Menu Monday {#4}

It's "Menu Monday" again! Are you liking this new tradition? Please tell us!  

Also, stay tuned this week. We'll be having our FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY! And we're super excited!

We had a great week last week celebrating my husband's 30th and eating too much dessert and yummy food all week, I kind of feel like fasting for a week just to not have to cook, clean up etc. But I really wouldn't do that. Most of my thoughts throughout the day are about food. You know, what for breakfast, then lunch and then dinner.  And a few snacks. I get out of routine when company comes and don't work out, so this week it's back to the grind. I'm going to be sharing my 2 week menu (which is what I generally plan - but somehow I got out of whack).  

Hope you'll enjoy the ideas. And I'll share my menu again in two weeks. 

Week One

Monday
Classic Chili and Cornbread (that didn't happen last week).

Homemade BBQ Sauce {Great Over Pork or Other Meat}

Anyone else a BBQ lover?  I love it in lots of forms. On a good burger, over chicken or pork and shredded for a sandwich, on some homemade mack and cheese, etc. I don't always make homemade BBQ sauce (Stubb's Origninal or Spicy is my favorite bottled kind), but this recipe is one of my favorites. It's really rich and thick with tomato flavor and has the perfect spice blend, and you can whip it together in a matter of minutes.  My friend, Sara, gave it to me several years ago - and it's one we've enjoyed over and over.  Sometimes we just put the sauce over some pork ribs and serve them some kind of potato and other times I shred the meat for a pulled pork sandwich, one of our favorites! 

This week my in-laws have been staying with us and we've been making lots of gluten-free food. This BBQ sauce fits the bill - and we all enjoyed it. I did serve it with French Bread Rolls for those that want.  We also served it with dutch oven style potatoes (make sure you try those) and a green salad. 

Hope you'll enjoy!

-Lu

BBQ Sauce

We love this over pork especially, but it is also good on chicken or beef.

Printable Version {click here}

Ingredients:

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1 cup apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s brand)

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons dry mustard

2-4 tablespoons dried minced onion (or use ½-1 medium size fresh yellow onion, diced)

1 large can or 2 small cans of tomato paste

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

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Combine all ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and whisk to combine until smooth.  Pour over pork roast and cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or until it’s reached 170 degrees F, shred with two forks and serve on rolls or as is. You can also pour the BBQ sauce over any other pork cut (or chicken or beef) and cook as desired.  

Recipe Source:

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From Sara H, a good friend.

Menu Monday {# 3}

It's Monday again, which means I'm sharing round 3 of my menu for the year.  This week is my husband's birthday and we have his parents visiting us from out of town.  So we're eating lots of favorites this week.  We have gluten and soy allergies to avoid with our company this week, so you should find some good ideas for meals if you are trying to avoid the same things. 

I have pictured all the recipes that I have on the blog and linked up the recipes below. Enjoy!

Here's the menu plan: 

Ranger Cookies

Pretty much every day is a cookie day at my house.  My freezer is (almost) always stocked with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  It's kinda my sanity treat and I need one everyday after lunch.  If I don't have them around, I end up snacking more until I can find that perfect something to get my sweet fix.  So, I pretty much just plan on a cookie every day.  It's much safer that way.  Of course, I have my fair share of 2 and 3+ cookie days too, but we won't go there.  For some reason, I never tire of cookies.  They are pretty much my all-time favorite dessert.  

Every once in a while, I go out on a limb and make a different kind of cookie besides oatmeal chocolate chip.  It's hard to mess with something that seems so perfect to me though.  This cookie was calling my name recently.  It's one that my mom made for us as kids that I probably haven't had since I was 12 years old.  My 4-year-old has been asking daily for me to make them again.  This is not your standard chocolate chip cookie.  It is unique, delectable, and in it's own class.  And the best part? It's pretty adaptable to your tastes.  In writing this post I did a little quick research on Ranger cookies.  They've been around for quite a while and there are lots of variations.  Some have raisins, some have chocolate chips, and some versions have neither.  They also have cereal in them.  You can use crisp rice, or cornflakes or a combination of the 2.  When my mom made them for us, she used crisp rice and raisins.  I decided to make them with half of each kind of cereal and no raisins or chocolate chips. As pictured here, Lu made them with rice krispies and chocolate chips.  Anyway, the point here is to use what you have or what suits your tastes.  I loved the crunchiness that the cereal adds to these cookies.  Coupled with the chewiness from the coconut and oatmeal, the combination is a hard one to beat...and resist!

