Pizza Dough Recipe (by demand) :0)

The Pizza Dough recipe I use in my bread maker is a 2 lb dough which makes 2 thick or 4 thin crusts. We typically make 3 with it but according to size of pizza you're making you can even make 5. We have frozen it and had good luck with it still however it takes SO long to thaw and rise it's much quicker to just make fresh dough. You can half everything for a 1 lb dough if you need less. I place everything in my maker in the order I am listing - you should follow the instructions with your maker I imagine.

1 2/3 c Water (80F/27C) (I don't actually take it's temperature, I just feel it and make sure it's cooler than me but not ice cold)

2 T Oil

2 T Sugar

2 t Salt

2 T Dry Milk

4 1/2 c Bread Flour

2 t Active dry yeast

I have a pizza dough setting on my maker and it does the following

3 min knead

22 min knead

30 min rise

If you're using the stones, we set the oven on 550 and cook about 15 minutes, but you can do it on sheets at 425 for about 20 minutes.

Homemade Pizza

We have taken to making our own pizza instead of going out. This way we know what's in it. I rally don't know what has gotten into me, I keep worrying about what is in things and looking for better, healthier ways. Restaurants don't care about my health, but I do. I found a simple dough recipe, I throw the ingredients in the bread machine and an hour later it's ready for us to divide and conquer.

This one is mine! I used pepperoni fresh from the deli, sausage and ground beef as my toppings. The pizza sauce is from a recipe I found, then altered a bit. :0) I'll include it at the end in case you want to try it out.



Check out that crust! yummy!!



We spent a couple of days searching high and low for pizza stones right before Christmas - we made individual pizzas for Christmas dinner. When we couldn't find any nearby I started googling and duh! You can use any unglazed quarry stone/tile. These were 46 cents each, so a significant savings over the label pizza stone. AND these are much easier to store when you're not using them.  Our pizzas are baked at 550 degrees for about 15 minutes.

My Pizza Sauce

1 Big Can of Tomato Sauce or Diced Tomatoes

12 oz can of Tomato Paste (I add this a bit at time, checking the consistency - of course if you get it too thick just throw in more sauce)

1 tsp chopped garlic (I use jarred organic garlic)

Shake in some Dried Onion (I think I use 2-3 tsp)

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt (this sauce is not at all salty)

1 tsp sugar

1 large bay leaf

2 tsp fennel seed

I just throw all this in a saucepan and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  This makes enough for about 6 pizzas - since there's three in our family I just freeze whatever is left after the first use.

Thankful for Cashew Chicken

I would be even more thankful for Cashew Chicken if I could get it outside of Missouri. As it is, every time I go to Missouri I must eat it. Sure, Cashew Chicken is on the menus at most Chinese places but it is not made the same at all. Usually it's a stir-fry kinda thing, but the one I like is a sweet and sour kinda thing, just a different sauce.  Usually the sign advertises it as "Springfield Cashew Chicken" - wonder why after all these years it hasn't caught on elsewhere.  All they would have to do is add a second sauce (an oyster sauce) to their bar.

I'm not a big fan of onions so I leave them off. Yum!!

Make it yourself- recipe here.

Dieter's Oven-fried Chicken recipe

This was too good to keep to myself! Very simple, quick and tasty!

Over-fried Chicken - 168 calories, 23 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 137 mg sodium, 224 mg potassium
2 - 2 1/2 lbs chicken, skinned
1/4 cup cornflake crumbs
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or white wine Worcestershire sauce
dash ground red pepper

Combine cornflakes and parsley (I used 2 teaspoons dried parsley) - I put them in a ziploc bag and smooshed them with my rolling pin.

While Dennis rinsed the chicken and patted it dry, I combined the yogurt, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper (I just used some black pepper). You can brush this mixture on your chicken pieces or use a shallow bowl as I did and roll them around a bit.

After you dip the chicken in the yogurt mixture, toss it in your crumb mixture and shake it around a bit.

Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe taken from the Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cook Book, Low Calorie Home Cooking - copyright 1992, page 191

Dill Rolls (low fat recipe)

So, this is absolutely new for me. For one, I rarely cook and for two I wasn't sure how to go about cooking and holding a camera, but it went ok, so I thought I'd share.

Dill Rolls - 88 calories, 5 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 171 mg sodium, 54 mg potassium

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dillseed or caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

In a small bowl combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast

In a small saucepan heat and stir cottage cheese, water, sugar, dillseed (or caraway seed), and salt until warm. Recipe says 120-130 degrees, I did not use a thermometer, just guessed. Add to flour mixture along with the egg.

Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

Add remaining flour, beat at low speed about 2 minutes or till nearly smooth. (I laugh at this photo, but there's room for improvement, lol)

Cover batter and let rise in a warm place until double (about 45 minutes).

Stir with a wooden spoon. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Spray muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray - I was out so I skipped this step. The spoon the batter (somewhat) evenly into cups. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let batter rise till nearly double (about 30 minutes) - I did not notice this step until I was typing it now, so it apparently works just fine if you forget this step, lol.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or till golden. Serve warm. Makes 12 rolls/servings.

We had a couple of rolls with a salad. It was my first time making them and we thought they were very yummy!

Recipe taken from Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cook Book, Low-calorie Home Cooking - copyright 1992, page 372

Hosted by Cecily and Honey Mommy

Cashew Chicken Recipe

Fun Cooking Monday
originally posted Monday, 24 September 2007

Lisa at the Food Snob is hosting this week's Fun Monday; don’t forget to visit her site to see a list of participants. She got us back in the kitchen and I know you will be as shocked as I was at her request ;)

I want to see your favorite recipe, be it either because your grandmother wrote it, it's the easiest thing you can slap together that everyone likes, it makes you feel healthy, it's cheap, etc. You don't have to make it (although you could if you want) but let us see the index card, cookbook, printed paper from the web, and why it's a favorite in your house. If you have a lot, just pick one, I know I'll have to.

I hate to cook. There, it’s out there, I do not like to be in the kitchen anymore than I have to. My husband actually does most of our cooking and he’s fantastic at it! He loves experimenting with foods and he wishes I was more flexible in my food choices (nice way of saying, he hates how picky I am). Unfortunately, he cooks like my mom, they neither one use recipes and just go by taste. Fortunately, I do have a recipe for those of you who like it.

Since moving away from Missouri I have been unable to find one of my favorite foods. In fact, the only Chinese dish I eat, Cashew Chicken. The type of Cashew Chicken I am talking about originated in Springfield, Missouri, so the one you see on the menus elsewhere are most likely not the same.

Cashew Chicken

* 5 whole chicken breasts
* 1 t sugar
* 4 T soy sauce
* ½ c cashews (unsalted)
* ½ c green onion tops
* 4 eggs beaten slightly w/ milk
* Cornstarch
* Oil
* Salt
* 1 t monosodium glutamate

Cut chicken into cubes. Let cubes marinate in soy sauce for at least 30 minutes. Dip cubes in egg batter and then in a mixture of cornstarch, salt and monosodium glutamate.

Brown chicken in oil, remove, and add ½ cup cashews. Simmer w/ chicken for 10 minutes. Add a few teaspoons of water for chicken to steam. Place over cooked rice and garnish with more nuts and green onions. Pour oyster sauce over dish.

Oyster Sauce:

* 4 chicken bouillon cubes
* 1 c water
* ~bring to a boil then add
* 2 T cornstarch mixed to a thin paste with ¼ c of water
* ~stir constantly, then add
* 1 t sugar
* 1 t salt
* 1 T oyster flavor sauce

I have only made it that way one time. The way we (we being my husband) typically make it is:

Short-cut Cashew Chicken

* Cook some frozen popcorn chicken.
* Make some white rice.
* Heat in a pan, a can of Chicken Stock and thicken with some cornstarch.

Throw rice on a plate, place chicken on top, add your cashews and onions then add sauce. Enjoy. While it’s not exactly the same as my dearly missed Missouri dish it is a decent substitute.