Hey y’all! Today is report card day ’round Angie’s Pangie’s house and I, being the eternal optimist, have decided that is cause for a celebration. I am quite positive that one of my three lovely daughters will pass at least one class – and that is enough reason for me to make a treat.
It doesn’t take much.

Anyhow, these cute little donut holes decorated to look like acorns are easy and fast, but the perfectly cute solution to any call for a fall treat.

Just smear peanut butter or chocolate frosting over the top of a donut hole. They look more realistic if you use unglazed donut holes, but these are glazed and they look just fine, too.

Roll the peanut butter or frosting in some toffee bits or crushed nuts and shove half a pretzel stick in for a stem.

That’s all it takes to make these little tidbits of heaven! I promise your children will love you for it. And, I figure if the reports aren’t that great I’ll just eat them myself.

Do”nuts” work for me! Stop over at We are THAT Family to see the other Works for Me Wednesday posts for other great tips and tricks.Similar Posts:

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I love to make treats for people. For my kids, for my husband, for my husband’s friends . . . whoever, I just like cooking and baking stuff for people. It makes me happy.

Here are some cupcakes I made recently for my husband to take to game night. Aren’t they pretty?

Welp, these are even more cool than you might think because once you bite into them you find an extra little treat – they have icing in the middle!

You can use any old cupcake recipe, I like to use my chocolate cake recipe. After the cupcakes have cooled, just use a melon baller to scoop a small portion of the cupcake out and set it aside. Pipe or spoon icing into the hole and add sprinkles if you’d like. Pop the top back on, pushing down slightly and then ice the tops!

Yum! Making cupcakes with icing in the center is fun, easy and makes them a special treat for everyone. Works for me!

After you’ve read about these cupcakes, I hope you’ll head on over to We are THAT Family to read all the great tips and tricks.Similar Posts:

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Some of you may remember last fall when I tried to make some sweet and salty pumpkin seeds and they just didn’t work out?  I’m not exactly sure why, maybe because I’m a glutton for punishment, but I was determined to try again.

I tried a different method this time and I’m happy to report I’m not a total failure after all. Wow, did these ever turn out fantastic! Which is probably good,  since I don’t think my bruised ego could have stood another failed attempt.

No, not really, I’m just kidding. I’m actually getting really good at being o.k. with screwing up recipes. It’s just part of trying out new things and trying to improve on recipes that just don’t work. You have to grow some thick skin and brace yourself for a few flops. Sometimes when something comes out poorly I think “Ha! I should take a picture of this and blog it.” Then I come to my senses and dump it in the garbage.

As far as these pumpkin seeds go, I think the biggest testament to their goodness is that my girls have been begging me to make a second batch because they finished off the HUGE first batch I made in a matter of two days.

This method includes roasting the seeds, then coating them with caramelized sugar (oh wow!) and then tossing them with the seasonings.  It works just right! These are wonderful after school goodies!

Here’s how to get make your own~

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Clean the goop off the pumpkin seeds and rinse them well. Blech! Pumpkin guts!

After the seeds are really clean you can spread them out on a cookie sheet and let them dry. I let them sit overnight, but that was because I was being lazy. I had just processed 5 pie pumpkins and I didn’t really care about roasting the pumpkin seeds right away.

After the seeds are dry,  roast them for an hour at 300 degrees. Every 15 minutes I take mine out and stir so that they don’t burn. They should be all toasty looking, but not black when they are done.

While the seeds are roasting, mix up the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and 1/3 cup of sugar in a bowl and set it aside. You’ll need this later when the seeds are all hot and gooey with melted sugar.

Once they are roasted, heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Because I had so many pumpkin seeds I used a little more oil. Peanut oil works well here if you aren’t allergic because it doesn’t burn at high tempetures. But, if you don’t have peanut oil or can’t use peanut oil, you can use corn or olive oil instead.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar and the pumpkin seeds and begin to stir. Continue to stir and cook until the sugar melts and the pumpkin seeds start to caramelize. Take care not to burn the seeds!

Ohh, that’s looking mighty tasty . . .

Remove the seeds from heat and add them to the bowl with the sugar and spices and stir. Keep stirring until they are well covered and the spices seem evenly distributed.

Let them cool before you eat.  Store these in an airtight container for up to a week. Of course, it’s unlikely they’ll last that long!

Here is the recipe again with out the pictures

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Still canning and preserving over here at Angie’s Pangies.  But, while I was cutting up these peppers for salsa, I had to stop and take a photo. I don’t know what I like more – the non-symmetrical curly shapes, or the vibrant colors. Either way, they’re just too cool. They taste good, too!

