fabulous snickerdoodles!!!

growing up, christmas was always a special time in our house. there would be enormous amounts of baking going on, not to mention all the food being prepared! people would be in and out and there was something always freshly baked waiting to be devoured no matter who or when they arrived at our door. there was one cookie in particular that did not last long in our house, and it was not because we had endless guests, but because it was my daddy's favorite!! as long as i  can remember i loved helping my mom and then baking these on my own for him and it was snickerdoodles! those christmas's seem so long ago now that i'm grown and my dad is gone. yet still every time i bake a batch or see or smell them i think of him. 
a while back i found a recipe for snickerdoodle brownies and i filed it away in my to try recipe pile. if you know me this pile is a rather large place that a lot of my good intentions go to never be seen again. sept marks 18 years that he is gone and i don't care how long it has been it never gets easier and i miss him always. ironically a few weeks ago when he was really on my mind i came across this recipe and i knew i needed to move it from the must try pile to the yes i must keep pile. it was a perfect day, the record heat had finally started to subside and i was really needing a day in the kitchen to bring my spirits up, so i set to baking and i will tell you when the kitchen filled with the aroma of cinnamon and sugar (and the notre dame football game playing on the tv, another of my dad's favorite things) i know my dad was smiling somewhere and i starting smiling too. needless to say they were fabulous and a great twist on a already great classic. they will never replace the cookie in my mind, but i know my daddy would approve. just to make them a little more decadent we served them warm with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

snickerdoodle brownies


2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. . In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
5. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon.
6. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking pan
7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. While still warm, cut into squares




so i hope this recipe brings you a smile and a warm, yummy feeling in your tummy, i know it did for me.
oh, and one more thing, i have another person that these will always remind me of too.

cinnamon banana bread

hi all! as promised her is the banana bread recipe the kids and i made this past weekend. it was so wonderful and moist and is made with greek yogurt for a little kick of protein. i can't take credit for the recipe as i found it on the C & H sugar page. 

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1  tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/3 cup vanilla greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Swirl

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Simple Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk)

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.  In a separate large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with a stand or handheld mixer on medium speed until well blended – about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a wooden spoon, stir in the mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Do NOT overmix.  Batter will be thick.
Spoon half of the batter into prepared loaf pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar swirl ingredients.  Top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-45  minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.
While the bread is cooling, make the glaze in a small bowl by combining the powdered sugar and heavy cream.  Add more powdered sugar until you reached desired thickness.  Drizzle over banana bread.

hope you like it as much as we did! enjoy!

stop panicking and start planning

those dreaded words "i'm hungry!" and so it begins, they are home from school tired, cranky and hungry. you've been running around all day and have just walked in the door, the last thing you want to do is drop everything and make them a healthy snack. you think " let them eat a bag of chips, just this once, you'll do better tmw".  the truth is we've all been there and it doesn't have to be that way. you can have them get a healthy snack on their own while you gather you wits about you and start thinking about dinner (that's a whole other blog post) all it takes is a little planning in the beginning of the week, or whenever you have a free hour. yes i said, hour?! but one hour a week, will save you several hours of your sanity later.
the whole idea behind this is to create snack stations with healthy grab and go snacks that the kids can get themselves. the hardest thing for a kid is to think about what they want and what they should eat when they are in this cranky hungry state of mind. they are very visual and if you make it easy to find and chose they will make the right choices on their own. 
there are three easy stations that anyone can create in their kitchen.

the first and easiest is out in the open, counter tops, kitchen tables, islands wherever works for you.

 load your counters with fresh fruit and easy snacks, like gluten free pretzels or nuts. we keep them in covered containers so they stay fresh and it's easier for the kids to grab and eat.

next is the pantry, food drawer, wherever you keep your snacks.

load a basket with mom approved snacks, like granola bars, fruit leathers, prepacked peanuts, put items like veggie sticks, and rice cakes in easy to open and close containers. the containers help to keep items fresh, and are no messy bags and crumbs. the added bonus is if you buy in bulk, it is cheaper than the small prepacked bags. this station is great for grabbing out the door snacks or helping when the kids pack their lunches. here's another idea,make one of these for you on another shelf. i pack mine with almonds, protein bars and dried fried and nut mixes, makes it easier for me to snack and run too.

the next is the fridge, this one can be for the whole family too.

this is where snacking can get dangerous. the endless opening and closing of the doors and staring into the abyss hoping that something will jump out at you. now the food will jump out at you and make your choices easier. find a shelf that is easy for everyone to reach, or your oldest at least, they can help your littliest. (see another sneaky thing, teaching them how to take care of each other). load the shelf with small yogurts, precut fruit and veggies. i keep things like carrots & celery in water, this keeps them extra crunchy and fresh. have fresh squeezed veg/fruit juice for them to drink and pre-filled reusable water bottles. another way to save on money(and the enviroment, but i won't bore you with my granola bar theories), refill your own water, instead of buying the little throw away bottles.i love these collapsable water bottle by vapur.  things like string cheese and baby bell cheeses are also a great thing to add.

