Seher Suggests: Crockpot Queso Chicken Chili

Contributed by: Seher Peterson
Originally from: Pinch of Yum http://pinchofyum.com/queso-crockpot-chicken-chili-with-roasted-corn-and-jalapeno

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups salsa, divided
• 1½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 bell peppers, minced
• 1 14 ounce can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (without ribs and seeds)
• 1 14 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 ounces light cream cheese
• 6 ounces Pepper Jack cheese
• cilantro for topping
• blue corn tortilla chips for yummy dippin'

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breasts, 1½ cups salsa, water, cumin, chili powder and salt in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. When the chicken is done, shred the meat directly in the crockpot using two forks.
2. Pat the minced peppers dry with a paper towel. Place the bell peppers in a large nonstick skillet over high heat without oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes WITHOUT stirring. This creates the browned, roasted look out on the outside of the peppers. Stir once and repeat until the peppers are nice and browned. Set aside. Repeat this process with the corn and jalapeño together.
3. After the chicken has been shredded, add the roasted peppers, roasted corn and jalapeño, black beans, remaining salsa, and cream cheese to the crockpot. Stir and replace cover, allowing the cream cheese to melt. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding another ½ cup of water if needed. Let the soup simmer for another 15-30 minutes until everything is smooth and melted. Just before serving, stir in the Pepper Jack cheese.

NOTES
I add some salsa at the begininng and some towards the end so that some of the fresh salsa texture is preserved in the finished product. Just a personal preference thing.

Lindsey's AMAZING TACO RING

Contributed by: Lindsey Vanderbosch
Originally from: Pampered Chef

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb lean (90%) ground beef
• 1 pkg (1-1.25 ounces) taco seasoning mix
• 1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 pkg (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1   egg white, lightly beaten
•  Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped onion and tomato, sliced olives and sour cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Cook ground beef in (10-in.) Skillet over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain. Transfer beef to Classic Batter Bowl. Stir in taco seasoning mix, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and water. 
3. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on Large Round Stone with Handles with wide ends 4-in. from edge of baking stone. (Points will extend off the edge of the baking stone.) Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5-in. opening.
4. Using Large Scoop, scoop filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. (Filling will show.) Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. 
5. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with toppings.

Notes from Kate: SHUT UP. Was I not just talking about how Lindsey could not get any more awesome? Then I see that she has posted a recipe for a TACO RING? 

Susi Suggests Sticky Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Thighs

Contributed by: Susi Keefe
Originally from: http://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/sticky-sweet-spicy-chicken-thighs/

Adjust the amount of Asian Chili Garlic sauce to your heat tolerance. If you don’t have Asian Chili Garlic sauce on hand, you could substitute 1-2 Tbsp. ketchup or tomato paste mixed with 1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes. Nice served with rice and a green vegetable, such as bok choy, snap peas or steamed broccoli.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5-6 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs, skin on or removed
• 2/3 cup water or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best, if you can)
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1-2 heaping tsp. Asian Chili Garlic sauce
• 2 Tbsp. white or rice vinegar
• For garnish: Sliced green onions, sesame seeds and orange zest

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the water/broth, brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, Asian Chili Garlic sauce and vinegar. Stir to combine. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dry chicken thighs and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Place in hot skillet, skin-side down if using skin-on, and cook until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 8 minutes or so. Remove chicken to a plate and discard any oil/fat in the pan.
3. Add sauce to pan and bring to a light boil. Return chicken to pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, flipping chicken occasionally, until cooked through and sauce thickens and becomes syrupy, about 30-35 minutes.
4. Serve garnished with sesame seeds, sliced green onions and orange zest. Nice with rice.

Emily's Green Chili and Chicken Enchiladas

Contributed by: Emily Tong

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 cans diced fire roasted green chilis
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese
• 1 can white or pinto beans (drained)
• 1 large can green enchilada sauce
• 1 ½-2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 8 medium soft taco size tortillas
• 1 handful chopped, fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. 
2. Cook chicken breasts (boil, grill, bake) and shred. Put shredded chicken into large skillet with green chilis, garlic and cream cheese. Stir until melted. Add beans. 
3. Lightly grease bottom of 9x13 Pyrex dish and spoon about ½ cup of enchilada sauce on bottom.
4.  Fill each tortilla with a large spoonful of the chicken mixture and place into dish seam side down. 
5. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over filled tortillas. Top with shredded cheese. 
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until enchiladas are bubbly and lightly golden. Top with fresh cilantro.

Notes from Kate: I think I'll try this with leftover rotisserie chicken! I love both of Emily's recipes because enchiladas and lasagne are both things that I (1) LOVE but (2) think of as labor intensive so I never make them. These recipes actually seem do-able! 

