Personal Pizzas!

I love pizza!!!! For me, when it comes to pizza I like a good combination pizza. Yet, I am not a huge fan of the unique pizzas like Hawaiian or Mexican pizza. For our homemade pizzas, we like to load it up just how we like to order out! Plus, since these are personal pizzas you can add any toppings or take off any toppings, you’re not sharing this pizza! 

What You’ll Need:
Pizza Sauce (I like to use the squeeze kind so I can always have some on hand)
Personal Pizza Dough (I get mine at Meijer in the pizza/World Food aisle)
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (It melts better)
Pepperoni (I buy sliced pepperoni at the deli and have them slice it thick, then at home I cut it into small cubes-like Pizza King)
Italian Sausage (cooked)
Black Olives-Sliced
Mushrooms-Sliced
Green Peppers-Diced
Onions-Diced

What You’ll Do:

• First, I cook the sausage. I then drain the grease and set aside. 
• Next, sauté the onions, green peppers, and mushrooms in a small skillet. Do not overcook the vegetables. You still want them to be crunchy but not raw. 
• Now, add the sauce to the pizza dough, sausage, pepperoni, vegetables, black olives, and lastly, top with cheese.
• I like this order but, you can do it in any order that you would like.
• Now, bake according to the pizza dough directions.

I only have one thing to say, I love pizza!

Enjoy
-SW

Enchiladas

As you can probably guess, I am not a picky eater. I will try anything at least once. But, I can say one thing, I love me some Mexican food; anything and everything. So, for this week I bring to you my Enchiladas.

What You’ll Need:
1 pound of Ground Beef
1 medium Onion
1 Jalapeño
Taco Seasoning
Soft Tortillas
Mexican Cheese
Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
Corn
Cilantro
Enchilada Sauce (not pictured, found in taco section of grocery store)

What You’ll Do:
Preheat the oven to 375°.
First, dice the onion and jalapeño. Add with the ground beef to a skillet and cook until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through.
Next, add about ½ cup of frozen corn and the black beans; cook until cooked through.
Add, the taco seasoning and ¼ cup of water.
Now, add about 1 cup of meat mixture to a tortilla and add a couple of tablespoons of the Mexican cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place in a casserole dish.
Repeat this until the meat mixture is all gone.
Pour the enchilada sauce on top and also add some more cheese.
Bake in the oven until the cheese is golden and bubbly, normally about 15 minutes.
When the enchiladas are done top with cilantro.

These enchiladas are very tasty if I do say so myself. You can adjust the spiciness by adding the jalapeño’s seeds or by deseeding the pepper. 

Enjoy
-SW

Deep Fried Pickles

Who doesn’t love deep fried food? But, the real question is who doesn’t love deep fried pickles! AH! They are my favorite and they are sooo easy to fry up. You will see recipes saying oven baked pickles but, I warn you to steer clear. Deep fried is the only way to go!

What You’ll Need:

Pickle Chips

Egg

Flour

Italian Bread Crumbs

What You’ll Do:

• First, use paper towel to soak up as much pickle juice as you can. What I do is drain the jar of pickles and then dump them onto a paper towel and then put another paper towel on top and apply some pressure. You do not want super wet pickles or your deep frying will be a hot mess.

• Next, coat each pickle in flour

• Then, dip each pickle in a water/egg mixture

• Now, coat the pickle in bread crumbs

• Finally, deep fry until golden brown

Yummmmm, they are so good. I served mine with a mix of ranch dressing and a couple of drops of hot sauce. These pickles are so good and when I made them they didn’t even reach the table; Josh and I literally just stood in the kitchen and them. 

Enjoy

-SW

Sloppy Joes

Every once in a while I will get a craving for Sloppy Joes. So, when I do… I make them for dinner!  Yet, this isn’t your Manwich Sloppy Joes, this is better for you because it has more vegetables, more protein, and not loaded with preservatives. I got the inspiration for making homemade Sloppy Joes by a pin I saw on Pinterest. It came from a blog called Whipped. Her recipe might be a little healthier due to the fact she used turkey meat and things. But, I have to say, mine are pretty darn good.

What You’ll Need:

1 pound of Ground Beef

1 medium Onion, diced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Pepper (I chose orange), chopped

8 oz of Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar

1 can of Red Beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cup of Ketchup

Salt and Pepper

Hamburger Buns

What You’ll Do:

• In a skillet, add the onion, garlic, and pepper with some olive oil. Once the vegetables start to get tender, add in the ground beef. Also, add in ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
• Once the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are cooked add in the beans.
• Now, stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar.
• Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. This will help all of the ingredients come together.
• Lastly, serve on warm hamburger buns! 

How easy is that?! This is such a fast and easy recipe to whip up for yourself or for your family! My mouth is just watering thinking about it!!!

Enjoy

-SW

Egg Rolls

Hello, hello, hello and happy Tuesday! This week for Dinner at the Weavers, I bring you egg rolls! Last week we had Beef and Broccoli. So, why not keep with the oriental vibe!

What You’ll Need:

1 cup of Shredded Cabbage

1 teaspoon of Ground Ginger

½ teaspoon of Garlic Salt

½ teaspoon of Onion Powder

½ of a Red Pepper, julienned

½ cup of Carrots, thinly sliced

1 big can of Shredded Chicken Breast

2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 package of Egg Roll Wraps

Sweet and Sour Sauce for dipping

What You’ll Do:

•  First, in a skillet add the carrots and red pepper with a 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook the peppers and carrots until tender but, not too soft.
•   Next, add the chicken, the spices, and cabbage. Stir so that everything is mixed together and the seasonings have coated everything.
• Now, add the soy sauce and again stir until incorporated.
•  It is time to fill the wraps. Lay the wrap facing you like a diamond. Add about a ½ cup of cabbage mixer to the middle of the wrap. Spread the mixer out to resemble a log shape. Fold the bottom corner up over the mixer. Dip your finger in water and moist the wrap, this will help the next fold stick to the wrap.

• Next, take each corner and fold it over the first fold. Again, dip your finger in water and moisten the folds for the last fold.

•  Lastly, fold over the last flap. If I were you, I would apply more water/ “glue” to the creases.

• Next, drop each egg roll into a deep fryer and cook until they are golden brown. If you do not have a deep fryer then I would recommend adding canola oil to a pot and bringing it to temperature for deep frying or you could pan fry with about a quarter of an inch of canola oil in a pan. Just remember to flip over to get all of the sides for cooking.

Egg rolls are fun to make and great to do at a party where you can have tons of vegetables to choose from and each guest can make a personalized egg roll. You can truly personalize your egg rolls with anything or even different flavors.

Enjoy

-SW

Beef and Broccoli with Chinese Rice

            Josh and I love Chinese food! So, why not make our own. I always like to have on hand frozen vegetables. You can add them to anything or cook them up for an easy side. Also, it is easy and fast cooking, which is always a plus!

What You’ll Need for the Beef and Broccoli

1 Frozen bag of Broccoli

2 Tablespoons of flour

1 Pound of Stew Meat

1 Small Onion

2 Cloves of Garlic

2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

½ Cup of Teriyaki Sauce

What You’ll Do

v  First, chop the onions and mince the garlic.

v  Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic to the skillet. Once the onions start to cook down add in the meat. This is where you can season with salt and pepper. But, do not add to much salt because soy sauce and teriyaki sauce are loaded with salt.

v  Once the meat has browned, add in the soy sauce.

v  After the meat has cooked through, add in the flour and stir until the meat has made its own “sauce” and everything is coated.

v  Now add in the teriyaki sauce and bring to a boil.

v  Once at a boil, add in the broccoli and cook until the broccoli is fork tender.

What You’ll Need for the Chinese Rice

2 Cups of Rice (We like Brown, you can use White)

2 ¼ Cups of Chicken Broth

2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

¼ Cup of Minced Red Pepper

¼ Cup of Chopped Onion

¼ Cup of Minced Carrots

¼ Cup of Sliced Mushrooms

¼ Cup of Peas

What You’ll Do

v  We have a rice cooker but, if you do not then just use a pot with lid.

v  First, chop and mince all of the vegetables.

v  In your rice cooker or pot add in the rice, vegetable broth (or water), soy sauce, and vegetables.

v  Press the cook button or bring to a boil and cook according to the directions on the bag of rice.

This meal is so easy to make and takes up no time at all. Also, this meal is so versatile. You can add chicken instead of beef, use white rice instead of brown, use any vegetables in the rice, or use water instead of chicken broth. But, I would highly recommend using chicken broth or stock. It gives the rice an extra level of flavor.

Enjoy

-SW

SUPER BOWL!!

Well, it’s over…Those Patriots won…eh. But, HEY! There were some good commercials and Katy Perry did do a good job preforming. Plus, we cannot forget about the shark on the left…

.Well it was an alright night but according to me and my husband the true show stopper was the lineup we had in the kitchen…Buffalo Wings, Cheesy and Sausage Dip, and Stuffed Potato Skins!!

What You’ll Need for the Stuffed Potato Skins

1 pound of Bacon-Cooked and Crumbled

3 large Russet Potatoes

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese

Green Onion/Scallions-Diced

What You’ll Do

v  Wash the potatoes, poke holes in them with a fork, cover in olive oil, and salt.

v  Put in the microwave until fork tender.

v  Cut in half and then in half again, so quarter. (Be careful, they are super-hot!)

v  Next, take a spoon and scoop out some of the inside. Leave about a quarter inch on potato flesh attached to the skin. This will help your potato keep its form.

v  Take the potato flesh that you scooped out and put in a bowl with ¼ cup of the chopped bacon, two tablespoons of sour cream, ¼ cup of cheese, 1 tablespoon of green onions, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix this all together.

v  Add the mixture back in the potato skins.

v  Top with cheese and bacon

Bake in a  375° for about 8-12 minutes. You want the cheese to be bubbly and the inside hot. ( I used a thermometer to make sure the inside was nice and hot)

v  Top with sour cream and green onions!

What You’ll Need for the Cheesy & Sausage Dip

1 pound of regular sausage

¼ cup of milk

1 cup of shredded Cheese

Rotel Tomatoes

Chili Beans

Velveeta Cheese

Onion

Jalapeño

Green Chilies

What You’ll Do

v  First, chop the onion and dice the jalapeño. Add to a skillet with the sausage.

v  Once cooked through, add to your crock pot. Cut the Velveeta cheese into cubes (it will melt faster) and add to the crock pot with the shredded cheese too. Have the crock pot on low

v  In the same skillet, as the tomatoes, beans, and chilies. Bring to a boil.

v  Add the tomato mixture to the crock pot and stir until everything is melted.

v  While stirring add in ¼ cup of milk. (This is optional, I like my dip just a little runny and the milk does that)

v  Enjoy with tortilla chips

Buffalo Wings

v  I got the recipe for the buffalo wings from Godl Medal (You know, those people who make flour) 

v  I wanted to try a new recipe

v  I found this recipe on Pinterest

v  Personal Opinion- They were really good and super flavorful but, I think next time I am going to deep fry them instead of baking in the oven. When I baked them in the oven, the bottom of the wing did not get crunchy like the top.

 (and yes that is a football plate)

Here’s the thing, you don’t have to make these on just game day or even Super Bowl Sunday. You can make these for any party or any Sunday night. My personal favorite was the Stuffed Potato Skins J

Enjoy

-SW