Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Pepperoni Pizza "Cookies"


Ok, so by definition, these Pepperoni Pizza "Cookies" are not really cookies. But don't tell my kids that - they are pretty sure that they ate cookies for dinner the other night. And for lunch the other day. Oh, they think I am pretty freakin' cool. They might be a little right... ;)

I made some big cookies, pictured above, and some smaller ones, pictured below. The kids liked them both the same - I liked the bigger ones since they reminded me of good ol' regular sized cookies, but they both tasted the same.


Total random fact about me - I hate people watching me eat or checking out the food that I am eating. It's odd, it's comical and it's just a part of who I am. However, I will tuck that little pet peeve away for a second so I can show you how the inside of the "cookies" turn out. Beautiful!


All you need for this little creation is 4 simple ingredients. Pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese and refrigerated crescent rolls. 


Roll out the crescent dough. Put 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce on each rectangle, some cheese and pepperoni. Just not too much because you will be rolling these bad boys up!


I did 3 rolls - 1 had two rectangles rolled up together. The other 2 were single rectangle rolls. After they are rolled put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes.


I used a smaller bread knife to cut the rolls into 1" slices. I used a cookie sheet for the larger "cookies" and a baking sheet covered in foil, sprayed with non-stick spray, for the smaller ones. Both worked great. I then baked them for about 30 minutes at 350.


I was like a giddy little kid when these came out - I love cooking moments like these!


And just like that - your kids think you are awesomesauce! Hope your kiddos enjoy them as much as mine did. :)


Pepperoni Pizza “Cookies”
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
adapted from Krafty Cards etc.
Ingredients
1 roll refrigerated crescent rolls
½ cup pizza sauce
1½ cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
20 slices pepperoni, diced
Directions
1.  Heat oven to 350.
2. Roll out crescent rolls, separated in half lengthwise.
3. Divide toppings over the two unrolled halves.
4. Roll up and freeze for 20 minutes.
5. Cut into 1” slices and place on cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
7. Cool on rack. Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesdays #12 - Co-hosting with Anyonita Nibbles

This is the 3rd week that I am co-hosting Tasty Tuesdays and let me tell you - there are some amazingly talented bloggers linking up to this party! I had a great time meeting so many of you the first 2 weeks and am looking forward to getting to know even more wonderful bloggers this week!!

Here are the features from last week - just check out the deliciousness that was linked up!


1. Chocolate Stout Doughnuts from Living Better Together
2. Basil Pesto Hummus from Sensationally Seasonal
3. Asian Meatball Sub from Dixie Chik Cooks
4. Apple Cinnamon Delight from Spatulas on Parade
5. 3D Painted Dino Cookies from Crystal's Tiny Treasures
6. Cupcakes for a New Baby Boy from Sew Lah Tea Dough
7. Key Lime Parfait from SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl
8. Key Lime Coconut Cheesecake Mousse from The Brunette Baker
9. How to Can Pink Applesauce from Diary of a MadMama
10. Oatmeal Banana Cake from Treat & Trick
11. Soft Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn from Dessert Now, Dinner Later!
12. Doritos Crusted Chicken Strips from Six Sister's Stuff
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars from Dessert Now, Dinner Later!
14. Ranch Chicken Enchilada Casserole from Mostly Homemade Mom
15. Why and How to Use Coconut Flour from The Grass Skirt
16. Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Prudent Living
17. Skillet Peach Pie from the Great Big Giant Food Basket
18. Southwestern Chopped Chicken Sandwich from Saving Cent by Cent
19. Spiced Apple & Giant Sultana Bundt with Maple Glaze from Dollybakes
20. Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken + Guacamole Tacos from SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl

Check out these delicious posts & pin and/or share what you like!

Tasty Tuesdays is put on by the wonderful Anyonita at Anyonita Nibbles. Make sure you go check out her site - it is packed full of wonderful recipes and culinary information! You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest & my newest addiction, Instagram - so go see what she is cooking!

