Cocoa Rolls

Much like a cinnamon roll, but designed for the chocolate lover in your life, these cocoa rolls are yummy and pretty on a plate!

Ingredients:

Dough-

1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup very warm water
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp sugar, divided
1/2 cup warmed milk
1/3 cup melted butter (*I warm the milk & butter together)
1 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
approx. 4 cups flour

Filling-

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Chocolate Glaze-

1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
approx. 2 tablespoons milk (*I never measure my milk for glazes or frostings-- a little goes a very long way, so start small and add gradually...)

Directions:

In small bowl, mix together warm water, yeast, and teaspoon of sugar and set aside to get foamy. In large mixing bowl, mix milk, 1/3 cup sugar, melted butter, salt, and egg; stir well, then add yeast mixture. Add flour gradually until dough is slightly stiff (it will still be a little sticky). You can either turn your dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes or let a machine do the work for you... I rely on my KitchenAid stand mixer to do this job. After kneading, transfer to a buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled, punch down and allow to rest 5 minutes. Roll out on floured surface into a rectangle.

Spread dough with the majority (about 6-7 tablespoons) of the melted 1/2 cup filling butter. (Pour the remaining butter into the bottom of a 9"x13" pan to thinly coat.) Sprinkle the buttered dough rectangle with cocoa powder, sugar, and- if desired- nuts.

Roll up jelly-roll fashion and pinch together to seal. Cut into 12 slices (or do yourself a favor and take Amy's advice and FLOSS into 12 slices...) Lay rolls side-by-side in baking pan, cover, and let rise again for about 45 minutes.

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, until tops are golden, but rolls remain tender.

While rolls bake, prepare glaze by mixing all ingredients until you have a "thick drizzle" consistency. Transfer glaze to a pastry bag (or my version) and pipe zig-zagging lines over the entire pan of slightly cooled rolls.




Enjoy!

*Let me keep it real here- if you have a beloved cinnamon roll recipe in your arsenal, then- by all means- use that one. All you need to do is change up your filling and your glaze.*

Looking for a fresh baked good that's not chocolate-y? Be sure to stop by Phoebe's place where I'm sharing my Mixed Berry Cream Muffin recipe today! Pop around while you're there- Phoebe has some great wisdom to share!

This post is linked to:
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Mexican Pantry Pie

One day, my plan for grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch fell through when we ran out of bread (I really, truly thought there was a loaf in the freezer - oops). I could have baked some, sure, but it was already 11 am and I didn't really have time before having to get my son off to school.

I opened the fridge and faced a whole lot of leftover scraps-- a few bits of chicken, about 1/2 cup of pinto beans, a small chunk of cheese. Not enough for a meal, certainly.

My eyes fell upon a sleeve of saltine crackers. Yep, that's right. Saltines. Hmm...

Mexican Pantry Pie

1 sleeve saltine crackers (I used the rather oxymoronic low-salt variety)

1/2 package taco seasoning (or make your own- definitely make your own if you use traditional saltines or it will be WAY too salty)

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup cubed or shredded chicken

1/2 cup cooked pinto or black beans

1/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used jack, but cheddar or co-jack would be great too!)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first three ingredients in food processor; press into pie plate to form a "cracker crust".

Bake for about 8-10 minutes to help "set" it. Fill pie with remaining ingredients in order listed.


Bake for 10 minutes.

Lunch was served!

This post is linked to:
$5 Dinner Challenge
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Save Dough- Make Dough

I live in an affluent area now. I feel a little bit like a fish out of water, but I'm not about to give up my frugal, money-saving ways. (For the record, we couldn't AFFORD for me to give up my frugal ways either, so it's a good thing that I'm pretty set in them!)

I don't find many people to "talk thrifty" with, it seems. Recently, however, at a four-year old birthday party, I started chatting with another mom who originally hails from Wisconsin. She has a frugal spirit much like my own. We got along smashingly. One of the things we discussed happened to be the tradition of a Friday night Pizza & A Movie Night. That seems to be a pretty common weekly event, even around here. What's not so common? Actually making the pizza yourself. But we both do. Hooray! Someone who understands! Further conversation revealed that she buys her pizza dough for $2.50 at a discount grocery store... way more affordable than buying a pizza pre-made, for sure, but not nearly as affordable as making your own...

I shared my pizza dough recipe and she has never looked back.

