Chocolate-orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever had a chocolate orange? These cookies remind me of those. I decided to make these and give them out for Christmas this year. However, I am also trying to find ways to maximize my time and simplify, so I came up with what I think is a brilliant idea. Instead of baking cookies for hours, I decided to scoop them into round balls and freeze them and give them out that way. I made a cute label and called them "Cookies for Santa," with instructions on how to bake them. I thought this would also be a way to help others save time during this busy season by already having cookie dough at the ready on Christmas Eve instead of having to make some. Here is the cute label I made:

I think I may do this every year! Here is the recipe for these scrumptious cookies!

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 Tbsp. grated orange peel
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 cup sugar, the margarine, 1 Tbsp. orange peel and the egg in a large bow. Stir in flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Mix 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp. grated orange peel. Roll balls in sugar mixture. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness with bottom of glass. Bake 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

To freeze:
Scoop dough to make balls. Roll in sugar mixture and place close together on a cookie sheet. Place in the freezer uncovered for 1-2 hours. Remove and put balls into plastic bags. Put back in freezer to save for baking.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Drops

These are the best cookies ever. Seriously. And they are perfect for Christmas. I make them every year and give them out (or just eat a ton myself). If you want to impress your friends and neighbors, these are the cookies to make.

Ingredients:
8 oz. white chocolate baking squares or 8 oz. white chocolate chips. (Try to use chocolate with cocoa butter, as this will make the most tender cookies).
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Directions:
Chop 4 oz. of the white chocolate (not necessary if using chips) and set aside. In a small saucepan, cook the remaining 4 oz. chocolate over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium or high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in melted white chocolate. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the rest by hand. Stir in the remaining 4 oz. white chocolate or chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. Drop by rounded teaspoons two inches apart onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Or you can use stoneware with no paper. Bake 8-10 minutes (longer on stoneware) at 375 degrees or until lightly browned around the edges. Transfer to wire rack and cool. Makes about 50. Store cookies in layers between waxed paper in an airtight container.

Note: I have found that it is best not to have the candy canes pulverized into powder, but to just try to get them into small pieces.

Overnight Rolls

For Brendan's Pack meeting he has to take a favorite treat and share the recipe. This month they are learning about nutrition and the food pyramid. He picked "Overnight Rolls" This recipe can be made at night before you go to bed and baked as soon as you get up for an easy quick breakfast.

Overnight Rolls
1 3 ounce package butterscotch pudding (cooking pudding, not instant)
1/2 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c nuts, optional
18-24 Rhodes frozen rolls

Grease Bundt pan. Place rolls loosely in pan, layering. Sprinkle with dry pudding. Dissolve sugar and butter, add nuts. Pour over rolls. cover with foil. Let sit on counter overnight. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in the morning.

Chilled Strawberry Soup

4 cups fresh strawberries
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
12 sprigs fresh mint

Rinse strawberries with cool water to clean and then pat dry to absorb excess water. Remove strawberry stems and set aside 12 for later use.

In a large bowl, combine remaining strawberries, whipped topping, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. With an electric mixer, mix on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until sugar has dissolved completely and mixture is smooth. Add sour cream and mix 1 minute. Place in refrigerator to chill.

Serve soup in chilled bowls and garnish with whole strawberries and fresh mint sprigs.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is fantastically delicious, and a nice twist on pumpkin pie.

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

(Or, use two prepared graham cracker pie crusts that you buy at the store).

Filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin (please use real pumpkin, even though this recipe calls for canned)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crust ingredients together and blend well. Press evenly onto the bottom of a 10" springform pan (or deep pie plate). Bake 10 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese with sugar and salt. Add 3 eggs and vanilla and beat. Pour 1/2 the batter into prepared crust. Stir pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and 1 egg into remaining batter. Beat well. Gently spread pumpkin cheescake batter over regular cheesecake batter. Bake at 300 degrees for 60 minutes or until set in center. Chill before serving.

