One Hour to Delicious Soft Pretzel Bites

Yum!  Really.  These pretzel bites are the perfect treat for a Saturday afternoon or a night at home with a movie.  They're ready in under an hour and really easy to make.  What more could you ask for in a home-made snack?!

You can change your toppings to suit your every whim.  If you like your pretzels salty with some cheese sauce or mustard, you got it!  For all you sweet tooth's out there, try cocoa or cinnamon sugar.  I tried out a cinnamon sugar mixture and a cocoa and sugar mixture.  Then the hubs and I chowed down on these with some Oreo Filling Dip.  Yum yum yum!

One Hour Pretzel Bites
Adapted from: Averie Cooks
Makes: about 30 small bites

Ingredients:
1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
3/8 cup (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) warm water
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon canola/vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted (for brushing)
Optional Toppings:
Kosher salt and mustard or cheese sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Begin by proofing your yeast.  Stir together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Let it sit for 10 minutes.  (If the yeast foamed up and about doubled, you're ready to move on.)
2. Stir together the yeast mixture, flour, salt, and oil.  Knead for about 5 minutes either by hand or with a stand mixer.  The dough will be firm and smooth.
3. Divide into two lumps and using your hands, roll each one out into a long rope (about the length of your cookie sheet).  No need to flour the counter for this step.  Then cut each rope into 1 inch sections.
4. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.  Make sure none of the bites are touching.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and allow the bites to rest on the stove while the oven is warming up.
6. Bake for about 16-18 minutes, until the pretzels are just barely starting to brown.  You don't want to over cook them because the will turn out hard.
7. While the pretzels are in the oven, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and prepare your toppings.
8. When the pretzels come out of the oven, brush them generously with butter and top with your desired toppings.  *An easy way to top these is to place your topping in a large baggie, then throw the bites into the baggie and shake it all up.
9. Enjoy!  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.  Before eating leftovers, place in microwave for about 15-30 seconds to warm and soften them.  Eat within two days.

 

Florida is the Best

It's true.  My little lovely today centers on the fact that living in Florida rocks!  I love it.

Yesterday, our life group spent the evening together on an island in the Indian River.  We hung out, explored the island, played games, built a campfire, MADE S'MORES!  It was a blast to hang out with the group in such a unique setting.  And the weather could not have been more perfect.  It wasn't too hot, wasn't too cold, and we got to see a beautiful sunset while we were there.  A really great day!

Here are some photo highlights!

Happy Monday!

New Purple Scarf

This week has been rough for me.  Nothing big.  Just a week full of small tough moments.  

And it all culminated this morning with the discovery that if you mess up my breakfast, you have messed up my entire day.  Yep.  I've been craving waffles all week.  And the plan was to make them for breakfast this morning so that Thomas could help me eat them (I try not to fix them just for myself because that would cause severe over-eating for me).  Well, too bad I tried a healthier recipe.  I ended up with a completely unusable waffle maker filled with inedible waffle-ish-ness.  

So, of course, I dejectedly grabbed a bagel from the freezer and popped it into the toaster instead.  ONLY to have the bagel burn to a crisp because the toaster decided not to pop up like it's supposed to!  While I had decided to give up on the world and go hide in a hole for the rest of the day, Thomas promptly grabbed another bagel and popped it into the toaster for a second go round.  

Nothing disastrous happened for the rest of breakfast, but I did have to spend the next 45 minutes cleaning out a waffle maker that is so stupidly designed that you can't take it apart to clean it.  So 45 minutes, some sore fingers, and about a million paper towels later, I shoved the (mostly) clean waffle maker back in its cabinet before I lost control and threw it in the trash instead.

So yeah, there's a peek at my day.  Moral of the story: Don't EVER mess with my breakfast!  Mer.

Anyway, I just meant to explain that I've been a little absent on the blog because I've had a bad week.  It's a lot harder to write upbeat posts when I'm feeling melancholy.

But I was reminded yesterday (just in time too), that God does not want his children to feel defeated and beat down.  Yes, He allows us to go through hard times, but the illusion of defeat comes straight from the enemy, not from God.  So, I am praying a lot and trying to keep my head up instead of succumbing to the feelings of failure.