this isn't very hard and really the most work is in the chopping of fruits and veggies. my kids have a similar shelf in our drink fridge, loaded with v8 juices and coconut waters, for the times when water just doesn't hit the spot. the key is with just a little planning and organizing 1 day a week, you free up so much time during the week. 

this post is for all my friends who open my fridge and pantry and laugh at my little ocd problem i have. it doesn't have to be pretty, just convenient and easy. 

alisa's favorite chicken salad

hi all! this is a follow up to my blog post on kids helping in the kitchen. this is an easy no fuss recipe that kids can practice their chopping and creative skills. my kids love chicken salad and they love to take some of their favorite lunch ideas and make them better. so the following is my daughter's version of chicken salad. the other great thing about this recipe is that i use plain greek yogurt in it so it is packed with protein and probiotics.

alisa's fancy chicken salad

2 cups chopped chicken (any kind, i use leftovers from roasted chicken)
1 medium apple, peeled & chopped (we use fuji)
1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped depending on how much crunch you like
1 cup plain greek yogurt (you may use a little more or less)
2 T mayo (optional)
1 teas mustard (any kind)

this is where you get to improvise we used garlic powder, paprika and salt & pepper to taste. feel free to add whatever flavors you like. we also had some pecan/cranberry salad toppers that she decided to throw in at the last minute, but you can omit nuts or add whatever sounds good to you, like almonds or walnuts. now for the really hard part!

dump 1st 3 ingredients in bowl and add the yogurt a little at a time to reach the consistency you like, our family isn't into gooey so ours is on the drier side. after the yogurt dump all the rest of your ingredients in the bowl and mix away. i know tough isn't it?! you can now eat, we like to put ours in the fridge and let the flavors meld, but you are welcome to enjoy right away.
alisa likes her's in a whole wheat pita pocket, my son likes to eat it with multi grain crackers, however you eat it, it's sure to be a hit if it's your kids own creation! 

so there you have it, a fun way to start the kids off and think of all the things you can even do with this idea, turkey, tuna, firm tofu the choices are limitless in the minds of kids. 

kids helping us save time in our busy lives.

it's that time of the year, where the school rush starts and the time in the day seems to slip away faster and faster. as the years have passed and the kids are now starting 2nd and 5th grade it seems there is twice as much to do and not nearly enough time to get it all done.

so now that the kids are older i have started to enlist their help in lots of ways to help save time. doing laundry, cleaning and generally starting to be responsible for themselves. one of the best things i have ever done is teach my children their way around the kitchen. they have been helping me in the kitchen for years, coming up with great recipes to try, washing fruits and veggies, retrieving  and replacing ingredients as i cooked, but in the last two years the magic has really started to take place. both of my children have mastered making a full meal for themselves. now i'm not saying they are making steak and lobster or roasting a turkey or anything. simple meals, meals that don't require my help and some that require my supervision.

 so you ask" how does this fit in the time saving aspect of our lives?" the fact that my kids can now make/pack/clean up their own lunches is huge! the night before while i am cleaning up from dinner or preparing for the next day, the kids make their own lunches. this is great for two reasons, one i don't have to do it and two they make what they want to eat and with two that make very different choices sometimes this is a dream come true. this is the easiest cooking your kids can do, really how hard is it for them to make a sandwich? and no heavy equipment needed, just some bread and their favorite filling. in fact if the idea of them using a knife for spreading condiments or cutting the crust off leaves you woozy,  a plastic knife works wonders. (on the plastic knife subject, it also works wonders with cutting apples, pears, peaches, celery and lots of other stuff) 

the next time saver is breakfast in the morning. my kids started way back with being able to grab cereal and fruit, yogurt and granola and several other no cook items on the weekends. this was to enable me a little extra shut eye or just some peace and quiet first thing in the morning. for the younger kids i used to put the milk or juice in easy to pour containers on shelves they could reach in the refrigerator. gradually they started to learn how to make eggs, scrambled and over easy, french toast and even pancakes if i left batter in the fridge. they have even mastered making smoothies. this is now a huge time saver on school mornings, both kids can successfully make breakfast for themselves either working as a team or making their own item of choice. 

 i will remind you that this all requires patience and is sometimes messy. start slow if your kids haven't helped before. have them work along side you until you feel comfortable with them doing it by themselves. make rules about when and when they can't use a knife or stove/appliance based on your comfort level and theirs. i no longer have to be in the kitchen with either for most tasks and even have had the benefit of breakfast/lunch being cooked for me. the best part about this isn't just the time saving factor. you are teaching your kids how to be self sufficient, eat healthy and be creative. it is amazing what kids will eat when given the opportunity to help or even decide on the ingredients. so have fun and save a little of your time & sanity at the same time.

stay tuned for the recipe for alisa's favorite chicken salad recipe.