Frog Eye Salad

I don't know what it is about this salad, but I can't stop eating it. It has such a pleasing texture and lovely light flavor. If you're not from Utah, you might not know what this salad is. I admit--it has an odd combination of ingredients, but somehow, they work so well together. Just trust me :)

1 1/3 cup (8 oz.) Acini di pepe, uncooked (this is a type of pasta that looks like little tiny balls and I have only ever found it in boxes, not in plastic packages)
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained (save juice)
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineappe, drained
1 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups non-dairy whipped topping
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Cook pasta for 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain well. In a large bowl, beat 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar, and dry pudding mix for 2 minutes. Gently stir in pasta and remaining ingredients. Cover. Refrigerate 3 hours, stir and refrigerate 3 more hours. Makes 12 servings.

Layered salad

I first had this salad at my friend Jana's house, and it is fantastic. It's so fresh and yummy and has such a great mix of flavors. You have to make it a day ahead of when you plan to serve it, which is actually a good thing for days like Thanksgiving. Making it early means you have more time to wrestle with a turkey that never seems to be entirely thawed out by Thanksgiving morning!

About half-a-head of shredded lettuce
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 chopped onion (green or red)
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
4 boiled eggs, sliced
1 small package frozen peas
1 pint mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bacon bits

At least 8 hours before serving, fill bowl 1/2 full of shredded lettuce, then layer with celery, green pepper, onion, water chestnuts, boiled eggs, and frozen peas. Make topping by mixing mayonnaise, sugar and cheese. Sprinkle top with bacon bits. Do not mix. Cover and refrigerate until time to serve. You can also wait until just before serving to sprinkle with bacon, and you can add shredded cheese to the top at the same time if you wish.

I have found the topping to be a little excessive, so I'll not make quite as much as it says. I also like to layer this in a glass see-through bowl so it will be all pretty :)

Chocolate Pecan Pie

If you like pecan pie and you like chocolate, this is the perfect marriage of the two. I LOVE this pie and make it every Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.

Ingredients: 1 pie crust
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
6 oz. package (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Prepare pie crust according to package directions (or make your own). Heat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, margarine, vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Spread evenly in pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until deep golden brown and filling is set. Cover edge of pie crust with strip of foil during last 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. (I sometimes put the foil on before putting it into the oven and then take it off toward the end so the crust can get a little brown). Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream.

Classic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie

This is the recipe my mom has always used, and it gets rave reviews (but only if you use REAL pumpkin, as described in the previous post).

Mix two slightly-beaten eggs into  1 1/2 cups pumpkin.
Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar.
Then add:
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
After blending into pumpkin mixture, add one can (1 1/2 cups) evaporated milk. Mix well and pour carefully into a 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then another 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until knife inserted 2 inches from edge comes out clean. Makes one pie.

How to make your own pureed pumpkin

I admit it. I'm a snob when it comes to pumpkin. I won't eat it if it comes in a can. This means that every year, I buy a pumpkin, cook it, puree it, and freeze it. Yes, this takes some time and effort, but it is well worth it, both in money saved and taste enjoyed. Here's how you do it:

Method 1: Cut a pumpkin in half and place each in a pan with about an inch of water, cut side down. Bake in oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Scoop out flesh and puree in batches in food processor. Put 15 oz. (about 2 cups) in plastic bags and freeze.

Method 2: Cut a pumpkin up in pieces and cut off the rind. Then cut into 1-2 inch pieces and boil in a pot of water until very soft. Drain water and then puree in batches in a food processor. Put 15 oz. (about 2 cups) in plastic bags and freeze.


Now whenever you have a recipe that calls for a can of pumpkin, you can just whip out one of your bags in the freezer, and voila! You have real pumpkin that makes such a difference in every recipe.

All that candy...

I'm not sure if you'd call this a recipe... more of a general tip or idea for what to do with some of your leftover candy from Halloween.

Crush chocolate candies and candy bars in a food processor. Use the mixture in the place of chocolate chips in cookies or brownies. You can also use it for ice cream topping in the place of sprinkles.

Peanut Brittle

My holiday standard. Raw spanish peanuts can be bought in bulk at Sprouts to cut down on the cost. (I use about 40 pounds of nuts.)

