Pepperoni Soup

It is cold and windy and I just felt like some soup.  Stinks is a super picky eater!  One of his favorite foods is pepperoni which means we always, and I mean ALWAYS, have some in the house.

~Hey, when the doc says at every appointment to add some weight to your child you pretty much stock up on anything he will eat.  And I have to believe that pepperoni will add more fat to his body than all the apples he eats so we roll with it!~

As you know by now, I like "in-house" recipes.  Who wants to run out to the store for that one weird ingredient when you finally settle on what to make?  Nothing drives me battier!  Well, thanks to Stinks weird and unnatural obsession with pepperoni, this is definitely an in-house recipe!

Pepperoni Soup

• 4 c Tomato Soup (You can use whatever kind you want - make some if you want!)
• 2-3 c Water (This is a preference thing, keep in mind it will dilute your soup so go with your gut)
• 1 1/2 c Small Shell Pasta, uncooked (or any other small pasta such as elbows etc)
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1/3 c Pepperoni, chopped
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• 4 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 5 oz Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
• Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Spray the bottom of your pot with non-stick spray and sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant.
2. Add in the tomato soup, water, diced tomatoes, and seasonings.  Bring to a rolling boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Add the pepperoni and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add in the pasta and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 3 minutes - or until the pasta is al dente - and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.  
5. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and simmer until the cheese has melted and the soup thickens (only a couple of minutes).
6. Ladle one cup of soup into an oven safe crock and top with .5 oz of mozzarella cheese.  Place the crock under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.  
7. ENJOY!

The soup is simple, quick, and makes a wonderful meal.  We paired ours with a chunk of sourdough bread and some clementines, I was certainly content.  Be sure you don't skip the simmer time in steps two and three.  That is when the flavors of the pepperoni and seasonings really blend.  

The recipe makes about 10 cups (obviously dependent on the amount of water you went with) of soup. I have found the 1 cup servings are good for me so I divided the recipe into 10 servings.)  The calorie count is 152 calories per serving.  I need to point out that I use low sodium soup, low fat cheddar, and homemade mozzarella made with non-fat milk.  If you want to cut the calorie count down even more you could try using turkey pepperoni - but Stinks would NEVER go for that so I use regular.

Ever had a bad day?

 I am sure everyone has had one of those days where nothing seems to go right.  What do you do about them?  Do you wallow by yourself or have that confidant to listen to your complaints?  

I am lucky.  Let me repeat that, for it needs to be stressed: I AM LUCKY!  I have an awesome family and set of friends (that are basically family) that I can go to with anything.  They know when to leave me alone, when to distract me, and when to let me cry - which seems to happen at the most inopportune times.  

If I want to complain about my journey, someone will listen.  If I am having a hard time with some aspect of my life I can talk it out with any of them.  I am fortunate.  On just my side of the family I have 4 grandparents, 17 aunts and uncles and more cousins than I can count, plus of course Brian, my own parents and wonderful sister + family!  And we all talk.  On days like today (it has not been a good one so far) I need to remind myself of my good fortune.  Life might not always go as I plan or want, but I will ALWAYS have someone there to support me through it (and smack me up side the head when needed).  

I am sure most of you don't read this blog, but for the few of you that do spread the word:  THANK YOU!  (Give that grapevine a work-out.)

Cheese Crackers

We are a cracker family.  I would say we can go through at least 7 sleeves of saltines a week - hey it is something the Stinks will eat so we don't argue too much!  Cheez-its are always a good "fall back" food when you want something salty yet not too grease.

When I came across a recipe for goldfish crackers I decided to try my hand at adapting it to taste like cheez-its.  Now I am posting this recipe after only making it once, so you will have to excuse the "I think I will do this/that next time" comments.  They were just so yummy out of the oven that I had to share before I recreated!

