Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

Back to the grind after a great vacation!  Chris and I really enjoyed the quality time with his grandparents and having some time to relax.  We had great weather except one day we had rain but the other five days of sunshine and a nice breeze made up for it!  We are already looking forward to our trip back to Smith Mountain Lake for Labor Day weekend!

A view from the boat house deck, nice and relaxing!

By the end of the week Chris had mastered "lazy vacationer fishing" 

Ok down to business, as part of my job I manage my company's charitable giving campaigns.  So I get to come up with and execute fun fundraisers (well I think they are fun at least)!  As part of our most recent campaign I decided to do a bake sale each Friday of the month.  Which meant someone (cough, cough ME) had to provide/secure said food for sale.

As you well know by now I can't just throw some goodies on a table and call it a day.  Each week had a theme with corresponding tablecloths and accessories (yes they pay me to be a complete lunatic although I'm pretty sure they didn't know the lunatic part when they hired me).  ANYWAYS, on one such Friday I decided to make Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats.  I had seen them floating around on Pinterest and decided they looked like I needed to give them a try.  These were CRAZY easy and pretty yummy too!

Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats
(This makes about 2 dozen or more treats, depending on size you make them)

 Ingredients:
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. light corn syrup
- 1 c. creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 5 c. honey nut Cheerios



Instructions:
- In a large pot, stir together sugar and corn syrup over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.

- Let mixture boil for one minute, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
- After one minute, remove from heat.  Add peanut butter and vanilla then stir until smooth.

- Add Cheerios and mix until well coated.

- Spread out in a foil lined baking pan (I used 13x9) and let cool.

- When cool, use a lightly greased knife to cut into pieces.
- Serve and enjoy!

You could also make these in individual servings by taking the coated Cheerios and dropping spoonfuls spaced out on a baking sheet if you'd rather not have to cut them.

One of my co-workers took some of these home to her little ones and they LOVED them.  So at least I got the approval of 4 and 6 year old boys on this one!  Again, these were really easy and they are a nice change from typical cereal treats.  They also have no dairy in them which is another reason why I made them.  One of my other co-workers is allergic to dairy and was feeling left out on the bake sale goodies since the majority of them are made with milk, butter, etc.

Next up I'll share the rest of the breakfast goodies recipes I promised plus a fun pizza recipe!

Cheers!
Steph

Crispy Roasted Zucchini

Greetings from Smith Mountain Lake, VA!  Chris and I are enjoying our time at his grandparents, boat riding, water skiing, wearing plenty of nautical themed clothing (well, on my end at least)!  I cheated a little and drafted some of this post before we left but I couldn't let a whole week go by without sharing a new recipe!

I get a little overzealous with fresh veggies at the grocery store in the summer.  I can't help it, with yummy things like zucchini and summer squash in abundance its hard to resist!  Apparently I also forget there's only two of us to cook for, not 20, who knew?  Anyways, in my veggie buying frenzy recently I picked up some zucchinis.  I went Pinterest browsing and found Cripsy Roasted Zucchini.

Crispy Roasted Zucchini
(this made two large side servings)

 Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced in half length wise
- 1 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. shredded Asiago cheese
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. rosemary (I used dried, you can use fresh if you have it)
- salt and pepper
- olive oil

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush zucchini slices (both sides) with a little olive oil, place on lined baking sheet.

- Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix cheeses and spices together in a small bowl then sprinkle over each zucchini.

- Let it bake in oven for 15 minutes.
- Turn on broiler (high) and place zucchini under it for another 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

- Let cool for a few minutes and serve.

This is pretty easy and pretty yummy!  I served these as a side to the Cheezit Pork Chops so I think they were a little overshadowed given Chris' mega excitement over the chops (sorry little zucchini!).  But what Chris and I love about summer veggies is that you don't have to do a whole lot to them.  Toss them in some oil and spices then let them do their thing and you are all set!

Next I'll be sharing the rest of the breakfast goodies I made for Chris' co-workers as well as a fun bake sale treat!

Cheers!
Steph

Sparkling Peach Sangria

Happy Monday! Or at least its a pretty happy Monday for me since its my Monday but also my Friday since we are going on vacation tomorrow! YEY!  I wanted to squeeze in one more post before leaving!  This past weekend we visited with college friends and my cousins from California.  It was so great catching up with everyone!

My cousins Tabetha and Thomas, both have grown taller than me!

