chicken enchiladas

i am sitting in the midst of chaos.....getting new carpet upstairs, so the whole downstairs is full of upstairs furniture.  it is so crowded that we can't hardly move. so.

what do we decide to do?

cook.

don't ask me why, but we are relegated to the dining room and kitchen, so we are eating ;)

we are having a birthday dinner and a going away dinner for my oldest son tomorrow night (that is a whole 'bother story...for later)....and gretchen decided she wanted to make the dessert{s}...yes....3 to be exact...and not too small or easy ones, i might add.

i had to look up some recipes for her to get ingredients...to go to the store.  yep.  we didn't even have any ingredients to make the things she wanted to make.  o.  well.

and now.  we are on the 2nd trip to the store.....but, i digress.

i had to look up these recipes.  to do that, the old recipe book has to be pulled out.  this book has some history to it.  i think i bought it about 20 years ago to 'organize' my recipes.  it worked.  for a while.  then it got out of control.

it always happens....i find recipes i have forgotten about.  recipes that bring back great {and not so great} memories.  recipes that i have intended on trying.

and i found this one.   chicken enchiladas.  it has a great story.  the recipe is from my friend gail.  gail has been such a great friend.  when this recipe surfaced at our house was when gail came in to take care of me after the birth of my last living baby.

for those who might not know.  i am pretty much on my own as far as family goes.  i have been on my own with each of my babies and with the last 2 being 16 months apart and husband working, i needed help.  so, gail came in for the week and became my doula.  she took care of me, she helped take care of reagan needing cosmetic surgery right after birth, she did laundry, helped with homeschooling the others, and brought recipes.

great recipes.  recipes we still love. my kids will still talk about 'that dish that mrs. ferguson made' ....{side note: it was always a running joke that we could get our kids to eat anything if we claimed it came from another mother-as long as it wasn't 'ours'}

so.  she made chicken enchiladas for us and they became an instant favorite.  and they are soooo easy! they are pictured above...and i will type it out just like it is written.....

chicken enchiladas

boil chicken.  chop and shred chicken.  add 1 package taco seasoning, 1 can chopped green chilies, 1 cup shredded cheese.  mix well.  roll meat mixture in flour tortilla.  secure with toothpick.  place in greased casserole dish.  pour whipping cream (1/2 pint) over enchiladas.  bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  remove from oven and garnish with green onions, lettuce and tomatoes.

now.  i will tell you what i do ;)

i do all that, except i blend the green chilies up.  my kids do NOT like the texture of them in anything.  i also don't secure with a toothpick...too much of a hassle.  and then i use more whipping cream.  we like them juicy ;)  we also top with a tomatillo sauce the that gail's sweet husband made up....and we serve it with a big green salad and chips and salsa. that's it.  makes a great dinner!  i also usually have left over chicken mixture, so i freeze it for another meal.  the left over enchiladas are really pretty good too!

tomatillo sauce

• 1 jar herdez salsa verde
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado

blend all ingredients together.  try to keep out of it til its time to eat.

chicken salad

i had the privilege of having some chicken salad with an old friend and a few of her friends when we met up for lunch in Canton....that's a whole 'nother post....make that 2 posts....one on canton and one on my friend Kaye.  well.  eating her chicken salad reminded me that i had taken pictures of my recipe last year and had never posted it.  we had it for dinner tonight and it is always a favorite....so again, i was reminded that i had the fixings not only for food, but for giving you the recipe. i think i got this recipe originally from the pantry diner in downtown mckinney.  i think i have said before that one of my favorite things to do is to try to replicate something i really like.  so, after a few tries and kids taste testing...we came up with our own version of it....

it has become the go to recipe for picnics, lake days, travel days, you name it, it works ;)  we usually have it with club crackers, just to make it easier to pack and eat on the go.  we have been eating gluten free for a while now, so we have it with rice crackers.  it is VERY good!  on of my kids favorite ways to eat it is just to digit with chips and veggies....i am always a popular person when this is on the menu......you would think i would make it more.......

chicken salad

• 1 rotisserie chicken (this is a much, MUCH easier way to do this....)
• 1 cup toasted pecans, cooled and chopped
• 2 cups red grapes, halved, or if very large, quartered
• 1 cup of  mayonnaise, sour cream, greek yogurt or a mixture of any or all
• and for my secret ingredient--juice of 1 lemon
• salt to taste
• and for my secret, secret ingredient--1/4 cup water

strip, shred or chop the chicken....combine all ingredients except the water...mix well....add the water and mix to a good spreadable consistency....you can add more dressing as you desire....

