Pizza Swirls

My friend, Lei recommended that I try out this recipe and I'm so glad that she did! It was a huge hit in our house....everyone loved it (and that's rare. There's always someone that isn't pleased - isn't that always the case?)

I was a bit intimated about baking my own bread but in the end it was worth it and not nearly as difficult as I imagined. The bread was PERFECT! So incredibly soft! I made one roll with pepperoni and one without. While there were a few leftovers they were gobbled up for breakfast! 

Lei found the from Allrecipes but I will post it here as well. The changes I made (just a few) are in blue.

Ingredients:

Bread:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

SAUCE:
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

TOPPINGS:
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 (3 ounce) packages sliced pepperoni (we used turkey pepperoni and only used one package. I chopped the pepperoni into small pieces.)
1 (2.25 ounce) can chopped ripe olives, drained (we did not add olives)


Directions:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
Add oil, sugar, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.
Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Punch dough down.
Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half.
Roll each portion into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle; set aside.


For sauce, combine the onion and garlic in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute.
Add tomato sauce and basil; cover and cook at 50% power for 3 minutes or until bubbly.
Spoon over crust to within 1/2-in. of edges.
Sprinkle with 3 cups mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and olives.


Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal.
Cut each roll into 12 slices.
Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
Serve warm.

There are so many variations that you could do with this recipe - buy store bought dough  and/or store-bought spaghetti sauce....but seriously.....I'd leave it just the way it was written! This recipe is definitely a KEEPER!

Wordless Wednesday: Sandy Cheeks

Sandy Cheeks

Fore more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

"Fancy" Clothespins

At least that's what Momo calls them. What a relief because I made them for her friend who recently turned four. She's a great little mama's helper and very creative so I'm sure she'll have fun with them. Last year I made her a crayon/clothespin apron so she already has a place to put them when not in use.

I know that clothespins for a four year old sounds a little odd, but did you see how much fun Momo had with clothespins recently?

Yes, that would be MY child. 

I made a few to more to use around the house. I'm constantly looking for clips to close food bags like cereal, bread, chips, etc. These are much cheaper than the clips you buy from the store and much cuter too! It was super easy and fun to do. There are tons of tutorials out there but I followed this one.

For more handmade gift ideas check out Tip Junkie:



And link up with "this and that's i made THIS tuesday!"



*PS Can I just mention that I did not just give her 12 clothespins for her birthday? Not that there's anything wrong with it if I did....

Personal Favorite

My girlfriend (and one of my biggest cheerleader/supporters) Courtney saw a camera strap that I made and loved the sugar skulls print. She asked me to make an apron using the same print and gave me free reign with the design/coordinating fabric. Here's the finished producted - a reversible, girly, BAM! not-for-the-shy-girl-apron: 
 

It's definitely one of my personal favorites!

Courtney, I'm SURE you're ROCKING it! :) 

Dorito Casserole

Dorito Casserole 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah. You read that right. DORITO casserole! The oh-so-yummy-super-cheesy-chips-that-leave-an-orange-coating-on-your-fingers-that-you-have-to-lick-them-off Doritos. Now, you are probably totally intrigued or grossed out but you know you're curious (much like a bad accident on the side of a freeway!) 

This casserole is definitely not for the calorie counter (though you can substitute items to make them "healthier".) And may I also suggest, if you plan on making this buy an extra bag of Doritos because I have found that once the bag is open little fingers can't keep their hands out of them. Big fingers too. My husband ate some of the Doritos I had put to the side for the casserole topping. Trust me, he got a scolding! The proof is in the picture. Do you see any Doritos on top? Nooooo.....(though there are probably a few under the mound of cheese!)

Kids enjoy helping with this casserole. Ask them to crush the Doritos for you. But then look for the double-dipping that will most likely occur (crush Doritos, lick fingers. Crush Doritos, lick fingers. Yeah, don't have them help if you are feeding the casserole to people other than your own family!)

Anyways. Here's the recipe. I got the original recipe here but I add a pound of cooked ground turkey. Lots of different ways to alter it to your liking!

Casserole Ingredients:

" 1 large 13-ounce package of Doritos (save 2 cups for casserole topping)

" 2 tbsp. onion, grated

" 1 10-ounce can of chili with beans

" 10- to 15-ounce enchilada sauce

" 8-ounce can tomato sauce

" 1½ cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

" optional - 1 lb ground turkey

 

Topping Ingredients:

" 2 cups Doritos

" 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

" 1¼ cups sour cream

 

Casserole Directions:

 " optional - cook 1 lb ground turkey. Set aside and let cool.

" Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

" Crumble 6 cups of Doritos with your hands into a large mixing bowl.

" Add the onion, the chili, the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and 1½ cups of cheddar cheese to the crumbled Doritos (also add 1 lb ground turkey). Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Place mixture into an 8½ x 11-inch oven-proof casserole dish.

" Bake for 20 minutes.

" Remove from the oven. Spread the sour cream over the top of the casserole with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Top with remaining 2 cups Doritos. Then sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese.

" Bake for another five minutes and serve. 

The casserole reheats well but may I suggest adding some fresh Doritos to the top for the crunch factor. That is, if you have any Doritos left. 

By the way - I have made this for play dates and while people make little snippy comments, there is never any leftovers! As a matter of fact when I made it last night both my kids cleaned their plates and my husband went back for THIRDS (which is very unusual!)