Here's how I do it:

1 tablespoon yeast (.05 - I buy my yeast in bulk bags!)

1 teaspoon sugar (.01)

1 cup very warm water (free)

1 tablespoon oil (.05)

1 teaspoon salt (.01)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional- I sometimes add it and sometimes don't...) (.03)

2 1/2 cups flour (.15)

total: .27 (max... I think I usually come out even less than that what-with sales and coupons... and the fact that a teaspoon of salt doesn't even cost a penny.)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water until nice and foamy. Add remaining ingredients in order listed. I like to mix mine in my KitchenAid with a dough hook. Transfer dough to an oiled glass or ceramic bowl, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for 20 minutes. Punch down, let rest a couple minutes, and spread on pizza pan. Continue as usual with your pizza making!

Making dough saves dough. Easy as that.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday.

Batter-Dipped Chicken Sandwiches

AKA "Mama Is A Total Rockstar Sandwiches"

These are such a hit in my family. Every single one of us gobbles them up. And they're frugal! Because the chicken gets pounded thin, it doesn't take much. I use the breast meat I can easily trim off of two bone-in breasts to feed my family of four plus one baby who eats nibbles. :)

Here goes...

Batter-Dipped Chicken Sandwiches

• chicken breasts (boneless or bone-in is fine... if they're on the bone, just use a knife to cut the big meaty chunk off- that's what you'll use for this recipe. Cook the rest up in a pot of water and save it for any recipe calling for shredded or cubed cooked chicken!)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo... anything you want to top your yummy chicken sandwich!*

Butterfly each piece of breast meat. Place between sheets of waxed paper and whack the heck out of it with a heavy skillet. You want it as thin as you can get it without tearing holes in it. Now isn't that scientific? Melt your butter and mix in remaining ingredients until you have a pale, orange-ish looking batter. Meanwhile, heat about 1/8" oil in that heavy skillet you used earlier over med-high heat. When it gets up to temp (about 5-7 minutes), you can start adding the chicken. Dip each half-breast into the batter until fully coated. Lay gently in pan of hot oil and cook until nicely golden brown, about 4-5 minutes each side. Drain on a paper-towel- or cloth- lined plate. Serve on buns with desired topppings.

**To make the Italian Chicken Sandwiches I posted in my Menu Plan yesterday, just top with your favorite red sauce and some melted mozzarella or provolone... yum!
This post is linked to:
$5 Dinner Challenge
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

It all started when I picked up some unsweetened chocolate baking chips at Aldi. I was just so sure that I would have oodles of uses for them. It turns out that I did NOT. My recipes seem to call for either cocoa powder or semisweet chocolate. Hmm. I went on the hunt. I vividly remember some ridiculously expensive but wonderfully delicious chocolate covered blueberries that an admirer once bought for me (that's a story for another day, as I was already engaged at the time), so I was intrigued by the idea of making a Chocolate Blueberry Muffin. Unfortunately, none of the recipes I found really worked with what I had. Time to improvise...

The result? Super yummy! Awfully indulgent for an "everyday muffin", but tons of fun for a treat. Even my hubby- who doesn't like muffins with fruit in them- enjoyed these. I hope you do too!

Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 T vinegar in a scant cup of milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (yep- soda, not powder)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• approx. 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease 12 muffin cups. In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over medium-low heat until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in the sugar, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and baking soda. Gently mix with the liquid ingredients. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into well-greased muffin cups, filling to the top. Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool on rack. Drizzle the cooled muffins with the semisweet chocolate. Allow to set at least 15 minutes before serving.

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Cupcake Tuesday

Orecchiette With Mushrooms, Arugula, Tomatoes, and Brie

My goodness, just the name of this dish makes me hungry. This, right here, is my cup 'o tea. Meatloaf? Pot Roast? Shepherd's Pie? I could go the rest of my life without eating them and not feel an ounce of despair. But pasta? With BRIE? And tomatoes and mushrooms and arugula??? Oh my. This is how I grew up. I feel so blessed that my mom exposed me to such a wide variety of foods and tastes at a fairly young age. If you're a committed "meat and taters" kind of cook, you should perhaps stop right here. But if you love fresh, vibrant flavors and textures, this one from my mom may be right up your alley...

