Pesto Spinach Omelet

I'm sorry I don't have a picture to go with this one but I gobbled it up so quickly that it couldn't be helped. Next time I make it I will be sure to photograph it.

This omelet was seriously like a party in my mouth! I loved the combination of flavors and didn't have to feel too guilty about it. And the most wonderful thing about omelets is that you can change it up however you would like! Enjoy!

PESTO SPINACH OMELET
Shayla's Kitchen Original
1 serving

2 slices turkey bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 Tbsp basil pesto
2-3 Tbsp roasted red peppers
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites
1 tsp shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Mix spinach, bacon, pesto and roasted red peppers into a skillet and stir fry until spinach leaves are wilted and bacon is heated through. Removed from skillet and keep warm.

Mix together egg plus two egg whites until well combined (you can add a splash of non-fat milk if you want to add a little creamy fluffiness). Pour egg into skillet until the entire skillet is covered and cook until egg is set. (Meaning you can shake the pan and there won't be any parts of the egg that are still runny.) Sprinkle with crushed red pepper if desired.

Once your egg is set, add pesto mixture to one side of the egg. Add parmesan cheese if desired. Use a spatula to fold over the other half of the egg onto the top of your toppings. Let it sit until cheese is melted or about 1 - 2 more minutes. Remove from plan and consume the deliciousness immediately!

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

I am not a big soup fan but I like soups that are chock full of ingredients. Hearty and thick and less liquidy. I am a big fan of taco soup and this recipe was a good change up from our normal. It wasn't drastically different but it had a good flaovr to it and it is a really easy way to use up leftoever turkey if you have some in a few weeks!

This recipe and picture are from Sweet Treats and More and can be found at this site here: http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2010/11/i-hope-you-all-had-great-thanksgiving.html

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
From Sweet Treats and More, Adapted from allrecipes
Printer Friendly Version
 
2 c. chicken broth
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1/4 c. sour cream
1 (16oz) can diced tomato
1 (4 oz) can diced green chili
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken tenders (2 breasts OR abt 2 cups shredded turkey)
4  corn tortillas

Place everything but the tortillas in the crock pot, stir together, and cook on high for about 3 hours (or low for 6-8 hours). (I ALWAYS aim low!)

Shred corn tortillas into small squares and stir into soup 5-10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with cheese, avocado, and additional sour cream if desired.

Breakfast Burritos



There is no breakfast item in this world that my husband loves more than Beto's breakfast burritos. So when it came to, "What do you want for your Father's Day breakfast, honey?" the answer was pretty obvious and simple. I was tempted to find a recipe for breakfast burritos that I could just follow but the idea of adventuring out and doing my own thing won out. And I must say, I feel like I outdid myself. The burritos turned out WONDERFULLY and my husband was so pleased. And if that weren't great enough, they were simple to make and super filling with basic ingredients! Gotta love it!

The recipe below is HALF of what I did. Yes, we had SERIOUS amounts of leftovers. What is listed below could easily feed 6 people. Double it if you want to feed 12.

BREAKFAST BURRITOS
A Shayla Original

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
1/4 red onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups hashbrowns
6 eggs
16 oz jar green salsa
3 large burrito sized tortillas
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Butter
Cheddar Cheese
Seasoned salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add in hashbrowns. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat and then turn by sections with a spatula. Place lid on skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes longer and then turn again. Continue to follow this method until hashbrowns are golden brown on every side.

Meanwhile, in a smaller skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sausage. Brown sausage thoroughly and then drain.

Beat eggs in a separate bowl and pour over cooked hashbrowns. Cook for 3-4 minutes and turn by sections with a spatula. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Make sure all sections of your eggs are thoroughly cooked. Gently stir hashbrown and egg mixture to break up the cooked eggs. Try not to decimate your hashbrowns in the process. Add in sausage and onions and mix.

~FOR SMOTHERED BURRITOS~

Preheat oven broiler.

Place 1/2 cup green salsa on the bottom of a 9x9 inch pan.

Place a small handful of cheese on a tortilla and pile hashbrown mix on top. Don't be shy - these things are supposed to be FAT! Add another small amount of cheese on top of mix (or a lot if you are an avid cheese lover.) Fold over short ends and then roll. This may be easier said than done because of how fat these are but just do your best. Top with 1/4 cup green salsa. Place burrito in pan. Repeat with 2 more tortillas.

