Pizza Dough Recipes

This one's for you, Anne Marie! Here's my favorite pizza dough recipe by request. We have homemade pizza a lot at our house. Pizza Dough

7/8 c. warm water (I know it's a weird measurement, so just do a little less than 1 c.)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. yeast

If using a breadmaker, put all ingredients inside and set it on the dough setting.

If using a kitchenaid, mix all ingredients using dough hook and let rise for about an hour (give or take).

Roll out dough and put in one 12" round pizza pan. Let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes.


I'm adding another pizza crust recipe. This one doesn't have to rise. I got it from Meagan and it's really good, quick and easy. Enjoy!

1 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 T. sugar
1 T. olive oil
1/2 T. salt
3 1/2 - 4 c. flour

Mix yeast and warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add other ingredients. Knead for 10 minutes. Roll out and top with toppings. Bake at 450 for 8 - 10 minutes.

**We made little mini pizzas with this dough the other night and they baked about 15 minutes on 425.

Salmon Recipe?

Does anyone have any great salmon recipes (grilled or not)? I'm usually not a big fish fan, but we have some salmon in our freezer that I'd like to try. Thanks!

Turkey Meatballs

Okay, so I was making turkey meatballs a few minutes ago and it smelled heavenly. This is my favorite recipe and I have already given it to a few of you faithful blog-readers (or you got it from Melinda -- thanks for giving it to me, Melinda!). But I thought it was a blog-worthy recipe because I love it so much. So here it is:

These are my favorite! This recipe if from my SIL Melinda. When she makes these she triples the recipe and has a whole freezer full of meatballs. My whole family loves them. We make them into meatball sandwiches and also eat them with spaghetti. The kids gobble the meatball sandwiches up.

Turkey Meatballs

2 lbs ground turkey
2 pieces of bread (to make breadcrumbs)
1 onion
1 green pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 egg
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, crushed in the palm of your hand
1 Tbsp grill seasoning or 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Whirl bread in blender or food processor to make soft bread crumbs
3. Coarsely chop all vegetables and place in food processor. Process until finely chopped, or finely chop all vegetables by hand.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Mix with hands. Mix as little as possible to keep meatballs from being too dry.
5. Form into large meatballs and place on rimmed baking sheet. Makes about 25 large meatballs (I usually make them smaller).
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
7. Cool and package into freezer bags. Use right away or freeze some.

I usually buy a 5 lb package of ground turkey from Sam's Club and make 3 lbs of it into meatballs. I make the meatballs smaller than Melinda explains in the recipe. When I use 3 lbs of meat it makes a whole cookie sheet full of meatballs. I bake them, then freeze them in packages of 12.

Meatball Sandwiches

On a sliced crusty roll (you can butter and brown the roll first if you want) spread spaghetti sauce on the inside. Then slice some meatballs and mix with a little spaghetti sauce and put inside the roll. On top of the meatballs put a half a slice of provolone cheese then close the roll and warm in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Cafe Rio Pork Salad Recipe

Melinda shared this recipe with me for a copy of the Cafe Rio Pork Salad (my favorite). I made it last night and thought it was pretty good, good enough to share. The pork was good, not exactly like Cafe Rio's, but good. I didn't make the rice, and the beans were okay. But, I loved the cilantro ranch dressing! It is really good. I recommend trying it even if you don't make the rest of the salad. It makes a great dip too.

Here's the link to the recipe: http://favfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html

My Favorite Pumpkin Cookies

These are my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I don't make them very often because Dave isn't a big fan of pumpkin and then I end up eating too many. They sure are yummy!

Pumpkin-Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup pecans
¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and then stir these dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. Add the pecans and chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake in a 350-degree for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Yield: 4 dozen