Make your own Pop Tarts

These look pretty good without preservatives ... and have many more options that those "pop tart" thingies ..

Serves: 5
Serving Size: 1

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour + extra for dusting Silicone Wonder® Mat
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. coarse kosher salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tbsp.
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1–2 tbsp. cold water, if necessary
• 5 tbsp. favorite jam or apple sauce
• 2 tbsp. milk for brushing the pastries
• Sprinkles if desired

Glaze (optional)

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk

Instructions

1. Place flour, sugar, and salt into base of Power Chef fitted with blade attachment. 
2. Add in half of the cut butter pieces. Cover and pull cord until butter has been cut into small pea size pieces. 
3. Repeat with remaining butter.
4. Pour flour mixture into medium bowl and add in egg. 
5. Stir together and add cold water as necessary to make dough come together. 
6. Seal bowl and place in refrigerator until dough is thoroughly chilled, about an hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350° F.
8. Dust Silicone Wonder® Mat with flour and roll out dough as thin as possible on mat, between ¼–⅛″T.
9. Straighten edges with the edge of the Silicone Spatula so the dough is a large rectangle. 
10. Cut rectangle into at least eight rectangles and use the scraps to make one more.
11. Place about 1 tbsp. of jam onto one piece of dough and brush milk on all the edges. 
12. Place another piece of dough on top and seal with the tines of a fork. Repeat until all pastries have been made. 
13. Brush the tops of pastries with milk and pierce 2–3 times with a fork.
14. Place onto baking sheet lined with Silicone Wonder® Mat. 
15. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.
16. When cooled, top with glaze if desired.

Optional Glaze

1. Whisk together powdered sugar and milk until glaze is formed. 
2. Drizzle over pastries and top with sprinkles.

I really like this recipe.  I can see it used for a breakfast on the run, or for your kids/grandkids.  I can also see these as a nice dessert for either a lunch box or a small gathering on the deck.  Yes it could make you feel like a kid again.

If you would like to grab any of the Tupperware pieces used in this recipe, you can always shop at my Tupperware site, any day or night (or holiday).

Personally I love the Power Chef and use it many times a week.  Have a question, let me try and answer it for you.

Let's get STARTED

Just a little push to start your week.

A lot of us, me included, think that we are not "good enough" to succeed.  
We have to continually remind ourselves that we don't have to be "great" or even "good enough" ... we just have to get started.

Thanks Les Brown for the reminder.
Now all you reading this ...
Get STARTED!

You can thank me (and Les) later.

Cantaloupe Salad for Summer

With summer right around the corner, this salad just screams YUMM, what time is lunch?
Light and fresh and beautiful colors.  I think this would be a great light mid afternoon lunch.  I can even see this being eaten on your deck or patio with a nice glass of wine.

Serves: 5-6 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cantaloupe
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 6–8 leaves fresh basil, chopped using Chop ’N Prep Chef
• 2–3 tbsp. balsamic glaze

Instructions

1. Peel, de-seed, and cut cantaloupe into bite size pieces
2. Cut mozzarella into ¼″ chunks.  
3. Toss with cantaloupe.
4. Cut prosciutto slices into bite size pieces
5. Toss with cantaloupe.
6. Top salad with basil and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Try this homemade Balsamic Glaze recipe I told you about last week to really make this special.

You CAN do this .. just try

Here's a little inspiration to start your day

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this.  We get so bogged down with the events of the day or week that we forget.

But when I can remind you and then see you do everything that you want ... It really does make me very happy.

because I know, 

Just because you succeed, 

doesn't mean I can't too!

So 

LETS GO DO IT

Make your own Dessert Sauces

I've shared a few dressings that work well for lunch or dinner, but how about dessert you ask....  I know you were thinking about dessert, we always think about desserts, 

shhh it will be our guilty pleasure/secret.

Caramel Sauce
Makes about 1½ cup

• 11/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ tbsp. coarse sea salt, optional

1. Place granulated sugar and water in medium sized saucepan.
2. Cook on medium heat for 10–15 minutes or until temperature reaches 325° F and the syrup is deep amber color.
3. Remove from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream.
4. Add vanilla and salt. 
5. Let cool completely before pouring into Squeeze It Bottle.
6. Store in refrigerator for one month.

Chocolate Syrup
Makes about 1½ cup

• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. In Chef Series 3-Qt. Saucepan with Strainer Cover, combine granulated sugar and cocoa powder. Mix until no lumps remain. 
2. Add water and stir until well combined.
3. Bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes until sauce has thickened, stirring constantly. 
5. Remove from heat add salt, vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated. 
6. Let cool.
7. Pour chocolate syrup into Squeeze It Bottle
8. Refrigerate and use within six weeks.

See I told you the Squeeze It Bottles work well with all kinds of things.  Grab yours from my Tupperware Site today!

#Granted an Urban Fantasy by Michelle Merrill

I am keeping Big Brother happy with this disclosure. 
I received this product for free to facilitate my review, in exchange for my honest opinion. I will only highlight products that I feel will be of benefit to or enjoyed by my readers. For more information regarding product review, please refer to my media kit. 

When I began reading this book, I was thinking it would be like the old "I Love Jeannie" TV series reruns that I remember from my childhood. I mean it is about genies after all. But that really was what I thought and I was so very far from the reality of this book.

Yes one of the main characters and a few others are genies, but it is more about self discovery.   

First Brielle, a genie, learns about herself without magic and how much she believes magic, or lack there of, defines her.

Addie, her first assignment, learns how much she needs to believe, in friendship as well as wishes, when Brielle comes into her life and starts breaking down the walls around her heart.

Brielle, and all genies, only have 3 weeks to grant wishes to their charges.  Brielle has not, as the story begins, granted a wish and therefore has not received her magic yet.  

She desperately needs Addie to make a wish so that she can receive her magic, but to also free Addie from her self imposed loneliness.

When genies start disappearing before their weeks are up, aka die, the search is on to find the cause while also trying to grant Addie at least one wish before the end of the three week time frame and to receive her magic.

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons.  But the fact that it is a "safe" book for younger readers without making it a "kids only" book, makes it a great choice for anyone.


If you believe or want to believe in magic and would like to read Granted, it is available at a discounted price of $2.99 from June 30th through July 7th.  Let me tell you , this is a great deal.    On June 30th, Future House Publishing Blog Readers can enter to win an autographed copy of Granted.  They will also be giving away some more printed copies on July 1st on Goodreads.

I hope you will check this one out at launch - yes it was a nice book for all ages ... the only requirement?  Keep an open mind, so you too can believe in magic!

Edit - the launch has been delayed - check out Granted on the new release date of June 30th.

I hope there will be an adjustment to the discounted price noted here as well as the giveaway.  I'll let you know what I hear as soon as I hear it!

Schools Out Giveaway Hop

Yes it is that time of year when 

Teachers are ecstatic 

and 

Kids are jumping for joy 

because 
School's Out!

In honor of this time of year, we are holding a

Please stop and thank our hosts

Planet Weidknecht 

and 

LeahSay's Views 

All of the blogs that are participating will be including prizes worth at least $25.

I know there are always things 

that you need during the summer. 

With the cost of vacations, even a Staycation, there usually isn't a lot of money for "extras". 

For my prize, I am giving 

a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

I hope to be sending you an email 

telling you that YOU WON.

Good Luck!