Just Simply Holly

I’ll admit it, I LOVE to cook and bake! It’s something I’ve done for years and something that I completely enjoy, and something that I feel is very therapeutic! As I’m sure you already know, Sassy and I have a fairly new blog called Food, Fun and Family that we post recipes and stuff on. The recipes that we post are ones that we use ourselves, ones that are simple and usually really inexpensive!

I was TOTALLY excited to find a new website with recipes for me to start scoping out! The site is so well laid out and easy to follow, with some really fantastic features! The ones that I’m going to be using the most is their enhanced recipe search which allows you to search for recipes using ingredients you have on hand, the type of dish you want to make (i.e. main course, desert, drinks, etc) and even if you have dietary restrictions like low fat, gluten free or even meatless for people like me! The other feature that I like, which does require you to actually sign up for an account at the site is the ability to save recipes that I like to my own recipe file for quick access when I need them in the futures! (No worries though, it’s TOTALLY free and very easy to sign up for!!)

So what are you waiting for? Get over there and check the site out and find some new and fantastic recipes to feed your family!

Sphere: Related Content

It’s no secret that I like to eat, but the truth is I’m a VERY picky eater! Add to that the fact that I’m a spend thrift who HATES to spend money on anything that isn’t necessary and it makes for interesting situations when hubby and I go grocery shopping. My hubby is your typical “If I want it, I’m going to buy it” type of shopper. It doesn’t matter if it’s over priced or something that we don’t need, he’s going to buy it if he wants it or he thinks it sounds good.

We went grocery shopping last night, it was more of a we “HAD to” situation than a “wanted to”, because we were getting REALLY low on the things that we eat daily. We’re going through the frozen food section of the grocery store and something caught my hubby’s eye. He told me that I’d really want to check it out because he thought it would be something I’d like to eat. When I looked at what he was talking about, I was greeted with this box(click for larger image):

Now I’ll be the first to admit that bagels and cream cheese are one of my own personal “staple foods”. I have a bagel and cream cheese every morning for breakfast as long as I have them in the house. If I don’t have them in the house, I usually don’t eat breakfast…LOL! So Bagel-fuls REALLY piqued my interest. After checking out the nutrition information

And the cooking directions

I decided to see which flavor I wanted to try first

After careful contemplation I opted for the plain bagel filled with chive cream cheese as well as the cinnamon and brown sugar bagel filled with cinnamon cream cheese. The price kind of bothered me (They were $1.92 for a box of 4, meaning each individual bagel would cost 48 cents), because I knew that I could purchase a package of bagels and a container of cream cheese at a lower cost per bagel. But I decided to go ahead and give them a try because I was sure I’d eventually be able to find coupons for them if I really liked them.

This morning I decided to give the plain bagel with chive flavored cream cheese a try. I wish I’d have read the box when I got home from the store last night because on the back it states that they are better if stored in the refrigerator, and I put them in the freezer since that’s where I had found them at in the store. But that wasn’t a big deal. I opted to put my Bagel-ful in the toaster, and since it was frozen I actually ran it through the toaster cycle 2 times. By doing that I ended up with a bagel that was just a little crusty on the outside, but the cream cheese filling was still just a little frozen. (A “problem” that I wouldn’t have had if I’d have put them in the fridge instead) But it honestly wasn’t a big deal! This is what my Bagel-ful looked like straight out of the toaster:

And so you could see exactly how the inside of them look, I cut it in half for you

Overall, I’m VERY impressed with this product! The taste is excellent, the size is actually larger than I thought it would be and I will definitely purchase them again! ESPECIALLY if I can manage to find coupons for them! If I could get the cost per Bagel-ful down to under 40 cents, I’d keep these on my “staples” grocery list! They’re not messy, they’d be something great to take in the car or pack in a school lunch or even toss in your bag for a quick and easy snack!

So, if you’re in the frozen food aisle at your grocery store and happen to see Bagel-fuls and wonder if they’re worth trying, you get a DEFINITE yes from me!

Sphere: Related Content

Although I like to think that I prefer a homecooked dinner for my family, there are often times when the reality is that it’s not always possible to have the time to cook, or the desire! Unfortunately each one of my family members has completely different food tastes and likes/dislikes, so eating dinner out or grabbing take out sometimes can mean a battle or, in the case of carry out, multiple stops. The one exception to that is pizza, but once again, we have people in this house who like pizza from one place while others don’t care for that pizza place and like a totally different one. So we try to alternate so that we all get to enjoy pizza from our pizza place of choice. Our differences in choice of favorite pizza places may have come to an end with a discovery that was made last night!

