Pizza Rolls!

As many of you know, Michael and I are pescatarian.  We were vegetarian for many years, and had a brief stint as vegans (about a week), but we found a healthy and ethical balance for our own souls as pescos.  Our children, however, deserve to choose their own paths when it comes to what feels right for them, their spirits, and their bodies, so they have the choice to eat meat - and both of them do, though Jonah has decided to no longer consume gelatin for ethical reasons.

In light of this, we experiment a lot in the kitchen, and today, for the second time, we made pizza rolls.  You may also call them pepperoni rolls, since pepperoni is one of the major ingredients.

Maeryn was an enormous help in the kitchen while Jonah watched Minecraft Wiki videos (she's the little chef in the family).

I figured since they were such a huge hit around here, that I would share them with you and yours.  They are quick, easy, and fun!

Recipe:

1.  Sauce:

1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic

Cook on medium in saucepan until bubbling.  Stir occasionally.  Leave on low as you prepare the crust.

2.  Crust:

1 cup flour (we use whole wheat, unbleached)
1 tsp sugar (we use raw cane sugar)
1 tsp baking powder or one packet quick rise yeast (they work equally well, it just depends on what we have in the pantry)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup very hot water
1 tsp dried oregano

Mix these together with a spoon until you form a nice, hearty dough.  Use your hands to mold the dough into a ball before kneading 3 - 5 minutes.

Roll dough ball into flat crust on counter top or other floured surface.  Cut dough into 3 x 5" strips.

3.  Rolls:

Pepperonis, crust, sauce

Place 3 - 5 pepperonis in center of each strip.  Add 1/2 tsp sauce on top.  Roll pepperoni and sauce into dough, sealing the ends with your fingertips.  Brush with your choice of oils and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 6 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Enjoy!  

My mini-goals for Valentine Week:

1.  Make cookies with frosting.
2.  Decorate and use a Valentine mailbox.
3.  Talk with the kids about Saint Valentine.
4.  Get paper and scissors and gluesticks for the homeschool group V-day party.
5.  Think about more fun things to do!
6.  Read some V-day books with the kids.

My mini-goals for today:

1.  Sweep the kitchen floor.
2.  Get silver hair spray for this weekend's awards event (Michael was nominated for best singer-songerwriter here).

Easy, Tasty, Vegan Tacos

YUM!

So...Michael made incredible vegan tacos for lunch today.  I helped with the seasoning, but it was really his brainchild, so he gets the credit for this one.  If you're new to the vegan or veg scene or are just interested in trying something fun and meatless, check this recipe out!

You will need:

2 cups organic red kidney beans
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 cup organic stewed tomatoes (drained)
1 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder
3 tsp ground cumin

Optional toppings:

guacamole
chopped tomatoes
artichoke hearts
chopped romaine lettuce

1.   Combine ingredients into your cast iron skillet (you can use something else, but cast iron adds iron and TASTE!) and simmer fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Serve in taco shells and top with your choice of veggie goodness!  We used guacamole for our major fat.  I usually spread the guac on the bottom of the shell before the "meat".  We also used organic romaine lettuce and some organic tomatoes from the farmer's market (chopped). 

Enjoy!  

Recipe: Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

Maeryn, first thing in the morning, having a cupcake breakfast. 

Last night, in my great search for vegan cupcakes that hold up under pressure and taste amazing, I found this fantastic website called The Art of Dessert...  and...  wow.  Just, wow!

This blogger has some fantastic and amazing recipes - and all of them look awesome.  Also, one of her children has an egg allergy, which my son shares, so SO many are useable for our family.

Maeryn and I halved the following recipe and made a few changes (in bold), but I wanted to share so you could all check out this awesome blog AND have some awesome cupcakes with your fam.

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
Allergy note: contains wheat ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup Crisco
1 3/4 cups raw, organic cane sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbs. white, distilled vinegar
4 Tbs. orange juice
1 1/2 cups rice milk
zest of one lemon (optional) (we didn't use this)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare two muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.




She recommends mixing your wet and dry ingredients separately and has lots of instructions for doing so.  I never do this, and my stuff comes out just fine.  I just toss it all together in the bowl and mix like a mad woman. 

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out dry.  Let cool completely before decorating.

She follows up with a recipe for chocolate frosting, which I'm sure is fantastic, but I had some vanilla frosting already in the fridge, and used that instead.

So I guess my recipe is so different I could techincally be calling it my own, but I wanted to drive traffic to this woman's site.  I always check recipes in books and then add my own twists - isn't that how everyone cooks?

;) 

 

What's for Dinner?

This is a take on another lentil soup recipe that I made in the summer - here is the winter variety:

Stir together:

1 acorn squash (peeled, gutted, and chopped)
1 onion (chopped and sauteed)
3 potatoes (unpeeled and chopped)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
3 cups water
1 can Campbells tomato soup (for base)
1 cup spaghetti sauce of your choice (to thicken)
1 can or jar diced tomatoes
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
fresh basil to taste or 2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic

Cook in crock pot on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high for 2 - 3 hours.  Serve with your choice of breads.

Hoop School + Easy Cheesy Rice

Had a pretty epic day today after a string of pretty boring ones.  I couldn't stand being cooped up in the house any longer, so this morning, while Jonah was parked in front of Survivor Man and Maeryn was contentedly playing with blocks, I asked what they wanted to do.  Maeryn gave no answer.  I gave several choices.  Jonah said "nah" to everything.

So I said, "Okay, I'm choosing.  We're going on a hike."

There was some protest, I admit.

I brought clothes downstairs along with toothbrushes and other morning essentials.  Both kids reluctantly donned clothing and brushed teeth and chomped vitamins and we headed out the door.  It was 11 AM.

