3 Meat Pizza Casserole

This was great - kind of like an easier version of lasgana with a pizza taste to it. And to make it all even better - Jeremy liked it!


Ingredients
1 lb bow tie pasta

1 lb mild pork sausage

1 large onion, medium size chopped

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I used a sauce I make for lasgana - I will post recipe later)

1 lb cubed cooked ham

1/2-1 lb of sliced pepperoni

3 (8 ounce) bags of shredded mozzarella cheese

6 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

　

Directions

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dent é.

2. Cook sausage, garlic powder and oregano with onions until the juices run clear.

3. In a lightly greased 9x13x3 inch pan, pour a small amount of sauce to lightly coat bottom.

4. Layer ingredients in the order listed below.

5. 1st layer-1/3 of the pasta, 1/3 remaining sauce, 1 bag of mozzarella cheese, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, sausage and onions.

6. 2nd layer-1/2 of the remaining pasta, 1/2 remaining sauce, 1 bag of mozzarella cheese, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, ham.

7. 3rd layer-all remaining pasta, all remaining sauce, 1 bag of mozzarella cheese, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, all the pepperoni(completely covering the entire top with pepperoni).

8. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.

9. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Orange Chicken

YUMMM. I have been craving orange chicken this pregnancy and saw a recipe for it and thought I would give it a whirl. It tasted so good. Plus it is nice knowing you are using quality chicken, better oil than they probably fry things in at Panda, and the sauce was really tasty. And it wasn't very hard to make. This one is a keeper recipe for sure.


2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups cornstarch
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups water
1/4 cup orange juice (I used fresh squeezed - about the juice of one orange)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Cooking Instructions:

Combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Prepare a bowl with beaten eggs, another with panko crumbs, and another with the cornstarch mixture. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then egg agaion, and finally in the panko crumbs. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked (I actually fried it a few minutes just to get the outside crispy, then put it on a baking sheet and baked at 375 for about 30 minutes. The chicken turned out perfect and the outside was super crunchy).

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and garnish with green onions.

Jamiacan Jerk Pizza

We had some friends over on friday for pizza and we wanted to try something new. So we did a Jamaican Jerk pizza. It was REALLY good. It is a new favorite! I found the recipe at meemoskitchen.blogspot.com

Caribbean Sauce
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1/4 Cup water
1/4 Cup ketchup
1/4 Cup light corn syrup
1/4 Cup minced white onion
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Teaspoon minced garlic
1 Teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 Teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 Teaspoon ground allspice

Jerk Seasoning
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1-1/2 Teaspoons salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 Teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon onion powder
1/8 Teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Pinch ground cinnamon

Top Pizza with:
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 Cups plus 4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 Cup cooked thick bacon, crumbled (about 6 slices)
1/2 Cup thinly sliced white onion
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion (green part only)
Jerk Chicken

*After I cooked the chicken in the frying pan, I removed it and set aside. I then put the bell peppers cut up in the same pan so they grilled with the jerk flavor.

Blueberry Muffins with Lemon

Wow!  These were so yummy.  Another recipe I got from thesisterscafe.com.  They had just the right hint of lemon.  I used buttermilk instead of the milk called for because I needed to use it up, as well as fresh blueberries instead of frozen because that is what I had.  Also, I used butter, not shortening.  For the topping, I only made up about half of what is called for and that was plenty, with a little extra to spare.  Scott called these his new favorite muffin - although, he doesn't like blueberries so his were blueberry-less. :)  Totally worth giving a try!

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening (or butter*)

1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this makes extra – you can try cutting it down if you want):

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tb lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat egg, milk and shortening. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients and lemon zest. Stir gently to combine. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins.

 

Asian Noodle Salad

Something cool to eat on a hot summer night.

Dressing:
1/2 C rice vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Let sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

Salad:
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
1/2 C basil, chopped
2 green onions, diced finely
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 C shredded carrot
1/2 C honey roasted peanuts
1/2 Pound spaghetti noodles, cooked per instructions
Cooked, chopped chicken breast - optional - I cooked it in a little bit of the dressing

Prepare all of the vegetable, set aside. Once the spaghetti has cooked, rinse with cold water and drain. When the noodles are completely cool, add the vegetables and peanuts. Mix the dressing again thoroughly then add to the noodles and vegetables. Stir until well combined and serve!

Cornmeal Pancakes

This recipe was on the top of a big Dannon yogurt I bought and I was intrigued.  My kids love pancakes and they also love cornbread, so it was definitely worth a shot.  They loved them and I thought they were yummy too.  Just another way to change up breakfast a bit.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cornmeal
3 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
(1/3 cup raisins, plumped - I did not use)
1 1/2 cups Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Nonfat yogurt - recipe says you could also use strawberry - not sure how I feel about that :)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Stir yogurt, eggs and oil with a fork in separate bowl, then stir into flour mixture until blended.  Heat a lightly greased skillet over moderately low heat until hot. (I did not grease my non-stick skillet and it was just fine without it.)  Pour 1/4 cup measures of batter onto skillet and cook about 3 minutes, or until golden, then turn and cook 1 minute more.  (It was important to have the heat lower than I would normally cook pancakes to make sure the middles got done.)  Serve with warm maple syrup.  I tried mine with honey butter and that was delicious too!  Makes appox. 12, 3 1/2 cakes.  Enjoy!

Molasses Wheat Bread

I was going to try Rachel's recipe she posted on Sunday but I didn't have any dry milk. So I searched for another alternative to mix it up a little and found this recipe. It uses molasses so the bread looks a little darker, but it made it very moist and sweet. The recipe below will make 2 loaves.

1 envelope yeast
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup butter softened
1/8 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
2 Tbl Dough Enhancer
1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water
2. In large bowl, combine butter, molasses, honey and salt. Mix well. (I did it in my Kitchen Aid)
3. Add yeast mixture then gradually add flours, enhancer, and gluten
4. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth
5. Place in greased bowl and let rise until double
6. Punch down and let rest a few minutes
7. Divide into 2 loaves, place in greased pans and let rise for 1 hour
8. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes