Cheeseburger Pizza

Tonight for dinner I made Cheeseburger Pizza. It was really good and sort of easy. This is how you make it--first make pizza dough or take the lazy way out and buy it already made at Publix (which is what I did tonight). Bake the crust for about 10 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees until it is lightly browned. While it is baking, brown the ground beef and season it with salt and pepper or some sort of seasoning salt. Also, shred some cheese and chop some tomatoes and slice some pickles unless you already have hamburger chips. When the crust is done, top it with the meat and cheese and bake 5 more minutes until the cheese melts. Then take it out and top it with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and ketchup, and mustard. We had the pickles, mustard, and ketchup on the side. And, serve your pizza!



Warning, this pizza will be well loved by children but won't stop the talkative ones from chatting their way through dinner. Grace starts most of her sentences these days with, "It was hilarious..." Love that girl.

A Couple of Good Meatless Meals

Both of these recipes came from my SIL's in Chicago. Thanks girls--we've loved both of these!

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Rice (the rice is my addition)
**this recipe doesn't have actual amounts, you just have to sort of wing it**

chopped tomatoes
green onions
green peppers
corn
black beans
cilantro

Combo the veggies and marinate them in a dressing made of--
lime juice
garlic
cumin
honey
salt and pepper

You can marinate them for an hour or for the day it doesn't matter. When you're ready to serve the salad, toss it with chopped lettuce and crushed tortilla chips. I also served my salad over a spoonful of Cilantro Lime Rice (recipe below) and it tasted just like the salad at Chipotle. Yum!

Cilantro Lime Rice--
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 tsp. bouillon
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

Use the water and bouillon to make a pot of rice however you make rice. You could also use brown rice. Once it's done then add the lime juice and cilantro.

Red Lentil Deliciousness--

Heat 3 tbsp. of sesame oil and add 1 tsp. curry powder. Add in 1 cup of rinsed red lentils (I bet you could use brown lentils too) and 3 cups of water and 1 tsp. bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the lentils are soft. Make some brown rice and fry some eggs. Serve the rice topped with the lentils, a fried egg, and mango chutney or any other sort of chutney. We all liked this one! I loved it with the chutney and can't imagine it without it but it would probably be good either way.

Indian Paneer (Cheese)

There are a couple of Indian recipes that call for cottage cheese. This isn't your traditional cottage cheese--it's Paneer and you pretty much have to make it yourself. It's seldom sold in stores, even Indian stores. It's actually easy to make although a little tricky. I tried a new recipe today and it's a keeper. I had great success and thought I'd share with all of you in bloggy world in case you want to get adventurous in the kitchen.
All you need is--

• a half gallon of whole milk
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• cheesecloth and a colander

First thing you do is boil the milk. While the milk is heating up mix the lemon juice into the yogurt and have it handy ready to go into the milk. Also go ahead and line a colander in the sink with 2 to 3 layers of cheesecloth as below. Keep a close eye on the milk, stirring occasionally to keep it from burning on the bottom of your pan. When it starts to boil it will QUICKLY boil right out of your pot if you don't act fast. As soon as it starts to boil and starts rising up in the pot, pour in the yogurt/lemon juice and turn the heat off. If it "works," curds will immediately separate from the whey. If you don't see a noticeable separation, bring the milk to a boil again and add two tsp. of lemon juice. Once the separation occurs then drain it into your cheesecloth.
Pull the ends of the cheesecloth together and tie with yarn and then hang it from your faucet so that all the whey can drain out. I usually let it hang for an hour or so.
After it has hung for an hour or so, set it on a plate and flatten it with your hand and then put something really heavy on it (while still in the cheesecloth)--I used a big pot filled with water. Let that sit for a while--a couple of hours or even overnight to really press the cheese. Take the cheesecloth off and you should have a nice firm round of cheese like the picture below.

Next, cut it into cubes and fry it turning until all sides are golden brown.

Now you can add the cheese to any recipe. Below is a picture of Saag Paneer before I added the cheese cubes. This cheese is also really good in the sauce that I use to make butter chicken. I'll include both recipes below.
Saag Paneer--
3 tsp. butter
3 tsp. olive oil
1 recipe of paneer, cubed and fried
1 med. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2" piece of ginger, chopped (I use the squeeze ginger that you can buy in the produce section)
1 4oz. can green chiles
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach, drained
1 1/2 c. plain yogurt

Heat the oil and add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chiles. Saute about 5 minutes then add curry and cumin and mix in really well. Then add the spinach and mix it until well blended. Transfer it to a blender or food processor and add the yogurt and about 1/4 cup of water and blend until it's all pureed. You can add a little more water if it's too thick. Return it to the pan and stir in the paneer and heat through.

