Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins Recipe

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Post Pebbles, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PostWalgreens http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

I am so beyond excited to share with you this Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins recipe.  I've been experimenting in the kitchen, trying to come up with a really good cranberry muffin recipe (since it's cranberry season, right?), and I really think this recipe hits the nail on the head!

These muffins are sweet, but not too sweet, and perfectly balance out the tartness of the fresh cranberries that are baked inside.  The tops of these muffins have a nice slightly crunchy, caramelized top that tastes amazing!

You'll never guess the secret ingredient that gives the inside of these muffins such a nice texture, and is also part of the tasty, crunchy sweet streusel cinnamon topping... Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal!  I headed to Walgreens, where Post Honey Bunches of Oats, Fruity Pebbles, Great Grains, and Grape Nuts are all on sale this week for only $1.99, and picked up a box of Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Cereal.  My family eats a box of cereal a day (since there are six of us), so this is a great time to stock up!

You really have to give these muffins a try.  They are honestly my favorite muffin that I have ever eaten, and these are now going to be a recipe that I turn to again and again for great tasting muffins... enjoy!

Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal (I used the kind with almonds, but any will work), slightly crushed- 1 cup for the muffins, 1 cup for the topping
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked through to remove any soft cranberries
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), or regular sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup melted butter

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease 10 muffins cups or place 10 cupcake liners inside the cups.  Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and one cup of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal in a medium bowl.

2.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, and milk, just until blended.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.  The batter will be slightly lumpy, which is fine.  Fold in the cranberries just until mixed in evenly.  Don't over mix!

3.  Spoon the batter into the muffin liners or cups, and fill level with the top of the cup.  Combine one cup of slightly crushed Honey Bunches of Oats cereal with the turbinado sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir in the 1/4 cup of melted butter, and spoon the topping evenly onto each muffin.

4.  Bake until muffins are dry, and when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean, approximately 25 minutes.  All ovens are different, however, so be sure to keep an eye on the muffins while cooking, and remove immediately when they are baked through.

I truly hope you enjoy these muffins.  In fact, I'm enjoying one right now as I type this ;)  If you want to try these, don't forget that Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, along with other Post cereals, are on sale at Walgreens this week for only $1.99.

Happy baking!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Rosemary Potato Sausage Pizza with Garlic Butter Sauce

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Hillshire Brand Company but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #buy3save3  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Let's face it moms, making a homemade, quick, and healthy dinner for our families every single night can be a lot of work.  It's easy to get stuck in a cooking rut, and make the same old thing every week, which can get boring really quickly.

Today I have a recipe that I created to share with you that I guarantee that you have never tried before, and that has become a new favorite of mine-

Rosemary Potato Sausage Pizza with Garlic Butter Sauce!

Sounds amazing, right?  This delicious pizza is a cinch to make, will impress your family, and is a healthy and quick meal that's perfect for your busy week nights.

It includes one of my son's all-time favorite things- Hillshire Farm's Angus Rope Smoked Sausage.  My 9-year-old foodie son, who loves to cook with me, adores Hillshire Farm's Rope Sausage, so I knew this recipe would be a winner!

I went shopping for the Hillshire Farm Sausage at my local Safeway store, Vons.  You can visit Safeway's Just For U website to sign up to get the Buy 3, Save 3 offer, where you can save $3 when you buy ANY THREE participating Hillshire Farm brand products- mix and match!  You must be signed up for Just For U to get the deal, so be sure to head on over to Safeway's website to sign up!

I've been a member of Just For U for a while now, and I love how I can get personalized coupons and special prices on products that I buy that I can add to my card, without having to actually clip any coupons.  They make it easy to save money!

Now for the easy, delicious recipe!

