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!

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.

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.

Goals:
Year of nail polish! I got a neutral pink (this one – it is nicely solid and not streaky like an essie one I had.)
More international food inspiration: hmmm. I’m not sure I did.
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.
More fun drinks: nope, but maybe NYE?
Updating photosPizza Beans! An update from Tomato, Basil, Polenta Bean Bowls
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

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!

Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

I make a lot of lasagnas with my volunteerism with Lasagna Love – a nonprofit matching a lasagna chef volunteer with those who need a meal in the community. I make them a traditional one but went wild for my family!

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

Sausage & Pesto Lasagna
Ingredients (for 9×9, serves ~6, or double for 9×12 pan)

~8 lasagna noodles
3 Sweet Italian sausage links, casing removed
1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup alfredo sauce + 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup pesto sauce
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
~8 oz shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoon Parmesan

Directions:
Boil water and cook the lasagna noodles just until halfway cooked, about 6 minutes.
Pan fry the sausage breaking up big chunks and cooking through. Drain the oil and sprinkle in the dried Italian Seasoning.
Mix together the ricotta, egg, and oregano.
Spray the pan with non-stick spray then spoon in the 1/4 cup alfredo sauce (save the additional 2 tablespoons of alfredo).
Lay noodles down (9×9 pan needs 2 lasagna noodles trimmed with the remnants to make 3 across)
Top with sausage, then another noodle layer.
Spoon the ricotta mixture on next. Sprinkle with half the parmesan cheese and half the mozzarella.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

Add another noodle layer.
Mix together remaining alfredo sauce and pesto sauce. Spread onto the noodles.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

Top with remaining shredded mozzarella.
Cover and bake 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees, uncover for the last 5 minutes to melt all the cheese.
Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

I was into this! I only made a 9×9 just to not have leftovers forever, but this gave us dinner plus a few more lunch portions. We eat pesto regularly in our quest for the kiddos not to be obsessively attached to pasta looking one way. One kid (not-so-secretly) wished it was noodles + pesto but then ate it all. The other little one ate a bit but was a bit too silly and it wasn’t the biggest meal of the day.

The alfredo is great to mix in since there are big flavors here so the pesto getting a little bit mellowed is nice. I’ll freeze the rest of the alfredo.

After the fact, I was thinking a buttered panko topping would have been fun. This idea would work well as lasagna roll ups and or as stuffed shells. Maybe next time!

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & Pesto Lasagna

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.

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.

Bean & Mushroom Meatballs

Meatless meatballs don’t get everyone psyched, but these were so flavorful and filling. Also, if forming into meatballs isn’t your thing, they can easily be patties or pan fried all chopped up to be taco/burrito filling or for faux-Bolognese sauce!

The Three Bite Rule - Mushroom & Bean Meatballs

Mushroom & Bean Meatballs
Ingredients:

1/2 white onion, chopped small
1 pint (~2-3 cups) baby portabella mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 can (15.5 oz) white beans (black beans would be good too & make them darker in color like any other meatball)
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2/3 cup quick cooking oats
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt & pepper (I used a salt & garlic powder mix)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or sub a teaspoon balsamic vinegar)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1 egg (optional)

Directions:
Sauté the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent then remove from the heat and sauté the mushrooms in butter in that same pan – about 5 minutes over medium high heat.

The Three Bite Rule - Mushroom & Bean Meatballs

While the mushrooms cook (let them sit to caramelize before gently stirring), drain the white beans (and reserve some of the liquid). Add the beans, garlic, and a little liquid to a food processor blending until smooth.
Chop the mushrooms.
In a large bowl, mix together the bean puree, mushrooms, oats, onions, dried herbs, and worcestershire sauce. Mix well.

The Three Bite Rule - Mushroom & Bean Mea

Add in panko and egg (use the egg if forming into balls to better keep them together). Refrigerate 15+ minutes before forming into balls.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes & flip and bake for another 15 minutes. Or, air fry for ~15 minutes. They’re a bit soft to pan fry- mine didn’t stay together so I don’t recommend it! Air frying worked well as meatballs and as veggie burgers!

The Three Bite Rule - Mushroom & Bean Meatballs

These were good and super filling – the beans add some nice heft to keep you full and the mushrooms make them juicy. I made some into meatballs and served with sauce and garlic bread and froze a as patties to have as veggie burgers. They are soft so I cooked fully and cooled before freezing. I’m not sure if the meatballs would hold together if cooked in sauce for a long time.

When the pan-fried ones fell apart too much, I drained them all and broke them up further to be like a meat sauce!

Mushrooms aren’t everyone’s fav in my family so these will mostly be for me (I also don’t eat beef so I’d have these and everyone else could have beef meatballs).