Batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 weeks.

I’ve had two sick kids this week, and this easy to make recipe is a life saver for times like these.

1 bag (25 oz) frozen Italian style sausage filled ravioli, thawed
1/2 cup pepperoni slices
1 jar roasted tomato and garlic pasta sauce
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Heat over to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except cheese and Italian seasoning. Put into a 8 inch square (2qt) glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake 40 - 50 minutes until heated and bubbly.

For easier cleanup, use paper cupcake liners in your muffin pans.  Coat the liners with cooking spray, so that the muffins don’t stick to the paper.

Sunflower seeds should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.  They can be refrigerated for up to 6 months and frozen up to a year.

Quick bread dough needs to be handled gently.  Too  much handling or mixing makes the bread tough and hard.

A pastry blender is best to cut shortening into flour.  It breaks the shortening into small pieces which produces a tender, flaky bread.

Since my contests on here have been such a big hit, what better thing to do than send out custom Gift Cards as a prize? I could easily add a picture like this:

(Yes, that is Madison in all her kitchen garb!)

Who can make this all possible? Visa’s Gift Card Lab! I know I hate giving gift cards as gifts, because they have no personality to them. However, when you are able to personalize them, you give them life and memories to them. You may see a personalized gift card giveaway in the near future!

For fresh lemon zest, use a citrus zester, paring knife, or vegetable peeler to scrape across the surface of a lemon.  Only the colored portion of the peel is considered the zest.

If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you can cheat.  Instead, use 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp each ground ginger and cloves.

Overmixing muffin batter can cause “tunnels” and pointed tops.  You should mix until the dry ingredients are moistened.