serve on bread, with crackers or on top of salad greens.

i will tell you.....when i grocery shop, i try to get it all done in one day.  when i actually get that done :| i am beat when it is all said and done.  and we usually have to grab some food out....kinda defeats the purpose of grocery shopping, wouldn't ya say?  so.  i decided i would buy a rotisserie chicken (the last i bought 2 to have enough for chicken salad, also) and i cook some version of quinoa, and a veggie or two.  it has become an easy {maybe not cheapest} way to have dinner in on shopping days....

shredded beef tacos--or fuzzy's tacos :)

i found this recipe in the dallas morning news a loooooong time ago....we have adapted it {of course} and now it has a life of its own....what i love about this recipe is that it is a crock pot recipe....so i can fix it and forget it :) we have also found one of our favorite eating out places....fuzzy's.  they have great queso and wonderful shredded beef tacos.  well. one day, we decided that we could recreate fuzzy's tacos with our own shredded beef recipe.  the secret is the toppings on the taco.....

shredded beef tacos

• 1 roast (i use whatever kind is on sale and big enough to feed the masses
• 1 large onion, cut in quarters
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 jar salsa (we use Joe T. Garcia's)
• shredded cheese
• crumbled feta cheese--THIS is the secret ingredient to copying fuzzy's
• chopped cilantro--this is the second secret ingredient
• tortillas--either flour or corn (corn is our preference for this recipe)
• thinly sliced purple onion
• shredded lettuce
• additional salsa--either jarred or homemade {see this post for my homemade version :) }
• fuzzy's style garlic sauce--recipe to follow :)

i put the onion, garlic and water in the crock pot and then lay the meat on top.  i cook on warm if we want it for dinner the next day....or low if we want it for lunch after church.....when the roast is tender, take it out and shred it.  dump the crock pot drippings out and put the roast back in with the jar of salsa.  mix well and cook until warmed.  meanwhile, i cook our corn tortillas in a skillet with a little olive oil.

to serve, we spread the garlic sauce on a hot tortilla and put the the meat in the tortilla and start adding your favorite toppings.

Creamy Garlic Sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tb. butter
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Sauté garlic in butter over low heat until golden (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic/butter to 1 cup mayo and blend.  Add pepper and garlic powder.  Put on your taco first thing and enjoy!!!

so yummy!!!

warm meal on a COLD day!

Well, its cooooooold here in north Texas!  we have wind chills into the below's :)  .  The kids are out of school and it is crazy around here.  We have done our traditional making donuts out of canned biscuits and home made hot chocolate for breakfast.  We have not been able to make it to Starbucks (our other fun tradition for the first snow of the season) because the roads are too bad.  Everyone is still in pjs and we are looking forward to having a warm dinner, sitting by the fire and watching the school closings in hopes of another day tomorrow (ok...they are...not necessarily me--just being honest :)).

One of my favorite cold weather meals is beef stew.  I have made it for years, and it was *ok*, but when we lived in McKinney, we frequented the pantry, a homestyle cooking restaurant.  The food served was, again, *ok*, but the desserts were to die for  good and I loved going in the afternoons during nap time, when the older ones were finishing school work.  I could just escape for a bit and breathe.  They have a cookbook that I honestly got for some of those yummy desserts, but after looking through it, decided to try some of the other recipes...oh, so glad I did....this one is one of our favorites out of the book.  Once we tried it, my old way of making beef stew became a forgotten memory...this is how it is done from here on out....enjoy!  oh, one of the main tricks to this recipe (and any like this using potatoes) is to cook the potatoes ahead of time...what I do is have a baked potato dinner the night or two before, making enough for this meal...once cooled, they are a cinch to peel and cut up and they don't dissolve in the cooking process....makes it really, really yummy!!!

beef stew

• 1 1/2 lbs stew meat
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, diced coursely (if you have read earlier posts, you know I blend these up in the liquid that is used--much more accepted by the kids)
• 3 Tablespoons beef base or beef broth ( I ALWAYS keep chicken, beef and veggie base on hand)
• 2 Cups celery, sliced
• 4 potatoes, baked and cooled overnight--then on cooking day, peeled and diced
• 4-6 carrots, sliced (depending on how much you like)
• 1 can peas ( I never use these, since if I did not one person would TOUCH the whole meal--I put in corn, either canned or frozen--I like frozen better)
• black pepper
• kitchen bouquet (i don't use this--I add a couple of tablespoons of worcestershire sauce instead
• 6 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 Cup butter, melted

In a large pot, cook beef in oil until browed on the outside.  Add onions, beef base and about 4-5 cups of water.  Cook on low heat for about 1 hour. Add celery, carrots, potatoes and corn, if desired.  Continue cooking until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes).  Stir flour into butter.  Slowly whisk into stew, until desired thickness is achieved.   Add peas.  Season with pepper, kitchen bouquet and /or worcestershire sauce.

