Peanut butter & jelly bars

More than ever, the weeks absolutely fly by. Sometimes things pass by so quickly that I wonder if I have somehow "lost time," like Edward Norton's character in Primal Fear. The weeks used to pass quickly back when I was working full-time, but it was so. much. different. Back then I constantly felt a twinge (ok, a lot of twinges) of guilt about spending most of my time away from home. And I always knew what day of the week it was. Now I feel that my time is almost always productive and that I expend my energy on worthwhile tasks and people. And I never know what day of the week it is.

As I sat down to write this post, I first tried to grasp where I was in time. It's Monday morning, great! Oh, um, Wednesday afternoon. Nope! It's nearly Saturday evening. Goodness! So I'm clearly clueless about the passing of time, but I am just fine with that because I love what I spend my time doing. Even when it's crazy in this crazy crazy but awesome house of mine.

I am finding that baking helps me to keep better track of my days. I still have a few of these PB&J bars on my counter and I know I made them three days ago, so that was Wednesday and now it is Saturday! What a perfect excuse to bake more often! Or something like that.

I'm chewing on one this very second, and these things are goooood. Just like a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, but better.

(Recipe adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a food processor, combine:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Pulse until combined.

Cut a chilled stick of butter into cubes.

Add the butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add 1 cup of creamy peanut butter.

Process until crumbly.

In a small bowl, combine:

1/2 cup of the peanut butter mixture from the food processor

1 cup salted, roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Press the remaining peanut butter mixture from the food processor into the bottom of the prepared pan with your fingers.

Top with 1 cup of grape jelly, spread out evenly.

Sprinkle the peanut-crumb mixture over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool and cut into squares.

Happy SATURDAY! Enjoy the holiday weekend! It is a holiday weekend, right?!

Printable recipe: Peanut butter & jelly bars

Nestlé Drumstick Pretzel Dipped cones and salsa burgers!

I was so excited to be chosen to host a party creating my ideal summer day, made better with Nestlé Drumstick Pretzel Dipped cones! I knew immediately what I wanted to do. The dropzone where we skydive is our second home in the summer months. Our skydiving family is a fun bunch, and nothing beats summer (or fall or winter or spring) gatherings with them. 

If you live in or around Minnesota, you will know that our weather can abruptly throw a wrench into outdoor plans. Like our wedding day, for example! Dan and I planned an outdoor wedding in May, hoping for good weather. It was 45 degrees, raining, windy and COLD. 

The day before my Nestlé party, it was sunny, beautiful and nearly 90 degrees. The next day, the day of the party, it was 50 degrees (warmer than my wedding day!), raining, windy and COLD.

But skydivers love food and togetherness, so the weather didn't stop us from having a party! Dan was a good sport. He grilled 40 burgers in the rain while the rest of us sat in the hangar, awaiting the food.

What kinds of burgers was Dan grilling in the cold, you ask? Well, salsa burgers, of course! Dan and I make these burgers quite often in the summer-time, and they are especially loved by our skydiving friends. They seemed like the perfect thing to grill for this party.

By the way, I have to mention how difficult it was to take the below photo. The wind kept blowing the top bun off, so I had to hold it on with my finger, focus the camera, remove finger and CLICK.

If you like a good burger and have never eaten a salsa burger, well, sorry to say, but you are missing out. There honestly is no other way that Dan and I make burgers from scratch. They are so very simple to make yet juicy and delicious beyond words. If you like spicy food there is plenty of room to turn up the heat, but spice is definitely not a necessity.

Light a grill and set it to medium heat.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup salsa 

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)

Mix well with your hands, making sure the ingredients are well-incorporated. Divide the meat into 4 equal sections. Using your hands, form each section into a patty.

Place the patties on the grill and cook for 6 minutes. Flip and add 1 slice of cheese of your choice to the top of each burger. Cook for another 4 minutes, or until the meat has reached desired level of doneness. Serve on a bun with desired condiments.

Printable recipe: Salsa burgers

Hopefully you will be able to enjoy them in a sunny warm setting, and not huddled inside a skydiving manifest. 

The kids at the party weren't so excited about the salsa burgers (they'll learn), but they were eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the ice cream!

(Don't ask about the photo hanging on the wall in the middle of this pic.)

When I opened the cone-filled freezer, I literally heard excited gasps coming from all around the room (not just the children). 

Look at these happy faces!

The whole purpose of this party was to create a fun summer experience revolving around the limited edition Nestlé Drumstick Pretzel Dipped cones, so it seems fitting to share that they were very very good. There is an appropriate amount of pretzel bits in the chocolate that coats the vanilla ice cream. Enough that you know they are there, but not so much that you forget you are eating ice cream.

They were a hit! They were totally devoured, and they were the perfect finishing touch after a meal of juicy salsa burgers, chips and cheese dip. 

Full disclosure: Nestlé has provided me with free product and other items in order to help with my review, but anything I receive from Nestlé does not affect my thoughts on its company or their products.

And just like that, the clouds parted. I'm not kidding! If I had known that these cones could part clouds, I would have started my day off by eating one.

The 4-pack box of Nestlé Pretzel Dipped cones became energized by the sun and by the people enjoying its creamy tastiness, so he hopped on out to the airplane. 

