I’m in such a baking mood. It’s more than a mood. It’s a craving. I need to bake. Need yet. Like an addiction.

Good thing I have a friend who’s expecting a baby in just a few weeks. I have many goodies in mind that I want to make for her. Of course, I have to test them out first, right? Right.

Here’s our menu for the week:

Dinner Meal Plan

• Chicken pot pie inspired by Pretty Delicious: Lean and Lovely Recipes for a Healthy, Happy New You
• Pork tenderloin and salad with olive garden dressing
• Chicken tamale pie from Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition – 2006
• Brown sugar garlic chicken with rice
• Homemade pizza on thin and crispy crust and homemade sauce
• Leftover pizza

Lunches

• Creamy tomato soup
• Italian tortellini soup
• Greek panini

This week I’m also making

• Triple chocolate cookie cups in my mini muffin pan, inspired by pudding cookies
• Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls
• Valentines day cake batter rice crispie treats

What are you eating this week?

Proudly linked up with Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com

Weekly Meal Plan is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Last week I sadly wrapped up my pumpkin recipe series. It was sad. I still have 3 cans of pumpkin to use, and no one to share the recipes with.

I {heart} pumpkin.

Just in case you missed them, here are the recipes:

• Turkey Pumpkin Chili
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Pumpkin Pie Waffles
• Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
• Pumpkin Spice Latte

Goodbye pumpkin, hello Thanksgiving!

For the next couple of weeks I’m sharing my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. You’re welcome.

One of my all time favorite parts of Thanksgiving are the rolls. Light, buttery, flakey. There’s an entire basket of them, calling my name, teasing me with their warmth and yeasty scent. They beacon me, entice me, demand to be covered in soft butter and shoved into my mouth. One. After. The. Other.

I have a thing about buying store bough breads. I just don’t do it. Unless my bread machine is broken and I’m without out for  1.5 torturous months, I make all of the bread and bread-like foods that we eat. And of course I have a favorite roll recipe.

This particular recipe actually has many uses. It’s my go-to recipe for hamburger buns, hot dog buns, dinner rolls, sub buns, garlic bread, and a million other things.

It’s so good. And perfect for Thanksgiving dinner rolls.

Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

From The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook

• 2-pound loaf
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk
• 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes (I often use garlic flavored)
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon gluten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for glaze

Place all of the ingredients in the bread machine pan according in the order recommended for your bread machine. Set for the Dough cycle.

Grease the cups of a standard muffin tin. When the dough cycle ends, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pic, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 14 inches, 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Brush the surface with melted butter. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 3 long strips of equal width {there will be 6 strips total}. Stack the strips on top of each other to form a layered pile. With a sharp knife, cut in half. Cut each half into 6 equal portions {12 total}. Place each portion in a muffin cup with the cut edges facing up {they will fan open as they bake}. Brush each with melted butter.

Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove the rolls from the muffin tin. Serve warm with a pat of butter and your favorite turkey dinner.

P.S. If you want to use this recipe for rolls or buns, follow the directions below.

Hot Dog Rolls or Buns

When the dough cycle has finished, turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal potions. For hamburger buns form each portion into tight rounds. For long rolls, flatten each portion into an oval about 6 inches long and rolling up tightly from a long end to form a cylinder. Place the rolls on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray at least 1 inch apart. Press with your palm to flatten each roll. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Brush the rolls with the egg glaze. Bake for 15-22 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the rolls from the sheet and let cool completely on a rack. Slice in half horizontally to serve.

Meal Plan

Dinner

Monday: Taco Slow Cooker Soup
Tuesday: Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Tostadas
Wednesday: Grandma’s Egg Bake {eggs, cheese and bacon, oh my}
Thursday: Butternut Squash soup with Spinach Ravioli {AllRecies.com} Again, because it was that good
Friday: Homemade pizza on beer battered crust and homemade sauce. {AllRecipes.com}
Saturday: Leftover pizza
Sunday: German oven pancakes

Snacks

• Super Energy Granola Bars
• Chewy, No-Bake Granola Bars
• Crackers
• Graham Crackers

———————————–

What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe?

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This post is proudly linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It’s a Blog Party, My Sweet and Savory.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Dinner Rolls: Thanksgiving Recipes is a post from: Alli 'n Son

It’s summer time. Hooray! You know what that means? Bug bites? Long sunny days? Thunder storms? Beautiful flowers?

Yes. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about somethings sweet. Juicy. Plump. Something that tastes a little sinful, but really isn’t.