I always make these yeast rolls with this stew...it is a given now...to be able to sop up the juices and gravy with these rolls and then to eat them for dessert with butter and honey.....ewwww weeeeee!

I actually think I got this recipe in Home Ec in High School....YAY, Mrs. Clark.  Thank you!  I think they are the little angle biscuits we made first year, but no matter...they are so good!  We have them now at most Holiday meals because you can make the dough ahead and pull it out when you are ready.  SOOOO good!!!!

refrigerator yeast rolls

• 1 package dry yeast (I use bulk and use 1 Tablespoon)
• 1/2 Cup warm water
• 1/2 Cup shortening, melted ( I use butter)
• 4 1/2 Cups flour
• 1/2 Cups sugar
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400*.  Dissolve yeast in water and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in butter.  Combine dry ingredients in another bowl.  Add to yeast mixture.  Mix and turn dough.  Knead on a floured board until a good texture (don't ya love detail--its from high school...sorry)....I just knead until its easy to handle and not too gooey.  Shape dough into ball, place in a greased bowl and cover till ready for use.  When ready, make small balls (size depends on your need and desire--we have had them the size of golf balls and the size of softballs :) ).  Put on a 'pammed' cookie sheet ( I put them just barely touching to make them rise up and be soft on the sides).  Bake for 8-10 minutes in 400* oven.   Sometimes, I will brush them with butter as they get out of the oven.

my {not hair} roots are showing.....

its new years day and how i grew up that means one thing--well, two--black eyed peas and football...not necessarily in that order.  my children LOATHE the idea of peas for ANY meal, but we do have them offered :)  I eat them, my hubby eats them and anyone who joins us that day usually does, too.  I have found a great recipe to make them a bit different that the usual--mexican black eyed peas.

I also grew up on turnip greens.  LOVE them :) .  get them any time i can at a home cooking kind of place.  i have never cooked them and they have always intimidated me, but yesterday at the grocery store, there was one bag left....and that was too much of a challenge to pass up.  i brought them (and the peas) home and the kids all went bonkers.....'what are those?  do we have to eat them?  when are you fixing them?  what else can we have with them (meaning what can we cover the flavor with)'...

today, i cooked the greens, peas and cornbread....YUMMMMMMMM!  here are the recipes.....

black eyed peas--mexican style

• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 slices bacon
• 16 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbl chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups black eyed peas--today i used the frozen bags of them and put it all in together at the same time...

This is what I do: (because I rarely follow the directions given, nor do I remember them or keep them)

Cook black eyed peas til almost done. Fry bacon til crispy. Add onion and garlic and cook til tender. Add to the black eyed peas and stir in tomatoes and spices. Finish cooking until peas are tender.

turnip greens

I got this recipe from a southern cooking google search....

• Thoroughly wash 2 pounds of greens. Two or more washings may be necessary. ( I bought already cleaned and torn greens)
• Trim tough stalks and tear or cut large greens in pieces. Cut thick veins out of collard greens. (I like some of the stalks, it gives more fiber :))
• In a large pot, bring 6 to 7 quarts of water to a boil. ( i put the greens in at the same time as the water and used 9 cups and a table spoon of chicken base)
• Add a ham hock or a 4-ounce piece of salt pork to the pot. ( i put in a lb of cooked bacon with some of the renderings)
• Add a tablespoon of salt. ( also added 1/2 a chopped onion, a Tbl of vinegar and 2 cloves of garlic)
• Continue boiling for 10 or 15 minutes.
• Add the washed greens to the pot.
• Cover and simmer until greens are tender. Depending on the type of greens used, this might take an hour.
• Makes enough for 4 people.

