Cooking . . . It's a Family Thing!

Katie made these and they are delicious! She's the "baker" in the house. Here's the recipe, just in case you get a sweet tooth! Oh, I almost forgot, prep time is about 15 minutes.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, 2 sticks, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cups raisins
• Hot fudge sauce, as needed
• Marshmallow creme, as needed (recommended: Fluff)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 or 3 baking sheets or line with parchment paper (that's what we did).

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the egg and the milk and beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating until incorporated. Stir in the oats and raisins. Form cookies by dropping 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the batter onto the baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet, spacing evenly. (These are supposed to be large).

Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, about 11 to 13 minutes. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Spread a small dollop of the fudge on the inside of 6 cookies (or more if you like chocolate). Spread a large dollop of the marshmallow fluff on the inside of another 6 cookies. Sandwich the cookies together and transfer to a platter.

Make sure you let the cookies get good and cool. Katie was in a hurry so the top was kinda sliding around as the inside goodness was being melted by the slightly warm cookies!

RED BEANS & RICE

This is what we had for lunch today. I am not going to post the recipe because it's too long. If you want to make this just let me know, send me your email and I'll copy and paste into a document and send to you. I actually started on this Saturday. I soaked the red kidney beans, cut all the veggies and cooked all this in a dutch oven with the ham hocks. This morning before church I added the smoked sausage and prepared the rice.The rice is actually cooked in a loaf pan in the oven and calls for stock, chopped onion, celery, green peppers, melted butter, salt, garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne. You just mix it all together, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees about an hour.

So if you get a taste for "Red Beans & Rice" let me know. Thanks so much to my good friend and fellow "cook" Phil M. for lending me his Louisiana Kitchen cookbook.

First of all let me warn you, no part of this dinner was low fat or low calorie, except the steamed veggies! But once in a while you just have to "go for it" and this was worth every calorie and fat gram! I got this recipe from the "Tasty Kitchen" site. The Pioneer Woman posted it on her site and she made it look so good (as happens with most every recipe she posts) I just had to make.






MURPHY'S HOT HAMBURGER

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 t seasoned salt
• 5 T flour (all purpose)
• 2 cans beef broth which is about 2 cups maybe a little more
• 5 whole potatoes (next time I'm gonna use the frozen, crinkle cut; that's the consensus of my family and it will be a lot easier)
• 1 T oil, or as needed (I used Canola)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to425 degrees
2. If you use whole potatoes, wash, dry and slice into fries. Place them on a large baking sheet and pour about a tablespoon of oil over them and toss with fingers to coat evenly. Sprinkle fries with seasoning of choice. I used seasoning salt. Place in the oven & bake for approx. 45 minutes or until golden and crispy. Just be careful not to over cook them. That's what I did. I turned the oven off after 45 min but just left them in the oven; they got too done.
3. If you decide to use frozen, crinkled french fries, just follow the directions on the package.
4. In a mixing bowl, mix hamburger, garlic, seasoned salt, onion powder, pepper and a little more salt if you want to (I didn't add anymore salt). Mix this well with your hands and divide in for portions.
5. Form 4 large patties. They really don't need to be uniform in shape. Make them look kinda rustic!
6. Place patties in a large preheated skillet over medium heat. Brown burgers on each side until they are done.
7. Remove burgers from the skillet and place on a plate covered in paper towels. Do not drain the grease from your pan. Place the plate of burgers in a warming drawer, if you have one, or cover with foil or another plate to keep them warm. I started cooking my hamburger patties when the fries had about 15 min. left to cook.
   
8. Now, add the flour a tablespoon at a time to your skillet, stirring with a whisk. You know you have added enough flour when the grease is all absorbed and the flour mixture gets thick and bubbly. Slowly add the broth, a little at a time, whisking constantly (you're making a gravy here).
   
9. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. If it seems to thick just add a little water.
10. To serve, place an ample amount of fries on the plate. Place a hamburger patty on top of the fries and cover it good with the gravy.

I served with a bag of those vegetables that you steam in the microwave. To be honest you really don't need anything else. Also, Katie added a slice of cheddar cheese to her hamburger before we put on the gravy. She said it was really good that way!

Total Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 min if you make your own fries; less if you bake frozen ones.

I have a couple of recipes for you today. One is what I had for lunch, Pico De Gallo & Guacamole and our dinner, Murphy's Hot Hamburger. Let me go ahead and tell you, both were delicious! Also, I've had a request to post prep time. All I can say is, I will try!

OK, let's start with my lunch today!





