Cinnamon French Toast

If I could keep cinnamon bread around the house, I could easily make cinnamon french toast. But cinnamon bread is a luxury that rarely finds its way into my pantry. Since that's the case, I make due with my own concoction.

4 eggs
1/4 c milk (cow, rice, nut)
1 t vanilla
1/2 - 1 t cinnamon (to your taste)
8 pieces of bread (regular, french bread, gluten-free, etc)

Whisk all ingredients together in a shallow dish. Dip bread in egg mixture to coat and place on a hot, well greased griddle. When the first side moves easily it is lightly golden, flip and fry until golden on the second side. Top with maple syrup, fruit, whipping cream, or your favorite toppings.

These freeze well. Simply pop into the toaster to re-crisp the toast. My kids like them cut into strips so they can dip them into the syrup.

Zucchini Bread Pudding

Why did I never think of this before? I love zucchini bread and I love bread pudding. Why not put them together and feast on their team effort? I broke a loaf of zucchini bread out of the freezer and made my plan. This plan is one that I'll be repeating for sure.

1 loaf of zucchini bread
4 large eggs
1 c milk
1 t cinnamon

Cube up the bread and put it in an 8" X 8" or 9" X 9" pan. Double the recipe for a 9" X 13" pan.
Wisk together eggs, milk, and cinnamon. Pour over bread cubes and use a piece of plastic wrap or the back of a large spoon to push the bread down into the custard mix. Allow to sit for 30 minutes - up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and back for 35-40 minutes until the top starts to brown slightly and appears to be dry. Serve warm or cool. Great topped with whipping cream or ice cream. Delicious on it's own.

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

Here is the promised recipe for gluten-free zucchini muffins. This is a spin off of my amazing (and healthy) zucchini bread.  This is one of the truly successful gf baked products that I've been really pleased with in a long time.

1 cup Chickpea flour
2 cups Oat Flour (I ground up Bob's Red Mill GF oats)
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
3 tsp Ground cinnamon
3 Eggs (or replacer)
1 cup Applesauce
1 1/4 cup White sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
3 tsp Vanilla extract
2 cups Zucchini, grated
2 tbs Milled flax seed

1. Grease and flour muffin cups or use paper liners for 24 muffin. Preheat oven to 325 degree.
2. Sift flours, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans, and completely cool on a wire rack.

Makes 24 muffins.

Pizza Sticks & Bowling

My husband and I took our boys bowling today for the first time. They had the time of their life and made quite a few people around us smile and laugh. The sad part is my 4-year-old almost beat me. I pulled off a strike in the last frame just in time to save my pride. God bless whoever created bumper bowling.

I was looking for something pizza like to make for my son tonight since we were out of crust mix so I came up with a trick that we will definitely be trying out again. I took a few slices of bread (in his case it was a millet/flax), buttered it and sprinkled it with garlic salt like we would for making garlic toast. I took the pizza cutter and cut it into thin strips and then sprinkled on some cheese (Daiya shreds) and broiled it until nice and toasty. I served it with a side of our loaded spaghetti sauce that we use for pizza sauce. It was a huge hit and very easy to make. I'll be putting this one in the snack file for later too.

Not a bad day.

Thanksgiving - Stuffing & Kindness

One of my favorite things about the Thanksgiving meal is stuffing. Really, we don't eat this marvelous creation often enough. Note to self - great side dish to use more often. As a child I hated stuffing. It was big pieces and soggy, and all those spices... Mom made us kids Stove Top just so she wouldn't have to hear us complain. My kids have the same opinion. I look at my kids and know that someday maybe they will change their mind too.

Now technically, I don't make stuffing. I make dressing so it gets more crispy. I'm a texture eater and slimy/soggy is the worst texture to eat. However, it was always called stuffing, so shall ever more be referred to as that.

I've got two favorite recipes that I tend to go back and forth between based on my mood. Yes, I'm admitting that I'm moody. I know - newsflash right ;)

The first is a tangy Sourdough Bread Stuffing and the other a sweet/savory Apple & Sausage Stuffing. This year I'm leaning towards the apple & sausage option, but I'm going to throw in another recipe this year. I'm going to try making a gluten-free option with a great bread from Sami's Bakery that we've found (FINALLY one that my son LOVES). I'll try to make it kid friendly by chopping the bread up small, and tossing it with simple seasoning, oil, and sausage. Hopefully it will be more successful that past years...

