Sunday, July 28, 2013

The Calm Before the Storm...

First off...12 DAYS UNTIL WE CLOSE!!!  This weekend is our last weekend in quite some time that both Joe and I are in town and don't have a whole lot planned.  We did get our mortgage approval Friday afternoon so we had reason to celebrate and relax for the evening without stressing if we would get the approval or not (although we weren't worried about it but you never know!)  Because of that, we were excited about relaxing and not doing too much work :)  Friday was one of Joe's friend's brithdays, so we knew that we would be celebrating that evening.  We headed up to Kennesaw where we would be spending the evening hanging out with friends and enjoying food and drinks.  For Andy's birthday, I had made cupcakes to share.  I made chocolate cupcakes with cookie dough in the middle because I knew that he loved chocolate chip cookie dough.  Below is the recipe and they turned out amazing!



Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Dough
1 ½ cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Cake
2 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbs butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cup milk

Icing
1 cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tbs. milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
For dough portion mix flour, baking soda, and sea salt.  Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl.  Mix flour mixture into liquid mixture gradually.  Add chocolate chips and mix well.  Form dough into balls and freeze for 2 hours.
For cupcake, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt.  In another bowl, cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg and vanilla then flour mixture.  Fill ¼ of the muffin cup with dough the drop cookie dough ball into cup.  Fill the rest of the cup with dough.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.
For icing, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk until creamy.  Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  Beat in the flour and salt. Beat in the milk a tablespoon at a time then vanilla until desired spreading consistency is achieved. Frost cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcake with Cookie Dough Center and Buttercream Icing

It was so great seeing everyone and it was a relaxing and fun evening!

The Girls!!!


So tough :)

Birthday Boy!!!
:)
Saturday we had planned on shooting the Hooch so there was no turning back after we decided we would do it.  We knew the weather wasn't supposed to be ideal but we were determined to go, especially since I had not gone all summer due to the incredible amount of rain we have had in Atlanta this summer!  To say the least, it wasn't a pleasant experience but we survived!!!  We dropped in at about 3 since there were many delays by a lot of the floating group.  We forgot to turn off the stove so turned around about 3/4 of the way to the river and Andy's car wouldn't start after stopping at the store.  So, with a much delayed start, we finally got in and the water was ICE COLD!  No exaggeration, it was the coldest I have ever felt it.  That being said, we did have one thing going for us, IT DIDN'T RAIN!!!  After floating the Hooch and getting home, it was time to warm up.  Although we had intentions of going out, that never happened because the bed was just so comfortable.
Blowing up Floats!!

Sunday was a relaxing day.  Joe and I got up and started packing since we will be moving in 12 days (By Joe and I, really I mean Joe).  Then we headed to the North Point Mall area because we are in dire need of new sheets (Rox has put holes in the current ones) and we decided we should get some for our new fancy home.  We did some shopping and walked away with a new comforter set that both Joe and I could agree on (much harder than you think!!!) and a bird cage for cards at our wedding :)  Once we got home I worked out and then it was time to head to Joe's parents house for and amazing fish dinner that they had cooked with fish brought back from their beach vacation!  Tomorrow morning will be here before we know it as I head to Texas on a 7:30 flight!!!  Happy week to everyone :) :) :)

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Jana and Ana are in the USA :)

So this weekend (and week) has been a very much awaited week.  One of my cousins that I am closest to was finally making the trip to the USA after promising me to do so for soooo many years!  She brought her roommate Ana along with her who I had met before so I was incredibly excited to see them! They had asked to see Charleston and Savannah, so it was the perfect opportunity for the family to take a mini vacation :)  Since the drive to Charleston from Atlanta is the same if you go directly there or through Greenville, I decided to hit the road after Joe and my date night Friday night and drive up to Greenville so that I would have company on the remainder of the drive.

