Make-Ahead Pizza Casserole

I have a confession to make . . . I rip recipes out of magazines prior to passing them on to friends and family.  I always mean to make the recipes, but usually, they just sit in a pile.  I never do anything with those recipes for a few months, other than look at the pile and think "maybe next week, I'll make  something . . ." and then I toss the riped out pages during one of my purging sprees. When I toss them, I feel guilty that I ruined a magazine and didn't get to share something potentially  yummy with others.

So, I've decided to go through my latest pile and make the recipes that initially caught my eye.  I decided to start this today.

My first recipe is from one of the (what seems like) zillions of Parenting magazines that keep piling up here, no matter how large the pile is I purge every so often.

The Hubby loved this recipe.  I thought it was pretty good . . . after I got past the feeling I was eating a baked french toast!

~ Some advice prior to making this - if using regular bread, let the slices sit out for awhile to dry out prior to making this.

~ If using canned tomatoes, drain 'em . . . this gets pretty soggy.

~ I think I'll add peppers and onions the next time I prepare this meal.

~ Watch spice bottles, when cooking with a 2.5 year old . . . it's amazing how quickly little kiddo fingers can grab something and even more amazing at how much will come out of the spice bottle when you only wanted a small amount!  Thank goodness the Hubby and I enjoy our Mrs. Dash Herbs and Garlic bottle of seasoning.

Make-Ahead Pizza Casserole
~ adapted from parenting magazine april 2009

6 servings
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb pepperoni
3 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
6 cups cubed whole wheat bread
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In large bowl, toss together mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes and bread.  Turn out the bread mixture to evenly cover baking pan.

Use same bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk.  Add milk, sour cream, oregano, basil and garlic powder.  Beat well.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread, tilting the baking pan from side to side to soak all the bread cubes evenly.  Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least three hours, or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes; heat oven to 350.  Uncover the casserole and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on top.

Linking to the following:

Chicken Stuffed Shells

Yet another casserole that is not photogenic.

In an attempt to make dinner, I happened upon this recipe and was very excited to see I had everything in my pantry.  Lately, it seems I'm missing at least one ingredient that looks like it has the potential to be yummy.  I was even more excited that it sounded easy!  An additional plus was that there are steps in the preparation that my two year old was able to accomplish, all the while telling our dog that she was cooking - and letting me know our dog was helping to cook as well (I guess emotional support as a spectator counts as cooking to a toddler?).

Chicken Stuffed Shells
~ adapted from the USIS Cooking Style cookbook

4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 box stuffing mix, prepared according to directions on box
1 box jumbo shells, cooked
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup

Preheat oven to 350. 

In medium bowl, combine the first five ingredients.  Use stuffing mixture to fill jumbo shells.  Pace stuffed shells in single layer in 9x13 pan.  Set aside.
In medium bowl, blend soups and broth.  Pour over shells.

