Homemade Pizza Dough

We love pizza at our house! Shocking, I know... I found this recipe for a pizza crust and wanted to try it out. It turned out delicious! Crispy and I can roll it out as thin as I want - I am not a fan of thick pizza crust, so when I can do it on my own, I was very excited! The best part is - you can put whatever toppings that you want on it!!

Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water (be careful not too get the water too hot)
1 tablespoon sugar

Set aside and let grow. For those of you that are like me and are wondering "what does let grow mean?" I called my grandma (always a plethera of knowledge) and asked her what that meant... Turns out if you let it sit, the mixture will get all foamy on top and that is what let grow means! You learn something new every day! :) Here is a picture of it...


2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups flour (I am always trying to sneak in some whole wheat, which Josh is not a fan of, so I go for 1 1/2 cups all purpose and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat. I think that it gives it a crispiness!)

Combine these ingredients.


During this time, your yeast mixture should have had time to "grow" and you can add these two bowls together. Once they are mixed, let it rise for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough and add you favorite toppings... Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes.



The first time that I made this recipe, it turned out awesome! We loved it... The next time, not so good. I think that I used water that was too hot and it made the dough very sticky... I added flour until it was the right consistency to roll out and it still tasted pretty good. Good luck and have fun!

BLT and More Salad

We had this for supper the other day when the weather was hot and it was a hit! I never thought that my kids were big salad eaters, but they gobbled this right up and Brody even asked for more!!

BLT and More Salad
(Taste of Home - Healthy Cooking)

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup cubed avocado
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (or way more if you are married to my husband! :)
2 tablespoons fat free sour cream
2 tablespoons fat free mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fat free milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese (we did not go this direction, I just picked my
favorite cheese)
2 tablespoons pine nuts (once again, I did not go here...)
4 Bibb lettuce leaves (I just used a bag of lettuce and mixed it all together)

In a small bowl, cominge the tomatoes, avocado and bacon.

In another small bowl, whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, garlic, dill, salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over vegetables and toss gently. Add to salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts.
The final results...

As you can tell, it was delicious!

Sloppy Joe Pizza

This is another quick (and easy!) recipe that I use with my kids a lot! I was distracted doing something else, so it got a little more done then I like my pizzas, but the kids still ate it right up! :)

Sloppy Joe Pizza

1 lb hamburger
1 small can tomato soup
your favorite cheese
unbaked pizza crust

Brown hamburger and drain grease. Add tomato soup and heat through. Pour onto pizza crust and top with cheese. Bake according to pizza crust directions.

See? Didn't I tell you it was easy! :)

Santa Fe Soup with Melted Cheese

This has got to be my favorite soup! It is so yummy and super simple to throw together...

Sante Fe Soup with Melted Cheese
(Fix-It and Forget It Cookbook)

1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
15 1/4 oz can corn, undrained
15 oz can kidney beans, undrained
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons dry taco seasoning
corn chips, or soft tortillas (we love it with corn chips!)

Combine all ingredients except chips or tortillas in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Serve with corn chips or soft tortillas!

I love crockpot recipes! They don't heat up your house in the summer and it is nice to know that supper will be ready when you walk through the door!

Cinnamon Crumble Bread

Here is a recipe that I found on my cousin-in-law's blog www.cookinginkellskitchen.blogspot.com

I love, love, love to try new breads and I love it even more when I find a recipe that is easy and delicious at the same time! I threw this together in time for a meeting that I was having at my house and not only did they get to eat, the house smelled wonderful as they were all walking in!

Cinnamon Crumble Bread
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten

CRUMBLE TOPPING
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut up
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a loaf pan. Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. With an electric mixer at low speed, beat in the milk, butter, and egg.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For Crumble Topping: Dot the butter over the cake. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Cool the loaf completely in the pan on a rack.

The next time I try this recipe (and there will DEFINITELY be a next time) I think that I will try combining the crumble topping together and adding it to the top of the bread BEFORE I bake it, kind of like the To Die For Blueberry Muffins.

Weeknight Chicken and Pasta

Love recipes that cook up quick, especially during the school year when things are rushed! This is also a great recipe when you don't want to heat up the house using your oven! It says that it serves 4, but that was 4 pretty small servings, one of which included Bella's (my 1 year old daughter) serving... So, if you are big eaters, you may need to double this recipe! If Josh would have been home, he would have been scrounging the fridge for more food about a half hour after we were done eating! :)

Weeknight Chicken and Pasta
(Recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy)
Serves 4

2 cups uncooked whole wheat bow tie pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped (none at the store when I went, so I used green pepper)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon minced chives

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute onion and red pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. stir in the chicken, sour cream, milk and seasonings; heat through. Drain pasta; stir into skillet. Sprinkle with cheese and chives.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

These were another recipe that I tried on the daycare kids. Of course anything with Pizza in the name is usually a hit and this was no different!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
(Recipe found at www.meganscookin.com)
Makes: 24 puffs

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped olives
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan. (Grease heavily - I didn't and mine stuck pretty good in the pan!) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; stir in the milk and egg. Stir inthe cheese, olives and pepperoni, let stand for 10 minutes. Stir the batter and divde among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Sprinkle the tops of the puffs with the green onions. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

I followed this recipe, but left out the chopped olives and green onions since it was for the daycare kids. They all enjoyed them and the one that I got to try was tasty as well! :)

Chunky Applesauce

What do you do with all these apples?

This might work, if you have enough kids.... Which I do, running a daycare! :)

Or this is even better!

My brother actually compared it to apple pie when he tasted it. I think that it tastes great cold, but he loved it better when it was still warm. However you like it, it is simple to make and quickly gobbled up!

Chunky Applesauce
(Taste of Home recipe)
Yields: 5 cups

8-10 large tart apples, peeled and cut into chunks
sugar substitute equivalent to 1/2 to 1 cup sugar - I just used real sugar! :)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine apples, sugar substitute, water and cinnamon in a 3 quart slow cooker; stir gently. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until apples are tender.

Mine took only about 6 hours and the aroma throughout my house was heavenly! The recipe says that it would be good, warm over ice cream... Didn't get a chance to try this, it was gone way to fast! Maybe the next batch!

Squid Dogs

These are a favorite with my kids and daycare kids... Super easy, requires a little more prep then regular hot dogs, but fun and different for the kids!

Squid Dogs

Hot dogs - sliced into thirds
Spaghetti noodles

Slide 3-4 spaghetti noodles through each hot dog piece. Place into boiling pot of water. Cook for as long as spaghetti noodles need to be tender. Serve with ketchup or spaghetti sauce!

Precooked Squid Dogs


Look at all the fun they will have eating these!

Chicken Louis Sandwiches

Here's a quick new chicken sandwich recipe that I tried the other night. I wasn't sure how well it was going to go over with the kids, but they all gobbled it right down!

Chicken Louis Sandwiches
Makes: 6 sandwiches

2 tablespoons mayo or salad dressing
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, diced
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
6 burger buns
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

In a large bowl, mix mayo, chili sauce, lemon juice and seafood seasoning. Stir in chicken, celery and bell pepper. Spoon chicken mixture onto bottoms of buns. Top with lettuce and tops of buns.



As you can tell, I didn't add the lettuce to the sandwich, but it was good anyhow! Notice the buns - these are the new flat-top buns that I found. They are so good! Josh isn't a big fan of these buns, but I LOVE them!! These were the honey wheat buns, but they also have them in whole wheat and multi-grain...