Tips:

1. Crushed red pepper, a few tablespoons of bacon grease, chopped onion, or other seasonings can be added to the pot for more flavorful greens.
2. Serve with cornbread and pepper sauce or cider vinegar.
3. If desired, serve with chopped hard boiled eggs, bacon pieces, or sliced green onion for garnish.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Holiday Turkey

ok...this has to be one of the best turkey recipes I have Ever found....and the story behind it is pretty good too :) I had a friend (i say had because I haven't seen her in YEARS)...who was single. cooking and the kitchen were not really her specialty.  one year, she came home from visiting family boasting about this magnificent turkey recipe....she cooked it for us on New Year's day...I asked for the recipe...she said no, it was a family secret and I could not have it....ok...I don't know about you, but when someone tells me that, I am determined to find it or figure it out :D.   She would not tell me ANYthing...I remember it tasting almost cajun, and it was soooo yummy.  I tried to  let it go.   Fast forward a year or two down the road.  She was moving.  Needed help with packing.  She put me in charge of packing up the kitchen, 'since I was a natural in the kitchen and all'.  well, I was packing away, just minding my own business, and went to the top of the refrigerator.  ALLLLL these papers came pouring down...and wouldn't ya know it?  that recipe for the turkey was RIGHT on the top of the stack....ah, my luck.....well, I knew she did not want me to have this recipe, so copying it was out of the question...so I wrote the main parts on my hand...yep...I was determined to get it....but what i didn't count on was the sweat washing some of it off.....when I realized that had happened, I read it and re-read it and repeated it to myself so much I memorized it.  I went home and quickly wrote it out.  I didn't make it until the next Holiday season, so I was going off a pregnant and nursing mama's memory...not much there--so it became my own rendition...

I did change the original recipe a tad bit...it called for 2 bottles of squeeze margarine....YUK!!!!! (in my humble opinion)....so I used butter instead....and when we had it, it was not as cajun tasting as I remember, but it was a HIT...and we have it EVERY Thanksgiving and EVERY Christmas....almost without fail....we are not even turkey eaters and my kids BEG for this turkey.  the leftovers are not your typical make-a-soup kind.  BUT, we hardly have any left overs after one meal after Thanksgiving.

Holiday Turkey

• 1 turkey, thawed (we use a HUGE one)
• 4 heads of garlic
• Lawry's seasoned salt--must be Lawry's
• 1 lb. butter
• 2 bottles of white cooking wine (you could use just 1, but it makes more gravy and we never have enough--or you could use regular wine--I don't know how to buy that, so I get this)

Peel all the cloves of garlic.  Take a knife and pierce the meat of  turkey and put cloves, one at a time into the meat.  Cover the turkey with the inserts of cloves of garlic.  It will look like it has mumps or something.  Rub the  inside of the turkey with some of the seasoned salt and put into roaster.  Pour the wine in the bottom of the roaster and place all the butter in bottom of pan.  Cook at 325, basting every 15 minutes with  wine, butter, and drippings,  and then sprinkle with seasoned salt, until  tested done.

Gravy

Pour all juices from pan into sauce pan.  Blend 1/4 c. cornstarch and  water together and blend with juices.  Cook over medium heat until thickened. I slice turkey and put some of the gravy over meat and leave extra on  table for potatoes and biscuits.  YUM!!!!!!!

linked up today with chatting at the sky and sweet shot tuesday

lasagna dinner

Birthday dinners--we could have 12 of them throughout the year, and that's if we just took care of our immediate family.  when our children were young and the birthday parties were  {figuratively and literally} eating our lunch, we came up with a new plan.  every other year, the children could have the big, blowout birthday party.  every other year, it was to be just family.  and to make that year a bit more special, they got to have the birthday dinner of choice.  it has since grown into every year is the dinner, but when they were small, all available money was spent on the party--and that was their gift from us, also.  so, lots of thought goes into what they choose for their dinner.  the birthday child is met with all kinds of persuasive talk about what would be good for that day :) .  In the end, though, I try to get them to choose what they and they alone want for their dinner.  we have some pretty consistent choices from each person.  we pretty much know now what that person will ask for.  lasagna has become a regular...not just any lasagna, but MOM's {my recipe} lasagna.  It usually goes with cheese bread and a salad i replicated from III Forks restaurant, a very expensive steak house/restaurant here in dallas.  for dessert, we again, have the birthday boy/girl choose what they want.  its almost never cake :) , or if it is, its some non-traditional cake that we just love.