Rosemary Potato Sausage with Garlic Butter Sauce:

For the Dough:

• 1 cup very warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt

For the Pizza:

• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 clove minced garlic (or 1 tsp. granulated garlic)
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1/2 package Hillshire Farm Angus Rope Smoked Sausage, sliced
• 2 thin slices red onion, separated
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

1.  To make the dough, add the yeast to the warm water and let sit for about 10 minutes.  I do this in the bowl for my Kitchen Aid.  Stir after 10 minutes, and add the flour, oil, and salt.  Use the dough hook on your machine, and mix on low.  After about a minute, turn the machine up to medium-high, and leave on for about 5 minutes.  This gets the dough nice and elastic.  If you don't have a Kitchen Aid, you can do this by hand.  After it has been mixed, pat the dough into a large ball, and let sit in a covered bowl for about an hour to rise.

2.  Boil the two potatoes whole in a small pot of water for about 20 minutes.  Remove from water, and let cool.  Once cool, cut the potatoes into thin slices.  Once the dough has risen, after about an hour, roll out the dough into a large circle, and place on a pizza stone (or baking sheet if you don't have a stone).  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  

3.  Add the garlic to the melted butter, and stir.  Spread the garlic-butter mixture evenly onto the pizza dough, and arrange half of the sausage and half of the potatoes onto the pizza.  Sprinkle on all of the cheese.  Now arrange the other half of the sausage and potatoes onto the cheese, and add the separated onion slices and chopped fresh rosemary to the top.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes, and allow to cool slightly before serving.

This rosemary potato sausage pizza is sooo hearty and delicious, and yet is very easy to make, even on a busy weekday!  The rich sausage flavor combines perfectly with the flavors of the potatoes, rosemary, onions, butter, and garlic, and creates a taste that you will love!

You can even make the dough earlier in the day, and store it in the fridge after it has risen.  I've even made this dough right before I put it in the oven, without even letting it rise, and it still tastes amazing!  

Give it a try, and make sure you get your Hillshire Farm Sausage at your local Safeway store during the Buy 3, Save 3 promotion, which ends Saturday!  Be sure to shop by then!

You can also check out some other delicious recipes on Hillshire Farm's recipe page on their website, and can also find recipes and more on Hillshire Farm's Facebook and Twitter pages.

So what do you think?  Are you going to give this yummy pizza a try?  I hope you do!

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Snap!

Snickers Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Ganache Recipe + $2 Coupon

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Fall is in the air, and one of my family's favorite fall traditions is to cheer on our favorite college football team on game day!  There's nothing like an intense football game to make you hungry, and today I've got the perfect tailgating recipe to share with you...

Snickers Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Ganache!  A delicious fall dessert that's sure to please all football fans young and old, male or female!

I created an amazing pumpkin bread dessert recipe, and made it even better by adding chunks of Snickers Bites that I bought at Walmart to the batter, and drizzling the baked bread with a delicious chocolate ganache layer.

The result is a moist pumpkin bread with bits of chocolate-y goodness that is out of this world, and perfect for your next game day get together!  Instead of oil in the bread batter, I used Greek yogurt, which when combined with the pureed pumpkin, makes for a very moist, delicious, and indulgent dessert.

As impressive as this recipe is, it's actually quite simple and quick to make.  Here are the easy directions to make this decadent dessert... whether your favorite football team wins or loses, this Snickers pumpkin bread is one thing we can all smile about!

Make sure to read at the bottom of the post to see how you can score your own bag of Snickers Bites for only 50 cents, instead of the $2.50 retail price at Walmart!  I love a good deal, don't you?

Snickers Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Ganache:

For the Bread:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1 7 oz. bag of Snickers Bites

For the Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 11.5 oz bag of chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the inside of a bundt pan, and set aside.

2.  Whisk two eggs with a fork in a medium bowl.  Add the canned pumpkin and Greek yogurt to the eggs, and stir until fully combined.

3.  In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice.  Using a large knife, chop the Snickers Bites into smaller pieces.  Add most of the Snickers Bites (minus a few to garnish with) to the dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir gently just until combined.

4.  Pour batter into the bundt pan, and bake between 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.  Once the bread has cooked and cooled, carefully flip the bundt pan upside down to remove the bread.

5.  To make the chocolate ganache, heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a pot on the stove on medium-high heat until it boils.  Once boiling, remove from heat, and pour over the chocolate chips in a metal bowl.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes without stirring, giving the chocolate time to melt. 

6.  After 5-10 minutes, stir the heavy cream and chocolate with a whisk until fully combined.  Let the ganache mostly cool to give it time to thicken.  Once it is the desired consistency, drizzle the chocolate ganache over the entire pumpkin bundt bread.  Let the chocolate set for a few minutes, and serve!

To serve the bread, I cut it into slices, and drizzled the remaining ganache (that I poured into a plastic squeeze bottle) across the top of the bread, and added a few of the chopped Snickers Bites that I saved to the top as a garnish.

The result?  An easy, delicious, and impressive dessert that everyone will love!  Next game day, try whipping up a batch of Snickers Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Ganache.  It's the perfect fall football time treat!

And here's another thing to smile about!  For a limited time, you can save up to $2 on Snickers or Milky Way Bites when you click on the above photo, or click HERE!

The cool thing about this coupon is that if you share it socially (on Twitter or Facebook), or email it to 3 people, the value of the coupon will DOUBLE!  

I bought my Snickers Bites (7 oz. size) at Walmart for only $2.50, so if you share and print the $2 coupon, you will pay only 50 cents for the entire bag!! What a deal!!

Be sure to print out your coupon today to take advantage of this amazing deal!!

You can also see what's new with Snickers on the Snickers Facebook page and the Snickers Twitter page.

I hope you give this yummy Snickers pumpkin bread a try!  Have you tried Snickers Bites yet?  What else would be good to make with these Snickers Bites?  Leave a comment and let me know your ideas and/or any recipes that you come up with!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

For more fall fun, be sure to check out my fall activites bucket list punch card, my caramel apple spice drink, this spooky spaghetti with eyeballs, this easy and pretty fall wreath made out of paper, and my DIY cinnamon-scented nature wreath.  

Happy fall!

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here:  Tatertots and Jello, Ginger Snap Crafts, Snap!

Italian Antipasto Salad, Basil Pesto Dipping Sauce, and Italian Cream Sodas

I am a member of the World Market Trendsetter Tribe.  These Italian recipes are sponsored by World Market as part of their Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes.

Get ready to be hungry!  I've got not one, but three amazing Italian recipes to share with you today!!  I love sitting down together with my family to enjoy a homemade dinner together.  It's an important part of my family's day where we can relax and enjoy one another's company.

Last week I made a trip to World Market (okay, a few trips to World Market) to pick up some gourmet Italian ingredients from their gourmet food and drink section to make my family an Italian dinner- a delicious antipasto salad, some rosemary bread with a basil pesto dipping sauce, and then some Italian cream sodas for dessert... yum!  Here's what I bought for the salad...

La Terrazze Extra Virgin Olive Oil // Domaine de Vignes Aged Red Wine Vinegar // Columbus Italian Dry Salame // Cucina & Amore Grilled Artichoke Hearts // World Market Italian Seasoning 

I also bought a few things from the grocery store: romaine hearts, provolone cheese, black olives, grape tomatoes, garlic cloves, and some fresh basil.  Here are the easy directions to make this delicious salad!

Italian Antipasto Salad

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

• 3 Romaine lettuce hearts, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
• 4 oz. Columbus Italian Dry Salame, cut into thin slices
• 4 oz. provolone cheese, cut into thin slices
• 1 can black olives, sliced
• 1 can Cucina & Amore Grilled Artichoke Hearts, sliced
• 1 package grape tomatoes
• Fresh basil, cut into thin strips, to taste

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup Terrazze Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Domaine de Vignes Aged Red Wine Vinegar
• Splash of balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. World Market Italian Seasoning

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  I used my Coupe Serving Bowl I fell in love with at World Market and had to have.  Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Pour salad dressing on the salad, and mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, to allow the flavors to combine.

This salad was great!  Although this salad is meant to be an appetizer, you can always serve it as a main dish if you add more salame and cheese, and serve it with other Italian favorites!  We ate our salad off of the white Coupe Salad Plates, which I love because they are simple and classic, and would look great with any food served on them!

I served this salad to my family with some store-bought rosemary bread, and a quick basil pesto dipping sauce I made- this sauce literally took me less than a minute to make!

All I did was combine some Sacla Italia Pesto Alla Genovese Basil Pesto with some La Terrazze Olive Oil to make the dipping sauce- so easy, and yet so delicious!!  I served the sauce on a white Coupe Salad Plate.  My kids and husband and I loved dipping our bread in this amazing sauce!

Now onto my favorite part- the drinks!  Who doesn't love buying a fruity and creamy Italian Creme Soda?  My family LOVES them, but it can get expensive buying one for all six of us in my family.  Did you know that it's so easy to make your own at home?  You can customize this recipe to suit your own taste, and the flavor possibilities are endless! Plus, you'll save yourself a ton of money making these at home instead of buying them, which is always a bonus!

World Market has a GREAT selection of Torani syrups that you'll use in this recipe.  I picked up four bottles for our Italian creme sodas because it's fun to mix and match and combine flavors to make your own custom drink.  Have fun and get creative!

Italian Creme Sodas

For each soda you will need:

• 1 cup club soda
• 4 Tbsp. Torani syrup (any flavor that you would like)
• 1 Tbsp. half and half
• Ice
• Whip cream 
• Soiree Maraschino Cherries

1.  Fill cup with ice.  Add 4 Tbsp. Torani syrup to the ice, and fill glass with club soda.  Stir.

2.  Slowly pour in the half and half.  This is the best part!  When the half and half combines with the ice and cold soda it makes beautiful creamy swirls that look amazing!  If you are careful and don't move the cup around too much, you can keep the swirls in place when serving these drinks to guests.  Add whip cream and a cherry to the top and serve!

Another great thing about this drink is that it's low calorie!  Club soda has zero calories and you can buy Torani Sugar Free syrup with zero calories- the only calories will come from the half and half (you can buy this fat free, too), and the whip cream and cherry (which you could leave off if you like).  Not too bad for an amazing drink!!

Did you know that right now World Market is giving away an amazing prize in their Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes?  You can enter to win a 6 day culinary trip for 2 to Venice, Italy!  Trip includes airfare and accommodations, Cicchetti tour, a hands-on Venetian cooking class, a cheese making demonstration and tasting, and a $1,000 World Market gift card- WOW!  Plus, three first prize winners will receive $500 World Market gift cards.  You can also earn bonus entries for liking World Market on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr for more chances to win!  Check out the video below with Joey Fatone!

World Market has partnered with the Live Well Network and their hit show My Family Recipe Rocks, hosted by Joey Fatone.  My Family Recipe Rocks features amazing hometown cooks across America, and and Joey Fatone and his crew cook up old family recipes, new homegrown dishes, and meeting people behind their great food in their own kitchens.

You can tune in to My Family Recipe Rocks on Sundays at 8:30 p / 7:30 c.  You can check local listings at livewellnetwork.com.

Be sure to enter World Market's Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes!  How great would that be to win a culinary trip to Italy and a $1,000 World Market gift card?  You can't win if you don't enter!

I hope you give these gourmet Italian recipes a try, and be sure to check out World Market's great gourmet food section, as well as the rest of the store.... I promise you won't leave empty-handed!

For more fall fun, you can print off my fall activities bucket list punch card.

And for a fun family Halloween meal, check out this Spooky Spaghetti with Eyeballs!