GUACAMOLE
For the guacamole you need to first make the Pico De Gallo so here we go. For the Pico you will need; equal amounts of onion, Roma tomatoes (slightly underripe is fine), cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice and salt.
Directions:

1. Dice up the onions, keep them pretty finely chopped
2. Next, dice up an equal amount of tomatoes
3. Now grab a bunch of cilantro equal in quantity to the tomatoes and chop it up pretty finely
4. Now, slice 1 or 2 jalapenos in half and with a spoon scrape out the seeds. (I forgot to buy the jalapenos today so I made mine without them).
5. Dice the jalapeno very finely.
6. Now dump the four ingredients into a bowl. Notice that there's an equal quantity of onion, tomato and cilantro. This is the secret of perfect pico de gallo!
7. Slice a lime in half and squeeze the juice from half a lime into the bowl.
8. Sprinkle with salt, and stir together until combined. Be sure to taste the pico de gallo and adjust the seasonings, adding salt or more diced jalapeno if needed

This won't keep very long in the fridge - probably 24 hours or so. After that the sugars start to break down and it turns into a soupy mess. So it's best to make it the same day you'll want to serve it.

Now for the GUACAMOLE: This makes 1/2 cup per avocado used
Ingredients:

Ingredients:
Avocado
Salt
Pico De Gallo

Directions:

1. Halve the avocados lengthwise. Remove the pit and scoop out all the meat onto a large plate.
2. Next, sprinkle on some salt and mash away with a fork until you get the avocado to the consistency you want.
3. Now throw on a big pile of pico de gallo and stir together gently.
   
4. Always test the guacamole with tortilla chips so you'll get a more accurate guage of the salt content. Adjust the seasonings to taste. This is not only good with the tortilla chips, but also on top of quesadillas, spooned over grilled chicken or just eat it with a spoon, it's that good! I had mine with "blue" tortilla chips and it was just so good!
   

Total prep time for this entire dish was only about 30 minutes!

I really want everyone to make these meatballs! They are so good, so easy and you can use some now and freeze some for later! The first time I made them we had "spaghetti & meatballs" and I froze some that we used for "meatball subs.





ITALIAN MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH MEATBALLS

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I use 1 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
1-2 T fresh minced garlic (which is what I used; 2 T) or 1 t garlic powder.
1-2 t salt (I used 2 t seasoned salt (Lawry's)
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup milk
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley (I used 2T dried parsley) It's a little too early for my "fresh from the garden" parsley

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Shape into small meatballs (at this point you can place on a baking sheet and freeze to use later or cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate up to 24 hours before using). I placed some on a baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap and put in freezer. Once they are frozen I will place in a zip lock bag for later use. If you freeze them this way you can remove them one at a time to use for a quick meatball sub for yourself!
3. Drop the meatballs into simmering pasta sauce (which I just poured from a jar) do not stir for at least 20 minutes or you will risk breaking the meatballs.
4. Continue cooking in the simmering sauce for another 20 minutes (depending on how fast your sauce is simmering 40 minutes total should fully cook the meatballs).
5. You may also bake the meatballs at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Now you are ready to serve the meatballs & sauce over cooked spaghetti or make meatball subs. We had spaghetti & meatballs, tossed salad and olive and herb filone bread that I got for $1.89 at Harris Teeter today. I served the bread with a bowl of olive oil for dipping. Oh my, it was delicious! I promise, if you make this for your family one time they will ask for it again and again! Make sure you check back this weekend. My plan is to make "Red Beans & Rice." My good friend Phil M. brought me some he had made along with the recipe. It was awesome! Can't wait to make for my family.

This was a quick & delicious dinner for a Wednesday church night! I got off work at 3pm, went to Harris Teeter for "triple coupons", came home and had this ready to eat before 5pm! By the way, how early do you have to get to HT to take advantage of the triple coupons you have that allow you to get some items for free. Just about every time I have some needed items that would be "free" they are all gone! Next time I'm gonna be there at 7am and see what happens! Sorry, just had to vent a little! OK back to dinner. The recipe calls for 1 - 15 1/4 oz can of pineapple chunks in juice. Well I had some fresh pineapple that I used which meant I had no pineapple juice. I just substituted apple juice in place of the pineapple juice and it worked just fine. This was so easy and so good. I hope you'll try it!

