Easy Peasy Pizza Sauce

This sauce is the ONE. Eric and I have been trying to come up with the perfect sauce for our homemade pizza for ages. I'd like to say that I came up with this recipe because I'm just that great of a cook; but like many fine inventions, this was more of a stroke of luck than anything else.

I was just going to use marinara straight from the jar like we always do, but while I was looking in my pantry I noticed that I had a jar of Hunts tomato paste and also a jar of diced tomatoes. The wheels in my head started turning. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I knew that if it tasted horrible, I still had the marinara.

Shown above are all the ingredients I used. First I mixed the two cans together in a mixing bowl. (Note that both are already seasoned with Basil, Garlic & Oregano.) I added just a little squirt of EVOO to make it the right consistency. Then I added a generous pinch of sugar, a pinch of garlic salt, and a pinch of dried tomato & garlic pesto mix (available from Tastefully Simple).

No cooking, no nothing. Just mix it together and smear it onto your pizza crust. It was so delicious and the texture and consistency were perfect

Great Recipes to Try

Here are some recipes I've discovered lately that I really love:

Taco Seasoning (Just like Taco Bell's!)
We actually had this for dinner tonight. It really did taste a lot like Taco Bell's seasoning. My mom gave me a box of mini taco shells that she wasn't going to eat and I had half a bag of shredded lettuce left over from sub sandwiches, as well as half a tomato, so I decided to make Tacos. The shells were a little small for eating the usual way, so we made taco salad instead, crunching up the shells for the topping. It was really good!

Whole Foods Hot Chocolate Mix
I found the link to this recipe on a friend's blog - and for some reason I cannot find the link to it right now.... I loooove hot chocolate. Especially when it's homemade!

Classic Baked Acorn Squash
This recipe makes amazing squash. I love acorn squash to begin with, but this makes it taste like dessert.

Pumpkin Pie Dip
I made this for a fall party I went to a few weeks ago. Despite the fact I made a huge batch, the majority of it was gone by the time we left. I still have a few spoonfuls left and I love dipping mini pretzels in it. You can never go wrong with Taste of Home!

Baking Things

I've never been much of a baker or a cook, but lately I've come to the realization that there is a whole lot more food in my pantry than what meets the eye... I just have to make it!

From fried rice to giant ginger cookies (shown in the photo above), there of tons of things I can make from scratch and save a lot of money in the process. It just requires a little extra creativity and a little searching (through my cookbooks) to find what I can make from the various basic ingredients I already have.

The Peach Fiasco

Part of me is excited to start giving my son solid foods (he'll be six months old on Tuesday) and the other part of me hesitates because it means a lot more food prep, a lot more laundry, and a lot more time in general. Up until now, feeding him has been so easy and convenient. No warming up bottles, no pureeing vegetables, no bibs, not post-lunch bath, no nothing!

Amazing Eggs

The average cost of a dozen eggs this year is about $2.89. I can make four huge omelets (three eggs each) with a carton of eggs, meaning each one costs me about 80 cents if you account for a little shredded cheese and seasonings. That's cheap!

Stuffed Croissants: Pizza Style!

I've been on a stuffed-anything kick lately. It all started with the feta, mozzarella, turkey and spinach Stromboli that I made with my mom a few weeks ago. We used croissants instead of pizza dough and dipped them in warm marinara sauce.

A few days later, I made a breakfast variation of stuffed croissants, using cheddar, sausage and egg. I glazed them with maple syrup right out of the oven. They were heavenly!

Then I made pizza croissants, as shown above. (Tonight I made homemade hot pockets with mixed veggies and cheddar.)

I'm going to tell you how I made the pizza croissants, since they turned out pretty good. You can make these with pizza dough, but since I love croissants (just ask my sister), I love this version even more.

1. Buy the ready-to-bake croissant dough in the canister to make things quick. 
2. Layer with mozzarella and your favorite pizza toppings (sans the sauce) and roll them up. 
3. Bake according to the package directions, adding a few minutes for the stuffing. 
4. Allow them to sit for a couple minutes once you remove them from the oven and serve with warm marinara sauce. 

They are delectable and fast!

Quick Clean-Up Tip: As you can see from my photo, I always line my cookie sheets with aluminum foil to save myself from having to wash the pans every time I use them. As long as nothing runs off the side of the foil, all I have to do is crumple the foil and toss. Usually the pan is clean and ready for the next use!

