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Easy Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

Jar of spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce

Pre-made crust (Boboli or refrigerated pizza dough)

Toppings of your choice.

Directions:

Follow instructions for cooking the crust.  To prepare your crust, place sauce on first.  Then add cheese and other toppings.  Bake according to crust instructions.  Dig in!

Advanced Pizza Recipe

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
3 cups (709.8 cc) of Bread flour
11/2 teaspoon (5 - 7.5 ml) of salt
1 cup (236.6 ml) very warm water
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) maple syrup (or honey)
1 packet of yeast

Directions: 

Mix flour and salt together with a long tined fork. Dissolve the syrup in the water and then add the yeast, allow this to sit until it has developed a good froth. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and then pour in the aqueous stuff. Stir it with the long tined fork until all of the flour has been wetted then put it on a bread board and knead it for 12 minutes. Let it rise at least once for an hour or longer. Coat the pan with olive oil and apply a generous sprinkle of coarse ground corn meal. After the dough has risen, roll it out and place it on the pan. At this point I coat the surface of the dough with garlic-saturated olive oil*. The dough can be allowed to rise again or used at once. 

Sauce and toppings: 

A basic sauce can be made from canned crushed Italian-style tomatoes. Add basil and quite a lot of oregano , crushed between your hands, garlic, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 45 minutes. If it tastes bitter you can add a bit of sugar. Extra sauce can be frozen for future pizza. 

For a Chicago-style sauce try this: 

Drain two 28 oz. (795 gr.) cans of peeled plum (Italian style) tomatoes. Cut off any green parts, slice them in quarters, and scoop out the seeds. Keep just the fleshy parts, press them and try to squeeze out extra water (you can save the watery stuff for soup), then add chopped fresh basil and crushed garlic (4-8 cloves). Mix it together with your hands, and crush the tomatoes. Put half of the cheese under this tomato mix and the rest on the very top. This size Pizza requires 12 oz. (340 gr.) cheese. Use mainly mozzarella with maybe a bit of parmesan or something exotic like feta, fontinella, or gorgonzola, if you wish. I recommend you put any exotic cheese on as discrete cubes or slices. Be careful about vegetables, they can make your pizza soggy. I recommend baking skewers of mushrooms for 30 - 45 min. I use the gas grill, but I guess an oven would work (with a pan below to catch the water). Slice them in half when done and salt and pepper to taste before putting them on the pizza. Above all, don't skimp on quality; use only the best ingredients for your toppings. Cook the pizza on the bottom rack of a very hot oven (500 to 550 F, 249 to 265 C, or 422 to 438 K). Every oven is different so keep an eye on it. Rotate the pan once but be careful not to let too much heat out of the oven. Note: This basic single recipe and will make a pizza to feed 3 to 4 people. It should fit on a normal size pan (170 sq. inches or 1,096.8 cm2). I double this for my pizza. 

*Slice up ten or twenty garlic cloves and let them sit in olive oil for at least a day (a week is better). 

(From the Papke recipe collection)

Crock Pot Roast and Vegetables -  

Makes 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 6 Hours

3 pounds bottom round roast

salt and ground black pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

5 carrots, chopped

6 small new potatoes, halved

Serve with green beans and buttered rolls.

White Chicken Chili

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans (drained)
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans (un-drained)
2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese
8 oz. container sour cream

optional:
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers

 Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve with dollop of sour cream and warm flour tortillas.

Crock Pot Chicken

Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes

 This goes very well with mashed potatoes and veggies!!!  The soup & spices makes a very tasty sauce for the chicken.

Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan with melted butter; reserve some of the melted butter.
2 In a saucepan over medium heat, combine mixed vegetables and chicken; cook until vegetables are tender. Fold in soup; mix well. Pour in milk and mix until smooth; mixture should not be runny. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
3 Remove from heat and spread mixture into bottom of pie pan. Separate biscuits into layers and place gently on top of mixture. Drizzle remaining butter on top of biscuit layers.

4 Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

 Easy Mexican CasseroleThis is an easy and very tasty dish. You may substitute ground turkey and low fat dairy products and it would still be delicious! Serve with chips, salsa and green salad.

This recipe has makes: 6  servings Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

2  cups salsa

1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained

3  cups crushed tortilla chips

2  cups sour cream

1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

2  cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink.  Stir in salsa, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.  Stir in beans and heat through.

3. Cover bottom of prepared pan with crushed tortilla chips.  Spread beef mixture over chips.  Spread sour cream over meat mixture.  Layer olives, green onion and tomato over the sour cream.  Sprinkle shredded cheddar over all.

4. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Barbequed Marinated Flank Steak

makes 4 servings
   
Ingredients

 1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 pounds flank steak

  Directions

1.  In a blender, combine soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder and vegetable oil. Blend for 15 seconds.

2. Lay steak in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Pierce flesh all over front and back with a sharp fork. Pour marinade over steak, then turn and coat the other side. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

4. Place grate on highest level, and brush lightly with oil. Grill steak for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, to desired doneness.

Keep it simple….serve with fresh coleslaw, grilled vegetables & bread.

Spanish Style Pork Roast

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 bottle (12 oz.) Mojo Spanish marinade (Goya is a great brand)
1 Pork Roast (approx. 2-3 lbs.)
1 Medium sweet onion
Salt & Pepper to taste (go easy)

Directions:

1. Place the defrosted pork roast into crock pot.  If you do not have a crock pot that "lifts out" you may opt to marinate the roast in a large bowl instead.

2. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Add cut up sweet onion. Shake bottle of Mojo well and pour over roast.

3. Cover and marinate in refrigerator over night.

The next morning...

Simply place the crock back into the base and turn on "high".  The roast will be fork-tender when you get home that evening!  It's best served with black beans, yellow (Spanish) or white rice and some buttered, toasted bread.