As we focus on the meaning of the Thanksgiving, the boys and I talked about kindness tonight. That's a tough topic for 6 and 4-year-old brothers who would rather fight than do anything else. Then again it's tough at any age.

After a great devotional the other day on this character quality (coming from Colossians 3), we "clothed ourselves in kindness." The boys put on their favorite costumes and I tried to figure out what they were clothed as. The ninja was pretty easy. The Canadian Cowboy was a bit harder to figure out. That little man has one heck of an imagination.

From there we talked about people knowing that we are a child of God by our kindness. They see us for who we are. We can choose to clothe ourselves in kindness and look like God - or we can act without kindness. It clicked with them and they were kind (mostly) for the rest of the night. Here's hoping that it still sticks with them when they wake in the morning...

Donut Muffins

Donuts with Dad is coming up at school and I was trying to figure out what I could make to send with my son (who has multiple food allergies). I found the recipe for Donut Muffin at GFCF Frugal Abundance. I substituted almond milk for the soy milk, an egg replacer, and used a soy-free vegan butter spread. My boys and I devoured the entire first batch. And we have a winner.

I'll let you visit GFCF Frugal Abundance for the recipe, but here is a picture to drool over first. I'm going to try to make them in mini-muffin tins to make them more bite-size like a donut hole.

These are amazing as gluten-free, so I can only imagine that they would be fantastic with traditional flour - simply omit the xanthan gum. Her GLAD flour mixture is probably the best GF flour I've tried so far.

Savory Monkey Bread

Who said that monkey bread had to be sweet? Here's a little diddy that I made with my favorite monkeys. Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. You are amazing women. Praying for those whose heart aches - missing a mother or long to live that dream...

1 can Refrigerator Biscuits (or homemade dough)
5-8 T Butter (depending on how butter you like it - I recommend 6-7 T)
1/2 t Garlic powder, dried
1 t Parsley, dried
1 t Sea Salt
1/8 t Course ground pepper

Have your favorite monkeys start tearing apart the biscuits (or cut them each into 4-6 pieces) into a greased baking disk.
Melt the butter and add seasonings to the butter. Carefully pour all over the broken biscuits.

Bake according to biscuit package directions (may take 2-3 additional minutes but watch carefully.) You want lightly browned so they stay soft. Flip out onto a plate and serve.


Total Cost: $.80
Biscuits - $.35 (Aldi)
Butter - $.45 (Aldi)
Spices - from pantry stock

Best Banana Bread

This recipe came from my friend Andrea, and yes, this is the best banana bread I've had.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Can be made into muffins. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Total Costs: $1.95
Butter $.45 (Sunmart)
Sugar $.25 (Cashwise)
Bananas $.60 (Cashwise)
Milk $.20 (Sunmart)
Flour $.45 (Tochi's)

Chocolate Waffles

I was looking for waffle recipes without dairy (we're trying removing dairy from my son's diet to see if it's an issue) this weekend and all I had was chocolate soy milk. So this is what I came up with for a recipe. They were REALLY good and my boys and husband devoured them. We'll definitely be making these again. Sorry there is no picture but we were rushing to make
it to church on time (oops, almost made it in time).

2 c Flour
1 T and 1 t Baking powder
2 T White sugar
1 t Cocoa powder
1/2 t Salt
2 Large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c Chocolate soymilk, warm (or milk)
4 T Canola oil or melted coconut oil

Preheat a waffle iron (I love my Belgian waffle maker - so do my kids).

Mix together dry ingredients, and wet ingredients and wisk together. Carefully pour or ladle batter into a greased iron, pushing the batter to the edges of the iron. Cook until exterior is crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

To keep warm and crispy place on wire cooling rack in 200 degree oven, or just serve as they are ready.

Total Cost: $1.30 - 2.10
Flour $.45 (Sunmart)
Eggs $.20 (Cashwise)
Soymilk $.45 (Cashwise)
Oil $.20 - 1.00 (Cashwise)
Others from pantry stock

VARIATIONS:
These would make a wonderful dessert with some whipped cream or ice cream, chocolate shavings, etc.