QUICK SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 T veg. oil
1 medium green and/or red pepper, cut into 1" pieces (I used some of both)
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 - 15 1/4 oz can pineapple chunks in it's own juice (or you can do what I did)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or regular vinegar which is what I used
2 T corn starch
2 T soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
Hot cooked rice

Directions:
Preheat a wok or large skillet over high heat; add oil. Stir-fry pepper & onion in hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan. Add more oil if needed and then add chicken strips; stir-fry until done & browned. Keep warm.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In a small saucepan combine the juice, brown sugar, vinegar, cornstarch and soy sauce. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Return peppers and onion to skillet, stir in pineapple and thickened pineapple juice mixture (if this is too thick just add a little water) and cook until heated through. Serve with rice.

This recipe is straight from my "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" cookbook. It was very good and pretty quick to put together however, it takes several pans so I tried to clean as I went along! I got home from work about 3:30 and had everything put together and ready to bake by 4:30 at which time I left for Katie's soccer game. When we got back home I popped it in the oven for 20 minutes, opened a can of refried beans and we had dinner! There was enough left over for Katie & I both to take for lunch tomorrow.


SIMPLE, PERFECT ENCHILADAS

Ingredients
The Sauce
1 T canola oil
2 T all-purpose flour
1 large (28 oz ) can enchilada sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 T chopped cilantro, plus extra for serving (you can omit this but why would you want to?)

The Meat
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
Two 4-ounce cans diced green chilies
1/2 t salt

The Rest
10-14 corn tortillas
Canola oil for frying
1/2 cup chopped black olives (I left these out, Katie doesn't like them)
1 cup chopped green onions
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Cilantro

Directions

1. First the sauce: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the canola oil and flour
2. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute
3. Pour in the red sauce (enchilada sauce), chicken broth, salt & pepper; bring to a boil
4. Reduce the heat & simmer while you prepare the other ingredients
5. While the sauce is simmering prepare the meat: Finely chop the onion
6. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain the fat, then add the green chilies. Add the salt & stir to combine. Turn off the heat & set aside.
7. In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly fry the tortillas in canola oil just until soft. Do not crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the tortillas have been fried. Now you're ready to assemble!
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking dish.
9. Next, dip each tortilla into the sauce (use tongs & be careful not to tear)
10. Set the sauce-soaked tortillas on a cookie sheet. Onto each tortilla, place some of the meat mixture, black olives, and green onions.
11. Top with a generous portion of grated cheese.
12. Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside.
13. Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Stir the cilantro into the sauce & pour the remaining sauce over the top.
14. End with a generous sprinkling of cheese.
15. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle extra chopped cilantro over the top.

Serve with beans and/or rice!

TONIGHT'S DINNER 3/18/2010

This was delicious! It may have been the best thing I've prepared all week. Well, to be honest everything I've had this week has been very, very good!

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken withAsparagus
and Watercress



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style (this is what I used)
• 6 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 2 t chili powder
• 1 t ground coriander (and yes, I had this spice in my cabinet, I guess you could leave out)
• Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into thirds
• Salt & pepper
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 bunch watercress (you can find this at Harris Teeter; kinda looks like clover)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, 1 T olive oil, the chili powder, coriander, lemon peel (I just used my micro plane zester over the entire lemon). Season chicken with salt & pepper then toss into the yogurt marinade; let stand for about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a greased rack on a rimmed baking sheet(that you've lined with foil for easy clean-up), then arrange the chicken in a single layer on the rack; drizzle with 1 T olive oil. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes, turn chicken over, drizzle with another 1 T olive oil and cook another 15 minutes. My total cook time was 30 min. then I turned the broiler on to give the chicken a nice golden brown color.
3. Meanwhille , on another baking sheet, toss the asparagus with 1 T olive oil, season with salt & pepper and arrange in a single layer. Bake in the oven with the chicken the last 10-15 minutes cooking time.
4. Divide the watercress (that you've washed & dried) among 4 plates, then top with the asparagus and chicken. Drizzle with the remaining 2 T olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt & pepper. I actually mixed the olive oil and lemon juice together and just let each person use if they wanted to.

Katie tried to eat the watercress but she said it tasted like grass smelled so she did not eat it. Richard did and said it was good. Of course, I loved everything about this dish! Even if you don't want to serve the watercress, you should try the chicken and asparagus with the lemon & olive oil! Yummy!

You see this picture. This is what I fixed for dinner tonight. My good friend, Faye Jones, told me about these. You can find these chicken fillets at Aldi Food and they are delicious. Faye was right when she said they taste just like Chick-fil-A sandwiches. I just popped em in the oven for 25 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time, heated up hamburger buns in the microwave, added mayo and a few hamburger dill chips and we had really, really good chicken sandwiches. I cut up a few russets, mixed them with evoo & some southwestern seasoning and cooked them in the oven right along with the chicken. Everything was done at the same time. Thanks, Faye, for hooking me up with this tasty meal idea!

