Pizza on the grill

I think I have finally mastered "Pizza on the Grill"....

The key is to do everything outside.



Start with the Kitchen Aid Pizza Dough. (I doubled it and it made 7-8 mini pizzas)
Brush the grill with olive oil and turn on Low.
Make the mini pizza dough shapes, brush with olive oil and place on the grill.
Don't let the grill get too hot, I kept opening it and closing it.
Using a large spatula, turn them over after 2-3 minutes.
Keep turning every 2-3 minutes until the crust is slightly golden brown.
Gather your friends and start an assembly line! Add the toppings.
Close the lid of the grill for 1-2 minutes and allow for the cheese to melt.
Open it up until the pizzas look perfect!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Meatballs

Need a sneaky way to get in your veggies? Or use up some fresh ones before they go bad? These meatballs are awesome! I made them using my food processor to grate the zucchini and onion and stir up the meat!

Ingredients: 

1small zucchini
1/4 small white onion
4 garlic cloves
1lb ground beef (use turkey if you want to be super healthy!)
1 egg white
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs (the original recipe used 1/2 cup panko, which I didn't have on hand)

Directions

Grate the zucchini and onion in the food processor, using the attachment, add in garlic.

Change the blade to the S shaped plastic blade, and add in remaining ingredients.

Shape in to meatballs and place on lightly greased rack.

Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.

Serve with your favorite sauce and noodles or on a hogie bun for a meatball sub!

These are a great thing to eat half of, and freeze the rest! When you are ready to eat them, pop them in the microwave for 4-5 minutes, or bake them at 350* for 20-25 minutes.

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Another crockpot success! I love cooking in the crock pot on Sundays.  This time I made Italian Beef Sandwiches.  These ones were more like the ones I have enjoyed at Portillo's in Chicago. I had made the Pioneer Woman ones before, but the extra spices and chopped Giardiniera made them much better!

Ingredients:
2lb chuck roast (serves 5-6)
1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing mix
4oz pepperoncini, diced
8oz Giardiniera (Chicago-Style Italian Sandwich Mix) drained* I bought Mild, but want to try the hot!
14.5oz can beef broth
provolone cheese slices
hoagie buns

Directions:
Place roast in crockpot, sprinkle salad dressing mix.  (Don't forget your crockpot liner!)

Add pepperoncini peppers, Giardiniera, and beef broth.

Place a lid on top then cook on low for 9 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. 

Shred then place meat back into crock pot and cook on low for 1 more hour.
Split buns in half and toast in oven, add cheese and melt.

Add the shredded meat mixture on top. Top with cold Giardiniera.

*The version of Giardiniera I bought was packed in oil, drain it with a fork, before putting in!   

Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats

Chicken Parmesan

This weekend Harper, who is 4, helped me cook some chicken parmesan! She was a great helper! She pretty much made the bread all by herself. It all turned out yummy. We ate the whole pan! We were so busy cooking, I only took a picture of the final product!

Abbey had some noodles in the fridge that were already cooked, and I used jared spaghetti sauce to speed up the process!

                               

Ingredients
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 t. Italian seasoning
2-3 chicken breasts
1 egg
1 jar spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
olive oil

Directions:
1. Place chicken breasts in a ziplock baggie. Pound out the chicken until it is about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Prepare 2 bowls, one with egg, and one with 1 cup breadcrumbs, a 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and 1 t. Italian seasoning. If you need more you can add to it later. I always feel like most recipes have too much breading and you end up throwing half of it away1
3. Dip chicken breasts in egg, then in breadcrumb mixture.
4. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet.  Add chicken and cook until both sides are browned.
5. Cover the bottom of a pyrex dish with spaghetti sauce.
6. Add cooked chicken, top chicken with a little more sauce, and sprinkle with cheeses.
7. Cook in 375* oven for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.
8. Serve with noodles and remaining sauce.

Pasta Party

A few months ago we had a pasta party! Everyone brought something to share!  It came together great! 

 Noodles- 3 kinds

Sauces- Red sauce, pesto, Alfredo

Toppings- Olives, pepperoncini, red peppers

We also had salad and bread and set it up buffet style. 

The kiddos and adults both loved it!

Lasagna

I love this lasagna.  I originally found it from Pioneer Woman, but changed just a few things to make it easier!  This lasagna makes A LOT! So I like to put it into 2 or 3 pans and then freeze some.  PW likes to call it the Best Lasagna Ever, I agree.

Ingredients
Meat mixture: 

1-1/2 pound Ground Beef

1 pound Hot Sausage
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can (28oz) Whole Tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 T Dried Parsley
2 T Dried Basil
1 t. Salt

Cheese mixture: 

3 c Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Eggs
1/2 cup Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
2 T Dried Parsley
1 t Salt

1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (you can use sprinkle cheese too, but it doesn't layer as well)
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles- No Bake

Directions:

In a LARGE skillet combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons parsley, and  teaspoon salt. Stir together well.

To assemble:
Arrange lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top with grated Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Serves at least 8 people! 

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Snow Day Spaghetti Sauce

I had great plans of letting this spaghetti sauce simmer all day in the crockpot as I sat at home enjoying my snowday. It would make my house smell good, I had all the ingredients at home, and it would be a hearty winter meal. However, plans changed when my power went out at 9:56, minutes before my 10:00 start time.

I checked with my neighbor Mary Ann, and she said she would host my crockpot!

So in the semi-dark, powerless kitchen I prepared this sauce. I opened up the cans and started dumping. I opened up WHOLE tomatoes, not crushed. So I decided to double the recipe. I could freeze the leftovers!

