Friday is Pizza Night!

For some odd reason Friday is my worst day of the week. I am just so exhausted from the week and usually do not have it in me to make anything big for dinner. So long ago I designated Friday's as pizza night! I love pizza and I love trying/making/testing out different kinds of pizzas that are "outside the box" if you will. Meaning homemade and not your typical pizza toppings. I love it I get to get my creative juices flowing and usually they turn out because with a yummy crust and cheese what could go wrong. So I will start posting the different pizzas we try.

Bacon, Red Onion and Gruyere Pizza

Pizza Dough
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 medium red onion cut into thin slices
2-3 tablespoons dry thyme or 12 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper
4-6 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 Cup grated Gruyere cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Brush dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for 5-7 minutes until puffed and golden. Toss onions and thyme with remaining tablespoon of olive oil add salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp of each. Top cooked dough with cheese, bacon then onion mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Other variation. Use ham instead of bacon and Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere.  Prepared the same.

I have found that the best way to make sure your dough is done when the rest of the pizza is ready is to put the dough in the oven BEFORE any toppings or sauce are added for about 5 minutes. This gives the dough a little head start.

Soups

I love soup especially in the Fall. They are easy to make and full of good things. Here are a few family favorite soups.

White Chicken Chili

1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 4 oz cans of green chilies
3 cans navy beans
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
4 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
Sour cream and cilantro for garnish.

Melt butter in soup pot and whisk in flour let cook for 1 min. Whisk in chicken broth and half and half. Whisk continually to prevent burning. Simmer until thick. When thick add chili powder, salt and pepper and cumin. Stir until combined. Add chilies, beans, cheese and chicken. Simmer for 15 minutes or longer until warmed through. Serve with dollop of sour cream and  fresh cilantro on top.

Tex Mex Tortilla Soup

2 Boneless Skinless chicken breasts. Cooked and shredded. or 1-2 cans of chunk chicken breast.
1 14 oz beef broth
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can chopped Mexican style tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp pepper

Bring chicken. broth and tomatoes to a boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes. Add corn, beans, chili powder and pepper. Simmer for 10 more minutes or until soup is heated through. Top with crushed tortilla chips*, shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, a splash of lime juice and avocado.

*I love the lime flavored tortilla chips for this soup.

Egg Drop Soup

4 Cups Chicken Broth
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg lightly beaten
Vegetable of your choice (peas, corn, broccoli, spinach)

Bring broth to a simmer over medium/high heat. In separate bowl combine water and cornstarch. Stir in the cornstarch mixture into simmering broth. Bring to a boil and add choice vegetable. Boil until vegetables are tender If not using vegetables just boil for 2 min. Remove from heat. Slowly pour in the egg. Stir with fork in one direction only, stirring slowly for long strands of egg.

Hodge Podge Stew

1-2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion
2 cans of minestrone soup
1 large can B&M baked beans
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Brown ground beef and onions. Add soup, baked beans, water and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 15-20 min or until heated through.


* Some stores don't carry minestrone if you cannot find it Vegetable beef soup can be substituted.

My Favorite Cookbook

I thought I would share one of my favorite cookbooks! 

 Most of my recipes that my family and I love come from this book. There is not one I have tried that we didn't like. She has a great idea of theme nights for every night of the week that really makes meal planning so easy.  I have been trying to make homemade bread for years without success. But with the help of the Food Nanny I am now a baker of homemade bread! Awesome I love it so! Here is a link to her website for more information on her cookbook.