There’s nothing better than taking a bite of slightly sweet and toasty homemade granola to drown out the bickering between a dog and a two year old little girl. Yes, they bicker. No, I didn’t realize adopting a 60 pound lab meant adopting a another toddler and yes, I’m considering never having anymore children because my hair is quickly turning grey. There’s also the possibility of me entering a psych ward soon. But for now I have the crunchy bites of heaven covered with milk to save my sanity and make me smile when I realize that my once white dog is now neon blue and a beheaded Barbie rolls under neath my feet.

Dried Cherry Coconut Granola makes 10 cups

• 4 cups oats
• 2 cups almonds
• 2 cups raw shredded or flaked coconut
• 1 1/2 cups dried sweet or bing cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil*
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 Tbs pure maple syrup

*the low down on virgin coconut oil, in case you were wondering: Virgin coconut oil is one of the safest oils to cook with. It does not contain trans fatty acids and does not break down. Coconut oil is known as the “energy fat” and is favoured by dieters, athletes, and body builders. It is slightly lower in calories than most other fats and oils and is processed in the liver and converted directly into energy unlike most oils. So, in conclusion it’s pretty healthy.

Preheat oven to 300° F.

With a sharp knife, coarsely chop almonds. If you have little kiddos like I, you might want to chop the almonds in pieces they can handle.

In a large bowl, combine oats, chopped almonds, shredded coconut, and cherries. I like to chop the cherries a bit so that Mia can eat them easier. Warning: little hands find their way into this recipe fast. Dried Cherries may be irresistible to some. Proceed with caution.

In a small bowl or measuring cup combine coconut oil and honey. Mix well.

Pour the coconut oil/honey mix into the oats and stir well until combined.

Spread evenly on a large baking sheet (11″x17″) and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oats are golden.

Allow to cool completely before serving or storing. Store in an air-tight container.

Perfect on cherry Greek yogurt. Have you noticed I’m addicted to Greek Yogurt lately?

I’m going to make this short and sweet. This recipe is pretty flippin’ delicious and super quick and easy to make. For years I’ve been making a smaller appetizer version of this using wonton wrappers and it wasn’t until recently that we started using the same technique to make a healthy baked “egg roll” for dinner. This one is definitely Mia, aka 2 year old, approved.

Baked Chicken Spinach & Artichoke Egg Roll makes 12

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cup cooked chicken
• 1 cup artichoke hearts (about 10 hearts, I use frozen and thawed)
• 1 cup fontina or mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbs dried Italian herb mix*
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbs strained Greek Yogurt (I use Fage)
• 12 egg roll wrappers
• 2 Tbs water
• marinara for dipping

* Italian herb mix = 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried rosemary or any store bought mix will do

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Finely chop spinach and place in a large bowl.

Strain all water from frozen or canned artichokes, chop and place in the same bowl as the spinach.

I LOVE roasted chicken, don’t you! This is a great way to use leftovers of a chicken you roasted yourself or a store bought rotisserie chicken. Dice cooked chicken in small pieces and place in the bowl.

Place the cheese, herbs, and salt in the bowl with the chicken spinach and artichokes. Stir to combine.

Now add the Greek yogurt. We use the 2% Fage yogurt but if you would rather something more decedent you may substitute with mascarpone cheese. Stir well to combine.

On a flat surface, lay out the egg roll wrappers with a point facing you making a diamond shape. Place two heaping spoonfuls of the chicken, spinach, and artichoke mixture at the lower point of the wrapper.

Fold the lower point over the filling.

Next, roll the egg roll towards the upper point

…and then fold both sides of the egg roll wrapper inward.

Finally, pour water into a small bowl. Dip your finger in the water and spread on the remaining point of the egg roll wrapper.

Fold the final point over onto the egg roll to seal. Now you have an egg roll ready for cooking! Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spray the rolls lightly with cooking spray (like PAM). Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden.

Allow to cool and serve with marinara on the side. Simple, delicious, and healthy, baked egg rolls are a perfect food for the whole family and an easy meal for kids to make.

There’s nothing better in the summer than a refreshing granita and I’ve made quite a few. Granitas have even been my close friend during those teething days with Mia. Her favorite, cantelope and mint, was devoured daily and helped sooth her swelling gums.

