Deep Dish Pizza Crust

Adapted from Allrecipes

My husband requested that I mixed it up and tried a new pizza dough recipe.  After a couple of tries with other recipes, I stumbled on this one.  It is fantastic!  It's very reminiscent of Pizza Hut's pan pizza crust.  

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

 Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Stir the salt and olive oil into the yeast solution.  Mix in 2 ½ cups of the flour
• Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.  Place the dough into a well oiled bowl and cover with a cloth.  Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour.  Punch down the dough and form a tight ball.  Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough and bake immediately.  If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan and let the dough rise for 15 minutes before topping and baking it.
• Bake pizza in preheated oven until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.  

Sausage Potato Chowder

Adapted from Home Cooking the Costco Way

This was a favorite of my hubby and little boy. I love making soups this time of year!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup minced onion

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground sausage

2 Tbsp. flour

salt and pepper

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled, and diced

Saute butter, onion and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes. Do not brown. Raise the heat to medium, add sausage meat and stir to break up. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until sausage is almost cooked through. Reduce the heat to low and stir in flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Do not brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium high and add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Add half-and-half. Add potatoes. Return to a simmer.

Caramel Dip

This is so yummy! Use it to dip apples or put over ice cream!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup Karo Syrup

1 cube butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

Bring brown sugar, Karo syrup and butter to a boil, noting the temperature. When candy thermometer reaches 225 degrees, remove from heat and pour into a separate pan or bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Allow to cool before serving.

Spiced Beef Ragu

Adapted from Chef Aartie Sequiera

When my baby is napping I listen to the Nate Berkus show lots of days while I am cooking/cleaning/etc... the house.  This Chef was on showing how you can spice up normal recipes.  I was instantly intrigued with the use of garam masala in this recipe.  The flavor was unique and a great new way to serve pasta!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ Tbs of minced ginger
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• Hefty pinch of sugar
• 2-3 Tbs of heavy cream
• A few leaves of basil
• Penne pasta

 Directions:

• In a heavy skillet, warm olive oil over moderate heat until it’s shimmering.  Add cumin and sauté for 30 seconds to a minute, until they’re fragrant and darken in color.  Add onions, garlic, and ginger with a good pinch of salt; sauté until softened and translucent.
• Add the garam masala and paprika and cook, stirring often for 30 seconds.  Now add the beef with another pinch of salt and cook, breaking up lumps until no longer pink. Then stir in tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes.  Stir, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 15 minutes, until tomatoes have broken down slightly.
• While the ragu is cooking, boil water for pasta and cook pasta until al dente.
• Finish ragu with sugar and heavy cream.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.  Serve over pasta and finish with ripped up basil leaves over the top.

Wassail

This is a delicious drink for a chilly day!

Ingredients:

1.5 quarts apple cider

6 oz. orange juice concentrate

1 1/2-2 Tbsp. sugar

3-4 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

Combine ingredients on stove top on high. Reduce heat and simmer a minimum of 30 minutes.

Werewolf Fangs

An oh so yummy combination of sweet and salty.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 1/2-2 bags Bugles

Cherry chips, optional

Spread Bugles on two cookie sheets. Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil. Turn down to medium-high. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour mixture over Bugles. Stir to ensure even coating. If using cherry chips, melt and drizzle over Bugles.

Mummies

Fun, spooky, and tasty!

Ingredients:

Hot dogs

Pilsbury Crescent Rolls

Mustard

Cut crescent rolls into strips. Wrap around hot dogs. Bake at 375 until golden brown. Use mustard to make eyes!

Veggies and Finger Dip

Here's a fun way to eat veggies around Halloween!

Ingredients:

Cut up vegetables

Unpeeled carrots

Cream cheese

Almond slices

Your favorite vegetable dip

Peel carrots. Using knife, carve "knuckles" on carrot fingers. Use cream cheese to hold "nail" to carrot. Arrange carrot fingers in vegetable dip. Serve with cut up vegetables.

Eye of Newt

Another fun recipe that can be adjusted just a titch to use at Halloween time!

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Salt and pepper

Paprika

Olives, sliced

Boil eggs. When cooled, peel and cut in half. Remove yolks and put into a bowl. Add mustard, mayo, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Put a spoonful of yolk mixture into hard boiled egg center. Top with a slice of olive.

Witch Fingers

This year for Halloween I wanted to make sure I had plenty of kid friendly treats. These were simple, spooky, and scrumptious! And a hit with my little guy!

Ingredients:

String cheese

Cream cheese

Sliced almonds

Break apart string cheese stick in the center. Use knife to carve "knuckles." Use cream cheese to hold "nails" in place.