Pizza Crust

Since I have a long history of killing yeast breads, I needed something really simple for pizza crusts. Here it is:

Mix together
1 Cup of Warm Water
2 Tsp Sugar (Brown or white)
1 Tsp Salt

Add 1 Tsp Yeast, Let it sit 10 minutes.

Add 2 Tbsp Oil, then 3-1/2 Cups Flour.  Knead until it makes a smooth ball.

Let it rise 1 hour.

Throw the crust and bake 20 minutes with toppings at 450 degrees.

Crockpot Egg Casserole

I will be trying this one soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

Use your imagination when making this recipe. Try Canadian bacon instead of ham. Use Havarti or Swiss cheese instead of Cheddar. Add some minced jalapeno peppers if you like hot foods. Then enjoy!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 9 hours

Total Time: 9 hours, 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1 lb. cooked ham, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Preparation:

Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In small skillet, cook onion and green pepper in olive oil until crisp tender. Let cool about 10 minutes. Place one third of the frozen hash brown potatoes in the slow cooker. Add one third of the ham, onion, green pepper and cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings until well mixed. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and turn on low. Cook for 8-10 hours, until casserole is set and eggs are thoroughly cooked. If you want to cook on high, it should take 4-5 hours, or 3-4 hours if you have a newer, hotter cooking crockpot. Check the temperature of the eggs to be sure it's done.
If you have a new hotter cooking crockpot, you'll need to check this after 6 hours. It will probably be done after 7 hours. The eggs should reach a temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F.

Baked Chicken Bacon Alfredo

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/04/baked-chicken-bacon-alfredo/

This one is good. Next time, I think we'll leave the artichoke out. My kids didn't like that part.

A call for recipes

You may or may not be aware that I'm returning to college in about 2 weeks. I'm returning to the whole super-duper-extra strength budget plan and buckling in for 3 years of taking the bus, mending my clothes, and dollar movie social gatherings. Woot. But the eating. Oh the eating. You see, between choir and work, the past year of my life has been spent in restaurants rather than the kitchen. And let's face it, it's actually more economical for one person to get their veggies from a $5 half salad at Zupa's than it is for them to dump $30 on fresh produce at the grocery store in order to make a salad only have most of the salad go to waste. And $1 fish taco night at Rubio's is ever my Tuesday night fare. But outside of the really great deals and charitable souls willing to buy my food for me, I'm going to have to give up the whoppers, Wendy's, and whims. And cafe rio. *sniff* oh cafe rio.

Plus. I've been eating school lunch for the past 3 years, and I won't have that anymore either. It wasn't great. But it was free.

So as I sit here polishing off the last of my chocolate ice cream, I ask you: what did you eat in college? Favorite, fast recipes for one singular sensational person, priced comparative to a package of ramen or box of Mac and cheese (the generic store brand).

Please. Help out the girl who just dumped $408.09 on 4 textbooks.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

My SIL pointed me in the direction of these cookies. They are really good.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

From:
http://ldsliving.com/story/64185-food-dish-cookie-recipe-contest-winner-recipe

The Quotable Crackpot: Katherine (for Stefany)

Aaron wrote a wonderful poem for me for Mother's Day. I still can't read it without tearing up.

The Quotable Crackpot: Katherine (for Stefany): "Those toes, but stubs of pinkish tone, poke out of the blanket’s grasp, and though wanting for a warmer home, are too beautiful to wrap. ..."

Turkey Hummus Spirals

I'm posting our first hummus recipe.  I should get points for that.

1/2 lb deli turkey, thinly sliced
1 container flavored hummus (I like the roasted red pepper)
Bag of baby spinach
Tortillas

Spread hummus on the bottom two thirds of a tortilla.  Spread one piece of turkey and then a layer of spinach.  Roll up, and cover in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.  Slice to make little spirals.

Now, most of you probably have the same reaction that Matt had: "Hummus is nasty!"  Buts its not.  Its really good for you, and the flavored kinds are quite palatable.  Brody ate one of these- spinach and all- and didn't hate it.  If you think of the hummus as more of a mayo type spread, its not a big deal.  I told Matt that he had to eat them if we wanted Brody to try it and he actually ended up enjoying them.  1/2 lb of turkey does about 4- 10 inch tortillas.