Easter Brunch

David's family visited us in April this year to celebrate his birthday and Easter! For our Easter meal we made a brunch to enjoy after church.

To make the breakfast foods a little bit more fun for this special occasion I came up with some skewered hors d'oeuvres to add to the mix.

roasted tomatoes on fresh zucchini with a dollop of goat cheese

halved cherry tomatoes with a basil leaf and fresh mozzarella cheese
balsamic vinegar is drizzled on top

pineapple, strawberries and green grape fruit skewers

These 3 skewered items were served with
roasted asparagus, scrambled eggs & diced ham and a wonderful skillet apple cake!

Apple Party

Back to School Series: Day 1

The Fall is in full swing and it's party season! Or, more like hospitality season. If I were to pick the time of year that most reminds me of time with friends, it would be the Fall. In the Fall, there are football games, game watching parties, camping trips, harvest parties, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then comes CHRISTMAS!!!

Also in the Fall, students start back to school. As a teacher, I also enjoy school-themed parties. And boy, there a multitude of of party ideas centered around a school-themed inspiration. There are apples, stacks of books, chalkboards, school desks, school supplies, new markers and lunch boxes, anything plaid... Oh, there are so many things to make a school party special!

This week is dedicated to school-themed ideas. I have used them for teacher parties, some are from little surprises I have given my students. Also these ideas could be used if you are on a PTA committee and holding a luncheon for teachers... or maybe for a back to school themed dinner to host for your family. Whatever it may become for you, here are some fun ideas!

Apple Party for Teachers

I decorated with red and for this dessert party, and
everything on the menu was apple-themed

Menu
Apple Fruit Salad
Red Velvet Cake Truffles
Apple shaped Sugar Cookies
Caramel Apples
Apple Cider


Apple Fruit Salad

Red Velvet Cake Truffles

Apple Cookies
I started by personalizing them with a party go-ers first initial
I LOVE making these cookies. They are cute and simple!

Caramel Apple Favors
tutorial/recipe coming soon

Table Decor

Granola Bars

I love these granola bars! They are thick and chewy and a great on-the-go breakfast!

GRANOLA BARS
This recipe is adapted from a King’s Arthur Flour recipe.

Note
This is a very flexible recipe. You can add any variety of fruits, nuts, or seeds to it.

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (or opt to use gluten free oats)
1/3 cup quick rolled oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2-3 cups dried fruits and nuts
1/3 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon water

Suggestions for fruit/nuts to put into recipe
Dried Fruit: cranberries, cherries, apricots, apples
Nuts: pecans, walnuts
Seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
Powders: wheat germ
Other: coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8x2 pan with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

Spread in the prepared pan, pressing firmly to ensure the granola is molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30-40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges. They may seem under-baked, but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool. Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. Then, chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares. (Chilling in the freezer helps to further set the bars and aid in the process of cutting them without creating crumbly bars.)

To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

Fast Homemade Pizza Crust

Parade of Pizzas: Day 3

homemade crust for personal size pizzas

This is an AWESOME pizza crust recipe!

The crust is soft and flavorful. The dough is easily made and rises quickly. Plus, the recipe makes six 8-inch personal pizzas, or can be adapted to make a couple of large pizzas.

This is based on Ina Garten's (HGTV's Barefoot Contessa) White Pizzas with Arugula recipe. The original recipe makes a great pizza, but I like adapting it to work with any combination of toppings.






BASIC PIZZA CRUST
This recipe is from Ina Garten's Back to Basics Book. (A great cookbook!)

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups warm (100 to 110 degree) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
olive oil
4 cups flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt

Directions
Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Then, dump the dough onto a board and divide into 6 equal pieces. Place the dough on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place on pans lined with parchment paper. Top pizzas with marinara, pesto, alfredo, or olive oil. Add cheese, pepperoni, veggies, or any desired toppings. My pizzas were topped with a homemade marinara, grated mozzarella cheese and a variety of meats and veggies!

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Yields 6 personal size pizzas

Mini Bagel Pizza

Parade of Pizzas: Day 2

appetizer bagel pizzas

I think mini bagels are great! They are better for breakfast than the standard size and they are so cute to serve at brunch! They are also a great option for an appetizer pizza!

I used tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and another favorite mini of mine...

Aren't they just darling! A silly thing to like, I know, but they make mini-bagel pizza an easy go-to appetizer when having friends over for game night or a sports watching party. Also, consider using mini pepperoni on antipasto salads or appetizer platters!

I baked the bagels at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Another option is to make mini pizzas on English Muffins; in this case, bake for 8-10 minutes.

Pizza Party!

Parade of Pizzas: Day 1
quick-prep pizza

Welcome to Pizza Week! Each day I am going to show you a new pizza recipe! Today is quick-prep pizza day.

These are pictures from a "Pizzaz Your Pizza Party" that I co-hosted with my friend, Jana, for the girls in our church youth group. For simplicity we purchased pre-made pizza crust and tomato sauce, then prepped a handful of toppings. It made for a fun party and tasty meal.

fruit and veggies

tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, ground hamburger and sausage, pepperoni

Pre-made crust speeds up the process, but you miss out on the fun of kneading dough, tossing it in the air, and acting like a pizza chef!

Start with crust

spread on tomato sauce

sprinkle on cheese

add toppings
In this case, I wanted to customize a pizza with my friend's initial!

And in this case, I wanted to make a pizza for my husband!
This would also be cute for Valentine's Day,
or to remind someone special that you love them!

Bake pizza at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust has browned.

Tips
For a 4-cheese pizza, I recommend: mozzarella, romano, asiago, and monterey jack cheese; ricotta and gorgonzola are great options for a Mediterranean/Margherita pizza.

Although it takes more time, cheese seems to melt better (and taste better) when bought in block form and grated at home. Packaged grated cheese is coated with an anti-caking agent called low dust powdered cellulose that is better to avoid.