Strawberry Crinkle Cookies

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I love a Valentine’s Day treat! At the same time, I admittedly unfollowed an IG influencer who spouted “small” Valentine’s Day gifts for her kids – then the next thing we saw was coloring kits, playdoh sets, puzzles, stuffed animals, candy, play jewelry, and matching pjs. It is their job to get people to buy stuff – but none of us need the expectation out there that we’re showering the kiddos with so much stuff every single holiday. Cookies are the right answer – everyone can enjoy a soft pink cookie.

https://www.chat-quiberon.com/2024/01/18/xbdvxs2y Strawberry Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients:

1 box strawberry cake mix
2 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

https://modaypadel.com/mwimze3 Directions:
Mix the cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and extract together.

The Three Bite Rule - Strawberry Crinkle Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Let cookie dough cool at least 10 minutes in the fridge.
Roll golf-ball sized balls (~1.5-2 inches) and gently roll in powdered sugar. Place onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or with a silicone mat each one about 2 inches apart.
Bake 9-10 minutes and let sit on the baking sheet 1 minute out of the oven then carefully let cool on cooling rack.

The Three Bite Rule - Strawberry Crinkle Cookies

https://www.prehistoricsoul.com/4dtkkoos Enjoy!

I love these. They are delightfully soft and almost gooey. The strawberry flavor brings some summertime feelings to mid-February.

The Three Bite Rule - Strawberry Crinkle Cookies

https://fireheartmusic.com/tlg1mqfu8y Or make some Valentine’s Day Raspberry Muddy Buddies

The Three Bite Rule - Raspberry Muddy Buddy

Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries is a nice one too – with just a few ingredients!

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits

https://serenityspaonline.com/ryd53logc6v
Or some pink sprinkles onto yogurt would be the easiest way out yet there’s something about sprinkles that just makes everyone happy. 🙂

Greek Chicken Turnovers

https://gungrove.com/vijwirqaov 0

These little turnovers had a few flavors we love, in an easy format, plus the kiddos helped and liked them. We used puff pastry, hummus, roasted chicken, salad dressing, and tomatoes.

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Chicken Turnovers

Anything in crescent dough is good in my book but the hummus in here was great! They would be perfect as an app or we had them with some orzo and some salad.

https://fireheartmusic.com/3udrv5upd8 Greek Chicken Turnovers
Ingredients:
(for 8 turnovers, serves ~4 as a meal or 8 for apps)
1 tube crescent rolls (or crescent dough as a roll would make double sized ones)
1 cup roasted chicken (~1 chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken)
1-2 tablespoons creamy caesar dressing
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or fresh chopped oregano
1/4 cup hummus
1-2 small tomatoes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees (or as the package directs).

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Chicken Turnovers

Chop and mix the chicken, the dressing, and oregano.
Unroll the crescents and lay each triangle flat, then spread hummus onto each triangle. Add chicken onto the wide part of the triangle and top with tomato slices and salt & pepper.
Carefully roll the wide end of the triangle and roll over onto itself towards the point.
Place onto a baking sheet.

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Chicken Turnovers

Bake for ~10 minutes (according to your crescent rolls) until golden brown.

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Chicken Turnovers

Enjoy!

We had these with orzo and some tomato/cucumber/feta salad in Italian dressing. They were so fun! The hummus is really subtle but adds some substance and keeps them from being too liquid-y and dripping.

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Chicken Turnovers

Each kid ate one. They’re not always excited about foods all together but these are flavors we like and they were a hit. They’re very, very into feta in salad.

They reheat well too – especially if you undercook a bit (maybe 8 min versus 10) and reheat in the oven or toaster oven. They don’t need to be served hot – room temp is good too!

Need an alternate along the same lines?
Cheeseburger turnovers
Broccoli & Cheese Pinwheels
Chicken, Bacon, Ranch turnovers

January 2022 Recap

January went by quickly! The little boy is 7! I got to work remotely a lot and we were thrilled for some snow for sledding and ice skating. I had so much joy from one single trip ice skating. It felt like an awakening and that we were more solidly in a state of kids versus toddlers. Just going ice skating where each kid could kind of do the activity without as much from us as parents felt like a shift. Getting back to something we haven’t done in years, outside, on a pond….it was magical. I loved it.

My fav dish this month was a sweet potato and bacon hash with an egg and maple aoli on top. We had this for a weekend breakfast but it would be perfect as breakfast-for-dinner. I’ll bow down to you if this were to be a weekday breakfast in your world.

The Three Bite Rule - Sweet Potato & Bacon Hash

I’m in the minority for this dinner, but I stand by it. French Onion Manicotti was so good – I know, I ate the leftovers for days. The fam was not whole heartedly into this one but I liked the flavors and a twist out of the ordinary.

