Peanut butter bars

I'm not big on desserts, as you know...but these were a wee bit addicting! I would cut off a quarter of a square and eat it, always came back for another quarter, and another quarter, and another quarter...until I ate a whole square anyway. Bet you can't do any better! These would be great for a 4th of July potluck, Maggie made these for her hubby's birthday party and they were a hit...kiddos especially love the sweets, it turns out. 

Sidenote: I will be out of town for the whooooooole week next week (man, that sounds great to say) and won't have great internet/phone service there so you will be on your own for the holiday week of cooking and eating...not that you can't handle it :) If you need a little help, remember you can check out my list of Memorial Day tummy fillers for some Summer fun food.  I shall return in July with lots of great new recipes to share (I'm breaking out the ice cream machine if that gets you excited)! I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday with loved ones, just as I plan to do!!

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup shortening

½ cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup oatmeal

Cream together first 5 ingredients. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in the oatmeal. Pat firmly into a greased 10x15 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Frosting:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 ½ Tbsp milk

Cabbage salad

I've always loved the asian tasting cabbage salad they have at Palmer's Deli, but have never really thought to try to make it myself. Then, low and behold, Mern brought it's salad twin to Leslie's birthday party a few weeks ago (my contributions were the strawberry angel food kabobs and the loaded baked potato dip....and I couldn't get it off my mind. I'm not ashamed to text someone for a recipe now and then...and Mern delivered! So I made me a big ol' batch for Father's day weekend and enjoyed every last ramen noodle....thanks Mern!

1 head cabbage
green onion
1 packet chicken ramen noodles
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar (I use a little more rice vinegar)
chicken packet from ramen
sugar to taste

Cut cabbage into thin slices and then chop the slices. Dice the green onion. Smash the package of ramen noodles and add to cabbage, onion, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Mix the dressing together and cover the salad.

Pizza sammich

I have a friend who has had awesome results from Weight Watchers, so naturally I wanted the low down on the program. I'm too cheap to pay for it, especially when I pay my monthly dues to Kosama workouts, but I figured if she could just tell me how many "points" I'm supposed to have each day, then I can google and figure out what everything has in it. Plus, I follow a couple blogs that strictly feature WW recipes, and I already eat Smart Ones meals at work (they are a WW product so they list their points on the box). This can be that hard, can it!?

So for my weekly shopping trip, I picked up some WW cheese spread to see how it was. OMG, you guys. They're not fooling around with this stuff. I could eat it on anything....like even just my finger. I haven't tried the other flavors besides the jalapeno pepper yet, but don't worry I have some in the fridge. Anyway, I will admit this was not a planned meal...I just looked in the fridge, saw what I had, and threw it together. And then ate the same thing the next night, and the same thing the next night, until my good loaf of bread was gone. Yeah....that good.

This is very similar to my recent posting of pizza paninis, except with way less prep, and no need for a Griddler...plus this newfound cheese love of mine just takes the whole thing up a few notches!

Toast your bread (gotta be the good stuff, this is Everything bread from Wal-Mart, who surprisingly has an awesome bakery) and spread a cheese wedge on top of one side.  Layer some turkey pepperonis, canadian bacon, and a little pizza sauce before closing up shop to devour your creation.

I threw it in the microwave for a quick 20 seconds to heat the insides up even though the bread was toasted, and then we were in business! A hearty meal in literally the time it takes you toast a couple slices of bread and not too damaging on your waistline (under 300 calories), although it seems like a cheat meal! You really can't beat something like that...

Chocolate chip oreo chunk cookies

A few weeks ago, I asked Main Man if he had any requests for the grocery list for our weekend at the lake. He mentioned string cheese and cookies...he's easy to please :) Well, I brought the string cheese....but I have such an aversion to baking and didn't think he would remember, that I skipped the cookie part. Bad idea. I thought tears were going to spring up the afternoon he asked me where they were....."But I asked you to bring cookies when you asked what I wanted."  Poor guy. I guess his grandparents ALWAYS had Archer cookies at their lake house when he was growing up, so it was particularly scarring that I purposefully ignored his request. What a horrible fiance I am!

So I did what any fiance trying not to be horrible would do, and made him a batch of homemade oreo chocolate chip cookies for the following weekend....a double batch actually! These were perfectly chewy, you got nice hits of chocolate, oreo, and peanut butter in each bite, and for a girl who doesn't bake, they turned out pretty darn good (I will not apologize for the horn tooting there)! When I gave him a bag of the cookies that I made from scratch, not even from a package, for him and him alone....he says "But I said my Grandma had Archer cookies."  A girl just can't win! I guess I should be happy that his preference is store bought rather than homemade so I don't have to bake all the time....but throw a girl a bone here!

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 T vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
2 cups crushed Oreo cookies (not too crushed-use your hands, not a food processor, it's about 15-20 oreos)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease or line your cookie sheets. I greased the first time, and then lined the second time, and it was a world of difference using parchment paper instead of just grease. They came right off, and you can just throw the paper away without having to clean too much crud off the cookie sheets...I will remember that the next time I bake, in about 5 years.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside. I didn't sift...I just mixed with a fork. Take that.

Mix the sugars and melted butter just until thoroughly mixed. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until creamy. Add the sifted (or fork mixed) ingredients and mix until just blended, don't over beat. I used a fork for this as well, as I am too lazy to clean my beater. It worked just fine!

Stir in the Oreo chunks, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto your baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies and the heat of your oven. The edges of the cookies should just start to be turning golden.

Leave them on the cookie sheet to cool a bit when removed from the oven or they will fall apart. Don't ask how I know that. Once they cool a bit, remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. I don't have a cooling rack so I laid them out on a piece of waxed paper.  Makes about 15-20 cookies, depending on size. I doubled the recipe since I figured I won't be baking again for a while, so we were swimming in cookies....for awhile. Once the dads got a hold of the cookie jar on Father's day weekend, they didn't stand a chance! At least they made me feel better about my baking abilities....although I'm thinking that since their ladies weren't there that weekend, they took the opportunity to eat what they wanted without anyone on them about their sugar intake...but I'll take it!

And this is why I don't bake. This recipe sheet pales in comparison to the mess that was my kitchen after this endeavor. Plus, when it's just Main Man and I at home, and I work in an office with only 2 other people, anything  bake will be staring me in the face and taunting me not to fit in my wedding dress in a few months. Not baking is seriously a safety measure for my own diet :)

Anyway, everyone needs a go-to cookie recipe in their box, whether they bake often or not, right? Well, I've decided this shall be mine...

Pork chop marinade

Ready, set, MARINATE! As you know, marinades are my fave way to infuse my meat with flava without a whole lotta work involved besides the throwing it on the grill part. This one did not disappoint....a little sweet, a little bite, a lot of love. I usually just stick with my standard chipotle pork chops marinade but have been venturing out lately so I thought I would give this one a shot. I used to shy away from anything with honey in it but I've grown to love the subtle sweetness it lends without going overboard. This is going to be made again, you can bet on that!
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 T vegetable oil (I always substitute olive oil in recipes)
2 T green onion
1 t curry powder (I'm not big on curry so I left this out)

Mix all ingredients together and marinate 4-6 pork chops overnight. I halved the recipe and only did 2 pork chops. Grill and enjoy :)

Please excuse the short, simple post as it is Monday and I am working on getting my brain right after a phenomenally relaxing weekend....I'll work on being more witty tomorrow :) In the meantime, just go ahead and drool over those charred grill marks there...mmmmmm!!

Shrimp on the grill

Buttah. Lemon. Lawry's. Shrimp.

I only need those four words to complete this post. I didn't measure, and I didn't time it on the grill...just soaked up the sun on Father's day while keeping an eye on these babies, and BOOM! These bomb little shrimpies were born...

Just slice 2 lemons and lay them in the bottom of the greased pan. Put 2 lbs uncooked (the grey ones) shrimp on top of them and sprinkle with Lawry's at your heart's desire. Top with a few spoonfulls of butter to melt on top and that's all she wrote! Throw it on the grill and watch the magic happen...

These don't take long at all, as you know if you've ever cooked shrimp before. I was constantly stirring (and tasting) but they were done in less than 10 minutes. Big Dan's love for shrimp scampe was the motivation behind all this, but I wanted to make it as easy as possible with having to haul all the ingredients for our Father's day feast to the lake...and I do believe this was as easy as humanly possible.