Saturday:
Bright and early Saturday morning we hit the road and headed to Charleston, SC!  We got there right around 11 AM so we instantly hit the beach (Folly Beach).  It was super exciting to take Jana and Ana to Folly because they had never been to a natural sand beach.  Anyone that has been to a European beach knows that where Slovenia is, there are only rock beaches.  They have some sand beaches but they are all imported sand.  I have to say that I think they loved it!  Although it rained at the beginning of our beach day, it cleared up about 30 minutes into it and we enjoyed a couple hours on the beach.  After getting enough sun, salt, and sand, we headed to downtown Charleston to eat lunch.  We went to our standard lunch place, A.W. Shucks, to enjoy some wonderful seafood!  I had a mahi-mahi salad and some She Crab Soup while everyone else enjoyed other seafood meals!  After lunch we were all so full so it was time to walk off our meal.  We walked through the marked, down Rainbow Row, to the battery, on the pier, and explored all of Charleston.  After we were worn out we got in the car and drove over the Cooper River Bridge before heading back to the hotel.  After a solid 2 hour nap it was time to go out!!!!



Family Photo


Rainbow Row

 It was incredibly crazy that Andy and Meredith as well as Lauren were in Charleston at the same time we were.  Since Jana and Ana won't be going out too much while in the US we decided this was the perfect time to try to meet up with them.  We met up with Andy and Meredith at Wet Willies where they enjoyed slushy drinks that are very "American" and then we headed to a rooftop bar that was super awesome!  You looked out on the Cooper River Bridge and the bar had a pool, DJ, dance floor, and obviously drinks!  After shutting down the bar and hanging out outside of the bar, it was finally time to head home.  As a side note, I cannot wait until the day that Meredith moves to the good old ATL.  But for now, I can't wait to see her next weekend for the 3rd weekend in a row!!!
Wet Willies Slushies!!!


Roof Top Bar
All the Girls!!!!!

Sunday:
Sunday started with the family going to church at a small super cute church in Charleston.  After church we checked out of the hotel and headed to the beach to eat a breakfast picnic (well more Brunch).  After breakfast we relaxed on the beach before getting scared off by rain!  Luckily, we decided to wait it out in the car because the rain only lasted 5 minutes.  After the rain ended we took a long walk on the beach before heading to lunch.  Lunch today was at Rita's Seafood Restaurant.  They had great reviews and even at 2 they were super crowded.  After waiting a bit (and the girls going shopping at the surf shops) we sat down to eat.  I had some shrimp quesadillas and a salad that were all super tasty.  Once again, I ate way too much so I walked back to where my family was hitting the beach again for a bit.  After another hour or so on the beach we hit the road for Savannah.  Since we had a huge late lunch, we opted out of dinner once we we got to Savannah and went for desert.  We went to Leopold's Ice Cream which had rave reviews and we all had amazing ice cream.  I must say I am not a banana flavor fan but Jana got banana and it was super yummy!  I got peanut butter chocolate chip which was one of the most amazing ice creams I have had and we are definitely going back tomorrow :)  After that, we headed back to the hotel where they were super awesome and upgraded us to a suite because Jana and Ana had to get the best experience of their lives while in America (or so the front desk lady said) and we relaxed for the rest of the evening.


Monday:
Monday was our day to spend in Savannah .  I had only been there once before and I didn't know much about the city but I was up for the challenge.  We woke up and got a workout in and then had breakfast before heading out to explore.  Savannah is just such a beautiful city that I could seriously walk around and look at the beautiful trees and buildings all day.  We saw a lot of the landmarks in Savannah that morning then it was lunch time.  We ate at Bernies River Street which was a suggestion made by Joe.  We had oysters, crab cakes, shrimp salads, and hush puppies and they were all amazing! I would definitely want to go back and eat there next time I was in Savannah.  After that we walked down the Savannah River and did some shopping.  I bought Joe some fudge from the chocolate factory since that was the first gift I ever brought him when we started dating :)  Then it was time for ice cream one more time before heading back to Atlanta!  Although I tried a couple of different flavors, I was stuck on the peanutbutter chippy flavor and got that again.  We had perfect timing getting back to the car because it started raining the second we got in the car!
Ice Cream!  So good there is a line out the door :)




Love the Spanish Moss!
 Once we got back to Atlanta, Jana and Ana had made some suggestions for "American Deserts" that they wanted to try.  I will post the recipes later, but we ended up making amazing Apple Pie and Cookies and Cream Rice Crispies which are quite possibly the easiest desert you will ever make in your life!  After that we headed to Joe's parents house to sleep since the AC was broken once again in our house.  After the drive to Joe's parents house it was time to try on my wedding dress for my cousin (it still fit!!!) and I fell in love with the dress all over again :)  After that, it was time to go to bed because we had a crazy day ahead of us!

