Homemade Frozen Pizza

Yes, you heard me right.  Homemade FROZEN pizza.  No, it's not shaped like Olaf or one of Elsa's magical snowflakes.  It's good ole homemade pizza, with the ease of the frozen ones.  The more we add to our plate, the more I'm finding that we can't always keep up with making everything from scratch.  At least not in real time.  Enter the ever-popular make ahead freezer meal!  I see a few of these in my pregnant sister-in-laws' future ;)


Basically, I use the same recipes that I use for my weekly pizzas, but pre-cook the crust slightly so it sets up before adding the toppings then popping in the freezer.  From there, you can just pull it out and bake!  I'm thinking when I do make them in real-time, I'm going to just double it to stock up the freezer. Imagine the possibilities!!

Homemade Frozen Pizza

Ingredients:
For our favorite pizza recipes, including crust, toppings, etc., see this post on Family Pizza Night.
 


Directions:
1.  Make the dough.  For freezing, I split one batch of the dough into 6 smaller pizzas that would fit inside a gallon freezer bag. 

Side pony, beads, and bedhead

that's how everyone makes pizza dough, right?

Pierogi Lasagna

This little creation was thought up/seen somewhere by my dear husband and since it's way less time consuming than actual pierogis (which he's been excited to try making since he got me a pasta attachment for my mixer), I decided to humor him and give it a shot.   I mean, carb overload aside, what can go wrong by mixing noodles, mashed potatoes, and sautéed onions?  I say win/win.  So, the result of my Saturday experiment is this yummy comfort food classic, pierogi lasagna. It would also be a great use for leftover mashed potatoes (though probably on a smaller scale). Here's how Mama makes it:

Pierogi Lasagna

Total time: 90 min
servings:  8




Ingredients:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 6 T. butter
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 6 c. garlic mashed potatoes* (see my recipe below)


*garlic mashed potatoes:
- 3 lb. bag red potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered
- 4-5 whole garlic cloves
- 6 T. butter
- 3/4 to 1c. milk
- salt/pepper, to taste

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy

Here's a super simple way to make turkey and gravy if you only need to serve about 6-8 people or less.  Maybe you live away from family and are having a small Thanksgiving meal. Maybe you have to work on Thanksgiving so you don't have all day to tend to and baste a perfectly roasted bird. Maybe you have only a few people that like turkey and the rest want ham. This is a great way to free up the oven and make turkey and gravy all at once!  I made it this week with a small 3 lb. turkey breast as an easy weeknight meal.  Based on this recipe, here's how Mama makes it:

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy

Ingredients:

- 3 T butter

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

- 2 stalks celery, chopped

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/3 c. Flour

- 3 c. Chicken stock

- 2 sprigs Rosemary 

- 4-5 sage leaves

- 1 t. Thyme (dried or fresh)

- 1 bay leaf

- salt and pepper, to taste

- 3-8 lb turkey breast (bone in or boneless)

- 2 T. Cornstarch

Runza Casserole

Remember when I made these runzas because I had a major craving for one and Michael wouldn't drive 11 hours each way to get one?  Yea, well, still not feasible apparently.  If anyone has a private jet they could loan me on a whim a few times a year when I really need a runza, I'd really appreciate it.  I'll even pay you in pie.

Oooooor, we can make a runza casserole, says the logical, practical, realistic mama in me.  This is about as easy of a "runza" as I can come up with.  For about 30 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cooking time, you can have a runza-esque dinner!  Just like regular runzas, you can get creative and personalize them.  My suggestions:  cheeseburger runza - add ketchup/mustard, bacon, and pickles; spicy runza - pepperjack cheese and jalapenos; mushroom swiss runza - swiss cheese and mushrooms.  You get the picture!  I decided to start with the classic cheese runza since it's always a hit, and it did not disappoint.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Runza Casserole

Ingredients: (makes 6 servings)

- 2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls (get the dough sheets if you can find them, they don't have the perforations!)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 c. chopped cabbage
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1/2 t. garlic salt
- 2 t. sugar
- 1 c. shredded cheese

2 Minute Apple Crisp

Is anyone else loving this fall(ish) weather?  I sure am!  (Even if it's going to be near 90 next week...) I couldn't resist making something reminiscent of fall food, but since we've been trying hard to eat healthy, I didn't want to completely splurge on something like pie.  So I opted for this super easy apple crisp-type snack (for under 200 calories!).  All you need is an apple, a little cinnamon, and a handful of granola (I used pre-made this time, but I think it'd be extra yummy with this homemade granola with dried cherries/cranberries).  Here's how Mama makes it:

2 Minute Apple Crisp

Ingredients: (per 1 serving)

- 1 Apple, sliced

- 2-3 T. Water

- 1/4 t. Cinnamon

- 1/4 c. Granola

Optional - feel like splurging? Top with a scoop of ice cream! Feel like splurging big time? Top the ice cream with caramel syrup. 