Nice hint of citrus, with some buttery saltiness...oh yeah, these were goooood :)

Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes

Yum. Super (and I mean SUPER) easy, but mainly....yum. I was fork eating the cold meat mixture before bed the night I made this. If you say you've never done that, I don't believe you. Remember when Main Man said he didn't like sloppy joes when I made the sloppy joe casserole?? Someone was singing a different tune after this meal...

1 T olive oil (I omitted this)
1 lb ground beef (you could use turkey but I used the lean 97/3 ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 T steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
4 dinner rolls
salt and ground black pepper
1 cup shredded provolone

In large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil if you're using it and brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper, and cook another 4-5 minutes, until the veggies start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and the beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed of love to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and put a large spoonfull of the meat mixture with all it's juicy glory onto your roll. Top with cheese and serve. I served it open face due to my carb cutting goal I've been talking about...and I had rolls the size of mini frisbees! Main man's seal of approval is stamped on this recipe as well, so I'm going to officially put it in the favorites tab to join our rotation of repeats. Repeats don't happen often in our household because there's always something new I want to try, but there are some easy, fantabulous recipes that tend to get remade over and over...I believe this will be one of them!

Loaded baked potato dip

Main Man requested this one out of the pile of appetizers I laid out to bring to a couple birthday parties earlier this month...and I was a happy camper since it only had 4 ingredients! I made a double batch, and brought it to both parties. I did not double the bacon, and probably should have since that was the part I kept searching for when I would dip...

16 oz sour cream (I used half greek yogurt and half fat free sour cream)
1 lb bacon
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions or chives

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to meld together. Garnish with extra shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped chives. Serve with potato chips or pretzel crisps.

As you know, I'm a huge proponent of greek yogurt lately and this was one of the first recipes that I tried to substitute it for sour cream. I couldn't even tell the difference and would probably sub the whole amount in the future! It's so much better for you...

If I were to make this again, I would use a little more bacon (I think the issue here was Main Man stealing pieces as I cooked them), I would use a little more chives (I didn't have a whole 1/3 cup on hand), and I would use a little less shredded cheese. Sharp cheddar is pretty strong tasting so the flavor was there but it just made the dip very thick. It would break off the chips as you attempted to get a good solid dip of it...not fun. The taste here was good, it was the consistency that needed work...

Key West Chicken

You know me...always on the lookout for a new marinade! Chicken always needs a little something to give it some depth, and this marinade had a nice sweet/salty/citrus-y thing going on that made it the perfect light flavor when charred on the grill. If you're sick of your plain old marinated in italian dressing chicken, this marinade is for you...

3 T soy sauce
2 T honey
1 T vegetable oil (I used olive oil as it's more heart healthy)
juice of 1 lime
1 t minced garlic
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and then pour over chicken in a container to sit overnight. For a slightly zestier option, add 2 T of fresh cilantro chopped up like I did.

Grill as you would a normal chicken breast and prepare to have your mind blown. This would also be a great marinade for shrimp, if you ask me....

Strawberry angel food kebabs

I bet you can guess where I saw the idea for these babies...yep, that's right. They were a gem from Pinterest.  These are so easy, that a kid could do them for you...and I'm sure they would have a blast doing it.  You only need a few things:

wooden kabob sticks

1 container strawberries

1 angel food loaf

chocolate syrup

I doubled the recipe because I had 2 birthday get togethers to hit up in one weekend...the angel food sticks went over well at both of them.  Just alternate fruit and cake on each stick and layer them in a dish to bring along...

Drizzle with chocolate syrup, and set out for everyone to enjoy. These were great for kids...and a nice summer treat that is not super bad for you! Angel food cake is fat free, the chocolate syrup is sugar free, and you just can't ever get enough fruit...

I do have to give a shout out to Main Man for the save on this. Yeah, if anyone can mess this recipe up, it's me. The original instructions called for melting your own chocolate, I had some almond bark (which tastes like white chocolate) so I threw that in the double boiler to melt. For some reason, it didn't go over well....and I thought I was going to have to stop and buy a dessert on the way to the first birthday party. We keep chocolate syrup in the fridge at all times for his chocolate milk habit (he likes the homemade kind better than store bought) and he suggested we use that....he sure does know how to calm a girl down when she's freaking out!

