Have you ever eaten Stuffed Italian Bread before? It’s almost a fusion of cheesy garlic bread and pull apart bread. I love how you can add whatever ingredients you’d like to truly make it special for your family. I decided to turn it into a Pizza-Stuffed Italian Bread for mine, because my kids adore pizza (and I truly love making our own), but because I really wanted this dinner/appetizer to sing using Carbonelli Olive Oil. The result is one of the most glorious, most appetizing dishes you’ve ever seen, it’s almost too pretty to eat.

Stuffed Italian Bread with Pizza

Stuffed Italian Bread with Pizza

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

This pizza-stuffed, italian pull apart bread is chock-full of taste and awesomeness that you simply won’t believe until you try it!

Author: Lisa Douglas – CrazyAdventuresinParenting.com

Recipe type: appetizer, dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of Italian or French bread (I know, how could you use French bread? But you can. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.)
• ½ cup Carbonelli olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp butter
• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 package of sliced pepperoni
• 1 lb of ground sausage, cooked and crumbled.
• 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese
• tomato sauce for dipping (optional)

Tools needed:

• Large pan (turkey pan, perhaps?)
• Tin foil
• Cooking spray
• Basting brush

Instructions

1. Using a bread knife (or any serrated knife available), slice gently on the diagonal, in one direction, being careful not to slice all the way to the bottom, then criss-crossing in the opposite direction, creating an X pattern.
   
2. Spread out a large piece of tin foil, sprayed with cooking spray, and place the bread on it, ensuring the foil is large enough to fit underneath it and close. (You might need two pieces.) Place the tin foil and bread into the baking pan you will be using.
   
3. If you haven’t already, prepare your sausage and cut up your pepperoni; set aside.
   
4. Melt the butter, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the melted butter, olive oil, seasonings, garlic, and mustard together.
   
5. Using a small basting brush, baste the seasoned olive oil mixture into every crevice of the bread, making sure every interior surface has been coated. (It is okay to get it on the crust, too.)
   
6. Start stuffing the bread, first with sausage, then with pepperoni.
   
7. Finally stuff the bread with both cheeses.
   
8. Sprinkle the top with a little more Parmesan.
   
9. Spray more cooking spray onto the foil before wrapping the foil closed, so the bread won’t stick, then close the foil, forming a pouch.
   
10. Place into the oven for 15-20 minutes; remove the foil from the top and place back into the oven for 5-10 minutes to brown.
    
11. Remove from foil and place onto a platter to serve.
    
12. You can use a bread knife to cut off sections to serve, or have folks pick up one square at a time if they choose.

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The most incredible thing about this stuffed italian bread is that you don’t have to use pizza toppings if you don’t want to (or even the toppings I used), you can stuff it with anything! Cheddar and broccoli stuffed italian bread? BLT stuffed italian bread? What about ham and swiss? Or, what about a breakfast stuffed italian bread? OMG! Can you imagine? Yum!!

I promise you, this stuffed italian bread is MAGICAL. It even tastes fantastic as leftovers straight from the fridge the next day without even heating!

The cheese, the filling, the herbs, GAH! It’s simply a SHOWSTOPPER, isn’t it? Music for your mouth.

For more daringly bold and fun recipes like this one, visit DareToCarbonell.com, where you can experience the three different and bold worlds of Carbonell Olive Oil. You can find more daring blogger-created Carbonell recipes like mine here as well.

What about you? What daring recipe would YOU make using Carbonell olive oil? Do you think this recipe is something your family might enjoy?

Also, be sure to check out my recipe index, which is my virtual recipe box of everything I’ve created. Some more fun pizza themed recipes include my popular Easy Pizza Bread recipe, Pizza Stuffed Burgers, and Pizza Pasta.

The post Stuffed Italian Bread Recipe {with Pizza Toppings} appeared first on Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

The park is just one of those things that screams FUN, no matter how young or old you are. We find children of all ages there all the time, it does not discriminate, which is why we try to go there often. Even if it isn’t the biggest park imaginable, you can make it something extraordinary by playing games!

