fitting in with the neighbors making stuffed bread and WIAW

It is Wednesday and feels like it should be Friday. Monday was the worst ever. Seriously.


Tuesday wasn't so hot either. Hopefully today will be better.

Sunday we ended up having a later breakfast that included eggs, bacon, a leftover jalapeno cheddar cheese corn muffin, and strawberries. I guess it was more of a brunch given the amount of food and timing.

Lunch was stuffed Italian bread. Have you ever heard of such a thing?  I had no clue until moving to Connecticut. There are tons of people here with Italian heritage around us.  Thus there are also tons of Italian restaurants and delis. A staple at all of these food stores is stuffed Italian bread. Think a pizza rolled up with no sauce. Filling options are endless. Still not sure what the difference is between a Stromboli and stuffed bread.

Stuffed Bread with Spinach, Mozzarella and Pepperoni

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: pizza

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Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 ball of store bought pizza dough
• 1 8oz bag of shredded mozzarella
• 1 bag sliced pepperoni
• 1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft. Top with chopped spinach and heat through. Remove from heat.

Roll out pizza dough to a 9X13 rectangle.

Spoon spinach mixture on top of dough, leaving a centimeter of space to the edge of dough. Layer pepperoni slightly overlapping on top of spinach mixture. Cover with mozzarella cheese.

Gently roll dough into a cylinder and tuck edges in on ends and press closed.

Place pizza dough roll on a cookie sheet with seam side down.

Bake until cooked through and dough begins to brown, about 25 minutes. Allow time to cool slightly before slicing.

Serve with marinara sauce.

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This was fun to snack on around lunch time. I also loved the swirl of colors. I was being super wife and added pepperoni. No my favorite but Mr. J loves it.

Dinner I was on my own and had take out. A house salad and half a chicken parmesan sandwich.  Remember what I said about all of the Italian restaurants. Well, we live about 100 feet from one.  Oh so convenient when you want take out.

Is there a specific type of restaurant that you have more of around you?  Do you enjoy that type of food?

chewy toffee chocolate chip cookies

Cookies. Cookies. Cookies. 

I was in the mood to be in the kitchen as much as possible this weekend. Long time, no cook, for me. I don't like it.

I had plans to make ice cream. A fancy ice cream that after reading the recipe I realized would take me the better part of two days to finish. Mr. J was already question the dessert options so I knew the ice cream would not work.  Thus cookies were in order.

I missed National Chocolate Chip Cookie day last week. In order not to upset the cookies gods I decided I better make some fast.  I upped the ante with extra toffee bits I had in the pantry for an extra punch of goodness. 

Each time I go for one I end up with two.  I am not the only one.  Mr. J makes a whole mini meal with a glass of milk to boot.

Chewy Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert cookie

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Ingredients (18 cookies)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl until creamy. Add egg, beating well.

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate and toffee pieces.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Corn Muffins

After a tour of Las Vegas we are now back to regularly scheduled programming.  As a special treat I have a real winner for you. These muffins are fantastic.

We overindulged a lot in Las Vegas. Mr. J and I decided once back we would cut back on the amount of rich food we consume. At least for a little bit.

These muffins are very flavorful.  With sharp cheddar cheese and the bite from the jalapenos your taste buds will be having a party in your mouth.

We had these as a side with a taco salad. Instead of having lots of tortilla chips we had a muffin.  They added so much to the meal, making it filling and satisfying for Mr. J while still having a salad.

These are best served the day of but we heated them quickly in microwave the next to serve with eggs at breakfast.  

Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Corn Muffins

by Emily Morris, Adapted from Joy the Baker

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: bake side bread corn

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Ingredients (12 muffins)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons diced pickled jalapeno
• 12 pickled jalapeno rounds for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease well a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and melted butter.

Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir to incorporate. Before the mixture is entirely mixed, add the grated cheese and diced jalapeno. Stir to incorporate making sure that the mixture is evenly moistened and the cheese is well distributed.

Divide batter between prepared muffin tins. Top each with a jalapeno round.

Bake muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Muffins are best served warm.

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