Emily's Crock Pot Lasagne

Contributed by: Emily Tong

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground Italian Sausage 
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I love Classico Tomato Basil)
• 1 cup water
• 1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup shredded parmesan 
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 
• 1 egg
• 6-8 regular lasagna noodles (uncooked)

Instructions:

1. Brown sausage in large skillet; drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.  
2. In separate bowl mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cups shredded mozz, ¼ cup parmesan, egg and parsley.
3. Spoon 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with 3 lasagna noodles, broken to fit; and half of cheese mixture.  
4. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce.  Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce.  Cover with lid.
5. Cook on low 4-6 hours or until liquid is absorbed.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted.

Notes from Kate: Just when I think I can't love Emily more, she gives us a crock pot lasagne recipe. I can't wait to try this! I especially love that you don't have to cook the noodles - this looks actually doable for a week night! YUM!

Lindsey's Lazy Breakfast Smootie

Contributed by: Lindsey Vanderbosch

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 frozen banana (turns it into a milkshake, trust me!)
• handful of fruit (frozen mixed berries, strawberries, blueberries, whatever you have and like)
• milk (almond, skim, whatever you like)
• frozen spinach or other green (leftover clamshells of spinach are great in the freezer!)
• oatmeal (optional)
• nuts (optional)

Instructions:

Drop nuts, oatmeal into your blender/ninja first and spin til blended down. This adds more bulk.  You can sub a tablespoon of a nut butter or skip it altogether.  Add frozen fruit and spinach, fill with milk, spin til smooth.  I like mine really thin, but you might like it more like a milkshake, so I left the measurements out. Enjoy!

Notes from Kate: So, Lindsey called these "lazy" smoothies, but there are at least five ingredients. So I am not sure a agree with her characterization. :)

Lindsey's Crock Pot Fajitas

Contributed by: Lindsey Vanderbosch

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs of chicken, beef or pork (whatever you have, I've used boneless chicken breasts and a bone-in rib roast, really, whatever you have)
• Fajita/meat seasoning - I prefer one fajitas packet, plus cumin, abodo seasoning and some pepper flakes
• Onions - I'd say 2-3 small or 1-2 large onions, quartered
• Peppers - About 2-3 large or a bunch of smaller peppers, halved or quartered depending on their size
• Tortillas
• Limes, Avocados, Cilantro, Lettuce, any garnishes you like and/or have on hand

Instructions:

1. Put meat in crock pot, either rub generously with spices you like or just sprinkle them on top, whatever you feel like.  Coarsely chop a few onions and peppers and dump in on top.  Cook on low all day or on high for a few hours.  Before serving, use two forks to break up the meat.  Maybe grab some kitchen shears and chop coursely to break up the peppers/onions more if you have time and care.  If you want it to look fancy, just do the meat and sauté veggies on a pan with some olive oil right before serving the meat instead of cooking along in the big crock pot.
2. Serve with warmed tortillas, lime wedges, cilantro, lettuce, avocado, cheese, whatever you have on and and your family will eat.  Enjoy!  Leftovers taste even better.  And you can serve as a salad, on top of rice, or add broth and rice and make a soup too.  Yum.  We eat this at least once a week.

Lindsey's Breakfast Fancy-ness

Contributed by: Lindsey Vanderbosch

I make a mean bowl of Cheerios, but even that is no where near as fancy as this fanciness!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg english muffins or mini bagels
• 4+ Ripe avocados (you'll need 1/2 per muffin/bagel)
• 12 eggs (you'll need 1 per muffin/bagel)
• 1 package bacon
• butter
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. On Sunday/over the weekend, hard boil eggs (put a dozen in a large pot, cover plus one inch of standing water, bring to boil, cover, remove from heat and let sit for 12 mins, then give an ice bath to stop cooking and store).  Also fry or bake a package of bacon strips (to bake, place on a baking sheet at 400F about 15-20 mins or til crispy, drain and reserve).
2. Each morning or time you're hungry, toast English muffin or mini bagel and microwave 2 slices of bacon approximately 10 seconds to make extra crispy.  Butter the muffin/bagel lightly, slice and mash half an avocado onto the muffin/bagel halves, generously salt and pepper.  Slice a hard boiled egg and pile on top of avocado (add a little more salt and pepper to taste) and serve with bacon on top

It's pretty and yummy.  My husband and kid both eat it.  And I feel fancy.  Hope you do too!  Enjoy!

Thanks to the RHOSP for inspiring this breakfast when I recently bought way too many avocados.

Notes from Kate: Further proof that Lindsey is a genius - precooking weekday breakfast ingredients on the weekend! 

Serina's Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Contributed by: Serina Brueggemann
Originally from: Queen Of The Red Doublewide

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon celery salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into a small resealable container or bag and shake.

This recipe will make one "packet" but Serina makes a big jar and keeps it on hand

Notes from Kate: You know how some things are SUPER DELICIOUS but the worry that they aren't very good for you keeps you from adding them to your daily diet, like Cool Ranch Doritos? For me that has also always included pretty much everything made with French Onion Soup packets. SO good. But probably also SO full of preservatives, partially hydrogenated what-not and other artificial not-so-great stuff. WORRY NO MORE. Here's a super-awesome recipe for homemade onion soup "packets"! Life changing my friends. Life changing. 

