Pepperoni Rolls

These are like cinnamon roll shaped pizza.  They are fun and easy to eat and super fast using my whole wheat breadstick dough.  My kids loved them!  A lot like my Calzones but just rolled up differently.  These can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the pepperoni and cheese.  You can substitute Mozzarella "Cheese" Sauce in place of the cream cheese.  This is just as yummy!

Pepperoni Rolls

pizza sauce
turkey pepperoni
sliced olives
sliced mushrooms
diced peppers
dices onion
cream cheese, softened
shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese, optional
whole wheat breadstick dough (see recipe below)

Make whole wheat breadstick recipe.  Roll out dough on a well-floured surface into a 12x16 inch rectangle.  Spread with thin layer of cream cheese going all the way to the ends and leaving one long edge clean.  Spread layer of pizza sauce over top of cream cheese layer.  Sprinkle with favorite toppings-olives, mushrooms, peppers, onion, etc.  Cut pepperoni into quarters and sprinkle over veggies.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese if desired.  Starting with long side that has toppings all the way to the edge, roll up carefully, like a cinnamon roll.  End with clean edge and seal.  Cut into 12 rolls and place in a greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Breadstick Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. yeast

2 Tbsp. honey

2 tsp. salt

3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix water, yeast and honey.  Let sit for about 3-4 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 cups flour and salt to mixture.  Mix until smooth and elastic.  Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour.  Knead for 3-5 minutes.  Place in oiled bowl and let is rise for 10 minutes (can skip this step if in a hurry).

Sour Cream Potato Salad

My sister-in-law, Sara, passed this recipe along to me to post here.  She lives in Alaska!  Isn't that crazy far away?!  But anyway...A friend of hers made this and Sara said it was the BEST potato salad ever!  I definitely want to try this.  I make potato salad with sour cream all the time but I've never seen it made with cottage cheese!  Very interesting!  I must try.  She did say that it is important for the mayo to be REAL mayonnaise and also to let it refrigerate for at least two hours before eating to let the flavors blend.  Whip some up for your next bar-b-q and tell us what you think!  Sorry there isn't a picture yet!  

Sour Cream Potato Salad

Ingredients:
8 large or 9 medium potatoes
small tub sour cream
small jar real mayonnaise
small tub cottage cheese
green onions, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions:
Boil potatoes (don't overdo it or they will fall apart while trying to slice them).  In a bowl, mix together sour cream, cottage cheese and mayonnaise.  Add some salt to taste.  In a large serving bowl put some of the sour cream mixture on the bottom and then add a layer of sliced potatoes.  Continue layering (I usually get three layers of potatoes) with the sour cream mixture on the top.  Garnish with pepper and chopped green onions.  Easy!

Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Brownies

That's right.  These have yummy, caramel-y dulce de leche AND cream cheese.  Oh, and chocolate.  Hello!  What's not to love, right?  Very easy to throw together.  In fact, I just made this recipe up with things I had on hand and it turned out sooo good!  The dulce de leche comes in a can the size of sweetened condensed milk.  I use LA LECHERA® Dulce de Leche.  I find it in the ethnic Mexican foods section at Wal-Mart.

Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Brownies

1 (9x13 size) brownine mix (and the eggs & oil needed for mix)
1 cup chocolate chips, optional
1 (8 oz. package) cream cheese, room temp
1 (13.4 oz.) can dulce de leche
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix brownie batter according to package directions.  Add chocolate chips if desired.  Set aside.  In a separate mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, dulce de leche, egg, and salt.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  Grease bottom only of a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread about two-thirds of the brownie batter in pan.  Drop cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls onto brownie batter.  Spread remaining one-third of brownie batter on top.  Run a butter knife through mixture to slightly swirl.  Not too much.  Bake according to brownie box directions.  Mine was 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Let cool and cut with plastic knife.  (Makes it soooo much easier to get nice looking pieces with a plastic knife.)  Enjoy!

Black Bean Taco Salad With Lime Vinaigrette

This is really good.  I love the vinaigrette with it.  I was all ready to make this and went to get my green pepper and it had gone bad.  Bummer.  So I substituted a large zucchini and it was great!  I'm sure a green pepper in there would be great, too, but now that I've had it with zucchini I think it will always have to be in there.  I also added a small avocado to the vinaigrette which made it very creamy.  You could omit this or chop it up and mix it with the salad instead or leave it out entirely.  I served this salad in my baked taco salad bowls and dinner was a big hit!  You could also serve it in soft tortillas, as a filling for pita bread, or as a salad with crushed tortilla chips on top.

Black Bean Taco Salad With Lime Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lime peel

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 small avocado, optional

Salad

1 cup chopped tomato

1 large zucchini, chopped (or 1 cup chopped green pepper)

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1 cup frozen corn, partially cooked, rinsed with cold water and drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

lettuce greens, torn into bite-sized pieces or shredded

crushed tortilla chips, optional

-To prepare vinaigrette: combine first 11 ingredients in a blender or food processor, process until smooth.  Add avocado if desired.

-To prepare salad: combine all chopped veggies except lettuce.  Pour vinaigrette over top and toss well to coat.  

-Serve on a bed of lettuce greens.  Top with crushed tortilla chips if desired.  Also great in soft tortillas, taco salad bowls, or as a filling for pita bread.

