Turnovers

Yesterday was Christmas. I was wanting to do something special for the husband for our Christmas breakfast, so I decided to make Turnovers! Before I was married, I used to have cherry turnovers periodically, but I can't ever find the brand in the store anymore. If I do, it's pretty hit or miss... mostly a miss. So this year, I decided to try a little something different, and make it myself. I didn't feel like making everything from scratch, so most of it isn't that way. I was looking for quick, easy, and tasty... I found it. It was a Christmas Miracle!

Turnovers

2 packages of Pillsbury Original Crescent rolls (you might actually get away with 3pkgs for 1 can filling)

1 can of pie filling (I chose cherry because it's the best)

Icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

2 oz cream cheese, softened

3/4 T butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 Tablespoons milk

Directions

Opening and unrolling the crescent rolls, attempt to make more of a square than the triangles. Spoon pie filling onto the widest part of the crescent rolls. Fashion the rolls into a pocket. The goal is to make it so the yummy filling doesn't seep its way onto your GREASED cookie sheet and burn. Do this for all the rolls. Bake according to package directions (If I remember right it was at 350* for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown). 

While baking, mix all the icing ingredients together in a bowl. When the rolls are finished baking and are still warm, spoon the icing on to your heart's content. I kind of like a lot of icing on my turnovers because it's quite delicious, but I understand some people might not agree. One thing we can all agree on:

Best eaten when warm!

Roast and Lazy Gravy

One day, a while back, I ran out of some ingredients I normally used for making my roast. I decided to just "Wing it" and make my roast with somewhat of the same ingredients as I normally make my turkey. It was such a hit! I actually have never gone back to making my roast the old way. There's just nothing better than a roast that's tender, juicy, and completely falling apart. It's the kind of roast that doesn't require a knife!! On top of this delicious hunk of meat, is the gravy that makes you think you've died and gone to heaven. The first question you'll ask yourself when you taste this meal?... Am I in paradise? And the answer is YES! Food Paradise, that is!

Here's how to make a little bit of heaven on your dinner plate:

Roast
1 1/2 T Seasoning Salt
1/2 T Onion Powder
1t Minced Onion (or more if you wish, I just happened to run out)
1/2 T Parsley
2t Black Pepper
Roast (The one I used was 3lbs)
Water

In a crock pot big enough to fit your roast, put the roast, seasoning salt, onion powder, minced onion, parsley, and black pepper. Add water until it completely covers the top of your roast. That's it!

Cook on high for 8-10 hours on high.

Note: I normally do just 8 hours, but every now and then we'll get caught somewhere unable to come home on time. I added the "to Ten" hours because the roast is still amazing and not dried out at that time. So don't fret if something prevents you from getting to it at 8 hours.

Lazy Gravy
** Do not start making this until AFTER the roast is done!
Juice/Water from the Roast
Flour

After your roast is done , ladle out as much of the "juice" as you'll want gravy, into a small pot. Cooking this over medium high heat, whisk in flour by the TABLESPOON. Add a few tablespoons of flour at first. Once the gravy starts to boil, it will start to thicken. Add flour until you reach the desired consistency for your gravy.

Soft Chocolate Cookies

These are some of the best chocolate cookies I've ever had. Scratch that... They're THE BEST! They're simple to make and if you can break yourself away from the dough long enough to bake them, you'll be in for a real treat!

Another fun variation: Take two of these cookies, put vanilla frosting on the bottom and join the bottoms of the cookies together. It's like a Homemade Soft Oreo!

Soft Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet, placing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are firm. Remove to wire racks.

Tonight's special... incredible Blueberry Muffins!! The kind you can't buy in a store.

Muffins

2 cups  All purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Butter, melted
3/4 cup Milk (whole)
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cup Fresh Berries
                (I use 9 oz.)

Makes 12 muffins

➢ Combine 1 3/4 cup of the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder & salt in a bowl.
➢ Mix in the butter.
➢ In a separate bowl, beat egg, mix in milk & vanilla.
➢ Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined.
➢ Toss berries with remaining flour in a bowl.
➢ Gently fold berry mixture into flour mixture.
➢ Fill paper muffin cups 3/4 full.
➢ Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
➢ Bake at 400° for 17-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Note: the 1/4 cup of flour in the berries is crucial; it completely changes the texture of the batter. Doesn't even require a mixer. :) 

Snowball Cookies

Sunday was a magical day for me. It wasn't that my day wasn't full of our normal Sunday routine. It was that one of my students introduced me to the magical world of Snowball Cookies. These are the kind of snowballs that I can deal with all year round, and HAPPILY!

