Pretzels

Every so often the boys and I like to make soft pretzels. I found this new recipe online that is supposed to taste just like Auntie Anne's so we thought we'd give it a try. They were delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe that we will make again.

1 cup milk
1 package (or 1 T.) active dry yeast 
3 T. light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 T. butter
1 t. table salt
3 T. cup baking soda
2 T. coarse salt

Warm the milk in microwave to about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining flour and the table salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450º and grease a large baking sheet. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 1 cup warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then place baking sheet. Sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Sesame Chicken

I found this recipe for sesame chicken a long time ago but decided it was too complicated to make without a little help. So with Roz home on Spring Break and Jer here to help too, we decided to make it for dinner.

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)

Marinade-

1 teaspoon chicken base
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)

Batter-
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce-
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper

 
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into 1” chunks and in a glass bowl combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 4: In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.
Step 5: In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

We marinated the chicken and then I made the batter. Roz and Jer did the dipping and frying out in the garage so we didn't stink up the house.

Roz... Fryer Extraordinaire!

We were encouraged by the fact that the chicken coming out of the fryer looked and smelled just like chicken you'd see in a Chinese restaurant.

Looks good and smell great!

The Finished Product!

We were all pretty please with the way it turned out. There wasn't enough sauce to cover all the chicken we made even though we doubled the entire recipe. That worked out to be a good thing because the boys liked the plain chicken. We got some sweet and sour sauce with our egg rolls that we used to make some into sweet and sour chicken as well. I think it would be a great freeze ahead recipe. Just cook up a bunch of the battered chicken and then freeze it on cookie sheets before putting it in freezer bags. Then you could take out as much as you need and make it into any type of various Chinese chicken (sesame, sweet & sour, Kung Pao, orange, etc).

The chicken was perfect but next time we make it we plan to try a different sesame sauce (maybe this one). This sauce was good for kids but we want something more sesame flavored. This whole post where I found the recipe is filled with various Chinese yumminess. If you are looking to make some tasty Chinese food at home... check it out!

Virtual Christmas Tour 2010

Welcome to the 2010 Virtual Christmas Tour. For the past few years I've had a little fun by sharing a "virtual" Christmas tour of our house. If you are new to the blog or just want to look you can click here to see my 2008 tour and here to see my 2009 tour.

I'm not sure why but when December rolled around this year it just didn't seem possible that it was already time for Christmas again! Maybe I'm getting old, or time is speeding up, but it seems like we just did this. Last year I didn't go all out because we were going to be leaving on vacation right after Christmas. This year I didn't go all out because I just didn't feel up to the challenge! :)

Here is the 2010 Christmas tree:
My favorite decoration again this year is the stockings hanging by the fireplace. I think it's because we've only had a real fireplace in our own home since we moved into this house about three years ago.

You can see the train beneath the tree in the picture above. I have had this train for many years but haven't put it out either because I didn't have room (at the old house) or had too many little hands that would constantly be messing with it (the past few years). This year the boys (including Jerry) talked me into getting it out. They were all under strict orders not to mess with it or turn it on without help. I'm happy to report they have stuck to their end of the bargain.

Jerry telling the boys:
"If you mess with this train Mom is going to put it back in the box
and you won't see it again until you are 23!"
Just kidding... They were watching it go around on the track.

As usual Roz helped me assemble the tree and put up the lights while she was home on Thanksgiving break. Then all the boys "helped" with the decorating. I use the term "help" loosely. I will say one thing about decorating a tree with lots of helping hands... it sure goes quickly. It seems each person hangs about 10 ornaments and we're done.

It's a long standing family tradition to give the kids an ornament each year. Last year I made these little crocheted stocking ornaments (but never got around to posting a picture).
This year instead of making an ornament I found a really great deal on porcelain photo ornaments (only $1.99 each). They turned out better than I expected for the price! Here is what JD's looks like:
This next ornaments is one of my favorites. Made extra special because the person who gave it to me passed away this year. Annie Boersma was a long time family friend and wife of my godfather. Over the years, even when we lived across the country, she always took time to keep in touch at Christmas. I received this Christmas ornament from her and Rog the year Jerry and I got married.
I always hang it on the tree where a yellow light can illuminate the holy family. One of my favorite Christmas books is a wonderful "treasury" of Christmas stories, thoughts, and poems given to me many years ago by Rog and Annie. It is now out of print and I was so upset several years ago when one day our old dog (Lucky) uncharacteristically took it off the shelf and chewed it up. (She only did that one time in her whole life!) Last year, thanks to PaperBack Swap, I was able to get a new copy! (Two actually... want a copy? See below for details.)