Thanks to my friend Cindy, who gave me these lovelies.  She’s one of many friends who take pity on my black thumb.

In the mood for some salsa? If you don’t want to go whole hog and can some, try out this fresh salsa that you can make and store in the fridge for about a week. It’s fast and easy, but not light on flavor.

I use my food processor or blender to make this so that I don’t have to do all the chopping, but I run the onions and peppers together and the tomatoes separately. If I run them all at the same time I end up with what Babs likes to refer to as a “salsa slushie.” If you like a thick and chunky salsa, you’ll definitely want to chop by hand.

Shameless Plug: Would you help me become the next Readers’ Choice Top Food Blog on CDKitchen.com? You can vote for Angie’s Pangies once per day. Just click on this link, or if you’re reading this in a feed or on Facebook and the link does not show, please go over and visit my website to vote. Thank you!

Now I’m off to clean the capsaicin off my camera.

Fresh Salsa

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1 pound)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1-3 jalapeno, finely chopped (1 for mild, 2 for medium, 3 for hot, 4 for HOLY CRAP THAT’S HOT!)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Combine all the ingredients and chill. Serve with chips.
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I’m working out snack time like The Pampered Chef today. No one and I mean no one knows how to rock the crescent rolls like The Pampered Chef. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you probably have never been to a kitchen demo. They use crescent rolls for everything.

Tonight’s show features . . .

Broccoli cheese delight – in crescent rolls!

Chicken club ring – in crescent rolls!

Veggie patch pizza – on crescent roll crust!

and on and on. The thing is – they’re gooood. That’s why they use those little triangle pieces of dough for everything. And, I’m allowed to give them a little grief. I used to peddle their wares once upon a SAHM lifetime ago. Half my kitchen utensils come from their over-priced high-end catalog.

Anyhow, today for today’s snackies I’m making bacon and tomato stuffed rolls – with crescent rolls! These little morsels of goodness are a favorite around here and especially at back to school time because they make great cold leftovers in the lunchbox.

Bacon and Tomato Rolls

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup each chopped red pepper and tomato
4 slices bacon

Start out by cutting your bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Usually I use turkey bacon when I make these rolls, but this time I was out. My arteries are still cursing me.

Then cut up the red pepper.

This gorgeous specimen of red bell pepper came from my neighbor’s veggie stand. I didn’t really need a red bell pepper, but I couldn’t leave this guy behind – he was just too handsome.

I didn’t use all the bell pepper, this is just part of it.

Brown the bacon and red pepper together over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels. At this point go ahead and preheat the oven to 375.

Mix the cream cheese, bacon and red pepper together. Even though I used real bacon this is Neufchatel Cheese. At least I am trying to be good.

Now, cut up your tomato.

This beauty also came from my neighbor. All of their tomatoes this year are amazing, but the cherry tomatoes are the best. Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water.

Gently fold in the tomato pieces so as not to smoosh them all up.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on each crescent roll and roll up, pinching and tucking in edges to seal. Feel free to use the low fat crescent rolls. They work just fine – that’s what these are in the picture.

You don’t have to be neat about this, just be sure and seal and tuck everything in so that all the filling doesn’t ooze out during baking.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Try not to shove them into your mouth straight out of the oven because they’re really hot. I tried it out for you, so that you wouldn’t have to find out the hard way. Yum – even with a burnt tongue, yum!

Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

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One of the best things about living in the country is this:

I can honestly say that I lived in the city for a lot of years and I never saw a sign like this at my neighbor’s house.

Now that I live in the sticks, I see something like this nearly every week in the summer time. Sometimes it’s zucchini and peppers, other times tomatoes or pumpkins. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t really matter -  there’s a really good chance I’m going to find a use for them. And? They’re free!

Today I’m slicing, dicing and grating zucchini to make my favorite chocolate snack cake. This isn’t my recipe, it’s one that I’ve had for years and I’ve seen it in a few church cookbooks and the like, too. If you haven’t made this before you really need to. It’s THE BEST!! (Oh! And, it’s perfect for potlucks, too!)

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups zucchini, grated
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream butter then add oil and sugar and mix well.  Sometimes, if I want to cut down on the fat I’ll use 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of oil. It nearly cancels out the butter if you do that, right?

Add next 8 ingredients and mix.

Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. I love to use the mini chocolate chips, they’re fun.

Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan, or it makes 24 muffins if you’re so inclined.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until done (muffins take less time to bake – about 25 minutes.)