Ranger Cookies

Printable Version

Ingredients:

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1 cup (6 1/4 ounces) vegetable shortening or butter (8 ounces)

1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar, firmly packed, light or dark

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup (2 1/2 ounces) shredded coconut

3 cups (2 3/8 ounces) crispy rice cereal or corn flakes*
1 cup chocolate chips or raisins (optional)

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 325.  Beat together the shortening and sugars, vanilla and salt until fluffy; add the eggs and beat until smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in the oats, coconut, and cereal, mixing just until blended.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, or until they're golden brown--keep a close eye on them.

Notes:

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I have found several variations of this kind of cookie.  Some have chocolate chips, some have raisins, and some don’t have either.  My mom used to make them with rice krispies and raisins.

You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut here. The sweetened coconut will lend a much sweeter end cookie, but both are still plenty sweet in my opinion.

*I used 2 cups of rice krispies and 1 cup of corn flakes.

Cooking time will vary greatly between ovens, so keep a close eye on them.

Recipe Source:

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King Arthur Flour

Menu Monday {#2}

Hello, friends! 

It's time for round 2 of Menu Monday.  Last week I told you about why I like to plan menu's etc.  I've been in a slump about planning a 2 week menu lately.  But I'll be back at that soon - and then I'll share two weeks in each post.  So you'll get menu ideas twice a month.  Next week we have company coming and they have some allergies, so we might be mixing up our menu a bit to avoid gluten and soy. So stay tuned for some allergen-free recipes. 

What are you having for dinner this week?

Monday
Out with friends

Tuesday
Chicken Alfredo over pasta with Salad and breadsticks. I use the alfredo sauce that I linked in and grill some chicken and put it all over linguine pasta. 

Wednesday 
Chicken Burritos (Whitney's recipe - she's our sister in law). I'll share her recipe soon, after I get her permission. :) My husband claims he could eat a burrito every day and never get sick of them.  So he gets really excited when burritos are on the menu.  

Thursday
Fried Rice - I have a recipe I'll share soon. 

Friday
Breakfast (aka Brinner)

Saturday
Brazilian Night - we've been planning this with some friends since November - so we're really looking forward to it.  One of my friends is from Brazil and the other lived there for 2 years serving a mission for the LDS church.  We looove the Brazilian food we've had.  I have a recipe for Feijoada on the blog - we loooove it.

Sunday
Leftovers/Whatever is in the fridge that needs to be used up.

Some of Our Favorite Pizza Toppings {Pizza Series #4 of 4}

We've talked pizza tools, our favorite and perfect pizza crust, a delicious classic red sauce, and now we are going to talk toppings.

Cheese is an important topping for us.  I'm really prefer not to buy the pre-shredded cheese becasue of the powdered coating they have (it doesn't taste as good and it' doesn't melt as nice), but I have used it in a pinch and it works.  For a classic cheese mixture I prefer about half to three-quarts of the cheese to be shredded mozzarella and the other half or quarter to be shredded colby jack.  I just buy big 2 lb blocks of each and shred and freeze it. Then it's easy for a quick pizza night. Especially if you have frozen dough on hand, like Leesh mentioned in our crust post.

When we do a fancier topping combo we've used blue cheese and feta or fresh mozzarella. But for a basic cheese I like the half mozzarella/half colby jack mixture.  Do you have a cheese preference?

We will continue to share some of our favorite pizza creations over time, but today we'll be talking about a few favorite flavor combos. Also, we'd love to hear your favorites - please leave us a comment so we can try yours too! :)

-Leesh & Lu

Chicken Cordon Bleu- Top crust with Alfredo sauce, mozzarella and swiss cheeses, sliced ham, grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms.

Chicken Alfredo - Top the crust with Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, green onions, parmesan cheese.

Chicken Bacon Ranch - Top the crust with ranch dressing, mozzarella and colby jack cheese, grilled chicken, bacon bits, diced tomatoes, green onion,topped with a bit more cheese.