Cooking with Grandpa: Whole Wheat Pancakes

Since I didn't work until 11am on Father's Day, Annalyn and I decided to make pancakes for breakfast.  I figured it was only fitting that we use one of Grandpa Eddie's recipes and since Michael doesn't share my affinity for buckwheat, we opted for the whole wheat pancakes instead.  They were a perfect mix of fluffy, dense, filling, and delicious!  Here's how Mama and her Peanut make them:

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients: (makes 12-15 pancakes)

- 1 c. whole wheat flour

- 1 c. flour

- 2 T. sugar

- 1 T. baking powder

- 1 t. salt

- 1/2 t. baking soda

- 2 c. milk

- 1/4 c. oil

- 2 eggs

Sleepover Staple - Marshmallow Popcorn

This simple recipe was a part of almost every sleepover at my house growing up. (And other nights my mom just felt like making it because it's the best stuff on Earth.)  I made it for the girls last weekend when Michael was out of town and I think it's safe to say that the tradition will live on!  It's basically like making popcorn balls, but eating it before letting it cool and forming into balls.  Another way to think about it is making rice crispy treats but with popcorn.  Any way I describe it, just doesn't do it ooey gooey justice, so I'm just going to show you what I mean...

Marshmallow Popcorn

Ingredients: 

- 2 bags plain popcorn, popped

- 1 bag marshmallows

- 4 T. butter

(we halved this recipe when it was just me and my girls and we still didn't eat it all)

Cider Wassail

Here's a recipe that's near and dear to me. I originally made this drink with my grandma back in grade school after telling her about how we made it in school. We decided it would be the perfect addition to our Christmas dinner at the cabin. Decades later, this warm, spicy holiday drink still reminds me of Christmas with my family.

Now I know it's a little early to start the Christmas posts, but this drink is just as much a part of fall as winter. A warm apple cider all jazzed up with citrus and spices. Served warm and garnished with a cinnamon stick, it's perfect for a cold fall day.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Cider wassail

Ingredients:

- 2 qts. Apple cider

- 2 c. Orange juice

- 2 c. Pineapple juice

- 2 T. Lemon juice

- 2 T. Honey

- 1 T. Brown sugar

- 2-3 cinnamon sticks (plus more for serving)

- 1 T whole cloves (or a dash of ground)

- 1 orange, 1 apple (cut into rounds)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve warm.

(Alternatively, bring to a boil in a large stock pot, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 min.)

printable recipe

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili

Have you ever had chili with sweet potatoes in it?  Yea, me neither, but I couldn't help but try it! So without further ado, here's the recipe for the yummy, belly-warming, fill your house with the best smells ever, sweet potato chili. The recipe I originally used was from Taste of Home, but I'm going to include my changes for this post.  Although we really enjoyed it, Michael and I both agreed that it'd be better with beef or simply as a vegetarian chili.  For some reason, the combination of chicken and sweet potato just didn't do it for us. But, that is how the original recipe was written, so make it however you prefer.  Either way, it's the perfect Fall soup. Here's how Mama suggests making it:

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients:
- 3-4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
**protein of your choice:  1 lb chicken thighs (cubed), 1 lb ground beef (browned), or a 3rd can of beans
- 3 c. chicken stock
- 1 jar salsa (24 oz.)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1 t. ground coriander
- 1/2-1 t. ground cinnamon (I like a lot!)
serving suggestions:  plain greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, corn chips

Directions:
1.  In a greased and/or lined slow cooker, combine all ingredients.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours, until chicken and sweet potatoes are tender.  Serve with cheese, yogurt (or sour cream), and chips.