2 cups sugar
1 cup Karo light syrup
2 cups raw Spanish peanuts
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup water

Bring water to a boil on med/high heat. Remove and add sugar and karo syrup.
Bring to a boil. Add peanuts. Stir constantly. Put in candy thermometer and cook to 295 degrees on medium to medium/high heat. When 295 degrees remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Quickly stir in soda. Pour out onto two buttered cookie sheets. Break into pieces when cooled.

Strawberry Fresh Pie

I know Fall is coming on and this is really a summer dessert, but strawberries were a reasonable price here last week, so I got some and made this. It was so delicious and refreshing. I try to avoid making actual pie crusts whenever possible, so I opted for the graham cracker crust. However, I discovered we didn't have any graham crackers, so I used gingersnaps instead. It was super tasty! I just pulverized them and drizzled melted butter over them and baked for 10 minutes.

1 3-oz. package strawberry jello
1 3-oz. package cook-n-serve vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 cups water
8 oz. container whipped topping
pie shell or graham-cracker-crumb-lined dish
1 clam-shell of strawberries, sliced

Mix together first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. When cooled, add all or most of container of whipped topping and sliced strawberries. Mix and pour into pie shell. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Melissa's World-famous Broccoli Salad

Every time I make this salad and take it to a function, it gets rave reviews. I once took it to a wedding reception, and the groom said that instead of congratulating them on their marriage, people were asking who made the broccoli salad!

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vinegar
2-3 bunches broccoli, chopped into small florettes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup raisins or craisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp bacon bits, or 3 strips of cooked, crumbled bacon

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl and let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. After adding the rest of the ingredients (I always just estimate the amount of craisins, onions, walnuts and bacon), mix everything together and refrigerate for at least an hour. This is very important. If you serve this salad immediately, the sugar in the dressing will still be grainy. It needs an hour to dissolve. The dressing starts out goopy-looking, but should turn milky in an hour. Stir before serving.

French Dip, or Roast For All Occasions

This is a recipe in our ward cookbook, and every time I have made it, I have just fallen in love all over again. I'm not a fan of the whole dip-bread-in-broth thing (can't stand soggy bread) but this meat is so great and can be just sliced and paired with mashed potatoes. I have used the leftovers with stir-fry and on top of taco salad. Try it the next time you make a roast. You won't be disappointed!

3-4 pound roast, trimmed of all visible fat (bottom or rump roast works best)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cube beef boullion
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns
1/2 tsp ground rosemary (or 1 tsp crushed)
1 tsp garlic powder
Kaiser rolls

Place roast in crock pot. In separate bowl, mix rest of ingredients. Pour over the roast and add enough water to just cover the meat. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or on low for 8-12 hours depending on the size of the roast. Serve on rolls and use juices for dipping.

Hot Chocolate Buffet

I'd like to think it's Fall, but the temperatures here in Maryland are still in the high 70's. This is a recipe for a hot chocolate 'buffet'. Good for get togethers on cold days. Maybe if I post it, Fall will come sooner...

Ingredients
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated!!!)
2 quarts milk
1 tablespoon Vanilla

Toppings:

• Mint chocolate chips
• crushed candy cane/peppermint candies
• little cookies
• whipped cream
• marshmellows
• anything else that goes well with hot chocolate
  

Directions

1. Chop unsweetened chocolate into chocolate-chip sized pieces.
2. Combine unsweetened chocolate, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk in slow cooker. Mix well.
3. Cover, cook on high for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until chocolate is melted.
4. Stir in 2 cups of milk, whisk until mixture is smooth. Add the rest of the milk and vanilla.
5. Cover, cook on high for another 2 hours or until hot.
6. Before serving, stir mixture again with wire whisk, reduce heat setting to low.
   

NOTES: Keep lid on the cooker when serving. This will keep a film from forming on the hot chocolate.

Mother's Corn Chowder

It is that time of year where a good bowl of soup hits the spot. This is a family favorite.

Mother’s Corn Chowder

8 – 12 medium potatoes peeled and diced
2 medium onions chopped
6 stalks of celery, diced
1 lb. Bacon diced
2 cans cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
2 cans evaporated milk
1 cup milk (I used ½ & ½)
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. thyme plus(I added ½ tsp powdered thyme)

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain.
In skillet, brown bacon pieces until fat runs clear. (Not Crispy)
Push to the side and add onions and celery. Cook until crisp tender.
Drain off liquid and add to the potatoes. Add cream style corn, whole kernel corn, evaporated milk, and enough milk/ ½ and ½ to cover, then season with salt and pepper, and thyme to taste.