As you can imagine, when getting together with the college friends in July we like to imbibe refreshing summer cocktails.  Each year when we go to the lake I try to take a batch cocktail to share for those who are interested.  This year I made Sparkling Peach Sangria which was super light and refreshing!  I know this sounds super sweet but I did my best to make it not so.  A lot of the recipes I found used really sweet wines so I re-worked it since I'm more of a dry fan.

Sparkling Peach Sangria
(This makes about 4 liters worth)

Ingredients:
- 2 bottles dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 1 small bag of frozen peaches (you could use a couple fresh ones, I had frozen on hand already)
- 1/2 c. to 1 c. peach vodka or schnapps (I used about 3/4 c. but it depends on how strong you like it)
- 5 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 (...oz)bottle club soda
- 1 bottle prosecco


Instructions:
- Mix peaches, thyme, vodka/schnapps and wine together in a large pitcher.  Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

- Remove and discard thyme sprigs.
- Mix in club soda and prosecco (try to have these chilled beforehand) when you are ready to serve.
- Serve over ice with optional thyme sprig and peach slice for garnish.

The great thing about batch cocktails is you just mix, chill and serve, not a lot of fuss or muss which is especially great for entertaining!  This actually turned out better than I expected.  I was worried it would be too sweet even with making it with dry wines but it turned out just right!  If you prefer things on the sweeter side use a Riesling or Moscato.  Everyone that tried it seemed to like it and we put a good dent in it the first night.  You can easily halve the recipe or just use one less bottle of wine to make a smaller batch.

Off to Smith Mountain Lake we go!  Chris and I are very ready for some relaxation lakeside.  Stay tuned for a yummy summer veggie recipe and the rest of the breakfast treat recipes I promised!

Cheers!
Steph

Cream Cheese Danish

Happy Friday!  Since we are smackdab in the middle of next to no decent TV programming (not to discount Real Housewives and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, of which I watch semi-religiously) and Chris has had a busy couple work weeks before we go on vacation I tend to throw myself into projects so I stay out of his hair.  Give me a fresh Tom Collins, some tunes and we are off to the races!

This past week's project involved baking breakfast for his co-workers.  Every Thursday his team typically gets bagels or pastries and Chris usually offers to pick them up on his way to work, meaning he has to get up extra early.  With the late evenings he's been working from home I thought he could use a couple extra z's while I took on the breakfast goodies for the week.  On the menu were Maple Pecan Twists, Cream Cheese Danish and Puffins.  

In this post I'll share the Cream Cheese Danish recipe, then coming up I'll share the others.  I was told this was a definite favorite among Chris' co-workers.  I've made this for company before as well and it was well received! 

**I realize with this recent heat wave (of which I refuse to complain about because I'd rather have heat than cold) the desire to turn on the oven is low on peoples priorities but the end result is worth it!

Cream Cheese Danish

(Makes about 12 servings, about an inch a piece)

 Ingredients:

- 1 can Pilsbury seamless sheet crescent rolls (you can you the ones with seams, just make sure to patch them up before starting)
- 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 Tbsp. flour

For glaze:
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. heavy cream (milk will suffice as well)
- 1/8 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla.  (I used a small hand mixer.)

- Unroll the crescent roll dough on to an ungreased baking sheet. Seal up any holes and even out the edges.
- With a small pairing knife, cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up and down each side of the dough.
- Spread the cream cheese filling down the center of the dough.

- Optional: top with fresh berries or some jam.  This time around I did strawberry jam on half of it.  Be careful not to put too much on top as it cooks out and gets messy!

- Fold the 1/2 inch strips over the filling in a criss cross pattern.

- Bake for 15 − 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.
- Let the danish cool before starting with the glaze.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powedered sugar, vanilla and cream for the glaze.  You may need to add more cream or milk to get the right drizzling consistency.

- Once danish is cool, drizzle icing over it.

- Slice into inch wide pieces and serve.

This is a super easy breakfast treat that can easily be made the night before.  Just make sure you let the danish cool before putting on the glaze.  If its still warm it will run all over the place and be a mess (which I have learned from experience)!

This weekend we are headed to two different events, first to visit with college friends at Roaming Shores and then seeing my cousins from Cali!  I'm so excited to see everyone!  Then we'll have a super short work week (one day) and then we are off to Smith Mountain Lake for vacation!  So I will do my best to keep the posts coming!  

