Bride of Magazine Challenge: Cherry-Oat Cereal Bars

So.
In my high school, there were 2 things worth buying to my 16 year old mind:  the fries and gravy and the Rice Krispie squares.  If you timed it right before second period, the rice krispie squares would still be warm in their saran wrappings.  Delicious.
I haven't had a Rice Krispie square in years.  I usually choose a baked good that doesn't include marshmallows.  But when I saw these in the September 2006 issue of Everyday Food, I thought that they'd be worth a second look.
These are a square that I can take in my lunch to work - no peanut products in sight.  They're also a little different with the Cheerios instead of the typical Rice Krispies.  The dried cherries make them a little more high-brow.  I would love to put chocolate chips in these, but they'd melt with the warm mixture.  Ah well.  They were good as they are too.
I present to you now from the September 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Cherry-Oat Cereal Bars:

Potluck Perfect: Meatball Pizza Casserole

So.
Over Thanksgiving, after a very exciting Michigan win over Penn State, we went to my mom's.  We heard about her adventures in Italy, enjoyed a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin meal, and I caught up on my What's Cooking reading.
The problem with moving as much as J and I have is that I no longer get What's Cooking Magazine.  As one gigantic advertisement for Kraft, it's absolutely brilliant.  That you have to pay for it?  Eh, not nearly as much.  So when it stopped showing up, I ended up embarking on the Magazine Challenge of the past 2 years.  Perhaps not getting the magazine is not all bad.  I've actually made lots of new stuff that is really good.
But when given a chance to watch some TV and flip through magazines, I found myself drawn back into all the interesting things you can make with Kraft.  I saw this, and knew we'd enjoy it.  We did.  For many, many nights.  It would freeze well, too.  I probably should have done that.
I present to you now Kraft's Meatball Pizza Casserole:

Planning: October 25-31, 2014

So.
As I was digging through the freezer for something this week, I realized that we have been in the house more than 2 years and I have yet to defrost my freezer.  The reason I realized this?  Large amounts of frost on the walls.  I have now determined that we need to eat to the bottom of the freezer so that I can defrost and restart the process of filling for the purposes of not having to cook as much.
I figure that it will take a while until I can get to the actual process of defrosting.  Like, maybe Christmas vacation.  In the meantime, there will be lots of things to eat that I've previously made, and I am fairly sure that I also have a good deal of meat that will need to be used up.  Not a bad thing on the food budget either.
As a result, I see a lot of chicken in our future.  And pork tenderloin.  Life is rough.
J and I have a fairly normal week, so meals need to be easy and quick or I won't want to make them.  Here's the plan:

Saturday:  J's making chili.  It's been bubbling on the stove since about 10:30 this morning, and smells wonderful.  I need to make cornbread.  I've also finally made the Cherry Oat Cereal bars that I bought marshmallows for more than a month ago.  A month.  Yikes.
Sunday:  Lunch is leftovers - Shake n Bake drumsticks, and the dust from a bag of broccoli mixed into hot rice.  Dinner is Chicken Fajita Salad and Garlic Bread.
Monday:  Something from the freezer - Salisbury Steak Meatballs over noodles and broccoli.  Have I mentioned that Costco has changed the packaging on my 5- pound bag into smaller interior steam and eat bags?  I'm not a fan.  I liked the 5-pounds, take what you need approach.
Tuesday:  Beef Pastry Pockets.  These were so good, and used up that last little bit of roast that always seems to be left.  I promised J that I will make more of these...after we eat our way through the freezer.  I think there are even a couple of roasts in the freezer that we can use for this later.
Wednesday:  Chicken Ranch Foil Packets.  I can assemble these before my guitar lesson, and pop in the oven when I get home.
Thursday:  Grilled Steak, Crispy Oven Fries and broccoli.  

Sounds like a great week!  Let's see how it goes.

Bride of Magazine Challenge: October Planning

So.
Life happened.  Since the end of #10DaysofTailgate, I have been overwhelmed, under pressure and otherwise incapacitated.  And beyond all that, we're talking about getting a kitten.  Cause, you know, life's not crazy enough.
The October edition of Everyday Food features Easy Comfort Food.  I have also made and blogged 1 recipe from this magazine:  Potatoes Gratin.  They're delicious.  I highly recommend them to a friend.  I'm sure there will be some more winners this month.
Easy is the name of the game right now.  Frankly, we've been eating out or eating frozen meals.  I'm kinda enjoying the frozen meals I made in the summer.  Baked Spaghetti, Beef Pastry Pockets, and soup with Chicken  Bacon Taquitos have been fantastic after a busy day when I just want to put on pajamas.
In better news, we're home for 18 nights.  Sleeping in my own bed!  Sleeping in on my birthday!  Cuddling and playing with a new kitten!  Making the current cat feel important!  Making myself a birthday cake!
Here's what we're planning this month from the October 2006 issue:

• Rocky Road Bars
• Roast Beef with new potatoes and shallots
• Crispy Oven Fries
• Red and Black Bean Pies
• Ginger Pumpkin Bread
• Roasted Broccoli with Manchego Cheese

Here's to what's left of the month!