The other cohost this week is Holly from Mess Makes Food - so go see what she is whipping up too! She just recently posted some Creamy Chilli Vodka Pasta that is mouth-watering! :)

Now on to the linky party!!

Grab button for Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier


<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;">
<a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com">
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Jf6DrKrXZyc/UT2cat5N7jI/AAAAAAAABHU/gkExSjGrRIc/s153/tasty+tuesdays+partier+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" />
</a>
</div>

Here are a couple suggestions before we get started:
1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles, Mess Makes Food and Hungry Harps socially - and we will all do the same!
2. Visit the link before yours and leave a comment letting them know you found them at Tasty Tuesdays. Share the love!!
3. Spread the word about Tasty Tuesdays - grab a button and share it on your blog!
4. Link up recipes only - no giveaways or promos, please.
5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across Anyonita Nibbles social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given

Let's get this party started!!


Saturday, May 25, 2013

the dipr - Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: The Cookie Spoon LLC provided Hungry Harps with complementary diprs for this product review and giveaway.


Sometimes I see something that NEEDS to be shared with all my friends. The dipr is one of those things. Let me explain...

We are huge Oreo fans in the Hungry Harps household - I am talking serious stuff here. They were the first cookies that either of my boys ever had, not to mention the first cookies that my husband and I ever shared together. I have made recipes using them, such as Mint Oreo Cupcakes, and even gave them shout outs on their 100th Birthday and when they released some exquisite Gingerbread Oreos during the holiday season. No joke, Oreos are a part of our life and that's not changing.

Never in a million years would I ever think my relationship with an Oreo would change. But it has. For the best.

Just check out this video to see what I mean. My family's life will never be the same..



Oh yes, my friends, a cookie spoon.

Which color would you like?


I am loving the green but Mr. Hungry Harp laid claim to it as soon as he saw it. The purple is my second favorite. Aren't the colors so bright and fun?


Are you wanting to know more? I was pretty much sold at this point in the game of being introduced to the dipr - but let me give you some more details, in case you need a little nudging. ;)
  • the dipr is BPA free
  • the dipr is top-rack dishwasher safe and
  • the dipr is made in the USA (I love that!!)


But most importantly, the dipr allows you to dunk your sandwich cookie in milk without losing it or getting sticky fingers.

This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Some notable findings from our review -

1. the dipr not only works with the basic sandwich cookie - but it also works great on double-decker varieties.


2. I like to dip my cookies in milk until the are soggy - it's just how I roll. I did a 30 second dunk using the dipr and the cookie came out in one piece, no crumbling, perfectly soggy. My heart pitter-pattered at this. ♥


3. the dipr makes it possible to dip a sandwich cookie in the last bit of milk without having to stick your hand in the glass. Sweet!


Now that my relationship with cookies & milk has been forever changed - I want you to experience the fun too! We will be giving away 5 pairs of diprs - yes, 5 pairs!! I am totally excited about this and can't wait to hear if you love using them as much as I do. :)

Just real quick - a few rules (painless, I swear):
  • Giveaway closes June 2nd, 2013 at midnight, PST
  • Giveaway winners will be announced and notified on June 4th, 2013
Without any further ado - go ahead and enter for your chance at a pair of diprs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Tasty Tuesdays #11 - Co-Hosting with Anyonita Nibbles

This is the 2nd week that I am co-hosting Tasty Tuesdays and let me tell you - there are some amazingly talented bloggers out there that linked up last week. I had a great time meeting so many of you and am looking forward to getting to know even more wonderful bloggers this week!!

Here are the features from last week - just check out the awesomeness that was linked up!



1. Chips & Salsa Chicken Bake from Mostly Homemade Mom
2. Avocado and Cheese Stuffed Buns from Dixie Chik Cooks
3. Golden Syrup Cake from Sew Lah Tea Dough
4. Lime Dream Cake from Cookin' for the Seven Dwarfs
5. Tiramisu Brownie Trifle from The Cookin' Chicks
6. Fresh Veggie Pasta Skillet from On Sugar Mountain
7. Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Apple Jicama Slaw from Niki's Sweet Side
8. Easy Black Bean Soup from Foody-Buddy
9. Blackberry White Chocolate Cheesecake from Fresh Eggs Daily
10. Gingerbread Pancakes from Mess Makes Food

Check out these delicious posts & pin and/or share what you like!