Erica's Italian Sausage Dip

contributed by: Erica Riehm

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 can Rotell

Instructions:

1. Brown and drain sausage. 
2. Put in crockpot with cream cheese and full can of Rotell. 
3. Cook on low for about an hour, stir every 20 minutes. 
4. Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes from Kate. I LOVE dips. Dip is one of my favorite food groups. Right up there with carbs. I love to host parties where all the foods are dips - definitely adding this to the menu at the next one!

Amanda's Honey Beer Bread

Contributed by: Amanda Nesgood
Original Source: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/honey-beer-bread/

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
• 4 Tbsp. (half stick) butter, melted (**You can double this if you'd like**)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x 5x 3-inch loaf pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed. (I recommend popping your honey in the microwave for a few seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in!)
• Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you'd like.)
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Ali's Tip:

If you're a big fan of beer-cheese bread, add a cup or so of cheddar (or your favorite cheese) into the batter to give it the queso-kick.  :)

Notes from Kate: I love beer in recipes for the same reason I love wine in recipes - a good cook ALWAYS samples their ingredients!! This looks like a great accompaniment for a soup dinner. 

Amanda's (Grandma's) Cheesy Brat Stew

Contributed by: Amanda Nesgood

Ingredients:

• 1 package turkey kielbasa
• red potatoes (cut in 1-in pieces)
• bag of frozen green beans
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can chicken broth
• (and salt and pepper, sometimes I throw in a bit of Italian seasoning and cumin too)

Instructions:

1. Add everything together and cook until potatoes are done.

Notes from Kate: Doesn't get much easier than "add everything and cook". I also often have a lot of these ingredients on hand, so this looks like a great "oh, crap, what's for dinner?" dinner. Thanks Amanda!

Katie Thuente's Wild Rice Turkey Meatloaf

contributed by: Katie Thuente

Ingredients: 
Loaf:

• 1 pkg ground turkey
• 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (or 1 can canoe wild rice)
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
• 1 cup Apple sauce

Glaze

• 1/2 jar Apple jelly
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Heat in sauce pan until "thin" glaze

Instructions:

1. Mix loaf contents in bowl, pack well, form "football" in middle of a 9x13 pan.
2.  Bake 1.5 hrs at 350. 
3. Put glaze over entire loaf for last 1/2 hr of baking. Continue to "spoon" glaze over loaf periodically.

Notes from Kate: This is so different from my meatloaf recipe that I am definitely intrigued. I am really interested to see how the applesauce works in the loaf. My kids are unimpressed with my current meatloaf (even when I make a dinosaur shaped "loaf") so I have nothing to lose. Definitely trying this soon!

Leah's Lazy Momma's Meatless Monday Homemade Soup

contributed by: Leah Steidl

Ingredients:

• 4 cups organic chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 9-oz or so package of cheese torellini (I usually use frozen, straight from the freezer)
• 6 oz of spinach (I grab a handful and eyeball it)
• Frozen peas
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

• Bring chicken stock and water to a boil, reduce heat and add the tortellini & frozen peas and simmer until pasta is tender.  
• Add the spinach until just wilted.  
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Makes 4 bowls of soup – is delicious served with grated parmesan over the top

Notes from Kate: As I think I've mentioned before my kids LOVE tortellini. I am always looking for new ways to serve it (other than jar o' sauce). I am looking forward to trying it in soup!!

Leah's Crock Pot Italian Beef Sammys

contributed by: Leah Steidl
*from iowagirleats.com

Ingredients:

• 3 lb chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into large chunks (3 or 4)
• 1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix
• 8oz pepperoncini pepper slices and splash of juice
• 8oz Giardiniera (Chicago-Style Italian Sandwich Mix), drained
• 14.5oz can of beef broth (I buy a 32 oz box and use a lot more than 14.5oz)
• Provolone Cheese Slices
• Hoagie buns

Instructions:

1. Place chuck roast in the botton of 5.5-6 quart crock pot, sprinkle with dressing mix.  
2. This is where I deviate from the recipe, I dump all the pepper slices and juices, all the giardineira stuff and add enough beef broth until my roast is covered completely.  This is how I find it tastes best.  If you’d like to follow the recipe, drain the two jars of stuff and only use 14.5oz of beef broth
3. Cook on low for 9 hours
4. Shred the meat, cook on low for another hour (it doesn’t need to, it just soaks up more of the” au jus” flavor.
5. Split buns in half and create a nice little nest in the bun for the shredded meat mixture.  Serve with a side of au jus and enjoy!

*I make the sammys and put the cheese on them and broil them for a few seconds until cheese is melted at this point.

