January 20, 2012: Semi-Homemade Meatloaf Pizza Recipe

It’ difficult to make a whole meatloaf for two people and not have tons of leftovers. That doesn’t stop me from making it when I’m craving this comfort food, however. What it does mean is that I have to be creative about using up those leftovers. While I love meatloaf sandwiches slathered with mayo, those aren’t too diet friendly. This recipe is surprisingly not high in calories, if you can limit yourself to one sixth of the total recipe.

Semi-Homemade Meatloaf Pizza

1 canister refrigerated Pillsbury French bread

1 cup canned tomato pasta sauce (I used Bertolli’s healthy variety)

1 t. dehydrated garlic

6 white mushrooms, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

4 thin slices leftover healthy meatloaf

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll the French bread dough and pat it into place on the cooking sheet. Spray surface with nonstick cooking spray. Place bread in preheated oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

While bread is cooking, place pasta sauce in a saucepan and add garlic. Heat over low and cook until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Spray a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat to medium. Add mushrooms and peppers, spray with nonstick cooking spray. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until veggies start to soften.

Spread pasta sauce on bread dough. Top with veggies, crumbled meatloaf and cheese. Return to oven and cook an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and edges of crust are browned.

Serves 6 with approximately 325 calories per serving.

November 11, 2011: Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Who doesn’t love spaghetti? Spaghetti, with or without meatballs, is a old-time favorite with families everywhere. And what’s not to like? It’s a dish that’s filled with the good homey flavors of garlic and tomatoes, it’s an economical dish, and it’s easy to make a large quantity to feed lots of hungry diners.

Next time you make spaghetti, try making it in a pie plate or quiche pan instead of serving the usual way and see what your family thinks.

Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces spaghetti

2 T. butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried parsley

1 eggs, well beaten

1 cup cottage cheese (optional)

½ lb. lean ground beef

½ lb. pork sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped Bell pepper

1 8-ounce can tomatoes, chopped

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 t. sugar

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. garlic salt

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Sir butter into hot spaghetti; add Parmesan cheese, parsley and eggs. Spread spaghetti mixture in bottom and up the sides of greased 10-inch pie plate or quiche pan to form crust. Spread cottage cheese, if using, over the top of the spaghetti crust.

In skillet, cook ground beef and pork sausage until browned. Drain; add onion and peppers and cook an additional two minutes, until vegetables are softened. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and spices; heat through.

Spread meat mixture over prepared spaghetti crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer, until cheese I s melted.

Serves 6

August 15, 2011: White Pizza on the Grill Recipe

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making pizza on the grill. Although I wasn’t confident enough to place it right on the rack (I used my pizza stone), this still has the flavor and crispiness of a crust cooked in a barbecue with an open flame. This version of pizza is perhaps my husband’s favorite so far. I hope you enjoy it, too!

White Pizza

Crust:

1 cup warm water

2 t. yeast

2 T. olive oil

1 t. sugar

1 t. salt

2 ½ cup flour

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add remaining ingredients (use a stand mixer for best results) and mix until it forms a smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Roll out the dough into a circle. Carefully place it on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal.

Place a pizza peel in your grill heated to as high as it will go (with indirect heating). Carefully slide the pizza dough from the peel to the heated stone. Cook for about 5 minutes, until it is just firm enough to slide back onto the pizza peel without breaking or falling apart.

Toppings:

½ jar store bought Alfredo sauce

1 lb. mild Italian sausage, crumbled and cooked

1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced

½ cup thinly sliced black olives

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1 ounce shredded Parmesan cheese

Spread Alfredo sauce on the prepared pizza crust (still on the pizza peel). Top with tomato and black olive slices. Sprinkle with cheese, followed by sausage. Slide the topped pizza crust back onto the pizza stone and cook for about 10 minutes. If desired, finish pizza under the broiler for a few minutes to brown cheese.

Makes 8 large slices.

June 23, 2011: White Enchilada Lasagna Recipe

This is a recipe I made up on the fly, wanting to do something with ground beef other than make hamburgers, and keeping in mind that both my husband and my niece don’t particularly care for hot chile sauces. The result is this combination of enchiladas and lasagna (hey - don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!).

White Enchilada Lasagna

1 pound ground beef
1 small Yukon gold potato, cooked, peeled, and finely diced
1 T. minced garlic (try dehydrated garlic for extra garlic flavor)
1 T. taco seasoning mix
1 t. flour
½ medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 T. dried cilantro
1 t. ground cumin
1 large or 2 small green chiles, roasted, peeled and de-seeded
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
6 soft taco size flour tortillas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9” pan.

Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain most of the fat. Add the potato and cook for another minute. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, taco seasoning, and flour. Cook just until heated through; remove from heat.

Combine onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin and green chile in bowl of food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add cream cheese and chicken stock; process until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper and taste; adjust seasoning if necessary.

Warm the flour tortillas in damp paper towels in the microwave for one minute, or until warm and softened. Spread about ¼ cup of the cream cheese sauce in the bottom of the greased baking pan. Take each tortilla and add 1/6th of the meat mixture. Roll up and place, seam side down in the prepared pan. Continue with all tortillas and meat mixture. Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Top with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro sprigs, and sour cream, if desired.

Serves 6.

March 28, 2011: Onion and Leek Focaccia Recipe

This is one of the first recipes I made after joining my church and everyone just loved it – it became my most requested recipe for quite some time!

This focaccia bread is almost like a white pizza – and, in fact, I’ve used the bread recipe as pizza dough before. If you add a few more veggies and some meat (if you prefer), it really is just like pizza. For a traditional style pizza, add a tomato sauce first; for a white pizza, smear olive oil and butter across the top.

When I prepared this focaccia recently, I served it with spaghetti one night and beef stew the next. It was an excellent side dish for both meals, functioning as a bread and a vegetable all rolled into one. You could certainly add more veggies, such as broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.

Onion and Leek Focaccia

¾ cup warm water
1 ½ t. yeast
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
2 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer and do this in the warmed mixer bowl). Add the sugar, salt, olive oil, and one and a half cups of the flour. Mix (speed two on the mixer or with a wooden spoon in a bowl) until the flour is incorporated, then add remaining half cup of flour to the mixer (if you are mixing by hand, knead the dough on a floured surface). Continue mixing/kneading until it forms a smooth ball.

Grease a pizza pan with olive oil, using your fingers. Take the ball of dough and stretch it out with your oily fingers until it evenly covers the pan. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about half an hour.

Onion and Leek Topping:
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. butter
3 ounces mozzarella cheese (not fresh), shredded

While the dough is rising, prepare the onion topping. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leek, onion, and garlic. Stir frequently until the vegetables are softened and just beginning to brown. Remove from heat.

When the dough has risen, use the handle of a wooden spoon and poke it into the surface every inch or so, about halfway down (don’t make holes in the dough!). Spread the onion and leek topping across the dough; top with shredded cheese.

Baked in 400 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes. If desired, place under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the cheese.

March 15, 2011: Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

Another Sunday, another party!

Last weekend after church we celebrated one of our member’s 50th birthdays. It was a lot of fun but this was following on the heels of celebrating Pastor Tom’s 65th birthday and Valentine’s Day before that. Truth be told, I’m a bit partied out.

For this last celebration, I only had to bring a side dish (although I ultimately decided on an appetizer). This spinach artichoke dip was a real hit; nearly everyone asked me for the recipe. *I’m posting it here for all of you ladies who asked!

I originally got this recipe from a New Orleans site back in 2000. Although it was fine as is, I made some variations, mainly so I could put in my crock pot for heating while I was at church. Here is my slightly adjusted version for the crock pot.

This picture is what was left of the dip since I forgot to photograph my big, beautiful dish before everyone dug in. It was just enough for a snack after I added a little more shredded Monterey Jack cheese.


Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 cup green onions, finely chopped (about 4)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 stick butter
1 lb. fresh spinach
1 can water-packed artichoke hearts or artichoke quarters
8 oz. cream cheese
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 oz. sour cream
1 ½ t. Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Tabasco (or more to taste)
1/3 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, finely grated
1 ½ t. dried dill
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Turn your crock pot up to its highest heat setting. Add the butter. As it begins to melt, add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften.

Tear the washed spinach into small pieces and add to the veggie mixture. Toss until it is coated with butter. Let it wilt for a few minutes before adding remaining ingredients (up to the Monterey Jack cheese).

Turn your crock pot to low and let it heat through. Before serving, top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and let it melt; then serve in the crock pot. OR pour into a baking dish, top with cheese, and place it in a 350 degree oven for 5 – 10 minutes until bubbly.

Note: You can make this recipe in a saucepan, too. Just start at medium heat to melt the butter and cook the veggies. After you’ve mixed in all the ingredients, pour it into a baking dish, top with the Monterey Jack cheese, and heat at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.