Tuesday:
Today was going to be the most touristy day for us.  I know Atlanta fairly well so it was much easier playing tour guide in Atlanta than Savannah.  We woke up and headed to Biscuits and More for some Bacon Egg and Cheese biscuits and cheese grits so they got a taste of what real southern breakfasts were like!  From there it was time to head into the city.  Our first stop was the coke museum where we explored all of the rooms and learned about the history of Coke.  At the end they have a tasting room where you can try 60+ different cokes from around the world.  I am not a big soda person but I tried a couple which were actually pretty good!!!  After getting our fill of sugar, it was time for our next stop!

World of Coke!



The next stop was the Georgia Aquarium since it is such a monumental piece of Atlanta.  As anyone knows that has already been, the aquarium is huge.  We had a reservation to watch the Dolphin Tails about 2 and a half hours after we got there so it was perfect time to explore all of the displays.  I had been to the aquarium before but when I last went the penguins weren't on display so that is what I was most excited about!  We even got some time to get gifts from the gift shop before the dolphin show.  The dolphin show was new to me and I had never seen it and it is an amazing show!  It makes me want to swim with dolphins even more (someday)! After the show it was time to head to our next destination!




After the dolphin show we walked around Olympic park and saw the Olympic ring water fountain.  From there we walked to the Hard Rock Cafe so that Ana could buy a Hard Rock shirt!  After that, it was time to leave the downtown area and take them to lunch.




Lunch, of course was at the Varsity which is an Atlanta must weather you like fast food or not.  After lunch we explored Tech's campus a bit.  They saw all of the athletic facilities since that was such a huge part of my life and loved seeing the pool! They were very impressed with the campus and loved the layout and all of the buildings!


Sac Field is gone :(

After that it was time to show them my new future home.  We went by our new town house so they could see where Joe and I would be moving before heading home.  Once we got home it was dinner time (and we hate the whole tray of rice crispies) and then we relaxed for the rest of the evening since we had been up and at it since early in the morning!

Wednesday:
Today was the last day that I had to spend with Jana and Ana.  We woke up in the morning and made chocolate chip waffles (another very American thing) before heading to Stone Mountain to hike.  It was overcast so you couldn't see the amazing view but you could still see the Atlanta skyline!  After the hike we went home and made peach pie (we finished the apple pie the day before) with peaches that they picked earlier that week with my parents and had lunch!  After lunch it was time to go shopping!!!!  We headed up to the outlets and went shopping which was obviously super fun and I always spend way too much money.  My parents met me at the outlets to pick them up and take them back up to Greenville.  It was so sad seeing them go because we had such a good time, but they have so much more to see in the US before heading back in about a week!
Stone Mountain!


















I am incredibly blessed to be so close with Jana even though she lives so far away!  We have been lucky to see each other about once a year and I hope to continue that as we grow older.  That wraps up their trip, so now it is time to get back to work :)

Pies and Rice Crispies!!! Because they are American :)

This past week I had my cousin and friend in town from Europe so it was all about doing the most "American" things possible.  So, as we were shopping in Savannah they requested to make rice crispy treats and pies.  With that, I asked Joe to get some ingredients so we could bake once we got back.

I am a big fan of rice crispies and making them "unique" in one way or another.  I normally do peanut butter and chocolate but I changed it up this time.  I made cookies and cream rice crispies that turned out amazing!  You don't have to follow this recipe completely because quite honestly you can't really mess them up!

Cookies and Cream Rice Crispy

Ingredients:
6 cups Rice Crispie
1 bag marshmallows
25 oreos
3 king size Hershey's cookies and cream bars

Directions:
Crush up the Oreos.  Dice up the cookies and cream bars until it is crumbled.  Melt the marshmallows either in the microwave or on the stove top.  Mix all ingredients together.  In a casserole dish of your choice, spray with butter cooking spray then spread the mixture into glass dish. Place in fridge until it is cooled then cut up and serve!  Really it is that easy :)
yummmmmmmy :)
Apple Pie
Ingredients
1 pie crust
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salr
8 cups thinly sliced and peeled apples
2 tbsp butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 425F.  In a buttered 9 inch pan, roll out the bottom of the pie crust and press firmly into side of bowl.  In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.  Unroll the second pie crust on top of the apples.  Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired.
 
