Homemade Pizza

After making this, I know vow never to order pizza out again. I, and so has my family, never want to eat pizza out. Making it homemade is so much better! And this recipe is absolutely fantastic! Easy and delicious!


Recipe

Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas
1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar


1. In the large bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer (such as a Kitchen Aid), add the warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.


2. Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Remove the mixing paddle and replace with a dough hook. Knead using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix and knead by hand.


Preparing the Pizzas

Ingredients
Olive oil
Cornmeal

Toppings such as
Tomato sauce
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, shredded
Feta cheese
Mushrooms, thinly sliced
Bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, thinly sliced
Italian sausage, cooked ahead
Chopped fresh basil
Pesto
Pepperoni, thinly sliced
Onions, thinly sliced
Sliced ham


1. Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.

2. Remove the plastic cover from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Prepare your desired toppings. Note that you are not going to want to load up each pizza with a lot of toppings as the crust will end up not crisp that way. About a third a cup each of tomato sauce and cheese would be sufficient for one pizza. One to two mushrooms thinly sliced will cover a pizza.

4. Working one ball of dough at a time, take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the very edges if you want to form a lip.

5. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes. Repeat with the second ball of dough.

6. Lightly sprinkle your pizza peel (or flat baking sheet) with corn meal. Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the pizza peel. If the dough has lost its shape in the transfer, lightly shape it to the desired dimensions.

7. Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza.

8. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the baking stone in the oven (watch your hands, the oven is hot!). Gently shake the peel to see if the dough will easily slide, if not, gently lift up the edges of the pizza and add a bit more cornmeal. Slide the pizza off of the peel and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake pizza one at a time until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you want, toward the end of the cooking time you can sprinkle on a little more cheese.

Garden Lasagna

This recipe has been on my to do list for what seems like forever now. Why I didn't get to it till now, I have no idea. But I wish I had now. I'm a huge lasagna fan. And to be honest, I use to think that lasagna isn't lasagna with out the meat. Well, apparently, I thought terrible wrong after tasting this recipe.

My mother has been on a diet lately, and she's asked me, for when I cook for everyone that I make something light. But, of course to still taste good. So I thought making this lasagna was a great time and also a great opportunity to make it and try it out. This lasagna is filled with a load of delicious vegetables; All my favorites I might add. Had really every veggie that I really loved. However, it also had every veggie that my boyfriend hated in it (who hates anything vegetable).

Side from my boyfriend, everyone else really loved it, especially my mother. She was very pleased. She loved it right away, as did I. This is defiantly become a new favorite recipe of mine, and whats so great about it is I don't have to feel that guilty about eating it! A plus!

Recipe

2 tsp. olive oil, divived
2 1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups fat free milk (or whole, or 1%)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
12 precooked or uncooked lasagna noodles *SEE NOTE


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and saute till tender. About 4 minutes. Spoon into a large bowl.

2. Heat remaining 1 tsp. oil in pan and add sliced carrots. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add broccoli and mushrooms. Saute for another 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Add to bowl with zucchini. Sprinkle with salt, toss and set aside.

3. Place flour in a sauce pan. Gradually add milk to flour, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg; Stir until smooth. Stir in spinach.

4. Combine cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese; Stir well. Spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture in the bottom of a 13 x 9" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over spinach mixture; Top with half of cottage cheese mixture, half of vegetable mixture, and about 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles, and then sprinkle with remaining parmesan and remaining shredded cheese.

5. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

*NOTE: You can either make this with uncooked noodles like I normally do, or make it with precooked noodles. If you prefer your noodles to be a little bit more chewy, and not really soft, then make them with uncooked noodles. Just bake for 30 minute covered, then 20 minute uncovered. If you prefer the normal Garden Lasagna with precooked noodles, then follow the time in this recipe as is.

Baked Mushroom Macaroni

I'm notoriously known to love macaroni and cheese. Maybe not as much as my boyfriend who lives off it, but close enough. There are two ways people usually like it. Creamy or not. To be honest, I really do not like creamy macaroni and cheese at all. It's just to... Well, creamy. My boyfriend, however, is different. He's a creamy guy. But, he does like the baked macaroni's I make.