Lasagna

• 1/4 chopped onion
• 8 oz lasagne noodles
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. dried, crushed sweet basil
• 1 t. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 oz.  tomato paste
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c mushroom pieces ( I leave out, or no one would eat this :))
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 c. cottage cheese

Cooke lasagna noodles as directed.  Brown beef with onion.  Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, mushrooms, spices and water.  Simmer 1 hour.

In a 9x13 cooking dish, alternate layers of two thicknesses of noodles, cottage cheese, meat mixture and mozzarella, ending with mozzarella.   Bake for 30 minutes at 350.  Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes.

NOW...what I do :)  I always double the sauce recipe for a  single batch.  AND, I always make 2 batches...one to eat and one to freeze.  SO, I double everything and put one in the freezer before being cooked.  You can cook it straight out of the freezer--IF you put it in a cold oven on about 300...but it will take a while to cook.  If you are more organized than me, you will think ahead and take it out and let it thaw, at least a bit before you cook it.

**in the picture, I had extra sauce and just plopped it on, but it usually has just cheese on top :)

tip:  my kids will not eat any chunky onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc...so, I always blend them up in whatever liquid I am using in the recipe.  if it is eggs--say in meatloaf--i will blend them up with the veggies....you get the yummy flavor everyone loves without all the chunks....which I do miss, but will have them back one day :)

bread and salad recipes to follow...........

Texas Caesar Salad

you asked for it....you got it....this is one of THE BEST salad recipes i have.  I got this from a friend MANY years ago and it has become such a favorite.  i used to shy away from making it as it has a few steps and when you have a bunch of little ones hanging on your legs, its just hard to do it all...BUT...it is SOOOOO worth it!!!  if i am really pushed for time, i make it in stages...the dressing and crutons will keep.  what i also really like about it, is that it can be vegetarian or with meat.  we usually have it with meat, but keep that on the side--for two reasons--to keep the salad fresh and the meat from making it soggy and for serving purposes....my kids, when they were little wanted everything separated....so, they can have all we have, just ours is all mixed up :).  for the meat...one of my new secret weapons in fixing this is the Mexican Grocery store and get marinaded fajita meat from the meat counter...its WONDERFUL!!!!  but, in a pinch and what i did in the old days :| is get chicken breasts and marinade them in equal parts of teriyaki sauce, worchestershire sauce and lemon juice.  then sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on them and let them sit a couple of hours. Grill as you normally would.  the croutons and dressing are THE BEST part of the whole thing, so i usually make double of them and then we eat on this for several days...it makes a TON (even for our family) and we eat it ALL up...we LOVE it...serve with chips and salsa, a mango margarita  iced tea and you have a wonderful meal.... Texas Caesar Salad

Dressing

• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots or green onion
• 2 anchovies (opt)
• 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded
• 1 c olive oil
• 1/2 c red wine vinegar
• 1/2 c. grated Romano cheese
• 1 egg yolk, or 1 T plain yogurt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Process in food processor or blender

Salad

• 3 heads romaine lettuce
• 2 red bell peppers
• 3 ears fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 c. tomatoes, fresh or sun dried
• 1/2 c.  fresh grated Romano or parmesan cheese, Grilled chicken, sliced, opt.

Shred lettuce, cut peppers in strips and combine with remaining ingredients.  You can saute corn in a little oil if desired, but let cool before combining with salad.  Serve with croutons and dressing.  Adding chicken makes  this a complete meal in itself.

Croutons:

• 1/2 loaf bread, cut in 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 c. melted butter
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (opt)
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/4 t. salt

Combine butter and spices.  Toss bread cubes in butter mixture and  spread on cookie sheet.  Bake in 350 oven till browned.

Wednesday night dinner and Charro beans

for about a year and a half we have been having an open dinner in our home.  we call it Wednesday night family dinner.  it all started when i was struggling with how 'the church' was handling my situation and the realization that i really don't have a family...now, when i say that, i get crazy looks because, of course, i have a family of 9 children.  what i mean when i say that is that i don't have anyone to stand shoulder to shoulder with me and be MY family....does that make sense?  so, one day, i was feeling particularly sorry for my self :( and i was pouring my heart out to god.  he so tenderly spoke to my heart:  'if you want to have family, you will need to make one'....then he just downloaded this idea....to open our home to anyone who wanted family and/or needed family.  we have had so many people just pass through our home on those nights and so many more are hanging around and we are making a new picture of family.  i don't cook anything fancy and try not to go to too much trouble to get my house clean...of course, you know how it is...if company is coming, it kinda makes you do things that you put off anyway, so much more gets done :)  I told everyone from the beginning that we would have just what i would be fixing for my own family...sometimes, its scrambled eggs!!  i try to make enough of the main thing, so that if no one else came or no one brought anything else to eat, we would be good. god has been so good to provide for us.  i have been unemployed during a lot of this time....been on food stamps (how humbling) and have learned to receive food from others(again..how humbling)....people bring what we need (you know how god does that for potlucks)....