I love granitas because they are supper simple to make and like a good dress can be dressed up or down with the addition of a touch of liqueur. This grapefruit and rosemary granita is so delicious and is my favorite yet! Don’t be put off by the rosemary my friends, it a delightful and elegant pairing with the grapefruit and will surprise you.

grapefruit and rosemary granita serves 4

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 rosemary sprig, 7 inches
• 2 1/2 cups fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (about 4 grapefruits)
• 1/2 cup vodka, optional

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, sugar, and rosemary to a simmer. Here’s a little note: I am a rosemary lover, my husband not so much. I like this granita with two sprigs of rosemary and he thinks I’m just a little crazy. So, if you are like me you might consider an extra sprig. Once the sugar is dissolved remove from heat and allow to cool. This is a low sugar simple syrup.

While the simple syrup is cooling, squeeze the grapefruit juice into a large bowl retaining some pulp. You could just go and buy grapefruit juice but where is the fun in that and I promise you it will not be as good!

Remove the rosemary sprig and add the cooled syrup to the grapefruit juice. Add the vodka (by the way I know I don’t have to really say this but I’m going to anyway: do not add vodka if you are serving this to your kids). Stir to combine.

Pour the grapefruit/syrup mixture into a 9×13 glass or metal baking pan. Place in the freezer. Allow to freeze for an hour without disturbing.

Once the juice begins to freeze, scrape the entire dish with a fork every 30 minutes until you reach a fine slushy consistency, about 2 hours.

Serve and enjoy!

Today, I made Mia her own batch the exact same way as the grapefruit rosemary granita using fresh squeesed orange juice with no simple syrup. Oranges are in season and super sweet already. She loved it.

You can find numerous recipes for fruit leather on the internet. It’s been around forever. The best thing about this simple treat is that if you make it at home you don’t need chemical preservatives, you can control the amount of sugar, and best of all you can be as creative as you want to be. I have yet to see strawberry basil fruit leather and after tasting it we are all missing out! The sweetness of the strawberries and the fresh almost licorice taste of the basil makes a unique and amazingly flavorful treat for everyone! I’ve got many different flavor combos to share with you in the near future. So watch out!

Strawberry Basil Fruit Leather

• 1 1/2 pound strawberries
• 1 cup fresh basil (about 40 leaves)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree for 1 minute until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor you can finely chop the basil and add everything in a saucepan. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the strawberries are soft and mash until smooth with a potato masher.

Pour the puree into a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture becomes a little thicker.

Line a 17″x 11″  baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the puree onto it. Spread out evenly with a spatula, leaving a half inch of parchment paper on all sides.

Place in a 170°F oven for 6 hours (or 120°F for 8 to 10 hours) until the puree is shinny and no longer wet and supper sticky. Allow to cool.

Once cool, remove from the pan with the paper intact. Roll tightly and cut into sections with a sharp knife. Serve and watch the smiles. Store in a plastic bag or air-tight container in the pantry for up to 3 months.

They don’t last long in this house.

A couple of days ago my phone rings. It’s Kim, my next door neighbor and sometimes a product reviewer on In Sock Monkey Slippers. This is what happens when you live next to me; I talk about you to hundreds of people and make you work for me without real pay but it’s all good because I feed you constantly. Kind of like Oprah and Gale. She’s in a hurry (has some REAL work to actually get to) and begins to tell me that someone is looking for me, contacted her and wants my phone number. At first I’m like, “uh…do they want money, cause if so tell them you don’t know me!” She then proceeds to tell me that it’s a newspaper reporter and gives me a number to contact, which of course is the wrong number (sorry to whomever I left a lengthy message to). After we finally get it right and I’m having a conversation with this reporter I suddenly realize it’s not a newspaper reporter but a television reporter. My brain stops with fear as he’s telling me he wants to come over as soon as possible to do a story on me an the blog. Ok, as long as it was a newspaper reporter I was totally cool but now that I have to

#1 have cameras in my OH SO MESSY HOUSE (picture a week of being out of town coupled by two weeks of the flu) and
#2 I’m a complete ball of crazy lady anxiety in front of a camera

…needless to say, I was a little stressed. I’m not gonna lie I seriously considered popping open a bottle of wine in the middle of the afternoon.

So, in a rush I cleaned the house and came up with a quick recipe to do on camera that tried to show the real food/nutritious side of the blog with what was left of a very barren pantry. This is that recipe… Sweet Potato and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. A quick so very simple cookie that is still sweet and delicious with gasp… a vegetable.

All in all I pulled it together without any sort of medication or psychotherapy and Mia and I had a great time.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin Cookies makes 45 small cookies

• 1 large sweet potato or 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) and 6 Tbs of butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 cup raisins, organic if possible

Preheat oven to 350° F.