Butter Chicken (or Butter Paneer)
*I usually double or quadruple this b/c my whole family loves it. You can add chicken, fried paneer, or just use it to dip Naan (Indian flatbread) in.

1/2 stick butter
2 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp coriander
1 tbsp. ginger (I use the squeeze tube)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ground cardamom
15 oz. can tomato puree
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Melt the butter and add all of the spices and stir fry for about a minute. Add the tomato and sugar and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the yogurt, cream, and lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes. At this point you can add fried paneer or chopped, cooked chicken or nothing. Serve over Jasmine or Basmati rice.

Family Friendly Indian Recipes

Ollie brought home an Indian cookbook from his school's library--it's written for children and had some great recipes. Here are a few that we tried last night and we all liked them and they were all easy to make--

Lima Beans with Raisins

1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 140z. can of lima beans
2 Tbsp. raisins
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Finely chop the cilantro and drain the liquid from the canned beans. Heat the oil and add the lima beans and cook for 1 min. Turn the heat down to low and add the rest of the ingredients except cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. water and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro over it and serve.

Shrimp Patia

1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 small piece of fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. vinegar
1 1/2 lbs. of shrimp
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro

Chop the onion, press the garlic, and chop the ginger and add to the oil in a saucepan over medi. heat. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and paprika and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the yogurt, honey, and vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer another 5 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Chop the cilantro and sprinkle it over the top. Serve with rice.

Spicy (not hot-spicy) Chickpeas

1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 can chickpeas
1 Tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Press the garlic and chop the onion, chop the tomatoes, and drain the chickpeas. Heat the oil and add the garlic, onion, coriander, garam masala, and turmeric and fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and lemon juice and cook for 10 minutes.

School and Soup

Well, Day 2 of our "second semester" is behind us and we are getting into the groove. Joe has done exceptionally well the last two days and even declared today that he's starting to like school. Not sure what changed because we are mostly doing the same stuff and I even added a couple of things but I'm just thankful for two good days in a row. One thing he asked me to do more of is art. He's decided that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. I decided to add art but while teaching him as well so we are doing an Evan Moor Literature Pocket book called "Caldecott Winners." Books receive the Caldecott award based on the illustrations and this study features about 10 Caldecott books. We read them and do activities based on each one to complete a pocket for each book. I spent about two hours today prepping all of the pockets. I have found that if I'm going to be successful with this kind of study I need to have it prepped ahead of time. I have been enjoying getting back into the school routine and the calmer days after such a busy December. It was actually kind of therapeutic to accomplish something.
After Grace had a little freak out moment over math I decided to try something new for her and for Joe. They have both struggled this year with Horizons math, I guess it is just too much for them. So, we are going to try Mammoth Math. You buy the PDF so it's super cheap and you just print it yourself. I got Grace the Multiplication 1 and Joe the Addition/Subtraction one. Hopefully we will have success and if nothing else at least an end to the freak out sessions.

And now...soup...
I made two really good soup recipes tonight and thought I'd share them--
The first was super easy chicken and dumplins (my sister's recipe) in the crock pot. You just put some boneless chicken in the crock pot (I used about half a bag of boneless, skinless tenderloins) and add chicken broth until the crock pot is almost full but with some room for the dumplin's. I started that cooking this morning and about midday I added carrots and peas and a can of cream of chicken soup (you could put that all in first thing in the morning). About 30 minutes before dinner time, add frozen dumplins (you'll find them in the freezer section) and cook another 30 minutes. This was so good and so easy! Thank you Cheryl for the recipe.

The other soup was Lemon Orzo Soup and it was really good too. Here's that recipe--

8 cups of chicken broth
3/4 cup orzo
juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/3 cup)
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the orzo. Turn the heat to low/med. low and cover for 10 minutes. Whisk together the lemon juice and the eggs until frothy. Add a ladle of hot soup and continue whisking then slowly add the egg mixture into the pot of soup while whisking. Keep the soup hot but not boiling for another 5 minutes or so. Pour into bowls and top with parmesan.

