Poppin’ Pepper Pizzas

Poppin’ Pepper Pizzas

Ingredients:

1              pkg refrigerated pizza crust

4              slices bacon

1              small bell pepper

2              jalapeno peppers

4              oz. cream cheese, softened

1              cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1              cup corn chips

 1             small tomato, cut for garnish

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 425°F.

2.       Place dough onto a cutting board (do not unroll dough). Slice dough into 12 disks. Place disks onto baking sheet; press to flatten and seal seams. Bake 11–13 minutes or until golden brown.

3.       Meanwhile, slice bacon into 1/4-in. pieces; cook in pan over medium-high heat 8–10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.

4.       Finely dice bell pepper. Chop jalapenos. Add bell pepper and jalapenos to pan; cook over medium heat 2–3 minutes or until tender.

5.       Combine cream cheese, half of the cheddar cheese, bacon, and peppers in bowl; mix well.

6.       Divide cream cheese mixture evenly over crusts. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and crushed chips.

7.       Bake 4–6 minutes or until cheese is melted and crusts are golden brown.

8.       Serve and enjoy!

A Mental Note:

So, I decided to include a picture of what I gave Belle in place of the pizzas. If you don't already know from my previous posts, she is the pickiest eater I have ever met. By her age, I was eating onions like apples, loved shrimp and seafood, and would eat beans and cornbread like my life depended on it. So naturally, I've had to adjust to get her to eat. This looks pretty tasty deconstructed though I must say. Pretty much everything but the peppers are included on her plate. I added some strawberries from the freezer so it wouldnt be SO carby.

Got any tips for how to make this recipe better?
Got any tips for feeding The Picky One?
Let me know!

Introducing: Belle and AJ's

Introducing: Belle and AJ's

 I mentioned in an earlier post that my best friend and I have been working on a new business venture. That is my biggest excuse for the lack of blogging lately. Lack of blogging aside, I am SOOO excited. WE ARE MAKING HAIR BOWS! I know, I know. Welcome to an already flooded market. You can buy bows at Wal-Mart, K-mart, Target, any craft show, etc. I think what will make Belle and AJ's special is that Alex (the bestie) and I are two very different people with very different styles. Bringing those two styles together will help us to reach a variety of different moms, dads, and grannies who are looking to give their special little ones something unique. 

 

I feel like the two of us are in a very unique position. We both are lucky enough that we are helping to raise children that we did not give birth to ourselves. While I would readily argue that there are many things about being a mother that come naturally, there are some things that also come naturally when you can see children though different eyes. I think Alex and I both enjoy are situations because it's almost what we were made for. I've known that I wanted to teach high school since before I was in high school. Alex got a degree in Early Childhood Education. Being a part of young people's lives is just a part of who we are.

 

SOOO... What's our goal in all of this?

1. Make a little extra cash so we can spoil our own little ones.

2. Get out of the house and experience something that is solely ours.

3. Make other people's lives a little more beautiful.

Sounds like a game plan, eh?

If you like what you're reading so far, check out our Facebook page, and I hope you'll like what you see as well.

facebook.com/belleandajs

We know we are going to be pretty slow on the get go with this, and probably pretty slow all together. I already have my obsessions with Pinterest, meal planning, couponing, school work, cleaning, remodeling the house, my flower beds, the garden, my house plants, Buddy, etc. etc. So how on earth am I going to fit bows into all of this? (In other words, when can you come look at them in person and spend all your fun money???)

1. I am going to set up and sell at Dollar General in Central on most Saturday mornings.

2. The occasional craft fair. Right now we have a spot reserved for the Red Devil Rock Show on August 3rd.

3. Most importantly, you can send us a message on Facebook and we'll get back to you. We want to make the bows you want to have!

I really hope you'll like our Facebook page and keep in touch. I promise to keep blogging along as much as possible. Please comment and let me know what you think of the bows in the pictures. And feel free to comment on how beautiful my little model is, she had a BLAST!

Tomato and Chicken Penne Pasta

Tomato and Chicken Penne Pasta

Tomato and Chicken Penne Pasta

Store bought tomato sauce kinda makes me go all Icky-Vicky. This, with tomatoes straight from the backyard, way more my style!