Panera Bread made dinner for me & Katie tonight! Katie had a soccer game in Greenville so I didn't cook. However, I do want to share a recipe that I have fixed. It's one of Katie's favorites. This recipe was given to me by my oldest daughter, Lindsey, who got it from a friend from her church.

CRISPY POPCORN CHICKEN WITH HONEY MUSTARD

Ingredients
1 lb chicken cut into bite-sized pieces (I just use boneless, skinless chicken
breasts
1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg onion soup mix (any brand will do, I buy whatever is the cheapest)
4 T melted butter
1 gallon sized zip-lock bag

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Add all dry ingredients to zip lock bag and shake to mix up
Add chicken pieces to bag and shake to coat
Place chicken on a greased baking sheet & drizzle the pieces with melted butter
Cook 10 minutes, turn chicken pieces over and cook an additional 10-12 minutes or until done. I just cut into a piece after they have cooked a few minutes on the second side to see if the chicken is still pink. You just don't want to overcook and dry it out. Mine turned out delicious and juicy! Serve with the Honey Mustard!

HOMEMADE HONEY MUSTARD

Ingredients
Honey
Mustard (regular, yellow mustard)
Mayonnaise

Add honey, mustard & mayo to a bowl and adjust to your liking. I did equal parts of honey & mustard and about twice as much mayo, but this is up to you. Then just mix it up good and serve. I had some leftover so I used it on a sandwich the next day. It really is good!

Tonight's dinner was delicious. I can't wait for you to try it. It's beef, your man will love it!

ROASTED LONDON BROIL WITH CUCUMBER-PINEAPPLE SALSA
(The recipe actually called for Tri-Tip steak but I had no idea what that was, I had a London Broil in the freezer so that's what I used!)

INGREDIENTS
5 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 T chili powder
Salt & Pepper
1 lb tri-tip steak (again I used London Broil) at room temperature & patted dry
1/2 whole wheat baguette, thickly sliced
1/4 pineapple, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 english cucumber, finely chopped (english cucumbers were too expensive so I just used a long regular cucumber that I washed, cut in half and cored to remove the seeds)
1/2 red onion finely chopped
Grated peel and juice of 1 lime

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together 2 T olive oil, chili powder, 1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper; rub all over both sides of the steak. In a large ovenproof skillet (I used my cast iron skillet), heat 1 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add the steak to the pan and cook, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes total. Transfer steak and pan to the oven; roast until it registers 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven & let it rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing. I added about 1/2 cup beef broth to my skillet after I removed steak and deglazed the pan using this liquid as au jus to pour over steak.

2. Meanwhile, brush the bread slices with the remaining 2 T of olive oil (I just drizzled some on top of bread) and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet; toast in the oven (I used my toaster oven) for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple, cucumber, onion, grated lime peel (I used my microplane grater for this; if you don't have one please get one) and lime juice; season with salt & pepper. Serve with the steak and toasts.

I also roasted some asparagus. Just put in a pan, drizzle with olive oil, add salt & pepper and roast at 400 degrees until tender (it only took about 10 minutes) and I reheated my leftover twice baked potato casserole.

Everything about this meal was perfect! The Cucumber-Pineapple Salsa was my favorite and was a great side dish to the beef! My family thanked me which is always nice!

Thanks to a request and great idea from my good friend Joanna Davis, I made some additional comments on the recipe for the Caribbean Chicken Wings. Also, I will try to let you know if there is something I think you can omit or substitute that won't affect the taste of the dish. Case in point, today's lunch. Richard barbecued chicken & wings on the grill last night. He removed all the meat from the whole chicken and bagged it up. The wings he left intact and just stored in a zip lock bag. I just heated up the "pulled" chicken in a skillet with some George's Regular Barbecue Sauce and served. I took about six of the wings out and made a "version" of the sauce I use with the Caribbean Chicken Wings, omitting what I didn't have which meant I used everything but the habanero pepper and green onion and I didn't blend it in a food processor. I was going to leave out the fennel seed but I really like flavor. I just mixed everything together in a small sauce pan for about 10 minutes. Placed the "aleady cooked" wings on a pan lined with parchment paper and brushed them with some sauce and cooked for about 10 minutes on one side at 350 degrees (this temperature cause I was cooking the Twice Baked Potato Casserole at the same time)flipped them over, brushed with more sauce and cooked about 5 minutes more at 400. I did this at Katie's request (she really likes those Caribbean Wings). I'm sure the wings would have been good jsut as they were. Now for the Twice Baked Potato Casserole recipe! Katie actually wanted this so she prepared. We did have to make do with things we had and I will note changes we made today from the original recipe.

