Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

I was in the mood for homemade pizza last night and had found a few different recipes for cheese steak pizza so I decided to give it a try. (Just google Philly cheese steak pizza and there are a TON of options!)  I pulled a little bit from a bunch of different recipes to create ours and it was fantastic! 

Shopping List:

1 pizza crust (homemade/store bought/etc...)

1/2 cup tomato sauce (we used 6 cheese from a jar)

2 oz. cream cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups Italian cheese (any kind)

1/2 lb. roast beef (from the deli)

1 medium onion

1 green pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

Dash Worcestershire

Parmesan cheese

Oregano

Directions:

-Prepare crust, if needed and heat oven to directed temperature for crust (ours was 450 for a pre-made crust). 

-Saute chopped onion and pepper in a pan with the butter until caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.  Add a dash of Worcestershire at the end.

-In a small saucepan, heat the tomato sauce, cream cheese, and garlic until melted and combined. Spread thinly over crust.

-Top pizza with 1/2 of the cheese, chopped roast beef, peppers/onions, the rest of the cheese, Parmesan, and a sprinkle of oregano.

-Follow directions on crust to determine baking time. Ours was about 10-12 minutes.

The 'sauced' crust

The finished pizza, fresh out of the oven

Ready to eat!

This was a quick and simple pizza that was MUCH cheaper than ordering in!  Now I'm ready to start thinking of new ideas for pizza. Does anyone out there have any 'out of the norm' ideas? Let me know!

Happy Eating!

Pasta Fagioli

Thanks again to Pinterest for allowing me to find this wonderful recipe on Our Blissfully Domestic Life blog!  Pasta Fagioli is an Italian soup/stew and it is oh so tasty!  I know it is summer, but it has been cool this week so I decided to give it a try.  The nice part was that I now have two containers of leftovers in my freezer for the next time I want something in a flash!

Shopping List:

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped

2 medium Carrots, chopped

2 stalks of Celery, chopped

2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced

1- 28 oz can of Tomatoes

1- 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1- 15 oz can Cannelloni Beans, drained 

4 cups Beef Broth

1 & 1/2 cup Elbow Pasta

2 cups of Fresh Spinach (packed)

1 Beef Bouillon Cube (or the equivalent in Granules)

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning

4-5 dashed of Hot Sauce (Texas Pete or Tabasco)

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (for topping)

 

Directions:

-Over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until meat is no longer pink and veggies are starting to get tender. Season with salt and pepper.

-Add in the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth(i used bouillon cubes to make my broth), bouillon cube, garlic, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and turn the heat to low.  Cover.

-Let the soup simmer for as long as you can. (I let mine go for about 2 hours, but this can be as fast a 30 minutes.) Stir occasionally.

-After the tomato sauce has simmered, add the beans and keep on low/covered for 1 more hour (or long enough to heat through if you are in quick mode).

-When you are ready to eat, cook the pasta according to directions in a separate pot.  Add the spinach into the tomato mixture and stir. Add in the hot sauce as well. This does not make it spicy, just a little background flavor!

-When the pasta is finished and drained, you can add it straight to the soup or serve it on the side to be dished into individual soup bowls.  We did ours on the side so the pasta wouldn't get mushy when we froze the leftovers. Top each serving with fresh Parmesan cheese (or the shaker kind if that's all you have on hand) :(

The finished stew



Everything ready to be eaten!



It was a little time consuming, but as I mentioned you can do this in as little as an hour if you choose.  It was a fantastic meal and I can't wait to dig into the leftovers in a few weeks!

Happy Eating!

A Classic: Monkey Bread

Who doesn't love monkey bread? Yes, I know it is terrible for you and full of sugar but it just tastes so wonderful!  For those of you who have been living under a rock, monkey bread is just a cinnamon pull apart bread made from refrigerator roll biscuits.



The Bread!

Shopping List:

3 12 oz. packages refrigerated biscuit dough.

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9 or 10 inch bundt pan.

-Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6-8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in bottom of prepared pan.  Continue until all biscuits are coated and in the pan.

-In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

-Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! This bread is meant to be pulled apart bite by bite!

So there you have it, a wonderful treat for an entire group to share.

On a side note, I can't decide if I like the centered posting or the original left justified posting. I need your help! Which is better? What do you like?

Happy Eating!

Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite meals!  It is just great comfort food.  Taste of Home had this simple recipe for a cheesy biscuit-topped pie and I fell in love.

Ingredients:

 Shopping List:
4 cups chicken, cooked, cubed
10 oz. package frozen broccoli with cheese sauce, thawed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can potatoes, drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup frozen peas ( i used mixed veggies)
1/4 tsp. pepper

Topping:
1 biscuit mix package
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Water (amount suggested on package)

Directions:
-In a large pan, combine the first 9 ingredients; bring to a boil. Transfer to a greased 9x13 in baking dish.
-In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients; spoon over the top.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Into the Oven

All Done!