Cheese Crackers

• 1 c Flour
• 4 T Butter or Margarine
• 8 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded*
• 2 - 2 1/2 T Water, cold
• 1-2 t Salt

1. If you are using a cheese block, be sure to shred the cheese.  Combine cheese, flour, and butter in your food processor and pulse until mixed.  
2. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough consistency can be formed.  Knead the dough on the counter a few times to bring it together.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  
4. Preheat your oven to 350 F and lined cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll out the dough into a THIN sheet.  Cut out the cracker shapes you desire and place them on the paper-lined sheets.  Repeat this process until all the dough it used.
6. Sprinkle the salt over the unbaked crackers.  
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes - the longer you bake them the crispier they are, however be careful not to burn the bottoms.  If you would like to bake longer than 20 minutes I suggest you flip the crackers to keep the bottoms from burning.
8. ENJOY!

*I used a reduced fat block of cheese that I shredded in the food processor prior to adding the flour and butter.  It worked out VERY well.


I have never had a warm cheez-it before and I have to say these were delicious!  The things I will do differently next time are as follows:

1. I will roll my dough a lot thinner.  The crackers don't expand, but they puff up quite a bit if the dough is thick.  Which takes away from the crunch.  Next time I will go for paper thin crackers.
2. I will try adding the salt directly into the dough instead of sprinkling it on top.  I think that will give the dough a nicer all around salty flavor without catching some that are too salty and others that have none.
3. I will cut out FUN SHAPES!

Seeing everyone will cut out different size and shaped crackers I can't give you a calorie count for yours.  I can say that I rolled out 120 crackers with this recipe.  The total recipe is about 1200 calories - please keep in mind that these are fairly thick!

All in all this is definitely something I will be making again.  I am already picturing all the different types of cheeses I want to try!

Quinoa Doughnuts

Zucchini bites and pizza muffins are always a big hit in this household.  We apparently like little muffin/doughnut shaped food that is easily dip-able.  With that in mind I have been researching other "mini-muffin" foods.  There are broccoli bites - which I haven't perfected yet but they are close, hash brown cakes, rice balls... the list is never ending.
Today I decided to take a stab at quinoa bites.  Seeing I was also making zucchini tots (a current favorite here) I turned the quinoa bites into quinoa doughnuts.  Not sure if I am a fan.  I think I will have to keep tweaking here and there to get the perfect taste. They are a lot like the pizza bites in the sense that you can put whatever you want in them to create the taste you are craving.  Here is how I made them today, the * ingredients are those that create the "base" change around everything else to create your own masterpiece.

Quinoa Doughnuts

• 2 c Quinoa, cooked*
• 1 c Carrots, shredded*
• 2 Eggs*
• 2 T Flour*
• 1/4 - 1/2 c Cheese, Shredded (your preference)*
• Italian Seasoning
• Parsley
• Onion, diced
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Season Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease 2 doughnut pans (or 2 mini muffin tins, 2 regular muffin tins - it is really up to you).
2. Combine all the ingredients and divide between the tins.
3. Bake at 350 F for 25 - 30 minutes.  
4. ENJOY

See they are super simple to make!  I am just not sure I am a fan of the carrot base.  I was going to try zucchini, I will let you know how that works out.

If you give them a try let me know your thoughts!

Day 170

Oh me, oh my twelve days left till I hit the half a year mark.  It does NOT seem like it has been that long!

"Do you feel any different?" - more and more this question has been posed to me.  I am not sure how to answer.  Sure I have more energy, but I wasn't always an overweight slob.  And even at my worst, I like to think that I did more than an average couch potato!  So I guess it is a double edged sword - I have more energy than I did 6 months ago but over all I don't feel a drastic change. I think it is mostly in my head.  I am proud of what I have done and therefore it shows in my demeanor.