TWICE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes, unpeeled & cubed (make sure to wash them) & I use Russet
4 oz cream cheese (I always use reduced fat)
1 cup sour cream or 1/2 sour cream and 1/3 ranch dressing (again I use reduced fat)
4-5 slices bacon, diced and cooked and drained on paper towel
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 t black pepper (I like to use fresh ground)
1 t garlic powder
This recipe calls for 1 t salt but I leave it out, the cheese, ranch dressing etc have enough salt.

DIRECTIONS
Boil potatoes until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot. Slightly mash potatoes before adding any other ingredients. Add cream cheese, sour cream (or sour cream & ranch), bacon, 1 cup of cheese and seasonings to the potatoes. Stir until well combined. Transfer potato mixture into a small casserole dish. Cover with remaining cheese. Refrigerate or bake immediately at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Today when Katie made this we didn't have any bacon or cheddar cheese. We did have some Velveeta and Monterey Jack cheese so we used that. It was just as good!

Richard is cooking chicken on the grill tonight for tomorrow's lunch! Tonight, however, I decided on pizza. Not store bought, not delivery, but homemade pizza including the crust. This crust is so easy. I think you'll like it a lot! It comes straight out of my "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" cookbook. (Thank you Sheryl)

PIZZA CRUST

INGREDIENTS

1 t or 1/2 packet active dry yeast (1/2 packet = 1 t)
4 cups all-purpose flour (feel free to use all white or all whole wheat; I used 2
cups of white and 2 cups of whole wheat
1 t kosher salt (now I have Kosher salt but if you don't I think regular salt
will work just fine
1/3 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) plus more for drizzling

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer)
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just
incorporated.
4. Gentle stir the yeast/water mixture. . .
5. And drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball
(You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together)
6. Drizzle a little olive oil into a large clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough
in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.
7. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1 to 2
hours. At this point you can cover bowl with plastic wrap and store in fridge
for up to 2 days. I turned my oven to 200, let it preheat, turned it off and
set my bowl of dough in the oven. Also, I let mine set for only about an hour.
I was in a hurry (Katie had a date)
8. To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
9. Divide the dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on a pizza pan or rimmed
baking sheet.
10. Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing the dough
into the pan with your fingers. The thinner the better. Some holes came in mine
but I just worked the dough around to close up any holes. The surface of the
dough should be lumpy from finger marks. It will hold your toppings better!
11. Now just add whatever toppings you want. Tonight I used Marinara Sauce, Monterey
Jack & Cheddar cheeses, caramelized onions that I made last week from recipe in
Wilson Times (they are so good, let me know if you want that recipe), a piece of
leftover meatloaf that I crumbled up, a few sliced, black olives that I found in
fridge, some basil pesto I had and a couple of garlic cloves that i sliced up.
12. Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes (I had to bake mine longer to get the crust
as crispy and brown as I like it). If you're using all white flour just bake till
the edges of the crust are golden brown. It's harder to tell if you use whole
wheat flour as it's already a little brown.

The other half of the dough may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to 6 months. I wrapped mine in 2 layers of plastic wrap and then stored in a zip lock freezer bag. The next time I want pizza I'll just take out of the freezer, let it thaw. It's very easy and very good. The basil pesto really gave it a fresh taste. Remember, when you make your own, you know everything that's in it, where it's been prepared and whose hands have been involved!!! I hope you enjoy.

It's Friday! I don't usually cook on Friday and tonight was no exception. But Texas Steak House did a good job! I will share what I cooked last night though! It's a repeat for me +1 so if you like broccoli & cheese soup you will definitely want to try this one.

BROCCOLI & CHEESE SOUP

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs fresh broccoli florets (cut into bite sized pieces)(2 pkgs of the
broccoli from Aldi is what I use, just cut the florets off the stems.
2 cups water or chicken broth (I always use broth, just makes it better)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 pint half & half (I use fat free)
1 lb velveeta cheese, cut into cubes (I use the 2%)

Steam broccoli until crisp tender
Place half & half and broth or water in a double boiler (I just put about an inch of water in a pot, bring to a simmer and set a bowl on the pot thus a "double boiler")
Add cheese, salt & pepper to the broth & half & half. Heat & stir until cheese is melted. Add broccoli. Mix cornstarch & cold water in a small bowl. Stir into broccoli mixture and heat over the simmering water until soup thickens.