Orecchiette with Mushrooms, Arugula, Tomatoes, & Brie

2 cups orecchiette (those are small pasta shells, in case you didn't know! :)), about 1/2 lb

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 oz. portobello mushrooms (Baby Bellas are fine too), thinly sliced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

3/4 lb plum tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup white wine (or stock, if you don't cook with wine)

1 bunch arugula, stems trimmed

1/4 lb Brie, rind trimmed, cheese cut into 1/2" pieces

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add wine; bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes more. Add arugula, cheese, and pasta to sauce. Toss until arugula wilts, cheese begins to melt, and pasta is heated through, adding reserved liquid by tablespoonful if mixture seems dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 (these are moderate servings, not gigantic platters... perfect with bread and a salad!)

My apologies for the lack of photos! I'll add them just as soon as I make this dish again. In the meantime, you may want to pop back over to my Shrimp Rotini post which now has photos with it!

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

$5 Dinner Challenge

Hot & Sour Peanut Noodles

I've already shared a couple great meatless recipes with you- Garlicky Clams Linguine and Shrimp Rotini. While delicious, those recipes both require some seafood which is not really a "pantry staple" (though the canned clams are easy to have on hand) and can sometimes be pricey. Plus, not every family enjoys seafood as much as mine!

Without a doubt, my "go-to" meatless recipe-- and one my husband requests at least every other week-- is Hot & Sour Peanut Noodles. Made from simple, on-hand ingredients, this quick, protein-packed meal always gets rave reviews.

Hot & Sour Peanut Noodles

12-16 oz. thin spaghetti (vermicelli)

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth/stock

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup lime juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, based on your family's tolerance for heat

1/2 tsp (or so) minced garlic

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Into hot pan (but you can turn the burner off), add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.

Add noodles and toss.

This dish can stand alone like this, but it's even tastier if you add some things. Last night, I served it up with some chopped broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper, and zucchini mixed in.

Sometimes, I DO add meat-- chicken and pork are both equally delicious. We love it with mushrooms. The sky's the limit really-- just rely on your family's tastes and you can't go wrong. I've even made this recipe using rice instead of noodles-- still tasty!

People will look at you funny as you dump peanut butter in with spaghetti but trust me on this...you've gotta try it! Super easy, super fast, super budget-friendly. Now that's using your noodle. (Sorry... had to do it.;))

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This post is linked to:

$5 Dinner Challenge

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Garlicky Clams Linguine

Lent is upon us, my friends, and that means coming up with some tasty meatless meals to fill our Fridays. We tend to do "Pizza And A Movie Nights" on Fridays and that makes it easy. We throw a bunch of veggies on the pizza and call it good! But on those nights when we prefer to have a nice, sit-down meal, it pays to have a few good meatless recipes up my sleeve. Since I'm Catholic but my husband is not, I like to have some meals planned that comply with my abstinence from beast and fowl but don't seem like too much sacrifice for him. ;) One such recipe is my mom's Garlicky Clams Linguine. My husband and my children all love it and the children have eaten it since they were two. This recipe has a real Linguine with White Clam Sauce feel to it, with a rich, yummy garlicky-ness! Made from basic ingredients-- many of them pantry staples-- it's an easy and frugal meal to get on the table but still feels special. I hope some of you will try it!

Garlicky Clams Linguine

• 12 oz linguine pasta
• 3 T butter
• 5 T olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 10-oz cans chopped or minced clams, drained, with all juices reserved
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (you can substitute chicken or veggie stock here if you don't do wine even in cooking)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 1/2 t dry oregano
• parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Cook linguine in large pot of salted water until tender.

Melt butter with oil in large heavy skillet over low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add juice from clams, wine, carrot, and oregano. Increase heat to high and boil until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups (about 10-12 minutes). Stir in clams and parsley. Simmer until just heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Drain linguine well; add to skillet of hot clam sauce. Gently toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 generous servings.

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This post is linked to:

$5 Dinner Challenge

Tasty Tuesday

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

My son had his first "friend birthday party" this past Saturday-- he turned 5 and wanted a "football party". No problem! This is the perfect time of year to find football themed things. I baked up this cake...




...and put together 8 treat bags with little football doo-dads in them. I wanted to buy and add some of these...




...to fill up the bags. When an unexpected snow squall left our driveway/road a mess and kept my kids home from school, my errand running plans were shot. What to do?

