Roasted Vegetable & Ricotta Pizza

What You'll Need:

• Pizza dough, either refrigerated or scratch made
• 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup Zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 medium Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced
• 1 medium Red Onion, sliced
• 5 1/2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/3 cup part-skim Ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh Basil leaves

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
2. Ready and pre-bake your pizza dough according to directions or recipe.
3. Combine the mushrooms, zucchini, black pepper, red onion, and bell pepper in a large bowl, mixing with 1 1/2 tsp Olive Oil.
4. Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.  
5. Brush the pre-baked pizza dough with 1 tsp Olive Oil, then spread your tomato sauce over the dough leaving a border for a crust.
6. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Mozzarella over the tomato sauce and top with the vegetables.
7. Over the vegetables sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Mozzarella and crushed red peppers. Then dollop with the Ricotta cheese.
8. Bake pizza for 11 minutes or until crust is golden and cheeses are melted. Once the pizza comes out of the oven top with fresh Basil leaves.

** I use Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough; all you need to do is unroll the dough. Nothing easier! **

Dish Info:

This delicious recipe serves 8 hungry adults at 347 calories a serving. It is taken from the April 2011 issue of Cooking Light.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together your butter, shortening, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat your eggs and vanilla into the butter and sugar mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Add your flour mix to the creamed mix and beat well.
6.  Stir in chocolate chips and drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 8 minutes.

** If you like nuts in your chocolate chip cookies, add 1 cup of chopped Pecans to the batter when mixing in the chocolate chips. **

Dish Info:

This will make you 11 dozen absolutely scrumptious cookies. Each cookie has 130 calories.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
•  1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/3 cups bananas, mashed (2-3 medium bananas)
• 1/3 cup applesauce, unflavored
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped

What To Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your muffin pan with paper or foil liners. If you prefer, you can spray the muffin cups with non-stick spray instead.
2. In a large bowl combine both flours, your wheat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine your eggs and milk. Once mixed, stir in the bananas, applesauce, and vanilla.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened.
5. Add your chocolate chips to the mix and stir together.
6. Fill your prepared muffin cups three-fourths full and sprinkle the chopped pecans over the batter.
7. Bake for 18-22 minutes.

** If you don't have whole wheat flour or wheat bran on hand, just substitute all-purpose flour in their place. Same goes for substituting vegetable oil for the applesauce. Your muffins will still taste super yummy, they just won't be as healthy. Also, I use wheat germ in place of wheat bran, simply because I can't find wheat bran in my tiny town. **


Dish Info:

Each muffin contains 191 calories if prepared as the recipe states. I got this dish from my wonderful Taste of Home Cookbook. You should be able to bake a dozen muffins with this recipe.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

What You'll Need:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• frozen chopped broccoli, (12-oz)
• 2 cans chicken broth (14.5-oz each)
• 1 lb Velveta, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1/2 cup water or chicken broth

What To Do:

1. In a medium stockpot melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion to the melted butter and cook until softened.
3. Pour broccoli into stockpot and cover with the 2 cans of chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add cubed Velveta and stir until melted.
5. Pour the milk and garlic powder into the stockpot and stir.
6. Mix the water or chicken stock and the corn starch until smooth and pour into soup and cook, stirring frequently until thick.

Dish Info:

This dish has 266 calories per serving and came from here.  I also halved the recipe, so this will feed 6 very hungry appetites.

Basic Pot Roast

What You'll Need

• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (10.75-oz each)
• 1 package dry onion soup mix (1-oz)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 5 1/2 pounds pot roast
• 1/2 pound baby carrots
• 5 or 6  New Potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 onion, sliced

What To Do

1. Place the carrots, potatoes, onion, and pot roast in your slow cooker.
2. In a bowl mix together the cans of soup, dry soup mix, and water.
3. Pour soup mixture over pot roast and vegetables and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Dish Info

This recipe will serve 12 hungry appetites and makes for great left-overs. This is adapted from this recipe found on AllRecipes.com

Teriyaki Chicken

What You'll Need

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground Ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, Soy Sauce, Ginger, and garlic, stirring well to combine.
3. Place chicken breasts in 8x8 baking dish and pour marinade over top.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, making sure to baste every 10-15 minutes.

