Pizza Dough

This is a good, easy recipe for pizza dough. I like to double the recipe and make 2 pizzas out of it, which makes for thicker crust. If I want a thinner crust, I'll double the recipe and make 3 pizzas. Also, be sure to read the chef's note about salt and sugar at the bottom of the recipe. I follow his instructions and reduced the salt and sugar slightly since I don't care for overly salty pizza crust.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_13823,00.html

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

This turned out really good!! I like making homemade pizzas, but sometimes I get bored with my usual recipe. I found this one and David said it tasted very close to the deep dish pizza he tried once when he was in Chicago!

Note -- I didn't have any fennel seed, so I omitted that from the sauce and we didn't miss it at all.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_21802,00.html?rsrc=like

Good Breakfast Foods

I think I end up making hot breakfasts about 5 or 6 days out of the week. Cereal and milk just never seems "meaty" enough, plus sometimes I like to give the boys dry cereal for a late morning or afternoon snack, so I don't want to give them cereal twice in a day. Anyway, I've come across some great hot breakfast recipes that we really enjoy:

Yeast-raised waffles. These you start the night before, and just add eggs and baking soda in the morning, stir up the batter, heat up the waffle iron, and you're ready to go! It's a nice time saver. And, something about the yeast makes them extra light and tasty. I do usually add more sugar than the recipe calls for (1 use 1 Tb, the recipe calls for 1 tsp) because I like just a little more sweetness.

Whole grain waffles. These are also very tasty, and very healthy. I just use regular whole wheat flour, not pastry flour, and they turn out great!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

2 small bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1 C milk
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vegetable oil
A few shakes of ground cinnamon (~1/2 tsp) and a pinch of nutmeg
About 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chopped nuts (optional)

1. Mash bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs and milk. Beat until as smooth as possible. Add flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and vanilla. Whisk again. Stir in nuts if desired. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased skillet.

Tortilla Soup

There is a restaurant called Marcellino's in Apple Valley, and they have the best tortilla soup I've ever tasted. This is as close as I've come to making tortilla soup anywhere near as good. It's great as a vegetarian soup, but you can also use chicken broth and add in some cooked chicken. Also, I love using the frozen pepper strips in the frozen vegetable aisle instead of chopping bell peppers.

Tortilla Soup

3 Tb vegetable oil, divided
6 corn tortillas, cut into very thin strips
1 med onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 14-15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
~2 tsp cumin
6 C vegetable or chicken broth
Juice of 1 lime
Jack and/or cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Heat 2 Tb of oil in a stockpot over med-high heat.
2. Add corn torilla strips and fry until crispy and golden brown.
3. Remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Add remaining 1 Tb oil and saute onion, garlic, peppers, carrots, and celery until onion is soft, ~6 minutes.
5. Add diced tomatoes plus their liquid and reduce heat to medium. Cook 5 minutes.
6. Add cumin and broth. Heat to boiling, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
7. Add lime juice.
8. Serve with shredded cheese and crispy tortilla strips.

BBQ Boneless Pork Loin

We like to get boneless porl loin when it goes on sale for $1.99/lb or buy-one-get-one-free. The seasonings are great, and later in the week we often like to simmer the leftover pork with BBQ sauce to make BBQ pork sandwiches.

BBQ Boneless Pork Loin

1 boneless pork loin
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and Lawry's seasoned salt

1. Cover pork loin with generous amounts of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt on all sides.
2. Barbeque, turning frequently, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. (Ours usually takes an hour or less, depending on the thickness). Watch carefully so as not to overcook.
3. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Red Beans and Rice

Here is the vegetarian version of this recipe. It's great with any kind of rice, but using one of those saffron rice packets along with regular rice is especially good! We also like serving corn muffins on the side.

Red Beans and Rice

3 16 oz cans kidney beans
2 C water
1/4 C fresh parsley or cilantro
1/2 C butter
3 cubes vegetable bouillon (beef is also good if you don't need a strictly vegetarian dish)
1 large onion, diced
~4 cloves garlic, crushed (more is good if you like garlic)
1 Tb dry mustard
cayenne pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients. Simmer over medium heat, stirring every 15 minutes, until beans are creamy.
2. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve with rice.

Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie

This is our favorite pot pie recipe so far. I've made Pot Pie Wellington by using puff pastry sheets as the crust instead of traditional pie dough, and that's very tasty also.

Chicken/Turkey Pot Pie

1 recipe for a double pie crust (or 2 pre-made pie crusts)
4 Tb butter, divided
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tb dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
3 Tb flour
1/2 C milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out bottom pie crust in a deep pie dish and set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tb butter in a large skillet over med heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until the carrots are tender.
3. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until they are tender but still firm.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 Tb butter over med-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute until it bubbles. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook until slightly thickened. Stir in chicken or turkey.
5. Stir chicken/turkey mixture into vegetable mixture. Cook over med heat until thickened.
6. Cool slightly, then pour into bottom unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top pie crust and place on top of filling. Flute and seal the edges and make 4 slits in the top to let out steam.
7. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
8. Continue baking at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.