He sat in the pilot's seat and flew up to 13,000 feet, the altitude that skydivers typically jump from.

He made his way toward the back of the airplane, where the open door awaited.

He hesitated at the door, but this is typical for a first jump.

But he did it. He found the courage to take the plunge into the cool sky.

At the end of the day, we were all feeling satisfied and we were all happy that we had tried new things.

White chicken lasagna

I am typing this post from the comfort of our "second home," as Elijah calls it (our trailer at the dropzone). I am remembering from last summer how tired our boys become after consecutive nights spent here. The fresh air and the stimulation of all varieties and the people and the not-sleeping-well-because-the-dropzone-is-so-much-fun makes for some crazy tired boys. I had a few moments tonight when I had to walk away for a few minutes because my patience was wearing very thin. As I type, the monkeys are fighting falling asleep in their supremely overly tired states.

Deep breaths. Just keep typing.

White chicken lasagna.

After the boys had finally fallen asleep last night, Dan and I finished off this pan of lasagna that I had made earlier in the week. It is SO GOOD, you guys. I used to make this recipe fairly often years ago, before I was married, and recently made a few alterations to make it even tastier. 

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook 9 lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Chop 1 yellow onion and mince 2 cloves of garlic.

Heat 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Cook the onion and garlic until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add:

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

Stir to coat.

Add:

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

Bring to a boil. 

Add:

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Stir until the cheese is melted.

Add:

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

In the prepared baking dish, layer as follows:

1/3 of the sauce 

3 lasagna noodles

2 cups ricotta cheese

Meat from one Rotisserie chicken, shredded

14-oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped

3 lasagna noodles

1/3 of the sauce

10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

3 lasagna noodles

Remaining sauce

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

While writing this post, the boys have gone from wild-monkey status to wild-monkeys-who-have-been-tranquilized-and-who-will-be-asleep-soon. Not that we tranquilize our children. The effects of the past two days are just finally catching up.

Releasing deep breath.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's a keeper!

Printable recipe: White chicken lasagna

Rhubarb crunch

I have such fond memories of my childhood in Scottsbluff, Nebraska: learning to ride a bike, being tortured by my older sisters, endlessly swinging on our swingset with my best friend Matt, running from crazy storms and the lollipop cakes my mom made for my birthdays. There was also the patch of rhubarb in our back yard, among the stray cats and the huge oak trees. I have vivid memories of gnawing at those bitter stalks. There was something so special about eating something straight from the earth, especially when combined with sugar, of course! Ha!

My good friend Paula (P-licious) contacted me recently and said, "Megan, you should make a rhubarb recipe!" Ok! And then she offered up her great grandmother's Rhubarb Crunch recipe, which meant the world to me. Thanks, P! 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup shortening, softened

Mix well and press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and clear, about 15 minutes.

Add 4 cups of chopped rhubarb and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour the rhubarb mixture over the crumbs in the pan and top with the remaining crumbs.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until crumbs are lightly browned. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy! This one is a keeper!

Printable recipe: Rhubarb crunch

Leek tomato & mushroom quiche

I absolutely cannot write this post without sharing my funny story about quiches. It's funny now. It wasn't so funny when it happened. A few years ago my incredibly thoughtful husband asked me if I would like for him to make me a quiche for Mother's Day. Now, please keep in mind that I was pregnant at the time and very close to delivering Sammy. I flipped out on him upon suggesting quiche! "QUICHE?! You men always get Famous Dave's for Father's Day and that is so much better than QUICHE!" An argument occurred, me wondering how he could possibly suggest QUICHE (and not bbq ribs) and him wondering why I was being so ridiculous.

I claim Pregnancy Crazies because goodness, what a very thoughtful thing for him to consider! Quiche is delicious! And it is a standard go-to for a Mother's Day brunch.

So hopefully you, too, have a thoughtful husband who offers to make you quiche for Mother's Day and hopefully you aren't hormonal and irrational about suggesting such a thing!

Although we joke about that argument often, I don't know if I have ever genuinely told Dan that I'm sorry for being so silly. Husband, I am sorry! I would welcome a quiche made by your wonderful self any day, especially on Mother's Day! I apologize for being a crazy pregnant lady!

This is the first quiche I have made since the Quiche Fight, and I must say that it turned out quite delicious. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll two 9-inch ready-to-bake pie crusts and press them into two 9-inch pie plates. Poke plenty of holes into the surface of the dough with a fork.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 leek (halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; white and light green parts only) and cook until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

Halve an 8-ounce container of grape or cherry tomatoes.

Chop fresh flat-leaf parsley to equal 1/4 cup.

Coarsely chop 8 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms.

In a medium bowl, combine:

Sliced leeks

Halved tomatoes

Chopped parsley

Chopped mushrooms

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix well.

Add 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and mix well. I used Kraft Triple Cheddar, which contains white cheddar, sharp cheddar and mild cheddar with a touch of cream cheese. This might be my new favorite!

Mix well.

Divide the mixture between the 2 pie plates.

In a medium bowl, combine:

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

Whisk together and divide between the 2 pie plates. Pour over the top of the veggie-cheese mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Who needs Famous Dave's when a mama can have something as delicious as this?!

Printable recipe: Leek tomato & mushroom quiche