Upside Down Pizza

This recipe is an E-Mealz meal and it was delicious!  And so easy!  Of course, I had to tweak it a bit, but Bubbie and Peanut gobbled it up which means it was a winner!  Add a salad to this dish and its a quick night's dinner!

Upside Down Pizza 


1 can of crescent rolls
1 jar/can of pizza sauce (at least 13 oz- I used a 15 oz jar and didn't have too much sauce)
1 cup of sour cream
meat/toppings of your choice
8 oz of mozzarella cheese


Prep your sauce.  I buy a canned pizza sauce at Publix.  Its so good with chopped up pieces of tomato and herbs... something you would find on your pizza at a "real" Italian pizza place and I have no clue what its called, but so much better than using the jar sauces or spaghetti sauce.  Anyway, prep your sauce.  If you want hamburger, cook that and then add your sauce to the skillet.  Use a 9 x 13 pan and pour and spread your sauce into the pan.  Then layer- just like you would a pizza- I did pepperonis but if I had known how good this was going to be, I would have prepped broccoli, olives and some onions.  Man! That would have been tasty!  So, next is a cup of sour cream, spread on top of the "toppings" and sauce.  Then sprinkle 8 oz of mozzarella cheese over the sour cream.  I did not use 8 oz, but I am stingy cheap when it comes to cheese!  I probably used over of the 8 oz block of cheese.  You really can't go wrong with this dinner, so whatever you're feeling- do it!  Then unroll the crescent rolls and place on top.  I went ahead and rolled out the crescent rolls on the counter top, pushed the edges together so that it would be a long pastry topping.  Bake 20-30 mins on 350 degrees!  


I probably did this meal for around $5-$7.00- of course we will eat it for 2 meals... hopefully, unless I think about it for lunch tomorrow!!! 

Another Family Favorite

Tonight's dinner was a rip-roaring success and the kids gobbled it up!  All thanks go to Ragu for making providing this recipe just when this tired Momma need it!  

I love this recipe because it has all my "pantry" staples- noodles, meat, cheese and sauce and after a week day like today, I needed something quick, easy and mindless!

Skillet Pasta and Beef Dinner

Get out one large skillet/pan.  Brown 1lb. ground beef, add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce and 2 cups of water.  Stir and add a box of noodles(I did corkscrew noodles).  Stir occasionally so it won't stick.  Let simmer for 10-15 mins.  Add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Allow cheese to melt.  And EAT with bread and a salad!!!  (follow the link here to get the FULL recipe!)  


Low down- While devouring my second large plate of pasta(maybe Bubba was right)?!  , I tried to think about how much I spent on this meal.  We ate half of the dish, so we will have leftovers tomorrow night.  I spent a little less than $3 on the 1 lb of meat at Publix.  The box of noodles was 30 cents (sale at Publix with coupon).  The jar of sauce was about a dollar or so (also on sale at Publix- B1G1 free with coupon).... so add the can of crescent rolls and a salad, its probably $8-$10 for two dinners for our family.  Not bad!

A big thanks to Ragu for having all day commercials on Nick@Nite.  :o)


I was not paid or given anything for doing this blog post.... 

A Family Favorite

About 9 months ago, Hubbie and I were searching for a bread recipe.  

We enjoyed the flavor of our bread that we were making, but it didn't do so well as sandwich bread.  It did not toast.  The more research we did, the more we learned about the "art of baking bread".  We realized in order to make "true" whole wheat sandwich bread, we would have to purchase certain ingredients that weren't always handy to get to.  

So, the search was on for something that was fabulous, easy, quick, cheap.... ya know?!  All the things that you want in homemade bread!  

In steps, Suzanne McMinn and her blog Chickens in the Road.

Can we say FABULOUS?!  We quickly tried her Grandmother's Bread recipe.  Hands down- it was a WINNER!  The family LOVED it and it quickly became our favorite bread!

This weekend my husband attempted my birthday cake request- Italian Cream Cake.

Oh my!  Be still my heart!  Best birthday cake EVER!  Moist, recipe, cream cheese iciing... 

YUM-O!  Worthy of Paula Dean!  

We have tried several "Chickens in the Road" recipes and every single time- its a winner!  We always seem to check this blog first when searching for a recipe.  

Now, 9 months later, my husband only makes Suzanne McMinn's bread recipe... sometimes twice a week.  We love her bread that much!  

We love Chickens in the Road....