I mixed up these cookies:


Ingredients

* 1 cup butter
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* heaping 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in the vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder; add and mix well. Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half to 1/4 inch thick. (I recommend rolling your dough between layers of waxed paper to avoid having to use flour which can leave your cookies with a "dusty" look.) Cut with desired shaped cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on cookie size.

I don't own a football-shaped cookie cutter so I used a small glass bowl and overlapped my circles to form the outline of a football. I piped simple white icing laces and, voila!



Wrapped in saran wrap and tucked in the bags, they were perfect.

It's always a good thing when you can improvise with what's on hand! The party? It went off without a hitch. The cookies? They were a hit. My pocketbook? Untouched, since I used all ingredients from my pantry. Most importantly...

The birthday boy?

I think he was pretty excited about the whole affair.

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This post is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, hosted at Blessed with Grace.
Tasty Tuesday, hosted at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Works For Me Wednesday, hosted at We Are THAT Family
Ultimate Recipe Swap, hosted at Life as MOM.

Honey Vanilla Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a fantastic breakfast choice. Wholesome and inexpensive, it's a near-perfect option especially when paired with a protein. Plain ol' oatmeal hasn't caught on around my house though. What does get them running to my breakfast table?

Honey Vanilla Oatmeal

Ingredients:

2 c water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 c old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons honey*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Bring water and salt to a boil in small saucepan. Stir in oats and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Add honey and vanilla and stir until well-mixed. Serve immediately.

*White or brown sugar can be substituted for honey. This will make it a little less healthy, but still less "sugary" than packaged flavored oatmeal. Making it with sugar also makes it safe for older babies less than one year old (for whom honey is not considered safe).

Small Pan Big Taste Brownies

As I tweeted around about all the action going on in my kitchen, I realized I had never shared my brownie recipe on here. Given the fact that I probably make these once a week (it's a wonder I'm not big as a house), I figured it's about time I shared it with all of you.

Small Pan Big Taste Brownies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 T (a splash) milk or heavy cream if you have it handy
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• heaping 1/3 (or scant 1/2- whichever you prefer) cocoa powder
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped candy pieces (Heath are my absolute favorite, but Reeses peanut butter cup, York peppermint pattie, Snickers, and others work well too!)

Melt butter and and milk together over low heat in large, heat-safe bowl. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Add egg, followed by baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Stir in cocoa and, finally, the flour. If using choc chips, stir these into your batter and pour into greased 8" or 9" square pan. If using candy bits, go ahead and dump your brownie batter in a greased 8" or 9" square pan and sprinkle the candies on top. Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350.

Additional notes:

• These are the rich, fudgy kind of brownie- nothing cake-like about these at all.
• I've tried to double this recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan- it did NOT work for me. If you figure it out, please let me know! I HAVE had success with doubling the recipe and baking two pans of it at once- the bonus there is that I can do two different candy types at the same time.
• I've baked these in a 9" round pan before too. They're very pretty and look super rich if topped with ganache and cut into triangles.
• The type of milk you use does not matter one bit in this recipe- there's not enough of it to amount to anything, but I do notice if I leave it out.
• Sifting the dry ingredients together first is the BEST way to go but, in the interest of transparency, I'm letting you know that I very rarely do that. I dearly love the "one bowl, one spoon" nature of this recipe...

My Favorite Christmas Cookie

I was going to share MY brownie recipe today with you all because, well, I make them all the time (if you follow me on Twitter, you already know this well!) and I think they're really darn tasty.

But, the more I thought about it, I felt like since we hold this wonderful Bloggy Progressive Dinner event during the holiday season, I'd really like to share my favorite Christmas cookie recipe with you all.

I should tell you that, for the most part, I don't have the most "simple, basic" tastes when it comes to food. I definitely prefer spicy over mild and I'm not a much a fan of "down-home country cookin' meat and taters" kind of meals. Give me a zippy seafood dish or a tangy marinated chicken any day over roast beef and mashed potatoes. When it comes to these cookies, however, simple hits the spot with me. I adore these oh-so-basic butter cookies served up with a hot cup of black coffee...

Butter Cookies

• 1 cup butter (I try hard not to be judgmental about other people's food choices but if you try to substitute margarine here for any reason other than a food allergy, I will just have to hunt you down- it simply won't be the same.)
  
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• plain and colored sugar

Cream butter; add sugar gradually; beat in egg and vanilla. Blend in salt and flour. Chill. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten cookies with tines of fork, dipped in plain sugar and then sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen or so.