Bake one hour at 350 degrees.

~~~ Update ~~~
After the hubby and I talked about this recipe today, we decided it was very bland.  We're not certain if it was just the premade stuffing that we didn't like or the overall lack of spices.  We will probably make this recipe again, trying with real stuffing and some seasoning next time.

Apple Crunch

Yes, another one from the "Home Ec" Book!

Apple Crunch

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3-4 apples

1 egg

1/2 cup oleo - melted

1 tsp sugar (divided)

1 tsp cinnamon (divided)

Heat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 pan.  Peel and cut apples.  Place in bottom of 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Add 1 egg and mix.  Add melted oleo and mix.  Spread mixture over apples.  Sprinkle mixture with 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 35 - 45 minutes.

Merry Christmas!

~ photograph by Jennifer Hart @ Jennifer Hart Photography.

http://www.jenniferhartphotography.com/

Monkey Face Cookies

These were the go to cookies for me from that "Home Ec" cookbook while I was in high school.  They're easy to make, very yummy . . . and hold the frosting I'd pile on them very well.

Monkey Face Cookies

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup sour milk

2 T shortening, melted

1 1/2 cup sifted flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Grease cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees.

~ by the way, these are called Monkey Face Cookies because you're supposed to use raisins to decorate them to look like monkey faces.  BAH I say.  Leave off the raisins and ice the babies!  A good icing to use is the Cream Cheese Icing used for the Sugar Cookie Bars.

Spiced Applesauce Drops

These cookies were a big hit.  Miss Mia would have eaten them all if I would have let her!

Mom has this old cookbook - the cover is missing, many of the corners are dogeared and there are stains on pages with family favorites.  I have no clue as to the name of this cookbook; we call it the "Home Ec" cookbook as all of the recipes were submitted by home ec teachers.  When looking for a family fave, Mom mentioned she had jotted "good" beside this one.  That was all I needed to know I had to attempt it!

Spiced Applesauce Drops

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

I'm trying to get back into planning meals for the week as well as attempting new recipes.  Today, I met with success on both counts.

Sloppy Joe Pizza
from Taste of Home simple and delicious

~ makes 2 8 serving pizzas

2 13.8 oz tubes refrigerated pizza crust
1 lb ground beef
1 15.5 oz can sloppy joe sauce
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Unroll pizza dough; place on two greased 12 inch pizza pans.  Bake at 425 for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Add sloppy joe sauce.  Spread over crusts*.  Sprinkle with cheeses.  Bake at 425 for 6-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

* If you're like me, you'll be worried that the sloppy joe mix isn't enough for two pizzas.  Trust the recipe, there is plenty of sloppy joe mix!  It will look sparse on the crusts prior to baking.

~ Next time, I will be using my homemade crust and also making my own sloppy joes (with peppers and onions).  But, even as is, it is a very yummy recipe.

Linking to:

Sugar Cookie Bars

The cookies with green colored icing just in time for Christmas.

I love me my sugar cookies. So, I was really excited when I discovered one of the newly provided bar cookie recipes was for SUGAR COOKIES! I kinda felt like Buddy the Elf in Elf when he hears Santa will be arriving at the store the next day. Okay, so maybe I wasn't cheering as loudly and jumping up and down like he was, but you get the idea . . .

Oh, yah, we liked this cookie. So much so that we've gone through two batches and still have none in the freezer. My Dad requests them anytime he or my Mom is at my place.

Sugar Cookie Bars
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Icing:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 T milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Give them a quick mix and set aside.

In bowl for stand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar and egg 2 minutes. Ad vanilla and almond extracts and beat a minute more.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for 2 minutes.

Press the dough into an ungreased large jelly roll pan (12x18 inches). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

To make the icing:
Combine butter and cream cheese in medium sized bowl. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk 1 T at a time until desired consistency (if you put in all 5 T at once, it might be too runny and will drizzle off of bars). Mix 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.

* if you happen to not have the almond extract in your cupboard (FOR SHAME if that is you!), just use all vanilla.

** I've made this with all purpose/whole wheat flour sharing duty. They were more crumbly. When I make them again, I'll probably do 2 cups all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat.

Snickerdoodle Bar Cookies

I love me a bar cookie . . . yes, it's because I'm lazy. But, come on, you have to admit that it is so much easier to just throw the dough in a pan and have all the cookies done in one pass through the oven!

So, when I was given two bar cookie recipes, I had to try them. The first is this Snickerdoodle Bar Cookie. Yummy. Made these for the Hubby's birthday gathering. They were a success.

The original recipe calls for the dough to be placed in one 9x13 pan. This makes for a pretty thick cookie. I'm thinking that, my next attempt at this cookie, I may try turning the dough out into a cookie sheet . . . but that's for another time . . .

Snickerdoodle Bar Cookies
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:
1 T granulated sugar
1 T cinnamon

Heat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan with Pam. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat butter on high until creamy. Beat in sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat until combined.

Add dry ingredients and beat on low until just combined.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon filling. Dollop teaspoons of remaining batter over cinnamon filling - gaps will provide the marbled "snickerdoodle" look.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, cut and enjoy.

*** edited 1/1/11 to include baking powder amount.

Buttermilk Pie

The Hubby requested a non-pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner. So, when searching the net, I happened upon this recipe.

Thanks to Paula Dean and foodnetwork.com for the original recipe.

The following has been modified by me.

This pie was really good. AND really simple to make. It will go in my recipe box and will be made again!

Buttermilk Pie
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup biscuit mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 inch pie pan.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and blend for 1 minute with a handheld electric mixer. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes.

Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Sauce