I’m talking about blueberries. BLUEBERRIES!

In the words of my two year old, “I love them”.

While blueberries are great by the handful, sprinkled in yogurt, over ice cream or in smoothies, they are even better in muffins. Topped with streusel. Mmmmmm, streusel. It’s the perfect way to start a summer morning.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. See that beautiful golden color? That’s due to agave nectar.

Fold in some plump, juicy blueberries…

Add a crumbly streusel topping…

Bake to a golden, oozy perfection.

Are you drooling yet?

Meal Plan

Dinners for the week:

Monday: Turkey, black bean and hummus panini
Tuesday: Slower cooker chicken enchiladas (5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes)
Wednesday: Spinach and Bacon Frittata ($5 Dollar Dinners)
Thursday: Salads with fresh veggies from the Farmer’s Market
Friday: Pizza with my breadmachine pizza dough and homemade sauce (AllRecipes.com)
Saturday: Leftover pizza
Sunday: French toast casserole (AllRecipes.com)

Toddler-friendly lunches:

Monday: Peanut butter and banana grilled sandwiches (Wholesome Toddler Food)
Tuesday: Cheesy veggie quesadilla (Wholesome Toddler Food)
Wednesday: Grilled cheese and corn
Thursday: Stuffed pitas with turkey, hummus and cheese
Friday: Chicken nuggets and carrots
Saturday: Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, honey and raisins
Sunday: Homemade crackers, hummus, cheese and carrots

I’ll also be putting together some of my Super Energy Granola Bars, Crackers and Graham Crackers, and Wheat Germ, Flax Seed Bread.

This post is also linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Cupcake Tuesday and What’s On the Menu Wednesday.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Blueberry Streusel Muffins is a post from: Alli 'n Son

So, last week I decided that I needed to soak my own beans, rather than buy then canned. Why or why would I do this when canned beans are so easy? Well, it’s a better value to buy dry beans, soaking them is pretty easy, I can control the amount of salt that goes in them, and of course I avoid the BPA found in cans.

Of course I was under one very wrong assumption.

I thought that you only needed to soak the beans.

I had no idea that you needed to cook them afterwards.

One night last week, I set out my large pot, filled it with water and the dry black beans and let it soak overnight. Actually, by the time I got around to checking on them, it had been about, 16 hours I think. More than enough time to soften and turn them into the kind of beans you get in a can.

Or so I thought.

One quick test revealed crunch, icky tasty beans. FAIL. What in the world did I do wrong?

It turns out that you have to cook the beans after you soak them. Hey, I can hear you laughing over there.

So cook them I did, and a short time later, they came out perfectly. With one small bag of dried beans, I ended up with 6 cups of cooked beans. Four cups for dinner and two cups for freezing.

And yes, I will be doing it again. It’s easy, and once I cooked the dang things, pretty tasty. Here’s my recipe.

Soaking and Cooking Dry Beans

Rinse dry beans in water and check for any small stones or other non-bean particles (I didn’t find anything in my beans).

Fill your largest pot with 6-8 cups of water. Add the rinsed dry beans and allow to soak over night, or at least 6-8 hours.

Once the beans have soaked, dump the water and rinse.

Put the beans back in the pot and add water so there is at least one inch of water above the beans. Set to simmer for 45 minutes to 2 hours. I simmered the black beans for 1 hour and 15 minutes and they were perfect. Test your beans along the way to get the desired softness. Add water as needed so the beans remain covered while cooking.

Once the beans are done, dump out the water and rinse. If you aren’t using them right away, I recommend freezing them in 2 cup servings, perfect for most recipes.

Charlotte also introduced me to cooking beans in a slow cooker, which I’ll have to try out next time around. I love slow cookers.

Photo copy right of DeclanZimmerman

Meal Plan

Here’s what we are cooking up for the week.

Monday: Nachos with leftover brown rice ($5 Dinners)
Tuesday: Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops (AllReipces.com)
Wednesday: German Oven Pancake (recipe from my mom)
Thursday: Spaghetti with homemade meatballs (Mom advice)
Friday: Pizza with my breadmachine pizza dough and homemade sauce (AllRecipes.com)
Saturday: Leftover pizza
Sunday: Turkey brats on the grill

As usual, I’ll also be putting together some of my Super Energy Granola Bars. Homemade Crackers and some graham crackers. And of course my Wheat Germ, Flax Seed Bread.

What are you eating this week?

