Quick Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)



• 1 teaspoon white sugar
  


• 1 cup warm water



• 2 1/2 cups flour



• 2 tablespoons olive oil



• 1 teaspoon salt



• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)



• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (to taste/optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (if using a pizza stone, preheat stone as well)



2. In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 min.



3. Stir in flour, salt oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes



4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll unto a round. Transfer crust to a lightly grease4d pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 min. before serving.

I love this crust recipe! It is so quick and easy, and it always turns out so good! It comes out fluffy and soft, yet when done on the pizza stone, it gives it a nice crisp bottom. Oh can I just say I love love love my pizza stone!? I got it for my birthday and I don't think I can do regular pizza in a pan again!

My friend Taylor and I made these 2 specific pizzas. Give us a break on the shape. I'm terrible at doing a round pizza, plus they were both baked on my new pizza stone, so we had a little trouble with getting it on the stone... ha ha :) but they both tuned out wonderful. The first one is a chicken artichoke pizza with a garlic butter sauce. The second is your basic Hawaiian pizza.

Sorry my pictures have been lame lately. They have just been taken with my camera phone with out any editing. I'll try to do better.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts


• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs


• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning


• 2 teaspoons dried basil


• garlic and onion powder to taste


• 1/2 cup butter, melted
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F


2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces.


3. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, Italian seasoning, basil and onion and garlic powders. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping.


4. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer. Drizzle small amount of melted butter on the chicken.


5. Bake for 20 min, or until no longer pink in the middle. I didn't flip them half way through this time, but I think they would turn out crispier if you did. :)

This was my first time trying this recipe. I modified it to my liking and this is my version of the recipe. Go here for the original recipe. Kyle loved them! He was a little unsure when i told him I was making chicken nuggets for dinner, but in the end it was a hit :) They were good dipped in BBQ sauce or marinara sauce, but you could use any favorite dipping sauce.

This was also really quick and easy to prepare. I got home at 5:30 and started cooking and we were almost done eating by 6:30. We ate this with some leftover rice and veggies we had in the fridge.

Kyle's food quote for the night: "You should go teach McDonalds how to do nuggets!"

Food Quotes

I found this site with tons of food quotes! Here are some of my favorites :)

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.

~Jim Davis

We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking.

~Steve Elbert

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

~Author Unknown

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.

~Buddy Hackett

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.

~Luciano Pavarotti

My favorite animal is steak.

~Fran Lebowitz

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

~Lewis Gizzard

We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.

~Alfred E. Newman

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.

~Linda Henley

There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will.

~Robert Frost

Avoid fruit and nuts. You are what you eat.

~Jim Davis

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it.

~Julia Child

Live expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

~Doug Larson

For more food quotes go here :)

Cheese Cake

Cheese Cake

Ingredients

• 1 8 0z. cream cheese bar




• 1/3 cup lemon juice




• 1 can sweetened condensed milk




• 1 teaspoon vanilla




• 10" graham cracker crust*




• Cherry pie filling or topping of choice

Directions

1. Soften cream cheese.




2. Beat cream cheese until fluffy.




3. Gradually add lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix well.




4. Pour into backed crust and chill.




5. Top with pie filling of choice, and enjoy!!

* You can buy pie crust or make your own. For this one, I chose to use a store bought one, but homemade can defiantly be more yummy :)

I got this recipe from my aunt Laraine. It is a very quick and easy no bake cheese cake! It turned out really yummy.

Flash Roasted Crispy Ranch Chicken

Flash Roasted Crispy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup




• 1/2 cup milk




• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix




• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves*




• 1 1/2 cups finely crushed tortilla chips




• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

Directions

1. In a shallow dish mix soup, milk, and dressing mix. Reserve 1 cup for sauce.




2. Dip chicken into soup mixture. Coat with tortilla chips.




3. Place chicken on greased baking sheet. Drizzle with margarine. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.




4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat reserved soup mixture to a boil. Serve with chicken.

*You can make this with chicken tenders or even cut the breasts into strips.

This is a great way to use those left over crumbs in your chip bag! This is great for a quick and delicious meal, so easy to put together and it comes out so flavorful and juicy!

New background?!?

I've been looking for a new background which do you guys like the best? Should I use one of these or keep it the same?! I need input! I'm terrible at decision making!! Please comment with your opinion.

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French Bread

French Bread

Ingredients

• 2 pkg. or 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast


• 1/2 Cup warm water


• 3 Tbs sugar (divided)


• 2 Cups hot water


• 1/2 Cup oil


• 1 Tbs salt


• 6 Cups flour

Directions

1. Combine yeast , 1 Tbs sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets frothy


2. Add 2 cups hot water, oil, 2 Tbs sugar, and salt.


3. Slowly start to add flour 1 cup at a time. Mix well.


4. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 10 minutes. Stir down and re-cover. you will repeat this step 5 times.


5. Knead dough 10 times.


6. Separate dough into 2 balls and form into 2 loaves


7. Place on a cornmeal lined cookie sheet and with a sharp knife cut 3 diagonal lines in each loaf.


8. Let rise for 10 minutes and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I've made this several time and it always comes out so yummy! Depending on the meal we are eating with it I will add different seasonings to alter the flavor a little. This time I added Italian seasoning and garlic powder. I also like the top brushed with butter and sprinkled with ta little cheese before its baked!