So remember the Pepperoni Pizza Bread I made last year???

It was such a huge hit with the kids and hubby that I put it on the menu again for this week,  but after having seen a similar recipe on A Thrifty Mom, I decided to use her recipe but just tweak it here and there.



The result, well.....if you liked the Pepperoni Pizza one before, you're going LOVE this one.  One thing that I thought was missing from the last one was the pizza sauce, and this one has plenty of that.  YUM!

So here is the recipe adapted from A Thrifty Mom, if you click the link above it will take you to the original recipe :)

Pizza Monkey Bread

 

1 Tube Pillsbury Grands Flaky Biscuits 16.3oz
1 small tube (7.5 oz) 10 buttermilk biscuits
5 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons to grease the pan and 3 to pour on top
Cubed mozzarella cheese
Oregano
Garlic powder
Pizza sauce
Pepperoni
Chourico
Fresh Basil

To prep your pan spread 2 tablespoons of butter on the pan then sprinkle oregano along the sides and bottom. At the top of the biscuit pull it apart, stuff the inside with 1 teaspoon sauce, cheese and toppings.



Pinch the top back together to seal it back up.



Place seam side up on it’s edge in the pan.

Now take the smaller biscuits and do the same thing.  For these I used a slice of pepperoni, a slice of chourico and some cheese.  Then place those between the big ones.

Once you have all of them stuffed, pour 3 tablespoons melted butter on top. Sprinkle a bit more oregano on top.



Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes till top is a rich golden brown color. Take out of oven and flip onto a serving platter.



These are really good, they didn't last but 5 minutes and there was fighting over the last piece. I can't wait to try different fillings.

Gooseberry Patch: Meals in Minutes, 10th Anniversary Edition {giveaway!}

You know I don't think there is a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook that I don't like, and I also don't think there is a recipe I've ever tried from one of my cookbooks that I didn't like.

So when the opportunity presented itself for me to once again be an Early Bird Reviewer and get my hands on this little treasure, I jumped right on it.

Best part, is that after my review, I'll be giving you all the opportunity to win a copy for yourselves.  YAY!

The minute I got the book, I sat down and went through it, I loved that as with all other Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, the meals are so easy to prepare and they sound so yummy.

And I won't even mention the adorable tips, tricks and the illustrations littered through the book, they are one of my favorite things to browse through and get great ideas for get togethers and special occasions as well as everyday use.

I picked a main dish and a dessert and both were delicious and so easy to make.



So let's start with the dinner dish.

Easy Cheesy Manicotti.  By far one of my 13 year old daughter's favorite food on earth.  This girl loves pasta so when I have a new pasta dish to try, I turn to her for the verdict.  She is not shy, she will tell me straight up if something is not up to par LOL

Luckily for me, she loved this one, so did the rest of the family.

Easy Cheesy Manicotti

4 to 6 qts. water
1-1./2 t. salt, divided
1 T. olive oil
12-oz. pkg. manicotti
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. cottage cheese
12-oz. pkg. shredded Monteray Jack cheese
12-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
24-oz. jar spaghetti sauce

Bring water and one teaspoon salt to a boil; add olive oil and manicotti.



Allow to resume boiling; boil for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain boiling water; fill with cool water and set aside.

In a bowl, blend cheeses, egg, parley, garlic and remaining salt; set aside. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan.



Spoon cheese filling into each manicotti until about 3/4 full; arrange on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti; bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.



**************************************

And to go with dinner, I made another batch of the Butterscotch Brownies. Another really easy dessert to put together and really delicious.

Butterscotch Brownies

1/4 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved; set aside to cool to room temperature.



Blend in egg; add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well. Stir in vanilla and nuts; spread in a greased 8"x8" baking pan.



Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes; let cool. Makes 9.



And now for the fun part where you get to enter for a chance to win a copy of the cookbook.

Guess what, because I love you all so much and I think everyone should get a chance to enjoy Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, I am opening the contest to everyone, anywhere.  Not just in the USA.  :)

 

- Leave a comment on this post, make sure there is an email address where I can contact you if you win.

- Head on over to Gooseberry Patch's Facebook page and like it, be sure to let them know that Full Bellies, Happy Kids sent you. 