Speaking of dogs, we lost our dog Buck this year. The vet kindly gave us this little miniature schnauzer ornament that wasn't really my style, but the boys insisted we hang it on the tree. So we did.

My mom found this nativity for me at a rummage sale this year. I put my (unbreakable) wooden one down in the school area and put this one in the living room. A few times JD has put the camel or shepherd in the stable attic or moved the wise men around but thankfully nothing has been dropped or broken. I have also found JD's play cell phone and a matchbox car in the stable. I'm sure Mary and Joseph appreciate his assistance.

Another special addition to our Christmas decor (although it's up year round so I'm not sure it's technically a Christmas decoration) is this beautiful handmade wooden cross from Jerusalem. It was sent to us by our friends the Scharpf family who spent most of last year (2009) living in Israel.

A few years ago I found this window cling nativity. I put in on the mirror in the boys bathroom so they could contemplate the reason for the season while they brush they teeth each morning and night. That's one way to fulfill the command of Deuteronomy 11:19!

We are in our third year of working through a month long daily Christmas devotional called a Jesse Tree. We love it! This has been the best year yet as far as the boys sitting still, listening carefully, and really soaking in the Bible stories we discuss.
A view of the whole living room from entry way to fireplace (Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

A few recipes I have posted in the past that you might want to try this Christmas:

• Candy Cane Cookies - my childhood favorite.
• No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies - if you don't have much time and need a yummy treat, try these.
• Snow Cocoa - a delicious alternative to regular hot chocolate, not very healthy but so very good! If you're making it for a crowd... make a double batch.
  
• Make-at-Home Kettle Corn - a new spin on an old fashioned snack.
• Christmas Potpourri - This isn't a recipe you eat, but it will make your house smell like Christmas.

And a new recipe for this year. I found this recipe in a Gooseberry Patch book several years ago and it was an instant hit! Several of these in a Christmas tin would be a great gift for anyone you know who loves to eat cookie dough.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1-1/2 pounds chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating; allow excess to drip off; Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator.

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Now it's YOUR turn! Let us see your house. Just take a few pictures of Christmas decorations in your home (the tree, a favorite ornament or two, outside lights, stockings, nativity, etc.). Post them on your blog with a short explanation if you'd like and maybe include a favorite Christmas recipe OR if you are interested in sharing some photos but don't have a blog, post them to a photo sharing site (Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc.) or use the public link to share an album on Facebook (at the bottom of any album). You could even share a recipe by taking a photo of it!

TO JOIN THE TOUR: Just leave YOUR tour link in the comments so we can all take a peek. (For those of you who have done this before, I am not using a link widget this year, just leave your link in the comments.)

WIN THE BOOK: If you are interested in a copy of the "My Christmas Treasury" book I mentioned above just leave a comment saying so and I'll draw a name. Brownie points to those of you who leave a tour link and a comment saying you'd like the book. :)

Olive Cheese Bread

I have made this bread several times and it's always a BIG hit. I love it. My mom loves it. My sister loves it. Roz loves it. When I made it for my twins club meeting last Thursday it was requested that I post the recipe as soon as possible. I could have done it right away but we were having too much fun and several of the mom's were in my basement chatting until almost midnight so I headed straight to bed! I forgot until just this very minute and now that I remembered here is is the recipe!

Olive Cheese Bread (via Pioneer Woman)

1 jar green olives
1 can black olives
2 green onions
1 stick butter, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
¾ lb. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 loaf French bread, slice lengthwise

Roughly chop black and green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.
Mix until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread.
Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to 2 days) or used as a spread with crackers.

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

I had a request for this recipe and thought I'd throw it out on the blog to share. I got this recipe from my sister a few years ago and it has become a Sunday-after-church-lunch standby. We throw it in the crockpot while we're cleaning up breakfast and it's ready to eat when we get home.