Cinnamon Brunch Bake

Another scrumptious find at the Christmas Brunch Buffet. I have to say that my sister-in-law is a fabulous cook. I think I come home with a recipe after every family gathering for something she's made. This tasty cinnamon bake is no exception to the rule. I ate enough of it that I hardly had room for the rest of the amazing dishes that were put out

Note From Jenny: I followed the recipe cook times as printed when I made it for Christmas....which resulted in a slightly underdone dish. So, I am modifying the time and temperature to match what has been more successful for me. :)

10 cups bread cubes (1 regular sized loaf)
8 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 360 degrees (might even want to try 375). Lightly grease a 9 by 13 baking dish. Line the bottom of the pan with the bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, the salt, and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the bread. Dot with butter. Let stand for 10 minutes. Combine the remaining sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 360 degrees for one hour, until top is golden. Serve with syrup and fresh fruit.

Total Cost: $2.65 - 3.25
Bread - $1.00 (Walmart - day old rack)
Eggs - $.80 (Sunmart)
Milk - $.60 (Cashwise) $1.20 organic
Sugar - $.25 (Sunmart)
Spices from pantry stock

Carrot Cake

I really like carrot cake, but unfortunately it's hard to find it without nuts in it unless you make it yourself. This one is a winner. It tastes great without the frosting as a muffin (or put a strudel topping on it), but it's amazing with the frosting. Consider it dairy/protein topping for breakfast ;) If you have a food processor, shredding the carrots is a breeze. By hand it goes quicker than you think, but be sure to use the larger size grater.


4 eggs
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c applesauce
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour (or 1 c wheat/1 c all-purpose)
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 t ground cinnamon
4 c grated carrots
1 c chopped pecans and/or raisins (optional)

FROSTING
1/2 c butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 c chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan, cupcake tin, or 2 bread pans.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans or raisins if desired. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 min (25 minutes for cupcakes, 35-40 for bread pans), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

For Frosting: In a medium bowl, whip together the very soft butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and 1 t vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake. Top with nuts if desired.

CAKE COST: $2.85
Eggs: $.40 (Sunmart)
Applesauce: $.20 (I make my own)
Sugar: $.40 (Aldi)
Flour: $.35 (Sunmart)
Carrots: $1.50 (Cashwise)
Spices: From Pantry

Frosting: $1.70
Butter: $.40 (Sunmart)
Cream Cheese $.80 (Sunmart)
Sugar $.50 (Aldi)

Is it a bad thing if I admit that I ate two of these and finished of what my youngest didn't eat of his???

Blueberry Muffins

I've been on a hunt for the perfect blueberry muffin for years. The right flavor, consistency, weight, and density. I found them at the Christmas brunch table my sister-in-law spread out.

The blueberry recipe is an alteration of a basic muffin recipe. The basic recipe is below and special directions for the blueberry alteration follows.

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups lowfat plain yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the yogurt and eggs together in a medium bowl. Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the melted butter.
3. Use a large ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. NOTE FROM JENNY: Following these directions results in absurdly gigantic muffins, I usually make 18 muffins from this recipe and reduce the cook time to 22-25 minutes. :) NOTE FROM JENELLE: I made 24 smaller muffins with cooktime about 21 minutes.
4. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Blueberry variation:
Add 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest to the yogurt-egg mixture and fold 1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (rinsed well) into finished batter. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to fresh blueberries. Frozen should be rinsed in a strainer until water runs clear, drain on paper towel, and pat dry before adding to the batter.

Total Costs $3.75
Flour - $.40 (Sunmart)
Sugar - $.20 (Cashwise)
Blueberries - $1.50 (Various)
Butter - $.45 (Sunmart)
Yogurt - $1.00 (Walmart)
Eggs - $.20 (Sunmart)
Other ingredients from pantry stock

The muffins freeze/thaw well. Just be sure they aren't overdone or dry before they are frozen.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Make these for breakfast and your Irish eyes (or non-Irish eyes) will be smiling all morning long. Drop in a bit of green food coloring and use a shamrock cookie cutter to celebrate. No luck needed to makes these. Simple and easy, and definitely frugal.

I love pancakes, but made straight from the box they are tasty, but I end up hungry after eating lots of carbs and little fiber. These filling pancakes will keep you going all morning long. I'm becoming a huge fan of using yogurt in baked goods. You really don't need the oil in these.