Tasty Tuesdays is put on by the wonderful Anyonita at Anyonita Nibbles. Make sure you go check out her site - it is packed full of wonderful recipes and culinary information! You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest & my newest addiction, Instagram - so go see what she is cooking!

The other cohost this week is Holly from Mess Makes Food - so go see what she is whipping up too! She just recently posted some Spiced Gingerbread Muffins that look delish. :)

Now on to the linky party!!

Grab button for Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier


<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;">
<a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com">
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Jf6DrKrXZyc/UT2cat5N7jI/AAAAAAAABHU/gkExSjGrRIc/s153/tasty+tuesdays+partier+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" />
</a>
</div>

Here are a couple suggestions before we get started:
1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles, Mess Makes Food and Hungry Harps socially - and we will all do the same!
2. Visit the link before yours and leave a comment letting them know you found them at Tasty Tuesdays. Share the love!!
3. Spread the word about Tasty Tuesdays - grab a button and share it on your blog!
4. Link up recipes only - no giveaways or promos, please.
5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across Anyonita Nibbles social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given

Let's get this party started!!


Nutty-S'more Brownies


These were extremely easy to make and even easier to eat. Dangerous.


I guess their name could have been the Dangerous Brownies on the Block – or perhaps the Eat Quickly, While Hoping the Kids Don’t Walk in Brownies. Either one of those names could have worked as well.

(Sidenote: Since having kids, I have noticed that I eat desserts/sweets like a rat stealing food. It’s quick and sneaky – I totally admit to eating a candy bar in my bedroom closet, just hoping that the kids wouldn’t find me and want a piece.)

To make these bad boys, you need Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Minis, Betty Crocker - Family Size Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix and Mini Marshmallows. Make sure to also have the eggs, oil and water that the brownie box calls for.


First, make the brownie mix according to package. Pour into a greased 13X9 baking dish. Places all of the mini peanut butter cups on top of poured brownie batter.


Next, add 2 cups of mini marshmallows on top of mini peanut butter cups.


With the palm of your hand, carefully, press marshmallows into batter.


Bake brownies according to directions on package.


Let cool completely before cutting and removing from pan. Enjoy and try to share with the loved ones in your home. ;)


Nutty-S'more Brownies
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker - Family Size Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix (ingredients that box calls for)
1 bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minis
2 cups mini marshmallows
Directions
1. Make brownies according to package. Pour into greased 13x9 baking pan.
2. Place all peanut butter cups on top of poured brownie batter.
3. Sprinkle marshmallows on top of peanut butter cups. Carefully, with palm of hand, press marshmallows into brownie batter.
4. Cook brownies according to package.
5. Let cool completely before cutting and removing from baking pan.
6. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Helping Fight Summer Hunger with Odwalla and Champion for Kids #Odwalla4Kids


I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®, Odwalla, and Champions for Kids #cbias #SocialFabric


The Hungry Harps household was long overdue to participate in one of Champion for Kid’s Simple Service Projects. During the last few months of my pregnancy and a couple months after we had the twins – I was a little housebound. Looking back – we hadn’t donated since September, far too long! However, I was now ready to get out and start giving back to our community this month.
Champions for Kids is an awesome organization that gives people, like me and you, different ideas each for month for how to help the less fortunate children in their local communities. In the past we have put together donations of books, winter care kits, sports equipment and cereal (yes, a big donation of just cereal!!) – this month’s project was to give food to a local food bank. The reason being is this: when school lets out for summer, millions of children from low-income families are without school-provided breakfasts, lunches and after school snacks. The demand for food banks is so high that they often run out of food during this crucial time.