Notes from Kate: My husband is from Chicago and is obsessed with Italian Beef. Next time I make him do home improvement projects all weekend, maybe I'll make these as a thank you :)

Katie's Stupid Easy Chicken with Beans and Tomatoes

Contributed by: Katie Fratzke

Ingredients:

• 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh oregano, plus leaves for garnish
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total)
• Couple glugs of dry white wine (optional, but oh so good)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425° F. In a 9-by-13-inch (or some other large) baking dish, toss the beans and tomatoes with the thyme and oregano sprigs, garlic, red pepper, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the wine if using.
2. Pat the chicken dry and place on top of the bean mixture, skin-side up. Rub with the remaining tablespoon of oil; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
3. Roast until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the oregano leaves.

Notes from Kate: hmmm, the glugs of wine go .... in the pan?  

Katie’s Curried Pork and Fall Vegetable Crockpot Stew

contributed by: Katie Fratzke

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 pounds pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into stew chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1.25 cups diced onions
• 3 t minced garlic
• 2 T grated ginger
• 1 T curry powder (or more to taste)
• 1 T cumin
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup diced red potatoes
• 3/4 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 2 cups Basmati rice, cooked

Instructions:

1. Heat coconut oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. 
2. Season pork and add to the pan (in batches if necessary so as not to crowd the pan) and cook about 8 minutes until crisp and browned on all sides. 
3. Remove and place in slow cooker. 
4. Add to onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, and turmeric to the pan. (Add more oil if necessary.) Cook 4-5 minutes until onions soften and spices are fragrant, then add to the slow cooker. 
5. Place squash, potatoes, carrots, coconut milk, and broth in the slow cooker. 
6. Stir to combine and cook 6-8 hours on low. 
7. Serve curry over warm rice and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and cashews as desired.

Notes from Kate: I LOVE curry so I am super excited to try this. YUM! It seems like it could be delicious with some other veggies in there too - maybe I'll experiment. I also wonder if the sauce would be good with other meats or even vegetarian. 

Seher's Tilapia with Tomato Olive Sauce

Contributed by: Seher Peterson

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds tilapia
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if large
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive tapenade

**add capers etc if you like – we usually just cut up a few kalamata olives in half for this one.

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle tilapia with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook (in two batches if necessary), turning once halfway through, until golden brown and just opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the fish to a serving platter; tent with foil to keep warm.
2. Off the heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, tomatoes, wine and garlic to the pan. Return to medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of tomatoes are broken down, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in olive tapenade and cook for 1 minute more. Serve the fish with the sauce.

Notes from Kate: Olives, tomatoes, wine - what's NOT to love about this recipe??? (For adults, obviously for my kids the fact that this is not mac and cheese is a major strike). Can't wait to give this a try. 

Seher's Easy Crock Pot Balsamic Beef

Contributed by: Seher Peterson

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb beef (chuck or round) roast
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
•  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
•  ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
2.  Place your roast in your slow-cooker. Pour mixture over roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or... if you are in a rush, on HIGH for 4 hours. Once roast is done, shred meat, remove from crockpot and set aside.
3. Place the liquid from the crockpot into a small sauce pan and simmer to thicken, about 5-10 minutes. Drizzle over meat and serve immediately.

Notes from Kate: This sounds AMAZING! And I gotta love the combination of "Easy" and "Crock Pot". This recipe speaks my language.

Patty's Quick & Easy Spanish Rice

Contributed by: Patty (Patricia Fitzpatrick Parsons)

Ingredients:
White Minute Rice

• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup chicken broth
•  1 ½ cup minute rice

Brown Minute Rice

• 1 ¼ cup salsa
• 1 ¼ cup water
• 1 ½ cup brown minute rice

Instructions:

1. Cook according to the instructions on the rice package. 
2. You can also add onion, peppers of any color, and / or frozen corn (absorbs some of the heat from the salsa) depending on what you have on hand and the “audience”. 
3. It reheats really well. I have been known to eat it cold in a pinch.

Notes from Kate: This sounds like a great side dish with taco night! I have the hardest time coming up with good side ideas, so I am excited to give this a try. My kids will be excited to see something other than plain rice or noodles. Actually, they will probably whine "where are the nooooooodles?", but I'll be happy.

Patty's Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Contributed by: Patty (Patricia Fitzpatrick Parsons)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beef (I use stew meat and put it in frozen)
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1 cup red cooking wine (I put in the entire bottle for a little more flavor and sauce)

Instructions:

1. Cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
2. Serve over warm egg noodles.

Notes from Kate: This looks both delicious and easy, so it is definitely getting a try from me soon. I might have to slightly modify Patty's directions though. I don' think I'll add the WHOLE bottle of wine to the sauce. I like the "1 cup for the sauce, 1 cup for the cook" method myself :)

Darcie's Chili

Contributed by: Darcie Peifer

Freezes really well. Serve with rice, crackers or bread and topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives!

