Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Stromboli

I couldn't remember if someone was already using orange, and I don't recall what my original color was, so if I 'stole' :) someone's color, let me know and I'll change it. :)

2 loaves bread dough (I often will use rhodes frozen dough to save time, but you can make your own too)

1 Pound ground venison (as we don't have venison, we usually use hamburger or sausage - sausage is super yummy!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms stems and pieces, drained.
2 T olive or vegetable oil
1t Italian seasoning
3 T prepared Italian salad dressing divided
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
2 packages (3 oz each) sliced pepperoni
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
Spaghetti sauce, warmed, optional

Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, cook meat, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms in oil until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in italian seasoning, set aside. (I prefer to put the seasoning in while I cook the meat, I also like to squirt some italian salad dressing in there to for a little extra zest). On a lightly floured surface, punch dough down. Roll out each loaf into a rectangle; cut in half lengthwise ( or just take half of the loaf and role it out). Brush dough with italian dressing. On each half, mound a 1/4 of the meat mixture, cheese, and pepporoni. Fold the dough over filling and seal edges well.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush outsides with Italian dressing, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Slive; serve with spaghetti sauce if desired. Yield: 4 loaves 1-2 servings each)

Edits: Ok, I don't follow this recipe strictly, I have used many different kinds of cheese, and the measurements are easily fit to taste. It is amazingly easy and only takes about 20 minutes (max) to prepare once the dough is risen. For the Spaghetti sauce often, I just take a can of tomato sauce and add some Italian seasoning, garlic, and basil to it and warm it. We have found that we can easily fee our family of 6 (granted the kids are on the little side) with this recipe and still have leftovers. I tend to be generous on the filling, cheese, and pepperoni. There are a lot of fun ways to tweak it. And it is GOOD!!!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Pineapple Ham Casserole

This is my favorite recipe to use up leftover ham from Sunday dinners. YUMMY!

1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups cooked rice
2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
1/3 cup chopped onion

Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice; set pineapple aside. In a large bow., combine the mayonnaise, salt, mustard, pepper and reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Fold in the rice, ham, green pepper, 1 cup of cheese, onion and pineapple.

Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 min. or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Sariah's Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the story behind this recipe, read this.

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 beaten eggs
1 16- oz. jar of applesauce (I add a bit more to make the cake more moist)
1 cup cooking oil
Cream Cheese Frosting (I usually just get the pre-made kind, like Pillsbury, and I like the whipped the best)

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in eggs, applesauce, and cooking oil until thoroughly combined. Spread batter into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Note: If you want to make it with pumpkin, just use 1 16 oz. can of pumpkin rather than applesauce. I've never tried it this way, but since that's the original recipe, I thought I'd give it to you.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tspn cream of tartar
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl beat margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half the flour, the 1 cup of sugar, egg, canilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until thouroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Combine the 2 Tbs sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mix. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 36.