** For extra yummy flavor, place chicken and marinade into a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for several hours. When done marinating simply pour the chicken and marinade into the baking dish. **


Dish Info

This recipe will serve 2 hungry adults and was adapted from this recipe on AllRecipes.com.

Rosemary Pork Chops

What You'll Need

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, center-cut pork chops
• 1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp Rosemary
•  2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• salt, to taste 
• pepper, to taste

What To Do

1. Season your pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. On a plate combine the bread crumbs and Rosemary and press both sides of the pork chops into the mixture to coat.
3. In a large skillet heat the olive oil, once hot add pork chops and cook 4-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

** I only keep unseasoned bread crumbs in the house for a wider range of uses. For this recipe I simply add Italian seasoning, usually about 1 tbsp or so, to the regular bread crumbs and mix. No buying of "specialized" ingredients! **


Dish Info

This recipe serves 4 hungry appetites. It is also straight from the Semi-Homemade Queen, Sandra Lee, and her wonderful book Semi-Homemade 20 Minute Meals.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

What You'll Need

• 3 tbsp bread crumbs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and coat a bunt pan with cooking spray and dust with bottom and sides with the bread crumbs.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
3. In a large bowl beat the butter at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Gradually add brown sugar and Vanilla to butter until well blended.
5. Add 1 egg at a time to the sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the flour mix to sugar mix alternately with milk, beating at low speed and making sure to begin and end with the flour mixture.
7. Spoon your batter into prepared bunt pan and smooth the top of the batter with a spatula to even out.
8. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before taking the pound cake out of the bunt pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.

** If you would like to add a light frosting to the top of your cooled bunt cake, mix together powdered sugar and milk, starting with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp milk, adding more sugar or more milk until the frosting can be easily poured. Drizzle your frosting over top of the bunt cake. ** 


Dish Info

This recipe makes 18 slices of scrumptious dessert.

Oatmeal Cookies

What You'll Need

• 1 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 3 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl until creamy.
3. Add the egg and Vanilla into butter mixture and beat until blended.
4. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg and gradually beat flour mixture into sugar mixture, mixing until well blended.
5. Fold in oats and raisins.
6. Drop dough by the teaspoon onto a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

Brownies

What You'll Need

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients in the order given above.
4. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

Dish Info

This recipe make a dozen delicious brownies.

Cuban Chicken Pizza

What You'll Need

• 4 tortillas
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 2 cups chicken, cooked & diced
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• 4 tsp Cilantro, chopped

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. When you remove the tortillas, stack them and press down to flatten.
3. Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray and cook corn until it is lightly charred.
4. Add Cumin, chicken, black beans, and garlic to corn and cook until thoroughly heated.
5. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the lime juice.
6. Place the tortillas back on a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture onto each tortilla, topping with cheese and Cilantro.
7. Bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

Dish Info

This recipe serves 4 people. The Chicken mixture also keeps well to use the following day.

Roasted Chicken & Portobello Risotto

What You'll Need

• 4 tsp butter
• 2 bacon slices
• 3 cups Portobello Mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 6 tbsp Parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 1 1/2 cup Arborio
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cans chicken broth (14-oz each)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

What To Do

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy, then remove and crumble into a small bowl.
2. To the bacon drippings in your pan add 1 tsp of butter and the chopped mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle into skillet 1/ 4 tsp salt and stir in your shredded chicken and 4 tbsp of Parsley and set aside.
4. In a large skillet melt 3 tsp of butter, adding shallots and cooking for 3 minutes.
5. To shallots add your rice, cooking for 1 minute and stirring constantly.
6. Stir wine into rice and cook until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed, then add chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of liquid is absorbed before adding the next.
7. Remove your skillet from the heat and stir in the mushroom mixture, cheese, 1/4 tsp salt and your pepper.
8. Sprinkle the dish with your reserved bacon crumbles and 2 tbsp Parsley.