Don’t forget about the Thank You Journal carnival. What are you thankful for this week?

This post is also linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Soaking Beans and Meal Plan is a post from: Alli 'n Son

There’s something that I love, almost as much as chocolate. And that’s spicy food. Not the burn-your-mouth-off spicy, but the gently warming, must-have-a-glass-of-water-or-milk-nearby spicy. What could possibly be better than a spicy Chinese inspired dinner?

Maybe spicy dark chocolate. Yes, it does exist, and it’s delish.

Anyway, I can’t live on chocolate alone. Sadly. But this meal just about makes up for it.

It’s a recipe I adapted from AllRecipes (LOVE this site).

It has this super tasty marinade.

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With a “few” peppers.

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Pour it over some chicken bites and sautee in a pan.

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Add some yummy veggies (the frozen kind are the easiest).

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Toss with rice noodles (or rice).

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Take-out style Chinese food.

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Spicy Chicken and Rice Noodles

4 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoon vinegar
dash hot sauce, red pepper flakes or the tiny red peppers above
2 tablespoon sesame seeds
1-/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sesame seed oil (or non-stick spray)

Bag of frozen veggies

1 package rice noodles or rice

In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Add pepper to taste, or leave it out if you prefer. Set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade for later. Pour the remaining marinade over the cubed chicken breasts. Cover and allow to soak for at least 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil to medium high heat (or spray pan with non-stick spray). Add chicken when the pan is very hot. Cook until no longer pink.

While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice noodles (or rice) according to the package directions.

Once the chicken is cooked, push it to the sides of the pan. Add the frozen veggies and heat until cooked through.

Toss the chicken and veggies over the rice noodles, pour extra marinade if desired. Whip out your favorite chop sticks and enjoy.

This would be great paired with some baked crab rangoon.

Meal Plan

Here’s what we are cooking up for the week.

Monday: Various leftovers from the weekend
Tuesday: Pretzel Crusted Chicken Fingers
Wednesday: BLTs
Thursday: Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas (Pioneer Woman)
Friday: Dinner with the in-laws – no cooking for me!
Saturday: BBQ with friends for a graduation party
Sunday: Turkey brats on the grill with some grilled garlic bread ($5 Dinners)

As usual, I’ll also be putting together some of my Super Energy Granola Bars. Homemade Crackers and some graham crackers. And of course my Wheat Germ, Flax Seed Bread.

What are you eating this week?

Don’t forget about the Thank You Journal carnival. What are you thankful for this week?

This post is also linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

Oh, and before I forget, the winner for the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway was comment #17, Joan. Congrats!

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Spicy Chicken and Rice Noodles – Meal Plan is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Looking for my Five for Ten post? This isn’t it. You can check it out here. We’re talking about lust *blush*.

One of my favorite things to make for, OK, pretty much the only thing that I make for lunch, is an egg sandwich. It’s so easy, super healthy with lots of protein and energy. And you can mix it up so everyday is a little different. Here’s my recipe for the perfect egg sandwich.

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Simple Egg Sandwich

2 slices of your favorite whole grain bread (I use my flax bread)
1 egg
Favorite seasonings (I use this Ranch mix from AllRecipes.com)
A handful of spinach leaves
Hummus, butter, mayo or your favorite sandwich topping
Cooking spray or butter
Sea salt

Heat a small pan, spayed with cooking spray, over medium heat.

In a bowl beat egg and seasoning until light and fluffy. Tear spinach into bite sized pieces and mix into egg.

Spray bread with cooking spray or spread with butter. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Toast in pan until browned and crispy. Think grilled cheese sandwich. Brush untoasted side with hummus, butter, mayo or your favorite topping.

Pour egg/spinach mixture into pan. Cook, then flip until egg is no longer running and spinach starts to wilt. Cover pan if necessary to help the spinach to wilt.

Transfer egg to one slice of bread. Top with the second slice. Pair it with some grapes, an apple or banana for a super powered lunch.

Meal Plan

Here’s what we are cooking up for the week.

Monday: Various leftovers from the weekend
Tuesday: Pretzel Crusted Chicken Fingers
Wednesday: Grilled Turkey and Hummus Panini’s
Thursday: Pasta with chicken, basil and white wine sauce (A Southern Fairy Tale)
Friday: Homemade pizza on my pizza crust and homemade sauce (AllRecipes.com)
Saturday: Leftover pizza
Sunday: Oatmeal Waffles, mmmm

As usual, I’ll also be putting together some of my Super Energy Granola Bars. Homemade Crackers and some graham crackers. And of course my Wheat Germ, Flax Seed Bread.

