School Pizza

 Servings: 8

Ingredients :

Crust :

2-2/3 cup flour

3/4 cup powdered milk

2 T sugar

1 package quick rise yeast

1 tsp salt

1-2/3 cup warm water (110-115)

2 T vegetable oil

Filling :

1/2 lb Italian sausage

1/2 lb ground chuck

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 (8oz) block mozzarella cheese

Sauce (I made the day before) :

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

1 t salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 T dried oregano

1/2 T dried basil

1/2 t dried rosemary

Instructions:

Crust :

Preheat the oven to 475.

Spray an 18 x 13 sheet pan with Pam and lay parchment paper down.

Add flour, powered milk, sugar, yeast, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to blend.

Add oil to warm water. Pour into the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until batter forms. Don’t worry about lumps - you just want no dry spots.

Spread dough onto a sheet pan with fingertips until even. If the dough doesn’t want to cooperate then let it rest for 5 min and try again.

Bake just the crust for 8-10 min. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Filling :

Brown meats (add salt and pepper) until it resembles crumbles. Drain, set aside.

Get out sauce.

To assemble the partially baked

crust:

Spread sauce all over the crust.

Sprinkle meats.

Sprinkle cheese.

Bake at 475 for 8-10 min. Until cheese starts to brown.

Let stand for 5 min, cut into slices and serve.

ENJOY!! 

Notes

The sauce was good, but too much sauce for a half-sheet. Too much meat too, could reduce by 1/2. The crust was thick, dense and pastey. Could reduce the crust by half to thin it out, add more flour until it resembles dough (instead of batter), and let it rise a bit so it’s more airy

Stuffed Hatch Chile Peppers

 

Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 Hatch Chile Peppers
1 ½ cup Shredded Chicken (rotisserie)
¾ cup small cubed sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 oz softened Cream Cheese
2 TBS Dalmatia Fig Spread (can substitute with honey)
½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
pinch Salt and Pepper
1 lb pckg of Slice Bacon

Steps

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add Chile peppers and boil for 4 minutes.
Remove peppers and allow to cool.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add cream cheese, chicken, cheddar cheese, fig spread, red pepper, garlic and salt/pepper. Mix until well blended. (I do this in the mixer).
Preheat oven to 400°.
With a sharp knife, slice peppers down the center from the top to close to the bottom. Remove seeds for less heat or leave them for more heat.
Open the pepper and fill with chicken mixture, using a small spoon.
Wrap bacon around the pepper starting from top to bottom. Keep ends of bacon on the bottom of the pepper to avoid using toothpicks to hold it.
Line a large baking tray with foil and set a cooking rack on top of it.
Place peppers on the cooking rack and bake for 45 minutes or until the bacon is cooked.
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Potato Soup

 

Dutch Oven Potato Soup

This is an easy and delicious creamy dutch oven potato soup recipe that can be made in just one pot!  This is my family’s ultimate homemade comfort food, loaded baked potato soup that is thick and creamy!

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Additional Time

10 minutes

Total Time

55 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 Tablespoons Butter
• 2/3 Cup Flour
• 4 Cups Whole Milk
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• 5 Pounds Potatoes, Yukon Gold 
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 Pound Bacon, Cooked and Diced
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced Onion
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Pepper
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme

Get Ingredients

Instructions

1. In a large cast iron skillet, fry the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Then transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Once the bacon has cooled, break or cut it into small pieces.
2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 10 tablespoons of butter or reserved bacon grease to the dutch oven. Whisk the flour into the butter and saute for 2 minutes to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
3. Then, gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Whisk continually until slightly thickened. Gradually add the chicken broth and whisk to combine.
4. Add diced potatoes to the roux mixture and bring to a low simmer, stirring the soup every few minutes so that the bottom does not burn.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes. (The smaller you dice the potatoes, the faster the soup will cook)
6. Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the herbs and spices, small chunks of room-temperature cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
7. Simmer the potato soup for another 10 minutes or until the cream cheese has completely melted.
8. Add cooked bacon pieces. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.
9. Ladle into bowls or large mugs with handles and serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.

Notes

• Cut your potatoes into bite-size pieces no larger than ¾″ and try to keep them around the same size. This will help avoid having some raw potatoes while others are cooked to fork-tender perfection.
• Grate a block of cheese and avoid using bagged pre-shredded cheese as it contains cellulose, which keeps it from melting smoothly.
• I love using an Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven or Cast Iron Dutch Oven to make this soup, but you can use a slow cooker or large stock pot.
• I like leaving the peel on the potatoes, so I use organic Yukon Gold potatoes. If you are not using organic, I recommend peeling the potatoes.
• I like using minced onion and minced garlic in my recipe, but you can substitute garlic powder and onion powder.
• This creamy potato soup is just that – creamy! There is no need to puree part of the soup to thicken it. However, if you find that you don’t want the chunks of potatoes, use a potato masher and gently mash the potatoes, leaving very small chunks.

The Blizzard (Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail)

 

The Blizzard (Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail)

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

Looking for a unique bourbon drink to enjoy during Thanksgiving, Christmas and other winter holidays? 100% pure cranberry juice mixes with bourbon, freshly squeezed lemon juice and homemade simple syrup to create this winter-flavored cocktail, entitled The Blizzard. Serve with frozen cranberries or ice, and enjoy this slightly sweet bourbon drink during the chilly months.

4.46 from 98 votes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

SERVINGS 1 cocktail

CALORIES 294 kcal

PREP TIME 10minutes mins

TOTAL TIME 10minutes mins

INGREDIENTS

  

• 2 ¼ oz. bourbon
• 1 ½ oz. unsweetened cranberry juice
• ½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• Lemon slices and cranberries for garnish

EQUIPMENT

• Cocktail shaker
• Mini angled measuring cup
• Double jigger
• Citrus juicer
• Large square ice mold

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Pour the bourbon, cranberry juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup into the cocktail shaker.
• Place the lid onto the cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously.
• Place spherical ice or whiskey stones in an old fashioned glass.
• Pour the drink over the ice cube/whiskey stones.
• Garnish with a slice of lemon or a couple of cranberries, and enjoy immediately.

NOTES

Unsweetened cranberry juice adds SUCH a nice tartness to this cocktail. Please try to find that in the grocery instead of the sweetened cranberry juice cocktail that's widely available.

Butter Meltaways

 Butter Meltaways

Beech Grove, Indiana field editor Sue Call suggests, "Add variety to this recipe by substituting lemon flavoring for the vanilla plus a teaspoon of lemon peel."

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling

YIELD: about 4 dozen.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Additional sugar

Directions

• 1. In a bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Chill for several hours or overnight.
• 2. Preheat oven to 350°. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork dipped in flour; sprinkle with sugar. Bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.