If you don’t have sweet potato puree or a cooked sweet potato on hand, here’s a fast way to cook a sweet potato using a microwave. This is how I ate in college.

1. Pierce a large washed potato numerous times with a fork.
2. Wrap the potato in a wet paper towel and then wrap that in plastic wrap.
3. Place in the microwave and cook on high for 6 minutes, flipping the potato over halfway through cooking.

Cut the potato in half and scoop out the flesh, placing it in a bowl. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter, sugars, and honey in a large bowl until creamy.

Next, add the sweet potato, vanilla and eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir and add to the sugar and egg mixture. Mix until combined.

Add oats and raisins and stir.

With an ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop dough onto an ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack. And then eat as many as you can before they disappear by your kids, husband, or news crew if you have one hanging around the house.

I love how the sweet potato gives these cookies a slightly different taste and a round shape. These are seriously good and packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin E, calcium and beta carotene!

{UPDATE · April 13, 2011}

GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED · The winner is Kim with the comment, “Too funny! This is totally my life.”

Thanks to the amazing folks at The Pampered Chef, not only do you have a chance to help me win a $3500 Pampered Chef Shopping spree and a $125 SpaFinder certificate and a chance for you to win the same through The Pampered Chef Facebook page but NOW I have been given an Easy Brie-zy Pizza Set (valued at $115) to giveaway to one of you during this contest! You know how I love pizza and this Pizza set that includes a pizza stone, garlic press, pizza wheel, sauces, spices, recipes and more is going to be a great addition to any kitchen!

Well Make this quick and simple,
TO ENTER TO WIN THE PAMPERED CHEF PIZZA SET FROM IN SOCK MONKEY SLIPPERS:

1. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling me your funniest or not so funny kitchen disaster story and If you don’t have one just say hi! All previous comments will be honored and included in this giveaway.
2. “LIKE” In Sock Monkey Slippers on Facebook and leave a seperate comment telling me you did so.

The winner of the Easy Brie-zy Pizza Set will be chosen randomly, on Friday, April 15 at noon and will be notified by e-mail.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

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in sock monkey slippers and the pampered chef {april 11,2011}

A few days ago, The Pampered Chef, contacted me to share my funniest kitchen disaster story and to be a part of their Spill It! Contest celebrating Mother’s Day. The Spill It! contest will feature stories by six food bloggers, and you will decide the winner by who has the most comments posted to their story. I had to stop and laugh because every day is a disaster in the kitchen with a 22 pound, 2-year-old girl and a 70 pound, 2-year-old lab running under your feet. Of course, I had the perfect story that happened not too long ago–as In Sock Monkey Slippers fans on Twitter and Facebook can attest to when I shouted out for help with a “burning” question. If you enjoy, or can relate in any way–which I’m sure you can–to this story, please comment at the end of this post and help me when the Spill It! contest and the $3,500 Pampered Chef prize! Don’t you just love The Pampered Chef?! What’s your funniest kitchen disaster?

Follow along with this contest and keep up with all of us on The Pampered Chef’s Facebook page. “LIKE” The Pampered Chef’s Facebook page to stay on top of upcoming info and tips and share your funniest kitchen story too!

a flaming food processor and a larabar disaster

For a while now I have had a “drop everything” craving for Larabars. Their chewy naturally sweet goodness has attracted me like a moth to a flame, so much so you would think I was pregnant. My favorite Larabar is the cherry pie one. For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about, a Larabar is a snack bar with just a few ingredients and no added sugar or preservatives. Oh, how I loooove them, and decided with how this family goes through snack bars I needed to make my own.

With dried cherries, dates and almonds in hand and the little girl asleep and Jack the lab outside playing I set out to make my Larabar masterpiece. I laid out all of my ingredients and pulled out my trusty little, little, little 3 cup food processor.

It was a beautiful day. Adam Carroll was on the iPod, the birds were singing and I’m sure if I were Snow White dwarfs would be whistling somewhere. It wasn’t until…chunk, clunk, verrrrrommmm, chunk, chunk, chunk. My trusty little food processor filled with dates and cherries and almondy goodness started jumping off the counter. And then my worst fears happened. My little kitchen appliance went up in flames.

