Small Bits

If your in the Huntsville Alabama area my church, Valley Fellowship, is having a picnic this Sunday and everyone is welcome! Service starts at 10am and the picnic is immediately afterword. 3616 Holmes Avenue NW, 35816. It's like potluck but we make sure enough meat is available: pulled pork, burgers, hotdogs...

I received my second 99 score from the health department! They just can't give me that last point! LOL! So far we have stayed 95 and above. I am NOT complaining!

Here's a picture of the small kids (preschool) lunch below. It's an Italian flat-bread sandwich with salami, pepperoni, ham, herb infuse extra virgin olive oil, and I bake the bread myself...But really it's probably the chips and cookie that sells it! We put it in a small to-go container because they feed them in the class room instead of trying to get them all in the cafeteria. Smart thinking. 

Pizza, Aluminum Foil, and Parchment Paper

📌 Originally posted August 2013 · Updated & expanded 2026 — This post still gets a ton of traffic, so I figured it was time to give it the full treatment it deserves.

Pizza, Aluminum Foil, and Parchment Paper

What I've Learned After All These Years

Let me set the scene. It's a Saturday night, I'm ready to make pizza, I go to grab the parchment paper — and it's gone. Not a single sheet left in the house.

Now at this point I've got dough rested, sauce made, toppings ready to go. I'm not stopping. So I did what any committed home pizza cook does: I improvised. I grabbed the aluminum foil and figured we'd see what happened.

That one Saturday night turned into one of the most-visited posts on this entire blog, which honestly still surprises me. But I get it — because the parchment vs. foil question comes up every time someone starts getting serious about homemade pizza. So let me give you the full picture, not just the original experiment.

Saturday night pizza — the experiment that started it all

Oven Potatoes or Hash Browns?

Really the 'hash browns' I am talking about are the kind you get at chick-fil-a. Round and flatter than a tator-tot these hash browns complete a breakfast plate we offer for lunch at VFCA. The picture is an elementary grade plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuit, and sausage gravy!

Today I decided to use real potatoes to do some oven 'fried' potatoes to go with breakfast for lunch. I have some tough critics! They wanted the processed hash browns more than the potatoes! I said, 'Look, these are REAL potatoes!'. Unfortunately they were not impressed...Sigh.

It reminds me of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution where the kids could not identify a real potato but they knew a crinkle cut fry was a 'potato'.

Marshmallow Crispy Rice Treats

I wanted to make crispy rice treats using up some odd and end pantry supplies but I had things to do! So I was thinking...how can I get these treats made without having to keep a steady eye on them?

Why not use the chafing dish warmer on high? Melt a little butter, add the marshmallows, slowly stir into a smooth creamy mess of melted marshmallow and then add the crispies...since the warmer works like a double boiler or baine-marie the temperature is around  boiling or 212* Fahrenheit.  I even put a lid on the pan and when I got busy an came back to it later. 

I used a standard recipe x2 which yielded a half-sheet pan of crispy treats. 

6Tb of butter (3oz)

20oz of small marshmallows (two 10oz bags from grocery store - about 4 cups)

12 Cups of crispy rice cereal (3 quarts)

Melt the butter down, add marshmallows, melt/stir till smooth (you can take your time on this part), fold in crispy rice cereal, use non-stick food spray to cover half-sheet pan and then smash down mixture to fill in the shape of the pan. Probably will also need to spray hands to keep mixture from sticking to them. If needed, spray the bottom of another pan and put on top to smash down evenly. 

Tytus 1st movie @ theater!

I took Tytus to see the movie "Planes" by Disney. Along the same lines as "Cars" which he loved!

I was still surprised at how many previews ran before the movie! (5 or 6) Next time I think I would show up about 10 or 15 minutes past starting time and it would be about right.

Tytus is 3 and he did well! There was a point in the movie where I thought he was not going to make it but then the excitement of the race towards the finish captured his attention once more and reeled him in till the end!

Bring something to drink and plenty of snacks if your child eats like mine! And a small jacket or long sleeve shirt, the theater gets cold for small kids and old people! (Yes, I brought a hoodie) LOL I brought a small backpack to store all the 'possibilities'. Coats, snacks, pull-up, water...

Oh, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and had an excellent time just father and son!

* Tip - sit far enough back so your child can see everything on the screen without hurting his neck or making him dizzy trying to keep up with the action. 

Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil?

Now available at our local Sam's Club! Hmmm, it's interesting the things they decide to carry. This is used as a substitute to butter, a moisturizer, and it makes an incredible soap (mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil)!

Strawberries & Peanut Butter Granola

Found a new flavor combo I like! Yeah, yeah, I know some of you out there will probably say "that ain't new!". LOL!

Those of you who may not know, my wife can hold her own when it comes to cooking. And her specialties are usually along the dessert line. She also makes a chewy peanut butter granola that's pretty brilliant! She toasts the oats In the oven then uses honey (local is probably best), natural peanut butter (and perhaps a smidgen of butter) pinch of salt, and brings it to boil on the stove top then mixes in the toasted oats...ah yeah, that's delicious. I may have left out an ingredient or step, but you get the gist. 

Tonight after dinner I was thinking about something sweet and knew we had strawberries because the boys eat them like candy. I put a little bit of that peanut butter granola on top and right away after tasting it I knew it was going to be a favorite of mine. 

Now I am just thinking about how to incorporate them together like a one bite dessert/snack. Maybe chocolate dipped?

Watermelon Fun!

Super Cool presentation idea! ~ I'll use this one!

Cute Cars

Good idea. Teddy Graham cars made with small candy bars, M&Ms, Teddy Graham's, and a little melted chocolate.

Chafing Dishes

I need about four of these for both school and church events. My electric ones keep blowing the circuit everywhere, EXCEPT in kitchen. 

Pros- indoor/outdoor. Position anywhere. 

Cons- storing them. Fuel/sterno use...potential hazard because of 'fire'. 

Pros outweigh the Cons. Budget for them. Cost saving purchase.

Back 2 Work...

It's that time again...school is cranking back up for everyone! After a hot and sweaty summer working for a former employer in the beverage industry I am now back in the kitchen!

This will be our second year with a school lunch program and I am pretty excited that we started the year with a kitchen that is already open! In honor of a 'return to business as usual' I had my chef jackets sealed with the schools emblem. Its time to make things permanent, settle in, and get ready for the coming year!

Probably not the best picture, but you see it...our school colors are green and gold...and yes, that is an "old school" thermometer. Feel free to purchase and/or donate a Thermapen or TWO for the kitchen (or even some mini's ~ they travel better in the pockets), I will not turn it down!