Top all burritos with remaining salsa and sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven to broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and golden brown.

~FOR CRISPIER BURRITOS~

Preheat oven broiler.

Grease a small cookie sheet.

Compile burritos the same as you would for the smothered version except instead of topping with remaining salsa and cheese brush each with a small amount of melted butter. Place in oven until tortillas are golden brown. Remove from oven and serve with additional cheese and salsa.

Marinated Manti Turkey (Or Chicken!)

This recipe is one that I grew up with. My mom does it all the time and it is HIGHLY requested. The longer you let the turkey, or chicken, marinate the better it gets. Super easy, super delicious, what could be better than that? The picture isn't exactly the same recipe but it looks a lot like it and is courtesy of Taste of Home found here.

TURKEY MARINADE

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups Sprite
1 tsp. horseradish sauce

Marinate overnight. Keep in sauce until ready to barbecue. While cooking pour sauce over the top.

*This is for a basic amount of chicken or turkey (probably about 4 breasts cut up.) Make sure that the amount of meat you use can be covered completely. Double the recipe if you have to.

Classic Repeat: Hot Dog Casserole

This one is not healthy by any means. But if you wanted to make it better then you could spend the extra money to buy fat free hot dogs and low fat cheese. This one was a HUGE hit in my house growing up and it is a sure-fire kid pleaser! Jake and I like to mix some hot sauce in with ours and it is DELICIOUS. Besides, if nothing else, it is SOOOOOO cheap to make. A pack of hot dogs is easily $0.88, we got 10 lbs. of potatoes on sale for $0.58. Basically the most expensive part is the cheese. And if you are wise and buy the cheese in bulk it is a lot cheaper. Smith's Tillamook cheese is regularly just over $11 for 5 pounds of pre-shredded cheddar cheese. Cheap and tasty? That is my kind of meal!

http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/11/hot-dog-casserole.html

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

I know. Really. I wouldn't have ever thought to do it, but apparently someone did. And trust me, as bizarre as it seems and as crazy as you think I am... it is delicious. Really. You are going to have to take that leap of faith and try it because it really is delicious. Thanks to Allrecipes.com for the original recipe (which my mother has nicely modified) and the picture.


PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN SOUP

• 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (21/2 beans/1 1/2 pureed)
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3 large links sausage, sliced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 can diced chilies

Directions

1. Pour 2 cans of the black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the can of tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, cumin, diced chilies and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir in the sausage, and heat through before serving.

Meat-Lover's Supreme Lasagna

Healthy? HA HA HA HA! No. Delicious? OHHHHHH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This turned out FANTASTICALLY. We are huge fans of supreme pizza at our house and this was a great variation. It requires more ingredients than I would usually post about, but it is WELL worth it. Sprinkle it with a bit of red pepper to finish it off and OHHH MAN! Honestly, if you don't like supreme pizza you could adapt this to pretty much any kind of pizza. I am tempted to try pineapple and canadian bacon. Yum!

MEAT-LOVER’S SUPREME LASAGNA
Shayla Original

10 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 large can/jar favorite marinara sauce
20 slices pepperoni
1 lb. ground beef, browned
6 slices precooked bacon, cut into small pieces
½ green pepper, sliced
½ red onion, sliced
1 can medium olives, sliced
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Parmesan Cheese, grated

Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on box; drain. In the meantime, brown ground beef and drain. Put a little bit of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish so noodles won’t stick. Layer half of: noodles, ground beef, bacon, pepperoni, green peppers, onions, olives, sauce, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese; repeat once more with all layers. Cook uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

*NOTE: Just sprinkle the cheeses on to your personal preference, there isn't an exact measurement.

One Skillet Frittata

This may not be exactly like a frittata, but it is very close. And, VERY delicious! You can add whatever you want to it but this is what we did. It was full of flavor and was even a hit with our little one! And the greatest part is that it only requires one skillet to make and comes together in less than a half hour! We had this for dinner, but it would be excellent for breakfast as well!

ONE SKILLET FRITTATA

2-3 TBSP vegetable oil
2-3 cups shredded frozen hashbrowns
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
8 slices of precooked bacon, sliced in to small pieces
10 eggs
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Salt, seasoning salt, and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in skillet on medium high heat; add hashbrowns. Season to taste. Cook hashbrowns until slightly browned. Add chopped bell pepper, onion, and bacon. Mix together by scooping sections of the hashbrown and flipping over. DO NOT push spatula through the hashbrowns as it will cause them to break up and become more mushy. Cook until bacon pieces are limp.