Ham asparagus panini with garlic pepper mayo

Did you read that last part? Garlic pepper mayo? Read it again. You want this in your life....rather, you want this in your mouth. The original recipe called for prosciutto, but I didn't have any on hand and it's a little pricey to be honest. Ham does juuuuuust fine, I tell you!

I'm always on the lookout for fun panini recipes since I got my Griddler for Christmas. If you are in the same boat, check out the proscuitto caprese panini and the pizza panini that I've done in the past...both will knocks your flip flops off!  But neither of those has garlic pepper mayo on them...so I'm torn as to picking a favorite which means you'll have to try them all and let me know how you feel about life afterwards.

1 package of fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed and pieces cut in half lengthwise
2 T olive oil mayo (I used to use fat free on everything but have recently been reading about the health benefits of the olive oil kind so I'm switching it up)
1 clove fresh minced garlic
4 slices good bread (ciabatta, italian, or whatever...I used "everything" bread from Wal Mart that turned out great)
ham (however little or lot you want on each sandwich
2 slices low fat swiss cheese
1 cup baby arugula/spinach mix
fresh cracked pepper to taste
Olive oil spray (misto)

Preaheat panini grill and lightly spritz asparagus with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, shut the Griddler and grill the asparagus on both sides simultaneously for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp.

While this is happening, mix your mayo, minced garlic, and cracked pepper together to make the lovely garlic pepper mayo spread I spoke of earlier.

If you don't have a garlic press...get one. It's life changing. I use fresh garlic in everything and it makes a world of difference! I can't even stand the taste of the minced garlic in olive oil they sell at the store anymore...blech! This is an OXO and I got it HERE if you're interested. Moving on...

Spread it on your bread slices, and layer the cheese, ham, arugula/spinach, and finally the asparagus when it's done. Spray the outside of your sandwiches with the olive oil and throw them on the Griddler until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. As usual, if you don't have a Griddler, you can improvise with a grill pan or an actual grill as well!

Oh me, oh my...tell me that hint of garlic and spice of pepper doesn't need to go on every sandwich made in the world! Main Man was not thrilled with the idea of the asparagus ON the sandwich originally (even though he loves the stuff and we ate the leftover asparagus as a side to the sandwich because we cooked the whole bunch at once) but once he tasted it, he was no longer opposed.

This recipe came from Gina's Skinny Taste which means it included Weight Watchers nutritional value for those of you who are on the program...I love when blogs post the nutrition info (I'm working on it over here, people) so I'm always on top of her posts!

Fat Stats:
Serving size: 1 panini (this recipe makes 2)
WW points: 7
Points+: 9
Calories: 337.2
Fat: 9.2 g
Carbs: 45.9
Protein: 18.5 g

BLT pasta salad

The last edition from the long Memorial Day weekend at the lake...can you tell I'm trying to relive it by posting about it every day?! Counting the days till the week of the 4th of July, where I will be taking the week off from work, wedding planning, and blogging to unplug, spend some QT with Main Man and some good friends, and enjoy some good eats which I will inevitably post when I am shot back into the real world the following week. See how I just got all depressed that it's over before it's even begun? I'm good at that...

Anyway, I pretty much think BLT pasta salad is like the most summery dish you could ever imagine. BLT's are a summer staple and pasta salad is always an easy, light side to throw together in the warmer months. Plus, if I make anything with bacon in it (even if it's only marginal), I know Main Man will eat through it just to get to the good stuff.  "Bacon?" in his best Scooby Doo voice is the standard response when he noses his way to the kitchen to steal a piece whenever I've got it rolling on the stove.

I made this one for Thanksgiving this year and it was a big hit, although I never got a chance to try it. It was a little more time consuming than this recipe that I stumbled on, so I thought I would see if I could get the job done with a few less ingredients (I had all this on hand already so a trip to the store was not neccesary).

8 oz uncooked elbows

4 slices bacon, cooked

2 large tomatoes, diced small

4 T fat free mayo

2 cups baby spinach

Boil your noodles according to package directions. Chop tomatoes and combine them along with any accumulated juice with the mayo and pepper in a medium bowl. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to cool. Combine pasta with tomatoes and spinach mixing well. Toss bacon with the salad and serve immediately. If you serve again later, you may need to add more mayo.

