Foodie Pen Pal for June

This month my foodie penpal box cam all the way from the great state of Texas!

It included :

• Honey Pecan BBQ sauce
• Sweet and Spicy Pecans (Which were to die for!)
• Honey Roasted Peach Salsa
• Pancake Mix
• Hydrated Peach Slices (So yummy!)
• Spiced Vanilla Bean Sugar (Great on Sugar Cookies!)
• And a recipe to make my own Sweet and Spicy Pecans.

We couldn't wait to try the BBQ sauce on grilled Chicken Breasts and it was SOOOO good!

My family really enjoyed the box from the lone star state!

Family Facebook Link

I am HORRIBLE with keeping up with this blog (sorry).
And although it is my goal to post at least once a week, I wanted to share with you my family facebook

page, where I post photos and more.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Evans-Family-Journal/478480505524077

Feel free to follow me!

Pizza Pasta Bake

Here at my house we LOVE pasta! Anything Pasta! My kids actually beg for spaghetti. (I don't like it that much, growing up, we ate A LOT of it)

I started making this about 10 years ago when my older 3 kids were very little. It was a change from spaghetti, sort of like pizza, and SUPER easy to make, which is my favorite part!

Here's what you need :

As you can see, I buy unbranded whenever possible. I never, EVER, under ANY circumstances buy store-brand pasta. EVER. But the sauce is ok as is the cheese and pepperoni. When making spaghetti, I always end up modifying the sauce anyways and it comes out tasting home made and better than ANY store brand. But for this recipe, it will be fine as is.

Now, my portions are HUGE, because I feed a family size of 10, 2 of which are teenage boys. And I actually only showed you a third of what I had, because not everyone has to feed an army.

Directions :

1. Boil the pasta just until softened. It doesn't need to be fully cooked because it will finish up in the oven. *The amount of pasta will vary depending on family size. For an average family, it's common to use 1 cup of pasta per family member.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

2. Once the pasta is finished, drain.

Pour a little sauce in the bottom of your baking dish or dishes.

Then add the pasta. If you are using more than one dish, spread it out accordingly.

Pour sauce over noodles. 

It doesn't need to be perfect, however it's important to get the sauce over the entire pasta spread.

Bake for 15 minutes in the pre-heated oven.

3. After the 15 minutes is up, take it out and top with Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or any other favorite pizza topping.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese as melted and the pepperoni is crispy.

Here's the ending result. Spoon onto plates, top with Parmesan cheese and serve with salad bread sticks!

Foodie PenPal

I recently joined the "Foodie Penpal" which is ran from the 

Lean Green Bean blog HERE

Basically all you do is sign up for a Penpal, and on the 5th of each month they will send you a new penpal.

You then send them food, homemade or not, and someone will do the same for you. It's great!

I sent out mine last week and I can't wait for them to receive the items. I decided to send them local stuff from none other than Battle Creek. So Cereal and other goodies, plus a little hand-written history they may or may not know about.

I received mine today and it was packed FULL with tasty treats! And they are Organic and Delicious! My little Emma is quite excited to try the PB2! And honestly, so am I!

Thanks so much for the terrific sends! I can't wait to try the rest.

PS, the organic Mint Chocolate Syrup was the perfect topping to my vanilla frozen yogurt this evening.

Apple Sandwiches

Apple Sandwiches 

*Original Recipe shared by a friend. Photo found w/ recipe on Facebook Page.

Makes 3 sandwiches

1 tablespoon rolled oats
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsweetened peanut butter
3/4 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon raisins
1 medium apple

Combine the oats and cinnamon in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally, until the oats are golden. Cool before using.

Mix together the peanut butter and honey.

Core and slice the apple into 6 rounds. (If you don't have an apple corer, you can slice the apple first and then cut out the centers with a small cookie cutter or knife.)

Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on 3 of the apple slices and sprinkle with raisins and oats. Top with the remaining apple slices to form sandwiches.

Notes:
• If you are not eating the apple right away, you can brush it with lemon juice to prevent browning. A solution of 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice does the trick without tasting too lemony.
• For strict gluten-free diets, be sure to use gluten-free oats.

Apple sandwiches are great for both adults and kids (little hands can help assemble them), and they're adaptable for various preferences and allergies. Instead of peanut butter, you might try almond butter or pumpkin-sunflower-flax seed butter, and the raisins may be swapped for dried cranberries, chopped dates, and other dried fruits. I like the simplicity and texture of lightly toasted oats, but granola is an option, as are toppings like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and chia seeds.