Easter Treat ... Easter Bunny Bread (Made with Basic Bread Machine White Bread)

Next on our Easter list to make was a fun treat to take to the annual 1,000 Egg Egg Hunt my friend host.  I showed you the Bunny Nutter Butter Cookies last week I made for the party.  I saw this Easter Bunny Bread on Pinterest and I knew I had to give it a whirl.  Their's was super cute and I must say I was pretty happy with the one I created.  I must say I can bust out cookies or cakes, NOW molding a bread into a shape was a WHOLE new ballgame for me.

The recipe on Taste of Home called for Frozen Bread.  I decided that I rather make a homemade bread.  I found a Basic Bread Machine White Bread that I MUST say is the BEST bread I have ever made! 

What You Need:

1-POUND LOAF    INGREDIENTS2/3 cup                       water
4 teaspoons                sugar
3/4 teaspoon              salt
4 teaspoons                nonfat dry milk powder
4 teaspoons                butter OR margarine
2 cups                          bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoons         Bread Machine Yeast OR RapidRise Yeast
Directions
Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. 

For the Bunny Bread I started with homemade bread, BUT you can use frozen if you would like.  If you want a great bread machine bread follow recipe above and just set for dough setting.  I doubled the recipe, since I was just doing the dough I knew my machine could handle the 2 lbs.  NOW if you're baking my would only handle 1 1/2 lbs.

What you Need for the Bunny:

Ingredients

• 2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
• 2 raisins
• 2 sliced almonds
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Dip of your choice

Directions

• Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form
• head. For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7-in. x 6-in. oval;
• place on a greased baking sheet. Place head above body. Make narrow
• cuts, about 3/4 in. deep, on each side of head for whiskers.
• Cut second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two
• portions into 16-in. ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with
• open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape
• each into a 3-1/2-in. oval for back paws. Cut two 1-in. slits on top
• edge for toes. Position on each side of body.
• Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two
• pieces into 2-1/2-in. balls for front paws; shape the remaining
• piece into two 1-in. balls for cheeks and one 1/2-in. ball for nose.
• Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1-in. slits for toes. Place
• cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45
• minutes. Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes

For the Dip I just made a quick Ranch Dip.  I had a small dish that I cut a hole int he bunnies belly and placed it in there and added the Ranch dip inside.  I cut up celery and had mini carrots that I placed around the bunny.

Any Easter Parties or Plans?

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Tuesday’s Friends–Chicken Parm Subs with handmade bun

The other week I made a really good sandwich for our friends.  Of course I came across our meal idea on Pinterest.  This Chicken Parmesan Sub was found on one of my favorite sites Eating Well.  I search Pinterest for their recipes all the time since they are low fat and family pleasing.

The recipe called for whole wheat sandwich rolls, but you know me I rather make my own when I can.  So I found this bread machine roll recipe on all recipes which is another good source.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour (I used whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Place the bread flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, water, butter, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set on Dough cycle; press Start.
2. Remove risen dough from the machine, deflate, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces, and form into rounds. Place the rounds on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white and 2 tablespoons water; brush lightly onto the rolls. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Then on to the chicken and making of the subs.  This was pretty easy and man they sure would yummy!

Chicken Parmesan Sub

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts), (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts)
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 6-ounce bags baby spinach
• 1 cup marinara sauce, preferably low-sodium (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 4 soft whole-wheat sandwich rolls, toasted

PREPARATION

1. Position oven rack in top position; preheat broiler.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place chicken between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan until the chicken is an even 1/4-inch thickness. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
4. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add half the chicken and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and chicken; transfer to the baking sheet.
5. Top each piece of chicken with the wilted spinach, marinara sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve on rolls.

(I just baked my chicken then added the spinach and cheese in the oven, I’m about the easy version.  So I skipped the putting the chicken in the pan on the stove top).

So there you have it an easy meal and something new then just the regular chicken dinner!  Happy Monday have a great day!

Tuesday Dinner Twist on Spaghetti & Apple Pie

We had our Tuesday dinner friend come over tonight and I found some yummy things to try (yes on Pinterest).  I wanted to try this braided bread but the dough it called for I couldn’t find so I made my own!  I found this Italian Parmesan Bread for Bread Machine that smelled so yummy and made the recipe pop!  I put it on the dough cycle and let it do the work for me!