What are you eating this week?

Don’t forget about the Thank You Journal carnival. What are you thankful for this week?

This post is linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Egg Sandwich and a Meal Plan 05.17.10 is a post from: Alli 'n Son

A while back, I was searching for the perfect graham cracker recipe. I love all things homemade. Especially the baked kind. .

I stumbled on a recipe by Martha Stewart. Oh. My. God. Sooooo good. The very first batch that I made disappeared in 3 days. No kidding.

As good as these were, they were a little on the sweet side. And kind of putzy to make. So I changed it up a bit. And I’m just as in love with the modified recipe as I was with the original. Actually, I’m probably more in love.

Not only are they delicious, but they are healthy. Well, healthier than store bought graham crackers anyway. Whole wheat flour and wheat germ make a sneak appearance. Plus there’s no corn syrup or ingredients that you can’t pronounce. In my book, that’s pretty healthy.

Plus, you can do so many variations with this recipe. The original honey graham crackers are fantastic. But the chocolate ones, well, those are just divine.

All you have to do is whisk the flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, salt, baking soda and cinnamon (and cocoa powder) in a bowl…(chocolate on left, honey on right)

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Combine the butter, sugar and honey…

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Mix until pale and fluffy…

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Add the dry ingredients to the mix…

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Mix on low until combined…(chocolate on left, honey on right)

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Roll out on a baking stone (or parchment paper) until 1/8″ thick…

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Cut into desired shapes (I like bit-sized pieces)…(chocolate on left, honey on right)

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Bake until golden brown…(chocolate on left, honey on right)

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Then try, just try, not to eat the entire batch in one day.

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Graham Crackers

1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
optional: 1/2 cup cocoa powder – for chocolate crackers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

On medium speed, mix the butter, sugar and honey until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrap sides as needed.

Add the flour mixture, beating on low speed.

Roll dough out on a baking stone (or floured parchment paper) using a well floured rolling pin, until about 1/8″ thick. Hint, the dough is crumbly, it is much easier to cover it with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper when rolling out. Cut into desired size (cutting them after they bake actually works a little better than cutting before they bake).

Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes on stone or pan. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

This post is linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Graham Crackers is a post from: Alli 'n Son

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If you are following me on Twitter, you may have noticed over the past few weeks that there was a lot of talk about cake balls. Mmmmm, cake balls.

Snacking on an apple so I don’t inhale all of the cake balls. #addicting 1:38 PM Mar 10th

Cake balls, batch #2 in the works. Can’t wait for the kiddo’s b-day party in 3 weeks. These are going to be so cute! 12:44 PM Mar 11th

It is taking all of my willpower to not devour the cake balls sitting on the counter. The smell is driving me insane. 8:38 AM Apr 3rd

If I never have to decorate another cake ball in my life, I’ll be one happy woman. 2:04 PM Mar 20th

Yes, they sound a little dirty, but they are OH. SO. GOOD. At long last, here is the recipe.

Take one baked cake (from the box)…

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Mash it up real good…

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Mix in some frosting (from the can)…

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Once the cake balls have chilled, dip them in chocolate candy coating…

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Cover them up real well…

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Let extra chocolate drip off…

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Let dry.

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Decorate…

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Decorate…

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Decorate…tada!

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These are almost too cute to eat. I said almost people. Eat them, and eat lots. They are beyond delicious.

Cake Balls

1 Box of cake mix + ingredients to make cake
1 Can of frosting
Candy chocolate coating

Bake the cake as directed on the box. Allow to cool completely. Using a fork or two, crumble the cake, working in sections is the easiest.

Using a fork, add 3/4 of the can of frosting (or more if you prefer) to the crumbled cake. This is the tough part. Keep mixing, and mixing, and mixing. And mixing. Until all of the frosting in incorporated into the cake.

With your hands, form the cake mixture into balls, large or small. This gets messy, so be prepared to clean (or lick) your hands often. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pop the balls into the freezer for at least one hour.

Once the cake balls have been properly frozen, melt the chocolate candy coating according to the packing directions (I use the microwave). Using a fork, dip the cake balls into the chocolate, cover with chocolate, and remove, letting the excess chocolate drain off. Place on parchment paper to dry.

This is the fun part. Now you get to decorate them. You can dip the cake balls in sprinkles before they are dry, for a brightly-color treat. Or using colored chocolate candy or gel icing, create fun ladybugs, footballs or basketballs. Or just go crazy and splatter tons of colors on them.