Don't they just look yummy? Plus the tin it's in doesn't look to shabby. I'm partial though. I'm a huge Coca Cola fan!

So, like any good person who has probably lost their mind once or twice over these delightful treats, I scoured the Internet looking for the recipe. Don't be silly... It wasn't so much scouring as much as typing into Google "Snowball Cookies" and clicking on the first button I saw. Or was it Pinterest? There may have been some slight scouring, but you get the point. I picked the first good looking picture I could find. It led me to this site and this recipe.

I didn't add any nuts to my cookies. They're nut-less. Or nut-free. Plainly said... No Nuts Here!

The fun thing about these cookies is that you can get a lot or a little depending on how big your balls turn out. I got 57 cookies out of the batch I made. They were varying sizes. You could tell. By the end of rolling these suckers, I was rolling the dough into bigger balls. Anyways, here's the recipe, so you don't have to hop on over to that site if you don't want to.


Snowball Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted - for rolling cookies

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in vanilla extract and mix until combined.

3. Mix in the flour, pecans and salt. Mixing until just combined.

4. Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough (mine are a bit larger, see notes below) into balls and place on prepared baking sheet. The cookies can be placed quite close together since they do not spread during the baking process.

5. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes – taking care not to over bake. Allow cookies to cool on baking pan until you are able to comfortably hold them in your hands.

6. Sift 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. While cookies are still warm, roll them in confectioners' sugar. Place cookies on cooling rack, once they have cooled completely, roll them in confectioners' sugar again.

Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Oh boy! These are a couple fantastic recipes. The pancakes are a GREAT alternative to store-bought pancake mix. They're easy enough to make and taste AMAZING! I'm quite a fan, if you haven't guessed. **Quick note on the Syrup... The maple flavoring pours VERY FAST! I've been known to accidentally pour in over a tablespoon of the stuff into my syrup. I'd advise measuring it out AWAY from the syrup. 
Happy Breakfast (or Lunch or Dinner)!


Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 tablespoon white sugar
· 1 1/4 cups milk
· 1 egg
· 3 tablespoons butter, melted
· 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

Directions
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour twice, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, vanilla, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Maple Flavored Pancake Syrup

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup water

• 1/2 cup light corn syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugars, water and corn syrup; bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in maple flavoring and vanilla. Cool for 15 minutes. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

Easy Chicken and Cream Gravy

Just made this recipe tonight and was surprised by how easy this recipe was to make and how tender the chicken turned out. This recipe is definitely a keeper! I look forward to trying to make it in my handy dandy crock pot soon!

Easy Chicken and Cream Gravy
1 can Cream of Celery
1 can Cream of Chicken
1 cup Water
1 chicken Bouillon Cube
2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat until chicken is done. When the chicken is done, add the pepper to taste.
** Best when poured over Mashed Potatoes.

Apples and Cinnamon Muffins

This is a fun little recipe I created for my son. He LOVES apples with cinnamon! One day I decided that I'd just give him some in muffin form. He's a year old and he gladly ate two muffins in one sitting. He's quite a fan, as am I! Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Apples and Cinnamon Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh chopped apples
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk, oil, apples, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter either into paper lined muffin pan cups or a WELL greased muffin pan.
3. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

For an easy, on-the-go, breakfast. Double the recipe and freeze some muffins for later!

Breakfast Burritos

I just made these for dinner tonight. I surprised myself with how amazing it tasted! I'm a huge cheese fan and these were really cheesy, but oh so perfect!

Breakfast Burrito
16 oz Breakfast Sausage
1/2 cup Onion
1/2 cup Green Pepper
1/2 cup Picante Sauce
8 Eggs
1 Cup of Milk
1 1/2-2 cups of Shredded Cheese
12 Tortilla Shells
American Cheese slices (or more shredded cheese)

Preheat the oven to 350*

Brown the Breakfast Sausage. Add the onion and green pepper, cook until they are soft. When it's done cooking, add the sausage mixture, Picante sauce, and half the shredded cheese to a large bowl.