- While you're there, don't forget that you can also find Full Bellies, Happy Kids on Facebook, so why not like it as well?

 

Giveaway will close on May 23rd and I will draw a winner using Random.org.  The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize, if they do not respond, I will pick a different winner.

Thank you to Gooseberry Patch for providing a book for me to review and an extra copy to giveaway.  All opinions and thoughts are mine.

It's been one of those days, I've been in the kitchen for hours and it's not even noon yet, but after these, I'm stepping away until dinnertime.



Time for this mamma to take a break.



If your kids love corn dogs or mini corn dogs as mine do, then you're going to want to fix these for them, PRONTO!

They are so good and again, maybe because they're homemade, they are so much tastier than store bought.

The recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs A Cozy Kitchen.

Corn Dog Tots

Vegetable Oil

2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, cornmeal

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, buttermilk, shaken

1/4 cup corn starch

6 beef hot dogs, cut into 1-inch medallions

1. Prep: Grab a pair of tongs and line a baking sheet with paper towels. (For draining the corn dogs after frying.) Pour your oil in a cast iron skillet, dutch oven until it reaches about 3-inches up the sides of the pot or skillet. Heat oil until your thermometer reads 340 degrees F.

Note: I usually wing fried recipes and don't use my thermometer, but this is actually important. If the oil is too hot the corn dog batter will be gooey on the inside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, yellow corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne. In a measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk and crack the egg in; beat until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, all at once, and mix until combined. (Note: If you step away from the batter for a few minutes, it might thicken up on you; if so, simply add a teaspoon of buttermilk at a time until it becomes the right consistency.)

3. Pour the cornstarch into a small bowl. One by one, lightly coat each hot dog medallion with the corn starch. When the oil is hot, using a fork or skewer, dip the hot dogs in and out of the batter, allowing any excess batter to run off. Immediately place the corn dog tots into the hot oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.



Transfer to the paper towel lined baking sheet to drain.



Place the baking sheet in a warm oven until you've cooked all of the tots.

Corn Dog Tots

It's been one of those days, I've been in the kitchen for hours and it's not even noon yet, but after these, I'm stepping away until dinnertime.

Time for this mamma to take a break.

If your kids love corn dogs or mini corn dogs as mine do, then you're going to want to fix these for them, PRONTO!

They are so good and again, maybe because they're homemade, they are so much tast

Well, I went and done it.

I am in SO much trouble for making these.  My hubby is getting ready for his military PT test in two weeks and I had NO business throwing these together.  None, Nada.

Matter of fact, when I saw the recipe I should have turned my face and kept going.



But I didn't.

And now I'm in trouble, because I am trying to lose weight too and these are not diet friendly whatsoever, actually I think they're like the Anti-Diet cookie.  I have had one, just one and then I had to snap myself out of the goodness induced trance I was in.

I'm going to give you the recipe, which by the way, comes from Cookies and Cups, the awesome sweet stuff blog that I am now going to avoid like the plague unless I'm down a few sizes or I suddenly develop an amazingly fast metabolism.   Which I don't think is going to happen, dagnabit!!!!

Homemade Nutter Butters

makes approx 30 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature


• 1 cup creamy peanut butter


• 1 cup granulated sugar


• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed


• 2 eggs


• 2 tsp vanilla


• 2 1/2 cups flour


• 1 tsp baking soda


• 1 tsp baking powder


• approx 1/3 cup extra sugar for rolling

Filling:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature


• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, room temperature


• 4 cups powdered sugar


• 2-3 tablespoons milk

How to Make

In a large bowl with mixer beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds on medium-high speed. Lower mixer to medium and add eggs and vanilla continuing to mix until combined.



Turn mixer to low and add in flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.



Preheat oven to 375°

Form chilled dough first into 1 inch balls and then form into a log shape.



Roll the log-shaped dough in extra granulated sugar and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a fork press down on cookie creating a criss-cross pattern. Pinch the center to create the peanut shape.



Not as easy as it looks. I had a hard time with the shapes.



Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 2-3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.

Filling:

In a large bowl beat butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Slowly add in your powdered sugar and turn mixer speed up to medium and beat until filling is smooth. Add your milk, one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling onto the bottom of one of the peanut butter cookies and then top with another cookie to create sandwich.



store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.