 

 

printable recipe

Cheddar and Green Chile Stovetop Cornbread

When I posted my original Stovetop Cornbread recipe, I would have never dreamed that it would become my most popular post. So many people have commented and shared their experience with making it due to heat, oven being broken, and even camping (what a great idea, right?). It's been fun reading everyone's experience with it, and it's made me make it again myself, sometimes just for a fun change from the typical cornbread muffins. This weekend, in honor of our first pot of chili of the season (thanks to the return of football and a break from the heat outside), I decided to revisit the stovetop cornbread and kick it up a notch. This cheddar and green chile version is a great addition to any chili, or on it's own as an appetizer or game day snack. If you loved the original, you HAVE to try this one! If you're feeling extra spicy, add some chopped jalapenos. Here's how Mama makes it:

Cheddar and Green Chile Stovetop Cornbread

Ingredients:

- 2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
- 4 T. olive oil
- 2/3 c. milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles (or about half of the 7 oz can)
- 2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese (freshly grated, if possible)
- optional variation:  add chopped jalapenos for an extra spicy treat

Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Pineapple & Dill

I know this post is about a week late, but I had to share Michael's unique birthday dinner/"cake" we made for him.  Don't worry, he got a real cake later in the week when Dan, Shawna, and Remy came to visit.  But I couldn't let his birthday pass without singing and candles.  Annalyn enjoys it way too much!  That past weekend I'd made baked ham and cheese sandwiches similar to a recipe I'd seen on Pinterest, and while getting groceries for them, Michael discovered this giant King's Hawaiian roll the size of a pie plate.  He was pretty excited about it, so I told him I'd make a special sandwich cake for his birthday.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Pineapple & Dill

Ingredients:

- 1 large Hawaiian roll, or 1 package of small rolls

- 1/2 stick butter

- 2 T. brown sugar

- 1 c. chopped pineapple

- 2 T. prepared mustard

- 1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce

- 1 t. dill weed

- 12 slices honey ham

- 5 slices provolone cheese (12 slices if using small rolls)

Freeze Ahead Meals: Meatloaf, Taco Meat, Enchiladas, and Loose Meat Sandwiches

One of the strangest things for me with my second pregnancy has been the nesting instinct.  With Annalyn, it was easy - I had to get the nursery ready, clothes washed/organized, essentials purchased/cleaned/organized and reorganized when I decided my original method made no sense (mostly because I had no idea what would make sense once she was actually here), books to read, blankets/booties/hats to knit, and impending parenthood to ponder/look forward to/stress about.  I definitely had plenty to keep me busy. 

This time around, I have more than enough to keep me busy (things like a two yr old, full time job, etc.), but in terms of getting ready for baby, not so much.  The nursery's already done, including a big girl bed for Annalyn so she doesn't resent baby for taking over her crib.  I've gone through all the giant tubs of baby clothes and made room for them.  I even finished knitting her blanket last week (big relief!) and bought cute little matching outfits for the girls for the day we bring her home.  Michael has a list of things to retrieve from the attic (car seat, burp clothes, etc.) and hopefully with nagging he will get them down within a couple weeks.  We've hired our new nanny and made plans with friends/family for when baby makes her arrival.  I've even started collecting items for my hospital bag since Annalyn came 3 weeks early.  Truly, we are almost ready!  Yet, I feel like I should be doing more. 

So in an effort to feel productive and do something, I decided to start making a few freeze ahead meals for my last weeks of pregnancy/first weeks of new baby.  I made a few of these before Annalyn and along with meals that our friends/family/neighbors brought, we were so grateful for them.  Since my time is much more accounted for these days, I decided it would be best to carefully plan the preparation of these meals to be as efficient as possible.  So day one of freezer meals included all ground beef recipes:  meatloaf, taco meat, beef enchiladas, and loose meat sandwich meat.  To be honest, I was very impressed with how quickly and easily these all came together.  Take a look at how our day went:


Day one of my last vacation before Emelina arrives:
- 10 am:  OB appointment with Annalyn (and office was running about 40 min behind)
- 11:30 - 12:30pm:  groceries (to buy the ingredients) and birthday treat delivery to Tammy at the pharmacy
- 1 - 3pm:  lunch and snuggles with Peanut
- 3 - 5pm:  naptime for Peanut and cooking like mad for Mama!  I successfully made 6 freezer meals all while she was napping.  Whew!  Talk about a feeling of accomplishment.  Special thanks to my Michael for helping clean up the mess and grilling brats for dinner.