Mix eggs all together in a bowl until mostly blended with desired seasonings. Pour evenly over hashbrown mix. Wait until edges slightly set and then flip over to cook opposite side. When egg is cooked, turn heat down to low and top frittata with cheese. Cover with lid and let sit until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Breakfast Pizza

We just love breakfast foods around here! Sausage, bacon, french toast, pancakes, waffles... you name it! We actually had this recipe for lunch but it was STILL delicious! Flavorful and meaty with just the right amount of cheese. Try it and you will love it too! This recipe and picture are from Three on Food and can be found here.

BREAKFAST PIZZA
From Three on Food

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Unroll pizza dough and place on a greased 12-in. pizza pan; press up sides of pan to form a crust. In a skillet, brown sausage over medium heat; drain and cool slightly. Sprinkle sausage, hash browns and cheddar cheese over crust. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk and pepper; pour over pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches and Potato Pancakes

The Monte Cristo Sandwiches are a classic repeat for this house! Sweet but with a wonderful complement of meats and cheeses, they are DELICIOUS! The Potato Pancakes were a new recipe I found on "Recipes of a Cheapskate." We have TONS of leftover mashed potatoes from our good old chicken fried chicken with gravy, corn and mashed potatoes dinner yesterday... so I decided to use some of them up. Yes, I said mashed potatoes. I was skeptical too but they turned out DELICIOUS! Put a little bit of salsa on top and I liked them even better than the Monte Cristos! SUPER easy to make too! The pictures are not mine. I give full credit to "Recipes of a Cheapskate!"

MONTE CRISTO SANDWICHES

2 eggs
1/4 c. maple syrup
4 slices of bread
cream cheese
2-3 slices deli black forest ham
2-3 slices deli turkey
2 slices Swiss cheese
powdered sugar
Raspberry Jam (or any jam you like)

Mix eggs and maple syrup together with a fork and pour in a shallow dish. Dip the bread in the egg (make sure the bread is well-covered with the egg mixture) and cook on a griddle or in a frying pan (as if you were making French toast). Spread a good amount of cream cheese on half of the toasts. On the same toasts, add half of the ham and turkey and a slice of Swiss cheese. Top each sandwich with the remaining toasts. Turn the griddle to a low heat and add the sandwiches. Warm each sandwich until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle each sandwich with powdered sugar. Cut into halves or fourths and serve with raspberry jam.

POTATO PANCAKES
From Recipes of a Cheapskate

• 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• chopped, cooked bacon
• seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic, etc.)
• onion (optional, I use onion powder)

Mix together the eggs, flour, seasonings, and bacon. Add the potatoes and mix well. Make your patties and cook in a little bit of the bacon grease, or oil, until crisp on each side. Drain on a paper towel.

My German Roots

Okay, so I don't REALLY have German roots. But with a Grandfather who went to Germany on his mission I have had my fair share of exposure to German foods. A classic staple in our house? Bratwurst (sausage) and sauerkraut! Talk about inexpensive - this meal could feed an entire family for, at most, $10. All you need to do is fry up a couple of these:

And serve them with some of this:

And dip in some of this:

And you are good to go!

SOOOO TASTY!!!!!!

Personal English Muffin Pizzas

This recipe is a classic from my family! What easier way to feed a family than with a bag of English muffins, a bowl of pizza sauce, and whatever ingredients they personally want? These are so simple and quick that you will find it difficult to ever want to make pizza crust again! Unfortunately the picture is not mine. I got it from this cute blog: http://iheartfood4thought.wordpress.com/.

PERSONAL ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZAS

1 bag English Muffins
Any pizza toppings you and your family likes

SAUCE
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp. Ground sweet basil
1/4 tsp. Oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. Garlic powder

Mix all sauce ingredients together and spread on top of English muffins. Top with any pizza ingredient you can fathom. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes or until cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Moo Shu Noodles

Okay, this isn't one of my normal recipes because it calls for some unusual ingredients that you wouldn't just have on hand - BUT!!!!! This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it! The unusual ingredients are cheap and easy to get at the store and this is my new favorite way to eat pork. Plus it comes together so quickly - like half hour quickly! I am a sucker for Chinese food, I really am, but even my ginger picky husband gobbled this one down! It is super super super delicious and has earned a place in our FAVORITE recipes! Thanks so much to My Kitchen Cafe for another great recipe!