Ingredients:

• 5 cups tomato juice
• 1 ½ cup chick peas
• 1 ½ cup red beans
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped yellow squash
• 1 ½ cup chopped yellow+red peppers 
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• ¾ cup chopped white onion
• ½ teaspoon chopped jalapeño
• Olive oil
• 1 large clove diced garlic
• Handful of fresh oregano diced
• Salt, blk or Cayenne pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder 
• ¼ teaspoon ground clove
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1½ Tablespoon chili powder 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup 
• Parsley

Instructions:

1. Chop veggies. Sauté garlic, onion, peppers, squash and zuc in a large pot with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil on med high heat for a couple minutes. Add a teaspoon of salt, the beans, the paprika, chili powder, clove, cinnamon, oregano and some black pepper. Saute uncovered (mixing occasionally) until veggies become tender but not soft.
2. Add tomato juice, carrots and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Stir in about 1/6 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and another dash of salt. Cover and continue cooking on low until carrots are soft. Taste and add more salt and/or cayenne pepper if needed.
3. Partially uncover and continue cooking until chili thickens. The longer you cook it the better it’ll be. Serve topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives.

Darcie's Mac and Cheese

Contributed by: Darcie Peifer

Ingredients:

• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 45 g butter  (about 3 T)
• 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 litre semi-skimmed milk (about 4.5 cups)
• 600 g dried macaroni (about 1lb, 5oz so I guess around 21-22oz)
• 8 tomatoes
• 150 g Cheddar cheese, freshly grated (about 5oz)
• 100 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 3oz)
• a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce, optional
• 1 grating nutmeg, optional
• 3 big handfuls fresh breadcrumbs
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Get a large pan of salted water on the boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this is your roux. Add all the sliced garlic – don't worry about the amount because each slice will caramelise like toffee in the roux. Keep cooking and stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally. Preheat your oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7.
2. Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on a board and season them well with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat. Stir in your grated cheeses, chopped tomatoes and thyme leaves. A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, and so is a little grating or two of nutmeg. Now work on the flavour – taste it and season it until it's hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet because it will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.
3. If you've made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy and delicious.
4. While it's cooking, put your breadcrumbs and thyme into a pan with a few drizzles of olive oil over a medium heat. Stir and toss the crumbs around until crunchy and golden all over. Remove from the heat and tip into a nice bowl. Serve your macaroni cheese in the centre of the table, with your bowl of crispy breadcrumbs for sprinkling over, and a lovely green salad.

Notes from Kate: My kids are mac and cheese obsessed. Pretty much every time I ask them what they want for dinner they say MAC AND CHEESE. They would probably eat it every single day if I let them. While they tend to prefer the boxed kind, I am looking forward to trying this one. 

I did the unit conversion myself, so apologies in advance if any of them are off. Please let me know if anyone has any trouble!. 

Tracy has a chicken - HELP!

Inspired by: Tracy Riekenberg

I love it when someone posts a request for recipe help and a bunch of people offer suggestions. Of course, I can never find the threads when I have the same recipe conundrum so I am going to try to start to capture them.

Just in case you missed it, here's the post that inspired a flood of chicken recipes:

Below I've captured the recipes that were posted in the comments. If you have another suggestion send it my way! We'll never be at a loss of how to use up a whole chicken again!

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

contributed by: Kate Lockwood
(you can also bake this in the oven, but we do the crock pot method at our house on week nights)

Ingredients:

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 40 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs (I just use a few pinches of dried)
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig (sometimes I throw in some dried rosemary too - if I'm feeling fancy)
• 1 (4-lb.) whole chicken 
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional - for gravy)

Instructions

1.  Line bottom and long sides of a 6-qt. oval slow cooker with 1 piece of aluminum foil, allowing 2 inches to extend over sides. Lightly grease foil with cooking spray. Pour 3 Tbsp. melted butter in slow cooker; sprinkle garlic over butter. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs. Place chicken, breast-side up, on herbs. Brush 1 Tbsp. melted butter over chicken; sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and wine to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.
2. Transfer chicken from slow cooker to a serving platter, using foil sides as handles. Transfer garlic cloves from slow cooker to platter, using a slotted spoon. 

---- The two steps below make a gravy to serve with the chicken. Who has time for that? Not me. We skip these steps ---

1. Pour cooking liquid through a cheesecloth-lined wire-mesh strainer into a measuring cup; discard solids.
2. Pour 1 cup cooking liquid into a small saucepan (reserve remaining cooking liquid for another use, such as rice or couscous); whisk in flour. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chopped thyme. Serve with chicken.

We serve this with baguette or other crusty bread and salad. You smoosh the garlic cloves out onto the bread and spread them. DELICIOUS!

Engagement Chicken

contributed by: Maggie Kelly
Original recipe: Glamour Magazine

Note: it worked! apparently 100% of the Maggies I know who fed this chicken to their boyfriends ended up getting engaged. 