The recipe I needed the bread for was this Braided Spaghetti Bread that was so YUMMY!  I made a few tweaks the bread I made (was half white & half whole wheat flour), I added low fat chicken sausage and used whole wheat noodles.

Last on my list was a yummy dessert that was lower in points and so delish!  Apple Dumplings with Orange Sauce for you weight watcher people this is 5 points.  Enjoy a sweet treat, you deserve it!

Happy Wednesday!  Hope you have a fab day!

Reworking Left Over Brisket w/Fresh Bread

Tuesday’s at our house is a fun time since we have company every Tuesday.  The boys have a friend to play with and a have an adult to talk to and bounce my crazy life and idea’s off of.  I like to find something new to make each time they come over.  I think we’ve never had the same recipe yet!

My dad loves to smoke meat, my favorite is the brisket he does.  My parents had a party at their house the other weekend he made an extra brisket for me to take home.  I like finding new ways to incorporate it into things.  I found this Leftover Brisket Ragu by Rachael Ray. I didn’t have the right type of noodles so I used whole wheat shell pasta.

I of course had to make some bread to go along with it.  I found this Onion Garlic Cheese Bread on All recipes.  I started the dough in the bread machine and then finished it up in the oven.  I baked mine a little too long since the top cheese got a little too dark, but it was still soft and yummy in the middle!

Happy Monday everyone, lot’s to do today I think I’m trying to swim to the top . So what is on your menu tonight?

Not your typical Burger or Brownie

More fun times here .  I made some great meals and happy that everyone like them!

First off, Rick’s fav meal is Chicken parm so when I came across a meal for it in a new way and lighter version I’m on it.  First I had to make the rolls for it to go.  Bread Machine Ciabatta Roll Recipe is where I start!

Then here comes the best part of this recipe is the burger part but NOT your regular recipe.  From my favorite site of course SkinnyTaste.com is Chicken Parmigiana Burger (now I only had chicken breast on hand so I used that instead of chicken patties).

We had a playdate/dinner at the cousin’s house so I whipped up some Cheesecake Topped Brownies.  Now I had the brillant idea to bake them up at the cousins house since I was running late.  That meant that I lost a HUGE amount on the carpet of my floor.  It wasn’t pretty but it did taste good … LOL.  YES I didn’t scoop up the spillage and put it back in I just had to wash my car out when I got home.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Manic Monday Meals ~ Meals for Friends

Well it's Meal time and that means photo's of me making food ... hmmm ok Blogger it's been a week of no pictures show. SHOW ME the money ... ok SHOW ME the pictures :)

A friend of mine from high school is now my regular standing date night on Tuesday, her and her son come over to play and have dinner! I can't tell you how nice it is to have them come over to talk and just have people enjoy my food, just warms my heart :).

Chicken Strips are always a hit so I thought we'd try out these Cheesy Chicken Strips that the boys couldn't stop eating. Sorry Rick we left 2 for you ... hehe

Of course we had to have some Dinner Rolls doughs did start in the bread machine that helps out so much while I'm working it does it's thing :). NOW look carefully that in one picture where my little helper Caden decided that he wanted to PUSH on my rolls! YUP so we had a few deformed ... hehe.

For dessert I made Rocky Road Brownies with white chocolate since I didn't have any milk chocolate on hand. It was so yummy!!

Then a treat for the doggy, I had to adapt this recipe a little while. The dough was a bit tough to work with I had to add a little extra water and olive oil to make it manageable. The pup loves them so that is all that matters! Blueberry Dog Biscuits

It's a Cheese thing!

We had a yummy dinner the other night and of course my helper Caden was right next to me the whole time. As he drags the stool into the kitchen "I promise mama I won't run over your toe again". YUP he had a little toe issue before ... lol

I'm not sure why blogger hates me but if I try to add in my recipe card widgets so sorry you have to leave my site to see the recipes! Hopefully this will be fixed soon :(.

My Gal Alex @ Ma What's for dinner gave us this recipe.