Anytime Bars

1 cup raw pecan halves
1 cup whole raw almonds
2 Tbsp. spelt flour (I think all-purpose would be fine)
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. flaxseed, finely ground
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 cup pitted dates, quartered
1 cup dried apricots (I used Goji berries)
1 egg
5 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 7 to 10 minutes, until aromatic and slightly browned.  Repeat this process for almonds.  Turn oven down to 325 degrees.  Combine spelt flour, all purpose flour, flaxseed, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a food processor and process for 5 seconds to combine.  Add pecans and almonds; pulse 5 times to coarsely chop.  Add oats, dates, and apricots.  Pulse 10 to 15 times, till mixture is well chopped but coarse.  In a large bowl, whisk together egg, maple syrup and vanilla till combined.  Add fruit and nut mixture and use your hands to mix well, being sure to separate any clumps of fruit.  Spread mixture in square baking pan in an even layer and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, till set and golden brown.  Don't overbake or bars will be too dry.  Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then cut into 25 squares.  Leave bars in pan till completely cool so they'll hold together when you remove them. 

An Unexpected Day at Home

Well, Hannah does have the stomach bug and it's been a rough day.  She is quite the drama queen and especially when she's sick.  It's hard to even know how sick she is because of all the drama.  If Grace were to act like Hannah has acted today I'd have her at the hospital.  In between comforting and consoling and plugging my ears and pretending not to hear the whining and moaning and rag holding I managed to almost completely clean my house.  Thankfully I have a small house.  I got both bathrooms scrubbed, the kitchen scrubbed, my room cleaned, the living room de-cluttered.  It really felt good to get it all done.  We really, really need to be home more so that I don't get so behind on all the cleaning.  Not sure what to cut out though...a topic for another day.  Here's what I made for dinner--

This is a veggie sub and it was so good!  Here's what's on it--mayo, oil, and vinegar, tomatoes, spinach leaves, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, black olives, and pepperoncinis.  I made G and J just a regular turkey sub but Ollie and I had the veggie.  It was so good.  I might have to make it again tomorrow.
Please pray for me Hannah, she really is miserable and this momma is emotionally and physically wiped.  It could be a long night...

Focaccia Florentine Recipe

1 pound (you can use less) of turkey bacon 

olive oil

fontina cheese, grated

3-4 packages of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

pizza dough

Make your pizza dough or buy some at Publix and press it into a pizza pan.  Cut the bacon into pieces and fry it.  If you are using turkey bacon, use olive oil so that you get some bacon flavored oil to cook the spinach in.  Once the bacon is crispy, add the spinach and saute until everything is hot.  Top your pizza crust with the spinach mixture and then top that with cheese.  Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.

Winnie the Pooh Stew

I recently combined a couple of soup recipes and came up with a REALLY good soup. I've served to a number of people and everyone raves about it and wants the recipe and I say, sure, I'll get it to you. Problem is...I made it up and so I don't really have an exact recipe. I am going to attempt to come up with one though so here goes. Just remember that this soup is very forgiving so exact amounts are unnecessary.

2 small or 1 large onion, chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped (I discard the stems, actually I feed them to my bunnies)

4 to 6 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 med potatoes (not the baking kind but the ones in the bag)

butter

spinach

rice (optional)

cooking sherry

chicken broth (I prefer "Better Than Bouillon")

Melt the butter and add the onions and saute until soft. Then add the carrots and potatoes and toss in the butter and saute for a few more minutes. Add the broccoli and fill with enough water to cover the vegetables. Keep track of how many cups you use and add one bouillon cube per cup or you can just use chicken broth instead of water. Add about 3 Tbsp. of cooking sherry. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to simmer for about 20 minutes until veggies are pretty soft. Use a blender or hand blender to puree the soup. Then add a few handfuls of spinach and if you have some leftover rice that is good as well.

That's it!

Dahl recipe

Go here for the Dahl recipe (aka Spicy Lentils).

Melissa's Borscht Recipe

6 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated (I chopped)
I large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4 in. dice
3 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 med. size beet, peeled and grated
1 small rib celery, chopped
1/2 tart apple, cut into 1 in. pieces
2 med-size boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock
Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf and 8 peppercorns tied in a cheesecloth bag)--I didn't do this but did thrown in a bay leaf
1 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
dill for garnish
sour cream for garnish

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrot, and bell pepper and saute until the onion and bell pepper are softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in the cabbage, beet, and celery and continue to saute, stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the apples, potatoes, tomato paste and garlic, then add the stock and bouquet garni and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add the paprika, salt, and pepper, sugar, and lemon juice to taste. Let stand 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Serve topped with dill and sour cream.

