Bloomin' Pepperoni Bread

Well, I know the holidays are officially over with the passing of Epiphany, and all that is left is football. Now, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I couldn't care less about football. The only appeal it has for me is the food. I watch the Superbowl for the commercials, but everything else you can take. I do, however, enjoy Superbowl parties. I like themes, and themed foods. I have made football pull apart cakes and even attempted those football Oreo truffles from pinterest (which I failed at). That is what I like about sports. The food. So without further ado, here is a great Super Bowl/football appetizer to share.

1 round loaf of french or Italian bread (I used a french boule)
1 pkg or stick of pepperoni, thinly sliced and halved
8 oz soft provolone, thin sliced
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper or peperoncini flakes if you are feeling daring
1 tbsp pecorino or Parmesan cheese
marinara sauce for dipping

1. Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise, very carefully, without cutting through the crust. It doesn't have to be perfect so don't stress!

2. Stuff the bread with provolone, mozzarella, and pepperoni. Place stuffed bread on a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Combine butter, olive oil, and seasonings. Brush over the bread to cover entire loaf and then sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with foil.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and then unwrap and continue baking another 10-15 minutes until the cheese and pepperoni are slightly crispy.

Adapted from: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Maple Bacon Pancakes

Try this new spin on classic pancakes for a delicious Saturday morning breakfast. I love bacon. Everyone loves bacon. In my house, it's pancakes and bacon or no pancakes at all. I mean, pancakes are good, but they need a counterpart, another component to make them perfect. And bacon happens to fill that spot.
And my husband will never eat pancakes with maple syrup, ever. So I decided to embrace our love of bacon and maple syrup and try adding it to pancakes. It turned out great!

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp melted butter
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Mix all dry ingredients, except the bacon, together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir all the wet ingredients together.

2. Combine both mixes together and stirring only enough to incorporate the two batters.

3. Fold the bacon into the batter gently and let batter rest for about 10 minutes.

4. Pour it onto a heated griddle or electric skillet and flip pancakes when bubbles form on the pancake tops. Eat warm, served with butter and maple syrup. Happy breakfast time!

Vegetable Tian

The new year has come and everyone is busy racking their brain with resolutions, changes, and new ideas. Many people will plan to become healthier and more food conscious in the new year. If eating your veggies and enjoying them is one of your goals for the new year, then this is perfect for you.

People always say how kids hate eating their vegetables. I know this because I was that kid. I ate maybe ten foods, none of which were nutrient rich. I was such a picky eater and I'm not entirely over that. There are still plenty of foods that make me squirm, but I did finally embrace veggies and found such delicious and healthy ways to prepare them. This is one of my husband's favorite veggie sides for dinner.

Happy New Year and may 2014 bring everyone many blessings and happiness!

2 onion, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed

3 red potatoes

3 large tomatoes

1 yellow zucchini

1 green zucchini

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded

salt

pepper

1. Saute the onion and garlic with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt over medium heat until softened. Set aside to cool.

2. Slice the potatoes and vegetables into thin round disks.

3. Spray a square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop half of the onions and garlic into the bottom of the baking dish.

4. Layer the veggie and potato slices vertically, in an alternating pattern. Then top with salt, pepper, and tbsp of olive oil. Spread the remaining garlic and onions over the veggies and cover with foil.

5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Christmas Sugar Cookies with Glaze Icing

Every year our family has a Christmas party with all of my Grandpa's family. His brothers and sisters and all their kids, grandkids, and now even great grandkids, get together to eat, dance, and take tons of pictures. It's such a nice gathering and tradition that we all love. We always make my Grandma's classic cookies (which I'm planning to share soon) and I also made these Christmas shaped sugar cookies.

As you know, I love making cutout cookies so much. I have made many shapes, sizes, and kinds, but the materials are generally the same, sugar cookies + royal icing= decorated sugar cookies. Now I love this formula for making decorated sugar cookies, but I will admit when making a large batch of say, 100 cookies or so, it can be time consuming. And though I do enjoy taking the time to decorate, design, and be creative sometimes you don't have as much time to dedicate to decorating. So here comes the perfect solution for quicker cookie decorating that is still terribly cute. Instead of royal icing or fondant, try this glaze icing. It's so very simple and looks great. It hardens to a stackable point, similar to royal icing, but not quite as stiff. Give it a try next time you are pinched for time or just want to try a new kind of decorating.


For our What's Baking challenge for December, Jenna from Jenna's Cooking Journey, chose Christmas traditions and there is nothing more Christmas to me and my family than Christmas  family parties and cookies. Enjoy these Christmas cut-out cookies with glaze icing.

Also I know I'm little behind but Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope that 2014 brings many blessings to you!

Cookie Dough:

1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter, cut into cubes
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp milk or water
1 tsp clear extract (vanilla or almond)
green gel food dye
sprinkles/sugar crystals


1. Cream butter and sugar on high until well mixed. Add in egg and extracts and continue to beat.

2. Slowly add in dry ingredients while mixing. Remember to scrape down sides of the bowl.

3. Knead the dough briefly and roll out on a floured surface. Cut into your desired shape using cookie cutters.

4. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes, until very slightly golden brown.

5.  Set cookies on racks to cool while making glaze.

6. Mix powdered sugar, corn syrup, and milk in a bowl. If your glaze is too thick, add 1 tsp more milk or water and if it becomes to too thin add some powdered sugar.  (For candy canes and Christmas trees, make one batch regular white glaze and a second batch with green dye)

7. To decorate, put glaze in ziploc or piping bag and cover cookies with glaze and use a utensil to help spread and smooth out glaze. Use festive sprinkles or sugar crystal to decorate if desired. Let glaze set up on baking racks until fully dry and hardened.


Source: Bake at 350 and Baked Bree

Christmas Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies on Jersey Bites

Check out this Christmas Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies I shared over on Jersey Bites. They are peanut butter cookies with a peanut butter buttercream squished in the middle! I used a cookie press insert and sugar crystals to make the design on the cookies. Hope you enjoy these and have a Merry Christmas!!!!