In the same pan that you browned the sausage in, combined the eggs and the milk and stir until you have made scrambled eggs. Make sure that they're done. They'll be a nice, light and fluffy consistency. When done, add the scrambled eggs and remaining shredded cheese to the bowl with the sausage mixture. Mix everything together.

Take a slice of cheese, split it in half and place it in a line on a tortilla. Spoon on the sausage and egg mixture. Fold up the tortilla and place in a pan.

Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the shells are slightly crispy.

** Note: I baked only five burritos for the husband and myself. The rest I didn't bake and I wrapped them up in plastic wrap to put in the freezer.
** If frozen, bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes or until the tortilla is crispy. It's recommended to flip the burrito over halfway through baking.

Presenting everyone's favorite dessert...7 Layer Bars! My wife has made this for years and every time one of her friends gets a taste of it, they can't help but beg for more! And the best part is they're super easy to make!

What you will need:

1/4 cup of butter or margarine
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
1 15. oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped nuts (I use peanuts)

Directions:

Melt butter in 13x9 baking pan. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over butter (tap sides of pan to distribute crumbs). Sprinkle on butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and shredded coconut. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over top. Sprinkle on nuts and press lightly into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Nothing tastier than shredded beef...

Here's a really great recipe I made for my wife one night...and she loved it. Granted, I had no idea it would make so much food. You could probably feed about 15 people with this recipe! Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but we got plenty of meals from it. I found it in the 2004 Taste of Home Annual Recipes book. Crazy enough, it was a wedding present from my mother. It took about 5 years for me to finally open it up and check out what it had to offer. 

Here it is... delicious Shredded Barbecued Beef on sandwich rolls.

What you will need:

1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 fresh beef *brisket (3 to 5 pounds),
halved. *we used Tri-tip.
3 tablespoons liquid smoke, optional
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 bottle (18 ounces) barbecue sauce
12 sandwich rolls, split

Directions: 

Combine the celery salt, garlic powder and onion powder; rub over brisket (or Tri-tip). Place in a 5-qt slow cooker. Combine liquid smoke if desired and hot pepper sauce; pour over brisket. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is tender.
Remove roast and cool slightly. Strain cooking juices, reserving 1/2 cup. Shred meat with two forks; place in a large saucepan. Add the barbecue sauce and reserved cooking juices; heat through. Serve about 1/3 cup meat mixture on each roll. Yield: 12 servings.  

*Side note: This is a fresh beef brisket, not corned beef.

Brownies Anyone?

I'll be the first to admit that brownies used to not be my favorite dessert. Until I discovered my most recent recipe, I actually greatly disliked brownies. Do you ever notice the variety of flavors and textures? I mean, there's burnt, there's deliciously moist, there's the kind with nuts (gross), and there's also kinds with chocolate chips. It seems that you can do most anything with a brownie. The best thing you can do with a brownie is to make it from scratch! NO BOX REQUIRED!!


Every now and then I get this overwhelming desire for sugar. I'd like candy (Whoppers anyone?) or ice cream, but I rarely have either in my house. Then I discovered homemade brownies. I originally made some for my husband with the intention of just letting him have the cooked stuff and I'd eat the batter. The first batch I burned. Nasty. It took a few tries, but I discovered the secret ingredient.... BUTTER! Yes, oil just isn't as good. I can't figure it out. Kudos to you if you can!

Here is my recipe:

Brownies
1/2 cup  butter
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (note the picture) Let cool.

** You can think of it like a cake, where if you stick in the toothpick and it comes out clean that it's done. I don't follow this, I stick in the toothpick and if the last quarter of an inch has the brownie on it, then it's done. This creates a very moist brownie and is so perfect. People rave about it.


If you use a dark, non stick pan-- set the oven to 50* cooler and keep checking the brownie at the 20 minute mark.


Happy Baking!

Beef Stew and Garlic Cheese Bread

The best thing about this beef stew is that no two dishes are alike. I greatly enjoy those recipes that you don't have to think too much about what goes into it. If you think a few ingredients would go good together, by all means, throw it in the pot!

Here's a picture of my Beef Stew:

To make Beef Stew, you'll need a handy dandy crock pot. 