Moving on... This post is really supposed to be about the scarf I recently finished, but I obviously got sidetracked.  (Thus explaining why I don't like to blog when I'm having a bad day/week.)

This is the scarf that's been on my loom since just before Christmas.  I started weaving with a light pink weft (sideways) yarn, got about halfway done, and then didn't touch it for about three months.  I stopped working on it because I really wasn't liking the color scheme.

One day, I decided that I didn't want to finish another scarf that I knew I wouldn't like, so I un-wove the entire thing and started again with a purple weft.  And I love the colors so much better.  Even though it was a pain to un-weave so much of a project, it was definitely worth it!  Here's the finished result!

I haven't started on a new project yet, but I'm sure I will soon!

A Few DIY Projects with a Yard of Fabric

So, Thomas and I bought a new bed in January of last year.  Our old bed was worn out because we didn't have the money to buy a good one when we got married.  So, we saved up a little extra money so that we could upgrade to a king-size bed.  Awesome!

Of course, changing the size of the bed meant that we had to change the comforter, etc.  So this was my chance to redo all of the colors in our bedroom.  I was ecstatic!  I love decorating and picking out colors and painting (even though we're not painting the apartment we live in now).

I decided that I wanted to go with a neutral bedding set (black, gray, white) and then add in accents of coral.  I thought that this would be a cool idea so that I could pretty cheaply give our room a face lift by changing the accent color in the future without having to splurge to buy an all new comforter set, sheets, etc.

Here's where the problem comes in... I picked coral.  In fact, I became married to the idea that I wanted coral accents.  And well, I'm a little picky about my color of coral.  It can't be too orange or too pastel.  And the other colors in the fabric must be gray, white, or black.  And as you might know, that's a pretty tall order to fill.  But I had pretty much the perfect color of coral in my bridesmaid dresses for my wedding, so I knew exactly what I wanted!

So for the past year and few months, we've had no coral accents in our room.  It's true that I have found several coral things that I liked, but I'm just not willing to pay $60 for a stinkin' decorative pillow.  Really, my budget has been quite minimal, so my mom inspired me to get my craft on.

While she was here, we spent the last day of her visit shopping.  We'd been looking for something coral just about everywhere we went with no luck.  But, our last stop was Hobby Lobby (I love that store!), and we (my mom) happened to spot some perfect coral and white fabric!!!

So, with her ideas flowing, we snatched it up and grabbed a couple of bags of "fiber-fill".  Add in some cute black buttons and a little bit of adorable ribbon, and here's the result.  (I still have quite a bit of fabric left, but I'm not quite sure what I want to do with it yet.)

The plan was to make a cute little decorative pillow for the bed, and here it is.  A couple of seams on the outside, some stuffing, and the final closing stitches, and I was done.  For a little extra something, I grabbed the cute black buttons on sale at JoAnn's.

We had only bought a yard of fabric, but I still had so much left, so I decided to use an old picture frame to make a little bulletin board.  I just cut the fabric to the right size, wrapped it around the picture frame and used a regular old stapler to staple it on the back.  Finally, I snazzed it up with some absolutely adorable ribbon (also from JoAnn's).

It makes the perfect little photo board.

Woohoo for DIY!  I made both of these items (with fabric and pillow filling to spare) for less than $20!  Just imagine the possibilities when you decide to try something out for yourself!

Healthy Berry Banana Smoothie

Ok, so this smoothie is so good, even my cat is addicted!  Lol.  I should inform you that Lolo loves yogurt.  Every time I eat it, she needs some.  So, when I make this smoothie, she really needs it.  (Please excuse my "unedited" morning face and pj's!)

The great thing about smoothies is that you can easily alter them to match your tastes.  Here are the ingredients that I used, but keep in mind that you can very easily change things out.  One suggestion I would make is to choose a yogurt that you like the flavor of.  Yogurt is a big part of the smoothie, so a flavored yogurt can go a long way in changing the taste.  I really love Publix Wild Berry Crumb Cake yogurt because it has a bit of berry flavor and some spice to it.  Yum!