"I'm hungry."

"Me too."

"Okay - we're going out.  Where do you want to do?  You have four choices:  Panera Bread, Applebees, Burger King, or Bob Evans."

Jonah:  "NOT Panera Bread."

Me:  "Okay, Panera's out.  Maeryn, what would you like to eliminate, Applebees, Burger King, or Bob Evans?"

Maeryn:  "I want go to Applebees."

Me:  "Okay, where do you NOT want to go?"

Maeryn (crying):  "I WANT GO TO APPLEBEES!"

Me:  "Okay.  Maeryn wants to go to Applebees.  Jonah, where do you want to go?"

Jonah:  "I want Burger King.  I want to get a toy."

Me:  "You already have the toy they're giving out."

Jonah:  "Burger King anyway."

Maeryn:  "APPLE-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!"

Me:  "Okay.  I'm thinking of a number between one and ten.  Maeryn - what number do you like?"

Maeryn:  "Ummm...four!"

Me:  "Okay, Jonah, pick a number between one and ten."

Jonah:  "Six!"

Me:  "The number was two.  We're going to Applebees."

There was some protest and some rejoicing.  Probably both a little over the top - but this is normal for my brood, so I talked Jonah down and explained that it was sort of mean to gloat about things to Maeryn and we headed to Applebees.  Got a SWEET parking space right next to the door and seated almost immediately.

The service was...  well...let's just say the ridiculous wait time for food, drinks, and everything else left a bit to be desired, but we all had fun choosing from the menu and ordering favorites, coloring on the kids' menu, filling out mad libs, figuring out puzzles, and playing the "box game" while we waited.  Maeryn even took advantage of the "potty" facilities!  We all shared a huge glass of water until the kids got their lemonades in kid cups, talked about our days and what we're into right now, and eventually gnoshed on our tasty food items (okay, Maeryn only ate her fries, but Jonah and I enjoyed EVERYTHING).

An hour later, we were back in the mobile and headed for hiking.  Jonah chose a new trail that we hadn't explored much before - a nature trail on the recreational annex of the nearby Naval Base.  It wasn't a very long trail, but the air was frigid and Maeryn isn't much for long distances... yet.

Jonah collected several gumballs from the snow-covered ground, Maeryn survived several face plants, including one that drew some blood on her wrist, for which she later received a Dora Band-Aid, which made it all worth it, and I managed to stay warm and enjoy the fresh air - briskness and all.  I LOVE hiking.

After the hike, we headed over to the outdoor swimming pool, complete with twisty slide, where the kids took lessons over the summer - they wanted to see what it looked like without water.  I admit, it was fun for me to see as well, as there was a blanket of snow at the bottom of each pool and it looked like a pretty amazing skate park for those who are avid on wheels.

Back at home, we waited for Michael to come back home, and he made burritos and hung out with the kids while I did some cardio in the bedroom.  Yeah, the whole idea of calling something "cardio" seems kind of weird to me - I'd rather just say "I went for a run" or "I'm going cycling" - but this was truly a workout straight out of the pages of a magazine, so I might as well call it like I see it.  It was a fifteen minute hard-core work-out that I LOVED.  I showered after and joined the fam for some burritos and specialty family recipe: Easy Cheesy Rice:

You will need:

2 cups whole grain rice
4 cups water (to be cooked with the rice, as directed on package)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
1/2 cup salsa (your choice - we like the black bean variety)

-  Cook rice as directed on package.
-  Once rice is cooked thoroughly, reduce to low heat and stir in cheese and salsa until cheese is melted completely
-  Serve steaming with inside refried bean burritos or as a tasty side.

(For Jonah's dairy allergy, we add salsa first and stir, serve Jonah's helping, and then add the cheese for the rest of the fam.)

After dinner we hopped in the mobile and headed to the town square, where we got to see the town Christmas tree, and then we stopped at Lowes to pick up materials for hoops (can't call them "Hula Hoops"...the term is apparently patented).  Each of us made our very own and took turns "hooping it up" in the living room (the only room in the house remotely big enough).  Jonah is by far the best at the art of the hoop, followed closely by Michael, and well...I trail quite a ways behind, but I'm practicing!  (Maeryn slept through most of the ordeal, including the trip to Lowes, during which she was asleep in the cart.)
 

End of Summer.

Today is Jonah's first day of first grade!

EGADS!

I can't believe it.  He got on the bus today all by himself.  I didn't cry, but I was close!  Maeryn kept me in check with her various demands.

He picked dandelions for the bus driver.  I handed out all the allergy stuff to everyone (teachers, admins., bus driver) and sent a reminder email to the headmaster at the school about the protocol for using his EpiPen.  He is carrying it with him in his backpack this year, and I am GLAD.  He knows how and when to use it and I trust him completely.

I miss having him at home, but I know this is what he wants, and he ADORES friends, and that is what he is most looking forward to...  though I heard him upstairs practicing reading in his bed last night.

I'm sad that summer is ending.

Last week we took a last SAHM day-trip to the local beach.  It was so much fun.  We stayed for four hours picnicking, watching crabs crawl along the bottom of the river, chasing HUGE schools of fish, and turning over rocks to see what we could see.  It may have been the most fun I had all summer.  I also got to run a lot.

I've been reading Born to Run and I've learned that "we don't stop running because we get old.  We get old because we stop running!", and I've tried to run when the kids run.  You know what?  It makes life a whole lot more exciting.  EVERYTHING becomes an adventure!

Oh!  Yesterday I made my first pot of chili of the season.  I call it:  End of Summer Chili.  You can find the recipe here.