1/3 c unbleached flour
2/3 c wheat flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 c quick oats
1/3 c yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c milk
1 T canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
2 T brown sugar

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl, wisk together wet ingredients, except for yogurt. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combines. Gently fold in the yogurt (meaning mix gently, pull from the bottom and "fold" over the top). Preheat griddle on high until HOT, reduce heat to medium high and grease liberally. When you pour the batter it should sizzle immediately and start to rise with bubble starting quickly (making them light and fluffy). If the griddle isn't hot enough, the pancake will be flat and dense.

Total Costs: $1.43
Flour $.10 (Sunmart)
Wheat Flour $.50 (Meijer)
Oats $.15 (Cashwise)
Yogurt $.35 (Walmart)
Egg $.08 (Sunmart)
Milk $.25 (Walmart)
Others - from pantry stock

Variations:
Toss in a few berries, chopped apples, or chocolate chips
Freeze them and toss them in the toaster for a busy morning

Frugal Tip: Portion Size

I struggle with portion size. It's a common problem so maybe this idea helps you too. It's a muffin tin measuring system. See how much volume your tins hold (usually around 1/4 - 1/2 cup). You can measure portions to eat into the tins and freeze them for later use. When you pull them out, you know what a portion is. Besides, if you have a whole cake/cheesecake/ice cream bucket/pie you will be tempted to keep eating it until it's gone.

This summer I'm looking for muffin tins at garage sales and thrift stores. Some items you can take out after freezing, others work better left in. Stock up on muffin cup liners when they are on sale or clearance after a holiday (for holiday prints). I don't care if I eat something out of a holly print cup in July.

USE IT:

• Fruit - by freezing in individual portions you can grab just what you need for smoothies, cereal, muffins, etc
• Desserts - cheesecake, cupcakes, mini pies, ice cream pie, ice cream, etc
• Meat - small diced cooked meat for recipes like soups, fried rice, etc - works well for cooked bacon, chicken, ham, ground meats, etc. If likely to dry out... add a bit of the broth or juices to keep moist in the reheating process
• Breads - zucchini/blueberry/banana/apple/pumpkin/cinnamon breads can be made into muffins and stored in mixed varieties is a zipper bag. When you thaw them you have a sampler bag rather than a whole bunch of one thing that you grow tired of.
• Broth - I've started making my own broths. They have a lot more flavor and much better for you, not to mention exceedingly cheep. I'm gonna freeze them into 7 oz portions so that I can grab 2 to equal a can.
  

Cheddar Biscuits

Like those biscuits at Red Lobster? These are a lot like them.

4 cups Baking mix
4 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/3 cups Water
1/3 c Butter, melted
1/4 t Garlic powder
1/4 t Salt
1/8 t Onion powder
1/4 t Dried parsley

Preheat oven to 375. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together baking mix, cheese, and water. Mix until dough is firm. Scoop a small amount of dough on the prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

In a small dish, add garlic powder, salt, onion powder and parsley to the melted butter. Brush butter mixture over hot baked biscuits and serve immediately.

TOTAL COSTS:$2.20
Baking mix $.80 (Cheep Foods)
Butter $.40 (Sunmart)
Cheese $1.00 (Cashwise)
Spices from pantry

Apple Sausage Stuffing

If your kids are Stove Top stuffing fans, this is not it. This is a hearty stuffing that full flavored. I cringed at first thought of apples in my stuffing, but man is it good paired with the sausage and spice. I don't care for apples in my sourdough stuffing, so it because a toss up over which one I make. With enough family and friend celebrations, I often get to make both.

6 c Day old multi-grain bread, cubed
6 c Day old white bread, cubed
1 lb Ground Sausage
1/2 c Celery, diced
1/2 c Onion, diced
1 c Chicken broth
1 T Olive Oil
1 T Sage, dried
1 T Parsley, dried
2 t Sea salt
1 t Pepper
1 c Apple, peeled and chopped

Brown sausage and set aside. Reserve 1 T of dripping to saute onions and celery in until soft. Toss together bread, onions, celery, sausage, sage, parsley, salt, pepper, and apples. Place in a lightly sprayed 9 X13 pan and slowly pour broth over mixture. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top to help create the crisp top texture. Bake on 350 degrees for 20-30, or until the top crisps.

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins are so moist and sweet their is no need for butter or anything else. Serve them warm or at room temperature. Both are delicious.

