Pizza Crust

Pizza can be quick.  Making the crust is the most time consuming part.  I made the dough and put in the freezer so that step is already done.

Unleavened Pizza Dough

2 1/3 flour

2 tbs. olive oil

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

water

Mix all but water.  Add enough water to make it just like dough, not too sticky.

I put each dough into freezer bags and into the freezer.

To make a pizza crust, defrost in the fridge overnight.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll or pat in greased pan.  Prick with fork.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Top with pizza topping, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes more.


Pamm





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Leftover Lasagna

After I made ravioli and lasagna muffins on my cooking day I had enough ingredients leftover to make a lasagna of sorts.

In a greased pan I layered leftover:

ravioli
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
wonton noodles
ricotta mixed with an egg and Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese

I baked it at 375 for 35 minutes.

It came out great for "Leftover Lasagna"!

Pamm





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Lasagna Muffins

I came across this Lasagna Cupcake recipe and had to give it a try!

favorite pasta sauce
1 lb hamburger meat
8 wonton wrappers
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
3 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
4 ounces ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cook hamburger meat, season to taste, drain.  Line each cupcake mold with wonton wrapper. Put a little Parmesan, a little mozzarella, and a little ricotta into each mold. (Note:  save a little mozzarella and Parmesan for the top).  Top with a little meat and a spoonful of sauce.  Sprinkle each lasagna with Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake until the lasagnas are nicely browned, about 20 minutes. 

They came out tasting good, but a little messier than I anticipated.  I might tweak this recipe to work better for me?


Pamm





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Basic Spaghetti Sauce

Although I rarely make the same thing twice, this is how I most often make spaghetti sauce.

Brown a pound of sausage and a pound of hamburger together.  Drain.

Mix a large can of crushed tomatoes with a jar of spaghetti sauce.

Add garlic powder and minced onion to taste.  Add the meat and mix well.

I use this for ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti and more.




Pamm





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Cooking Day

Yesterday was a big cooking day for me!  I think it was Italian day :)

Homemade Dog Food
-3 huge batches!

Meatballs for

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Lasagna Muffins -- recipe coming.

Ravioli Lasagna

Pizza Crust -- recipe coming.

And I had enough ingredients left over to make a basic lasagna -- recipe later.

Pamm





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Caffeine Free!

I did it!  I weaned myself off soda!  I have been caffeine soda-dependent for many years.

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to give up soda, well at least caffeine.  After drinking almost all soda for years and years, my biggest problem was finding something else to drink.  Water does not sit well with me.  I wanted something natural, no tea, I don't drink coffee, and I didn't want to switch to caffeine-free soda--that's just more soda.

I came across Supermom's Simple Guide to Healthier Eating for Beginners and Beyond! (you can get the free eBook if you sign up for the newsletter at the link).  In it, she describes how she makes Healthy Lemonade for her family.  This sounded good to me.  She squeezes two lemons into a 2-quart container and fills the rest with water.  She does add Liquid Stevia, but I didn't have any on-hand and I like just the lemon water.

I had tried to go off soda cold-turkey in the past, but the pain was too great.  So I came up with a plan to wean myself off soda; cut from 4 or 5 cans of soda each day down to two cans each day--one with lunch and one with dinner.  I did that for one week.  

The first day, Sunday, was easy, but Monday was very difficult!  When the pressures of work started in, I started craving soda.  I didn't give in and stuck to my plan.  Every day after Monday got easier and easier.  By my second can on Friday, I was wishing for my lemon water instead, lol.

The next week, I cut to just one soda each day at lunch.  I didn't really miss the second one.  It got hard when I got a head-cold on Wednesday and all I could think about was junk food, including soda.  I didn't give in, and stuck to just my one soda at lunch time.

Yesterday, I went completely caffeine free!  I haven't missed it.  I did it!

What makes it a little easier is pre-juicing the two lemons.  I do juice several on the weekends, put in a small container and in the freezer.  I can take one out (defrost in the fridge for a few hours), pour in my two quart container, add water, and it's ready.

I also treated myself to Polka Dot Monogram Acrylic Cup with Clear Straw.  I love a fun cup!

One other important detail that helped me stay on track was I announced my goal and posted updates on Facebook. It kept me accountable.  There were a few moments I may have given up, but I didn't want to disappoint those who were following me, so it kept me focused.


Pamm



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Crock Pot Mac-N-Cheese

Every now and then I need some comfort food.  I found this recipe for Crock Pot Mac-N-Cheese from Meals Matter.

2 cups Macaroni, cooked
3 cups Shredded cheese (reserve 1/3)
8 oz. Block Velveeta, melted
½ stick Butter, melted
5 oz. Can evaporated milk
1 ¾ cup Milk
1 Egg
Salt and pepper

Cook macaroni. Melt Velveeta and butter. Grease crock pot.

Mix all ingredients together in crock pot, except 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of macaroni.

Cook 3 hours on low or 1 ½ hours on high.

It comes out very creamy!  I had some for lunch and divided up the rest into several meals for me for later.  I put them in Ziploc containers and into the freezer.  When I want one for a dinner, I will put it from the freezer into a mini crock pot for about 3 hours, until it's defrosted and heated through.

Pamm



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Very Cheesy Cooking Day!

I was given a huge bag of cheese and decided to use it all up today.  I hadn't made any mac-n-cheese meals for a while, but now my freezer is full of macaroni and cheese!  I also had some chicken I needed to use up.  Here's today's recipes:

Crock Pot Mac-N-Cheese

(recipe coming soon)

Easy Mac-N-Cheese Pie

Fishy Mac-N-Cheese

Sunshine Tacos

Cranberry Chicken

Pull-Apart Chicken

Lemon Water

(Explanation coming soon)

Pamm



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Two Types Of Turkey Burgers

I love having a turkey burger for lunch!  If they're already made up, it's easy to grab one out of the freezer each day.  After I cook big batches of burgers, I wrap individually or use wax paper to separate, put in large gallon-sized baggies, and put into the freezer.

Cheddar-Ranch Turkey Burgers

(a double batch is pictured above)

1 pound ground turkey
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients well; make patties.  Make in your George Foreman grill or on the stove, cooking over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

Honey Mustard Oat Turkey Burgers

(a double batch is pictured above)

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg

1 cup oats

2 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. mustard

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients well; make patties.  Make in your George Foreman grill or on the stove, cooking over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

Each morning, I take one patty out of the freezer and put straight into my mini crock pot.  By lunch time it's defrosted and heated through.  I put it on a Sandwich Thin with burger fixin's and have a salad on the side.

Pamm





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Touch Of The Orient Chicken

This recipe is easy to put together and into the freezer, then as it defrosts, the chicken marinates.

10-12 pieces of chicken (bone-in)

1/2 cup soys sauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Mix all ingredients (except chicken).  Since I make individual meals for myself, I put two drumsticks into a quart-sized bag, then divided the sauce among the bags.  I put the labeled bags into the freezer.

The night before I want to have this, I put one bag out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator for defrosting.

To cook, put chicken with sauce into a crock pot.  Cook on low for 5 hours, until chicken is cooked through.  It's delicious served over rice.

If you are fixing this for a family, just put everything together in a large gallon-size bag for freezing and cook it all together in a large crock pot.




Pamm





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