Until I get the Widgets to work here is the my recipe card HERE.

I made a yummy version of "Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce"

My recipe card is HERE

And for the boys I made Pepperoni Bread!

Recipe card found HERE

I'm linking up to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday,Tuesday at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, Totally Tasty Tuesday,Hearth and Soul and Thursday Recipe Swap Meet.

Carb Overload day (2 Breads & 2 Dog Treats)

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Hope you all have a fabulous day and find a yummy recipe for yourself and maybe even that favorite 4 legged friend in your life. (Remember to click the recipe tab to see what you need to make them).

I found this great recipe for Olive Parmesan Bread on Eat Better America. I thought it was great the boys not so much, but hey I'm the one that counts (Rick isn't a bread person).

And the bread winner with the boys was the Whole Wheat Bread Recipe I found on Finding Joy in my Kitchen. It is very yummy, I let the bread machine do the dough kneading and then put it in the oven.

I found these dog treats on All recipes "Delicious Dog Treats" tweaked it a little and here is what we got.

And another recipe from my girl at Doggy Dessert Chef for Fortune Cookie Dog Treats. Jake enjoyed these ones.

I'm linking up to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul and Thursday Recipe Swap Meet.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Peanut Butter Bread (ABM)

School time again, to save money I try to make bread every week for Cole's lunches. I try to make different types of bread to make it fun for him. I ran across this bread and just loved it and it was a big hit will all. Plus if you have left overs it makes for yummy french toast :).

What you need!

Add water in to bread maker

Add Peanut Butter

Add in Flour

Add in brown sugar

Add in Salt

Add in Yeast

Set Bread Machine for Sweet Bread

Doesn't that look yummy out of the machine.

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups bread flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. bread machine yeast

Preparation:

Measuring carefully, place all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Sweet or Basic/White cycle. Use Medium or Light Crust Color. When bread is finished, remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

I found this wonderful recipe @ http://busycooks.about.com/od/breadmachinerecipes/r/peanbutterbread.htm

But Only MOM Will Do!

Sorry I never got around to posting my funny morning yesterday afternoon, you know didn't want to overload you with laughter.

So yesterday I got up to do my 5am shift for the call center, where I was met with oh so joyful people once more. It cracks me up how rude people are that called into a program requesting information ... HELLO you called us 1st I'm just returning your call. I had one guy turn on some machinery so he had to keep going "What?" "I can't hear you" ... really and your in the retirement age so I know you're old enough not to be pulling stunts like that. A few more calls like that and I'm ready for something new. At that point Caden starts crying, now the deal on Saturdays is Rick will get up with the kids during this 4 hour block. Ok as you noticed I say the deal or maybe I should say a plan that is just a formality because why would we follow thru.

I finish up my call and head to the boys room. Where I'm met with the over powering smell of diaherra, well at least it's not puke! So I purposively (I mean find the only open spot) take Caden to our bedroom to change him. Hoping the noise will give Rick the heads up that he needs to get up and take care of the baby. Well that didn't work he was sick and as usualful as another kid in this house would be to me. So I do the mini babywipe bath on Caden, change his clothes, and give him some water down milk hoping he will be able to keep that down. The start of Day 2 without puke we should be ok, right? I head back to the phone calls to hear screaming from Cole's room an hour later, when the piercing sound keeps coming I finish up and head again to the boys room. Grab Cole put him on the couch with cartoons and a blanket and go back to the calls.

It's quite for a total of 20 minutes before I hear screaming coming from my bedroom! Really why is everyone up at 7am and making so much noise and why is only mom can fix the problem? Once again I finish up my call and walk to the bedroom where I find Caden in a fit of non-stop crying and Cole at least laying down trying to pet his head. I fix another bottle and hope he will lay down with Rick and Cole. I don't even get my butt in the chair before the crying starts again. REALLY?? I march in there to find Rick out his wits end, really wanting to go post and ask him why he can't handle this. Since you know he had yesterday off, got to sleep in and not deal with kids! When do I get a day to sleep in and no kids? But I restrain myself knowing after my shift it's on! I grab Caden and head back to my computer, ok I can do this! I get Caden a toy and start back on a call, thankfully it's an answering machine since at that moment Caden starts puking. NOT just on him, but me, the floor I mean that boy had some amazing aim. Once more I stand up grab a towel to clean up the floor. I undress Caden run a bath and babywipe myself. Quickest bath known to man and we're dressed and I'm back on the phones. Mind you one handed since Caden is resting on my left side. You know how hard it is to type with one hand while holding the phone?

