Best Pizza Dough

I've tried several homemade pizza dough and this one is by far my favorite.  The crust ends up perfect and the taste is just right.  The downside to this dough is that you cannot use it right away.  You need to let your dough rest for about an hour, but if you plan ahead then you should definitely give it a try.  If time is an issue for you, I'll soon be sharing a different pizza dough recipe that you can use right away.  It's also pretty good, but like I said, this one is my favorite.

This recipe will be enough to make about 3 large pizzas,  We have large family and when my kids want to have a "make your own" pizza night, I like to make 1.5 times the recipe to ensure I have enough dough for them and still have enough dough to make 2 large, and one smallish pan of bread sticks.

INGREDIENTS:

4.5 tsp yeast

4 tsp sugar

3 c warm water

6 tbsp olive oil

3 tsp salt

2 tsp white vinegar

8-9 c flour 

In a bowl combine 1 cup warm water with the sugar and yeast.  Stir to dissolve the yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of water, olive oil, salt, and vinegar.

Begin mixing on medium-low speed, gradually add the flour and knead for about 7 minutes, or until your dough is smooth and elastic.  You might need to add a little more flour than what I listed on here.  The dough should be slightly sticky, but not so sticky that it really sticks to your fingers.

Cover bowl and let the dough rest in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Punch dough and place on lightly greased or floured counter top.  Divide dough into 3 large pieces.

Roll and stretch to desired thickness.  You can let dough rest while you preheat the oven to 440-450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brush pizza dough lightly with olive oil and prick it all over with a fork.  Pre-bake dough on a hot pizza stone for 6 minutes.

Remove from oven and add your favorite pizza sauce and toppings.  Return to oven and bake for 8-15 more minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.  Enjoy!!!

Potato-Crusted Quiche

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 medium size russet potato, peeled and sliced

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

5 eggs

1 c milk

1 tomato, finely diced

2-3 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced

1/2 c green onions, sliced

1/2 c bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400℉ 

Place sliced potatoes in a bowl and add olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the Parmesan cheese.  Mix well so potatoes are well coated.  Line a glass baking dish with the seasoned potato slices.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile  mix the rest of the ingredients together (begin with the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, whisk well, and then add the veggies and cheese.  Pour egg-veggie mixture on top of the potatoes and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

Pineapple Coconut Pie

  Recipe from Taste of Home

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

 In a bowl, combine sugar and flour. Add the corn syrup, coconut, pineapple, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.) Cool on a wire rack. Chill before cutting. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 6-8 servings

Healthy Banana-Oat Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 (ripe) bananas
1 c old fashioned oats
1/4-1/2 c walnuts (chopped)
cinnamon

In a bowl smash the bananas.  When done, add the oats, walnuts, and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon for more flavor.  These cookies have no added sugar so the riper the bananas the sweeter your cookie.  If your bananas aren't as ripe as you wished, drizzle a little bit of honey to sweeten the mix.  Drop spoonfulls of your cookie mix unto a cookie sheet (spray your cookie sheet to avoid them sticking to the pan.  I used a silicone mat on top of my cookie sheet so I didn't have to spray it.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Makes 12 cookies.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

 Yummy dessert perfect for the fall and holiday season.  Can be eaten warm or cold, with a scoop of ice cream or without.  Also, as noted in the list of ingredients, the caramel sauce is optional.  I added some on my serving the first day, but I thought it was already plenty sweet, so I don't think it's necessary.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

12 oz evaporated milk

4 eggs

1 1/2  c sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

1 tsp salt

1 box yellow cake mix

1 c chopped pecans

1 c melted butter

Optional:  caramel sauce for topping

DIRECTIONS: 

In a bowl beat together pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spices.  Pour into lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Sprinkle top with yellow cake mix, followed by the chopped pecans.

Pour melted butter evenly on top of cake.

Bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit, or until top is lightly browned and custard is set.

Serve warm or cold.  Enjoy!

Jalapeño Bacon Cheeseball

These is such a delicious and easy to make appetizer.  In my opinion it's perfect like this with the amount of jalapeños, but if you are afraid that it might be too spicy for you, go ahead and cut down on the jalapeños.

INGREDIENTS:
2 (8oz pkg) cream cheese, softened
1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
6 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, finely sliced (a little less than 1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp worcerstershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (you can use pecans)

In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, salt, cumin, worcerstershire sauce, and garlic.  Add half the jalapeños (about 3/4 cup), half cup bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions.  Mix well, and set aside.

In a large plate mix together the walnuts, half cup bacon, and the rest of the jalapeños.  Spread these ingredients on the plate and then add the cheese mixture in the center.  Shape it into a ball and coat it with the jalapeño-nut-bacon mixture.