I had some turkey sausage left over from my quiche, so I used that. It was already cooked, and added the other lb when I was able to get to a stove, right before I served the sauce.

Then I went to my friend Megan's house to eat the spaghetti! I shared a little with Mary Ann too, after all she had to smell it all day!!



Ingredients (this is the doubled recipe)

• 2 lb. Italian sausage
• 1/2 diced onion
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 4 T sugar
• 2 T dried oregano
• 2 T dried basil
• 2 t fennel seed
• 2 t sea salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 t Italian seasoning

Directions
Place all ingredients in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. Add in sausage at the end if you don't want it to be too dry.

Meatballs

I made these meatballs with stuffing mix (the spices are already mixed in!)  They were great, quick, and easy.  They froze well too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix forChicken

1/2 cup water

1 egg

Directions: 

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Line a pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray. . Mix ingredients until blended; shape into 1-1/2-inch balls, using 1/4 cup for each.

Place the meatballs on the pan. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done.

Spaghetti Bread

Every Monday during "Bachelor" seasons, my girlfriends and I get together for the show, dinner, and wine! It was Megan's turn to host.  She couldn't decide what to make.  I had recently pinned a Spaghetti Bread, so she decided to give it a try with her own twist.

Ingredients: 

• 1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough, thawed to room temperature (this takes 2-3 hours, plan ahead!)
• 6 oz spaghetti, cooked
• 1 cup Ragu thick & chunky spaghetti sauce
• 12 oz. Italian sausage
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes or shredded
• olive oil
• Italian Seasoning

Directions: 

Roll loaf into a 12x16-inch rectangle, on parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10-15 minutes. Brown Italian sausage, and drain. Add cooked Italian sausage to spaghetti sauce. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly. Remove wrap from dough. Mix spaghetti, sauce, and cooked Italian sausage together. Place on the center of the dough. Add cheese cubes, or shredded cheese. Make cuts 1 1/2-inches apart on long sides of dough. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left (see photos).  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Adapted from http://rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/braided-spaghetti-bread 

Poblano-Italian Sausage Chili

It was a cold rainy day in September and I wanted chili & cornbread for dinner.  It just so happened that a new issue of Cooking Light was in my mailbox that day with a new chili recipe to try! We had almost everything we needed to make it, except for the peppers, beans, and cilantro.  So we ran up to the Mexi Chopper and spent $6.55 (we bought jalapenos for cornbread & chocolate chunks for cookies too!).  I love going to the Mexi Chopper for peppers and produce because it is so cheap! Cilantro was $0.50 and the peppers were $1.00.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 oz chicken/pork mild Italian sausage with casings removed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 poblano chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock, divided
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, not drained
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup light sour cream

*Adapted from Cooking Light- they call for a different kind of sausage, and salt free everything

Directions: 

1. Heat a large pan with canola oil.  Add onion & garlic and saute

 2. Remove casings from sausage, add sausage to pan.

 3. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin, poblanos, and bay leaf.  (Poblanos are big and green peppers, they took a while to dice! Thanks Erica!)

4. Cook until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble sausage. 

5. Add 1 cup stock, tomatoes, and beans.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. 

6. Combine flour and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock, stirring with a whisk to form a slurry. 

Note: I used context clues and prior knowledge to figure out that word, but in case you were wondering it is defined as  semiliquid mixture, typically of fine particles of manure, cement, or coal, and water. I also used a spoon instead of a whisk, because I didn't want to dirty another dish.

7. Add slurry to chili, stirring with a whisk.  Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thickened.  Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and black pepper. Discard bay leaf and serve with sour cream. 

Serve with cornbread! We added jalapenos and Mexican cheese to the Jiffy Mix.

Pita Pizzas

Cooking for 1 can be hard sometimes, because you don't want to have to eat the same leftovers for a week.  These pizzas are super easy, and you can make as many or as few as you want. Feel free to mix up the toppings, I am just a little partial to pepperoni and artichoke hearts! Most of these ingredients are staples at my house, and make for a quick and easy dinner.

Ingredients: 

• Marinara sauce/pizza sauce (I used leftover sauce, but also use Pizza Squeeze a pizza sauce in a squeeze bottle!)
• Whole pita
• Pepperoni
• cheese
• artichokes
• olive oil 
• Penzeys Pizza Seasoning

Other toppings: onions, peppers, different cheeses, olives, mushrooms, pineapple, chicken, etc.

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400*.  As oven is heating, drizzle pita with olive oil and sprinkle with Pizza Seasoning

Let pita become light brown, take out of the oven and top with favorite toppings. 

Place in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is a light brown. 

Slice, and enjoy! 

Easy Marinara

I hardly ever used jarred spaghetti sauce.  It so easy to make at home.  Usually I make a big batch and freeze some of it.  Every time I do it a little different, but here is the basic easy marinara.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp crushed garlic*
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes*
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• dash of red pepper flakes for some spice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, pasta sprinkle, red pepper, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Add fresh basil. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Serve on pasta, pizza, casserole, or anything else that calls for marinara sauce! This is easy to freeze and defrost in the microwave when you are ready to use it. 

*I like to use crushed garlic in a jar because it is quick and easy.  1/2 tsp equals approximately 1 clove)

*If you would like it chunkier, substitute  1 14oz can diced tomatoes + 1 14oz can of tomato sauce for the crushed tomatoes, or if you would like it thicker add some tomato paste to it.