This is what happened last year in our local community. The food bank completely ran out of food. How devastating is that? My husband and I knew right away that we would be giving our donation to the Orangevale Food Bank. A little bit about Orangevale Food Bank from their website:

“As an organization, we hope to make a positive impact in the Orangevale community by providing basic food and resources to families. But we also expect to facilitate participation from people within our community to help improve the lives of families in need through community outreach events, volunteering, food and clothing drives, and connecting people through a common purpose.”

How beautiful is that? These are the type of people this world needs more of!

We decided to host our own little food drive, so I headed to Walmart (check out my shopping trip here on Google+) to buy food for our guests and something for us to contribute to the donation. Although I hadn’t seen them yet, I wanted to buy some Odwalla Bars for Kids to donate. When I found them and checked them out – I was sold! They each contain 11 to 12 grams of organic whole-grains. (I am a huge fan of organic!!) Plus, they are a good source of fiber (12% DV) and calcium (30% DV). I bought 10 boxes of them – leaving a few boxes for other customers too. :) Although my Walmart only had the Banana Dunk and Chocolate Chip Kick flavors, there is also a Strawberry Score.


This is how the invitation to our food drive went – “come over and bring food (non-perishable) that is suitable for children and I will give you a biscuits & gravy breakfast.” Yes, I will totally use bribery for a good cause. I even threw in eggs and orange juice to sweeten the deal. :)


We had a total of 9 people (including ourselves) participate in this donation and was able to collect: 10 boxes of Odwalla Bars for Kids, 3 boxes cereal, 2 packs of boxed juices, 4 peanut butters, 6 cans of tuna, 5 macaroni & cheeses, 10 soups/pastas and 13 cans of fruit.


Also, I had mentioned to our guests that this was a project being sponsored by Champions for Kids & Odwalla and one of them brought a bunch of individual Odwalla bars – very cool!


The Orangevale Food Bank is only open on Thursdays to accept donations – for all other times, they have set donation centers around town. We opted for the one at the Rec & Parks office. It made me sad to see trash inside the barrel – people are so quick to throw their garbage into the donation bin, but not so quick to put donation items in it.


We explained to our sons (ages 2 & 4) on the way to make the donation and also on the way home that all the food was for kids who are less fortunate than we are. Kids who don’t get ice cream & special trips to the quick mart for slushies, kids who don’t have an endless supply of bananas sitting on the counter or even milk to drink with dinner. It’s important to me that they learn to help others who have less than them . Even if it’s just once a month and a little bit – it’s better than never giving anything.

For more information on Champions for Kids or on how you can help in your local communities, connect with them through their
website: http://championsforkids.org/odwalla or
twitter: https://twitter.com/odwalla

For more information on Odwalla and their products, connect with them through their

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Ginger-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut

To kick off the grilling season, as a part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias® and Smart and Final, I made this Ginger-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut using First Street Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with rib meat. #ChooseSmart


The flavors of this Ginger-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut scream summertime. Not to mention the beautiful aromas you will enjoy while preparing and cooking this dish - it's like being away on a tropical vacation. 


Ginger-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
Ingredients
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened
½ oz fresh ginger, chopped
zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup olive oil
3lbs First Street Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, with rib meat

First, finely chop the shredded coconut. I used my food processor and it made the job a breeze!


Rest assure that this chicken will not be sweet - we will be adding a little heat with some chopped garlic and chili flakes.


Combine ½ cup coconut, ginger, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, chili flakes, soy sauce and olive oil in food processor and process until fully combined.


Marinade chicken breasts in Ginger-Lime & Coconut sauce for 4 hours. I have found that using a gallon size freezer bag works great for this. Then, grill the chicken over medium-high heat - about 7 minutes on each side or until clear juices run when pierced with a knife. Sprinkle with remaining coconut and cover grill for a minute to let coconut set on chicken. Remove from grill and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.


I am in love with this recipe for chicken and am so happy it found it's way into my life. I served the Ginger-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut with green peas and cilantro rice, which resulted in no leftovers. Score!


Thank you for reading! Have you fired up your grill yet this year?

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Racing into Springtime with Tyson Nuggets #SpringtimeNuggets


When you think about Springtime, what is the first thing that pops into your head?

