Almond Butter

I've been wanting to try some of these other "peanut butters."  You know, the kind made with nuts OTHER than peanuts?  Ya, those.  Pecan butter is on the list...but I went with almond butter for my first attempt.  Holy cow was it easy!  It certainly satisfied my nut/butter love.  Let me say this though: it is not nearly as creamy as store bought peanut butter.  It was really thick.  I added some honey (not much) to mine at the end to try and cream it up a bit which helped.  The flavor was really, really good.  I have heard some people add things like chocolate chips or even maple syrup to theirs too.  Go ahead and try it.  Its ridiculously easy!

Ingredients:
Almonds (as much as you want.  I did a little over one cup) (Roasted/unsalted)
Honey (I used about a teaspoon)

Directions:
*Pour your almonds into a food processor.

*Press the button to turn it on.  I kept turning mine off and on because I didn't want to overdo the motor.  It wouldn't be the first kitchen gadget I've broken because of leaving it on too long (R.I.P hand mixer...).  It will first crush the almonds into medium pieces, then smaller pieces, then as the oils start to get mushed up it begins to get creamier and creamier.  I don't know if it would have been really creamy if I kept mixing it but I was too hungry to wait.  I ate mine at a thick consistency and it was amazing!  :)

*Once you get to the consistency you want, drizzle the honey on it, then press it on to mix it up again.  The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes!

Cooper felt the need to take my picture.  Yum!  :)

I was interested in finding out if almond butter or peanut butter was better for you.  I knew they both were high in fat being nuts and all, but I did learn some surprising info.  Look at this:

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

When I saw this recipe on pinterest, I knew I had to try it.  It was so easy!  Very tasty, no fail, gotta make again breakfast.  This was a winner at the Middleton house by all 4 of us!

Ingredients:
1-2 Cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls (depending on how many people there are to eat)
Waffle iron
PAM cooking spray

Directions:
*Plug in your waffle iron and get it warmed up.

*Open up your cinnamon rolls and place them on a plate so you are ready to use them.

*Spray your waffle iron (top and bottom) really, really well with baking spray/oil

*Place one cinnamon roll into the center of the waffle iron and close the lid.

*Let the cinnamon roll cook until the light goes off.  Mine finished a few seconds before the light went off, but each waffle iron is a bit different.  Just keep your eyes on it.  I closed the lid all the way too, squashing them in the waffle maker.

*Open the lid, remove the cinnamon roll waffle, and drizzle with icing or syrup.

Chicken Parmesan With Croutons

I LOVE delicous food.  What I love more than delicious food, is easy to make delicious food.  With two crazy boys who never stop I don't have time to make luxurious meals every single night.  This recipe was both easy, and delicious.  It seriously took less than ten minutes to throw together, and then about 40 minutes to cook.  This is a dish everyone should try!  I truly hit the jackpot with this one!  Oh, there is a video on how to make it at the website I found it on if you are interested: http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/02/end-of-chicken-parmesan-as-you-know-it.html

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil (I used 3 HUGE chicken breasts.  You can use up to about 5 for this dish though)
2 Cloves fresh garlic, minched/chopped/made super small
Dash red pepper flakes
3-5 Chicken breasts
2-3 Cups marinara sauce (aka spaghetti sauce)
1/4 Cup chopped basil.  Fresh is best, but you can just sprinkle dried if you don't have fresh.
2 Cups shredded mozzerella (or any cheese really)
1/2-1 Cup Parmesan cheese
1 (5 oz) Package croutons (I used Garlic and Cheese flavored ones)

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350*F

*Spray down a baking dish with PAM or any kind of non stick spray.

*Put our oil and garlic into your pan and mix.

*Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top of the garlic.

*Place chicken breasts on top.

*Pour marinara sauce on top of the chicken and spread evenly overtop to cover.

*Sprinkle all of the basil on top of the marinara sauce.

*Put half of each of the cheeses on top of the basil.

*Place all of the croutons on top of the cheese.

*Cover the croutons with the rest of the cheeses.

*Bake for 40 mins or so until the chicken is fully cooked.  Let stand 10 mins to finish cooking fully before serving.

Maple Pecans

Every year my parents get thousands of pecans off the pecan trees that line their driveway.  The driveway itself is 1/4 of a mile long, so you can imagine just how many trees there are.  Nick and my Dad spend days collecting the pecans once they are ready.  Dad will drive them across town to a man who cracks them open and will force them through an air shoot to get all the hard shell pieces off of them.  When we get home we then inspect them to make sure they are all okay, and that all of the shells are off.  Sometimes pieces get stuck in the cracks.  The whole process takes a couple of weeks to do, but its fun to know that the desserts we make started in my parents very own front yard.  Then comes the task of trying to figure out what to use all the pecans for :)  I found a recipe online that seemed really fast and easy so I gave it a try.  It was AWESOME!!!  Last weekend we were at Cabela's and they sell candied almonds/cashews/pecans.  For $4.50 per tiny bag.  I didn't buy it because the price is ridiculous.  These tasted exactly the same and cost less than a dollar to make :)  I'm happy, and yes, I will make this many more times!!!

Ingredients:
2 Cups pecans
1/2 Cup Pure maple syrup (just shy of 1/2 cup really...)
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions:
*Preheat your oven to 350*F

*Pour your pecans into a small/medium bowl.

*Pour the syrup on top of the pecans.  I used a full 1/2 cup and it was a little too much.  I would say use a little less.  I had to keep baking mine over and over to get the syrup to harden.  You wouldn't have to do that if you didn't use too much syrup.  The next time I make it I will pour in just enough to lightly cover the pecans.  I had some syrup pooled at the bottom of my bowl and that meant I probably had too much.

*Add a pinch of salt.

*Mix well

*Pour onto parchment paper.  It MUST be parchment paper.  It will stick and not work if you spray down tinfoil.  Parchment paper is that amazing non stick stuff that I keep telling ya'll you need to get :)

*Spread it out some so that the pecans are not clumped together.

*Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  (Side note: I used too much syrup the first time, so I had to keep baking mine.  When you take it out of your oven it will be bubbling all over the place.  Place it out of the oven to dry.  It doesn't take long to dry, say 10 minutes or so.  Once its dry you will be able to break the pieces off.  If it is still sticky, throw it back in the oven.  I probably had to do my first batch for a total of about 30 minutes because I couldn't get the syrup to fully cook and harden.  It got easier when I put a second piece of parchment paper onto the counter and took the pecans out of the oven and transferred them to the other piece of parchment.  They all hardened really quick then.  This recipe is super easy.  If it doesn't fully harden, cook a few more minutes, and keep doing so.  Really easy, nearly impossible to mess up.  Give it a try!)