BBQ pineapple Chicken - Top the crust with BBQ sauce (sweet baby ray's and Stubb's are some of our favorites), mozzarella and colby jack cheeses, grilled chicken (lightly tossed in BBQ sauce), fresh pineapple, cliantro.

Pesto Feta - Top crust with classic pesto, mozzarella (optional here), thinly sliced tomatoes (I usually salt them and let them sit on a paper towel to draw out some moisture so they don't make the pizza soggy), crumbled feta cheese

Cowboy (like papa murphy's) - Top the crust with classic red pizza sauce, mozzarella and colby jack cheese, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives, topped with a bit more cheese, parmesan and oregano.

Hawaiian - Top the crust with classic red pizza sauce, colby/mozzarella cheese blend, Canadian bacon and fresh pineapple chunks, topped with a bit more cheese, parmesan and oregano.

New Mexico Supreme- Top the crust with a classic red pizza sauce, colby/mozzarella cheese blend, green chile (yeah, baby!) , sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, finely diced onion, topped with a bit more cheese, parmesan and oregano. This is my husband's fav!

We hope you've enjoyed our pizza series! And if you have a favorite pizza topping to share, please leave a comment. We'd love to try!

Classic Homemade Pizza Sauce {Pizza Series #3 of 4}

Leesh and I have been trying to perfect our pizza making over the last 3 or 4 years.  Over the last few days we've shared tips on our favorite pizza tools and our favorite crust, and how to make it perfect.  And I think we've got some good things going on. We had pizza last Tuesday night - and as my husband was eating he said, "You have pizza making perfected!" Thanks to Leesh, I think we have - she's a pizza ninja! Our combined tips and recipes make one darn good pizza if you ask me.

We've tweaked all sorts of things about our pizza making; such as the dough recipe, what temperature and how long to bake it, whether to pre-bake the crust and then add the toppings or put the toppings right on the raw dough, thin or thick crust, and different sauces/toppings.  This classic red sauce along with the yummy crust is the essential foundation of the pizza.  These two things add so much flavor and texture - you can't mess it up after that....unless you add anchovies (no offense, I'm just not a fan). ;)

Today I'm sharing our favorite homemade sauce recipe.  I love this recipe so much. It's simple and provides a perfect flavor.  It's a bit thicker than the canned pizza or pasta sauce you would buy and use on a pizza, and I like it that way. But it's adaptable to your preference of thick or thin (see recipe below). What I love about this sauce is the combination of tomato sauce and paste. The flavor is enhanced with fresh Parmesan (or powdered if you prefer) and yummy seasonings. The rich flavor from the tomato paste mixed with the spices just does it for me. Soooo good!
  

I like to make this sauce in a big batch and then freeze it in individual baggies (enough sauce for 1-2 pizzas, since that's how many we usually bake at a time). And it works out great!  I put it in sandwich bags and then into a freezer bag.  This way I can thaw them in just a few minutes if I leave the bag in some hot water in the sink.  By the time I roll out the dough - the sauce is ready to spread.  When I don't have this on hand or don't have time to make a this sauce - I use Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce as a back up. They are both good - but I prefer this homemade sauce for it's superb richness and flavor!  Mmm, I just can't tell you how much I like it. I hope you'll love it! 

This sauce is loaded, just had to say that one more time, the rich tomato sauce, flavorful herbs and Parmesan cheese - it's just great!   It makes any pizza tastier - even a simple cheese pizza.  Enjoy some homemade pizza today!

Pizza Sauce {Our Favorite}

Printable Version {Click Here}
Ingredients:

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1 small can tomato paste

1 small can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon honey/sugar
2 tablespoons water (you can add more if you want it thinner)

¼ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground.

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper

sea salt to taste

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of Italian seasoning

3 tablespoons fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

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Mix tomato sauce and paste in a small mixing bowl until smooth, add seasonings and mix. Add cheese and mix until smooth. Spread over your favorite pizza crust and top with desired toppings and bake.

NOTE:

I like to mix a double or triple batch of this and freeze about ⅓ to ½ cup in ziplock sandwich bags (I put all the sandwich bags in a quart or gallon freezer bag) for quick use when we make pizza. It thaws in just a few minutes if you put it in a sink full of hot/warm water.

Recipe Source:

By Lindsay Lu and her husband, Steven from www.leeshandlusrecipebox.com