New Recipes

In an effort to trim our weekly grocery budget I'm trying to make better use of my pantry and make fewer last minute trips for necessary ingredients.  This past week I didn't plan very well.   As 4 p.m. rolled around, I found myself searching Allrecipes frantically for meals to create with my pantry ingredients.

The results were not well-received.  At least not by the short people sitting at the table.  Made two big-time flops this week (tomato florentine soup and chicken fried rice with broccoli).   

Thankfully to counteract the meal-time flops, I also stumbled upon a few winning recipes this week. 

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats.  (found this recipe in a free calendar so there's no link, sorry!) This recipe was actually billed as *homemade granola bars*.  These are not at ALL like granola bars.  There's no baking involved and they turned out slightly crumbly.  Still it makes a yummy protein-filled snack.  And it must be eaten in a bowl or the crumby mess is out of control.  This is a great treat for preparing with small children.  My 3 year old counter-sitting helper loved mixing this all together!

Homemade hummus.  I like this recipe because it doesn't use tahini.  It's lemony and tangy and very easy to blend up for a quick healthy snack.  We've been eating this with pita chips, celery sticks, and on sandwiches.

World's best cornbread.  I was skeptical o this recipe touting such a brazen claim.  But after making this honey-laden cornbread, I'm a believer.  This IS indeed the world's BEST cornbread.  Try it for yourself and you'll be convinced too.  Beyond delicious!

What tasty new recipes have you stumbled upon lately?

Pepperoni Rolls

In an effort NOT to devote my blog entirely to homeschooling, I must share a yummy kid-friendly recipe.

I don't know about you but in the Horn household lunch time fare can be a tad boring. If we don't have leftovers from the previous night's dinner, then we usually hover around the same 2-3 lunch options:
1) tuna, cheese, crackers, veggies/fruit
2) pbjs, veggies/fruit
3) cheese quesadillas, veggies/fruit

Blah.

A few Saturdays back I took C & C out for a morning hike and then to a nearby pumpkin farm for some fall-ish activities. After a hayride and some leaf-pile-jumping we meandered over to the food tent. My cash was disappearing quickly and knowing how expensive prepared food tents can be, I wasn't expecting to be able to buy much. Maybe we could snag a few cups of apple cider with the $5 left in my pocket?

To my happy surprise an affordable homemade menu option was listed -- pepperoni rolls for only 75 cents each! Uncertain of WHAT a pepperoni roll was exactly, I queried the friendly worker ladies. The ladies' eyes lit up as they animatedly told me that the pepperoni rolls were just baked that morning, the rolls were still warm and extremely delicious.

Sold.

I bought 4 and we promptly devoured them all. Not that I expected less from pepperoni and mozzarella cheese baked in white bread dough.

After a bit of internet researching, I finally landed on this recipe. I didn't make it exactly as written since I'm positive the taste buds of the Horn children wouldn't appreciate minced garlic and marinated pepper rings.

The beauty of the recipe lies in its simplicity. AND the extra beautiful part is that you can freeze these puppies! After you construct the rolls, pop them into the freezer on a greased baking sheet and don't them let rise a second time. When you're ready to bake them, just take them out 30 minutes before hand and stick them in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes as directed. I haven't found that these need any extra thawing or rising time.

Among kid and adult testers alike these pepperoni rolls are a smashing success! And they definitely add some pizazz to our lunchtime routine.

What do you typically have for lunch? Any easy faves to share?