Cover the ball with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.  Serve with ritz crackers.  Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/4 c flour
2/3 c chocolate chips
2/3 c toffee bits
2/3 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c butter (softened)
1 egg

Mix, roll into 1 inch balls and bake at 375℉ for 8-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Flour Tortillas

Flour tortillas are delicious!  My family loves them, but I usually just buy uncooked tortillas at Costco and then just cook them at home.  I didn't want to bother making my own specially when the ones I buy are pretty good.  

Anyway, a friend of mine asked me to share my flour tortilla recipe and I told her I didn't have one, and how I would usually just buy mine.  The next day I came across a recipe I took a picture of a while back and told her we ought to get together and try making some tortillas.  She had a recipe, I had a recipe, and we gave them a try.  The tortillas did not turn out okay (they were not soft at all), so I told her I'd definitely be sticking to store bought.

For some reason though, I was not okay about not being able to get this right and I kept searching and trying different recipes/ways of making the tortillas.  Another friend of mine shared her family recipe and I decided to make two batches a couple of days ago.  One batch was my friend's family recipe, and the other was a recipe shared by my other friend.  We decided that my friend's family recipe was overall the best because it produced softer tortillas (it called for a little bit more shortening/lard).  I still wanted to tweak the recipe a little bit and made a new batch today.  The tortillas turned out delicious and soft so I'm calling this modified recipe the winner in my opinion.  It took a lot of different batches of tortillas to finally arrive to this one, but it was a great learning experience.  My kids were specially happy with me experimenting and them being some of the judges. Anyway, give this recipe a try and hopefully they turn out yummy for you as well.  They are seriously so easy to make!

*Note: This last couple of times I made tortillas I used lard, however, my friend says she usually uses vegetable shortening when making hers.  

Also, I just used my kitchen aid to mix and knead the dough (using the dough hook) instead of doing it manually.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening or lard
1 cup hot water

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.  Add the lard and mix until dough is crumbly.  Slowly incorporate the hot water and knead for about 10 minutes.  The dough will be soft and elastic at this point.  Divide the dough into 12-13 pieces and roll each one into a ball.  Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Preheat a griddle or skillet to medium-high heat (griddle temperature between 400-425 degrees).  Roll each ball into a thin round tortillas using a rolling pin.  Place your tortilla into the hot griddle and cook for about 20 seconds then flip, once  the cooking side is somewhat golden (around a minute of cooking time), flip the tortilla once again and cook on that side until slightly golden (at this point the tortilla would start poofing up).  Remove tortilla and place in a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a kitchen towel.  Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from a family cookbook given to me by my husband's aunt.  These cookies are so yummy, a must try!  I usually make them without the nuts, but I'm sure they are delicious with them as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups sugar
2 cup butter
2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
6 cup flour
3 cups chocolate chips (I usually do half white, half milk chocolate)
1.5 cups nuts (optional)

Mix first 3 ingredients together.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix.  Combine the dry ingredients (except for chocolate chips and nuts) in a separate bowl.  Combine both wet and dry mixtures.  Add the chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 This is one of my family's favorite soup recipes.  We absolutely love it!  It is easy to make and it's perfect to eat with some freshly baked rolls. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb bacon, chopped and cooked
1 onion, diced
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
5 stalks of celery, finely diced (about a cup)
8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 c flour
2-3 (14.5oz) cans chicken broth
salt
pepper
4 c heavy cream or half & half

In a large soup pot, sautee onion, carrots and celery in about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil (you can also use the drippings from the cooked bacon).  When onions are translucent, add potatoes and cook for about 4 minutes.

Add flour and mix well to try and coat your veggies.  Add chicken broth and water if needed.  Add half (or all) the bacon, and salt and pepper.

On medium heat bring soup to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft.  At this point you can mash some of the potatoes for a creamier texture.  Add the heavy whipping cream (or half & half) and simmer for another 5 minutes.  You can add more salt or pepper if it's needed.

Serve and garnish your soup with green onions, cheddar cheese, and bacon.  Enjoy!

Carrot-Pineapple Cake

INGREDIENTS:
2 & 3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1.5 c sugar
1 c oil (I typically do 1/2 oil, 1/2 apple sauce)
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 c shredded carrots
8.25 oz crushed pineapple (well drained)
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl combine sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs-beat well.  Stir in flour mixture and mix well.  Stir in carrots, pineapple and walnuts.  Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2.5 c powdered sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Mix all the above ingredients with a hand mixer and frost your cake.  Enjoy!

