BakeAwayGirl

 Our neighbor brought us a basket of fresh picked strawberries, and while our kids inhale strawberries, we had just picked up a bunch from the grocery store. There was no way we could eat them all.  Well, there was, but it would be ridiculous. So instead, I headed to Pinterest for ideas. This particular recipe was so delicious that we immediately made it again, substituting the strawberries for raspberries and lemon. It was way more tart with the raspberries and lemon, but I also went hard with lemon, so it's possible to sweeten it up.  The point is, you can use most berries in some form. It's worth noting that this does go bad relatively quickly when left at room temperature, even when well wrapped.  We didn't quite finish the last pieces of either version before they went bad... and we ate it fast. So either store it in the fridge, or bring it to share within a day or two. Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Adapted from here 1 cup rolled oats 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup brown sugar...

This is a childhood staple for me.  Anytime we have uneaten bananas that have gone beyond edible in our eyes, we would mash up 3 of them and make banana nut bread.  It was always a breakfast food, but it's definitely dessert-like.  It's delicious and even moreso now that I usually incorporate chocolate chips as well! Banana Nut Bread 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp baking soda 2 cups flour 1 1/4 cup mashed bananas (3) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts) - Optional 1 cup chocolate chips - optional Cream butter and sugar.  Beat until smooth; add eggs. Stir in flour and baking soda, one cup at a time.  Mix until fully incorporated. Add bananas and any extras such as nuts and/or chocolate chips. Line a bread pan with parchment paper, or wax paper.  Pour batter into the pan. Bake at 350* for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  This varies.  The edges finish first, but the very center usually is still doughy.  Bake until it's to ...

I stole this one from Budget Savy Diva Mine never turn out quite as evenly brown. Now, I always thought southwestern egg rolls sounded disgusting when I saw them on the menu at restaurants.  Come on, stop mixing cultures together, that's just weird. WRONG.  It's delicious. When I finally tried these for the first time two years ago at Rock Bottom Brewery, I was hooked.  Spicy, flavorful, and delicious.  I craved them all the time, but they're kind of a pricey appetizer because you really don't get many of them.  So when I saw this one on Pinterest, I jumped right on it.  Not to mention, because these are baked (not fried, like traditional egg rolls), there's really nothing wrong with these... honestly, folks, it's another accidental healthy recipe from yours truly. You know how much I try to avoid that.  But this was so delicious, even I couldn't stop eating them once I realized they were healthy.  Besides, it still has an avocado ranch...

Happy Friday!  Here's a perfect Friday night snack... or maybe for the Blackhawks game tomorrow! One thing I miss about college is the pizza place we had there.  The pizza itself left a lot  to be desired, but they had cheese sticks that were absolute heaven.  Papa Johns has a poor imitation of it, and it just made me crave the real thing more and more.  When I discovered this recipe on Pinterest, I was so excited I immediately went out for the ingredients. So far, it's been a hit at parties, just as a snack for lunch, and as an appetizer at a big family function.  I think it's my sister's favorite of the Pinterest experiments (that doesn't include chocolate, anyway).  You need some sort of pizza dough, and I would suggest the unbaked version.  I really enjoy the unbaked one from Whole Foods, but your generic Pillsbury-knock off at your local grocery store does just fine too.  You're going to bake the dough before making the cheesy bread,...

This one should be prefaced with the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover!"  So if you think, "No, I don't like jalapenos, or cream cheese, or crescent rolls, or life," just chill out for a second. I came across these at a party before I had fully embraced the Pinterest lifestyle.  This girl made these and accredited the recipe to Pinterest, which at the time, I didn't understand.  I thought it was just pictures, so I had no idea how she had a recipe.  Oh, the early days... ;) Anyway, I judged them because they weren't deep fried and made with cream cheese.  I don't like cream cheese.  It's... sour.  Ew.  But the temptation of jalapenos called to me, and I decided to snag one.  Oh, thank goodness I did!  It didn't have the usual taste of cream cheese, just a delicious jalapeno creaminess.  Yummmm!  For those of you who don't much care for spicy, these really aren't (much to my disappointment).  The crescent roll...

This is a recipe I discovered last summer when I needed some snacks for a friend and me.  We needed something easy that would soak up some of the bottles of wine we guzzled (we were celebrating summer, don't judge).  So while we had some great cheese and crackers, that just wasn't going to be enough for all of that. What do we go for when we're consuming plenty of alcohol?  The answer is, of course, pizza!  But we wanted it to be easy and less messy, so to Pinterest I went.  This is what I came up with. Sidenote:  You can eat these without adult beverages, I'm just saying it was the inspiration. Pizza Bites Adapted from here 1 container of your favorite unbaked pizza crust* Shredded Mozzarella cheese Pepperoni 1/8 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning Parmesan (for sprinkling) Pizza sauce (for dipping) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and cut.  I suggest scissors for this because the pizza cutter couldn't get ...