My giant piece!

If you noticed, I used an 8x8 instead of a larger pan.  We would have to feed an army if we made an entire pan, so I just halved the ingredients and used a smaller pan.  I did not halve the ingredients for the topping.  I like lots of biscuit with my pot pie so I just used the regular amount!

Let me know what you think!

Happy Eating!

Oven Roasted Chicken

Have you ever had those pre-cooked, oven roasted chickens from the grocery store? Me neither... But I do hear they are quite tasty!  If you have, you will never purchase another one, because now you can make your own at home for a fraction of the price!

Imagine an entire chicken for about $3.00.  They are usually around $1.00/lb. and can be even cheaper when on sale!  Thanks to the wonderful Taste of Home magazine yet again for this great recipe.

Shopping List:

1 whole chicken, rinsed, packet of yuckies removed, patted dry

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried basil

6-8 small red potatoes

4 ribs celery

3 medium carrots

1 medium onion

Directions:

-Chop all veggies into bite sized portions. Set aside (in a 9x13 pan).  I usually use about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of veggies for just the two of us.

-Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease another 9x13 with cooking spray (I usually use a disposable for easy clean up). Place chicken in prepared pan.

-Whisk olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and basil together. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons for the vegetables. Brush remaining olive oil mixture onto chicken. Roast for 30 minutes.

-Toss remaining oil with veggies, spread them into a single layer (best you can) and cover with foil.

-TRICKY PART. Remove chicken from oven. Increase oven temp to 450 degrees. Baste chicken with drippings in bottom of the pan. Place both the chicken and veggies in oven when temperature is reached. ( I usually put them in a bit early because I don't want to wait).

-Roast 20 minutes. Remove foil from veggies, stir, and place back in oven uncovered. Roast 10 more minutes or until chicken is done/no longer pink! Allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.

In short:

-Prep chicken and veggies in separate pans.

-Roast chicken at 375 for 30 minutes.

-Baste chicken, up temperature to 450.

-Roast chicken and veggies for 20 minutes.

-Remove foil from veggies, roast veg and chicken for 10 minutes.

-Let stand for 10 minutes

-Eat

Chicken before roasting

Veggies before cooking

Finished Chicken

My favorite, some white meat! 

Finished Veggies



I know the directions seem a little crazy, but it is a super simple process, I promise!

Happy Eating!

Veggie Pizza

Here is a quick and simple (semi-healthy) snack that is great for parties and get-togethers.  Veggie Pizza is always a hit and you can customize it any way you wish!

Shopping List:

2 tubes Crescent Rolls (or one if you want a 9x13 pizza)

1 container Sour Cream

1 packet ranch dressing mix (hidden valley brand is what I use)

1 package mixed veggies (or whatever you choose, I use broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)

1 package shredded cheese

Directions:

-Unroll crescent dough and seam together on a large greased cookie sheet. You will probably have some dough left over depending on the size pizza you want to make.  We usually save the rest and make rolls to go with dinner!  Bake according to directions on package (usually around 8-13 minutes at 375 degrees) until golden brown. Let cool completely

-Mix sour cream with ranch dressing mix.  I usually use about 3/4 of the package, but make it according to your tastes! Spread on cooled crust.

-Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle generously over crust/ranch mix.  Press down slightly on veggies to make sure they are stuck in the sauce and won't fall off later.

-Finally, sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Chill until serving.

The Crust

Ranch Dressing Mix

Finished Pizza



You can make this pizza your own by changing up the toppings.  Consider using olives, peppers, radishes, cucumbers, etc... to make it one of a kind!

Happy Eating!

Crabcakes!

Yet another recipe from the good ole Taste of Home. I'm going to start out by saying that I did not like these crabcakes ( and I'm a seafood junkie!). The husband, however, loved them.  Guess it will be up to you to decide.

And PS... Have you noticed my awesome counter tops yet? The retro aqua is coming back, really... right??? Probably not so much, but it is what I have to work with. If anyone would like to start a fund for 'Get the Rusks a new Kitchen' I would gladly accept. :)

Crabcake Ingredients

 Sauce Ingredients (this part was tasty)

Shopping List:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp. grated onion
1/2 tsp. minced parsley
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
1/4 tsp. seafood seasoning
1/8 tsp. ground mustard
Dash pepper
1 can lump crab meat, drained and flaked ( I actually used two)
1 Tbsp. oil

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. mayo
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire

Directions:
-In a small bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients; fold in the crab. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.
-In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Drop crab mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into the pan; cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with sauce.

Crab Mix

Cookin the cakes!

 

The sauce.

Like I said, I wasn't really a fan of this one.  I think maybe it was the texture for me? Feel free to use this recipe as a base for your own and let me know how it comes out!

Happy Eating!