Early Morning Food Success: Nutella "Crescents"

After a string of not-so-well-loved early morning food episodes, I finally struck a chord with the kids:  Nutella Crescents.

This is what I did:

Opened a can of Crescent Roll Sheets and laid out two sheets, pinching them together slightly where they had been perforated.

Cut each sheet into 6 (more or less) square pieces of dough.

Placed 1 Tablespoon (or a little less)  Nutella in the middle of the dough.

Ran a dampened-with-water finger around the outside edges.

Folded the dough over on itself to make a rectangle then pressed down firmly all the edges.

Placed on a parchment-lined half sheet pan and baked for 12-14 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven.

When done I sprinkled a little confectioner's sugar over the top.

These went like wildfire!

Munchie Monday: Apple Crisp!

The old saying: "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade" can also be applied to apples.  If the apples are soft, make apple crisp.

We had a bowl of nice tart apples which were no longer crisp and perfect for eating.  Thrift makes it impossible for me to toss them onto the compost pile.  This morning I awoke just after 4 AM and decided to finally do something about those apples which were screaming at me to take care of them before they totally turned into mush and bruises.

What I did:

Peeled, cored, and chopped the apples and tossed them into a 3-quart bowl.

Measured out 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon which I sprinkled over the apples.  With a spatula I mixed the apples, sugar, and cinnamon until every chunk of apples was well seasoned.

Cinnamon flavored apple chunks in 9 by 13 dish

In that same 3-quart bowl I put 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg.  After mixing that around I added 1/2 cup softened butter and, using my fingers, rubbed the butter into the flour mixture until there were lovely crumbled.

Crumbs ready for the topping

Put the seasoned apples evenly into a 9 by 13 glass baking dish then sprinkle on the crumb topping.  Place in a preheated 350 degree F. oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are cooked and soft.  (I did not bother greasing the baking dish.  We shall see if that was a poor decision....)

Cooked crisp, cooling on the marble slab (a useful family heirloom which came from a great-aunt's hardware store counter)

When the apple crisp is getting close to being finished cooking, it fills the kitchen with the most delicious cinnamon fragrance.  Such a lovely smell for early morning visitors to enjoy as they enter the house from the middle-fall cold outside air.  Much nicer to sniff that the smell that happens when I foolishly steam some broccoli florets to munch on as a snack throughout the day....

Munchie Monday: Popcorn Treats!

Is there anyone who does not enjoy a rice krispie treat every once in a while?  I think not.  Especially when there are so many variations on the basic Rice Krispie Treat.  Well, I wanted to make some for our early morning crew but I did not have any Rice Krispies so I thought I would try them with popped corn.

This is what I did:

Popped corn to make 8 cups of fluffy popcorn.

Melted 4 Tablespoons of butter (Not margarine.  Go for the real thing.) in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat.

Added 10 ounces marshmallows and stirred CONSTANTLY with a long-handled wooden spoon until the marshmallows were completely melted and smoothly incorporated into the melted butter.

Poured the hot syrup over the popped corn and stirred until all the kernels were covered in the sweet syrup.

Previously I had lined a 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper which I sprayed with a little non-stick spray.  When the popcorn was well mixed I pressed it into the pan and let it cool.

When completely cooled, I cut it into rectangles and put them on a plate for the early morning crowd, and went to bed.

Popcorn Treats ready to serve.

It turns out either 1.  there was no early morning crowd today, or 2.  they did not think they would be any good.  The plate appeared untouched.  So....since I did not dare have them in the house as I liked them just fine, I put them all in a package and delivered them to the grandchildren who, I feel certain, will like them very much.