Chicken Curry Recipe

This is a favorite in our house with Ollie and I as well as the kids. I always double or triple it so that we will have leftovers.

Chicken Curry

Saute until soft--
3 Tbsp. butter
1 apple, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped

Then add--
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Puree all of that in a blender and then add 1 tbsp. flour and process a bit more.
Return to heat to thicken. Add about 1/2 cup of milk give or take until it is the right consistency for you. Add cooked, cubed chicken and serve with rice.

Norwegian Meatballs

Here's the recipe--
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk (I used buttermilk)
1 egg
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tbsp. butter

Gravy--
3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup water
1 cup heavy cream (I've used half and half)

Mix the meat, bread crumbs, milk, egg, and spices and mix well. Shape into 1 in. balls.
Heat a tbsp. butter in a skillet and cook the meatballs. Turning as necessary to completely cook them. When they are done, take them out and place them on a plate. Mix flour, sugar, and salt and pepper and add to the drippings in the pan. Use a whisk or fork to really mix it up. Add the water to make the gravy. Let it thicken up a little then slowly add the cream. Stir until thick. Do not boil. Add the meatballs to the gravy and keep the heat low. Let them cook about 15 more minutes to allow the flavors to blend. I'm not sure how authentic it is but these are great served over rice!

Budget Meal that everyone will love--Tostadas

I decided to share this meal with you guys. It's tough economic times and we could all use some good, easy, cheap meal ideas. This is not your Old El Paso meal--to make it extra tasty and extra cheap--you have to make it the old fashioned way. I probably make this at least once a week. It's fast and easy to start beans in the morning. If I'm too lazy or not up for frying the tortillas--we just make mini tostadas with tortilla chips.

Tostadas

3-4 cups of dried pinto beans

corn tortillas

toppings--cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and anything else you like on a taco

Cook your beans until soft. I do this in a crock pot but you can do it over the stove. You can soak the beans overnight but it isn't necessary. Let them cook on low all day or all night or all day and all night--beans cannot be overcooked. Add plenty of salt.

First thing you'll do to start dinner is fry the tortillas. I put a stone or just a pan in the oven at about 180 degrees to keep the tortillas hot after you fry them and before you serve them. Fry the corn tortillas in about a 1/2 inch of oil until brown and crisp--not overly brown. That would be almost burnt. Yuck! Fry as many as you think your family will eat. I usually fry 12-15 at a time. After you are done frying the tortillas and they are in the oven staying warm. Add some more oil to the pan and drain your beans and put them into the oil. Use a potato masher to mash them while they are in the hot oil. Mash until they are the consistency of refried beans. Check for saltiness and add more if needed. When the whole mass moves in the pan as a whole (when you pick up the skillet and shake it) they are done. After making refried beans from scratch you will never go back to canned--they do not even compare.

Get out your hot tortillas. To serve--spread a tortilla with beans, add cheese and whatever other toppings you like.

*If your family can't imagine a meal without meat you can always top the beans and cheese with any shredded meat or ground beef.

As you can see--Gracie loves lots of sour cream on hers.

Souper Saturday on Friday evening

I have so many good soup recipes that I've decided to start posting one every Saturday until I run out of recipes. This week is...

Chicken Soup with Mini Meatballs

3/4 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup cold water
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan
8 cups chicken broth
2 large carrots, chopped
1 cup orzo or pastina
1 10 oz. package fresh spinach

In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, water, egg, bread crumbs, and cheese. Shape into 1-inch balls. In a large pot, combine the broth and carrots and bring them to a simmer. Add the orzo and let it cook for 5 minutes (2 minutes if you are using pastina), stirring frequently. Add the meatballs and simmer them in the broth for 10 minutes. Then stir in the spinach and simmer it until it's wilted, about 1 minute. Serves 6 to 8.

My family loves this and so did the Smith kids when I served them this for lunch. I usually double it because it's really good leftover. It becomes more of a stew when left to sit for a while. the orzo or pastina soaks up a lot of the liquid. I used pastina (tiny stars) today and the kids especially loved the stars. I would have posted a picture but my stove top is so dirty now I was afraid you'd be able to see that mess in the picture and think I was gross.

Whatever Floats Your Boat Brownies

These are the brownies I've been raving about--

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

And--1-2 cups of "Whatever Floats Your Boat"--chocolate chips, peanut butter, raisins (yuck!  what a way to ruin a great brownie), marshmallows, M&M's, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together all the ingredients and then add your add-ins.  Pour into an 8x8 pan and bake for 25 minutes.