2 1/2 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground cloves
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 c finely chopped peeled apples

TOPPING:
1/4 c sugar
2 T flour
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 T butter or margarine (or coconut oil)

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt. In another bowl combine eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fold in apples. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.

2. For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle 1 t over each muffin. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

These are even better the second day as their flavors meld and the moisture of the apples penetrates the muffins.

TOTAL COST: $2.95 or less
Apples $.50 (Aldi's or less from orchard)
Pumpkin $.50 (Aldi's)
Flour $.75 (Aldi's)
Eggs $.20 (Aldi's)
Sugar $.75 (Aldi's)
Oil $. 25 (Costco)
Spices - from stock

Sourdough Bread Stuffing

1 loaf Sour Dough bread, cubed
1 lb Ground Sausage
1/2 c Celery, diced
1/2 c Onion, diced
1 c Chicken broth
1 T Olive Oil
1 T Sage, dried
1 T Parsley, dried
2 t Salt
1 t Pepper
1/2 c Dried Cranberries (optional)

Lightly coat 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown sausage and set aside. Remove all but 1 T of drippings from pan. Saute celery and onions until they begin to soften. Add onion, celery, sausage, and cranberries to bread and gently toss together. Pour broth over mixture.

Mix all seasonings together and sprinkle evenly into stuffing mixture. Place stuffing into lightly greased pan and drizzle olive oil over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes until top of stuffing begins to crisp slightly.

TOTAL COSTS: $4.79 - $5.54
Bread $2.49 (Meijer) - less from day-old rack
Sausage $2.00 (Aldi's)
Celery $.20 (Aldi's)
Onions $.10
Cranberries $.75 (Aldi's)
Spices from supply

Holiday Hints - Cappuccino Muffins & Spread

So I've been delinquent in posting lately... but for good reason. I've been busting my britches to get things put together for Holiday Hints 2009 - a ladies night out based on holiday entertaining, decorating, crafting, baking/cooking, and inspiration. Over the next week+ I'll post our menu from the evening along with a few pictures of the decorations/crafts we demonstrated.

Sorry I didn't take pictures of all the fabulous food, but I was a bit busy with details and guests. Trust me, they are worth making.

MUFFINS:
2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 t baking powder
4 t instant coffee powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 c milk
1/2 c butter, melted (or coconut oil)
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1 c mini chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

CRUMB TOPPING:
4 T butter, melted (or coconut oil)
6 T flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, white and brown sugar, baking powder, coffee powder, salt and cinnamon.
2. In another bowl mix together milk, melted butter, egg and vanilla.
3. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Spoon batter into 12 greased or paper lined muffin cups.
5. Make Crumb Topping: Combine the butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Press through fork tines into "flakes/chips" and sprinkle over unbaked muffins.
6. Bake at 400F for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack. Makes 12-15 muffins

CAPPUCCINO SPREAD:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 T sugar
1/2 t instant coffee powder
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 c mini chocolate chips

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and coffee powder. Fold in miniature chocolate chips.

Autumn Arrangement

Mini Pesto Pizzas

Using that pesto I just made & froze I made these little pizzas for opening Monday Night Football. It's our month to host the weekly party with friends. This was a really quick appetizer that is definitely on my make it again list.

MINI PESTO PIZZA RECIPE:
1 can GRANDS type FLAKY biscuits
3/4 c Pesto
1 1/2 c Chicken, cooked and shredded
1 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
3 T Pine nuts, toasted

1. Toast pine nuts by heating in a medium heated skillet, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
2. While oven preheats (350 degrees), line sheet pans with parchment paper (prevents burning, easy clean up). Take each biscuit and pull apart layers into thirds. The flaky style makes this very easy to just pull. If they are regular biscuits, you can use a serrated knife to carefully cut into thirds.
3. On top of each biscuit round place about 1-2 t of pesto and spread around the top. Top pesto with shredded turkey, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 2 dozen.

TOTAL COSTS: $5.70
Pesto $1 (homemade)
Chicken $1 (Meijer) or your leftovers
Pine nuts $1 (D & W)
Parm cheese $.50 (Aldi's)
Biscuits $1.20 (Aldi's)

VARIATIONS:
Substitute turkey for chicken
Remove meat for a vegetarian pizza or side dish
Add mozzarella cheese for a gooey/cheesy pizza
Cresent rolls could be used to roll them up