Homemade Pita Bread

We love pita bread at our house, but I'm often disappointed by store bought varieties.  Sometimes they're soft and yummy and sometimes they're stiff and taste like cardboard.  I decided to make my own and I'm so glad I did!  They do take time to rise, but they're totally worth it!  They even make a pouch when you cut them in half.  I was so proud of them.  If you use whole wheat flour add a bit of vital wheat gluten to the dough to help them stay soft.

Homemade Pita Bread

1 c hot water
2 tsp yeast
2 1/2 - 3 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil

Mix the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, and let rest for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, and olive oil. If using a stand mixer knead for 8 minutes on medium using your dough hook, adding more flour until you have a smooth dough. If using your hands sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your counter or cutting board and knead the dough by hand for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic adding more flour if needing to keep the dough from being too sticky.

Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray or rub it with oil and set the dough inside turning to coat all sides.  Cover with a clean damp dishcloth and let rise until double.  Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into a circle about 8 inches wide.

Cook on a hot skillet rubbed with oil for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on one side, then flip.  Cook 1-2 minutes on the second side then flip back to the first side for another minute until they look done.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Octopus & Sea Weed for Lunch!

I asked my niece if she wanted octopus and sea weed for lunch and she looked at me like I was crazy!  But when she saw them, she got super excited.  This is one of those fun ideas that's been floating around forever and it's still a kid-pleaser!

Slice your hot dogs as shown in the picture and drop into boiling water.  When the hot dogs are done, the legs will curl.

For the sea weed noodles, simply add green food coloring into the ramen noodles as they cook.  The water absorbed into the noodles will turn them green.  Add the seasoning packet, mix well.  Drain.

Set each octopus on a bed of sea weed and add a ketchup face with a toothpick dipped in ketchup.

Ta-Da!!!

Lunch Box Ideas: Bentos for Kids

I had never even heard of "bento" box lunches until one of my coworkers introduced me to them. I did a google image search and showed my girls. They were SO excited! They get so tired of taking the same things to lunch all the time. This is a way they can be creative which their lunches. Nina and Alyssa decided to make "practice" lunches. I didn't really have box lunch items since it's summertime, but I think Nina did pretty good with what she found.

You can find all sorts of fun things to add to your bento boxes online and at Asian stores, but it's fun to get creative with what you have at home too!




And then there's Alyssa's bento creation. She's such a kook. She worked forever on it. What a goof-ball!

Homemade Lunchables :)

I think all kids love "Lunchables". I'm not so much a fan of paying $1 or more for each one though, so we make ours homemade. The kids get a fun lunch... I don't have to waste my money... it's win-win! I don't do the american cheese slice thing, so they're getting a healthier lunch too.

We have been using older boxes of baggies from my grandma's house and Alyssa picked up this one and said,"So is this like some old fashioned baby finger?" I was laughing so hard. I have the weirdest kids!

Mummy Dogs

To some of you these may be "pigs in a blanket". But at our house they'll forever be "mummy dogs", whatever the time of year! These are quick and easy and there are always leftovers to pack in a lunch.

Mummy Dogs

package of hot dogs
tube of refrigerated breadstick dough

Wrap a breadstick dough piece around each hot dog. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or until breadsticks are browned. Serve with ketchup :)

Chicken, Ham & Swiss

This is a really simple dinner idea and LOVED by everyone! Simply pile your bun with chicken strips or patties, swiss cheese, ham and mayo. When served along side canned green beans and pears and the whole dinner whips up in no time at all!

Homemade Frozen Burritos and How to Core a Pineapple :)

This is not a burrito or a pineapple, but how sweet is this milk glass cup? I LOVE the pink rim :)

Anyways.... Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days the kids and I have play practice until 5pm, which means dinners need to be quick and easy. Burritos are a staple at our house. I know I've posted the recipe before, but it's a good one.

Bean Burritos

tortillas
refried beans (I use fat-free)
cheese

Spread the tortillas with refried beans, sprinkle with cheese, roll up and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. The kids just pick them up and eat them plain. I dip mine in salsa and low-fat sour cream. I always make extras so I can freeze them. They make awesome lunches for the kids and I. Simply pull out of the bag and microwave. They're so much yummier than store-bought frozen burritos!

And for all of you that are scared to buy a fresh pineapple (I was for years) I thought I'd show you the super simple way to make it edible :) As we get into melon season, I'll share the easy way to slice a melon too... working in restaurants taught me some fun skills.

First you chop the top off, then using a serrated bread knife, cut the pineapple into halves, then fourths, then eighths.

Next, using the same knife, slice the skin away. It's easiest if you don't slice all the way through the end, leaving something to hold onto. Leave enough skin that you avoid the eyes (the pineapple's eyes, not your own... LOL, although you should probably avoid those too!). Then you cut away the core, slicing all the way through the end you had left.

Serve as spears or cut into cubes... enjoy!


Thanks for the well-wishes for my brother. He left for Navy boot camp today. My other brother joined the Navy a couple of months ago. I also have many other military family members including my own hubby! We LOVE the military around our house!!!

Spa Birthday Party Idea & Ribbon Sandwich Recipe

I wanted to do a little showing & telling about Alyssa's spa birthday party. With my hectic schedule we had to do it a week and a half after her birthday, but better late than never!

We had a lot of fun putting together the goody bags. I love having a February birthday child! I get to hit up the after-Christmas clearances.


Here's Alyssa posing with the spa swag for her guests.


I've never been to a spa and have no idea what spa food is, but I figured it would be somewhat like tea party food, so that's what I went with. And check out those flowers... still alive and happy and purple more than a week later! They were totally worth the $4 I paid at the grocery store.


Mmmmm.....
I used vintage plates and trays and teacups for serving dishes. Even the plastic appetizer forks (don't know what they're really called) are vintage.

They ate their food on crystal snack trays and the snobby spa girls (they played the part well...) had fun ordering Caleb around. He was the server and got called everything from Javier to Cecilio to Juan Paco to whatever other random name we could come up with.


Each girl got an appointment card so we could keep track of who did what when.


Who wouldn't love a day at the spa? They had so much fun and all the girls want their own spa party now! The cost was minimal and we had a blast!




I thought I'd also share my recipe for ribbon sandwiches. Last time I made them I layered both wheat and white bread, which makes them look really nice. This time I just used what I had on had, which was wheat. These are really old fashioned and fun. The first time I ate a ribbon sandwich was at a DUP (Daughters of Utah Pioneers) meeting, which is mostly older women. They couldn't believe I had never had these, but as much as I wish we were, we aren't really a ladies luncheon type society anymore. I got the recipe from one of ladies there and made them for a baby shower a month later. They were a hit! Plus you make them the day ahead which is really nice when you're entertaining.

You can use whatever fillings you like, fill free to mix and match. Alyssa wanted cucumber sandwiches, so that's what I made. You can also do ham, chicken, egg, etc.

Cucumber Filling:
1 pkg fat free cream cheese
1 cucumber, peeled, finely chopped and drained well
dill seasoning

Cheese Filling:
1 pkg fat free cream cheese
shredded cheese

Cut the crusts off a loaf (or two) of bread. I find it easiest to freeze the bread and let it semi-thaw. Each sandwich will take three slices of bread. Layer them with a bread, a filling, a bread, the other filling and a bread. It works well with two colors of bread. Once you're done with the sandwiches, wrap them in wax paper and then put them back in the plastic bag the bread came in. Refrigerate overnight or at least four hours. A couple of hours before serving you can slice them into thirds and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until serving time. These are so great anytime you want a fancy sandwich and they taste so good!