Apple Pie!!!


Peach Pie
Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) package pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 egg, beaten
5 cups sliced peeled peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter


Direction
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).  Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.  Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam. 

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. This tastes better warm than hot.
 
Peach Pie!!!!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

The Home is Ours!!!! (Almost)

So this week was a fun filled week and I won't get into the weekend quite yet (it will continue for the next three days :) ) but I wanted to recap the week so that I don't get too far behind.  Since the last time I blogged, we have made progress not only in our home buying process, but also in the wedding!  First, for the wedding...

Weddding planning will soon be put on hold when we have to close on the house, move, get situated, decorate, etc. but we knew we had to start thinking about save the dates.  There are always a few things that you get stuck on when it comes to weddings, no matter how much you think about budgets and making "smart" decisions of where to spend the money.  Save the Dates was one thing that Joe really wanted to do, and he knew exactly what he wanted!  There was no getting out of doing magnets for Save the Dates.  The main reason he loves magnets is because we still have all of the weddings we have gone to post college on our fridge!  There are so many great memories at all of the weddings that we just don't want to get rid of them.  We know a lot of our friends do the same thing (honestly who clears there fridge that often anyways) so it was a must for Joe!  We looked at a lot of magnet websites to get ideas of what we wanted, but after shopping around we realized that Vista Print was definitely the least expensive option.  The catch to Vista Print is that you have to design your own.  Since I do love working with pictures and design (I did take quite a few yearbook/art classes in high school)  I decided I might as well take on the task.  If they turn out terrible it isn't too much time lost!  So, this week I tasked myself to make them.  Tuesday evening as Joe was working I finally sat down and designed them and got them ordered (well the samples were ordered)!  I have to trust Joe since I have not seen them but he said they turned out well :)  So with that, we will make some minor changes before ordering the final version.  The next task is to get addresses and we are well on our way :)  So with that, we quickly marked one more thing off the list!

The other exciting/stressful moment of the week was our home appraisal.  We had already done everything else for the house but gotten the bank appraisal.  If the house didn't appraise, we were out of luck unless the home owners wanted to drop the price.  We knew that it would be close looking at comps (well Joe looked at them and I just nod my head) so we were very anxious to get it done.  On Wednesday, the appraisal was done, so we hoped that we would get an answer at the end of the week.  Friday morning we got word that we would hear shortly, but come 5 o'clock we didn't have an answer.  Joe and I had planned date night at Bistro Niko earlier in the week so we were meeting there for dinner before I hit the road to Greenville for my mini-vacation.  On the drive Joe received an email that our home had appraised!!! **sort of** We had initially offered 100$ over asking so that when it came down to it if the other person that had put an offer on the house came in at list we would win out.  When we got our appraisal back, it appraised for asking price (100 dollars less than our offer).  Although that was not a huge deal and we could just bring $100 more to closing we decided to ask the home owners to reduce our offer back to asking (I mean who doesn't want to save $100 even if it is very small compared to the price of the house!)  Interestingly enough, the home owners agreed, so at date night we had quite the celebration!
My favorite room of our new home :) Love Cooking!!!

Bistro Niko was a great date and I would definitely suggest it to anyone. Joe and I had way too much food to eat and ate cheese puffs (super fancy ones), duck breast, lamb sandwich, and grilled tomato something or another and everything was amazing!  After our mini celebration/date night that was perfectly timed, I hit the road to drive up to Greenville to meet up with my cousin that flew in all the way from SLOVENIA to see the USA for the first time!!! More of this trip to come, but it's not over yet and I am looking forward to taking some vacation days the first half of the week and spend some time with her and her friend, Ana.

Last shout out before I go, congrats to my amazingly beautiful cousin Marija for her first baby girl!!!! Born this Wednesday at 8:10 AM :) :) :)  Cannot wait to meet little baby Ana some day (hopefully soon!)

Friday, July 19, 2013

Time Comsuming But Totally Worth The Effort Meals!