Someone was looking down on me because Caden fell asleep and I put him down on the couch. Finally peace and quiet and I only have a little over an 1 1/2 left on my shift. About 1/2 hour later Cole decides he needs to come out here and while I'm on the phone go "MOM .... MOM", when I shoot the death look, he continues with "MOM". Then a few more questions, I have a stack of cloth table mats that I throw at him. This doesn't detur him he keeps going, I'm trying to get off the phone but he just was lonely and wanted to talk. I wrap up the call and chase Cole around and of course wake Caden up at the same time. Could this day get any better? Guess not because we go over our shift and then hello all 3 kids are bouncing around and 2 of them wanting breakfast. Sure no problem I have puke on me and you 2 want breakfast and of course right now!

I walk into the kitchen to find dishes to the sky in my sink, who the heck did I peeve off? After do the dishes I start a quick cheese omlet for the boys and get Caden another bottle an hope he will lay down this time. I get the boys dished up and while I'm at it why not start a loaf of bread in the breadmaker. I found the best bread recipe Sweet White Bread that is so yummy it's not to sweet just a little to give a little extra. So yummy for the PB&J sandwiches Cole has been eating for lunches. I was thinking it would be very yummy for french toast I make every Sunday, but now then I started to think of the banana's I have that needed to be used. Guess I'll be Betty Crocker (Breadmaker version) and do another loaf. This one is a yummy Banana Chocolate Chip Bread that I used this morning for the french toast, super good! I got a good shot of the Sweet White Bread that I thought I'd send into the recipe website.

After breakfast and bread making and oh yeah more dishes I head to laundry duty. I strip beds and get some help from Cole which is awesome. Then I head to my room where grumpy sick boy is bed and oh so not happy. He finally gets up and goes to work and I start folding and put another load in the dryer and another one in the washer. I think I have done no less then 2 loads per day for the last week and half. Every day I've had to do Caden's sheet do to puke or diaherra (Note to self it might be a good idea to get a second crip sheet, cut down on the turn around need for the sheet ... just a thought). I finally get Caden settled down and asleep on the couch start watching a program and my mother law calls to see how I'm doing. I must say I have amazing friends and family they are have been calling and checking on me and it means so much to me. It's sad that we really only talk to a lot of people of sick or something has happened, I don't usually have time to sit and talk on the phone. When I'm about to hang up a light bulb goes off in my head to remind me that the baby shower (you know the one I made the diaper cake Friday night) started an hour ago. Double crap, ok monsters everyone get dressed we're heading out. I guess a shower probably would be a good thing to, only my family can stand me smelling like puke.

We arrive about an hour and half late, not to bad for 3 sick people and 1 not to happy to be taken out of his room in tow. We last maybe 40 minutes before Cole was running amuke and Caden was fed up. Enough time to have Cole say a bad word a little girl announce it and then let me know that I need to keep him away from her. I look at this 8 year old and then at the mom who is oblivious, so want to say hello he's 4 he's been talked to just go play. She then proceeds to tell the PG mommy-to-be that her 2 year old hit her with her princess wand. Not one word from the mom, nope she was too envolved to look around and say just go outside. Oh yeah it was so time for us to leave when an 8 year old has my blood pressure going thru the ceiling and at this point Cole is having a melt down. Oh joy please let me go back home and lock me up with 3 very cranky kids!

That was my wonderful day in a nutshell, I did work the night shift got a lady who I couldn't get off the phone and then was told to log off 15 minutes early. Really can I cry UNCLE again? Today I know is going to be oh so much better since I've started my 24 hour urine sample. Something is just not right with having to collect this and then keep it in your refridgerator. Ugh ... so doing a deep clean tomorrow on that!

Picture of the Sweet White Bread

Sorry no picture of the Banana it went to fast this morning.