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After yesterday’s post I could hear the little voices.

“Did she really just post a recipe for sour cream and cheese?”

“Um, yeah, I’m going to put that out right next to the wine glasses. Classy. Real classy, Angie Pangie.”

And, yes, it is possible that I  am losing my mind, but I kept hearing imaginary critics talking about how strange it is that I would suggest they serve simplistic sour cream and shredded cheese to their guests.

I’ve been trying very hard to ignore those voices. I love yesterday’s recipe. Plus I didn’t want to get off the couch and also because I already worry too much about what other people think . . . wait, never mind. Sometimes there really is a limit to what you should blog about. I’m still learning that lesson.

Anyhow. I agree, yesterday’s recipe – while very wonderful tasting – isn’t exactly a ‘high-end’ recipe.

It’s simple and yummy, yes.

Is it showy and classy?Not so much.

It’s all about priorities I figure. I want to read my book and lay on the couch, not spend all day cooking for my friends. But, still the voices (is it my inner critic I wonder?) wouldn’t stop and so here I go . . .

*Angie Pangie flops her book on the table and moves into the kitchen*

Today, I give you a pretty recipe that you can throw together in a matter of minutes. Thus allowing you to quickly move thyself out of the kitchen and back to the couch with your book this weekend. Or, to the picnic table with your friends. Or, to the swimming pool with your kids. Wherever you want to be.

Marinated Mozzarella

1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon creshed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon minced chives
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

Start by cutting your cubes into 1 inch pieces.  I’ve used a skim version of mozzarella here. I do think the “fully loaded” mozz has a better flavor, but I really like what the scales say when I skip the whole milk fat.

In a quart sized zippered bag, combine the first 7 ingredients.

You’ll want to cut the tomatoes, parsley and chives into small pieces. You don’t want big chunks, and you’ll thank me later when you don’t have that parsley stuck between your teeth as you talk to your neighbor’s slightly stand-offish husband.

I know you think this is about to be a McCormick’s commercial, don’t you? I guess it could be, but it’s not. It’s just a picture. I like pictures.

Add the cheese cubes, seal the bag and turn the bag to coat the cheese.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. I like to leave it in the fridge a day or two, if possible. This lets the flavors really meld.

When you do take this out of the fridge, let the bag sit on the counter for 30 minutes or more.  This cheese is better served at room temperature and letting it sit out will let any olive oil that turned solid in the fridge to warm up and become liquid again.

Transfer the cheese cubes to a serving dish and serve with toothpicks.

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I’ve been struggling over the last couple of weeks with whether or not to entertain some friends over the holiday weekend. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my friends, or that I don’t enjoy having my friends over. The problem actually has more to do with “Ugh! I really don’t want to have to clean the house! Weed the garden! Mow the grass!”

I want to be selfish lazy and enjoy my holiday weekend by lounging. But, when it got right down to it I knew that there was no way a 4th of July could come and go without seeing some of our friends.

Unfortunately, waiting until the last minute didn’t leave a lot of time for menu planning, shopping for gourmet ingredients, or any extensive party planning.  I have a few recipes that are perfect for this type of situation. You know, the scenario where I wait until the very last minute before saying “Shhhhure! Come on over, I’ll make some goodies and we’ll have a Margarita or two!”

This dip is one of them since it fits into all of the following categories:

Simple

Fast

Tasty

Crowd Pleaser

Start with a cup of sour cream. It’s o.k. to use a low calorie or low fat version. I’ve been trying to trim a few inches off my hips, so this is “Light Sour Cream”

Then, grate and mix in 4 ounces of white cheddar cheese. Extra sharp is very good in this recipe, but other versions will work too. This, by the way, is not “Light Cheddar Cheese”.

Once I’ve shredded this, 4 ounces works out to just under a loosely packed cup. Perhaps shredding it made the calories jump out. Hmm. I know, not likely.

Add a tablespoon of grated Parmesan. I keep a blend of Parmesan, Asagio and Romano in the fridge, so that’s what I use.

Add some kosher salt. I skipped this step once – I wouldn’t recommend that you skip it. I mean, feel free to skip it if you like totally bland food, but otherwise add the salt.  Add some black pepper

. . . and

That’s IT! Seriously!! Store it in the fridge for up to two days.

One of the other great things about this dip is that it is FANTASTIC on lots of stuff! Of course you’ll want to eat it with crackers and the normal dipping veggies. But, one of my favorite uses for this dip is to plop some right on top of my baked potato. I mean, afterall, it is just cheese and sour cream, right? But, for some reason this particular combination of cheeses and sour cream are outstanding. Don’t forget the butter!