Glazed Zuchinni Bread

This recipe was shared by a friend from church.  This zucchini bread is delicious!!!  I think the glaze is the best part to it.  Really, you have to try it.  I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did.  Also, these loaves freeze very well.

INGREDIENTS:

2.5 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 eggs

2 c sugar

1 c oil

3 tsp vanilla

2 c grated zucchini

GLAZE (whisk all ingredients together):

1 c powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp water

Mix the first seven ingredients together and set aside.  Mix the last five ingredients together with a mixer and then slowly fold in the dry mix you set aside until all your ingredients are well mixed.  Pour the batter evenly unto 4 small greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let the bread cool for about 20 minutes, then take each loaf and glaze bottom, top, and sides while still warm.  Let the loaves dry for 1 hour after you glaze them.  Enjoy!

Copy Cat Zuppa Toscana

 This soup is absolutely delicious and one of my family's favorite soups!  I have some picky eaters, but no one complains about this soup EVEN with the kale!  

A few notes when making this soup:  

This soup is very easy to make and I don't think you can go wrong making changes to it.  For example, sometimes when I'm in a hurry and don't feel like cooking bacon, I just use some Kirkland brand bacon crumbles.  Put as much as you want in it.  If I cook bacon, I usually cook a regular package of it and add it to the soup.

I also like my soup a little more spicy so I add half mild and half hot Italian sausage.  To me it gives it just the right spice it needs but not too much that even my three year old eats it just fine.

You can substitute red potatoes instead of the russet potatoes (if you do, don't even bother peeling them, I don't)

You love kale?  Well add some more, why not!

Seriously, give this soup a try, you will love it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Italian sausage (I like to add half mild and half hot)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 medium size russet potatoes (peel, wash, and dice into small chunks)
3 (14.5 oz) cans of chicken broth
1 quart water
2 tsp flour or cornstarch (mix with a little water to make a soft paste)
1/2 lb bacon, cook and chop
1 bunch kale, chopped (about 2 cups packed in a measuring cup)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (heat in microwave for 1 minute)

Place the Italian sausage in a pot and cook until brown, with a wooden spoon, break the meat apart as it cooks.  When the sausage is almost cooked, add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and continue cooking.  When the sausage is cooked, add the potatoes, chicken broth, water, salt, and black pepper.  Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are tender.  Add the flour mixture and simmer for about ten minutes.  At this point you add the cooked bacon, the chopped kale, and the whipping cream.  Cook for about five minutes longer and that's all, your soup is done.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Cottage Cheese Salad

INGREDIENTS:
48 oz Cottage cheese
1 small package strawberry jello
1 tub (16oz) whipped cream
Strawberries, cut into slices

Add the cottage cheese and strawberry jello into a bowl, mix well.  Fold the whipped cream into your mix, and add strawberries.  Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spiced Pizzelles

You will need a pizzelle iron to make these yummy Italian cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c butter (one stick/8 tbsp)

2 eggs 

1/2 c pumpkin puree

1 c sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2  tsp pumpkin pie spice

dash of salt 

Preheat pizzelle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.  

In a bowl, mix the first five ingredients well, and then incorporate the rest of the dry ingredients.  

Drop a tablespoon of batter at a time on the preheated iron, and cook at desired temperature for about 30-40 seconds.  Remove cookie from pizzelle iron and cool.  You can eat the cookies like that or drizzle some melted chocolate over them.  Enjoy!

Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)

 

INGREDIENTS:

*  8-10 skinless pieces of chicken (I like to use chicken thighs)

*  "Goya" brand, Adobo all purpose seasoning with pepper (or your favorite chicken seasoning).  You can find this seasoning in the Latin aisle of your grocery store.

*  2 tbsp olive oil

*  1 large green (bell) pepper, finely chopped

*  1 red pepper, finely chopped

*  1 medium onion, finely chopped

*  1 tsp minced garlic

*  3 cups of rice 

*  2 small envelopes of "Sazon Goya con Azafran"

*  1 tsp chicken bouillon

*  6 and 1/2 cups cups water

*  1 cup frozen peas

*  salt to taste

Pour the olive oil in a large pan/skillet and brown the seasoned chicken (using Adobo all purpose seasoning with pepper) for about 5 minutes on each side.  I usually cook about 5 pieces at a time.  When ready, pull those chicken pieces out and continue with the rest of the chicken until all of the chicken is done and out of the pan.  In the same pan/skillet, sautee the chopped red and green peppers, onion, and minced garlic.  Add the rice, the contents of the 2 "sazon goya con azafran" envelopes, and the chicken bouillon.  Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed.  Add the water, salt, and frozen peas, stir well.  Place all of the chicken thighs on the top of the rice.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes for the rice and chicken to finish cooking.  Enjoy!