Let's discuss my head :-D  I have written how vacation was a different thing - no aching feet and a craving for activity.  What I didn't write was my comfort.  I have NEVER been comfortable in my skin.  I have always been one of the most self conscious people you could have ever met.  Please do not confuse my out-going nature with self esteem.  You do NOT need to have self esteem to be loud, and if you know me - or just see me out and about - you will notice that most of my bluster is designed to take attention AWAY from my person.  I wear my clothes two sizes to big and though I make a lot of noise I try not to stay still while doing it so I can't be observed.  If I ever do stay still I try my hardest to blend in.  I have NEVER felt comfortable swimming in public and would even go so far as avoid it even though it is one of my most favorite activities.  (Do not even get me started on Seekonk's mandatory 2 weeks of swim in every grade - I dreaded those two weeks out of the year like nothing else from first grade straight through senior year!) I am telling you all of this so you will be able to grasp the slight alterations I have made in my head.  Prior vacations consisted of me swimming only as night when the pools were empty.  I would basically wear my bathing suit cover up into the pool and then toss it onto my chair.  Upon leaving the pool I would convince Brian to grab my towel and meet me at the ladder or stairs so i could wrap myself up immediately.  I would then bee-line for the room.  Don't judge me - I might know how to put on a front, but every has their own demons.  This vacation was different.  I felt a sense of comfort in my own skin.  I willingly went swimming IN THE DAYLIGHT IN PUBLIC!  I didn't ask Brian to hold my towel and I even pool hopped.  Maybe I am getting older and don't care, or maybe the pride is slowly chipping away at my self doubt.  Whatever it is I am happy.  I am comfortable - what a feeling.  I guess, in that sense I do feel different.

I have said it before:  if I could only go back to my junior high/high school self and tell me to embrace those hated curves - maybe those two weeks out of the year would have gone better.

I should also point out that I put the weight ON so I darn well better be able to take it OFF!   What Brian and I are doing isn't "luck", it is work.  It might not seem like hard work, and there definitely days that I wouldn't call it hard, but that doesn't mean we aren't trying.  We are determined and it is showing.

I would also like to point out that my family (Brian especially) are SUPER SUPPORTIVE.  No need of recriminations for my demons.  It is no one's fault but my own that I have/had low self esteem.  My own mind created the barriers and my own mind needs to be the one to tear them down.  I am working on it.  This blog actually is a big step for me - so thank you as well.  Goodness knows 6 months ago I NEVER would have put pictures of myself in a blog!

And now for the numbers:  170 days with 56.7 pounds down.  That is about 0.33 pounds per day, 2.34 pounds per week, and 10.02 pounds per month.  The numbers kind of depress me so I am not going to look at them too much - I would love for them to be higher.  I am hoping to hit 60 pounds by the half year mark!!

Loaf Bread

I am on a quest to make all of my favorite kinds of bread.  I am almost to the point where I could supply my family with homemade versions of our favorite breads - crescent rolls are the only ones giving me a problem.

I own a bread machine, but hardly ever use it anymore.  I am much more likely to mix, pound, and roll out my own doughs.  It is NOT DIFFICULT people and oh so rewarding when you get those perfect loaves!  Though I am still partial to peasant or crusty bread, we all need a good, standard loaf bread recipe.

Loaf Bread

• 2 1/2 c Warm Water
• 1 T Dry Active Yeast
• 1 T Sugar
• 7 c Flour
• 2 t Salt
• 1/4 c Butter or Margarine, softened

Got to love a perfectly rising
bread dough!

1. Combine 1/2 c warm water, the sugar and the yeast in your mixing bowl.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes - it should foam.  If it doesn't foam than either your yeast is no good or your water was too hot and killed the yeast.  Try again.  
2. Once the yeast mixture is nice and foamy add in the remaining 2 c of water and 3 cups of flour.  Mix well, it will be thin!
3. Finally add in the butter, remaining 4 c of flour and the salt.  (We mix the flour in stages to keep the salt from affecting the yeast mixture.)  
4. If you are using a mixer with a dough hook, continue mixing the dough for about 5-10 minutes until it is nicely elastic.  If you are mixing by hand you will need to knead the dough on your counter for 10-15 minutes until nicely elastic and uniform.  
5. Return the dough back to the mixing bowl, no need to oil or wash the bowl, cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm draft free spot to allow the dough to rise.  (I place my bowl in the microwave as I am normally using my oven while I am waiting for the dough to rise.)
6. Grease two loaf pans and set them aside.
7. After the dough has doubled in size (about 2 hours) punch it down and divide the dough in half. Flatten each half to about the size of a piece of paper and fold them in on themselves like you would a letter.  Pinch the seams and place in the prepared loaf pans.  Be sure to push the dough down so it touches all the sides of the pan. Return the loaf pans to your warm, draft free, and dry space (not the oven), cover them with the towel and allow the dough to rise once more.  It should take about an hour to double in size.
8. Preheat your oven to 375 F.  
9. Once the dough has doubled in size again place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.  The crust will turn a nice golden brown.
10. Immediately remove the loaves from the pans when taking them out of the oven and set on a rack to cool.
11. ENJOY!