Cheers!
Steph 

Cheezit Pork Chops

Another week begins!  This weekend was full of wedding excitement as some of my bridesmaids, my mom and I went bridesmaid dress shopping!  We had a really great day and I'm so excited that these are the girls that will be next to me on Chris and I's big day!  Chris traveled to Pittsburgh to see friends while we did our girl thing.

I wrapped up the weekend with Emily at the FUN. concert on Sunday night.  They played to a sold out show of 10,000 people (don't quote me on the EXACT number but I feel like I heard 10,000 earlier in the week)!  Although we didn't love the line for beer (we waited over an HOUR) it was a great show and it was kind of cool being part of such a big crowd!  Em and I really tried our hand at being "hip" with neon, prints and headbands.  Although it was fun (haha get it, fun at the FUN concert?!) we think we'll stick to our prep status from now on!

Hipsters for the night!

Ok so remember that Kenny Chesney tailgate I blogged about?  Abundance of food, friends and fun, yep that one!  As part of that abundance of snacks we managed to not even touch the two boxes of Cheezits I had bought (I had a coupon and couldn't resist).  Normally I'd say "no biggie we'll use them eventually" BUT we already had an opened Family Sized box at home.  What can I say?  We love our Cheezits!  ANYWAYS, I decided I needed to do something with these tasty snack bits other than use them as snacks, enter Cheezit Pork Chops.

Hello Cheezit abundance!

I found two different recipes on Pinterest for Cheezit coated meats, one for chicken and one for pork so I decided to take the aspects of each recipe that I liked and go from there (aka I just used them for inspiration while I did my own thing).  Given that the chops are coated in Cheezits I thought lightening the wet coating (one recipe said sour cream, the other said ranch dressing) using greek yogurt instead would be better, health wise.  

Cheezit Pork Chops

(makes two chops)

 Ingredients:

- 2 boneless pork chops

- 3/4 c. crushed Cheezit crackers (I used half white cheddar and half reduced fat)

- 2 to 3 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt

- 1 Tbsp. melted butter

- salt and pepper

Instructions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Crush Cheezits in a sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin or the palms of your hands, set aside.

- Coat chops with Greek yogurt.

- Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side.

- Roll the yogurt coated chops in the Cheezits until well coated.

- Place in a greased baking dish.

- Drizzle melted butter over the top.

- Place in oven for 40 minutes or until chops are cooked through.

- Let cool for about 5 minutes then serve.

These turned out tasty and tangy!  Chris LOVED them.  He gave them a please make again (and again and again) rating (woohooo that's off the charts!)!  He prefers that I don't change anything and is convinced that since I made my own tweaks that I'll forget it all (hence why I had to draft up my blog right after or else I really would have forgotten).

I think I'll leave the butter out next time in hopes of keeping the crackers more crispy, plus I don't think it was really worth the added calories.  The yogurt keeps the pork very moist and juicy with a great tang.  The only downside to this dish is that it takes 40 minutes to bake, not exactly ideal but still easy enough for a weeknight.  I'd also like to try this recipe with chicken just for kicks!

I tried all kinds of new recipes last week so stay tuned!  Stay cool during this heat wave, 90 plus degrees each day, yikes!  If only I could trade work time for pool time!

Cheers!

Steph    

Local Foodie Moment: The Crest

How was everyone's 4th of July?!  We had quite the marathon of events!  I feel like I needed the first part of the week just to recoup!

We kicked off our mini vacation with dinner at a new restaurant, The Crest, and Red, White & Boom!  Then we scooted off to Erie, PA to visit family and spend some time on one of the local lakes.  Then back to Cleveland to meet our dear family friends' new puppy, SugarBear, she is the cutest!  Then back to Columbus for the O.A.R. concert where we got to enjoy fireworks from the baseball game next door.  THEN Sunday we vegged/recovered from it all! All in all it was a fabulous couple days!  And of course I couldn't help but share a few pics with you!

My 4th of July Wreath, finished just in time!

Meet SugarBear!  She even had a yummy martini created in her honor!

O.A.R. Concert plus fireworks from Huntington Park!

Each year Chris and I do our best to make it to Red, White & Boom!, Columbus' BIG fireworks show. This year was no exception but with all the travel and crazy that has been going on lately we didn't want to feel rushed in getting downtown and finding a place to eat.  We decided to try a place we'd been hearing about that's in Clintonville, away from all the parking hassles of Boom called The Crest.  This gastropub has been the talk of the town lately and it was time we see for ourselves!