Buckeye Brownies

 I first tried these brownies last year in October.  Someone "booed" us and left a plate with this yummy treat outside our door.  They were delicious and I was determined to find out who had brought the treat so I could get a recipe.  I actually just barely found out last week who had brought it and she said that you can get a mixture for these at the store.  Who knew!

Anyway, I did a search online and the majority of recipes out there were pretty similar.  Definitely make these, they are delicious!!

Notes:  The layer of peanut butter is on the thick side.  If you don't want them like that, you can either double the brownie recipe or reduce the peanut butter mixture recipe.

If you want the little squares to look nicer, place the finished buckeye brownies in the refrigerator to completely cool and get firmer.  This will facilitate cutting them more perfectly later.

INGREDIENTS:
1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I used fudge brownies), plus the ingredients to make them (eggs, oil, water)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chips
6 tbsp butter

Bake the brownies according to the directions in the box.  When done, set aside to cool.  In a small mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter, 1/2 cup of softened butter and powdered sugar.  Spoon the peanut butter mixture on top of the brownies.  Use your fingers to spread it evenly over the brownies, set aside.  In a small saucepan (or use the microwave), melt the milk chocolate chips and the remaining butter together.  When ready,  pour the chocolate topping on top of the peanut butter layer, spread it evenly and let it set.  Enjoy!

Easy Salsa

Super easy and quick to prepare.  You are going to LOVE this salsa!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans (14.5 oz) whole canned tomatoes

1-2 jalapeños

1 bunch of cilantro

1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced)

salt to taste

1-2 tomatoes (finely diced)

1 bunch of green onions (finely sliced)

Throw the first five ingredients in a blender and blend well.  I suggest you start out with one jalapeño and then taste and see if it's spicy enough for your liking, if not, add more jalapeños.  When the spiciness level is right for you, pour salsa in a bowl.  You could actually just eat your salsa like this, but I like to add the diced tomatoes and green onions at this point to make the salsa more chunky.  If you do not have green onions on hand, white or yellow onions finely chopped will work just as well.

Note**  If your salsa ends up more spicy than you would like (when you first blend it), just add an extra can of tomatoes.

Frog Eye Salad

This is a very simple and delicious recipe that I got from my mother in law.  Try it, you'll like it!

A few notes before making it:

1. I use the juice from the cans of pineapple that I add to the salad later.  You will not get 2.5 cups of pineapple juice from the cans so you can either open up an extra can of pineapple, or just add some of the juice from the mandarin oranges.  I usually end up with 2 or close to 2 cups of pineapple juice, and then complete the 2.5 cups by adding the juice from the mandarin oranges.

2.  The marshmallows, coconut, and whipped cream are really to your liking.  I definitely added more than a cup of miniature marshmallows and technically you can use the whole tub of cool whip if you want.  

3.  I usually skip the can of crushed pineapple, but it's really up to you if you want it with extra pineapple. 

4.  I've made the salad on the same day so rather than leaving the pasta and dressing to set overnight, I usually just start the pasta and dressing in the morning, leave it in the fridge for several hours and then finish it off in the late afternoon.  Either way works.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

DRESSING:
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 eggs, whisked
1 tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
2.5 cups pineapple juice (use the juice from the cans below)

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and stir constantly until thick.  Remember to add the whisked eggs at the beginning so you don't end up with strands of cooked egg if you add them when the juice has already gotten hot.  Set your dressing aside when done.

1 box Acini de Pepe pasta
1 cup (or more) miniature marshmallows
3 cans mandarin oranges, drained
16 oz tub cool whip
2 cans pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can crushed pineapple (optional)
1 cup coconut (shredded)

Follow directions on box for cooking the acini de pepe pasta.  When ready, drain, rinse, and then pour pasta in a large bowl.  Fold in dressing, cover, and let set overnight.  The pasta will absorb all the dressing.  Add the drained fruit, about 3/4 of the cool whip, marshmallows, and coconut.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c butter (room temperature)

3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1 c peanut butter

2 eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c sugar (for coating)

milk chocolate candy melts (for dipping)   

Begin by creaming/mixing the first six ingredients (butter, sugars, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla).  Once mixed incorporate the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt), mix well.

When the dough is ready begin to make small balls, then roll them lightly on the extra sugar and place on a lined cookie sheet.  Flatten the cookies slightly with a crisscross pattern using a fork.  Bake cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes.

Once cooled, you may dip the cookie half way in the melted chocolate candy melts.  Let set.  Enjoy!!