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons—including 1 sliced for garnish
• 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley)

Instructions

1. Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fi tted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.
3. Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)
4.  Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast- side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180°F and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350°F takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
6. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken— this is the “marry me juice.” Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Perfect Roast Chicken

contributed by: Juli Pelletier
original recipe: Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
• Olive oil

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
3. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Sarah Haider's Panko Crusted Tilapia

Contributed by: Sarah Haider

Ingredients:

• 5-6 Tilapia filets (I usually use pre-packaged frozen, they thaw in water in 15 min for an easy last minute dinner option)
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¼ - ½ tsp garlic powder (adjust to your liking)
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 cup unseasoned panko 
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning (more or less to your liking)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a shallow dish combine butter, garlic powder & lemon juice
3. In a separate dish combine panko and Old Bay
4. Dip each filet in butter mixture, and then in panko mixture.
5. Place filets in baking dish and bake for 14-16 min, until flakey.

We usually serve with mashed potatoes & asparagus, or whatever veggies we have on hand. My husband likes to eat his with Franks Red Hot.

(Not) Sarah Haider's Crock Pot Maple Dijon Pork Chops

Contributed by: Sarah Haider
Credit to http://www.eatliverun.com/crock-pot-maple-dijon-pork-chops/

(I adjusted the original recipe to feed 2 adults & 3 kids, and substitute coconut oil for veg oil)

Ingredients:

• 5 large bone-in pork chops
• 1 or 2 large yellow onions, chopped (we use 1, only because the kids don’t like them, and I usually slice them instead of chopping so they are easier to pull off of the kids portions)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbs coconut oil

Directions:

1. Heat up the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the pork chops and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sear both sides of chops over high heat (about 2 minutes per side) then transfer to your Crock Pot. (I do this 2 chops at a time so I don’t crowd the pan)
2. Lower the heat on the skillet to medium low and add the onions. Cook until onions are just starting to soften then add the cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes and then pour sauce over chops in the slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve chops drizzled generously with sauce

Notes from Kate: These sound delicious! I do a lot of chicken in the crock pot, so I think my family will think pork chops are a welcome change. Well, at least my husband will, my kids will probably whine about the fact that I am once again serving them something other than mac-and-cheese :) I can't quite decide what would be a good side with these - maybe mashed or baked potatoes? Anyone have a suggestion for a good side? (bonus if it is make-ahead or quick and easy).

Jessica's Spicy Pumpkin Enchiladas

Contributed by: Jessica Griffith

Pumpkin enchiladas: I don't make mine particularly spicy but this is a very flexible recipe. You can use any combination of meat and beans for the filling or just beans if you prefer vegetarian enchiladas. This is a good way to use up leftover cooked beans, pot roast, roast chicken, even turkey.

 modified from Everyday Food; May 2004 

Ingredients: 

Sauce:

• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree 
• 2-4 garlic cloves, peeled 
• 1 jalapeno, quartered (you can omit this, or take out the seeds and ribs for less heat) 
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 8-12 corn tortillas (flour will turn gummy in this recipe)
• 3/4 cup grated sharp white cheese (3 ounces)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup chicken
• 1 1/2 cups pinto beans (about one can) 
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (optional)
• 2 green onions
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, or more to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. 
2. In a blender, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, water, salt and black pepper until smooth. (Hold blender top firmly as blender will be quite full. You also can use a food processor.) Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. I use a 9X13 and make more filling and about 12 enchiladas. 
3. If you want the tortillas to break a little less, dip them in simmering water or heat briefly in microwave before filling. Place a couple of spoonsful of filling in a tortilla and roll up; place seam side down in baking dish. 
4. Pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet, if you're worried about it spilling over. Bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool five minutes before serving.

Notes from Kate: Yay for pumpkin season! I love fall and love pumpkin-foods. I may or may not have purchased a six-pack of pumpkin purée from Costco, so it's a safe bet that we'll make these some time soon.

Lee-za's Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini

Contributed by: Lee-za Matthews

Ingredients:

• 8-oz bag Barilla tortellini or 16-oz fresh tortellini from the refrigerator section
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage or chicken (can omit if want vegetarian)
• 2 tsp minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 cup half-and-half
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to directions on box/bag.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet using medium heat; add Italian sausage and cook until browned.
3. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes (undrained), spinach, salt, pepper, dried basil, half-and-half and parmesan cheese.
5. Heat through then reduce the heat to medium-low, continue to stir and cook until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
6. Drain the tortellini and add to the creamy mixture, serve and enjoy!

Notes from Kate: I don't know Lee-za that well, but the fact that both of the recipes she submitted call for heavy cream, I am pretty sure we'd get along great! I am looking forward to giving this recipe a try. My kids love the refrigerator tortellini but I usually end up just dumping a jar of sauce on it and calling it a day. I love that this recipe doesn't take a ton more work, but looks like it will taste 100X better. I am thinking I'll serve it with a salad (broccoli for the kiddos) and a loaf of bread. Thanks Lee-za!!