For more wonderful dessert recipes, be sure to stop by The Finer Things In Life and check out three decadent choices from Amy!

If you missed any of this week's Second Annual Bloggy Progressive Dinner, you can catch up by clicking through the links Amy has kindly left along with her post.

The Main Event: Chicken Marsala

It's been such a pleasure sharing some of our family's favorite festive drinks and appetizers with you so far this week. Today, the Bloggy Progressive Dinner has moved on to Kate's and she's serving up the entree!

Here at the Parenting Miracles house, a sure hit is my Chicken Marsala. I posted this recipe originally back here, but I've recopied it to this post for the sake of convenience...

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips or bite-sized pieces (strips are prettier, little pieces are easier for little children!)
  
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups asst. mushrooms, sliced (I like a combination of button and baby bella)
• 3/4 cup Marsala cooking wine OR 3/4 cup marsala wine + 1/4 tsp salt (Cooking wine has salt added already; I actually prefer to use drinking wine and add the salt myself because I think it has better flavor. You can find Marsala in with the dessert wines, usually, or in with the Italian or Spanish wines)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp rosemary or poultry seasoning
• 1 lb. pasta

Directions:

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute mushrooms until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Melt another 1 Tbsp. butter. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Add chicken to skillet and cook through. Remove. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter and add flour. Stir constantly with wooden spoon or small whisk until the flour and butter are incorporated and lightly browned, about one minute. Stir in wine, water, parsley, and rosemary. Bring to a quick boil, then immediately reduce heat. Sauce will thicken as it simmers. Add mushrooms and chicken to sauce and warm through, about 2-3 minutes. Serve over pasta. (We prefer linguine or angelhair.)

Enjoy!

(If you're like Amy and married to a man who isn't a big pasta fan- seriously? who doesn't like pasta?? ;) -- you can absolutely serve this dish on the plate right alongside a baked potato. That was one of the options at the Italian restaurant where I waitressed and quite a few people went that route!)

Serves: 4 hungry people

Now head on over to Cooking During Stolen Moments to see what Kate is serving up and what dozens of other bloggers have to contribute through the links!

For the rest of the week's Bloggy Progressive Dinner menu, click on the button at the top of this post.

Winter Fruit Salad

This salad is a Thanksgiving staple in my family. As a child who was a super picky eater, I pretty much made my feast out of it and and a roll or two. Seriously. I've since greatly expanded my repertoire, but I still love this salad!

(I took several lovely pictures of the salad making process- they're stuck on the "internal memory" of my camera as I forgot to put the memory card back in. Until I figure out how to do that, I regret that this will be a "text only" post. Check back sometime tomorrow if you have a chance and I should have the photos up!)

Ingredients:

chopped fresh fruit (traditionally, apples, bananas, and seedless grapes)
mini marshmallows
heavy cream
sugar

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Sweeten to taste with white sugar. You want it to be lightly sweet but not cloying like some purchased whipped toppings can be. Fold in fruit and mini marshmallows. Serve in pretty glass bowl- bonus points if it came from generations back.

There you go! That's truly it. The beauty of this is how forgiving it is. Don't have grapes? Skip 'em! Prefer extra marshmallows? Go for it! Want to toss in some pears? Well, why not? I loved it then and I love it now. I hope you might enjoy it some day too!

Head on over to The Happy Housewife to see what Toni's serving up for a side-dish during our Second Annual Bloggy Progressive Dinner. For the full line-up, click on the button at the top of this post.

Mini Pigs In Blankets

If there's one tried and true appetizer I can think of, it's Mini Pigs in Blankets. These little guys are especially popular with men and children (who often turn up their noses at frou-frou canapes), but- let's face it- we ladies like them too. So universally popular are these mini pigs that we elected to have them as one of the hors d'oeuvres at our (fancy-pants) wedding.

These are super easy to whip up if you grab a bag of Hillshire Farms Lil' Weiners ("Go Meat!") and a couple tubes of crescent rolls. Simply cut each crescent triangle into three skinny triangles and wrap away. These aren't "pricey" ingredients, but they aren't dirt-cheap either. An even more frugal and especially delicious way to go? Make your own rolls and simply cut full-size dogs into mini pieces.

I use Kate's recipe for Homemade Crescent Rolls. (If you've never made these, you simply must try them. I think the potato flakes might be the secret- this recipe is the only reason we keep them in the house!) I make 1/2 of her recipe to yield 64 mini pigs in blankies.