My daughter, above, shows how she balance with her hands crossed. One of the games we played was who could balance the longest.

We also do relay races, and “obstacle course,” where the kids traverse from one part of the park to the other, climbing the nets, doing the monkey bars, slides, etc., all to get to the end the “fastest” and beat their previous times.

Like I said, the park is itself fun, but what you DO at the park can truly make it magical. We love to picnic at the park, too.

What about you? Is there a favorite park that you go to with your kids? What do you do there?

The post Fun Things To Do with Kids During Summer Vacation – Playdate at the Park #daysofsummer appeared first on Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

Gone are the days we had to limbo under our parents’ gigantically large phone cord in the kitchen to get to the fridge. Remember those phones? How heavy and clunky the handset was, with a cord that weighed five pounds that could stretch from one end of the kitchen to the other, so your mom could cook, talk, and wash dishes at the same time? In a way, I really miss those limbo-under-the-phone-cord days, listening to my mom yammer on to my grandma about her day, or gripe about which one of us didn’t pick-up for the forty-kajillionth time (oh wait, those are my conversations with my mother, oops). One thing is for certain – cordless phones are where it’s at now, and having a smart one in-house can be quite helpful for the multitasking mom.

While the phone technologies have changed, our busy-ness hasn’t. In fact, if your calendar looks anything like mine, anything that can help you navigate the home-waters any easier would be welcomed warmly, am I right?

That’s why I’m really digging this VTech CS6859 Cordless Answering System. Can’t find the handset? No problem! The base shows me who’s calling, and I can answer it and talk on the base’s speakerphone right from my kitchen. It’s like they read my mind and realize how often that ding-dang handsets go missing. I LOVE THIS THING!

I’m also enjoying the $6+ bucks it saves me on voicemail charges a month, since it has a digital answering system. So what, I won’t get messages when the power’s out, NBD. If my power’s out, I’m a little more concerned about the food in my fridge spoiling than I am about a missed call (and they can call back, anyway). Besides, I check my voicemail way more frequently now with this thing than I ever did having to call in to get it. (Why is that? Does that happen to you, too?)

I also really dig the backlit feature. The screen doesn’t just illuminate, but the keys do, too. Helpful when the lights are out at naptime, or at night, and you need to make a call. The lights are bright enough to see, but not too bright enough to wake the house up if your sleepy one is close by.

Speaking of sleepy naptime, the quiet mode on this thing is pretty easy to use and very convenient for parents of small children, such as myself. Being able to silence the phone’s ringer for some peace and quiet when I’ve finally gotten her down is a VERY GOOD THING TO HAVE. Ahem.

Here’s more information about my favorite features, and some additional ones that might interest you:
• The Digital Answering System has up to 14 minutes of recording time, answering calls when you can’t (like a SECOND PAIR OF HANDS! Woot!)
• The Caller ID/Call Waiting stores 50 calls. The handset displays the name, number, time and date of incoming calls (because I’m forgetful like that, this is cool)
• Full Duplex Handset and Base Speakerphones, yeah baby! Enjoy a speakerphone that can keep up with your calls. Increase participation by allowing both ends to speak—and be heard—at the same time for conversations that are more true to life. (Um, VTech? I think I love you.)
• The entire keypad illuminates along with the LCD screen, allowing for easier viewing in dim light. (Phone good.)
• The ECO Mode power-conserving technology manages consumption for optimal battery performance. (Yesss! No more battery dying so soon!)
• Quiet Mode (is straight from God, I swear) allows you to silence the ringer on the handset and base unit immediately, or for an extended period of time. (Bless it.)
• Expandable up to 5 handsets with only one phone jack (DUDE! It’s like they built this for big families like ours!)
• Intercom between handsets (Holy hell in a handbasket, I can summon my children from downstairs. No more screaming at the top of my lungs. I need to hide a handset next to their face in the mornings, and talk like Darth Vader. Who needs an alarm?)

Win It!