Dish Info

This recipe serves 6, depending on your appetite. A cooked Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a great time saver for this dish! It also stores and re-heats well for left-overs.

All-In-One Spaghetti

What You'll Need

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 can tomato paste (6-oz)
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 lb spaghetti
• 2 cans chicken broth (14-oz each)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder

What To Do

1. Cook your ground meat, onion, and garlic in a large sauce pan until meat is cooked through and drain if needed.
2. Stir the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth, Oregano, salt, sugar, and Chili Powder into sauce pan with cooked meat mixture and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes stirring often.
3.  Add your spaghetti to the pan. If needed, add additional water to cover, and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Dish Info 

This recipe will serve 8 hungry appetites.

Chicken Pot Pie

What You'll Need

• package of 2 pie crusts
• 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, diced and uncooked
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup peas
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp Thyme
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium sauce pan combine chicken, carrots, peas, celery, and chicken broth, making sure the broth covers the meat and vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Drain the cooked meat and vegetables, reserving the chicken broth and set both aside. 
4. In same sauce pan saute your onions and butter until soft, about 5 minutes. 
5. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and Thyme to onion and butter. Then slowly add in 1 3/4 cups of reserved chicken broth and the milk, simmering until thick.
6. Place the chicken and vegetable mixture in pie pan prepared with your pie crust and pour the hot liquid over top.
7. Cover the pie with the second pie crust, sealing the edges and cutting away any excess dough. Cut several slits in top of the dough to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

**  Using a bag of frozen carrots and peas is a great way to save time on this recipe. I also recommend baking the bottom pie crust in the pie dish for 5 minutes prior to adding the filling; this will ensure that it gets fully cooked. **


Dish Info

This recipe serves 8 hungry appetites.

Meat Loaf

What You'll Need

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (8-oz)
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/3 cup Ketchup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all of the ingredients except Ketchup, brown sugar, and yellow mustard, and place in a loaf pan.
3. Mix together, in a small bowl, the Ketchup, brown sugar, and yellow mustard, and spread over top the meat loaf.
4. Bake for 1 hour.

Dish Info

This recipe serves about 6, depending on your appetite. It is also from non other than Paul Dean; gotta give credit where credit is due!

Black Bean Chili

What You'll Need

• 3 cans of Black Beans, rinsed and drained (15-oz each)
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 can of chicken broth (14-oz)
• 2 cans Rotel, undrained (15.4-oz each)

What To Do

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, and add your chopped onion and ground meat and saute until the meat is cooked through.
2. Stir into the pot the Chili Powder, ground Cumin, salt, and pepper and continue to saute for an additional minute.
3. Add the beans, chicken stock, and Rotel to the meat mixture and bring it to a boil. Cover your pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 

*The long you allow the chili to simmer to spicier it will taste. Rob likes it best when it simmers for 30 minutes*

Dish Info

This recipe will serve about 8 people, depending on appetites.

Loaded Nachos

What You'll Need

• 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (14.5-oz)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 can re fried beans (16-oz)
• 1 can green chilies (6-oz)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbs green onion, sliced
• Jalapeno slices to taste
• Sour Cream to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
• Tortilla Chips

What To Do

1. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.
2. Brown the ground meat in a skillet and if there is excess fat, drain it off. Add the meat back to the pan and add in your chili powder, Oregano, salt, tomatoes, and garlic, cooking until reduced.
3. In a separate, small pan sprayed with cooking spray, warm the can of beans, green chilies, cilantro, and green onions.
4. Spread a few handfuls of tortilla chips over a foil-lined cooking sheet and evenly spoon the bean mixture over the chips, followed by the meat mix. Top your nachos with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
5. Once out of the oven add jalapenos, sour cream, and additional Cilantro and green onions to taste. 

Dish Info

This recipe serves 9, depending on your appetite.