To decorate your home this fall, you can see how to make this cinnamon-scented nature wreath,

or this fall wreath made out of paper!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Linking up here: Whipperberry, Tidy Mom, 30 Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Ginger Snap Crafts, Snap!

Grilled Rosemary Pita Bread

My husband makes the most amazing pita bread.  Last week I experimented a little bit with the recipe and turned the regular pita bread that we usually bake in the oven into a rosemary pita bread that we cooked on the grill.

And the results were delicious!

The dough puffs up so well on the grill and gives the bread a little smoky flavor, as well as leaving behind those great telltale grill marks.

AND on a hot summer day you won't even have to turn the oven on to get fresh, tasty bread.  Can't beat that!  If you're not a rosemary fan (I'm sorry), then you can always leave it out to make a plain pita.

We ate our rosemary grilled pita bread with grilled chicken tenders tucked inside, and it was amazing!  Next time I'll have to make some tzatziki sauce to finish it off... yum!

The original recipe comes from our Williams-Sonoma Bread cook book, but I've adapted it slightly.  And if you don't have the Williams-Sonoma cook books, they're really really good!  We own the whole series and use them all the time.

Grilled Rosemary Pita Bread

• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2-4 cups flour
• a few sprigs of rosemary, chopped (as course or as fine as you would like)

1.  Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 1/2 cup of the warm water.  Stir to dissolve.  Let sit for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

2.  In a mixer (I used my Kitchen Aid), use the paddle attachment to combine the remaining 1 cup of water, oil, salt, and 1 cup of the flour.  Beat for 1 minute on medium speed, then stir in the yeast mixture.  Beat in the rest of the flour and the chopped rosemary, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  

Switch to the dough hook.  Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes until the dough is stiff and sticky, adding 1 Tbsp. of flour at a time if the dough sticks.  Place the dough into a deep oiled bowl, and turn it in the oil to coat it.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

3.  Once the dough has doubled, turn the grill onto medium-low heat.  Divide the dough on a lightly floured board into half, and then divide each half into 5 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball.  Let the dough balls rest for 10 minutes.  You can roll out each ball, or form the rounds by hand.  I prefer by hand.  Each ball should be rolled into an approximately 6 inch round.

4.  Place the rounds on the grill, and cover the lid.  Check the bread frequently, as it will only take a couple minutes per side to puff up and cook.  Flip the bread over and grill the other side, and then remove from the grill when the bread is puffy and looks completely baked.  Stack the finished pitas on a plate and cover with a dish towel to keep warm while you grill the rest of the pitas.  

Serve warm.  Makes 10 pitas.  You can easily double the recipe to make 20, which is what we did for our family of 6.

You can eat the pita plain, dipped in olive oil, or with your choice of meat or chicken.  We ate ours with grilled chicken, but this would also taste great with beef or gyro meat.

Enjoy!!

And while the grill is still hot, you could also try making some easy grilled corn, or my coconut macadamia mango crusted mahi mahi.  These chocolate no-bake cookies, chocolate cake, or Special K bars would also make a great dessert!

xo, Laura

If you liked this idea, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

Linking Up Here: Lolly Jane, Lil Luna, Ginger Snap Crafts, Someday Crafts, A to Zebra Celebrations, SNAP!, House of Hepworths, 36th Avenue, Whipperberry, Tidy Mom, See Vanessa Craft, Tatertots & Jello, Six Sisters Stuff, I Heart Naptime, Craft-O-Maniac, Skip to My Lou, Sugar Bee Crafts, Somewhat Simple

Rosemary Irish Soda Bread

It's been a family tradition for many years now that on St. Patrick's Day I make corned beef, potatoes, and Irish soda bread.  Yum!  I thought I'd share one of the Irish soda bread recipes that I use.  This bread is really moist, unlike some of the other recipes I've tried where the bread is really dry.  I switched up the original recipe I found a bit, added some rosemary, and it was delicious!!