Healthy Berry Banana Smoothie
Makes: one 16ish ounce smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen berries (I used unsweetened strawberries)
1/2 - 1 frozen banana (depending on how strong of a banana flavor you like)
6 ounces yogurt (I love Publix Fat Free Light Wild Berry Crumb Cake)
1/2 cup your choice of milk (more if it's too thick)
1 tablespoon honey
Small handful of almonds

Directions:
Add the ingredients to the blender in the order listed.  Then blend well until smooth.  Enjoy!

Copycat Five Cheese Ziti from Olive Garden

Today's recipe could not be more of a win if it tried!  I found this recipe via Pinterest several months ago, and since then it has become a favorite staple in our house.

I love it for so many reasons!

1. It really does taste almost exactly like Olive Garden's Five Cheese Ziti (my favorite)!
2. It is so incredibly easy to make.
3. It's almost better as leftovers (which I hardly ever say about ANYTHING).
4. It's amazing.
5. It's delicious.
6. It's super easy.
7. Did I mention it was easy to make?!

Seriously, if your family likes pasta, this is a MUST-TRY!

The mixture of sauces is incredibly creamy and the blend of cheeses make this dish rich and flavorful!  Oh so yum!  One of my main suggestions is to buy a sauce that you know has good flavor.  The sauce is one of the main ingredients in this meal, so if you buy tasteless sauce, it will definitely affect the pasta.  I absolutely love Prego Mushroom for the red sauce and Classico Light Asiago Romano for the alfredo.

Five Cheese Ziti
An Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
Adapted from: Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour
Servings: 6-8
*Optional:  I like to throw all the ingredients together in the morning and leave it in the fridge all day so that all of the flavors start to meld together.  This is not required, but a very delicious option.  Then, I just have to pop it in the oven when dinnertime rolls around.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I like Prego Mushroom.)
1 cup alfredo sauce (Our fave is Classico Light Asiago Romano.  It's got a lot less fat than the originals and it has a really nice flavor.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


Directions:

1. Boil the pasta noodles as per the instructions on the box.
2. Meanwhile, mix the sauces and cheeses in a large bowl.
3. Once the pasta is cooked, rinse and drain it a few times to cool it off a little.
4. When it has been drained well, pour the pasta into the sauce/cheese mixture and stir until everything is mixed together.
5. Pour into a glass pie dish or an oven-safe bowl (like a Pyrex).  
6. *Optional: Cover and place in the fridge until ready to bake.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Cover pan with aluminum foil.  Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice during the baking process.
9. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!  We absolutely love this meal, especially because Five Cheese Ziti is one of our favorite meals at Olive Garden.  I hope your family likes it too!

Blackberry Streusel Bars

These absolutely delicious treats are perfect for days when you want something sweet and tart but not too heavy.  They're a cute and yummy treat for any occasion!  And... you can make them any flavor you want just by using a different jam.  Strawberry, raspberry, apricot... I'm even dying to try apple butter and see how they turn out.  You could make several different flavors and take them all to a party to share!  The possibilities are only as limited as the jam selection at your local store!

Blackberry Streusel Bars
Adapted from: Pampered Chef
Makes: 16 squares

Ingredients:
Crust
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped
Filling
1/2 cup blackberry jam (or your favorite flavor)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Topping
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. To make crust: Combine all four ingredients for the crust in a bowl and mix well.  It will be very crumbly.  Separate 1/4 cup of mixture to use on top.  
3. Pour the rest of the mixture into a 9x9 baking pan.  I have used a stoneware pan and a regular metal pan, and both worked fine.  Using a sheet of waxed paper, press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan until flat.
4. To make filling: Stir together the jam and 2 tablespoons flour.  Spread evenly over the crust mixture.
5. To make topping:  Stir together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until it is no longer lumpy.  Pipe into the pan.  I piped diagonal stripes about one inch apart, but you can choose your own design if you like.
6. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of crumb mixture on top.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are just slightly golden brown.
8. Cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

I had been craving this delicious treat for a while, so I even made a little extra personal serving for me!  I ate it warmed up with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream on top, and it was amazing!  Enjoy!