Ingredients:

2              boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ c.        Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

1 tbsp.  Garlic Powder

2              large tomatoes

3 c.         uncooked penne pasta

3 c.         chicken broth

¾ c.        Pinot Grigio

1 tsp.     Salt and Pepper

½ c.        Basil

¼ c.        Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1.       Cut chicken into ½ inch slices. Place in bowl with dressing. Marinade for 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.       Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until pink is gone. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into small cubes.

3.       Place tomatoes and garlic into range baker. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tomatoes begin to burst. Add pasta, broth, wine, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

4.       Once cooked, add basil, cheese, and chicken to pasta.

5.       Serve and enjoy!

Pineapple Passion Torte

Pineapple Passion Torte

Pineapple Passion Torte

 Sorry I haven't posted in a while. The best friend and I have been busy developing a new business venture that I will post about soon. (For a sneak peak go to facebook.com/belleandajs)... So, I'll start back to blogging with a sweet treat that's great for hot weather. Let me know if you try it out!

 Ingredients:

1 1/2      cups melted Schwan’s #238 Passion Punch Sherbet, divided

1            pkg white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling

1            Container frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

1/2         tbsp. mint extract

1            can of pineapple slices

1            16-oz pound cake

Directions:

 1. For filling, combine 1/2 cup of the sorbet and pudding mix in Mixing Bowl; whisk 1 minute or until thick. Fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping; set aside. For sauce, place remaining 1 cup sorbet in Small Bowl. Add extract; stir into batter bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 1/2-2 minutes or until sorbet is hot.

2. Lay pound cake on its side on Cutting Board. Using Knife, cut straight down into pound cake to slice lengthwise into three equal layers. Place bottom layer onto Platter. Spread half of the filling evenly to edges using Spreader. Cover with ¼ of sauce and 3 slices of pineapple. Place middle layer over filling; spread with remaining filling. Repeat with sauce and pineapple. Place remaining cake layer on top. Frost outside of torte with remaining whipped topping mixed with remaining ½ of sauce.

3.. To serve, top with remaining pineapple slices if desired.

What's for dinner? Spicy Sausage & Peppers Noodle Bowl, Green Tea Lemonade, and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

     Sometimes I know I need something good for supper NO MATTER WHAT! Tonight was one of those nights. I got two packs of fancy pants sausage on sale at Publix last week, and I have had serious ants in my pants waiting to try them out. Also, I'm still on the search for the great drink that will help me kick the soda habit. This lemonade recipe isn't going to be it, but it was super good. Adam and Belle even really liked it. 

Spicy Sausage & Peppers Noodle Bowl

Ingredients:

8 oz  Barillapenne pasta

4 links Chef BruceAidell’s Italian Style with Mozzarella Cheese

1  medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 coarsely chopped medium red onion

2 tbsp.  garlic powder (Stonemill Essentials)

1   can diced tomatoes in sauce,undrained

1     can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1/4  cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

 Directions:

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.

2.  Meanwhile, cook over medium-high heat 14-16 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned and no longer pink, turning occasionally. Remove sausages from skillet; cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

3. In same skillet, cook bell peppers, onion and garlic over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add sausage, tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian Seasoning Mix. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

4.  Place pasta in large bowl; pour sauce mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

5.  Enjoy!

Green Tea Lemonade

Ingredients:

½ c Honey

2 bags Green Tea

4 c  Water

4 freshly squeezed lemons

5 packs Truvia

Directions:

1.       Boil green tea in water.

2.       Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in 2 quart container.

3.       Add tea while still hot, mix.

4.       Fill container with cold water.

5.       Serve.

Schwan’s #652 Oatmeal Raisin FrozenCookie Dough 

  I have a confession to make. I hate the cookie dough that comes from school fundraisers. This hate grew exponentially when they starting saying it don’t have to be refrigerated/frozen. Cookie dough is supposed to have eggs in it. What mutant egg replacement have they used to not have to keep it cold? Soo… although I do use that cookie dough (Central must love selling it), I much prefer to use Schwan’s cookie dough if I’m going the premade route. Not only do I feel comfortable about the ingredients, but I don’t have to wait for anything to thaw. I just set my oven to preheat, lay them out on a cookie sheet, and wait the longest 15 minutes of my life to eat them.