Rosemary Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour

4 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 2 tsp. white vinegar added)

2 eggs (one for the dough, and one for an egg wash, where will you just use the white)

Fresh rosemary, chopped

1.  Grease a baking sheet, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, butter, and rosemary.  I did this in my Kitchen Aid.  Stir in the buttermilk and egg.  (If you don't have buttermilk, like I didn't, just add a couple teaspoons of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk, and let it sit for a few minutes.)

3.  Pat the dough into a round shape, flatten the top slightly, and place on the greased baking sheet.  Brush on a slightly stirred egg white, and cut an X in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.  Bake the bread for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com.

I hope you enjoy this bread as much as we did!  The rosemary is optional, but I'm a sucker for any bread with fresh rosemary in it!

Does your family have a specific meal that you eat every St. Patrick's Day?  I'd love to hear!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

XO, Laura

Linking Up Here:  Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The 36th Avenue, Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry

Navajo Fry Bread

At least once a week, my husband requests Navajo fry bread for dinner.  It is a Native American bread that is fried in small pieces, and is very easy and quick to make.

We love to rip our fry bread in little pieces, and then add beans, beef, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, avocados, tomatoes, and olives on top of it, kind of like a taco salad.

Navajo fry bread... so yummy

Actually, I like to add all of that good stuff.  My picky husband and kids eat theirs with about three or four of those toppings... they don't know what they're missing!  But they all love the bread.  The good thing about this meal is that it is totally customizable.  Each person can make theirs up however they like, and then you won't get any complaints!  Perfect for all your picky eaters.

My husband's grandma was given this authentic recipe years ago from a Navajo woman.  It is really simple and delicious, and I have gotten nothing but good reviews every time I have made it for friends and other family members.

This recipe is easy to double or triple.  One year my family and I made TONS of these for a huge family reunion, and it was a hit.  So have I convinced you to make this yet?  Good, let's get started!  This recipe makes about 10 small pieces of fry bread, which is just perfect for my husband and I and our four kids.  But they are still kind of small, so if you want leftovers, or your kids are older, you can easily double the recipe.

1.  Mix together in a medium bowl:
     * 1 c. white flour
     * 1 c. wheat flour
     * 1 tsp. salt
     * 1 Tbsp. baking powder
     * 1 c. milk (recipe calls for powdered milk and water, but I prefer regular milk- you can use either)

2.  Heat some canola or vegetable oil in a pan on medium-high heat.  Wet your fingers with a little water, and then grab a small piece of dough.  Flatten it in your hand, and carefully put it in the hot oil.
The oil will be very hot, so please be careful!  I don't even allow my kids in the kitchen when I am frying the bread, just to be safe.

These little pieces of fried bread will all look different and not the exact same sizes, which is part of their charm.  You can make them as thick or thin and as big or small as you like.  Once the side of the bread that is in the oil is a nice golden brown, then carefully turn it over with tongs to cook the other side.  Once that side is cooked, remove from the oil and place on a plate with a paper towel on it to absorb the oil.

3.  When ready to serve, each person can rip their bread in small pieces onto their plate.

4.  Now for the fun part!  Add on your preferred toppings in your preferred order.  Here's how I do it, but feel free to make yours however you like.

     * Refried beans (everything sticks to it and it holds the other toppings on better)
     * Ground beef, shredded beef, or chicken (or none of these if you are a vegetarian)
     * Mexican rice (I have a great recipe I invented that I'll post soon)
     * Shredded cheese
     * Lettuce
     * Tomatoes
     * Sour cream (or Greek yogurt tastes just as good and is much healthier!)
     * Sliced olives
     * Avocados
     * Salsa

Am I missing any toppings?  Have you ever tried fry bread?  Suddenly I am very hungry...

Oh, you can also add strawberry jam to any leftovers like my father-in-law does.  I imagine that these would also taste delicious rolled in some cinnamon and sugar while they are still warm.  Think I'll try that next time.  Give this easy bread a try.  You won't regret it!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

XO, Laura