Sunday Night Dinner: Pizza and Peaches

Homemade Pizza

I let the boys "decorate" their own. I had to help spread the cheese though, otherwise it would have been one big pile right in the middle!
For the crust:
1 c. warm water, divided
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 oz package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 t.)
3 T. oil (olive or vegetable)
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt

Put 1/4 c. warm water in bowl. Stir in sugar, sprinkle yeast on top and float for 1 minute. Stir in and proof for 10 minutes. Pour mixture into large bowl and stir in rest of ingredients. Mix until a ball, knead 10 minutes. Put additional oil in bowl and rise in bowl for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle corn meal on pan. Shape dough as desired, place on pan. Preheat oven to 400.

For pizza sauce:
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 T. dry Italian salad dressing mix (I use Good Seasons)

Mix together. Spread evenly on prepared pizza dough. Add whatever toppings you like. We enjoy the combination of mozzarella, pepperoni, red onion and green peppers. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble and brown.

And for dessert:

Doesn't it just look awesome? Thanks mom for the delicious fresh peaches!
Peach Delight Pie
This recipe is amazing!! It is Larry's favorite summer pie, and is a hit with everyone who tastes it.

For the crust:
This is my Grandmothers(on my moms side) pie crust. It is the crust my mom makes, and in my opinion is the best pie crust ever!

Makes 2 (9") pie shells (or more if you roll it thinner)

2 1/2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cold water or milk
1 c. shortening
1 beaten egg
1 Tbs. vinegar

Cut shortening into flour and salt. Beat egg, add vinegar and liquid. Add just barely enough liquid to dry ingredients to hold dough together, about 4 Tbs. Reserve remaining liquid for next batch of pastry. Handle dough as little as possible, use finger tips. Roll out into desired shape and size and place in pie tin.

The rest of the recipe comes from one of my amazing aunts! This is where the "delight" part comes in.

For the filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1/3 c. sugar

Mix well. Spread on unbaked 10" pie shell(I usually leave a little out since my pie pans are only 9". You can just put the extra in a small pan or tin to bake). Bake at 400 until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes(check after 15). Cool.

For the peach filling:

1 c. sugar

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1 c. cold water

1 c. sliced peaches or 3 Tbs dry peach jello(I always use the jello)

3-4 c. sliced peaches

Bring the first 4 ingredients to a full boil and boil for 1 min. Remove, add the 3-4 c. of sliced peaches. Pour into crust. (Be careful not to overfill your crust, especially if you are using a 9" pan. I always have some extra that I put on my extra cream cheese filling. It is good even without a crust.) Cool; refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. So yummy!!

More bows!

Here are a few of my more recent bows. I think these ones look better. See, practice does help!

The flowers are some of my favorites. Stay tuned for an upcoming experiment with the flower bows.

I've also been working on some holiday bows...coming soon.

Hair Bows

A good friend taught me how to make these a while ago. They are way fun! Here are some of my early bows. Some of the loops look a little skiwampus to me, but hey, you gotta learn somehow!

Crockpot French Dip with Homemade French Fries

French Dip

-3 lb boneless chuck roast

-About 1/2 can beef broth(enough to cover the bottom of the crockpot, and more to add if needed)
-Thyme

-Oregano

-Garlic Powder

-Salt and Pepper

-Parsley

-Ciabatta rolls

-1 cube butter, room temp

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-Parmesan cheese

-Sliced provalone cheese
-Horseradish(optional)

-Au Jus mix, made according to package directions

Place roast in crockpot, cover bottom with beef broth. Season roast generously with thyme, oragano, garlic powder, s & p, and parsley. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. When done, shred and keep warm. Slice rolls. Combine minced garlic with softened butter, spread on rolls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil rolls until golden and bubbling slightly.(Watch it closely so as not to burn). Top toasted rolls with shredded beef, a slice of provalone and horsradish(if you want). Serve with Au Jus and fries.

French Fries

-Red potatoes, as many as you want to make. (I usually use about 4 or 5, depending on size and how many people i'm feeding)

-Olive oil

-Seasoned Salt
Pre-heat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and trim of any bad parts. Cut up into french fry shape/size. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and seasoned salt. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Spray foil with cooking spray(this is very important! They will stick if you don't). Spread out fries in a single layer, bake for about 20-30 minutes. Turn fries part way through.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Zucchini in Italian Tomato Sauce

This is one our family favorites! It is my 2 year olds absolute favorite dish! Last time we ate this he had three helpings of the zucchini!

For the Macaroni:
1 2/3 cups (about 7 oz.) dry small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (12 fl. oz.)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 2-quart casserole dish.Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1½ cups cheese until melted. Add macaroni; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.

For the Zucchini:
2 Medium zucchini, sliced
about 16 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 T. dry Italian salad dressing mix(I use Good Seasons)
Stir the Italian seasoning into the tomato sauce. Use more or less depending on how spicy you want it. Gently boil the zucchini and the sauce mixture in a sauce pan over med-low heat until zucchini is tender.
*This recipe is really easy to just eyeball how much sauce you need, depending on how much zucchini you have. Be careful with how much seasoning mix you use. It can get spicy really easily.
You can also just buy this in the canned veggies aisle in the grocery store, but we like this way better.

Hummus

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Soo yummy!

4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas(I use liquid from the chickpeas, and probably more than 2 T. I just add until it is the consistency that I want)
8 dashes hot sauce

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature. This is great with warmed pita bread, carrots, and sugar snap peas.

New Blog

Welcome to my new blog! I am always wanting to post new yummy recipes, or fun crafts/projects I am working on, but never do! So now I have a spot just for those Tasty Crafts. Enjoy!