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Manicotti

I made a dessert too! Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Apple topping was delicious. I never really saw a cream cheese shortage around here so I went for it.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Apple Topping

Olympics and Superbowl snacks are ahead for me! I’m so excited. I have one sweet treat planned for Valentine’s Day.

https://mmopage.com/news/m6wuiq52af5 The Little Girl:
She’s so hit or miss on meals. Either she’s all in or takes a few bites and doesn’t care about more. Cheese is always a safe bet. I couldn’t believe how much quinoa she ate one night. This girl powered through T’s birthday cake. She love love loves her babies and stuffed animals. She is going to loooove Valentine’s Day since she folding her pictures into “cards” is a pastime of hers and she loves envelopes.

https://www.chat-quiberon.com/2024/01/18/15fzhdc The Big Guy:
He had such a fun birthday! We did a family party and his ideas as a chicken nugget eating contest. He ate 14! Claire ate 5! Wow! Grandma made a Pokemon logo cake. He got nerf stuff and is loving it. He’s still eating hard boiled eggs most breakfasts. He really loved sledding and he’s very into going to the library.

https://www.justoffbase.co.uk/uncategorized/i4xrlsszjs Goals:
Buy Xanax In Bulk Year of nail polish! I got a deep moody navy (this one)
https://www.prehistoricsoul.com/pghdbrjan More international food inspiration: nope – unless we count our homemade crunchwraps?
Buy Diazepam Canada More soups/salads: We had cheeseburger soup and crescents with sesame seeds!
https://manabernardes.com/2024/28oi6l1c More apps: not really, but Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl are coming.
https://equinlab.com/2024/01/18/zt39w14dkeq More fun drinks: tea!
https://therepairstore.ca/d43sgvrjj24 Updating photos: not this month.
Buy Real Soma Online What I’m reading: I read Bad Muslim Discount and it was incredible. I slogged through Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty – I love Anderson Cooper but skip the book, or maybe listen to it. Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons was so fun for a perspective I don’t automatically see – a self-help writer for LGBTQ dating sites from small-town Oklahoma.
What I’m watching: Project Runway
http://www.wowogallery.com/oqekc753jha What I’m listening to: I really missed all the podcasts who were on break for December.

Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Apple Topping

I baked! I had this idea churning and we were having cheesecake for Christmas day so I left some space after just having it – then I just went for it without an occasion. This has pretzel & graham cracker crumb crust with cheesecake topped with apple and salted caramel.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Apple Topping

The cheesecake is super fluffy and has a great balance of crumb to cheesecake to topping ratios – I pretty much want each in every bite.

https://modaypadel.com/tqbuz8w Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Apple Topping
Ingredients:

(for graham cracker & pretzel crust)
1 packet of graham crackers
1/2 cup of pretzels
1 stick of butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
(for cheesecake)
16 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
8 oz sour cream
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
(for salted caramel apple topping)
3 large cortland apples
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup caramel sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

https://serenityspaonline.com/w43ij7bldq5 Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
In a food processor, blend together the graham crackers, pretzels, butter, and sugar and press into a springform pan sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake for 8 minutes then reduce heat to 325 degrees.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla and heavy cream.
Bake for 60-minutes until the edges are set and the middle is barely giggly.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Apple Topping

Let the cheesecake fully cool out of the oven, in the pan.
Peal and chop the apples to cook over medium-low heat in the butter. Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook for ~5 minutes until they soften but aren’t mush.
Add in a teaspoon of the caramel apple sauce and some salt. Taste and add in more of the kosher salt as you like. Refrigerate until serving.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Apple Topping

When serving, spoon apple topping over the cheesecake and drizzle with remaining caramel and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Apple Topping

I loooved this. I started with apple topping from just 2 apples then made more wanting there to be PLENTY. I love the little salt bits in the crust and on the topping. Cheesecake is so convenient to prep ahead of time and I liked the salted caramel apple topping even better when it was cool – just like the cheesecake.

French Onion Manicotti

French onion soup meets stuffed manicotti! It would have been stuffed shells but they were MIA at the grocery store. These were fun! I caramelized onions, added french onion soup mix to the ricotta filling, and topped it with an onion sauce with optional mushrooms. I’m the mushroom fan, and the rest of the family had without.

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Manicotti

French Onion Manicotti (or stuffed shells)
Ingredients (for ~5 servings)

1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 package manicotti (or jumbo shells)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 packet of french onion soup mix
1 pint of mushrooms
1 cup veggie broth or golden mushroom soup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup milk or half and half
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Slice the onion and cook in a large skillet over medium-low heat with olive oil and butter, stir often and reduce heat once the onions are translucent. Cook for ~30 minutes until caramelized, soft, and brown.
Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta. Cook until al dente and drain.
Mix half the onion soup mix into the ricotta.