MOO SHU NOODLES
From My Kitchen Cafe

12-ounces fettuccine (I used 16 and it was just fine)
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
3 medium-sized boneless pork chops, thinly sliced (it is easier to slice thinly if pork chops are slightly frozen)
Ground black pepper
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons ginger (about a 2-inch piece), peeled and grated (Or 1 tsp. Ground ginger)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated (Or 1 tsp. minced garlic)
1/2 pound mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 small head Napa or Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced (Available at your local Wal-mart)
1/2 cup chicken broth

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil. When the water comes up to a bubble, add some salt and drop in the fettuccine. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and reserve.

Combine the hoisin and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat one tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add eggs and scramble. When done, scrape them onto a plate and reserve. In the same skillet heat two tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes (don't overcook or pork will be tough!). Remove the meat from the pan onto the same plate as the eggs and keep warm.

Add the scallions, ginger and garlic to the pan, and cook until aromatic and the scallions are tender, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry until golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

Add the cabbage to the pan and stir-fry until tender, about 3 minutes. When the cabbage is tender, add the reserved pork and scrambled eggs back to the pan along with the hoisin-soy mixture and the chicken broth. Stir-fry to fully heat through, about 1 minute, and then toss with the reserved cooked pasta. Cook to heat through and serve.

*NOTE: I added a small can of sliced water chestnuts to my Moo Shu Noodles and it added a very satisfying crunch!

Bubble Pizza

This great recipe is from a blog on the web that is no longer available! Luckily, I snagged this classic recipe before that could happen. This is a regular at our house. It is so quick, easy, and versatile and Jake especially loves it, even as left overs.

BUBBLE PIZZA

1 jar pizza/tomato sauce OR *your own pizza sauce recipe
2 cups Mozzerella cheese
2 tubes buttermilk biscuits
Sausage, pepperoni, chicken, mushrooms, spinach, olives, onions, any pizza topping you love.

1. Open the two tubes of biscuits and cut the individual biscuits into quarters. Place in bowl and set aside.
2. Open or make your pizza sauce. Stir in with biscuits being sure to coat all of the pieces.
3. Add toppings, NOT CHEESE. Mix well.
4. Pour mixture into a GREASED 9x13 pan (Pyrex is best).
5. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
6. Remove and sprinkle cheese over the top. You may not need all two cups (we didn't).
7. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve.

*Classic Pizza Sauce (adjusted particularly for this recipe)

1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp. Ground sweet basil
1/4 tsp. Oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. Garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together.

Fallen, and Ham Fried Rice

I have fallen off the face of the earth. Lol - not really. I had a baby girl and have not made ANYTHING that is not already listed on this blog. I will try to get around to being creative again sometime... until then, try this one out!

HAM FRIED RICE

2 C. Water
1 C. Long Grain Rice
¼ tsp. Salt

Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan with a RIGHT-FITTING lid. Stir in rice, and salt. Reduce heat until mixture just simmers; with a fork, stir once. Cover pan and simmer WITHOUT STIRRING OR LIFTING THE LID, ABOUT 20 MIN.

2 slices thick Bacon (3-4 slices regular bacon)
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
½ Carrot, grated
1/8 Head of Cabbage, shredded
½ C. Chopped Ham
1 egg
1 Green Onion, chopped
½ C. Frozen peas

1. Cut bacon into small pieces. Cook in a large frying pan until browned and completely cooked. DO NOT DRAIN FAT!
2. Add to frying pan ham, grated carrot, shredded cabbage, sliced green onion. Heat ingredients until the cabbage wilts.
3. Scramble the egg and cook with vegetables.
4. Add cooked rice and peas to mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add soy sauce and garlic powder to mixture.

*1 ½ tsp of garlic powder makes it very strong. You can definitely taste the garlic. If you are not such a big fan of garlic, use less. (I like to use 1 tsp.)
*Vegetable fans - I love cabbage so I use ¼ a head of cabbage and it doesn’t make much difference.

Ranch Chicken Pizza

Yay! I'm back and with another great recipe! Jake and I love pizza - especially homemade pizza. I ran across a version of this recipe in my new Made Simple Chicken cookbook. I definitely made a lot of changes to it based on what I had on hand, so I will just post my altered recipe. We loved this pizza - hopefully you will too

RANCH CHICKEN PIZZA

PIZZA SAUCE and TOPPINGS

1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

*2 chicken breasts, cooked, and cut into strips

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 can olives, sliced

Blend together dressing, cream cheese, and tomato paste. Stir in cooked chicken. Spread on pizza crust. Top with mozzarella cheese and olives.