“What the?!!!!” was all that was going through my mind as I batted the flames out with a towel; not the brightest idea, mind you, because now I have a burnt towel. With disaster averted, I took a moment to regroup. Then the silence was shattered when our fire alarm finally went off. This set off the domino effect. I’m cursing to high heaven worried that the BEEP BEEP BEEP screaming through our house is going to wake up Mia when I’m startled by Jack jumping on our kitchen window tearing the screen to bits, then knocking over the water fountain by the window in the herb garden. I then hear “hack, hack, hack” as our ever so nervous cat, Athens, vomits in the bedroom. Ahh! Are you kidding me?

As I run outside to calm our dog down I slip and fall on something slippery and wet in the bedroom. “No, No, No, It can’t be.” Oh yes, Meredith, it is. You have just fell and busted your behind in cat vomit. Right then the situation gets worse as I smell smoke coming from the kitchen. The food processor is smoking. Huge puffs of smoke billowing from my kitchen.

I grab it off the counter by the cord and toss it out to the front patio. From the window I watch with phone in hand to call 911. And of course, instead of doing the smart thing and calling 911 I get on Facebook and twitter calling out for help.

Instead of embarrassing myself to a group of hunky firemen, crisis was averted once again as my awesome friends on Facebook and Twitter told me to pour baking soda on it or just run.

Quite once resumed as I stood by the door to make sure the fire was truly out. I then realize that by a miracle Mia is still asleep and I could actually go sit on the couch and recover from this fiasco. But life is never that simple, is it? The moment my tush hits the cushion and my tension starts to melt….”MOMMY!!!”

Oh well, back to motherhood I go with my bruised hiney and a house that smells like burnt plastic.

Spill it with me! For your chance to win the prize, please share your own disaster story on www.facebook.com/ThePamperedChef (under the “contests” tab) before Friday at noon! And If you can relate to my story or you just want to say “thanks for the laugh” let me know by leaving me a comment and passing this along! One of the 6 bloggers will win and one of you will win! Here’s to all of the moms out there who are just trying to make it through the day! Have a good one!

Homemade Cherry Larabars….sort of

• 2  cups pitted dates
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. In a large, high powered food processor, combine dates, cherries, almonds, walnuts, vanilla, and salt. Process in pulses until thoroughly chopped. Or, you can simply spend 30 minutes or so chopping all ingredients by hand, as I have done.
2. With your hands, form the mixture into a 1 inch thick rectangle.
3. Next, cut to desired shape with a knife. I choose to do small bite size squares but this recipe will make 10 4 inch long bars.
4. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3o seconds. Stir and repeat for another 30 seconds or until the chocolate is melted.
5. Dip each bar halfway into the chocolate mixture and place on parchment or wax paper.
6. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden.
7. EAT!

Ever since we left San Francisco, I’ve been craving quiche. Especially quiche from Tartine. If you’ve ever been to Tartine then you know what I’m talking about. With a smell from blocks away luring in hungry souls, this quaint little bakery in the Mission district is a legendary place to grab a flaky pastry and a cup of coffee. Even the birds form a line to get in this place. No seriously. When I stood (pretty much standing room only) at the window eating (more like trying to keep my daughter’s hands off of my quiche) I watched as a line of birds formed at the door and one by one would sneak their way pass the beautiful little baker shoeing them away with her broom.

Now thousands of miles away from Tartine and nowhere near a french bakery in this town, I’ve been making my own little quiches for the family. My favorite one lately being a leek and ham version. And since I added another 75 pounds to my waist since San Francisco, I’m making this version a little on the lighter side choosing Canadian bacon instead of  my first choice of pancetta and opting out of a crust, thus making it a frittata.

Savory and fluffy these individual leek and Canadian bacon frittatas are the perfect little breakfast treat that everyone will love. Approved by Mia, the resident 2 1/2 year old picky eater.

leek & Canadian bacon frittata makes 6

• 2 cups leeks, washed & chopped (about 2 large leeks)
• 1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Canadian Bacon chopped (about 6 slices)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Slice the root ends off the leeks.

Making a cut at the dark green leaves, cut the tops off as well.

Slice the leeks down the center vertically, exposing the ribs. Leeks are notorious for sand and unless you like gritty veggies then you must clean the leeks. To do this, simply fan your fingers across the inside of the leeks under running water.

Next, cut the leeks into 1/4 inch crescents. You will want 2 cups.

Over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil and add the leeks and 1/2 tsp of sea salt. Stir. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks become soft. Turn off heat

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and milk. Whisk until well mixed.

Chop the Canadian bacon into cubes.

To the egg and milk mixture, add the Canadian bacon, leeks, cheese, pepper, the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Cut 6 5″ x 5″ squares of parchment paper and place in a muffin tin leaving space between each cup.