Baked Taco Salad Bowls

These couldn't be easier and they are very crunchy and much healthier than the fried variety.  I use smaller tortillas, probably around 8", because they are more kid sized but you can use 10" or bigger as well.  Six 8" tortillas fit just right on my big sheet cake pan.  You might have to cook fewer at a time depending on how big your tortillas are and how big your molds are.  I use little ceramic ramekins turned upside down for my molds.  You can also use empty metal cans or oven safe glass bowls.  These can be cooked in advance and stored in an airtight container after they have cooled completely.

Baked Taco Salad Bowls

Whole wheat flour tortillas

cooking spray

salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place up to 6 tortillas between damp paper towels on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until steamed.  Arrange 6 empty metal cans or mold of your choice on a large sheet cake pan.  Drape steamed tortillas over molds and press sides down to form folds.  Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt if desired.

Bake taco salad bowls in 425 degree oven for 7 minutes.  Remove taco bowls from forms and turn right side up on baking sheet.  Place back in oven for about 3 minutes.  Let cool on rack.  Repeat until desired amount of bowls have been baked.

More Recipes

Don't forget...there are more delicious recipes to be found here:

These are  recipes that are all vegetarian.  I haven't been posting them on this blog just to avoid doubling up and I figure most people looking for a vegetarian recipe aren't looking for a mix of everything else.  The recipes on this blog are still good...they're just different.  

And sisters...keep the recipes comin'!  I want to see what you've tried lately!

Don't forget to post your recipes on here for all of us to enjoy! ;)

Baked Potato Pizza Variations

I've added a couple variations to this recipe:

You've got to give it a try!

Just click on the picture to find the recipe.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's time I post this recipe before I lose it again.  My sister Heather passed it to me over the phone one day when we were chatting.  She got the recipe from HERE.  So fast and easy!  And what's better...when you make it in the crock pot you get to smell it cooking all day!  Oh, I did add some corn to mine, too.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 frozen chicken breasts
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c. salsa
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can black beans (drained if you'd like)
1 can mild green chilies

Add everything to crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove chicken after 8 hours and shred.  Return shredded chicken to soup and serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips if desired.

Cheesecake

This is the cheesecake recipe I grew up with.  My Mom made it often.  My Dad always requested it for his birthday or Father's Day.  It has a yummy sour cream topping on top.  So delicious!

Cheesecake

Crust:
2 cups graham crackers, crushed
1/4-1/3 cup butter

Pat into sides and bottom of spring form pan.

Filling:
3 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until smooth.  Pour into crust and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until set.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Turn oven up to 450 degrees.

Topping:
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until smooth.  Pour over filling.  Bake another 5 minutes at 450 degrees.  Cool and refrigerate for half a day at least.

*Also makes 36 cupcakes.  Use 1 vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake liner for "crust".  Bake filling for 15 minutes at 375 F.  Then add sour cream topping and bake 3-5 minutes at 450 F.

Homemade Beef and Noodles

Talk about comfort food!  This is it!  We grew up in Western Kansas in a small town close to our wonderful grandparents.  This was our favorite thing to have Gran Gran make for us.  She always made Beef and Noodles but after I left home for college at BYU I often turned it into Chicken and Noodles* just because I never had left over beef.  It is good either way but my favorite is Beef and Noodles because that's how Gran Gran made it.  I've made them with whole wheat flour, too, and they work great but are a little on the "tougher" side.  These noodles are thick and chunky and so good!  One batch makes more than you think!  The secret is to roll them out thin.  If you do decide to double the batch, make each batch individually.  They are much easier to handle that way.  It's cold and rainy here today.  I might have to make up a batch!

Homemade Beef and Noodles

4 eggs
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour

Beat eggs with fork until mixed.  Add flour to eggs until thick enough to roll out.  The drier the better!  You don't want sticky dough.  Do not add salt!  Roll out onto floured surface to pie crust thickness.

Roll up like a jelly roll.  Slice into strips 1/8"-1/4" thick (depending on how chunky you like your noodles.)  Unroll individually (I always leave a few rolled up for fun.  Those are the BEST!)

Drop into a very large pot of 2 quarts boiling water (or enough water to cover all noodles with an inch or two above.)  After they have cooked for 10 minutes make a broth.

Pour off extra water until you have enough to just cover the noodles by an inch.  Add 4-6 beef bouillon cubes (depending on how much water you have.)  Add 2 cans cream of mushroom soup.  Add small pieces of cooked beef or leftover roast beef.  Salt and pepper to taste.

*To make Chicken and Noodles:  substitute 4-6 chicken bouillon cubes for the beef cubes, use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom, and diced cooked chicken instead of beef.  Can add other veggies, too, if desired.

Apple Pudding Cake

This cake is from my Grandma.  It is sooo good!  Make sure you have some vanilla ice cream on hand!

Apple Pudding Cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening (or butter)

3 eggs

3 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped nuts

4 cups finely chopped apples (don't peel)

2 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in a little water

Mix sugar and shortening.  Add eggs.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix and add nuts and apples.  Add soda mixture and mix.  Bake in a greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  To serve, top with ice cream and pour warm sauce over it all.

Sauce

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup canned evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Simmer sugar, butter, and milk until thickened.  Stir in vanilla.

Turkey Salad

This recipe is a variation of the Chicken Salad posted HERE.  I used leftover turkey and it was great!

Turkey Salad

Leftover cooked, cubed turkey
chopped green onion
red grapes, halved
sliced almonds
Mayo
Mrs. Dash-Garlic and Herb seasoning
salt & pepper to taste


Mix together and serve on bread, croissants, or over bed of lettuce.