Bagel Pizzas

Is summer going by crazy fast for anyone else? My hubby has summers off (he's a school psychologist), so we've been really busy almost every second. He goes back to work at the end of next week (BOO!), so things will start to settle down a bit after that. Come August, I'll have 2 of my 3 kids in school, so I'll have much more time for this little blog of mine!

So anyway, the other night we were late getting home from the pool and were starving. I had some bagels and pepperoni about ready to go bad and needed to use them up. Thus, this idea popped into my head. My kids scoffed at me ("Bagel pizzas? Are you sure, Mom?") at first, but then I reminded them that we always see those pre-made frozen ones at the store. They still were skeptical because we've never purchased the ones at the store before, but everyone loved these.

You could totally make them ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for quick meals. I plan on doing that and then popping them in the fridge to defrost to send with my kids to school that week. Pizza is so versatile (you can eat it hot or cold), so I think it'll be perfect for their lunches to change things up a bit.

Lastly, this is a perfect meal to let your kids prepare! My kids were fighting over who got to spread the sauce, and they loved spreading on the cheese and pepperoni. :)

Ingredients:
plain bagels
pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
shredded mozzarella
pizza toppings

Break bagels in half, and lay them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Top with a few spoonfuls of sauce, then cheese, then toppings. Sprinkle a little extra cheese on top before baking.

Bake at 375* for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pepperoni starts to get crispy around the edges.

I served ours with some fresh, sliced cantaloupe and a salad. It was a really yummy summer supper!

What meals do you throw together in a pinch?

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Cinnamon Raisin Bites

It's spring break this week and next, so I've had to come up with some activities to keep my 7 year old busy during the day. She loves to help me in the kitchen, so I was really excited to find this recipe because it was perfect for us to do together. And all these ingredients are things we always have on hand, so I wasn't rushing out to buy forgotten ingredients.

She did the whole thing almost entirely by herself. The only tricky thing was that the dough for this recipe is super sticky, so she had some trouble spooning it onto the baking sheets. Some of them ended up without any raisins and they pretty much look like little gerbils after being baked, but hey, she had a great time, and I had a great time watching her. :)

This is another one from Taste of Home. I don't think I've ever come across an easier recipe than this one. These are really tasty. They're like a cross between a scone and a muffin in texture, I'd say. My kids have been eating them by the handful. I keep finding crumbs all over the house. :)

I didn't really change anything this time. Surprise, surprise. All I did was to use parchment paper on my baking sheets to avoid using extra oil for greasing the pans. Next time I make them, I think I'll throw in some chopped nuts, though -- walnuts, peanuts or pecans.

These are perfect to make for quick breakfasts throughout the week, and they make wonderful, healthy snacks throughout the day, too.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a small bowl, combine the milk, oil and honey. Then add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Gently fold in raisins. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray (or parchment lined).

Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Place on wire racks to completely cool. Or don't. They're really yummy when they're warm, so you may not have any left over.
See, I told you they look like gerbils (or some type of rodent). :)

What are your favorite things to make with your kids?

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Snickerdoodles

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got to enjoy tons of good food, friends and family! We had a busy but great holiday week, and I'm sure looking forward to getting back into blogging again.

I don't know about you, but I did tons of baking last week. I spent the entirety of Wednesday baking cookies, breads, etc. I found this recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. If you're looking for a recipe that's extremely kid-friendly, this is it. My kids loved rolling the cookies, in between trying to sneak bites of raw dough, of course. :) These cookies are so little and cute, and they made perfect gifts for our neighbors.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add baking soda and 1 cup sugar and mix well, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until well-blended. Then add flour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll balls around in sugar mixture. DO NOT PRESS DOWN. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10 or 11 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool on a wire rack.

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Granola Bars

My kids LOVE granola bars. They go through them so fast it was starting to get really expensive so I started looking for recipes to make them. I tried one and didn't really like it much. Then I tried another and I am in love with it. They are sooooooo delicious. If I know we have some, I'm craving them. And you can do anything with them too.

Granola Bars
Cooks.com


4 c uncooked oats (not instant)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp ground cinnamon (I just dump some in… we love cinnamon)
½ c. dried fruit (raisins, apples, apricots, cranberries, anything)
½ c. shredded coconut
1 c chopped nuts (we leave them out)
¾ c. melted butter or margarine
½ c. honey



Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Mix well, with greased hands, (I use a wooden spoon) and

press into well greased 15 ½ x 10 ½ jelly roll pan. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown.

Cool thoroughly and cut into bars. Store in airtight container.

**April’s notes**
- spray your measuring cup before you measure the honey, then it slides right out
- I spray my hands with cooking spray before pressing into pan… it’s still sticky.
- our favorite is to chop dried apricots and apples (baking isle at walmart) and mix them in for the fruit.

- I put the pans into the fridge after they’re mostly cool. It makes the bars very easy to cut without them falling apart.
- I also store them in the fridge. They crumble very easily at room temperature. They’re delicious chilled and hold their shape.

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Rice Krispies Treats

Alright, I don't know a single person who hasn't made rice krispies treats before. You can find this recipe on pretty much any box of Rice Krispies Cereal. And the best part is it's super easy (as you probably know) and so much fun to let the kids help with.

Rice Krispies Treats



½ stick margarine
6 cups rice krispies cereal
Marshmallows… lots, of marshmallows. (4 cups minimum but I probably use 6)

Grease 9x13 pan.


Measure cereal into large bowl.


Melt margarine


and add marshmallows.


Stir until marshmallows are melted.


Pour marshmallow mixture into cereal


and mix well.


Spread into 9x13 pan. Allow to cool.


We added mini chocolate chips to ours.


Cut into squares and enjoy!

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