Here's how Mama coordinated it:

Ground Beef Freezer Meals

Ingredient list:  (includes 1 meatloaf, 2 qt. bags taco meat, 2 pans of 6 enchiladas each, and 1 qt. bag loose meat sandwich meat)

- 6 lbs. ground beef
- 3 large or 4 medium onions, chopped (can be done ahead!)
- 2 cans black beans
- 1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chiles
- 1 (5 3/4 oz.) jar sliced green olives
- 2 ( 3.8 oz.) cans sliced black olives
- 4 pkg taco seasoning
- 2 T. mustard
- 2 T. cider vinegar
- 1 T. brown sugar
- 1 pkg Ritz crackers, crushed
- 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 t. Lawry's seasoning salt
- 2 eggs
- 24 oz. white Velveeta cheese
- 1 1/2 c. fat free sour cream
- 12 tortillas
- 2/3 c. shredded cheddar
- salt and pepper as needed
- quart freezer bags
- 8 inch square foil pan
- two 9x13" foil pans
- aluminum foil and plastic wrap

Loose Meat Sandwiches

Here's a yummy sandwich recipe created due to a disappointing forecast.  Having planned to grill burgers, I had to practice some flexibility when it was suddenly 40 degrees and raining.  Oh, spring in Indiana!  On the plus side, I came up with this delicious loose meat sandwich recipe that's easy, family-friendly, and only requires a few ingredients.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Loose Meat Sandwiches

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 t. salt
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 2 T. mustard
- 2 T. cider vinegar
- 1 T. brown sugar
- water, to cover (about 1 c.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- buns, mustard, pickles for serving

Frosted Flake Breaded Chicken Tenders

I like to think that my blog tells a story, whether through food, photos, or written posts about my family.  Lately, my food posts tell a pretty obvious tale - I'm pregnant.  And I eat/cook like a pregnant lady.  It's random, it's not always low fat, and it's adventurous in the strangest of ways.  Like chicken tenders coated in crushed frosted flakes and chili powder.  But trust me friends, it doesn't take pregnancy to appreciate this delicious dish!  In fact, Michael and I have been making a similar dish for years, sometimes using drumsticks or wings.  But this time I opted for the lower fat skinless chicken tenders (which also give you more crunch per bite and are a lot healthier than fried chicken).  Here's how Mama makes it:

Frosted Flake Breaded Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

- 1 package chicken tenders
- 2 1/2 c. frosted flakes
- 1 t. chili powder
- 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 T. water
- salt/pepper

Oatmeal Flaxseed Bars With Apricot Filling

While looking for a way to satisfy my need for sweet as well as my insane hunger pains, I decided to try my hand at oatmeal bars.  I had a can of Solo Apricot dessert filling just calling my name and I've been on a big oatmeal kick lately.  Not like mushy, hot cereal oatmeal, but more like crunchy granola, lots of texture oatmeal.  And flaxseeds.  I definitely love those little guys.  So, on a hungry, I-need-something-sweet afternoon, I made these oatmeal flaxseed bars with apricot filling.  They were perfect as an afternoon treat and a late morning snack the next day.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Oatmeal Flaxseed Bars with Apricot Filling

Ingredients:

- 1 c. flour

- 1 1/4 c. rolled oats

- 3/4 c. brown sugar

- 1/2 t. baking soda

- 1/2 t. salt

- 1 T. sesame seeds

- 1 T. flaxseeds

- 1 1/2 sticks butter (slightly softened, at least not super cold)

- 12 oz. can apricot filling or preserves

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.

2.  Cut the butter into chunks and stir into dry ingredients (I used a pastry blender because my butter wasn't super soft - I would recommend letting the butter sit out at room temperature for a bit first).

3.  Grease an 8" square pan.  Press half the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of the pan. 

4.  Top with apricot preserves, and spread evenly.  Top with remaining oatmeal mix, press together to make sure the mixture sticks together when baking.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.  (My oven was cooking a little cool, so I turned the temp up to 375 degrees and cooked them an extra 5 minutes to brown them up a little more - if you like it extra crispy, I would recommend it!)

5.  Allow bars to cool completely, then cut into squares and enjoy!

printable recipe

Semi-Homemade Runzas

Here's a delicious food that only a select few of my readers will have ever heard of - runzas.  Where my parents grew up in Nebraska, Runza restaurants are about as common as Taco Bell.  Runzas are meat pockets made with beef and cabbage.  May sound a bit strange, but trust me people, these are to die for!  Traditional runzas are pretty much just bread, beef, cabbage, and onion, but you can make lots of different varieties by adding spices, cheeses, and veggies.  I love this recipe because it reminds me of the place my parents still call home (though they haven't lived there in 30 years).  Honestly, with most of my extended family there, it pretty much feels like home to me, too.  If only it weren't so darn far away!  Since I've been craving these like crazy lately, and Michael decided it probably wasn't feasible to drive to Nebraska and back over a cold, snowy weekend, I decided to try my hand at making my own.  This is a pretty simple cheese runza recipe using frozen bread dough, but I also included some of our favorite variations.  They also freeze and reheat perfectly, so it's an awesome make-ahead meal.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Semi-Homemade Runzas