Lee-za's Crockpot Corn Chowder

Contributed by: Lee-za Matthews

I am a confirmed soup lover! I love a nice warm, hearty bowl of soup along with some delicious bread (and maybe some cheese, because what meal doesn't get better with the addition of cheese?). The amazing corn chowder comes from housie Lee-za Matthews.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces diced ham
• 1 cup diced onions
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 cups half-and-half

Directions:

• Place potatoes, both cans of corn, chicken broth, ham, and onions into the slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high 3-4 hours).
• Mash the mixture to your desired consistency, then add butter and half-and-half.
• Cook for an additional 30 minutes on high, and you’re set!

Kate's notes. Can I just say I am SO looking forward to giving this a try!! I love that it can cook for 8 hours so it is perfect for a 2 WOH parent household. I am going to put this in my crockpot and Leslie Brandt's bread in my breadmaker and my family will come home to an awesome from-scratch meal. All cooked while I was busy at my office. Technology is so amazing :)

PS Keep your eye's peeled for that bread recipe! It is coming soon!!

Alice's Crock Pot Ham

Contributed by: Alice Seuffert

This posting by Alice is in honor of her first appearance on the Rachael Ray Show!!! Way to go Alice!! For more AMAZING recipes by Alice, you will definitely want to check out her blog Dining With Alice [Free Tip: her Monster Cookies are THE BEST]. While you are visiting her blog, you might want to consider picking up a copy of her book Freezer Meals for Moms

Ingredients:

• 6.5 lbs. Classic Semi-Boneless Half Ham
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 t. Cinnamon
• 4 Pink Lady Apples
• 1 cup Apple Juice
• 8 TB Butter 

Instructions: 

Place the ham in an oval crock pot. Rub ham with brown sugar and cinnamon. Core apples, slice into quarters and add to crockpot. Pour juice over ham and apples. Slice butter on top of ham and cook in slow cooker on high for 4 hours.

Notes from Kate: We made this for a big family dinner and everyone (kids included) loved it! I love this ham for a family get together because you can throw it in the crockpot and socialize/hide in the pantry with booze while dinner cooks itself.

Tricia's Slow Cooker Vietnamese Beef

Contributed by: Tricia Netland Wencel

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon grass stalk, peeled and chopped
• A few fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1T ginger juice
• 1 fresh red chili, seeded and chopped finely
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• Ground black pepper
• 2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ cup peanut oil (sorry allergies!!)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 14-oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock

Put the lemongrass, mint, fish sauce, sugar, ginger juice, chili, and lots of fresh ground pepper in a bowl and mix well. Add the beef and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Heat the oil in a skillet then add the beef in batches and sauté until browned on all sides. Return all the beef to the skillet, add the tomato paste and tomatoes, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, until the meat is tender. Serve topped with shredded scallions and mint sprigs. (I just chop the scallions….or don’t use them at all. Shredding them is pretty but unnecessary.)

The recipe says to serve with crusty bread. I serve it with steamed rice AND crusty bread.

Notes from Kate: This sounds AMAZING! I am not sure my kids will eat it, but I don't even care. It is going in our meal plan for next week.

Tricia's GO TO Chicken Bacon Wraps

Contributed by: Tricia Netland Wencel

This recipe is highly flexible to whatever you have on hand!

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken breasts OR rotisserie chicken.
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper (If not using rotisserie)
• Whole wheat wraps or tortillas
• Bacon strips

Other things I use:

• Red Onion
• Cheddar cheese (or whatever you like)
• Avocado
• Tomato
• Greens
• Ranch or blue cheese dressing
• Lime (to squeeze over the other ingredients)

Cook bacon until very crisp. I like to do it in the oven at 375, because it makes the bacon flatter and crispier. Put bacon aside. While bacon is cooking, chop up any of the optional ingredients that you are using.

Broil the chicken breasts by cutting them in half, drizzling olive oil, salt, and pepper on them. Broil on high for 4-5 minutes each side.  Slice broiled breasts diagonally into 3-4 inch strips.

If I’m using cheese, I like to shred it and melt it on the wrap before filling the wrap with other things.

When wraps are ready, put chicken, bacon, and any of your optional ingredients inside, and wrap it up! 

Notes from Kate: I cannot wait to try Tricia's recipe! My kids (and husband) are pretty bacon obsessed and I like how flexible this is. I am going to try this recipe next week and I think I'll serve it deconstructed like tacos and let everyone make their own. I think it will be the perfect use for our leftover chicken from the Lund's Six Buck Cluck  ($6 rotisserie chicken on Friday). I am making bacon with breakfast on Saturday so I figure with leftover chicken AND leftover bacon, this should come together super easy on Monday night!

Crock Pot Tacos (and optional guac)

contributed by: Kate Lockwood

I love taco night because I just throw everything on the table and everyone can customize their dinner. So, if the 4.5 year old wants to eat a plain tortilla and the 1 year old wants to shovel guacamole into her mouth with a spoon that is THEIR CHOICE.

