easy peasy pizza crust

I love carbs. Therefore, I love pizza.
However, I hate waiting for pizza dough to rise and then having to knead it a million times and then let it rise again...yada, yada, yada.

Behold, my friends, the easiest pizza crust of all time!
I found this recipe online {by searching for "easy pizza crust"...obviously} and have put my own little spin on it.
It's changed my life.

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garlic salt and parmesan cheese to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water and let sit for 8 minutes

Meanwhile mix flour and salt.
Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix well with a heavy spoon.
Turn onto floured your pan or pizza stone, knead a few times and spread into a 12-14" circle
Drizzle dough with 1-2 T olive oil and use your fingers to evenly spread across.
Sprinkle with desired amount of garlic salt and parmesan cheese, making sure to get the edges covered well so you have a delicious garlic-bready crust
Put in the oven for 7 minutes. (If you like your crust super crispy, leave in for an additional minute or two)
Pull out of the oven and cover with sauce and desired toppings.
Place the pizza back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and the crust is golden.

Enjoy!

{the easiest} chicken curry

 

I do not now, nor have I ever professed to be a great cook, but when I find a recipe that is easy and delicious I feel this ridiculous obligation to share it.

So, what you have here folks is our dinner last night.

easiest. dinner. ever.

Initially I got the idea from a recipe online, but I made lots of my own little tweaks and came up with this gem.

It is probably far from the authentic way to make curry, but I had all the ingredients in my house and whipped it up in about 30 minutes and it was delish. Recipe from heaven.

Minnie couldn't get enough. She kept saying "Mo. Mo. Mo" (aka more) with her mouth chalk full of rice.

  

Ingredients

* 3 large boneless chicken breasts, cubed and seasoned with a little salt and pepper 

* 1 onion, sliced 

* 2 garlic cloves, minced  

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil  

* 1 tablespoon butter 

* 1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

* 1/2 cup skim or 1% milk

* 1 teaspoon turmeric 

* 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 

* 1/4 cup raisins (or more if you're a fan)

* Chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and butter and saute onions and garlic until soft, remove onions and garlic. Add more oil if needed and brown chicken. Combine milk, soup and spices in a bowl and add to the browned chicken. Mix in onions, garlic and raisins in the skillet until all is well combined. Cover and simmer until done. Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

now it's starting to taste like valentines day

It's not Valentines Day in our house until sugar cookies are born.
Every year since I can remember my mom has made these, and seriously, they will make you take back any resolutions you made for the new year.
Personally I think they're the best a day or two after they're made because they get all soft and delicious.
Both Mama Mecham's sugar cookie and butter-cream frosting recipes are below.

 

Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 t. vanilla

1 egg

2 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add vanilla and egg, mixing well. Combine dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture, blending well (mixture will be very stiff). Divide dough into three parts; roll each part on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough with desired cutters and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.

 

Butter-cream Frosting

1 16-oz. package powdered sugar

6 T. butter, softened

3 T. milk

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1/8 t. salt

In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed (or with spoon), beat all ingredients until very smooth, adding more milk if necessary to make good spreading consistency.

Happy sugar overload!!

a smoothie full of veggies for the babe

Minnie has been impossibly picky lately and it has been killing me.
She'll eat crackers and bananas all the live long day, but trying to get her to eat any sort of vegetable has kind of been a struggle since baby food went out the door.
Welcome...smoothies.
One morning I decided to concoct a smoothie full of TONS of spinach and lots of good fruit too, and Minnie loved it!
Seriously, she'll drink a big cup of it within an hour or two, meaning she gets nearly a cup of spinach in her little belly and I am happy.

So I pretty much make the same kind of smoothie each time I make it, only with slight variations depending on what I have.
Here is typically what I throw in there:

• Two big handfuls of fresh spinach (almost double what you see in the picture above)
• The juice of one orange
• A half cup of frozen berries (Trader Joe's has these at a great price)
• A banana
• A whole strawberry yogurt. Lately I've been using Greek yogurt because it has less sugar.
• About 1/4 cup of milk just to get things flowing

You really have to pack the spinach in there so the rest of the ingredients can fit. It's amazing how much you can put in there and you don't taste it a bit. I have been bad at getting all of the fruits and veggies I need every day too, so this has been a great morning start for me as well. I pretty much just split this recipe with Minnie and we both get lots and we love it.

autumn berry crisp

Do you want to die and go to berry heaven??

Well my friends, this is what I call death by berries and it's divine.

My mom has a mean apple crisp recipe that has kind of become a family tradition, but today I wanted something a little different so I switched it out with berries and made some small additions.

All in all, I think we have ourselves a winner. Robert said he may even like it even better than apple crisp.

Autumn Berry Crisp

2 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/8 t. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup quick rolled oats

In a medium-sized bowl combine berries and sugar until all the berries are evenly coated with the sugar. If using frozen berries, allow them to thaw at room temperature in the bowl for 30 minutes prior. They'll still be a little frozen but will cook just great. Place berry and sugar mixture into a buttered 9" pie pan. In a separate bowl mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together. With pastry cutter cut butter into flour mixture until crumbs are the size of small peas. Stir in oats. Spread mixture over the berries, pressing down evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream, ice cream, additional berries or any other garnish that suits your fancy.

Enjoy!!

butternut squash bisque with parmesan and sage croutons

Have you ever wondered what fall tastes like?
I'll tell you...it tastes like this butternut squash bisque.
How I love my mother's recipe box!
This stuff is magical. Not only is it easy (so long as you don't accidentally unsubmerge the submerged blender like I did and get orange globs all over yourself and every surface in the kitchen) but it is plain old soul-soothing good.
My husband, a man that loves meat and potatoes with his meal, was actually satisfied with a bowl of this, along with some salad and French bread. That's big time people!
It's a recipe created for fall. You'll love it, I promise.

BISQUE:

1 butternut squash (approximately 3 lbs.)
2 large tart apples
1 large Bartlett pears
1 large onion
2 1/2 T. butter
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
2 t. fresh thyme or 2/3 t. dried thyme
1 t. fresh sage or 1/3 t. dried sage
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3/4 cup half & half

Peel and cut squash and cut it, along with apples and pears, into 1" cubes and place in a large pot. Chop onion and saute in butter for about 4 minutes, or until tender. Add to pot. Add chicken broth, thyme, sage, nutmeg, bay leaf, salt and pepper to pot, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature and puree. Add  cream and stir well. Return to heat to warm and serve topped with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

CROUTONS:

2 1/2  tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2  tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread

Combine cheese, oil, sage and garlic. Add cubed bread and toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.If the cheese does not stick to the cubes, use what is left in the bottom of the bowl and sprinkle it on top prior to baking. Bake at 425° for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!