Featured on The Back Burner

I am so excited to have my Chicken Crescent Calzones featured on the Back Burner (the companion blog to Key Ingredient). Haley did such an amazing job writing up my blog that I'm impressed by me! haha! And my calzones sure sound yummy... :)

Here's a glimpse, but do read the full post:

"Who doesn’t love a warm, buttery roll with dinner? What if the roll were dinner! That is exactly what Anjanette created when she was in a pinch for dinner, and didn’t have the time or money to run to the grocery store. She was originally inspired by a recipe from Pillsbury, but altered the ingredients quite a bit to accommodate what she already had. These tasty calzones are stuffed with turkey, mushroom and lots of cheese! What’s not to love! This recipe is quite versatile and will easily work with whatever you prefer or have on hand."

Thank you Best Choice!

I know a lot of people who save box tops and UPCs for their schools, but hadn't considered doing it myself since my little guy is only 9 months old. One of our new case managers here at Hillcrest informed me yesterday, however, that Best Choice has a program that will benefit any non-profit group!

The Save-A-Label program offers $.03 per UPC saved from Best Choice foods to any non-profit who wants to participate. The requirements are that you have to send in at least 1000 ($30 worth) at a time, and they expire after a year, so you've gotta be able to save those up quickly. I think it would be difficult for most families to save up 1000 upcs by themselves, but in a group it wouldn't be so bad. The case manager I mentioned "dumpster dives" in her neighbor's recycle bins for hers (yes, they give her permission)!!!

I am going to begin collecting them on behalf of our branch of Hillcrest Ministries and see how it goes. You should consider contacting your favorite non-profit to find out if anyone is collecting them and maybe organize a collection if not. And of course, if you are looking for somewhere to send yours and want to help us out, leave a comment or shoot me an email at eatfromyourpantry (at) gmail (dot) com!!

Pumpkin Hummus

When I saw (this post) on Appetite for China, I knew I *needed* to try pumpkin hummus. I *love* hummus and I *love* pumpkin. Her recipe sounds amazing, as does the alternate version that I found (here) on La Fuji Mama. Both are pretty darn pantry friendly, but I didn't have any tahini on hand because I had purchased a few boxes of the Fantastic World Foods Hummus mix when they were on sale.

So, I wondered to myself, could I really pull off just adding a can of pumpkin to the mix and calling it pumpkin hummus??? I started with the hummus mixed as directed and added half a can on pumpkin. The texture didn't change and the taste was barely descernable. I added a little more, and then some more, and ended up adding the whole can. What the heck? You could taste the pumpkin, but it was very mild! I added a few generous dashes of pumpkin spice to bring out the pumpkin flavor and had it on a whole wheat bagel from Panera. *yum*

So, not really a genuine recipe, and I'm sure not nearly as good as making it from scratch (especially if you used pureed fresh pumpkin), but just so you all know - You CAN mix canned pumpkin and a box of hummus mix and STILL EAT IT! :) We ate it with all of the things we usually eat hummus with, and got in a good dose of Vitamin A! :)


I'm sure I'll end up posting more pumpkin recipes throughout the season, as it seriously is one of my favorite foods, but in the meantime, check out this awesome list at Sugared Ellipses.

Vote!

And then go get free stuff!!!! Money Saving Mom has a good list, and others have left comments on her post with other deals. Check it out!