Crock Pot Taco Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chicken broth 
• 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (optional)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (or 2T+ of homemade spice mix)
• 1-2 pounds of chicken breast 

Dump all that stuff in your crock pot and set it for 6 hours on low. I use frozen chicken and set the crockpot for 8 hours so that I can start it when I leave for work in the morning. When you get home, shred the chicken with two forks. Put out with all the taco fixins and let everyone build their own dinner.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (if you don't have a packet on hand)

• 1 T chili powder 
• 1/4t garlic powder
• 1/4t onion powder
• 1/4t crushed red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
• 1/4t dried oregano
• 1/2t paprika
• 1 1/2t cumin (I always put in extra because I am cumin obsessed)
• 1t salt
• 1t pepper

Mix it all together. Use as you would regular taco seasoning

We almost never have tacos without guacamole at our house because I think guacamole is the only food on the planet that everyone in my family will eat without complaint. (I also bring this to pretty much every pot-luck party we attend.)

Guacamole Ingredients 
This makes a lot because we eat a lot and have it on our sandwiches for lunch the next day. You can halve the recipe for a smaller batch, or double for a big party

• 3-4 ripe avocados
• 2 roma tomatoes diced
• 1/2 red onion diced super fine
• 1 bunch of cilantro chopped super fine (optional)
• salt to taste
• fresh lime juice to taste
• cumin to taste (optional)

Mash up the avocados (this is a great job for kid kitchen helpers). Add salt and lime juice starting with 1/2t of salt and juice of half a lime. Adjust salt and juice to taste. If you are adding cumin put it in now. Stir in the onions and tomatoes. Add cilantro if you like (I usually leave this out for parties in case there are cilantro haters in the crowd)

We typically start the crock pot in the morning and when we get home we shred the chicken then have the kids help make the guac while the taco shells are warming. To make things go faster we might pre-dice the tomatoes and onion for the guac the night before and store in Tupperware in the fridge.

Week-night Pizza

Contributed by: Kate Lockwood

My kids will generally eat pizza and since I dislike making a dinner that they both refuse to eat, we have this on pretty regular rotation. Besides - pizza sauce is tooooootally a veggie - right???

Dough Ingredients

• 3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour (can also use all-purpose or a mix of whole wheat - we do a mix of wheat and bread flours unless we are out of bread flour) 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 envelope instant dry yeast (or 2.5t from the big jar)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (can use less, or use garlic salt for extra YUM - you can also add garlic powder if you like)
• 1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Other Ingredients

• Sauce - you can totally make this yourself, but we typically use a jar of Trader Joe's. One jar will last through 2 pizza nights
• Cheese
• Toppings - my cost saving tip here is to hit up the salad bar at Whole Foods you can buy just enough veggies for your pizza 
• Random stuff from your fridge (is it about to expire??? THROW IT ON YOUR PIZZA)

Dough Instructions

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball. (If you don't have a stand mixer, just mix in a bowl with a wooden spoon and knead by hand)

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Making the dough yourself is super cheap, here are a couple of alternatives if you have a busy schedule:

• Trader Joe's refrigerated pizza dough (it's like $1.25 for one crust)
• Prep the dough in the morning (up to the point where you let it rise) and leave it in the fridge while you are out and about for the day. Take it out and let it sit for about 20 minutes when you get home while you prep the toppings, then use it to make pizzas.
• We typically make this on a day that one of us is working from home so we can take a quick break to start the dough about an hour before the other one gets home with the kids 

The dough recipe will make enough for TWO pizzas (read that as "easy leftovers for lunch the next day"). Typically we let everyone top their own pizza. When the dough is ready to be used, we divide it in half. One half gets turned into a serviceable pizza that everyone will eat (cheese, pepperoni, maybe a veggie or two). From the other half, everyone gets a chunk to roll out and top as they choose. The kids have fun playing with the dough and while they are smearing flour over every surface in my kitchen, I take the time to pop a vegetable on the stove (or let's be real, in the microwave). While all this is going on I preheat the oven to 425.

Once all the pizzas are ready we pop them in. Cooking time will depend on how thin you rolled your crust, how crispy you like it and if you let your oven preheat all the way (speaking from experience here). If you like SUPER crispy crust, you might want to pre-bake a little before topping, but I am too lazy to do this. You'll want to keep an eye on the pizzas because they don't take that long. I'd check at 10 minutes and then fairly frequently after that until they are the way you like them. 

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: This is pretty easy although I always feel like yeast adds a layer of unpredictability if you haven't used it much before. 

TIME to MAKE: This takes a long time if you count the rising time of the dough, however it all comes together quickly once the dough is ready to go and the baking time is minimal so I still think it works great for a week night.

This is actually delivery pizza. 

The dough recipe is adapted from the Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe.html