The End of the Week

Fall Friday nights are some of my favorite times. After teaching and playing taxi for my kids all week, helping them with homework, and just being me,I'm exhausted. To some, coming home to cook may seem like a chore. Not to me. It's my unwinding time. I turn on my 'Harry Conick Jr.' style music, pour a glass of vino, and cook my heart out. I LOVE nights like this. They don't happen very often, but when they do, I take full advantage.

Our family enjoys reality TV shows. The kind that 'families' can watch. We like HGTV Design Star, Food Network Star, and Food Truck Race on Food Network, and our all time favorite is The Biggest Loser. Last week while watching the Food Truck Race the contestants had to make an original Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. I was inspired! Yes! Something new to whip up on Friday night. So naturally I headed over to Pinterest and searched. I found several variations, but I have combined those into my variation. I cheated a little and used a refrigerated pizza crust. Some people like the taste of homemade. In my opinion,why bother! ;) 

Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust

2 cups of shredded mozzarella

pizza toppings of your choice ( I used turkey pepperoni, chopped olives, and fresh mushrooms.)

Parmesan

homemade pizza sauce

Sauce ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 chopped onion

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 minced garlic clove

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/4 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. chopped, fresh basil

Place pizza crust in a deep dish. I used a large cast iron skillet. Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese on top of the crust. 

Make sauce by heating the butter in a pan. Add onion and oregano. Cook onion until moisture is drawn out and onion turns a golden brown. Add garlic clove, crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and reduce down for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and basil. 

Add half of the sauce on top of the mozzarella. Put on your desired toppings. Cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with remaining half cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 400. Halfway through, it's a good idea to top with foil to prevent over-browning of the crust. Let it cool for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Slice into big ole' pieces and enjoy! 

The Comforts of Home

Some people say that certain foods are 'comfort foods'. Well, all foods are 'comfort foods' to me because I like it all!! Here's a quick and easy 30 minute Chicken Tetrazzini that tastes like you spent a lot more time in the kitchen. It's a definite comfort food! Enjoy.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

*4 cups of chopped, cooked chicken

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 8 oz. carton sour cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 package of egg noodles, cooked 

2 cups of shredded cheddar (divided)

Mix first 10 ingredients with 1 cup of shredded cheddar in a large bowl. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cup of cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. 

*I usually cook several chicken breasts in my Crockpot all day and shred them and freeze in bags for casseroles. Just throw them in, season generously with S&P, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, and you've got deliciously seasoned and tender chicken without working for it! 

Fall is in the Air!

This morning we had that first, crisp, feeling to the air. It's one week before the 'official' start of fall, but it's enough to get me in the mood for fall decorating, homemade chili, and baking pumpkin bread. Fall is by far my most favorite season of the year! I've started my decorating, pumpkin bread is baking in the oven, and football is on TV. Here's a look into our home. I've also shared my pumpkin bread recipe and a fall snack mix.I hope you enjoy!! Happy Fall!

This old window came from my great-grandmother's house. The crocks were bought for a few dollars each at flea
markets in Germany while we were living there in the 90s. 

Our dining room table. 

The landing going upstairs to our TV room. 

Our dining room buffet.

This hutch was literally found on the side of the road in Germany. It took lots
of tough love to get it looking the way it does now. But it's one of my treasures.  

This hutch belonged to my grandmother. It sat on her back porch for years filled with
Mason Jars and other things. So glad to have it! 

Pumpkin Muffins - One of my favorite fall treats!

Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsps. baking soda

3 cups of sugar

1 cup of canola or vegetable oil

4 eggs, slightly beaten

t tsp. grated nutmeg

1 15oz. can of pumpkin

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil, eggs, *nutmeg, and pumpkin.

Mix well and pour into 2 bread loaf pans. Make sure you thoroughly grease the pans first!! Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

Makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins or 1 loaf and 12 muffins, etc. You get the point! 

* NOW please read this!! If you do not use freshly ground nutmeg, you are missing out! Buy yourself a hand held microplane grater at Wal-mart, Target, etc. Get yourself some whole nutmeg and grate away. You will be glad you did! 

Fall Snack Mix

I always have some type of snack mix made up to just reach in a 'grab a bite'  and keep going. I love a candy corn and peanut mix, but I've added Reeses Pieces and semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mix. The pumpkin jar just sets it off! 

Chores, Football, and Food

Saturdays in fall are busy for us. Soccer in the morning, household chores, and keeping up land in the country takes a lot of time. And it all has to be done in time to watch Auburn football. Saturdays are usually a time for grilling out and enjoying a meal out on the deck. And for the past 10 years fall Saturdays have been spent in Auburn  tailgating or eating out before heading to the stadium. This year, since we've decided not to buy season tickets to the games, I've decided to pull up all those Pinterest party foods I've pinned and have those for Saturday dinner instead. I've tried some great ones already, but last night I pulled out an oldie but goody that I have been making for  years. Hot Pizza Dip. It's hot, cheesy, gooey, spicy, and super good! Serve it with Fritos Scoops, tortilla chips, hearty crackers, or bread sticks. It's a keeper!

Hot Pizza Dip

Ingredients:

1 8oz. block of softened cream cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup pizza sauce ( I use Ragu Traditional)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper

2 green onions sliced

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Spread on the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie plate. Combine cheeses, sprinkle half over the cream cheese layer. Top with the pizza sauce, peppers, and onions. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm.