« June 2012 | Main | August 2012 »
When you have teenagers dinner of pizza at least once a week is a given. We're fortunate to live near several great pizza places but eating out every week can get expensive. To save money, I've been making homemade pizza.
When you're a fulltime working mom and fulltime student, there isn't a lot of time to make meals from scratch so I rely on my trusty crockpot and breadmaker.
Bread Maker Pizza Dough Recipe:
The recipe will work even if you don't have a bread maker, I'd just rather someone or something else, aka the bread machine, do the kneading work. :)
Recipe will yield 2, 12 inch pizzas. Mine came out a little bigger than 12 inches.
If you're using a bread machine, all ingredients must be at room temperature; add the ingredients in the order listed.
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups of bread flour (regular flour will work but bread flour will taste more like pizza crust)
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
On your bread machine:
Press select to Dough
Press start
Come back when it beeps that it's finished. How easy is that! :)
Directions:
1. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Cover with clean cloth. Let rise for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Cut into halves. Press into a lightly greased 12 inch pizza pan. (I cheated: I used parchment paper and rolled my dough with a rolling pin. I also used an 18 inch pizza pan for one pizza and a baking sheet for the other.)
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.
5. Add your favorite pizza toppings.
6. Back at 400 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes, until toppings are bubbling and/or melted. (I don't like my cheese bubbly so I tend to bake mine for only 10 minutes or so...)
Even during the summer, a crockpot can be your best friend. I've tried countless recipes for crockpot mac n cheese but despite my best efforts everything came out curdled, until now...Crockpot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese by Paula Deen
Don't bother counting calories or worrying about fat or you won't even try making this: think creamy goodness in a bowl.
There's plenty of time to make this for dinner tonight. Total time needed is a little over 3 hours from start to finish, including time to grate the cheese.
For reference, this recipe fills half a 3 quart crockpot.
Cook the 2 cups of elbow macaroni. Drain and set aside.
I used Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grating my cheese right before I added it to the saucepan.
You can find the original version of the recipe here; my modified version is below.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe:
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
2 1/2 cups (about 10-ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Boil the two cups of elbow macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Shred 2 1/2 cups of sharp Cheddar Cheese. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
3. In a slow cooker, combine the sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper. Add butter/cheese mixture and stir well.
4. Add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
|
Nutrition Facts
User Entered Recipe
|
||
| 12 Servings |
||
 |
||
|
Amount Per Serving
|
||
|
||
| Calories | 195.8 | |
|
||
| Total Fat | 14.5 g | |
|
||
| Saturated Fat | 9.1 g | |
|
||
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5 g | |
|
||
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3.8 g | |
|
||
| Cholesterol | 40.8 mg | |
|
||
| Sodium | 383.0 mg | |
|
||
| Potassium | 48.4 mg | |
|
||
| Total Carbohydrate | 8.4 g | |
|
||
| Dietary Fiber | 0.4 g | |
|
||
| Sugars | 1.1 g | |
|
||
| Protein | 8.0 g | |
|
||
| Vitamin A | 9.2 % |
|
|
| Vitamin B-12 | 3.9 % |
|
|
| Vitamin B-6 | 1.4 % |
|
|
| Vitamin C | 0.2 % |
|
|
| Vitamin D | 3.5 % |
|
|
| Vitamin E | 1.1 % |
|
|
| Calcium | 21.0 % |
|
|
| Copper | 1.7 % |
|
|
| Folate | 5.9 % |
|
|
| Iron | 3.1 % |
|
|
| Magnesium | 3.2 % |
|
|
| Manganese | 4.1 % |
|
|
| Niacin | 2.2 % |
|
|
| Pantothenic Acid | 1.6 % |
|
|
| Phosphorus | 14.4 % |
|
|
| Riboflavin | 7.5 % |
|
|
| Selenium | 12.4 % |
|
|
| Thiamin | 3.9 % |
|
|
| Zinc | 6.0 % |
|
|
|
|
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
While waiting for the cashier to hand me my receipt at Costco this morning, I overhear an older man (late 60's, maybe early 70's) ask the guy behind me who had already loaded half his flat trolley onto the conveyor belt while simultaneously trying to keep his adorable but energy filled 4 year old in line and in check, if "Do you mind, if I just jump in front of you. I only have two things?"
Having heard this I was curious to see how it was going to be played out. The dude behind me politely told the old man "You know, I've been waiting awhile so I prefer not."
Well done, tattooed dude. I'll have to remember to phrase it like that next time instead of my standard, "Are you kidding me? Like your time is more valuable than mine?"
All kidding aside, I'm with LA Ink, generally I say yes but if I have pressing needs (like a free range 4 year old in tow) I'll say no.
What are your thoughts on letting people cut in front of you in line?
While at the San Diego Fair last week my sister pointed out that the Big One was sporting some chin hair. Of course I had to check it out which embarassed him completely. But as a mom, that's my job.
Naturally when we got home he let me I forced him to let me take some photos.
Jeff gave him an electric razor for his first shave. Even though he's "smiling" in these photos, he's completely pissed that all of us (yep you got me, me, Jeff, and the little one) are in his room watching him and taking pictures.
And no, he didn't actually shave. I guess he wants to show his whiskers to his girlfriend...
While driving the little one to a birthday party yesterday he tells me that he forgot the words to the song, "Happy Birthday".
Hmm, how exactly does someone forget the words to a song when the song title repeats itself in the lyrics?