Savory Cauliflower Soup

I threw this together tonight and it was so good! These measurements are just estimations, use your own taste.

half an onion
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp curry
4 carrots, sliced
1 head of cauliflower
1 can coconut milk
1 can kidney or garbanzo beans
1 big can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1-2 cups vegetable broth

Saute onions in coconut oil over low to medium heat until soft and smelling good, add spices and let toast for a few minutes. Add carrots and let soften for a couple of minutes. Add vegetable broth when it seems like the onions will start to burn, then add all other ingredients. Let simmer for at least one half hour.

Neverending Scones

I had a special request from Aunt Gayle to post this recipe. I shared it on my family blog a few years ago, and she says it's been a family favorite ever since! These are truly addictive and such a wonderful treat!

Neverending Scones

3 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs (beaten)
6 1/2 cups unsifted flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Combine milk, oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and half of the flour. Add the yeast and continue to add the remaining flour. Dough will be sticky. Do not knead. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (If you don't have time to do this, just add a little more flour to the dough and proceed). Roll out dough on a floured board to 3/8 inch thick. Cut in pieces.  Fry in 350 degree oil for about 2 minutes. Makes 50-60 scones if cut in 2 or 2 1/2 inch pieces. Dough can be refrigerated for up to a week, but it will continue to rise each day.

Award-winning Peach Torte

My mom grew up with this recipe. She made it often while I was growing up, and now I make it! When I was a teenager, I submitted this recipe (without my mother's knowledge) to the local newspaper in Bellevue, Washington for their recipe contest. I think my mom was surprised when she was notified that she had won! Subsequently, we had a reporter and photographer come to our house to take pictures of this lovely dessert and to write up a story about my mom and this dessert. It is the perfect summer dessert--so fresh and delectable!

First, you have to get the right kind of peaches, though. I recently read some tips for getting the best peaches. The first one goes along with what my mom always says--if you can't smell them, don't buy them. You should be able to smell them as you walk by in the supermarket. Secondly, look for a buttery yellow color around the stem. If it's green, they were picked too early. If it's wrinkly, they were picked too long ago. That's basically it! For this recipe, the juicier the peaches, the better! (I have made this with woefully underripe peaches, and it is still good--just not AS good).

Peach Torte

1/2 cup (1 cube) melted butter
2 to 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp milk
a few chopped walnuts (optional)
1 package graham crackers (1 package usually has about 12 crackers in it)
10 to 12 peaches
1 container whipped cream (or Cool Whip)

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When boiling, blanch peaches by putting them into the water and then removing to a cold water bath after one minute. As peaches cool, crush all the graham crackers (a food processor works well for this). Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix together the melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and nuts. Pour over the graham crackers.

Skin the peaches (skin should easily slip off unless you get really underripe peaches, in which case, you must suppress all temtation to curse and just peel them with a knife or potato peeler). Hold each peach in your hand over the graham crackers and sugar mixture and cut the peach into slices letting the juices drop into the pan. Continue until all the peaches have been cut. Spread Cool Whip over the top, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate. (You can also save some of the graham cracker crumbs from earlier and sprinkle them over the top for a decorative effect). This sounds like a lot of work, but it's not that bad, and it's SO worth it!

Creamy Lemon Chicken

This is not an ordinary lemon chicken recipe. It is my go-to dish for when company comes. And it's so easy! You can start with frozen chicken--no thawing necessary!

Creamy Lemon Chicken

4 chicken breasts
2 tsp lemon pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp parsley flakes (optional)

Sprinkle 1 tsp lemon pepper on breasts and bake 20 minutes in 350 degree oven. (If starting with frozen breasts, cook for 10 minutes, then sprinkle on lemon pepper, then cook remaining 20 minutes). Mix remaining ingredients together (including the other tsp of lemon pepper) and pour over partially baked chicken. Bake another 20-30 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving to let the sauce thicken.