Would you big puffy heart lovelovelove an opportunity to own one of these fantastically awesome phones for yourself? I’m giving one away to a lucky reader! To enter, tell me which of the features of the VTech CS6859 Cordless Answering System you’re most excited about! Leave a comment for every feature (yes, you can enter more than once!) For additional entries, share this giveaway, and leave a link with your share!

Entrants 18+ US only please. Winner will be chosen via Random.org. Contest ends June 28th at 10pm CST. Good luck!

The post VTech Cordless Speakerphone Awesomeness for Busy Families #VTechHubOfHome appeared first on Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

(Here was my baby’s chicken taco plate)

But with all that chicken slow cookin’, I knew I was preparing so much there’d be a ton leftover (and there was). I knew I could definitely put it to good use for lunches with the kids home. Sure enough, the next day I took out the chicken container, brainstormed a bit and came up with the awesomest chicken salad I’ve ever had IN MY LIFE!

Behold, friends. My awesome, tasty, and QUICK Shredded Taco Chicken Salad Wraps. Ohhhh yeahhhhhh…

Shredded Taco Chicken Salad Wraps

Shredded Taco Chicken Salad Wraps

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Like eating chicken salad? Try this fun variation using leftover shredded taco-seasoned chicken mixed together these wonderful, flavorful ingredients for a different spin on the old favorite.

Author: Lisa Douglas – CrazyAdventuresinParenting.com

Recipe type: Lunch (or Dinner)

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 3-4 flour tortillas
• ½ cup shredded taco-seasoned chicken, already prepared and cooled
• 1 heaping tbsp shredded cheese
• 1 heaping tbsp cream cheese (whipped is best)
• 1 heaping tbsp black beans
• 1 heaping tbsp kernel corn (already cooked)
• 1 tsp jalapenos (to taste, can be more or less)
• 1 heaping tbsp rice, cooked (optional)
• Optional additions – avocado, green onions, fresh cilantro, crumbled bacon, pico de gallo or salsa

Instructions

1. Lay your tortillas on a plate while mixing all remaining ingredients in a bowl.
2. Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture into the tortillas and roll.
3. Squeeze tortillas gently so mixture goes end-to-end.
4. Serve cold (as you would a chicken salad sandwich).

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That’s really all there is to it!

I made this recipe as a quickie recipe for one or two (you can make, roll, and store in a baggie or container for quick grabbing later), but this easily could be made into a full meal for more. I imagine this could also be served over top a salad, too! (Perhaps crumble a few tortilla chips over top, too?)

What do you think? Are you a fan of chicken salad? What do you think of creating a chicken salad with taco flair?

The post Shredded Taco Chicken Salad Wraps appeared first on Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

First, that lovely wooden owl figurine is pink and adorable and perfect, don’t you think? I found it at HEB before Mother’s Day, and immediately had to get it for her.

I snapped a wonderful shot of the teacher and my daughter at the awards ceremony recently, and I knew the second I saw it that I had to give it to her in some way.

I framed it here, but, since it was created on scrapbooking paper, if she wanted to add it to a scrapbook she already had made, that would work, too.

The owl always love you printables came from here. I printed the candy wrapper and put it on some fair-trade chocolate squares for her. These printables were my daughter’s valentine’s for her class back in February, and I kept these saved so I could use them for other occasions (like this one). Lovelovelove the sentiment, don’t you? We printed out a few more of these to drop in the bag, attach to the gift card inside the card I gave her (a Visa card, so she could use it anywhere), etc.

Tip: Fold the envelope in before you place the card in, so it’s easier for the teacher (with twenty-something students) to open each card to read, whether in class or at home. Especially if your teacher is the emotional type, how helpful could this be? (And how many paper cuts do you think teachers already have, y’know?)

Lastly, I included an owl from Little Sidekick from Etsy. I couldn’t resist giving her an owl like ours, so now we could match. (We gave her a blue one similar to the one below.)

Do you have a child in an “Owl Class” too? Or do you just have a teacher that loves owls? What are YOUR favorite owl themed crafts or places to shop?

The post Fun Owl Themed Teacher Gifts appeared first on Crazy Adventures in Parenting.