Homemade Pizza

I love doing English Muffin Pizzas but Trevor is not a huge fan. I have always been terrified of making my own pizza-too time consuming/too hard! I recently used a recipe that I quickly fell in love with! Super delicious and so easy I can even handle it. We have found this saves us a lot of money when we are craving delicious cheesy pizza from our local pizzeria. Best part--if you double the dough recipe you can freeze it and have enough for another meal! Win!

Now the sauce i just do to taste so i really don't know measurements so i'll guess and you can judge after that. PIZZA SAUCE 15 oz can tomato sauce 3or4 cloves of garlic pressed 1 tablespoons onion i usually do dried onion or onion powder 2 tablespoons oregano 1 tablespoon basil dash of cayenne pepper or some sort of spicy seasoning salt and pepper to taste. just mix it all up. And if you really want the flavors to meld together you can let it boil for 5 or 10 minutes but i usually don't think that far in advance. This will make enough sauce for about 3 pizzas. You can freeze this too! PIZZA DOUGH-I double this and it gives us two good sized pizzas. I make one and freeze the rest of the dough.

2 1/2-3 cups flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) 3tablespoons oil 1 cup very warm water In larger liquid measuring cup combine water, sugar, oil, and yeast. Let sit until somewhat bubbly about 5 minutes. In bowl combine 2 cups flour and salt. Add yeast mixture to flour and stir together. Knead in remaining dough until elastic. Let rest 10-30 minutes (the longer the better) shape into pizza and garnish as desired. Don't forget to use cornmeal on the bottom of your pizza pan so the dough does not stick. Bake at 425-450 about 10 to 15 minutes.

To freeze dough complete steps above. Form into a ball and place in a WELL GREASED gallon sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and stick in the freezer. To thaw simply place the frozen dough in the fridge the night before you plan on using the dough. Works great-still tastes delicious.

English Muffin Pizzas

One of our FAVORITE meals around here, because Luc LOVES to help cook and it's so simple he can make his own! Plus it is a really fast meal for nights when you don't have much time.

You'll need:
-English muffins
-pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce (whatever your preference)
-shredded cheese (again, your preference. we like mozzarella)
-toppings like pepperoni, olives, chopped ham, pineapple, green peppers, bacon, etc. Whatever you like on your pizzas!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice English muffins in half, and place on  your baking sheet.
Spoon the sauce on to each muffin and then top with the cheese and desired toppings. Toddlers love making their own, so let them go crazy!

Bake for ten minutes, or until edges are brown and cheese is melted. I toss a salad and call it a good meal!

Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

These are divine and SO easy to make!

Image taken from tofw.com

For Brownies
2 Cups Margarine (I use butter)
2 Cups Sugar
1/3 Cup Cocoa
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 Cup flour
Mini Marshmallows

Instructions-Mix sugar & Margarine until smooth, add cocoa and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour. Bake on a large greased cookie sheet for 25 min at 350 degrees.  Immediately add mini marshmallows on top and cook for an additional 3 minuets. Let cool.

For frosting
1/2 Cup butter
1/4 Cup Cocoa
1/3 Cup Sweet and Condensed Milk
Powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients and add powdered sugar until desired consistency.

Spread frosting on top of cooled brownies/marshmallows and Enjoy!

Corn Salad/Salsa

Thanks Amy for introducing us to this amazing stuff!

Corn Salad 

Recipe by Our Best Bites 

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
8 ounces queso fresco or cotija cheese***
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped***
1/2 recipe (about 6 ounces) Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette (click the link to find the recipe!)
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions:

Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large stock pot. When the water boils, add the corn and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse and then add to a large bowl. Toss together the corn, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño pepper, and crumbled cheese. Toss with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, gently toss in the avocado and season with salt. It's AMAZING with tortilla chips! Serves 10-12.

***i used feta cheese and a green bell pepper instead of queso fresco and a jalapeño AND i threw in a diced tomato and it was still madly delicious!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Recipe from my mom!

You'll need:
4 cans chicken broth
2-3 chicken breasts
Noodles- you can use any kind you want. I like regular fettucini noodles, my mom likes to use the bowtie kind- whatever you like will work! Also, I never measure these, I just eyeball them.  I do about 4-5 cups cooked.
Carrots- I use 3/4 bag of baby carrots
1 small onion
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Pour in your crockpot the cans of chicken broth and 1 can of water. Chop the carrots and onion and add to the broth. Boil chicken, dice, and add to the broth. Simmer on low for 4 hours or until carrots and onions are soft.

Boil the noodles until they are ALMOST done but not quite. Drain and add to your crockpot. Turn crockpot to high and let cook for 1 hour or until noodles are soft and done- i left mine cooking for over two hours last time and they were way too mushy. So check them periodically, stirring and testing softness.

At the very end, right before you're ready to serve it, salt and pepper to taste {not much salt needed} and stir in the sour cream. You can't add it earlier or it separates as it cooks. This add a bit of creaminess without making it heavy and it's so good!

Serve hot, and it's best with warm rolls of course. Enjoy!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

I was in a baking mood and had some extra fruit lying around the house so I made these little beauties. Not healthy in any way shape or form but oh my are they delicious! Especially with that tangy glaze on top!

Enjoy!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk * I did one cup of regular milk and 1 Tbs of white vinegar-let it sit for 5-10 min before adding to the recipe

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/4 cups raspberries *I used fresh and cut them in half since they were large

1 cup confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, oil, and lemon zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until moistened. Fold in raspberries. Fill 18 muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar and lemon juice. If glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and allow to harden slightly, about 5 minutes. 

NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

This is a SUPER fluffy, delicious cheesecake recipe, and it's so easy. Luc and I make it in 20 minutes!

You'll need:
1 graham cracker pie crust (i always buy mine. feel free to make your own if you know how!)
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup white sugar
any fruit sauce or topping you desire

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese (if it's cold, it's very hard to get a creamy texture) and lemon juice until soft. Add the whipping cream and beat until batter becomes thick and creamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (This takes a few minutes. Also, I always taste it right about now and make sure it's sweet enough. I usually have to add a pinch more sugar)

When your mixture is very thick and fluffy, spoon it into your graham cracker crust and spread evenly. Chill several hours or overnight (THIS IS IMPORTANT. It melts fast if you don't chill it. Overnight is best.)

Just before serving, top with whatever fruit or sauce you desire!