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

Steak 

Green Beans

Corn

Beef Stew Seasoning

Potatoes

** I do potatoes last because I use them to fill up the rest of the crock pot. So if you use a lot of the other ingredients, there won't be many potatoes. Notice in my picture... lots of potatoes. I didn't have too much of the other ingredients (I also used a very big crock pot). My ideal stew has lots of meat and potatoes with a little of the veggies. It's how I roll :P

-- Put this in a crock pot for about 6-8 hours on high or until the potatoes are quite tender.

Garlic Cheese Bread

With every great dish, there comes a fantastic, mouth-watering side right? This next recipe is quite simple and VERY tasty! I originally found it at THIS SITE. I thought I would include that recipe mainly for the measurements, but my recipe is a little different. First off.. I tend to use whatever cheese I have on hand. For the most part, it's Cheddar. Second, I not only use parsley, but also some sage and black pepper. (I feel it makes it look really pretty, so I use it more for decoration). Lastly, every now and then I'll put some green onion for a little something different. 

Happy Cooking!!

Fettucine Alfredo

Here is a great Fettuccine recipe that has been made by my family for years!! If you're in the mood for something simple but good or want to impress your guests with something truly delicious then give this recipe a try!

What you will need:

8oz pkg. pasta shells or fettuccine noodles (I've always used the shells) 
Salted water to boil pasta
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup (3 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook shells (or noodles) in large kettle of boiling water. Follow package directions. Drain well.
Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine in large skillet over high heat until butter is melted, lightly browned. Add 1/2 cup of the whipping cream, boiling rapidly until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to medium, add noodles, mix gently. Then add half the cheese and half cup of remaining cream. Lift and mix gently. Repeat with remaining cheese and cream. Mix again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If fresh shrimp is desired:

1/2 lb small shrimp (washed, rinsed well)
melt 2-3 tablespoons margarine in small skillet
add 2 minced garlic cloves
saute garlic and shrimp in margarine
when heated through add to pasta

Vanilla Pudding

This recipe comes from a pretty handy book to have around the house. It's the Reader's Digest, "Homemade: How to make hundreds of everyday products fast, fresh, and more naturally." It's handy because not only does this book have food recipes in it for a variety of yummy things, but it also has recipes for things such as Pet Foods, Cleaning Supplies, Gardening, and Health and Beauty related products. You can order your own book HERE! It also gives you a chance to "Look Inside."

Look how festive this vanilla pudding looks!

The first time I ever made this pudding, I was trying to make my famous E'claire dessert (not posted on this blog... yet). The recipe calls for a couple packets of pudding, but I realized that I didn't buy the right kind of pudding. I was in a panic because the dessert needs a few hours to sit and become crazy delicious. I didn't have time to run to the store, so I popped open this book and found the recipe. It saved me. I actually managed to pull of the dessert (yay for avoiding disasters!). After I was done making the dessert, I tasted this pudding and have been thinking ever since that I should make the dessert using this pudding recipe. The pudding just tastes so much better than the store bought stuff.

This recipe is by far not as fast as the "Just add Milk" variety that Jello puts out, but in my opinion, it's definitely tastier! My plan for this specific batch is to eat a little and let my little one "Paint" with it. Doesn't that sound like a fun activity? My Significant Other is dying to "Paint" with the youngster as well!

Anyways... The recipe:

Vanilla Pudding (page 208)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
2 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used more than this, probably closer to 2-3 teaspoons)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk and stir until the mixture is smooth. Over moderate heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it boils and thickens; reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat.
2. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg until it is foamy. Gradually stir in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Stirring constantly, pour the egg back into the remaining hot milk mixture. Cook over low heat stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla. Immediately pour the pudding into a large serving bowl or individual dessert dishes. Let the pudding cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Homemade Spaghetti O's

I'll prepare you, right now, before we even get into the recipe. First off... this tastes nothing like Spaghetti O's, it's soooooooo much better. When I say "Soooooo" I mean it's WORLD'S BETTER than the canned stuff you find in the gross part of the grocery store. I mean seriously, first it's spaghetti o's, then they have spaghetti in a can, then they have ravioli's in a can.... it just doesn't sound so good when you add "IN A CAN" to the end of the sentence. It's time to live people! It's time to venture out into the crazy world that is delicious homemade foods. Not only is it better tasting, but you get more bang for your buck!