PIZZA CRUST

1 pkg. Dry yeast (2 tsp. = 1 pkg.)
2 Tbsp. Lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water.

1 egg
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Shortening or oil
1 cup boiling water
3 cups flour

Beat egg, add shortening, salt, sugar. Slowly stir in boiling water. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast mixture. Add ½ flour; stir (or beat with electric mixer) until smooth. Add remaining flour. Knead to soft dough. Roll to fit pan. Spread light coating of oil over dough on pan. Let rise 15 minutes. (You can spread on sauce and toppings while waiting for dough to rise.)

Cook at 425 for 15 - 20 minutes. (Check at 15 minutes.) HINT WHILE BAKING: Turn oven to BROIL for one minute at the very end of pizza cooking time. This gives the cheese a nice brown that is so delicious!

*NOTE: When cooking my chicken strips I flavored them with salt, pepper, onion powder, and a little bit of Worchestershire sauce - SO GOOD! We also folded mozzarella cheese into rolled edges of our pizza crust for the "stuffed crust" experience.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

I had potatoes that I needed to use up and so was browsing through some recipes and thought that this one looked delicious. I love browsing recipes and found this one here. It got great reviews from other cooks, but I was a bit skeptical about making it after looking at the ingredients. I was afraid it wouldn't have much flavor to it. Plus, it takes a really long time to cook. If I spend that much time on a recipe I want it to be worth it! Well, I can assure you that this recipe was worth the time. It tasted a lot like my hot dog casserole recipe (which we love) although this one has to be a lot more healthy! If you have the time to make it I promise you won't be disappointed!

SCALLOPED POTATOES AND HAM

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt (I wouldn't use more than 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
3 cups ham, cooked
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (I just used onion powder)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
5 cups potatoes, pared and sliced

Melt butter in large sauce pan over low heat; blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat gradually stir in milk. Return to heat; cook until thickened and bubbly. Fold in ham, onion, green pepper and cheese. Pour over potatoes in a large bowl. Stir gently then move into a buttered or greased 13X9-inch baking dish; cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 1 hour.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*NOTE: I topped my dish with cheese for the last 25 minutes of cooking. It was a delicious addition! It was golden brown when the dish finished and added such a wonderful flavor!

The BEST EVER Homemade Pizza

I love this recipe. LOVE LOVE LOVE! The crust is wonderful and the sauce is divine! I always get RAVE reviews when I use this recipe and it really isn't that hard. I hate to mix and knead dough... I wish I had a mixer... but oh well. Maybe someday!

HOMEMADE PIZZA

CRUST
1 pkg. Dry yeast (2 tsp. = 1 pkg.)
2 Tbsp. Lukewarm water
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
1 egg
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Shortening or oil
1 cup boiling water
3 cups flour

Beat egg, add shortening, salt, sugar. Slowly stir in boiling water. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast mixture. Add ½ flour; stir (or beat with electric mixer) until smooth. Add remaining flour. Knead to soft dough. Roll to fit pan. Spread light coating of oil over dough on pan. Let rise 15 minutes. (You can spread on sauce and toppings while waiting for dough to rise.)

SAUCE
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste
½ tsp. Ground sweet basil
½ tsp. Oregano
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Sugar
¾ tsp. Garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and spread on top of dough. Top with cheese, olives, peppers, ham, pepperoni, mushrooms, as desired, or topping of your choice. Bake pizza at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

*Note: A good cheese mixture is ½ Mozzarella and ½ American, medium sharp. I doubled the crust recipe and left the sauce recipe as is and we made 4 LARGE personal pizzas with lots of leftover sauce.

Hot Dog Casserole

So simple, so quick and easy, so AMERICAN!

HOT DOG CASSEROLE

1 package hot dogs (eight)
3-4 medium sized potatoes OR 6-8 small potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c grated cheese

Slice potatoes thinly, cut up hot dogs, and grate cheese. Mix hot dogs, cheese and soup together to make sauce. Layer in crock pot: first potatoes, then sauce. Continue until sauce is gone (usually two layers of each). Cook in crock pot on low for about 6 hours.