This week we went through my recipe book that I keep and picked meals from there that were our favorites.  Right now, a lot of my kitchen stuff is boxed up while we wait to move to our new home, so I try to make simple quick meals.  This time around, I really wanted to stick to the more time consuming meals!  Most of them are not complicated at all, but they have an added step like making the dough, allowing something to cook or sit for hours, etc.  I only did two meals this week since I had a work dinner one day, and date night tonight :)

One of Joe's and my all time favorite meals is Greek Pizza!  It is so good and healthy for you that we love to make it!  You don't have to make the dough from scratch and that makes it a much easier and very quick meal to make, but I love making my own pizza dough so it takes a bit longer!  Luckily, my bread machine has a dough setting so I just throw the ingredients in there and it is done in a couple hours without much effort from me!  Below is the recipe.

The other meal we did was home made Manicotti.  I'm not sure if this is the traditional way manicotti was made, but this is a unique recipe because instead of using the store bought noodles, you use crepe type pancakes to wrap up the stuffing.  I like this recipe much better because it is mainly eggs making it less carb loaded like most pasta dishes but it is also incredibly yummy! That being said,  the crepes take a long time to make and the mixture must sit for an hour before you make the crepes so it does take a long time. I tend to do this the night before to speed up the process.  The sauce also takes a long time because you have to wait for the water to evaporate but if the temperature is turned low enough it is simple to just leave it on the stove.  Below, you will also find this recipe!



Fresh Greek Pizza with Tzatziki

Ingredients:
Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
For the dough (makes 2lbs.):
1 3/8 cups lukewarm water (should be about 100 degrees)
2 ¼ teaspoons granulated yeast (1 packet)
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
½ tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

To Assemble:
1 pound Olive Oil Dough
Cornmeal
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 fresh garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and medium diced
Cucumber, medium diced
Avocado, medium diced
Feta cheese, crumbled
Homemade Tzatziki
Directions:
In a 3-quart lidded food container, mix together the water, yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Next, stir in the flour until no dry spots remain. Cover the dough with the lid, but do not seal it completely. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the dough rises and then flattens on top. The dough can be used immediately following the rise period, or it can be refrigerated and used later. It can be stored in refrigerator for up to 12 days. For this recipe, half the dough portion for 1 pizza.

For the tzatziki sauce, Shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Preheat a baking stone in the oven at 550 degrees. To prepare the dough, dust a 1-pound piece of Olive Oil Dough (half of the dough recipe) with flour and shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all sides, rotating the ball as you go. Using your hands and a flour-dusted rolling pin, gently flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out until you have a 12-inch circle. Generously sprinkle a pizza peel (or the back of a cookie sheet or cutting board) with cornmeal, and transfer the prepared dough onto the peel. Using your fingertips or a pastry brush, spread 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil across the surface of the dough and sprinkle with a ½ teaspoon of dried oregano. Use a fork to prick the surface of the dough to prevent large air bubbles from forming during baking.
Slide the pizza from the peel directly onto the baking stone that is already in the oven. Cornmeal can start to smoke at this high of a temperature, so you may want to turn on the exhaust fan while the dough bakes. Cook for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.  

While the dough is baking, heat ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add in the chicken breast and season with ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked. Transfer the chicken from the pan to a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces.


To assemble the pizza, place the desired quantity of Roma tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, feta cheese and chicken breast on the prepared crust. Drizzle with Homemade Tzatziki and serve additional sauce on the side for dipping.


Turkey and Beef Manicotti

Ingredients:
Sauce
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained
1-1/2 cups water
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Crepes
2 eggs
1 cup egg substitute
1-3/4 cups fat-free milk
1 teaspoon canola oil
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling
3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup finely chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
For sauce, place tomatoes in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan; add the water, tomato sauce, sugar, oregano and celery salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gently simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours or until reduced to 4-1/2 cups, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, for crepes, beat the eggs, egg substitute, milk and oil in a large bowl. Combine flour and salt; add egg mixture and stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

For filling, in a large bowl, soak bread in milk for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg substitute, green pepper, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix well. Stir in mozzarella. Cover and refrigerate until assembling. 

Coat an 8-in. nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat. Stir crepe batter; pour 3 tablespoons into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, coating skillet with cooking spray as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between. 

Spread about 1/4 cup filling down the center of each crepe; roll up and place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish and an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon sauce over top; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Cover and bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°.