Then, ENJOY! There’s nothing quite like a nice cake ball.

This post is linked up to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Cake Balls is a post from: Alli 'n Son

A few weeks ago I stumbled on this wonderful recipe for homemade crackers by Kitchen Stewardship. I couldn’t believe how easy they were, so I decided to test the out, with a few variations. I’m always looking for more ways to add wheat germ and flax seed into our daily diets, and this was the perfect opportunity. These crackers were so tasty that the first two batches disappeared in like 3 days. I’m not kidding. These crackers are so good that I swore I would never buy another box of store-bought crackers again.

Of course I did, because I was lazy one week. I quickly realized that they were not nearly as good as my homemade crackers. Not only that, but the store-bought crackers are full of preservatives, corn oil and other unhealthy things that you wouldn’t expect to find in a “healthy” cracker. I’m trying my hardest to reduce this kind of thing from our diets, so I’m back to proclaiming that I will never buy another box of store-bought crackers again.

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Homemade Crackers (kind of like Wheat Thins)

Thanks to Kitchen Stewardship for the original recipe and inspring me to try my own version.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons flax seeds
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, flax seeds and paprika. Add the oil, water, honey and vanilla, mix until smooth. I normally use my hands, it’s faster, and kind of fun.

Preheat the oven to 400º. Pop in your baking stone to warm with the oven. If using a baking sheet, lightly grease (no need to preheat the baking sheet). Divide the dough into 8 balls. Take one ball and roll it out on the stone. Get it as thin as possible, the thinner you roll it the crunchier your crackers will be. I use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares about 15 inches wide. Well, actually they usually end up more like rectangles, but the shape isn’t really that important. If you want, you can add the oddly shaped edges to one of the remaining dough balls. Or just bake them, and snack on them as you are cooking. Someone needs to test the afterall. Sprinkle the dough lightly with kosher salt.

Pop the crackers into the over for 5-10 minutes. 8 minutes is just about perfect for me. You will know they are done when the edges are very lightly browned. The edges cook faster than the middle, so you may need to remove these and let the rest bake for a few more minutes. Keep a close eye on them, they can burn quickly.

Once cool, store the crackers in an air tight container.

One of the things I love about Kitchen Stewardship original recipe is that it’s so easy to vary it. I’ve made cinnamon sugar crackers and I’m thinking of trying some garlic and olive oil crackers. The possibilities are, seriously, never ending.

This recipe is part of the Mouthwatering Monday Blog Carnival over at A Southern Fairytale. Stop by for more mouthwatering recipes.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Homemade Crackers is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I’ve kind of been on an oatmeal kick lately. It all started with the overnight slow cooker oatmeal, and it’s kind of gotten out of control. I put it in anything that has flour (just grind up the oats and replace some of the flour). I eat it for breakfast, which I never used to do. Simply put, I’m in love.

I stumbled across this recipe in the newest Penzy’s Spice catalog. They always have delicious recipes to try. I modified it slightly, and they are so tasty. A little sweet, but it’s not like eating cake for breakfast.

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Soak the oatmeal for 10 minutes.

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Combine the wet ingredients.

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Add the oatmeal.

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Add the dry ingredients (did you notice the chocolate chips?).

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Spoon into a muffin tin and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (or your fave strudel topping).

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Bake for 20 minutes.

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They are best straight out of the oven, or warmed up for 15 seconds in the microwave.

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Cinnamon-Topped Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
1/4 cup coconut oil (butter, canola or vegetable oil will work too)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (omit if you are using salted butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 handfulls of chocolate chips
2-3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400º. Combine the oats and buttermilk in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Add the oat mixture and stir to blend. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and mix well. Spoon the batter into a well greased muffin tin (or use muffin liners, I like these Silicone Liners the best), filling about2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin pan, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin generously with cinnamon sugar (this will make a crusty layer on top). Lightly pat down the cinnamon sugar to keep it from falling off the muffins. Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes Let cool about 5 minutes, then carefully remove the muffins by grabbing each one with a tongs of a fork and lifting them out. Don’t turn the pan over or the cinnamon sugar will fall off. Let cool.

This recipe is part of the Mouthwatering Monday Blog Carnival over at A Southern Fairytale, Cupcake Tuesday over at Hoosier Homemade and Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

Cinnamon-Topped Oatmeal Muffins is a post from: Alli 'n Son