Hubba hubba. So much for trimming up my hips, eh?Similar Posts:

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Hello readers – This post is actually a blast from the past (o.k., well from last October) that I thought you might enjoy making this summer. Also, I want to send a special welcome out to any new visitors that found me through Jolene Ketzenberger’s article in the Indianapolis Star (and a big shout out to my peeps back home). I hope you’ll take a look around my site and that you’ll come back again, soon! xo-Angie Pangie

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

Got Zucchini?

As the season winds down and the vegetable stands in our area switch to squash, pumpkins, onions and apples – I’m left with fewer local fresh veggie options. But, just about everyone still has a few of those monster zukes left . . . a lot of the farmers are giving them away now. Hey, I never pass up free vegetables. Never. Not even a zucchini.

I’m pretty bummed because my neighbor didn’t grow any tomatoes this year. Last year she grew so many that after she couldn’t stand canning one more day she gave me the leftovers. Her leftovers were enough to keep me and mine in tomato sauce for a full year. I stopped by the other day to tell her how much we appreciated the tomatoes last year (hint, hint, hint) and she told me she skipped growing tomatoes this year since they still hadn’t finished all of last year’s harvest. As I jumped back into my truck she called after me . . . “Hey you want some of this zucchini?”

But, what do you do with all this zucchini after you’ve sauteed, grilled, shredded, baked, deep fried, mixed in chocolate and made enough bread for a small army?

You make Vegetable Blondies.

What, you might ask is a Vegetable Blondie? Well, a “blondie” is simply a moist and chewy non-chocolate bar cookie. A vegetable blondie is a moist, chewy, non-chocolate vegetable bar.

They don’t sound all that appetizing when you describe it that way, do they? Just stick with blondie and you’ll be fine. And. I promise you – they are tasty, tasty. And, they have so many benefits it’s a little overwhelming. Let’s see . . .

(Angie Pangie begins counting with her fingers)
Low-Carb
High Taste
Excellent served hot. Taste good at room-temp. Great cold!
Portable. Take them to a pitch-in potluck. (Up here in Michigan it’s a potluck, back home in Indy? A pitch-in.)
Full of scrumptious, good-for-you, delectable and fragrant vegetables that make your mouth water.
Super simple to make.
Oh yeah. And they use a bunch of zucchini.

You better get to mixing. These are perfect to take along as an appetizer, but we love them for lunch, with dinner, as a snack . . . whenever. We just want to eat them!!

Vegetable Blondies

Adapted from Recipezaar

3 cups zucchini, grated and well-drained
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated (or more, if desired)
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350ºF.

This recipe takes a little bit of work because you have to grate all the zucchini and the carrot.  It goes pretty quickly with a mandoline grater attachment or even a baby food-processor.  You can always resort to the old school tower of doom, if you must.  Any which way you go about it make sure your zucchini is well drained. You can squeeze it inside a clean towel or paper towel after you grate it.

Grease bottom and sides of a 13X9 rectangular pan.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepper sauce, herbs, garlic and vegetables.
Add the  ingredients and stir into liquid mixture.
Stir in melted butter.

Spread mixture evenly into pan.
Sprinkle a small amount of additional grated cheddar cheese over top, if desired.
Bake about 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool slightly, cut into tiny small squares.  These are wonderful served with sour cream on the side.Similar Posts:

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O.k., hold the phone!

photo credit: ●воdчяосk[воdчяосk!]

If you love my spicy pretzels and the (crack) ranch pretzels (and I know you do) you’ll love this little tidbit of information.

I just microwaved a batch of both.  Yes.  I said microwaved.

Not that they’re hard to make in the oven, but I was working on a party mix that I always microwave and I got to thinking “Hey, Angie Pangie, this is kind of like your pretzels . . . I wonder . . . ?” and the next thing you know I whipped out the pretzels and the ranch mix and boom!  8 minutes later I had pretzels all done.

Just mix the pretzels up like you normally would in a large microwavable bowl.  Pop it into the microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Stir every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  Afterwards, spread them out on paper towels or a sheet pan to cool.

My microwave is 1100 Watts, so yours may vary.

These make great treat bags for teachers, math aides, the mailman, the guy who shovels your driveway, well – anyone really.  I don’t really like my mailman, so he wouldn’t ordinarily get any pretzels, but it is the holidays and all.Similar Posts:

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