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Manicotti

Slice the mushrooms. Cook in a hot pan with olive oil and butter – not stirring, let them brown on one side and flip once.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.
Warm veggie broth, worcestershire sauce, and remaining onion soup mix over low heat. Cook for ~10 minutes to cook the soup mix. Then and add in the milk/cream and cook for another 5 minutes.
Spoon the ricotta into a zip-top bag (tip: put around a tall drinking glass with one bottom corner pointed down). Then snip the bottom corner and pipe into each end of the manicotti to fill. Place into the baking dish.
Top with caramelized onions and mushrooms.

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Manicotti

Spoon 1/2 to 1 cup of sauce over the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes until warmed through and the cheese melts.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Manicotti

I liked this one! I wouldn’t make it alllll the time, but it had good flavor and was fun for variety. I rarely make manicotti but they’re so good and piping in from a bag was great – I’d be pulling my hair out if spooning it in!

Buy Crescent Diazepam If mushrooms/onions aren’t your thing:
Make with pesto & sausage (here)!
Make like chicken parm (here)!
Make with butternut squash & alfredo (here)!
Make with spinach & cheese (here)!

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Manicotti

Sweet Potato & Bacon Hash

Happy 2022! We started the new year with this fun breakfast after getting to sleep in and it was great – a bit decadent from the bacon and the maple aoli but a bit smartly balanced from the sweet potato and egg.

The Three Bite Rule - Sweet Potato & Bacon Hash

Both the bacon and sweet potato can be made ahead – or cooked a few ways. That would even turn it into a speedy weekday breakfast too!

Sweet Potato & Bacon Hash
Ingredients: (for 2)

1 sweet potato
4 strips of bacon
2 tablespoons mayo
2-3 teaspoons maple syrup
2-4 eggs

https://fireheartmusic.com/u45fcacvz98 Directions:
Peal and chop the sweet potato into bite-sized pieces. Then cook (bake ~20 minutes or airfry ~10 minutes or pan fry ~ 10 minutes & bonus points if cooking them in the bacon fat!)
Fry the bacon – ~20 minutes in the oven or chop into small pieces and pan fry for ~7 minutes.
Mix together the mayo and syrup together. Start with some of the syrup and add more to taste.

The Three Bite Rule - Sweet Potato & Bacon Hash

Mix together the sweet potatoes and chopped bacon and divide onto plates. Drizzle half of the aoli on top.
Cook the eggs sunny-side or over easy with salt and pepper.
Put the eggs on top and drizzle remaining maple aoli on top.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Sweet Potato & Bacon Hash

I loved this. The runny yolk is the best. The aoli could swap the maple with hot sauce instead! Add some onions and peppers. Add some garlic. Add in some black beans. Go for what you like! A shred of cheese would be delicious too.

Our bacon was leftover from NYE sliders. Sometimes I make it in the oven or anytime it is crumbled means pan frying in little pieces would be easy too. This would be ideal as breakfast-for-dinner too!

December 2021 Recap

December is such a blur. It was a fun month but busy and a bit emotionally heavy and uneasy- a lot at work, too many Covid cases in the world, plans too TBD for me, and I really enjoy this season but also like to look forward too.

Pizza Beans were a bit of a re-do and we love it for a quick dinner with lots of options. The leftovers are great, though it is also an ideal way to use up little bits of leftovers.

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans

I made Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies which were fun and not an excessive treat to have around.

The Three Bite Rule - Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

Meatless Bean & Mushroom Meatballs were really fun and nice to have on hand. I like them in sauce and some garlic bread. I formed some into burgers too.

The Three Bite Rule - Mushroom & Bean Meatballs

Last but not least, I made a lasagna with Sausage & Pesto Lasagna was so so good and a nice change from a tomato-sauce lasagna.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

Before we get into 2022, NYE is sliders & frappes – our tradition for 7 years running!

https://equinlab.com/2024/01/18/0oy99671l The Little Girl:
She forgot about what Santa does – for a while she was planning to ask Santa to bring “a cookie with green on it”. She asked for a puzzle and really enjoyed the holidays. She was thrilled to get 2 babies (a Bitty Baby named Winnie and a Cabbage Patch Kid) and she loved a package of undies and lots of bath toys.

https://mmopage.com/news/06avxdc5ih The Big Guy:
He was torn what to ask Santa for – he ended up asking for Pokemon cards and now has a whole bunch. He looooves some Beyblades and legos. The cookie season brings him lots of joy. He’s been not interested in cheese – weird.