I found this recipe at this site. What I'll post is that recipe, that way you're not forced to do any extra clicks of the mouse. I'd hate for you to have to do any extra work to find something so delicious. The spaghetti O's with a bit of a kick. A kick of  YUMMY GOODNESS!!

If you're looking for an easy, convenient way to have these whenever you please. Make extras and freeze it for later. See... better than "in a can" :)


DIY Homemade Spaghettio’s
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4-6 adult servings, 6-8 child servings

8 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, to al dente (about 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saute' pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, sugar and butter. Heat, while stirring, until the butter is melted. Slowly stir in the milk, then turn the heat to low. Simmer at low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir the shredded cheese into the soup until melted. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour as much of the tomato sauce into the pasta as desired; stir to combine. (I don't like mine extremely soupy, so usually have about 1/3 cup of the sauce leftover.)

Alfredo Sauce and Simple Artisan Bread

This is by far the "Best Ever" Alfredo sauce I've ever had. SUPER yummy!! Serve this with the Simple Artisan Bread recipe and you've got a hit!


 Alfredo Sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

Combine together the heavy cream, butter and cream cheese.  Simmer on medium heat until all melted. Add Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and garlic salt. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low. Let slightly cool so it will thicken.

Serve over warm cooked Fettuccine noodles topped with sliced or diced seasoned chicken breasts. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle a tiny bit of dried parsley flakes on top.


Simple Artisan Bread

Published: November 21, 2007 (from NY Times)
Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)
Time: About 45 minutes plus about 3 hours’ resting and rising

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal.

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.

Pizza Crust and Pizza Sauce

This is my dinner tonight!

Here's a few quick notes before you get to the recipes:
1. If you want a pepperoni pizza, buy it from the deli section. A quarter pound of pepperoni does a few pizzas. I buy mine at Winco, and last night a quarter pound of pepperoni cost me $1.01.
2. If you want Canadian Bacon on your pizza, you can get Black Forest Ham from the deli and cut it up. Haven't noticed much of a difference and it's quite tasty.
3. If you're wanting some quick and easy breadsticks, the pizza crust rolled up makes some pretty good breadsticks. You can also brush on a mixture of butter and garlic salt to make it taste pretty yummy.
4. We've messed up this recipe a few times and added all purpose flour instead of bread flour and haven't ever noticed a difference.
5. When we make this pizza crust, we always have some dough left over. We think that it is actually too thick for our pizza pan (which I believe is a 12 inch pizza pan). This means that if you want it really thick or really thin, you have options. With the leftovers you can even make those yummy breadsticks I mentioned.

Ok... get started on this yummy recipe!


Pizza Crust
Makes one 12 inch pizza crust

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons olive oil (and some extra for greasing a pizza pan)
1 teaspoon salt
Cornmeal for dusting the pizza pan or baker's peel.
2 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
** Recommended: Italian Seasoning

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in salt, oil, Italian Seasoning, and flour (Please note the order). Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan (use olive oil) or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.
     Note: The thinner the dough is rolled out, the thinner the pizza. I don't actually use all of the dough, I use maybe 3/4 of it. The last 1/4 I'll roll up and toss them in the oven. They make some pretty good bread sticks.
For a Crispier Crust, I'd recommend using a Baker's Peel/Baking Stone. 

Pizza Sauce

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary

• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 whole bay leaf

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice


In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, remove from the heat. Let cool until warm and apply to pizza crust.

Old Fashioned Baking Powder Biscuits

These have always been my most favorite biscuits that my mom made growing up! I could be wrong, but they might be the same biscuit recipe found on the back of Baking Powder. I'm not sure, but this is the recipe that she gave me a while back.

These biscuits are a great side to a meal such as beef stew and are the most PERFECT biscuits for biscuits and gravy! Take your pick and tell me what you think!

Old Fashioned Baking Powder Biscuits

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Margarine
1 Cup Milk

Teaspoon onto greased Cookie Sheet

Bake at 450* for 8-12 minutes
Makes 12-15 biscuits

You can add ingredients such as cheese (1/2 cup shredded cheese).

** If you have a really dark, dark non-stick pan, put the oven at 425* and watch the biscuits. Make sure they don't burn, otherwise it takes away it's yummy goodness :)