Secret Recipe Club: Apple Cider Bread

So.
It's time for the Secret Recipe Club again!  This snuck up on me this month:  between #10DaysofTailgate and the craziness that is my life, I suddenly realized that I was supposed to have made a recipe for this too and I really didn't have a whole lot of time to get it done.
I try not to be as day late and dollar short as I seem to be in my own eyes.
This month, I was assigned the blog Dancing Veggies.  Amanda is an ovo-lacto vegetarian, and has tons of interesting sounding recipes.  The problem?  My husband is suspicious of entrees that don't include animal-based protein.  When I announced that I had been assigned a vegetarian blog, he asked if I was going to make a dessert.
Time ran short, and I decided that I wasn't fighting with him on this one. But when I started looking at potential recipes, I found this bread and thought that it just sounded like fall.
I haven't been on an apple kick to celebrate fall this year, despite the things I've pinned on Pinterest.  Perhaps this is the beginning.  Today was the first day where I actually thought that I might need to wear socks and shoes.  Fall is close, and my pedicure is going into hiding.  Sigh.
To celebrate the beginning of October, and the fruits of fall, I present to you now Dancing Veggies' Apple Cider Bread:

#10DaysofTailgate: Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

So.

On Saturdays when we're home for football, J and I often have grazing-type meals with a hot dip, carrot and celery sticks, chips and salsa, and something sweet.  It's even better if the hot something can come out of the freezer to be reheated so there's no real work on Saturday morning before the 12 hour extravaganza that is college football Saturday begins.
These taquitos are perfect for tailgating:  the recipe makes a ton (I got 15 whole small tortillas), uses staples in our house, and are hand-held for snacking.  They'd even transport well wrapped hot in foil.  If you cut the tortillas in half before filling and rolling, they'd be a great appetizer that would serve even more.
When I made these the first time, we enjoyed them with a bowl of tomato soup, but you could also serve them with a salad or carrot and celery sticks as a quick dinner.
Quick, hand-held, delicious.  Who's ready for a football marathon?  From Six Sisters Stuff, I present to you now Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos:

#10DaysofTailgate: Diabolo'd Cheesy Bacon-Onion Pinwheel Rolls

So.

I have a confession to make.  I've made these rolls for a long time, and thought I had pictures of them somewhere.  I don't.  The only one I can find is a slightly blurry picture taken with my old BlackBerry Torch at the old house.  It's the picture I'm planning to use after the jump.  I've just run out of time to make a fresh batch of these.  When I was thinking of things for tailgating, though, these sprang to mind immediately.
J and I often have soup on Sundays, and chili during football season.  It makes a ton, and then we can eat leftovers for lunch during the week.  What goes better with soup or chili?  Fresh rolls!
I found these rolls in a Holidays Best put out by Canadian Living in 2005.  I started playing with the different filling ingredients until I found something that we really liked.  Upon receiving a 6-pack of mustards from El Diabolo Mustard, I figured I could kick these up a notch again with the medium spicy and absolutely delicious Steakhouse Mustard.
Remember when I displayed some of what I received for participating in #10DaysofTailgate?

I decided that I needed to try the mustard in something.  Then time ran short.  I can't wait to make these again and use the mustard!!
So whether you're eating chili at your next tailgate, or just have these as a side, there's enough protein to keep you satisfied for a while.  With the addition of spicy mustard, how yummy!
I present to you now from Canadian Living's Holidays Best 2005, Diabolo'd Cheesy Bacon-Onion Pinwheel Rolls:

#10DaysofTailgate: Linebacker-Sized Chocolate Chunk Cookies

So.

The beauty of tailgating is that almost anything goes - so long as it travels well.  When J and I were dating, and I would go to football with him and his family, I was always trying to find something that I could take for tailgating that would travel well.  These cookies would have fit the bill.
J's favourite cookie is chocolate chip.  He doesn't think that there should be nuts or coconut or anything else.  While I don't agree, this recipe is a classic.  The high butter content of the cookie means that it is flat and chewy.  The size means you only want one.  Even it you're sitting out all afternoon waiting for the game to begin.
I present to you now from the September 2006 Everyday Food, Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

#10DaysofTailgate: Bacon Cheeseburger Eggrolls

So.

You know how sometimes you make something, and your husband thinks it's so good he eats *6* of them in one sitting and then can't figure out why he doesn't feel well?  No?  Just my house?
This would be the latest recipe that has caused my husband's overeating.
I think the most important thing about food for tailgating is that it is easily portable - not just yummy.  Although yummy is important.  It's always important.  Most people want finger food so that it's easy cleanup and you can try a bunch of different things.  Or one thing.  It's really up to you.
I found this recipe during one of the other fun things I do:  the Secret Recipe Club.  With all the flavours of a bacon cheeseburger in a crispy roll, what's not to love?
I present to you now from Flavours by Four Bacon Cheeseburger Eggrolls:

#10DaysofTailgate: Soft Pretzels with Buffalo Cheddar Dip

So.

Welcome to the opening kickoff of the #10DaysofTailgate!!  Today, all the bloggers involved are posting a recipe to whet your appetite for everything that is to come over the next 10 days.
Soft baked pretzels are a treat in and of themselves.  When J and I have an early game for Michigan, we order breakfast sandwiches and a Game Day from Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor.  The Game Day is 2 fresh baked pretzels, sliced into rounds, and a container of their house made pimento cheese for dipping.  While I am not sure that I would normally be a fan of pimento cheese, Zingerman's is amazing.  So are the pretzels.
But being at home for football (or nowhere near Ann Arbor) means that if I want something involving bread-like snacks to dip in cheese with a kick, I'm on my own.  Enter this recipe I pinned last year, thinking that they looked like something J and I would enjoy.  It's not pimento cheese, but it's hot and customize-ably spicy.  And despite the fact that you have to boil the pretzels before baking, don't let it deter you!  This is a really easy thing to make.
I present to you now from Half Baked Harvest, Soft Pretzels with Buffalo Cheddar Dip (links to the other bloggers, and ways to enter the giveaway are after the jump):