 

I enjoyed this, and it did have BLT qualities, but thought it could use a little more umph. I added pepper to it when I ate some and that helped, but next time I think I will add more bacon and use the olive oil based mayo rather than the fat free for some more flavor. It was super simple, and summery, and nice to be able to pull out a side dish that was done for meals that weekend....but I think if I do it again, I will make the one I made for Thanksgiving. More ingredients give it more depth of flavor I think....but if you're in a pinch, this is a quick one to throw together. Happy Summer, people! :)

Dunk dip

There's two types of people in this world...those who dip and those who can walk away from dip. I'm a dipper. I'm also a nibbler. I would much rather graze my way through a party than sit down and have a meal...you can multitask that way, mingle and much, it's the perfect mix.

16 oz sour cream (I will use greek yogurt to substitute when I make this next, I am obsessed with it as it is so much better for you than sour cream and you can't tell the difference)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 jar taco sauce
2 cups shredded mexican cheese

Mix together. Dunk. Done.

The photos aren't the best, as this was a mid-afternoon snack at the lake on Memorial day weekend that Michelle pulled out of the fridge. A creamy dip surprise is my favorite kind of surprise :) I won't name names, but the boys put a kill on this container after a few toddies that night as well...so it must go well with cold beer!

Spicy pinwheels

I wonder if I pick my friends because they like food or if they start to like food this much after hanging with this fat kid at heart for a while? These pinwheels were Michelle C's version of a pretty common appetizer, that she really hit out of the park. She was getting a little upset as she was slicing them up that she wasn't getting anywhere because everyone was stealing off the plate as she went...when your food doesn't even make it to the serving station before getting devoured, you did something right. I make Mallory's tortilla rollups pretty often for get togethers because they seem to disappear in that same fashion, but these actually had some kick to them that I could not get enough of! They don't have to be superbly spicy, it's all dependent on what type of salsa you use, really. Michelle used Mad Butcher's Hot salsa (which is one of my fave store bought salsas in the universe), and that's where these little suckers achieve the perfect little pants-kick of heat!

8 oz cream cheese (I always use fat free)
1 jar salsa
tortilla wraps (the low carb ones seem to roll better)
mexican shredded cheese (I always use 2%)
2 T chili powder

Soften cream cheese, add salsa and chili powder. Spread onto tortillas, top with handul of cheese (enough to lightly cover it) and roll them up. It's helpful to partially freeze them before cutting so they keep their shape so sticking them in the freezer for an hour is recommended.

I should warn you....these are dangerously poppable and were gone before anyone even realized it. Doubling this recipe if you have a large group is not out of the question, and if you want them to stick around for a bit, I would probably recommend it! Enjoy :)

Cauliflower salad

If you remember, I went gaga over the whole cauliflower replacing potatos phenomenon recently when I tried the twice baked cauliflower and realized I could get a carb fix without actual carbs! If you still haven't tried that recipe, we're fighting.

Ok, we're done. Anyway, Mallory (who made the above recipe for me one night I went over for dinner) sent me the recipe to try this cauliflower salad instead of potato salad for my next get together. She said this was even better than the twice baked cauliflower, so of course I was pumped to give it a go. It really was easier than normal potato salad I've made from scratch and I loved the taste of it! I don't think most of the guys thought it qualified as a full replacement for actual potato salad, but luckily they all liked cauliflower anyway so it was enjoyed by all on Memorial day weekend. If you're trying to go carb-free, or even just cut down on carbs like me, this is a good one to try...

1 large head cauliflower, chopped
1 1/2 cups fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
3 tbsp. Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise
1/2 envelope dry ranch dressing/dip mix
2 tbsp. fat-free non-dairy liquid creamer
1/4 tsp. salt
6 hard-boiled egg whites, chilled and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup chopped chives
3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped dill
2 tbsp. chopped parsley, plus more, for optional garnish
Optional garnish: paprika

Place cauliflower in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1/3 cup water. Cover and microwave until soft, 6 - 8 minutes. Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, drain any excess water.