I'm linking this recipe to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

A Birthday Cake that Says "I Love You"

Last summer I took up cake decorating as a new hobby when I offered to make a wedding cake for a friend. The wedding cake turned out wonderful and I decided I would like to make more cakes. Since then I've made a few birthday cakes and a few just for fun. I'd like to think I'm getting better at it. I would love to take a cake decorating class and learn how to make those gorgeous flowers out of frosting. One thing I do not want to learn is how to work with fondant. I know it is all the rage right now, but I hate the taste, so I'd rather not go there. I don't want to spend hours working on a cake that I won't enjoy eating afterward.

This is the cake I made for my mom's birthday this weekend. It's so colorful - an experiment with food coloring. I baked two 9" rounds and cut them with a big heart mold that is supposed to go with my cheesecake pan. I used a Duncan Hines mix (coconut) and made my own frosting (buttercream). It was really tasty - I had two pieces! I think coconut cake is my new favorite!!

Purple Pizza

A.K.A "Adventures in Food Coloring"

Bought a few boxes of food coloring last week for the birthday cake I made for my mom's birthday (which is on Sunday). We love to make homemade pizza, and when I was making the dough the other night, I had the urge to squirt purple into the bread machine at the last moment. It made for one really weird looking pizza. I decided I must do this again when Micah is old enough to appreciate it.

I'll post pictures of the cake after my mom sees it first. It turned out really cute!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Pecan Banana Bread

This recipe is part of Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, hosted by Blessed With Grace. I found this banana bread recipe on Taste of Home's website, but it originally called for walnuts. I substituted 2 ounces of chopped pecans. It turned out amazing! I made it just the other day and it's almost gone already.

Best Ever Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

* 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-1/2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk**
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 2-ounce package of chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla; add to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Fold in nuts.
Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf.

**Don't have buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let it sit for five minutes and then use however much the recipe calls for.

Gourmet Tuna Salad Wraps

Mix in a medium bowl:

• 1 (12 ounce) can tuna
• 1 dash of dried minced onion
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/4 cup seasoned slivered almonds

Mix in a small bowl:

• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Combine the contents of both bowls and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture onto tortillas and top with shredded lettuce and shredded muenster cheese. Bake in a 350 oven for ten minutes. Fold into a wrap and enjoy!

I made these for lunch today and my husband loved them!

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Last night I went to pull the dressing out of the fridge when I realized every single bottle had expired in March. Just goes to show you how long it's been since we've had salad... (either that or we were eating expired dressing.) Well I found a recipe online and I tweaked it a little bit. It was light, yet tasty - perfect for a summer salad. Plus, I already had all the ingredients in my fridge or pantry.

(Make sure you shake it well before you pour it on your salad.)

Combine the following ingredients in a jar and shake well:

• 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
• 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon Basil

Hazelnut Cafe Frosting - Recipe

For my husband's birthday cake, I cut my buttercream recipe in half and gave it a twist:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1/2 Cup Butter Flavored Crisco (shortening)
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Hazelnut Syrup (Find it in the coffee section)
• 1/4 Cup Strongly Brewed Coffee (I used Folgers Caramel Drizzle)
• 2-3 Cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. Beat butter and shortening on medium/high speed for ten minutes.
2. Beat in milk, hazelnut syrup, and coffee.
3. Gradually beat in powdered sugar.
4. Blend until smooth.

You can use more or less coffee according to your taste preference. This made more than enough to frost a 13x9x2 cake. It's delectable!

Hamburger Helpless: The Shortcut That Did Not Work

"It's the soup kind!" My husband is jokingly referring to his younger sister's expression for overcooked pasta. Any foodie would cringe at the way she likes her mac 'n cheese. My husband likes it that way, too. You know it's ready when the noodles have lost their shape and texture. It's no longer macaroni and cheese, it's yellow slop. In order to make it this way, you must do the following:

1. Read the directions on the back of the box.
2. Disregard
3. Nevermind, just skip step number 1.

Earlier today I had been looking for a way to make Hamburger Helper even easier. I thought to myself, "let's just throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and see what happens."

As I spoon through the gray mush in my bowl, I ponder the cause of such a mental relapse. It's Hamburger Helper. It doesn't need any more help. Too much Purel? My son's screams have finally got to me? The ever-popular excuse known as "baby brain?"

My husband points out the river of grease floating in the middle of his slop.

"I used the regular hamburger," I say, "obviously I didn't drain it because I used the slow cooker, and it's like 30% fat."

Note to self: Hamburger Helper and my Crockpot do not get along. Unless you like "the soup kind," of course.