For my family, when Spring arrives, we have one thing on our minds – off-road racing!! It’s time to head out to the racetrack and enjoy the races with family and friends. It is what we look forward to the rest of the year!

A couple weekends ago we came back from the races and made the kiddos a quick dinner of Tyson Nuggets, fries & carrots. While eating dinner, our sons were driving the chicken nuggets around their plates like little cars – complete with engine noise. I was inspired at that very moment to do a little Springtime decorating and make my boys some #SpringtimeNuggets!


My sons love going to the racetrack and seeing all the race vehicles. I wanted to give them a little snapshot of the race on their dinner plate as a surprise.

So, I went back to Walmart to pick up more Tyson Nuggets (I will never complain about having to go to Walmart!) – check out my shopping trip here on Google+. I found some fun stuff that I had never seen at Walmart before!

If you don’t have time to make homemade chicken nuggets – I recommend Tyson Chicken Nuggets all the way. First reason being, they are 100% All Natural Ingredients – reading the label doesn’t leave you confused, all of the ingredients are items you could regularly find in my pantry. No preservatives and no fillers. Second, Tyson Foods has a long-standing commitment to the well-being and proper handling of the animals used in its food products. Those are two important factors when deciding what to feed my family.


In addition to the Tyson Chicken Nuggets – I also bought fruit roll-ups, celery, peanut butter, raisins, sliced olives, dried blueberries, a few potatoes and a bag of spinach to complete the racing scene. The only “cooking” that had to be done was heating the nuggets in the oven and boiling the potatoes – so not really cooking at all, just a tad bit of movement in the kitchen. ;)


My husband and I gathered up our supplies and attempted to hideout from the kiddos while we assembled their plates. Fruit roll-ups were the color for the #SpringtimeNuggets cars, dried blueberries pressed into the center of sliced olives were wheels, celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins were the fans in the stands, chopped spinach was the grass alongside the racetrack, the potato peel was the dirt under the stands and the mashies were the track.

I was so stinkin' excited to show our boys!!

They were devouring their plates before I could grab the camera! My oldest, Bubba, kept showing me that he was eating a "car". They both thought it was so cool. Total score for Mom & Dad on making a kid friendly meal that the munchkins loved!! I will totally be doing this again, but with a different theme - maybe for an upcoming season. The hubby and I will have to think of something just as awesome to make out of more tyson chicken nuggets.


If you want to try your hand at decorating some Tyson Nuggets right now - check out this fun Springtime Nuggets app on Tyson's Facebook page!

You can also connect with Tyson on their website (http://www.tyson.com/) and Twitter (@ClubTysonLive).


Thanks for reading! I hope I helped spark a little Springtime inspiration into at least one of your meals this season. :)

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tasty Tuesdays #10 - Co-Hosting with Anyonita Nibbles!!

Today, a dream of mine has come true - I am cohosting a linky party!! Very exciting stuff over here at Hungry Harps! :)

I am a cohost to Tasty Tuesdays, which is put on by the oh-so lovely Anyonita at Anyonita Nibbles. Make sure you go check out her site - it is packed full of wonderful recipes and culinary information! You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest & my new favorite, Instagram - so go see what she is cooking!

The other cohost this week is Holly from Mess Makes Food - so go see what she is whipping up too! She has some Hershey's Kisses Smores Cookies that look uh-mazing. *drool

Now on to the linky party!!

Grab button for Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier


<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;">
<a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com">
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Jf6DrKrXZyc/UT2cat5N7jI/AAAAAAAABHU/gkExSjGrRIc/s153/tasty+tuesdays+partier+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" />
</a>
</div>

Here are a couple suggestions before we get started:
1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles, Mess Makes Food and Hungry Harps socially - and we will all do the same!
2. Visit the link before yours and leave a comment letting them know you found them at Tasty Tuesdays. Share the love!!
3. Spread the word about Tasty Tuesdays - grab a button and share it on your blog!
4. Link up recipes only - no giveaways or promos, please.
5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across Anyonita Nibbles social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given

Let's get this party started!!