Pizza Dippers

This is actually an idea my hubby came up with and it has become our favorite movie time snack. We like to dip them in marinara sauce, but feel free to get creative! Try adding different toppings, or maybe dipping in a white sauce. You can't go wrong with something this easy!

Ingredients:
1 roll refrigerated croissant dough
16 pepperoni
4 sticks mozzarella string cheese
Additional pizza toppings or seasonings, if desired
Pizza sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 and mist a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Roll out the croissant dough and separate into triangles, placing 2 pepperoni on each triangle. Cut each string cheese stick in half and lay a half on the dough triangles. Add any additional toppings or seasonings. Roll each triangle up tightly, sealing the ends as much as possible. Place the rolls on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until croissants are golden brown. Serve hot with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Salad

I've been craving chicken salad lately, but the grocery store version is loaded with heavy mayonnaise. I usually make chicken salad or egg salad with a sour cream base, but my sour cream went bad and I had an avocado, so I decided to give it a try. It turned out so good that I may never buy the store bought version again!

In all fairness, I used chicken that I cooked with Italian dressing, so the chicken already had a nice zing of flavor. The other seasonings I used were garlic powder and the garlic and herb Mrs. Dash. I happened to have bottled lime juice on hand from the Cilantro Lime Chicken burrito bowls I made last week, and the flavors paired perfectly. If you want more of a guacamole flair, add a little salsa or diced tomato and some taco seasoning. If you prefer a more traditional chicken salad texture, using chopped celery and onion or even diced apples could give it a nice crunch.

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1 cup diced chicken, approximately
A squirt lime juice
Seasonings to taste

Slice the avocado and scoop out of its skin. Chop finely and lightly mash. Add chicken to desired texture, and stir in juice and seasonings.

Let it rest an hour to allow flavors to marry - if you can wait that long before digging in! Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Banana Orange Muffins

In the chaos of moving and getting ready for the new chapter of our lives that is about to begin... I needed a quick break, a spot of creativity, a glimpse of stability. I also needed to use some of what is still in my cupboards! Thus was born... Banana Orange Muffins.

You already know it's going to be quick and easy and tasty...and it's even husband-approved! For the guy who eats all things chocolate and rarely ventures into the world of fruit and healthy-looking snacks, that's a win.

If you want to make it healthier, you could always substitute egg whites for the egg, and applesauce for the oil, and a gluten-free cake mix if you're into that. For fall flavoring, add cinnamon or use a spice cake mix. Or use a chocolate cake mix, or a strawberry cake mix...seriously the options are almost endless! Feel free to modify!

Ingredients:
2-3 very, very ripe bananas
1 egg
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp each of vanilla extract and orange extract
1 vanilla cake mix

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare muffin tins (or a bread pan, if you prefer). Peel the bananas and place in a medium mixing bowl. Mash with a fork, then mix in the egg, oil, and extracts. Add the dry cake mix and stir or beat until thoroughly mixed. Pour into prepared tins and bake for about 18-22 minutes, testing with a toothpick when done. Makes 12 muffins or one loaf of bread.

Soft Pretzels

I have no idea why we haven't done this before. Seriously. And when you try them, you will wonder the same thing! They are best hot and dipped in queso...or cheese...or ranch...or plain...they are straight up amazing!!

They're actually pretty easy too - you know I'm all about easy recipes! It just requires a little prep time.

For us, it's a joint venture. You got it - we like to make them together, as a team. I mix the dough, he heats the water. I roll it out, he twists it into pretzels. And we both eat them...oh my yes.

For the dough, you need:

2.5 cups all purpose flour
dash of salt
spoonful of sugar
package of yeast (either quick-rise or active dry)
1 cup warm water (about 110 F)

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Pour the yeast into the warm water and stir until mostly dissolved. Pour the yeast water into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly - if you have a mixer with a dough hook, that would be best; if not, beat it roughly with a wooden spoon. It should be a soft, smooth lump of dough, not sticky. If it is too sticky, sprinkle with flour and keep kneading. When you have a nice tidy lump, dust with flour and cover the bowl with a towel.

Let's stop and talk about yeast for a moment. If you are using quick-rise yeast, half an hour should be plenty of time to rise. If you are using active dry yeast, somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour usually works best for me.

For the topping, you need:

1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp baking soda
non-stick spray
coarse sea salt for sprinkling, if desired
2-3 tbsp butter, melted

Whisk the warm water and baking soda together and place in a cereal bowl. Spray a pan, and heat the oven to 450 F.

Lightly spray the countertop to help keep the dough from sticking. Take the dough out and use a pizza cutter to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each section into a long rope and twist into a pretzel shape.

Now, believe me, it's a whole lot harder than it sounds! Easiest thing to do is to double it over, twist it together about a third of the way from the bottom, and roll the ends over. Just play around with it for awhile, you'll get the hang of it. And make sure to ask your sweetheart to try it too - it makes for a lot of laughs!

Dip the pretzels in the soda wash and place them on the sheet. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Honestly, we find we don't really need it, they're good without, but it's up to you. Let them rest for 10 minutes.

Bake for 8-9 minutes until nicely golden brown. As soon as you take them out of the oven, brush with melted butter. Try to hold off eating them until they are cool enough to touch. Mmmm.