Fill parchment the paper lined muffin cups with the egg and leek mixture. Place in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove the frittatas from the muffin tin and allow to cool slightly before eating.

Kid friendly and a great way to introduce leeks! Mia loved them but if you fear that leeks will not be to the liking of your little ones, simply leave them out or replace with 1 cup spinach or broccoli. Oh they’re so good that I’m going to have to go and rescue the last remaining frittata. It’s screaming at me from the kitchen.

When I arrived home from a fantastic trip to San Francisco there was a brand new B0n Appétit sitting ever so patently in the mailbox. The unpacking would have to wait. Magazine reading always comes first, right? Ever since we left the airport I have been racking my brain to come up with new recipes based on the fresh seasonal foods I had on the west coast. With rhubarb season starting I was baffled about how to even attempt to use this fruit, vegetable, plant…uh, what is this red stalk thingy anyway? (upon further research I found it’s an ornamental vegetable for those of you who were wondering) And when I opened my favorite mag my questions were answered as there was a beautiful photo of a Rhubarb Fool from a previous issue. I immediately went to the store and grabbed me some rhubarb and got to cooking.

Can you believe I’ve never actually eaten a rhubarb! For some reason I was raised thinking they were poisonous and should only be eaten cooked down in a pie. Imagine how I freaked out when I turned around to see Mia, my two year, old chomping down on a stalk right out of the bag! I panicked, grabbed my phone to call poison control and then thought, why would they sell poisonous produce at the grocery store? My blonde moment slowly started to fade as I put down the phone and checked the Internet for a little research. Ok, so now I feel like an idiot. Rhubarb is not poisonous at all, just a little sour. Am I the only one who thought this? This is just going to have to go down in the “Blonde Moments of Meredith Book” right next to the chapter, “People don’t actually work underground changing the traffic signals, it’s done electronically.” Granted that chapter was written when I was young although I would rather not mention how old I was when I figured that one out.

This Rhubarb and Blackberry Yogurt Fool is a healthier adaption of the traditional Rhubarb Fool featured in Bon Appétit but just as delicious. A little tart but rightfully sweet this little treat disappeared fast and will be returning frequently in this house! If you are looking for a quick and easy way to use rhubarb for your family, try this today! This one is Mia approved.

Rhubarb and Blackberry Yogurt Fool serves 2
adapted from Bon Appétit April 1995

• 8 ounces fresh rhubarb stalks, trimmed, or 8 ounces frozen and thawed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, optional
• 1/2 cup blackberries, organic if possible
• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt, organic if possible (for an even sweeter version use vanilla greek yogurt)

Cut rhubarb crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and place in a saucepan.

Add orange juice and zest.

Uh, yeah you don’t have to do this particular step but by all means if you want to suck the orange dry be my guest.

Add sugar to the rhubarb and juice.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add blackberries and cook for 5 minutes or until the rhubarb has softened. Turn off heat.

Stir in the Grand Marnier. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes. NOTE: If you are making this for your children, add the Grand Marnier at the same time that you add the blackberries. This will give the alcohol enough time to cook out or you can leave it out all together.

To serve, add 1/4 cup of yogurt to the bottom of a cup or bowl. Top with 1/4 cup of rhubarb mixture and then place 1/4 cup yogurt on top of that. With a knife swirl yogurt and rhubarb together.

Serve and watch it disappear fast!

I can’t describe in words how good and fresh this is but maybe this picture can help you understand. Rhubarb = Awesomeness.

This post is dedicated to my little brother that is currently stationed in Afghanistan and who’s proven theory in life is that everything tastes better on a “steeeek.” Sorry, it’s an inside joke.

I saw these many years ago in a little bakery in Dallas and the idea has stuck in my head since then. It wasn’t until this past weekend when we were spending time at the ranch that I remembered these little delights. My mother-in-law had taken Mia to the neighboring ranch for a visit and upon their return my 2 year-old little girl had a new word, bue-bery-pie. I didn’t have to decipher what she was saying because the evidence of her new found word was smeared all over her face. And that’s when I remembered, pie on a stick and jumped in the kitchen when we returned home.

Buttery, flaky, sweet, and perfect for those little hands without a huge bue-berry-pie mess.

Blueberry Pie Sticks makes 15

• 1 cup fresh blueberries, organic if possible
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• pinch kosher salt
• 2 store bought pie dough crusts for a 9″ pie
• flour, for dusting
• 1 egg white
• 15 lollipop sticks

Preheat oven 375°F.

