Maple Pecan Granola

Now that I am no longer pregnant and allowing myself to indulge in anything and everything, I have been trying to eat a little healthier and get back on track in terms of diet.

My current addiction is yogurt parfaits... Vanilla flavored Greek yogurt, topped with granola, fresh fruit, and a drizzle of either honey or real maple syrup.  I eat this for breakfast, lunch, snack... you name it, and I've even gotten my husband and kids hooked too.

I was buying granola from the store, and though it was good, one day I decided to try my hand at whipping up a batch on my own, at home.  After researching countless recipes on Pinterest, I mixed and matched some techniques to come up with my own recipe, and since I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, I thought I'd share the details of what worked out to be some pretty tasty granola, here on the blog.

It's super easy to make, and aside from parfaits, could be eaten a number of ways.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Strawberry "Pop Tarts"

I think you all know by now, that I am NOT a food blogger, but every once in awhile I like to share a recipe that we love and use often.

The other day I posted a photo of our homemade strawberry "pop tarts", on Instagram (@kozyandco), and so many people asked me for the recipe, that I thought I would share.

***Worth noting:  There are 2 other "pop tart" recipes under the "FOOD" page at the top of this blog.

These ones were super simple to throw together, as they used a combination of store bought ingredients, and stuff we had on hand.

Strawberry "Pop Tarts"

(makes 8 tarts)

Ingredients

Store bought pie crust

Strawberry jam

Confectioners sugar

Milk

Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut each pie crust into 8, fairly equal sized rectangles.

Lay half(8) of your rectangles on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.

Top each rectangle with about a Tablespoon of strawberry jam (leaving a perimeter of about a half an inch all the way around).

Lay the other halves of the rectangles on top of the 8 that you topped with jam, and using the tines of a fork, seal each "pop tart".

Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven, and let cool.

For the Icing

In the meantime, mix a half a cup of confectioners sugar with a Tablespoon of milk (consistency is key here, if your icing is runny, add a bit more sugar.  Too thick, add a bit more milk.  You want it spreadable.)

Spread some icing on top of each "pop tart" and top with sprinkles, if desired.

Enjoy!

Simple Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

If you haven't figured it out by now, I, like most people of sane mind, am totally in love with all things pumpkin.

As soon as September hits (or even late August under certain circumstances), I commit to indulging in as much pumpkin-y goodness as I can possibly take, until about Thanksgiving.

My husband, likes pumpkin just alright... as in he is not a gourd addict like myself... he is however, an avid cinnamon role lover.

How, I asked myself, can I combine two of our favorite things into one amazingly delicious seasonal treat?

I give you this recipe for super simple, quick-to-make Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!

Ingredients

for rolls

1 tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (the recipe creation sheets are perfect for this, but if you can't find them, regular crescent rolls will do. Just be sure to pinch your seams together.)

1/2 stick of softened (room temperature) unsalted butter

2 Tbs canned pumpkin puree

1/8 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs ground cinnamon

for the icing

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1 Tbs milk (or... if you feel like really kicking up the pumpkin flavor, you can do what I did, and use pumpkin spice flavored coffee creamer

1.  Roll out crescent dough onto a cutting board, or baking sheet.

2.  In a small bowl, mix together butter and pumpkin puree.

3.  Spread pumpkin/butter mixture evenly over surface of crescent dough.

4.  Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the top of the pumpkin mixture.

6.  Roll up dough, the long way, into one long tube.

7.  Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 equal size slices.

8.  Place all 12 rolls into a greased 8x8 baking dish.

9.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

10.  While rolls are baking, mix confectioners sugar and milk (or creamer) in a small dish.

11.  Remove rolls from oven and allow to cool.

12.  Top with icing, and enjoy!