Pizza Dough

Making homemade pizzas as a family can be fun and productive. We've made them for parties too.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 - 3 C Flour
1 Package Yeast
1/2 t Salt
1 C Warm Water
2 T Cooking Oil or Olive Oil

Directions:
In mixing bowl combine 1 1/4 C flour, the yeast, and salt.

Add warm water and oil.

Add as much of the remaining flour as you can.

For Thin Crust Pizzas don't let it rise, for thicker crust let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes.

Separate dough into two balls, place one on floured (or oiled) surface. (I just clean my counter top really well and do it there. Oil is much easier, but flour is healthier!)

Roll out the dough into a 12-14 inch circle and place it onto a pizza pan, cookie sheet or circle pan.

Add your sauce and your toppings. The possibilities are endless!

My favorite topping combination is tomato sauce, sprinkled with Italian herbs, with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions and covered in mozzarella. Another idea is my barbecue chicken recipe, located over at Arizona Mama.

3 Tasty Berry Recipes

Today I am over at Arizona Mama sharing the three recipes that I made from berries we picked while camping!

We made Ben's Berry Banana Smoothies, Berry Turnovers and Wild Berry Jam. Check out all three recipes here.

Chicken a la King

This recipe has moved! Go see it here at Monzanita's!

Chicken Italian Sandwich

I love a good sandwich. You know it's good when I have to post about it as I'm eating it! (See also: Chicken Salad Sandwich) Ohh it's good! SO amazing. Anyway... here's the recipe, or just the idea of it. I got the original recipe from What Meegan Makes and changed it up a bit to fit what I had on hand. Hers is probably better so go check it out here.

Ingredients:
(Can be adjusted to whatever you like/ what you have on hand!)

Cooking Oil
Bell Peppers (Mine were sliced and frozen, from the Market on the Move a few weeks ago)
Onions (Also chopped and frozen)
Chicken (Mine was already cooked and shredded, leftover from lemon chicken the other night. Did you know you could shred chicken in the kitchen aid?!? It's so easy!)
Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Bread (I was sad I only had cheap bread, but it was still delicious!)
Italian Dressing
Cheese (I used Mozzarella, sliced)
Tomato Slices

Directions:
Pour a small amount of cooking oil in a frying pan and saute your peppers and onions.

Meanwhile toast your bread, and spread some Italian dressing on it. Afterwards, put your sauteed vegetables onto your bread.

Heat chicken in the frying pan, season as much as you like. When heated/cooked thoroughly put it onto your bread as well.

Add cheese and tomato slices and enjoy! I finished eating mine mid-post and I really wish I had made two!

If you need any other sandwich ideas, check out my post at Arizona Mama on How to Make an Amazing Sandwich or Sub.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I literally just made these. As I was going back for seconds I made sure to measure everything out so that I could repeat it perfectly next time. I may have just been hungry, but I thought these were amazing!

Serves:1

Ingredients:
1/3 C Canned or Shredded Chicken
2 t Ranch Dressing
1 t Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 t Spicy Brown Mustard
1 Slice American (or whatever you perfer) Cheese
2 Slices of Bread(Better bread makes the whole sandwich better!)
Crunchy Lettuce

Directions:
Mix the first 4 ingredients and spread on the bread. Add the cheese and lettuce. Enjoy!

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:
6 Hard Boiled Eggs
2 1/2 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing (or Mayo)
2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
3 teaspoons Mustard (Spicy or Brown is good, if not yellow works!)
1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Onions (Optional)
Bread (I used sourdough, but any will work)
Tomato (Optional)
Lettuce (Optional)

Directions:
Cut up eggs into small pieces. Mix the eggs, ranch, italian, mustard and chopped onions. Toast bread if desired. Spoon egg salad onto bread, lay lettuce and tomato slice on top, as well as the other slice of bread.

Originally Taken From: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1981), Adapted by Monica

Blender Banana Bread

I wanted to use a couple of bananas before they went bad, but the usual Banana Bread recipe I use called for more bananas then I had so I tried the recipe that came with my Blend Tec Blender. It turned out really well, but I'm sure it would still turn out being mixed without the blender.

Time: About an Hour

Ingredients:
2 Eggs Whites (I just used the whole egg)
1/2 Cup Light Olive Oil (I used Vegetable Oil)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Bananas -Peeled and Broken in half
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg (I left this out)
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Nuts (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ingredients, minus the nuts, in the blender jar in the order as listed and secure the lid. Press Speed Up button until Speed 6. Let run for 30 seconds, or until well mixed. Mix nuts in and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until golden.

Taken From: Blendtec Lifestyles Recipe Book