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

Last week I offered to bring a girlfriend and her family dinner.  She has an amazing story of God's blessing and provisions.  Her and her husband have 3 children and they are in the process of moving to a beautiful, new house.  I wanted to do something to bless her and her family, because she is always so thoughtful and helps me out with taking Bubbie to school.

When I asked what she wanted, she mentioned that her family loves poppyseed chicken without the poppyseeds.  Her family calls this "Crunchy Chicken".  I had a recipe on my E-Mealz menu from a few weeks ago that I had never made, so I decided to test the recipe out on her family.  That could have been a disaster, huh?!  

Thankfully the recipe turned out really good!  

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

Take 3-4 breasts of cooked and shredded chicken and spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Then combine 8oz of sour cream and 2 cans of cream of chicken.  Let me just stop you here and let you know that this meal has no "redeeming" qualities.  Nothing in it is healthy, low fat or low sodium.  It is absolutely WONDERFUL, but not healthy AT ALL.  Then pour the mixture over the chicken (I actually used a tad bit less than what this made- I just eyeballed it.) Crumble a sleeve of Ritz crackers over the casserole dish.  Pour a stick of butter over the top. Bake on 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

I split this casserole between her family and mine because I knew they were moving the next day and didn't need any leftovers, so you could easily get two meals out of this dish.

I paired the casserole with some white rice, green beans or broccoli and then a loaf of my husband's homemade bread.

Congrats to my sweet friend on the new home!  

Praying many years of the warmest memories in your new home. 

Biscuits

I have been making a biscuit recipe in an old cook book for a while.  I decided to make these tonight and they were very yummy!

A Good Staple Meal

I love this meal because its made from our typical cabinet staples and its cheap too!

Sante Fe Wraps


1lb of ground beef
can of diced tomatoes
1 tbspoon of taco seasoning
1 can corn
1 pkg of cream cheese- cut up
6 8 in tortillas

Brown meat.  Drain and add tomatoes and taco seasoning.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.  Stir in corn and cheese; stir until cheese melts.  Spoon into tortilla and roll up or fold.  Serve with lettuce, cheese, salsa, guacamole and/or chips!


Found it on the Del Monte website and made into my own!

A Christmas Eve Tradition

I'm not sure when the tradition started, but I am assuming sometime once we moved to Georgia.  After Christmas Eve service, at a different local church each year, we would come home, eat home made pizza and Christmas cookies and watch a Christmas movie.  It is a tradition that I hold close to my heart.  What memories and the fun we had!  It was a very precious family tradition and probably one of the reasons why I try to make our own Christmas Eve's extra special!


Kim asked me for my Mom's pizza recipe, so here it is!  It is very yummy!  A definite winner!  One day when I don't have 3 little boys, I will return to making this recipe.  For now, I'll continue to make this one.

Crust 
2 tsp. active dry yeast
3.5 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups warm water
1/2  cup whole wheat bread flour
1 tsp salt

Stir the yeast into 1/4 cup of water.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile. mix the flours together in a bowl, mixer with bread hook or food processor.

To mix the dough by hand, make a well in the flour.  Stir the yeasty water into the well, then gradually add the remaining water while incorporating the flour.  Add the olive oil and salt.  Stir the dough vigorously to incorporate as much flour as possible, then turn the dough onto a board.  Gather and knead it, adding a little more flour if necessary, for 5 minutes or until it is smooth and lively.

If using the mixer, stir the flour in the mixing bowl.  Turn the mixer to the lowest setting and gradually add the yeasty water.  With the mixer running, add the remaining water, olive oil and salt.  After 2 minutes, the dough will be clinging together in a rough mass.  Stop the mixer and fit it with the dough hook.  Knead the dough at the lowest setting for 5-7 minutes.  All the flour should be incorporated and the dough should be smooth and lively.

At this stage, I always turn the dough out on a floured board and knead it by hand for at least 30 seconds to feel how responsive it is.  The texture, strength and resiliency of your dough affect the time needed for rising, punching down, resting and baking.  If it is sticky, I knead in more flour, a tablespoon at a time.

Cover the dough and let rise until doubled in bulk,, preferably over night in the refrigerator.  In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch it down.  Return it to the bowl, cover again, and let it stand in a cool place for as little as 3 hours or as long as all day.  About a hour before you are ready to serve the pizza, punch the dough down and divide it into portions and roll out and place on a well oiled pizza pan.  Cover with your favorite toppings and cook for about 20 mins, depending on the thickness of the dough.  One recipe makes 1 large thick crust pizza or 2 medium thin crust pizzas.

Thanks to my Mom for including this in a recipe book my Aunt made me as a wedding gift!