we are learning to share our hearts, share our children, share our food and share our burdens.  we have had as many as 25 kids here and it takes many of us to keep the fort safe :) we are {slowly, but surely} becoming a family--people who will be there for you no matter what...people who don't understand our quirks and love us anyway.

we had a mexican dinner last night and i made some beans...charro beans.  i have been wanting to try my hand at these for a long time, as the only place i could find them is at a good mexican food place.  i googled and found several recipes and came up with the common denominator of what became a hit of a recipe!  i was asked by several to share it, so decided to put it here....

• 2 lbs dried pinto beans, sorted and soaked overnight or at least 2 hours
• 2 cans chicken stock
• 1 lb bacon
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 8 roma tomatoes or 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1-12 oz can of beer (brand and cost is up to you-i don't drink it so it is CHEAP)
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Directions:

cover beans with water and cook until almost tender.  Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet.  when almost crisp, add onion, bell pepper and garlic.  finish cooking until onion is tender.  when beans are almost tender, add bacon mixture, chicken broth, tomatoes, beer and spices.  cook until beans are completely tender.  add cilantro and stir thoroughly.  adjust seasoning to your preference

this makes a soupish consistency, so it can be eating either way :)

HINTS:

these are things that i have learned to do with many small children around:  I usually blend my onion, peppers and tomatoes up in the blender using a little liquid.  i do this ALL the time, since they usually complain about chunks of veggies....

I also use a pizza cutter to cut my cilantro, basil or any other fresh herb/spice.  I use it to cut pancakes, french toast or anything like that that i need to cut huge masses of food in a very short amount of time.

pizza.....yummy!!!

i hope to blog in more detail about food, recipes, menus and our Wednesday night dinners we have at our home, but until then...you might have to piece it all together. Pizza is a favorite at our home...especially homemade.  I pretty much dislike hate making it because it is a little time intensive.  I have learned some ways to make it easier....here goes:

i make a HUGE recipe of dough for crusts.  this makes a ton....I am not sure exactly how much, because we make pretty large pizzas, but it does make 6 quarter sheet cookie sheet size pizzas (that's what it takes to feed us--2 of  'em).  This is why I can do it--I freeze the rest.  it makes the next time worth the work now.  i got this recipe from my sweet friend, Gail.  And, of course I have had to change it up just a bit, but not the actual recipe....what I do is--I roll the dough out, but before I put it on the pan, I put olive oil, fresh pressed garlic and salt and pepper all over the pan.  it makes the crust nice and spicy/crispy.  Next, you will need to bake the crust (be sure to poke a fork all over it to keep the air bubbles down.  When its done, ( and I intentionally didn't put a time on here--there is so much opinion about how one likes their pizza crusts) put your sauce on--now, I have found a really, cheap, great flavored sauce....we used to try to make our own, but this makes it sooo much easier...Hunts spaghetti sauce, in the traditional flavor.  We do, however, add italian seasoning to it...just a tad.....I like lots of sauce, so I slather it on.  Next comes whatever you choose on it...our faves:  cheese, black olive and veggie...Now that I am married to a meat lover, we MUST have a meat pizza, so I usually get turkey italian sausage, turkey pepperoni and hamburger (don't tell him its turkey) :).  For the veggie, I usually layer fresh spinach leaves, bell peppers, onions, tomato slices shredded carrots or anything else that we have and sounds good...

One of the things the kids have ALWAYS liked doing was making their own...now they like to make calzones and save half for lunch the next day....it makes it fun for all of us and the creativity is always encouraging to me...I need it!!!

here are some pics of our last pizza fest.  I realize you have to look sideways for the last one, but its the only way I could make it fit and it is a great image of them all done...

PIZZA CRUST

1 c hot water (120)

2 T olive oil

1T yeast

1 t sugar

1 t salt

3-3 1/2 C flour

for larger batches :)

6 c water

3/4 c olive oil

6 T yeast

2 T sugar

3 t salt

about 19 c flour--up to 21 cups if needed