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

1 pkg. (16oz) elbow mac
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten (I have found these to be optional)
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
1 can cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni noodles, do not over cook. While the noodles are cooking toss the margarine in the crockpot to melt (or you could microwave it). When it's soft/melted add milk, soup, evap. milk, cheese, and eggs (if you're adding them). Add cooked noodles to cheese mixture and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. If you're around give it a stir a few times while cooking.

*Optional: Reserve one cup of cheese and sprinkle it on top the last 15 minutes of cooking.
*If you like really creamy mac and cheese (like KFC), omit the eggs and cook just until heated through.

Our Weekend (in Food)

Here are the Shown boys in their sweaters before heading to church this morning:
I wore a sweater too (not pictured). Oddly enough so did many other people at church. I didn't get the memo but was glad most of our family had on sweaters for Sweater Sunday!

In other news, Roz arrived home this afternoon after a weekend in the Dells with a friend. I barely got a "Hi Mom" before she was asking "what's for dinner?" and grabbing poppy seed bread (recipe below). Apparently home cooking is what she misses most while away at college! Here's why...

This is what we had for breakfast this weekend:
Saturday-Egg & Sausage on Biscuits

No recipe for these really. Just cook up some sausage patties and eggs. Stack them on homemade biscuits with a slice of cheddar cheese. I cook the eggs kind of omelet style then cut them into round shapes with the biscuit cutter. If you want a great biscuit recipe here's the one I use:

Light and Flaky Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 T. baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk (+ 1 or 2 T. more)

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter. Add milk and stir with a fork until ball forms. Knead lightly into a ball but don't knead long. Pat out on a floured surface and cut with biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 until golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).

Sunday-Continental Breakfast Potluck at Church (I brought Poppy Seed bread)

If you need something yummy to serve at a Christmas brunch or even a quick baked gift? Try this. I got this recipe several years ago from a friend I went to nursing school with. I hadn't made it in a long time and revived it a few weeks ago. My whole family loves this bread. In fact, Jer got after me because I've "had this recipe for 15 years and only made it a few times?". What's wrong with me! It is really easy to make too, so I don't have a good excuse.

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavored extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/4 cups white sugar

Mix all of the above well. Put into two greased 9 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about an hour (until golden and tests done). Cool a few minutes in the pan then poke holes in the top and pour on the glaze (below).

Glaze

1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (approx.) cups confectioners' sugar

To make glaze: Mix liquids and then add enough confectioners' sugar to make glaze.

Virtual Christmas Tour 2009

I gave this a try last year and wanted to make it an annual tradition. If you have a blog please join in and post a few pictures from your home then link up below. I think everyone loves seeing other peoples homes and decorations!

We didn't do much outside this year, Jerry said he didn't want to get up on the (very high) roof peak again. So I didn't take any pictures of the outside lights. We did hang a few lighted wreaths and put some lights on the bushes and roof line by the front porch. We have some recessed lights in the front and next year we are planning to get some red and green flood lights to give us a bit more color.