I know it is a lot of steps but it is really simple!  I would give you the calorie count of a slice, but everyone prefers a different thickness to their bread.  I will tell you that the recipe makes 2 loaves with a total calorie count of 3360 - divide as you will!  I am not one to each many sandwiches (PB&J is pretty much it) but I do enjoy toast!  This bread makes some EXCELLENT toast.  I am also thinking it will make great french toast!  As soon as I kick this flu, I will be trying that out.

Here are some links to the many other breads I have tackled lately:

Peasant Bread
Crusty Bread
English Muffin Bread
Pita / Naan Bread

and the sweet breads...

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Double Chocolate Banana
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Apple Bread - my all time favorite!

Iced Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf

I seem to be on a gingerbread kick.  I have always loved molasses cookies (it is my favorite dough to eat!) but lately I have been more of a bar/loaf girl than a cookie girl.  This past holiday season I was completely obsessed with gingerbread bars, I prefer mine without the frosting but they are wonderful.  Seeing chocolate makes EVERYTHING better I figured I would try my hand at a chocolate gingerbread loaf.

I am posting this recipe because it is something different and it has been enthusiastically enjoyed by my sample-crowd (otherwise known as the teachers at Stinkles's school).  I, myself, am not impressed.  I think perhaps if I make it again I will use all oil and regular cocoa instead of dutch process.  Of course the change in oil will increase the calorie count.  I think I will probably just stick with the regular old gingerbread bars that I normally make.  If you try this one out let me know your thoughts.

Iced Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf

• 1/4 c Oil
• 1/4 c Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/2 c Dutch Process or Dark Chocolate Cocoa
• 1/2 c Molasses
• 3/4 c Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 c Milk
• 1 c Flour
• 3/4 t Baking Soda
• 2 t Ginger
• 1 t Cinnamon
• 1/4 t Cloves
• 1/4 t Nutmeg
• 1 c Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 T Milk
• 1/2 t Vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Grease and flour (I use cocoa instead of flour so you don't have a funny colored loaf due to the white flour) a loaf pan and set aside.  
2. Combine the oil, molasses and brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute.  Mix well to incorporate all the sugar.  Pour the mixture into you big mix bowl.
3. Add in the applesauce, milk, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.  Once the mixture has cooled sufficiently add in the eggs.  Blend well.
4. Finally mix in the flour.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until the loaf bounces back to the touch and a tested inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove the loaf from the oven and place the loaf pan on it's side to allow the loaf to cool slightly before removing it from the pan.  (By placing the loaf on it's side you are helping to ensure it does not stick to the bottom of the loaf pan.)
7. Remove the loaf from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
8. To make the icing, coming the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla.  If it is too thick slowly add in teaspoons of milk until the desired consistency is achieved.  Once the loaf has cooled completely pour the icing over the loaf and allow it to set.
9. ENJOY

It really is a very simple recipe.  The calorie count comes in at about 160 calories per slice - if you slice your loaf into 18 slices.  Those are fairly thin slices, if you are looking more for a Starbucks slice thickness you are probably looking at about 320-350 calories per slice.  Everything in moderation, right?

I served the loaf with some cut up strawberries and a side of cool whip.  (In my opinion cool whip goes with everything, even if it is iced :-D)