That's all there is to it. Katie likes me to serve hers up in a bread bowl. Just go to Harris Teeter and buy one large round loaf of bread or several small round loaves. Cut the top out, scoop bread from the inside and use as a serving dish for the soup. After your soup has been eaten, eat your "bowl!"

All I can say is "oh my goodness!" The Caribbean Chicken Wings were a huge hit. I fixed enough wings so that we could have 6 each. I had 4, Richard ate 6 and guess who ate the rest. . . Katie. The Mango & Avocado Salad was delicious to me but not to the rest of my family. Katie did eat some and Richard tried it. He was ok until he got a bite of the avocado (he didn't like) and he didn't like the onion in it. But to me it was perfect. I will change one thing next time I make it. I will use white balsamic vinegar instead of the dark. Also, if you're feeding kids you might want to omit the habanero pepper. The heat was perfect for us combined with all the other ingredients but might be a bit much for kids. Now don't freak out when you see all of the ingredients. It really doesn't take anytime to throw them all into a food processor or a blender. I actually had all of the spices in my cabinet. The marinade can be made the night before so the wings can soak up all that flavor. Ok, it's almost time for church so here you go! I found this recipe on Food Network!

CARIBBEAN CHICKEN WINGS

Ingredients:
1 habanero, seeded & chopped (feel free to substitute any pepper or just leave it out)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T sugar
2 t fennel seed (this spice has a licorice flavor leave it out if you don't think your family will like it)
2 t cayenne pepper
2 t allspice
2 t dried thyme
1 t ground ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
7 lbs chicken wings (this is a lot) I used wing pieces & cooked 18 pcs

Throw all the ingredients into a food processor or blender except wings and blend until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade. Place wings into a large zip lock bag and pour remaining marinade over them. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator 4-6 hours or overnight as I did. Preheat oven to 350. Line your sheet pan with parchment paper (be sure to do this or you'll never clean your pan). Remove chicken from marinade and place on baking sheet. Discard zip lock & marinade. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring reserved marinade to a boil. Reduce by 1/3 until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Once the wings have cooked for 20 minutes remove wings from oven and brush with the glaze (marinade you've reduced). Raise the heat to 400 and cook chicken through, another 20 minutes. Delicious!

MANGO & AVOCADO SALAD

Ingredients:
1 T balsamic vinegar (I would use the white)
1 T lime juice
2 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 Mangos, peeled & cubed
2 Avocados, peeled & diced
1/2 small red onion, diced or cut into strips
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large serving bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, salt & pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. Toss in mangoes, avocado & red onion to coat. Serve immediately. I actually squeezed more lime juice over the top after I mixed it together. This was my favorite. Leaves a really good taste in your mouth.

Hope you enjoy!

For those of you who enjoy reading about the meals I prepare for my family! Tonight we had "Sunny's Chicken Fried Steak with Diced Potato Gravy" and "Creamed Spinach" with homemade applesauce that I made this summer. Oh my gosh! It was delicious. For your palate pleasure, here are the recipes:

Sunny's Chicken Fried Steak with Diced Potato Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds cube steak, cut into individual steaks
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Diced Potato Gravy, recipe follows

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the steaks, stir to coat, and let sit 10 minutes. In a paper bag, combine the flour, cornstarch, a few pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the steaks from egg mixture and put into the paper bag. Roll the top of the bag to close, and shake until the steaks are evenly coated. This may be done in batches. Let the coated steak rest on a sheet tray lined with a rack for 10 minutes.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet add enough oil to reach 1/2-inch up the sides. Heat the oil over medium heat to 370 degrees F. (When a wooden spoon inserted into the oil creates tiny bubbles, the oil is ready.) Fry the steaks, in batches if necessary, flipping only once when color is golden and a poke releases no red juices, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a serving platter and serve with Diced Potato Gravy.

Diced Potato Gravy:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 large russet potato, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large straight-sided skillet heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour, stirring to combine with the butter. Add the bay leaf and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the parsley. Serve poured over Sunny's Chicken Fried Steak.

Creamed Spinach (this is so good)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup packaged fried onions (recommended: French's)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and red chili flakes and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the heavy cream, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Heat until the cream is just beginning to bubble, stirring often. Turn the burner off and stir in sour cream and spinach. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top evenly with fried onions. Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.