It was me and my mom who came up with this recipe. We didn't really know what to make for dinner and we really didn't have much to cook with to begin with. We did however have plenty of cheese! But we didn't necessarily want it to be the same old macaroni and cheese. After looking threw the pantry and pondering for awhile, we found a can of cream of mushroom soup. We thought, "Why not?"

All I got to say is; Yum! And the pepper jack cheese really give it a bit of a spice. Which, I love! Than again, I love pepper jack cheese to begin with, so it just made it even better for me!

Recipe

16 ounce elbow pasta
1 can (10.75 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup processed cheese, chopped (I used VELVETA)
1/2 cup cup pepper jack cheese, chopped


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, and cream of mushroom soup. Add mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, processed cheese and pepper jack cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add pepper and salt.

4. Stir in pasta into cheese mixture and combine the cheese with the pasta. Pour into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is such an easy dish to make, that's what I love about it so much. My boyfriend doesn't really enjoy pasta as much as I; He'd rather eat a much of sweets and gummy bears. He's a big fan with sweets like I. That why I was surprised to hear him as me to make Fettuccine Alfredo for him today.

Didn't take long at all to make. It's pretty easy, simple and fast to make. Came out really good and creamy, and my boyfriend was really satisfied with it. I think he ate a bit to much though... He was so full that he couldn't get out of bed! His excuse was, "It was just so good..."

Recipe

18 ounces fettuccine pasta
2 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
12 tbsp. butter (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups parmesan cheese
2 tsps. grated lemon zest
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Ground white pepper
Salt


1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. About 4 minutes. Drain.

2. Stir 2 cups of heavy cream and lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. About 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Add the pasta to the cream mixture and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens. About 1 minute. Serve.

Spicy Baked Macaroni

Giada never lets me down.

The other day, I was watching 'Everyday Italian' with Giada De Laurentiis, and she made something that sound just so delicious! I love Baked Macaroni and Cheese, but when I say her making this Spicy Macaroni with tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach; I was intrigued. And I knew I defiantly wanted to make this as soon as possible.

When I told everyone that I was making this, they were all also very interested as to how this would taste. That is, except my boyfriend. He's a very, very picky eater. But, he loves Macaroni and Cheese and he didn't really like the idea of ruining Macaroni and Cheese by having all the things that were in this recipe. But, I told him had to at least try it.

No only was I in love with this, but my entire family fell in love with this recipe! Honestly, it may be better than the original Baked Macaroni. It was just enlightening and all the flavors contrasted very well together! And... My boyfriend even liked it! Kudos!

Recipe

1 pd. elbow macaroni pasta
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus 1/3 cup
2 tbsp. butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons
12 ounces mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of salt water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and spinach. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumbs mixture inside the dish to coat.

5. In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked pasta, cubed mozzarella, the remaining bread crumbs and nutmeg. Spoon into the baking dish and top with and remaining bread crumbs, and dot the top with remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Momma's Mash Potatoes

Simply put, these are my mommas mash potatoes at which she is hugely famous for. Every holiday or event that has to do with family and they're food involved, everyone is always begging my mother to make her famous mash potatoes. It's an ordinary mash potato recipe, however, everyone says that my momma makes it just right.

My mother hadn't made her famous mash potatoes in what seems like forever. She's been getting lazy and stopped making it. She's been getting the store bought kind now. Eww. Yesterday though, my boyfriend requested that my mother make her mash potatoes at least once for him to try. He had never tried he mash potatoes before, and he being the mash potato freak that he is, he was interested to see what these mash potatoes were all about.

So, my mom actually made her famous mash potatoes for the first time in a couple years. My father and my brother were extremely happy that she made her mash potatoes for once, and my boyfriend really enjoyed and approved her mash potatoes as being one of the best he'd had. Major kudos to my mommy!

Recipe

8 large white potatoes, cubed
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper


1. Place potatoes in a saucepan with water; Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If you don't like the skin for the potatoes, then peel them as well. I prefer the skin though. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain and mash with . Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper. Beat well. Add milk and beat till smooth. Then, add cheddar cheese.

