Things I LOVE!

This post is not food related, but since it's that time of year when we are all rushing around to find that perfect little gift for everyone on your lists, I thought I'd share one of my new favorite sites! I'm loving these fun hand made rings by JewelryByJenaMare! Click Here She's offering a holiday special, Buy Three, Get One Free, from 12/1 - 12/31 use the code HOLIDAYLOVE


Check it out and get some of your Christmas shopping done! Enjoy!

Oh & she has wine charms too!

Baked Mini Corn Dogs

I was looking for fun foods to try for Mr. B's birthday party I came across this adorable little doggies & knew I had to give them a try.  Since he loves all things Corn Dog & I'm a big fan of cute, these fit the bill perfectly. They took a little bit of time & boy were they worth it!  I served with Dijon and honey mustard.  Everyone loved them!  Enjoy!

Baked Mini Corn Dogs
1 cup reduced-fat milk
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
9 reduced-fat hot dogs, halved crosswise
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (optional - I couldn't find and they were still cute)

Warm the milk to about 110 degrees in a saucepan; pour into a medium bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and let soften for about 2 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, brown sugar and cornmeal with a wooden spoon. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and cayenne pepper; stir to make a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, insert a wooden stick or small skewer into each hot dog half, about 1 inch deep; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a large baking sheet. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 18 pieces. With your palms, roll each piece into a 10-inch length. Wrap each piece around a hot dog half, tucking and pressing the edges to seal; place on the baking sheet.

Brush the dough-wrapped dogs with the beaten egg; sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake until golden, 15 minutes.

Per serving (2 reduced-fat beef corn dogs):

Calories 265; Fat 11 g; Cholesterol 27 mg; Sodium 825 mg; Carbohydrate 31 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 10 g

A Holiday Re-Post

Well November is officially here and that means it's time to start planning your Thanksgiving Day feast!  This is one of my favorite time saving dishes for the big day, so I figured it was worth a re-post.

I don't know about you, but in my holiday meal experience, those final minutes in the kitchen tend to be a bit on the hectic side. Chances are you've got ten thousand people in the kitchen, there's a giant bird to be carved, gravy to be made, rolls to be burned - er, I mean warmed... you know all those last minute things that can't be done in advance. One of the things we scratched of the list years ago in our family was mashing the potatoes. This recipe is SUPER basic, and WAY too delicious! The greatest part, all the time consuming stuff can be done the day before. All you have to do the day of the big meal is throw it in the oven and enjoy!


Holiday Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs Potatoes, peeled & cut
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Half & Half
½ Cup Butter, + more for top
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Season Salt
1 tsp Regular Salt
1 tsp White Pepper

Boil & drain potatoes.

Mix Cream Cheese and half & half until creamy, add hot potatoes & beat. Add melted butter & seasonings; beat well.

Spread in 9” x 13” baking dish. (Can be done the night before up to this point.)

Top with melted butter & paprika. Bake 35 - 45 min @ 350 degrees.