I follow her direction and mix up the dough. Here's what it looks like after the first 15 minute rise:




I split my (half) batch of dough into two even blobs and roll each into a circle. I keep mine pretty thin- less than 1/4 inch. Let it rest for a few minutes before you cut it. That helps prevent it from shrinking and curling on you. (Took me a long time to learn that step...) Once it's rested for about five minutes, use a sharp knife or (even easier) a pizza wheel to cut it into 32 narrow wedges. Set a small square of American cheese on the edge of each wedge.
Quarter up 16 hotdogs to yield 64 segments.

Wrap up one quarter in each wedge and set on greased cookie sheets or pizza pans or whatever you've got handy. Just make sure you give them some rising room!

Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for about an hour. Here they are after the second rise:

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes- I like to do 5 minutes on the bottom shelf followed by 5 on the top to ensure even browning but you could probably eliminate that step if you find it to be a hassle.

Cool on racks or a clean dish towel on the table, whatever's handy for you!



Enjoy!

Now head on over and visit Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam as she hosts our appetizer course of the Second Annual Bloggy Progressive Dinner. Link up your own appetizer recipe and check out all the great ideas others have to share!

If you missed my festive drink recipes yesterday (and all the wonderful ones other bloggers linked up!), head right here to check that out.

We'll have lots of wonderful recipes throughout the week. For the full schedule, please click the button at the top of this post to see the outline our lovely hostess, Amy, has provided.

Holiday Drinks To Warm Your Spirits

When it comes to serving up drinks with a festive holiday feast, I think there are two times to focus on- before the meal and after. While enjoying the tasty spread before us (and I can't wait to see all the new recipes getting served up this week!), we tend to drink simple ice water. We like to let the food shine while we sit at the table!

It's fun to have a "signature" before-dinner drink and something to warm you up after the meal, though. Here at the Parenting Miracles house, we like to serve these up to chase away the chill and add some sparkle to our festivities!

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To start off the celebrating, how about a Cranberry Sparkler?

The first step is to make a cranberry syrup. To do this, add the following to a small saucepan:

• 1 c cranberry juice
• 1/2 c fresh cranberries
• 1 c sugar
• 1/2 c water

Bring to a rolling boil over med-high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Boil gently, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Scoop out the "chunky stuff", cover, and chill to cool completely. This can be used as a base for drinks (as it is here) or as an ice cream or pancake topper.

Start with a small, clean, clear glass. I like a small champagne flute or a simple cordial glass, as shown here:


Dampen the rim of the glass. Simplest way to get it even? Invert the glass on a clean, damp paper towel:


Set the damp rim on a small plate of white sugar:


Isn't that starting to look a little more special already?


Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of your cranberry syrup to the bottom of the glass:


Fill glass with champagne, sparkling juice, ginger ale, or even seltzer:


Garnish with a toothpick speared through three cranberries.



Let's toast a beautiful Advent season!

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Once you've filled your belly with delicious holiday fare, it's time to relax, listen to some Christmas carols, and enjoy your family!

What to serve? How about a homemade "latte" whipped up without fuss or fancy equipment?

Start with a half-cup of hot, strong coffee...

Find a small, pretty cup or mug...


Add 1 generous tablespoon flavored creamer or heavy cream to the bottom of your cup...


Pour in hot coffee...


Looks pretty already!


Top with whipped cream- I like to whip mine fresh and sweeten very lightly but if you spray it from a can, I'll never know...

My cream was pretty "stiff", but it melted down into frothy yumminess. Top with a pinch of cocoa powder or cinnamon...
Voila! Snuggle in and enjoy the season!

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Now it's your turn. What festive beverages do you like to serve up? Post about it on your blog and leave your link in the Mr. Linky below. Please be sure to link back to this post so your readers can enjoy many more delicious drink recipes! No blog? Feel free to share in the comments.

***Please don't forget to click on the green Mr. Linky icon below to see all the additional delicious beverages other bloggers have contributed to our collection- from eggnog to wassail to cocoa concoctions, there's something there to tickle your festive tastebuds!***

Please visit again tomorrow when Jen serves up Appetizers over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

We'll be putting together a whole delicious dinner over the course of the week. Click on the button at the top of this post to see the schedule. Join us each day for the next course!