3. Place into a 2 1/2 qt. dish and place into a 350 degrees oven for about 15 minutes. Just until it heats through.

"Poison Noodles"

Whenever I say I'm having Poison Noodles, people look at me like the food must be poisoned. Well, as a matter of fact, that what we thought when we we're little. Me and my brother that is. The name originally came from my mom and her 6 brothers and sisters when she was little. My grandmother would make this meal and they would always complain in disgust. Which, came about the name 'Poison Noodles'.

Me and my brother picked up on the name as well. I remember looking at it as my mom would make it. When I was little, I always had this fear of cottage cheese. The hunks in it always disgusted me. I would never eat anything that would have cottage cheese. But, I ended up eating it on a bet.

My father would me he would give me $20 if I were to eat my plate of Poison Noodles. Twenty dollars?? That was like a hundred to little kids! I took my dad up on his offer. It took me a few moments as I stared at my fork in disgust, realizing that I was about to put that 'thing' into my mouth. The thought was mind bottling. However, I brought myself to take the bit. And, to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. Actually, it wasn't bad at all. Thous ended my fear for cottage cheese.

I still have no idea what the real name is to this dish, nor does my mother or my grandmother remember. We really don't care as to what the real name is. We are so fond of the name 'Poison Noodles'. It makes it sound more fun.

Recipe

1 package (12 oz.) wide noodle pasta
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/2 sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 tbsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook the pasta as directed. Drain.

2. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, cheddar cheese, pepper and salt. Stir together till well combine.

3. Take noodles and combine it with the cottage cheese mixture. Cover the noodles in place in the oven for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Baked Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese was something I always looked forward to when my nana and grandpa would come over for dinner. My nana made the best mararoni and cheese that I had ever tasted! It's funny, she can't cook anything; At all! If you were to eat something she cooked, sadly, it would seem like you just been poisoned. But here maroni! It was just so good!

She said that he mother was famous for this macaroni and she taught here how to make it. Well, me and my mother wanted to cook this! But, my nana would not tell us. So, we tried our best to make it, and when we finally got it, it came to taste 100% better than my nana's! We had her try it, and she agreed. It was better they're heres. This is when she told us how it was she made hers. And we we're left speechless when she told us.

She didn't even make it from scratch! In fact, she would by the mararoni and cheese store bought kind and just add a TON of cheese! And here me and my mother are, starting from scratch, trying to figure it out. No wonder ours came out better.

Recipe

1 box (12 ounce) macaroni
1/4 cup butter
3 cups milk
1 egg
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Black Pepper
Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coo pasta till al dente. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Stir in the milk. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. Temper in the egg. Stir in 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix then pour it into a casserole dish. Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and top with 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. (if you like the top a little burnt like I, broil for about 5 minutes after the 20 minutes)

4. Let food rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I didn't think it was possible! But, I found something that I enjoy just as much as Ruth Chris Steakhouse's Sweet Potatoes!

A few months ago, me and my family went to Ruth Chris Steakhouse to celebrate my fathers birthday. I've never been one to enjoy Steakhouse, since I'm not to big about steak, but Ruth Chris is pretty darn good! I love they're potatoes. They have from mashed to julienne to lyonnaise. And they're all extremely good! But, what they've become pretty famous for, that is, beside they're steak and bread pudding for me, is they're Sweet Potato Casserole! Usually, if you have Sweet Potato Casserole, you'll find Marshmallows on them. Well, thats how its always been more me, don't know about others...

What I found so intriging about theirs was that had a Pecan Crust on top! Can you say, Heaven?! I took a bite and I swear I died and went to heaven! In my view, this dish is so sweet that I see it more as a dessert of some sort! I never bother to try and see if I could even make a dish close enough to compare to they're sweet potatoes, but I tried anyways. And to my surprise, it tasted just as great! I have a new food that intent to be making more often. No more waiting for Thanksgiving!

Recipe

CRUST

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

SWEET POTATO MIXTURE

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes [baked]
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick butter [You can leave out if you'd like]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.