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and put some of the sauce on my potatoes (so yummy!) The best part is, if you have any leftover chicken and/or sauce, you can cook up some angel hair pasta the next day and mix it together! This also goes great with rice. It's a truly versatile dish that I come back to again and again.

Twelve-hour rolls

I admit that the name of this recipe scared me off for a while. Who wants to spend twelve hours making rolls? But what "twelve hours" really means is that you can make the dough at night, let it rise in the fridge until morning, and then have fresh rolls for breakfast. Or you can make the dough before church, let it rise in the fridge, and then have fresh rolls for dinner. This is the best roll recipe I have ever found. They are to-die-for!

Ingredients:
1 level Tbsp yeast
1 level Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs (well beaten)
3/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour

Instructions:
Dissolve yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water. Melt together butter and milk and let cool. Add the two mixtures together, then add sugar, eggs, salt, and flour. Dough will be very gooey (I always use 5 cups of flour because 4 1/2 just seems too sticky to me). Dump into greased bowl. Cover. Leave overnight in fridge or for 5 or 6 hours. After it has risen to double the size, turn out onto floured board or counter. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes. Divide in half. Roll out into a circle. Brush with melted butter. Cut into wedges and roll up into a crescent roll. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover lightly with towel and let raise for 2 hours or even up to 5 or 6 hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Note: After chilled and raised, the dough is very easy to handle and not so sticky. You can make any kind of rolls with this dough, including cinnamon rolls. You can do the first rise in the day, make the rolls and place in pans, let them rise overnight in the fridge, and then have fresh rolls in the morning. This is great for Christmas!

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever!

I am generally not a fan of peanut butter cookies. They are often too dry and hard. But these cookies are completely the opposite! They taste just like the Girl Scout peanut butter cookies, but they're better because they're soft and chewy. You can make them with the cream filling of without--they're fantastic both ways. But you will want to double this recipe, because these will disappear quickly!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup quick cooking oats

Cream filling
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (I almost always use milk and it works fine)

Directions
Cream together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

Mix dry ingredients together in separate bowl and add to creamed sugar mixture. Stir. Add oatmeal and stir.

Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheet and press each mound down with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cookies are light brown.

Make the cream filling while the cookies are cooling. Spread the filling on one cookie and top with another to make a sandwich. Super yum!

Pizzadia

We created this to use up left-over tortillas. It's a fun thing to make with kids since they can help make their own 'pizzas'.

Ingredients:

Tortilla
Cheese
Tomato Paste

Optional: Pizza toppings (pepperoni, ham, olives, mushrooms...)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Set tortilla on a cookie sheet
3. Spread about 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste on a tortilla (not too much, or it'll get soggy)
4. Spread cheese and pizza ingredients on top (once again, go easy on the toppings and cheese!)
5. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the edges of the 'pizzadia' are golden brown or crisp

Granted, it's not going to win any Michelin awards, but it's quick, it's easy, and it's versatile.

Welcome to the Howell Family Food Blog!

So I was thinking today that we ought to do a family cookbook. Then I thought how much time and effort that would take, and how many trees would have to die if we were to pursue that endeavor. So then I thought, "I know! We'll do a Howell Family cooking blog!" (I'm brilliant, I know). The idea is that anyone can post their most favorite recipes, and then when we need a little inspiration for dinner or we want something that will really wow the crowd at the next ward potluck, we can come here, where all our culinary dreams will come true! If you have not been invited to post to this blog and would like to, just leave a comment on here and I'll send you an invite. Please note the rules for posting on the sidebar, and happy eating!

To start us off, I'll post a favorite dinner recipe--Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Stir Fry
2 cups chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tsp. garlic or 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (can use less if desired)
1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
1 red bell pepper, sliced
6 green onions cut at an angle in 2-inch pieces
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup snow peas

Sauce
8 Tbsp chunky peanut butter
6 Tbsp soy sauce
6 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic (or one clove, minced or pressed)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used red pepper flakes)

Instructions
For stir fry, heat skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, garlic and onion for 3 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and stir fry for 5 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. For sauce, heat in a separate pan over low heat until combined. Pour over stir fry just before serving. Serve over rice.

This recipe is easily adaptable to include vegetables you have on hand. I rarely use snow peas because I rarely have them, and it's just as good!