https://space1026.com/2024/01/9z0l542419i Goals:
https://gungrove.com/rpj3hmxa0 Year of nail polish! I got a neutral pink (this one – it is nicely solid and not streaky like an essie one I had.)
http://www.wowogallery.com/1pkuwff More international food inspiration: hmmm. I’m not sure I did.
https://sieterevueltas.net/blrfvep More soups/salads: We had broccoli & cheddar soup. Seems like chowder or chili are in order.
More apps: We had an app party for Christmas Eve, a candy cane caprese salad – a smear of pesto plus the tomato/mozz.
https://manabernardes.com/2024/su9ds0j More fun drinks: nope, but maybe NYE?
https://therepairstore.ca/1hnerwktsb Updating photosPizza Beans! An update from Tomato, Basil, Polenta Bean Bowls
Buy Xanax Brisbane What I’m reading: I read The Night Watchmen and wasn’t into it. Then, I read We Are Not Like Them and loooooved it – one of the best of I read this year. A cute NYE one was This Time Next Year.
What I’m watching: All the Christmas movies! Our must-sees are Christmas with the Kranks, Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone.
What I’m listening to: still loving the American Girls podcast.

Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

So addicting! Muddy Buddies are fool-proof and great to make quickly – and to be ready to gift! Sweet chex-mix with 2 flavors is the best. I made mint & chocolate for Saint Patrick’s Day and I made raspberry white chocolate muddy buddies for Valentine’s Day.

Read through before making – I have you make one kind, then the other since the chocolate shouldn’t cool/harden before you’re ready to mix it all up. These are delightfully wintry – not holiday-ish so make whenever!

The Three Bite Rule - Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

https://therepairstore.ca/daksekcxs5 Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies:
Ingredients:

1 cup white chocolate chips
6 cups rice chex cereal (that’s 2/3 of a box)
2/3 cup hot chocolate mix
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup mini dehydrated marshmallows

Directions:
Melt white chocolate chips – stirring every 20-seconds in the microwave for ~1 minute OR over a double boiler.
Then gently stir into half the chex, carefully to not break the cereal. Then transfer into a zip-top bag and pour in the hot chocolate mix.

The Three Bite Rule - Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

Shake shake shake to cover evenly.
Then pour onto wax paper and spread out evenly to “dry” (hot tip: place on baking sheets to be able to move them.) Let it sit for ~30 minutes – an hour.

The Three Bite Rule - Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

Melt the chocolate chips – stirring every 20-seconds in the microwave for ~1 minute OR over a double boiler.
Then gently stir into half the chex, carefully to not break the cereal. Then transfer into a zip-top bag (use the same one!) and pour in the powdered sugar.
Shake shake shake to cover evenly.
Then pour onto wax paper and spread out evenly to “dry” (hot tip: place on baking sheets to be able to move them. Sound familiar?) Sprinkle the dehydrated marshmallows so some will stick to the chex clusters. Let it sit for ~30 minutes – an hour.

The Three Bite Rule - Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

Enjoy!

The dehydrated marshmallows are so so fun and a big bag was half the price than the little tub by ice cream toppings or by hot chocolate in the stores. I’ll totally put on top of ice cream, on yogurt, add to trail mix, drop into hot chocolate, and into hot chocolate bombs and I definitely want to try in ebilskiver pancakes!

Pizza Beans

December neeeeds easy dinner ideas, right? Pizza beans are such a hit here – we get the flavors of pizza in a warm and comforting dish. This busy time of year seems ideal for dinners that are easy and minimal cooking required. There are lots of ways to customize these which helps be a crowd pleaser – or to use random leftovers with some pantry basics!

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans

White beans and tomato sauce are the base with all the toppings you love! They’d also be a great option for a pizza spread for a gluten-free or custom dietary options.

https://masterfacilitator.com/2cu2n3cgdk Pizza Beans
Ingredients: (for 3-4)

2 cans white beans
1-2 cups tomato sauce
1 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
pepperoni

Directions:
Cook the beans, tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano over low heat for ~10 minutes until fully warmed through.

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans

Serve and top while hot.

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans

Top with shredded cheese, pepperoni, and any other toppings.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans


Toppings we love: crumbled sausage, chicken, roasted peppers, sauteed onions, chopped arugula, fresh mozzarella, dollop of pesto or alfredo, or whatever you like!

I love this. It is a great use for small amounts of cheese and tiny bits of any topping. It reheats well if packing for lunch or eating separately though beans aren’t always the best when frozen. The beans are filling and provide lots of fiber and iron. The kids love it – probably because it has familiar flavors and easy to chew.

This was a side-step from these Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls

The Three Bite Rule - Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls

Grab your beans and give it a Mexican twist with some roasted tomatoes, salsa, queso, roasted corn, etc – give it a Mediterranean twist with warmed beans mixed with caesar dressing, chicken, spinach, feta, etc. Add to your beans with ricotta and mini meatballs and call it a lasagna bowl! Bean bowls are fun – they just don’t have the same ring as some other names.