Ingredients: (I actually doubled this, and used 5 loaves of bread - I had plenty of the meat mixture for all 15-16 of them!)
- 2 loaves frozen bread dough
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 head cabbage, chopped/shredded
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 t. salt
- 1 1/2 t. pepper
- 1/2 t. garlic salt
- 2 t. sugar
-1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
for a spicy twist on the classic:  use pepperjack cheese and add jalapenos
for the cheeseburger version:  add chopped pickles (or relish), bacon, and ketchup

Last Minute Thanksgiving Menu Planning

Since I just haven't gotten around to cooking up any exciting new Thanksgiving recipes ahead of time this year, I figured I would give you a list of my favorite turkey day recipes.  I did a whole series of plan ahead recipes last year, so they are just ready and waiting to be compiled!  Here's how Mama does Thanksgiving:

1.  The turkey:  This lemon herb turkey recipe is my favorite way to roast the bird.  Try it with clementine oranges for a twist on this classic.



2.  Garlic mashed potatoes:  For me, there's only one way to do mashed potatoes - skins on, whole garlic mashed in, sour cream, butter, and lots of lumps.  Not a fan of garlic?  Leave it out, the potatoes won't mind. 

The Return of Chili Season!

For the first time in awhile, I actually waited until official Fall to make a big pot of chili.  Usually the first day under 70 degrees, I get excited and go for it, but with all the wedding craziness in the past month, I had lots to distract me.  So imagine my excitement over this delicious chili on the third day of Fall. 

In our house, we make all kinds of chili.  A couple of our favorite (and most frequently made) ones are chicken chilies (like this and this one), but this time I decided to make a good old-fashioned beef chili like both of our mamas always made.  Well, sort of...  I started with a good old-fashioned typical chili base - beef, tomato, beans, onion, and chili powder, but added some Eddie favorites, too.  We have unique tastes in our household, so green/black olives, garden jalapenos, and a little Cajun seasoning were also involved.  All three of us LOVED it!  Here's how Mama makes it for her loves:

Family Favorite Beef Chili

Ingredients:

(8 WW pts per 1 c. serving)

- 1 lb. ground beef (5% or less fat)

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 2 T. minced garlic

- 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded

- 7 oz. can chopped green chilies

- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

- 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

- two 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

- two 2.25 oz. cans sliced black olives

- 1/3 c. sliced green olives

- 2 c. chicken stock

- 1/4 c. chili powder

- 2 T. Cajun seasoning

- 1 t. cumin

Serving suggestion:  top with small amount of reduced fat shredded cheese (may affect WW pt values)

Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler

Here's a quick and easy dessert idea that won't leave you in the kitchen while entertaining.  As an added bonus, it will make your house smell AMAZING!  We served this at a dinner party with some of Michael's family recently and it was a big hit.  I loved having dessert already made, but still fresh and warm.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler 

Ingredients:
makes 8 generous servings
- 1 quart apple pie filling (or 4 c. sliced apples, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 t. cinnamon)
- 2 c. Bisquick mix
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 c. milk
- 1 t. cinnamon

Red, White, & Bleu Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

So, the name might be a tad bit cheesy (there I go again), but this is one amazing sandwich.  American cheese, bleu cheese crumbles, and lingonberry jam on sourdough bread, and grilled to perfection.  I'm not sure which is going to sound stranger - the idea of adding bleu cheese or lingonberry jam to a grilled cheese sandwich.  Never fear my friends, this is not as crazy as it sounds.  By adding just a hint of bleu cheese and a little sweetness/tartness from the jam, you end up with this amazing blend of flavors all within the creaminess of the American cheese.  Where on earth did this idea come from?  Well, this year at the Indiana State Fair, the dairy barn's new sandwich is an American/bleu cheese on sourdough bread.  I heard it described on the radio and was curious enough to give it a shot.  After trying the first one, my dear hubby decided to add some lingonberry jam to his sandwich.  I must say, it was even better!  So, this recipe was born and I was compelled to share it with all of you.  Here's how Mama (and Daddy) makes it:

Red, White, & Bleu Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients: (for 2 sandwiches)

- 4 slices sourdough bread

- 4 T. yogurt butter

- 4 slices American cheese

- 1/4 c. bleu cheese crumbles

- 2-4 T. lingonberry jam (we found ours at Whole Foods)