, taxes, foreclosures..... it goes on and on.  We have falling down buildings, houses and spirits. 

,

But there is a chance!  A gleam of hope!  Pepsi has a program each month where they award $25,000 to ten great civic ideas out of thousands of submissions.  My husband Alex is organizing this event for our city. 

Here's the gist:  A vegetable garden for 1,000 low income families!  Using a product that requires no digging, by Filtrexx Int.  they will be able to install 'raised bed' vegetable gardens and help teach the importance of nutrition and organic growing to thousands of people! 

What you do:
1.  Text the number 104402 to 73774


*standard text message rates apply

2. Go to this Pepsi Refresh website to read all the specifics on this amazing idea and vote

3. Vote through your Face Book.  Here are the steps:
      1) Search for Pepsi and "Like" it
      2) Look up our project, search term Filtrexx Foundation (my husband's company and applicant)
      3)Click "vote for this"

4. Your votes will provide good, nutritious food to those who cannot!

Pasta e Fagioli Link

I fell in love this weekend with a new recipe. Yep, you read right. If overdramatization is not your thing, this is not the site for you. I've been known to post about toothpaste, tennis shoes, and Dumdums. But back to my recipe story.

There is a blog that I frequent. And when I say frequent, I mean I check it daily. Me and Jeanette, yeah I call her Jeanette, we will either end up east coat-west coast besties or she will block me from her site and consider a restraining order. Time will tell. Her site, Life Rearranged is amazing. She is funny, creative and to top it all off, she does fund raising for various charities via guest-blogging by people who's lives have not gone as they expected. Sometimes when I'm reading I am also shouting at my screen "You took the words right out of my mouth!!" Cuz me and Jeanette, we think alike, but she just says it funnier.

Again, back to the point. A few weeks ago she posted a recipe that looked delish. I finally got around to trying it this weekend and it was just as she said. Totally delectable. I swapped a few things out, because I have the spiciness capacity of a two year old. But it was still awesome. So here is the link to her recipe Pasta e Fagioli if you want to do it the original way, or if you are like me here is alterations below.

*Instead of the Italian sausage she sliced up, I used 1 pound of ground, mild, Italian sausage.
*I used 2 big carrots
*Realized I was out of thyme
*Omitted the cayenne (aforementioned reasons)
*Use a BIG pot! I have been eating it {happily} for 3 days straight because it makes a ton!
Stay tuned for a recipe from me tomorrow. I'm getting back into my cooking groove, I've been making delicious stuffed shells, broccoli soup and its about time I post my recipe for Caramel Apple Cake don't you think? I'll re post this on my recipe blog http://realrecipesforrealfamilies.blogpost.com. Why did I make them separate? I don't even remember.
And if you would like to click over and peruse my family blog it is here.