Even inside, I didn't go all out this year. We are leaving shortly after Christmas and want to get things put away before we go. So missing from my usual decorations are the "kid's tree" in the basement, my little Christmas village, most of my snowmen, and almost all of my kitchen decorations. Okay, enough about what I didn't get out! Here's what I did!!
I have had this wreath for several years. It was a hand-me-down from my mom. Speaking of my mom, this wreath looks much better this year than it did last year thanks to her. She bought some new balls for it and and gave it a mini-makeover for me. Thanks Mom! It looks great!
Below the wreath and above the fireplace are the stockings I was frantically sewing last year at this time. They are one of my new favorite decorations.
Right as you come in the front door, on the front hall closet door, I have a ribbon hanging where I pin all the Christmas cards we receive. It's not too full yet, but I am hoping to get a few more (hint, hint). How do you display your Christmas cards? What do you do with them when Christmas is over. I put the photos and letters into a Christmas "binder" to keep them. If I scrapbooked I would do something a bit fancier but this works nicely for me. It's fun to go back and look at how much everyone's kids have grown.
Here's our Jesse Tree. Only 8 ornaments left to hang! Hard to believe. If the tree looks a little lopsided that's because it's been knocked off the small table I have it on in the kitchen a few times. I did take time to laminate the ornaments this year hoping that will help them last a bit longer. I have new Jesse Tree ornaments on my "to do" list but I haven't decided if I want to cross stitch them or make salt dough or something else.
A few years ago I got rid of almost all of our Santa related decorations. I want our Christmas decorations to reflect more of what we are celebrating, that's is why I like decorations like this table runner. My mom found it for me and I put it as the centerpiece on the kitchen table with the advent wreath. Eli requests that we light the candles more often, but flames, hot wax, and little boys don't mix real well, in my opinion, so we've only lit it once or twice.
This little pillow sits on the wooden bench by the front door year round. Almost each month, but sometimes just seasonally, I change the slip cover. I sewed all the various holiday fabric covers several years ago. I have two covers for Christmas that I alternate. This year it is the Nativity fabric. The other fabric is more of a "country" Christmas with various decorated trees.
I made this wreath (sorry this photo is so dark) with a dollar store wreath and an ornament I got on clearance at Shopko. After gluing the ornament in place I just added a few cinnamon sticks, buttons, and tied fabric scraps to finish it off.
These little light jars have been around for a long time. They make a great gift! I keep one in each of my bathrooms during the Christmas season. They are great little night lights and the potpourri smells so nice.
Here is this years Christmas tree. Roz helped put it up when she was home a few weeks ago. The boys helped so the ornaments are all over the place. Some of the ornaments that should be in the back of the tree (you have those type of ornaments too, don't you?) are in the front this year. I swear the ornaments get moved around daily by all my little helpers, so this is what the tree looked like today. No promises this is what it will look like tomorrow, but at least it's still standing and for that I am truly thankful.

Last year I shared the recipe for one of my favorites: candy cane cookies. This year I'll share one of Roz's favorites. I don't know why I only make them at Christmas time. They are so easy to make, I should really make them more often!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
1 stick margarine
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 T. cocoa powder
2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
3 cups oats
1 t. vanilla

Melt margarine in a large pot. Add sugar, milk, and cocoa then bring to a boil.
Boil for 3 full minutes, stirring frequently. Take off heat and
add peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Mix well.
Spoon "cookies" onto wax paper.
Let set and enjoy!

Snow Cocoa

I've posted this recipe before but it's worth repeating. If you are doing any holiday entertaining I highly recommend this very easy but very delicious beverage! I always bring it to our annual Mother's of Multiples Christmas party. I think I might get kicked out of the club if I didn't bring it. It has become a tradition! It's a white hot chocolate...

Snow Cocoa
2 cups whipping cream
6 cups milk (I use 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 oz. white chocolate chips

Put in crockpot and heat on low for 2 hours. Stir well to blend.
Garnish with marshmallows if desired.

The hardest part about making it is getting it to the party. Carrying a crockpot full of hot liquid is always an adventure but this year at least I won't be walking over any ice! The high Thursday is supposed to be a balmy 34 degrees!

Sweet Treat (Updated w/ Recipe)

Here's a cute, and super easy, fall treat for you! Take your favorite cut-out sugar cookie dough and add a little orange (or red/yellow mix) food coloring. Roll it out like you would normally, but instead of using cookie cutters... cut out triangles. Once the cookies are cooled dip one end in a glaze colored yellow and the other in regular white glaze to make them look like little candy corn. Using the "looser" glaze and dipping the cookies makes the decorating go a lot faster than spreading regular frosting on with a knife.

I brought these as a snack to the GBAMOM rummage sale this weekend and they were a big hit! Both because they were yummy and because they were cute! One of the mom's even gave me a suggestion that will help save me a little time the next time I make them: use a pizza cutter to cut the dough. I used a dough scraper, it worked great, but the pizza cutter is an even better idea!

Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup margarine (or butter)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Cream margarine and sugar (with electric mixer if you have one). Beat in eggs and vanilla. Slowly blend in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill one hour before rolling out for best results. Bake until edges are barely golden (7 minutes or so) at 400 degrees.

New Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie

We tried a great new recipe this week! This chicken pot pie is perfect dinner in chilly fall weather. Jerry and I both really enjoyed it. I made it with a homemade pie crust, which was deliciously flaky and golden, if I may say so myself. If you aren't a homemade kind of pie crust person you could use store bought. I'm not including the crust portion of the recipe since I just used the basic pie crust recipe from my BC Cookbook.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 small onion, chopped
2 T. butter
1 cup carrots, cut up
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Saute the onion in butter. Add carrots, potatoes, and just enough water to nearly cover them. Simmer 15 minutes or until carrots & potatoes are nearly done. Drain all but a half cup or so of the water. Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly. Pour into large pie pan lined with crust and top with additional crust. Cut some slits in the top. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until the crust is golden. Let sit a few minutes before cutting to allow the sauce to thicken.

New Recipes

I was a little adventurous this week and made a couple new recipes. Jer had an appointment Tuesday and wasn't here for dinner. I had to get the gang fed and out the door to AWANA by 6 o'clock so I thought I'd try this fun little breakfast recipe from my friend Erica. It's kind of a tradition at our house to have breakfast for dinner when Dad's not around. Our usual standby is homemade waffles.

While the boys weren't too crazy about the apple oven pancake, I sure was! It was delicious. I made two, one with raisins and one without. I have to say I preferred the one without the raisins. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of it for you (Erica put a picture on her blog if you want to see what it looks like). It puffed quite a bit while baking, but settled down nicely. The apples and cinnamon made the kitchen smell wonderful, that is until the bacon that I made to go along with it took over!

Then I came across a recipe for Chicken Taquitos. I made these Thursday night for dinner and they were a BIG hit with all the guys, big and little! Everyone asked for seconds except Eli who asked for thirds. We topped these with lettuce, tomato (from the garden), sour cream, and guacamole. Justus loves guacamole, even the spicy kind, but didn't want any other toppings. On the other hand, Eli wanted all the toppings except the guacamole.

Chicken Taquitos

2+ cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese
12+ corn tortillas
¾ cup sour cream
1 T. taco seasoning mix
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1 T. parsley
salt, a few shakes
oil

Line a baking sheet or two with foil. Mix chicken with all but the tortillas and oil. Put oil in a small skillet. Soften the tortillas by frying them in hot oil for a few seconds. Not too long or they'll get crisp. Once the tortilla is soft put a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mix in each tortilla and roll it up. Line the rolled taquitos up on the baking sheet leaving a little space between each. Bake at 350° for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden, turning once.

This recipe didn't take too long because I used some chopped chicken that I had in the freezer. Having pre-cooked chicken and ground beef in the freezer is a HUGE time saver. I haven't been making a menu the last two months and having that meat ready to go has saved us from McDonald's several times. I have to get back on track with the menu... I don't like not having a plan.

Tonight, I made the usual homemade pizza with a twist. First, I turned about 15 pounds of garden tomatoes into multi-purpose marinara sauce this morning. I used that as our pizza sauce. I plan on using some for future pizzas and the rest on pasta. It was a long process (picking, peeling, cooking, packaging) but worth it... it was very tasty!

Then when the crust rolled out a little bigger than my pan I got the bright idea to stretch it out a bit more and turn it into a stuffed crust pizza. Yum! I just laid some mozzarella there and rolled the crust edge right over it. To make it pretty (and extra tasty) I sprayed on a bit of cooking spray and sprinkled some garlic salt. It worked great!

I will definitely be making the pizza this way again. The toppings, in case you were wondering, are half pepperoni with fresh from the garden onion (for me) and half pepperoni, ground beef, and homemade pickled jalapenos (for Jerry). I would have put black olives on my side but we didn't have any. The kids didn't have the stuffed crust on their half cheese, half pepperoni pizza. They never eat the crust. Although they might have if I would have stuffed it!

Gourmet Pizza

When we moved here I was surprised at the options you have if you want a pizza. There are the usual Pizza Hut and Dominoes and countless local pizza places (everyone has a favorite). Stores sell frozen pizza by the truckload. Whole grocery store aisles are full of the frozen disks. A lot of people have counter top pizza ovens. Apparently, the people of Wisconsin love pizza.

We are no exception. Our favorite place (Gallagher's--for you locals) is a bit pricey so we only get it on special occasions. We also like Papa Murphy's (take and bake). The boys don't mind frozen pizza but I hate it so once or twice a month I make pizza here at home for dinner. A while back I tried making deep dish Pizza Hut style and it turned out great.