Put 2 cups of the cauliflower in a blender or food processor. (Set aside the bowl of remaining cauliflower.) To the blender, add mayo, sour cream, Dijonnaise, dressing/dip mix, creamer, and salt. Puree or pulse until blended. Don't worry if the puree isn't completely smooth. Set aside. To the bowl with the remaining chopped cauliflower, add all remaining ingredients. Add pureed mixture from the blender and lightly stir to coat.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Garnish with paprika and additional parsley, if you like. Mmmmm!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS
 

PER SERVING (2/3 cup): 97 calories, 1.25g fat, 729mg sodium, 17g carbs, 3g fiber, 8g sugars, 4.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2*
 

Leslie's healthy cookie dough dip

Alright. It's Memorial Day weekend. We had pizza for breakfast. We have to wear a swimsuit today (and the rest of the weekend, mind you). See where I'm headed with this? We needed some healthier choices throughout the day so we didn't feel (and look) like Shamu on the beach...nobody needs to see that, believe me. Enter: Leslie's cookie dough dip...exept it's not cookie dough, but it tastes kinda like it, and you dip fruit in it, so it's healthy right? Right.

I'm usually not a huge fan of sweeter dips, but this one was a hit! And although I am notoriously excited about a pile of fat kid food in front of my face, it's funny how something fresh and light will be just what you need when you've been munching on chips or other easy snack foods all weekend. You would never be able to pick out that this dip is made from garbanzo beans...I mean never. I really wouldn't have guessed that this dip is actually good for you, to be honest. High fives for Leslie helping out with healthier options for the weekend....thanks, lady!! Here is the recipe she gave me to make it again on my own:

1 Can Garbanzo beans
2/3 C Brown Sugar (Less when not for a party, or to make it healthier use Stevia or Honey, instead of or part/part)
1/8 tsp Salt
Little more than 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 C. Nut Butter - I used Trader Joe's sunflower butter

1/4 C. Milk - I only have soy in the house, so I used that
1/3 C Choc chips
2-3 T Oats

Put all in food processor or blender. I started with the beans and milk, then added everything except the chocolate chips. Add the choc chips after blending is done. Dont skip the salt or its gross.

Breakfast pizza

If you live in Iowa, you know about Casey's breakfast pizza. For some reason, this gas station chain is our go-to pizza place....when we get a craving for some 'za, we don't call Pizza Hut or Godfather's, we call the gas station. And when you want breakfast pizza, it's the only place to be. I've only had better breakfast pizza one place, and that's in Montezuma so it's a pretty long drive from home. Sounds odd, but don't knock it till you've tried it...I'm telling ya! I've been searching for a way to make it at home for quite some time, and the elusive ingredient is the nice cheese sauce they use instead of regular pizza sauce (10 points if anyone reading works for Casey's and can snag me that recipe).  I've looked on Pinterest (it's the new google when it comes to recipes) and couldn't find anything but people simply using shredded cheese instead of sauce. Then it hit me...I saw a can of Cheddar cheese soup in the grocery store, and figured I could give it a shot! Oh, did it work...the soup is the perfect consistency for pizza sauce and I seriously surprised myself at how good this homemade pizza was!

I made 2 of them to freeze and take to the lake for Memorial day weekend, so we wouldn't have to worry about breakfast each morning. I also wanted to "skinny up" the standard breakfast pizza a bit. Although this is not exactly diet food, if you're going to have breakfast pizza, it's better than your other options.  Here's what you need for 2 pizzas:

2 whole wheat thin crusts

2 cans cheddar cheese soup

1 lb breakfast sausage, browned (I plan to use turkey in the future but this was deer sausage given to me by a friend)

12 eggs, scrambled (I used 6 eggs and 6 egg whites)

6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (use turkey for even less calories)

1 package canadian bacon

2% shredded colby jack cheese

From here, it's pretty self-explanatory, but I'll take you through the steps.  Spread your cheese sauce on the crust. I didn't quite use a whole can on each crust, but I used 3/4 of it.

Add the eggs and sausage, top with bacon and canadian bacon.

Top with shredded cheese...

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes from frozen (do not thaw). If you don't freeze it, I would start watching at 15 minutes.

And here is the lake breakfast of champions....coffee and skinnier breakfast pizza. My oven there is gas, not electric, so it wasn't exceptionally cooked since the oven didn't get as hot as I would like, but I brought leftovers home and crisped them up in a pizza oven and it took the pizza to a whole new level. Me thinks this stuff is going to be a common freezer item at the Casa de Stensland Numero Dos...and I wonder why my wedding dress still doesn't fit like it should?  When Main Man asks "Did you really make this?" I suppose it means I did something right though.  Happy Thursday, all!