The Crest has quite a few unique identifiers.  Interesting touches like veggies and herbs grown on site in rooftop and patio boxes help it standout in the farm to table trend.  The exposed duct work and wrap around wood bar give it a pub feel but as soon as you look at the menu you know you are in for an elevated experience.

Some shots of the interior

Even things like fresh cut flowers in the ladies room sets it apart from your typical pub (or your typical bathroom hah!).  I was particularly enamored with the vintage mirrors.

Vintage mirrors and sinks plus a cute little vase of fresh cut flowers add such a nice touch!

Garden boxes with fresh herbs line the parking lot, patio and rooftop

We had made a reservation the night before so we checked in and were seated at a high top table on the back corner of the restaurant.  It took a little while for a server to get to us but it gave us time to mill over the cocktail menu.  I had the Grapefruit Moon with local gin, grapefruit juice, local honey mead and sage.  Chris selected a local beer.  My cocktail was delicious!  It had a very floral and earthy element to it which I wasn't expecting.  It was smooth and just the right sipper for a warm evening.  I told Chris it was almost too smooth because it disappeared rather quickly!

Grapefruit Moon

Our server gave us the specials for the day and Chris locked in on the Bison Burger with a side of Sweet Potato Fries.  I got the BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders with a side of grilled marinated veggies.  Both choices were delicious and very sizable!  Presentation was great, served on rustic butcher boards and cast iron pots.  Chris would have liked his burger a little less well done, he had asked for it medium but it still had great flavor.

Bison Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

The BBQ Pulled Pork sliders were very good and much larger than your normal slider.  The sauce to pork ratio was just right, not too messy but not too dry.  Yummm makes me hungry just thinking about it! 

Pulled Pork Sliders

Grilled Marinated Veggies

We also tried the housemade hot sauce that was on the table.  Ooowwwweee it is hot!  But its super flavorful with just the right heat.  I drizzled some on my veggies and was supremely happy.  Overall we liked our meals and liked the atmosphere.

Housemade hot sauce

The prices match the higher end/creative dishes but its more expensive than your typical pub.  At the time, we made it for happy hour but I couldn't recite back what all that entailed.  It did seem like there was discounted drink prices for a good variety of drinks to tickle your fancy!

I think another thing that makes The Crest unique is that its not part of a major row of restaurants or stores or anything.  It kind of sits on its own little block in Clintonville.  Definitely an up and coming establishment in the area to try!

This weekend is bridesmaid dress shopping and I've been trying all kinds of new recipes this week so stay tuned!

Cheers!
Steph   

Skinny Cake Batter Dip

Happy short work week!  With the 4th of July on Thursday my office is closed Friday so I only have a three day week! :)  We have lots of fun festivities planned for our mini vacation!

Last weekend we got together with a bunch of our friends for a day of tailgating before the Kenny Chesney concert.  We had all kinds of munchies, grilled eats and fun to go around!  There were a few storms that caused delays but once the show finally started it was good!

All set up and ready to tailgate!  We got there at 11am for a good spot!

Representing Miami!

A great crowd even through the rain!

I had some plain nonfat yogurt in the fridge and I couldn't decide how else I would use it up.  So to Pinterest I went!  I found this Skinny Cake Batter Dip recipe that my mom had made last 4th of July and was a huge hit!  I'm a big fan of anything that tastes like cake and when you slap "skinny" on the title I'm in!  I'm not sure the actual nutritional value of this as it does contain cake mix and whipped topping but hey we tried.

Skinny Cake Batter Dip
(This makes A LOT of dip, probably 4 to 5 cups worth, I would suggest halving it if making for a small group)
Ingredients:
- 1 box Funfetti Cake Mix
- 2 c. nonfat plain yogurt
- 1 to 1 1/2 c. light whipped topping

Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
- Refrigerate before serving.  (I left in the fridge overnight but I imagine an hour or two in there would suffice.)
- Serve with fruit, graham crackers, nilla wafers, etc.

This dip is yummy and super easy!  You can add some sprinkles on top for decoration, I just didn't get a picture of it when it was all prettied up!  Its nice that it can be easily made ahead of time and the yogurt makes it seem healthy.  You could also make it with greek yogurt, I just used what I had on hand.  It was definitely a hit among the tailgate crowd!

I'm not sure if I'll get another post up before the holiday but stay tuned for another easy treat!  Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Cheers!
Steph