In a bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt. Stir well and set aside.

Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out one pie dough crust. With a size-able cookie cutter, about 2″ to 4″ in diameter, press into the dough and cut out a shape in the dough. Make sure for every shape you cut that you have one to match. Each “pie on a stick” uses two pie crust shapes. Place on an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper if you have any. By the way, will someone remind me to please go to Gourmet Gallery and grab some parchment paper please! I keep forgetting.

Repeat with the other pie crust dough. You will have to gather, roll, and cut with the cookie cutter a couple of times to use all of the dough.

Place the lollipop sticks into the center of each piece of pie crust dough on the baking sheet.

Place a small teaspoon of the blueberry mixture into the center.

Top with a matching pie crust and crimp the edges with a fork or a lollipop stick making sure all edges are sealed. Brush with top of the pie crust with egg white.

Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the the crust is golden. Once finished, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

It’s like a little bite of blueberry awesomeness. I can’t wait to make more with many different fillings and before you ask, I’m sure you can use store-bought pie filling. I didn’t because I didn’t want all of the excess sugar and corn syrup that those tend to have but if I was in a hurry and wanted to make these for a party I might try it. If you do though, be careful about how much “syrup” from the pie filling that you add to avoid leakage.

num, num, num, num, num, num! Pie on a stick is awesome and I almost ate them all! Thankfully, it was my neighbor’s birthday and I gave the majority to him.

Mia approved.

For months now, I have been constantly reminded that I promised to figure out a recipe for veggie burgers by one Mr. Atlas, the one and only hubby of our own Ashley Bass. After a couple of failed attempts involving his two adorable kids running out of the dinning room in terror, they both have been pushing me to create a veggie burger that is easy to make and edible.

All of this thinking about veggie burgers had me falling back in a time warp when yours truly decided it was a smart idea to become a vegetarian fifteen years ago. Needless to say it did not take and after a three year trial I broke down shamelessly after a night out with my friends. It was a sad scene where I literally begged a local hamburger institution, Jack’s Burger House on Hillcrest Avenue in Dallas, Texas to stay open past hours to make me a triple hamburger, side of fries and a coke. From then on I vowed never to turn my back on a Jacks burger again and my life has been great ever since. But I will tell you still to this day I crave a good veggie burger. For this recipe I dug back into my brain and tried to remember my old recipe with a little inspiration form the best spinach and bean burger I have ever had at Twin Sisters in San Antonio, Texas.

Jason, this one’s for you…

Black Bean Burgers makes 4

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup baby spinach, organic
• 1 15oz can black beans
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano
• 1 1/2 Tbs flour
• 2 Tbs cornmeal
• 4 burger buns or dinner rolls, optional

Mango Relish

• 1 mango
• 1 red bell pepper, organic
• 1 Tbs fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
• 1 Tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 serrano pepper, optional

Let’s start off with cooking a sweet potato. Pierce the potato with a fork several times.

Wrap the sweet potato in a very damp paper towel and place on a plate. Place in a microwave oven for 5 to 6 minutes, flipping the potato once halfway through cooking.

Once cooked, scoop the flesh of the potato out with a spoon, discarding the skins, and set aside.

Peel the garlic cloves and roughly chop. Place in a food processor or blender.

Along with the garlic, place the spinach in the food processor and pulse until both garlic and spinach are finely chopped.

Rinse beans and place half of them in the food processor with the spinach and garlic. Set aside the other half.

Add the sweet potato and olive oil to the food processor. Puree for 1 minute until smooth.

Add salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin and pulse a couple of more times until all the spices are incorporated.

Remove mixture to a bowl and add the flour and cornmeal. Stir.

Add the beans that were set aside earlier and fold in.

Heat a greased (I use Pam cooking spray) skillet or griddle on medium. Form patties out of the mixture with your hands. {Using an ice cream scoop makes this very easy.}

Place the patties on the griddle and cook 4 minutes per side. Let rest for a minute before serving. Now you can serve it just like this, on a bun with your favorite burger toppings (Mia likes hers on a bun with cheese and lettuce) or you could…

Dice a mango into cubes and place in a bowl.

Cut the bell pepper into strips then dice. Add to the mango.

De-seed and dice the serrano and place in the bowl.

Chop the cilantro and add to the bowl with the mango.

Add lime juice and stir. Simple, fresh and amazingly good on pretty much anything.

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Relish… seriously good even if you eat meat.