Last night I made one of Roz and Jerry's favorites: BBQ Chicken Pizza. I'm not crazy about it so I thought I'd try and recreate one of my favorites... Papa Murphy's Gourmet Chicken Garlic pizza. I looked for a copycat recipe online but didn't have much luck so I just came up with this:
As soon as I had it all together I knew it would be good... it looked just like it came from Papa's! And it was delicious!

Here are the recipes if you want to give either one a try:

Crust
2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups flour
1 T. yeast
1/4 t. salt
1 cup warm water
2 T. oil

Mix half flour, yeast, salt. Add water and oil. Mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in as much remaining flour as you can. Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Divide in half. This recipe makes two crusts. Roll out to fit pizza pan. If you want regular pizza top it right away and bake. If you want a thicker crust let it rise a bit before topping. If you want thinner and crispier crust, immediately bake crust only at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Then top and bake again.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
1 pre-baked crust (see above or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Mix chicken and BBQ sauce. Spread over crust. Top with cheese.
Bake at 400 for 8 -12 minutes. Makes 8 slices.
(above photo of BBQ pizza is NOT from last night)

Gourmet Chicken Garlic Pizza
1 pre-baked crust (see above)
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
3-4 green onions, sliced
2 T. parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup garlic caesar dressing

Spread dressing on crust. Top with chicken, tomatoes, and onions.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese over pizza first,
followed by mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes.
(Could use ranch or alfredo sauce instead of caesar dressing.)

Strawberry Freckled Lemonade

On the 4th of July Roz requested this tasty beverage. I tracked down the recipe (via Google, of course) after having Red Robin's "Freckled Lemonade" a couple years ago. It has become a family favorite. It is a delicious, kid friendly drink. And it looks pretty in a glass!

Strawberry Freckled Lemonade
2/3 c. lemon juice (fresh or from the bottle)
3/4 c. sugar
Cold water--to fill a 2 quart pitcher
1 c. sliced strawberries (fresh)
1 c. smashed strawberries (fresh)

To smash strawberries: place in pitcher, and mash with potato masher. Add remaining ingredients. Mix all together, and let chill for 2 - 3 hours. Stir before serving.

We sipped this and munched kettle corn while watching Jer light off the fireworks!

Ham & Cheese Braid

Last night I made a family favorite for dinner. We call it Ham & Cheese Braid and you'll see why. As I was putting it together I told Roz to grab the camera and take a few shots for you. So thanks to Roz for her contribution to this post! I don't really have a recipe to type out. Just make your favorite bread dough (by hand, in the bread machine on the dough cycle, or in your mixer). I made mine using half whole wheat flour and half white flour in my Bosch mixer. I made four loaves worth of dough so I could make two braids plus some cinnamon swirl bread for breakfast.

This is my wheat grinder. It's a K-tec Kitchen Mill (actually they renamed it a couple years ago and it's now called the Blend Tec Kitchen Mill). I love mine and highly recommend it! I buy wheat in large bags from a little country store up by my mom's. I used to get it from a food co-op but, sadly, the company went out of business. I store my wheat in five gallon buckets that I got from the bakery. A fifty pound bag lasts me a long time since I don't make bread as often as I should (according to Jer anyway). If you have never tried 100% whole wheat bread from fresh ground wheat you are missing out!

Once the dough is made, roll it out into a large rectangle, I didn't measure but this is about the size of a cookie sheet. And put diced (or sliced) ham down the center. I like diced better so the whole slice doesn't slide out when you bite into it. Top the ham with a cheese of your choice. I used mild cheddar, but swiss would be good too!

Then slice the sides into little strips and start braiding. I fold the end in first so I can cover it up as I go.

One all braided. And then two, ready to go into the oven. You don't have to let them rise, they'll puff up just fine in the oven. I bake them at 350 degrees. They come out about 45 minutes later golden brown. Trust me on this...let them cook until they are really golden. Check the bottom to make sure it's done before you take it out. If it's not done put them back in on the bottom rack for a few minutes. If you don't cook it long enough the center will be doughy. The gooey cheese doesn't help with that!

Now it took me about twice as long to type up this post as it did to actually make the braids so don't be discouraged. It really is very easy. I promise your family will love you!

*Note: I had a lot of pictures to include so I made them small, click on any picture to enlarge.