For many months we’ve seen the commercials on TV for Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizzas. Although there were a few in the area, none were close enough to us to be convenient. I had to take my daughter to see her doctor last night and they had moved to a new office since the last time I had taken her, so I was driving down a road I normally don’t drive down. On the way I noticed a new strip mall with a couple of shops that I thought would be neat to check out, and in the midst of those shops was a Papa Murphy’s! I thought that maybe on our way home from the doctors office I’d ask my daughter if she felt like trying their pizza and if she said yes I’d call my husband and get his opinion. She said sure and when I called my husband, he also said sure!

I wasn’t exactly what to expect or do when I went in and when I mentioned to the young lady behind the counter that it was my first visit, she was more than happy to explain what they had to offer, what they did and told me to be free to ask any questions that I had. First, I was THRILLED to find out that they offered mine and my husbands FAVORITE pizza topping (green olives), but I was even happier to find out that they also allowed you to substitute toppings on pizzas for ones of your own choice, just as long as you didn’t go over the original amount of toppings.

For instance, they offer stuffed crust pizzas and I was considering the CHICAGO-STYLE STUFFED PIZZA™ which included Premium salami and pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, and onion mix. Garnished with Roma tomatoes and green onions for toppings. The only thing is, I do not care for Italian sausage or ground beef, but I was told that I could subsitute those for two toppings that I did like. But I was unsure if this would be a type of pizza that my husband would like, so I just went the safe route and ordered a pepperoni pizza and added onions and green olives for he and I. For the kids it was an easy choice, I simply ordered their Hawaiian pizza with canadian bacon and pineapple, since that is both kids favorite pizza!

The young lady behind the counter as so polite and helpful and since it was my first visit she even gave me $2 off each pizza. So I ended up getting 1 family sized pizza and 1 large pizza for a few cents over $20. Let me tell you, the family sized pizza is HUGE! If I’d have known how big it was, I would have ordered two large pizza’s instead…LOL! Now the thing with Papa Murphy’s pizzas is that they do not bake them, they make them from freshly made dough and toppings, then they wrap them in plastic wrap with the baking instructions and you take them home and bake them in your own oven.

They were, without a doubt, two of the best pizzas we have EVER eaten! The did not taste like delivery pizzas, but they also did not taste like my home made ones either. It was like having the best of both worlds! So here’s to you, Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza! This family and it’s pets give you eight thumbs and twelve paws up for one of the best pizza dinners we’ve ever had! We look forward to many more Papa Murphy’s pizzas!

Sphere: Related Content

I’m not one to enter contests, but I couldn’t help myself for this one because it’s a cookie recipe contest…LOL! If you know me in real life you know that at Christmas time I don’t give out store bought presents, instead I give something that I’ve made myself. It used to be craft type items, but eventually it got to the point that I simply didn’t have as much time as I needed or wanted to put into making things like that.

One year I was digging through one of the cookbooks that I had gotten from my late mother in law for a Christmas cookie recipe and I found a recipe that sounded interesting, so I gave it a try. I was initially disappointed because I was looking for a sugar cookie that I could frost and these cookies just didn’t look right frosted. However, to my family, these cookies were a HUGE hit. So I went ahead and made a second batch of them, but this time, before I put them in the oven, I sprinkled the tops of them with colored sprinkle sugar. It was exactly what these cookies needed and they have been a hit wherever I take them. Unfortunately for me, my friends and family members now start asking me about my cookies before Thanksgiving, reminding me how much they look forward to getting them every year. But, I don’t mind, I really don’t! I enjoy baking, but what I enjoy more is seeing people enjoy what I bake.

Anyway, I entered my cookie recipe in an online recipe contest and, if you wouldn’t mind, I would really appreciate it if you’d head over and vote for me! I think you can vote once a day, but I’ll find out for sure and let you know!  While you’re there be sure to check out the rest of her website!  She’s got some great tips and recipes!!

THANKS!

Sphere: Related Content

OK, I am a self proclaimed pot pie LOVER!  My only problem is, unless I want to pay the big bucks for vegetarian pot pies, I get stuck buying ones with meat in them, then picking the meat out.  I don’t mind, but it seems like a real waste of money.  So my mission is to find a pot pie recipe and make my own.  Have any of you ever made home made pot pies?  Do you have a good recipe for them?

Also, just to let you know, unless I do give in and move my computer downstairs today, I might not be doing much posting the next few days.  I’m under doctors orders to stay off my feet as much as possible, so I am honestly going to give my best try to stay off them and keep them elevated.  So if you don’t hear much from me that’s why.

Sphere: Related Content