A Thanksgiving Recipe!

Yep, here's one we tried this year. As we ate it, I said thanks to foodnetwork.com for a yummy way to enjoy something which is usually bland, shaped like a can, and is left untouched at the end of the meal.

We'll be making this one again. I actually made it the day before and just pulled it from the refrigerator as we sat down for dinner.

Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Sauce
2 cups cranberry juice
1 6 oz bag craisins
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 cup sugar
2 gala apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tsp corn starch

In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cranberry juice, cranberries, cinnamon and sugar to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have softened and apples are tender (about 5 minutes).
Remove 8 oz of the liquid to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture back to the cranberry mixture, stirring constantly. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour into serving bowl. Remove cinnamon sticks. Refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes. Serve.

*** I might also lessen the amount of sugar. This was a very sweet tasting sauce.

Party Time Bars

So, there was this incident with marshmallows . . . found me a bag that decided NOT to melt and NOT be sticky. Seriously - nothing would stick to them! Never made such neat crisp rice treats! Marshmallows on one side and crisp rice cereal on the other!

But, this entry isn't about that. Well, not much.

These treats were used with some of the not-so-much-sticky marshmallows. Once you get past the fact the nuts, cranberries and chocolate chips tumble off these goodies, you understand they're pretty good treats!

Party Time Bars
6 c popped popcorn
11 oz honey roasted mixed nuts
3/4 c craisins
1/4 c margarine
4 c mini marshmallows
1/4 c chocolate chips

Line 9x13 inch pan with foil. Spray foil with Pam.

In large bowl, combine popcorn, nuts and craisins. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, combine margarine and marshmallows. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until marshmallows are melted. Pour marshmallow mix over popcorn mix. Mix well so that dry ingredients are coated in marshmallow.

Press mixture in foil lined pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips - press lightly so that chips stick to mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour to cool bars faster - lift foil out of pan and remove.

Cut into bars (makes 36).

Crispy Pretzel Bars

LOVE 'em.

That's all I have to say about these treats.

Mom came up and played with the Little Pumpkin so I could try some new recipes. I decided to try this one simply because I had all of the ingredients in my cupboard. We sampled it. And sampled it some more. And some more.

Now, I'll have to make a second batch for Christmas Eve Dinner.

Crispy Pretzel Bars

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
5 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups mini pretzels
1 cup chocolate chips

Coat a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar and corn syrup. Microwave on high until sugar is dissolved (it was approx 2 minutes in my microwave). Stir after each minute.

While sugar is melting, grab a large bowl and dump the cereal, pretzels and chocolate chips in it. Give the bowl a quick shake to mix 'em up. Set aside.

When the sugar is melted, stir the peanut butter into the sugar mix until blended.

Add the sugar mixture to the the cereal, pretzels and chocolate chips. Stir until coated. Be careful when sampling the goodies as this is still kinda warm!

Press into prepared pan and let cool. Cut into bars (makes approx 60 - or 10 if you're part of my family).

Cottage Cheese Biscuits

So, I had some Cottage Cheese on my hands and wanted to do something fun with it . . . tired of the same old same old. I found this recipe and decided to try it.

Can you tell I'm not overly thrilled with the results? To me, the biscuits were so so, and that was with me adding a tablespoon of garlic and a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning. Then again, I'm not a big biscuit fan as I usually find them to all be bland - except for the Cheddar Bay Ones - LOVE THOSE. So, maybe I'll be making these again should I have need of biscuits and have some extra Cottage Cheese on hand.

By the way, I can't recall where this recipe was found . . . maybe foodnetwork. I have modified it, as usual. And, I can't get my computer to have anything to do with my new SD memory cards. So, as soon as I get this little issue fixed, a photo will be uploaded.

Cottage Cheese Biscuits

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 T baking powder
1 T minced garlic
1 T Italian Seasoning
5 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 16 oz container cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Place flour in large bowl. Add baking powder and salt. Stir until combined. Add butter and mix until clumps form the size of small peas. Add cottage cheese and stir until just combined.

Drop on non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Serve immediately.

*** update ***

~ When I made this, I accidentally got sidetracked and left the second half in the oven (turned off, but still warm). They were a darker golden brown . . . and I liked them a lot better than just golden brown. They seem to have more taste . . . or maybe it was just the fact they sat out overnight. The Husband liked them and said I can make them again (so nice of him to give me permission, huh?).

Pumpkin French Toast

I'm finally getting all the new recipes from Thanksgiving posted. Yay!

Loved this recipe. Only problem, the sugary bottom can solidify if cools down - but the little piece we had left was great when microwaved the next morning for breakfast.

Pumpkin French Toast

18 slices bread (I used whole wheat)

2 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)

1 T flour

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 T sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (I used fresh)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

2 T sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Grease 9x13 pan.

In large bowl, combine everything from milk to eggs. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until bubbly - stir constantly (this will take around minutes).

Pour the butter, syrup and sugar mixture over bottom of greased 9x13 pan.

Place one row of bread slices over caramel syrup. Pour 1/3 of milk mixture over first layer of bread. Place second row of bread over first. Pour second third of milk mix over bread. Place last 6 pieces of bread in 9x13 pan and pour remaining milk mixture over top.

Cover 9x13 pan with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight (at least 8 hours).

To bake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top of French Toast. Bake for 50 minutes. Let stand for minutes prior to serving.

Warning: This can get quite puffy, do not place to close to top of oven or another shelf. As the French Toast cools, the bread will sink back into pan.

Original version of recipe is located at: www.dana-made-it.com