Pizza Braid

All I can say is YUM!!

 Taylor, Tony and I were craving pizza.

Tony loves it when I make him homemade pepperoni pizza,

so I made my first pizza braid.

It turned out wonderful.

Just what we were craving.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust

3 oz thinly sliced Canadian bacon

10 slices pepperoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz) (or more if your like me!)

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1egg yolk

1teaspoon water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

pizza sauce, for dipping
This would be great with tons of vegis!!!!!

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 400°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough on cookie sheet, forming 14x11-inch rectangle.  
2 Top with Canadian bacon, pepperoni, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese lengthwise down center 1/3 of rectangle to within 1/2 inch of short ends..  
3 With pizza cutter or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips over filling. Fold ends under to seal.  
4 In small bowl, mix egg yolk and water until well blended. Brush over dough; sprinkle with Italian seasonings. 5 Bake 11 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into crosswise slices. Serve with pizza sauce.

Roasted Baby Potatoes to keep you warm.

Warm out of the oven roasted potatoes.

What could be better on a cold windy night?

These delicious potatoes were served along side baked pork chops.

They were lightly crispy on the outside,

 nice and creamy on the inside.

I seasoned them with salt, pepper and some chopped chive.

Classic taste, there is nothing better.

Roasted Potatoes

2 lb.waxy potatoes, left whole if very small, halved or cut into chunks if large (I used small Yukon golds)
3 Tbs. olive oil or melted butter
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or rosemary (I used chives)
1 tsp. coarse salt
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

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Heat the oven to 375°F. Spread the potatoes in a single layer in a medium roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, season with the herbs, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat well. Roast, tossing with a spatula a few times to prevent sticking, until the potatoes are very tender throughout and the skins are somewhat shriveled and crisp, 50 to 60 minutes, depending on their size and variety. Serve hot.

Lasagna Rolls

I wanted to make classic lasagna, but with just the three of us, we would be eating it for a few days, so I made lasagna roll ups.  They were fast and easy to make.  I made the roll-ups with cheese and made a real meaty sauce to go over them.  Delicious! I made extras and froze them for a fast dinner during the week.  I froze the meat sauce separately, just in case I decided to top them with Alfredo sauce next time.  I also made the bread sticks from scratch.  They were also great.  I will post that recipe soon. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles
• 32 oz. pasta sauce
• 2 lb. ricotta cheese(I used cottage cheese)
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated or diced small
• 1/2 C. parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C. chopped parsley
• 3 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until almost done. Rinse in cold water. In a bowl, combine ricotta, 1 C. mozzarella, 1/4 C. Parmesan, eggs and parsley and Italian seasoning. Spoon some of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles and spread evenly and roll up. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, place 1 C. of sauce on the bottom. Place the roll-ups, seam side down, in the pan on top of the sauce. Top with the remaining sauce and then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer. (I made my sauce a meat sauce with ground beef, onion and garlic)

Halloween Frosted Sugar Cookies (Better than Walmarts!!)

You know those soft frosted sugar cookies at Walmart?  Well, Tony loves them.   He always tries to sneak a package of them in the shopping cart when we are there.  I always put them back and tell him I will make him cookies when we get home.  Well today I actually lived up to my promise!!  These cookies are just as good, if not better them those store bought ones!! I took a bunch to work and they were gone in 10 minutes flat.  They are that good :)

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

 

Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set.  (Do not over bake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.)  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.)  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container.

I found this great recipe at Annie's eats!

Pretzel Dogs (better than the mall)

Tony and I had Monday off together again.  We did a few household choirs and spent some time together watching James Bond.  Hubby's favorite.  I made pretzel dogs for lunch.  They turned out AMAZING!  They were warm and soft. The recipe makes 12, but there was no way the the three of us could eat that many, so I made 8 and made the rest of the dough into bites.Tony loved them so much he wants the rest for dinner!! I am sure I will be making these again soon.  Better than the pretzel place at the mall, and waaaaay less expensive !!

Soft Pretzel Dogs

I Found this great recipe at Katrina's Kitchen

Ingredients:

·        1 package active dry yeast (approx. 2 ¼ teaspoons)

·        2 Tablespoons brown sugar

·        1 ¼ teaspoons salt

·        1 ½ cups warm water (110- 115 degrees F)

·        4 cups flour

       12 hot dogs (I used 8 and made the rest of the dough into pretzel bites)

·        2 cups water

·        2 tablespoons baking soda

·        2 – 3 Tablespoons melted butter

·        Coarse Kosher Salt (optional)

Directions:

1.   In the bowl of your mixer (fitted with dough hook) dissolve yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Mix until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

2.   After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece into a 2 foot rope.

3.   In a large saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a simmer over medium heat.

4.   Roll your dough around the hot dogs and dip into the baking soda solution for about 20-30 seconds. Place on parchment covered (or greased) baking sheets, and let rise 15-20 minutes.

5.   I had 8 hot dogs and made the rest into pretzel bites.

  6.   Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with course salt. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 -10         minutes, or until golden brown. Mine took about 12 minutes, I wanted to make sure they were cooked through.

Pumpkin Scones

Just look at all that pumpkin scone goodness.  

All that vanilla glaze.  

Pure yumminess !!

Scones Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg


Scones Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.
6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).
8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.
9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.
10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.
11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Sugar Glaze Directions: 1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.
2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.

Breakfast Pizza

Tony and I both had Monday off, so we decided to make a nice breakfast.  

We made breakfast pizza. 
It really was delicious.
Me and Taylor put tomatoes and black olives on ours.

 What else can I say but....YUM!

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 (12-14-inch) pizza crust 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups shredded jack cheese blend
• 4 fully cooked sausage patties, crumbled 
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions

 In a medium pan over medium heat, scramble eggs in butter; set aside.

Lay out pizza crusts and brush each with oil. Top with eggs, cheese, crumbled sausage, Parmesan, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare pizza as directed. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and begins to bubble.