Monthly Archives: December 2012

Bacon and Spinach Pizza

Bacon and Spinach Pizza

We do pizza and movie in our house almost every weekend. I make the dough from scratch and try to get creative with the toppings. So I thought I would share them with you. Most of the toppings I always have in my refrigerator or cabinets. Only once or twice I have done a specialty pizza that required a trip to the grocery store.

What types of toppings do you like? I am willing to try most things! Bacon and Spinach Pizza

BACON AND SPINACH PIZZA

YIELDS: 1 pizza
PREP TIME: 12 minutes +time for defrosting your dough according to package
COOK TIME: 8 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 frozen pizza dough

5 slices bacon slices cooked and diced

1/2 cup cooked spinach

1/2 onion diced

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 450.

2. Defrost pizza dough according to package.

3. Roll out to fit your pan. Any round 8 inch pan or rectangle cookie sheet will due.

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

5. Top with cheese.

6. Top with bacon, spinach and onion.

7. Cook for 8 minutes on bottom rack of oven. Crust should be crispy and slightly brown.

8. ENJOY!

Bacon and Spinach Pizza

Butterscotch Blondies

Butterscotch Blondies

I am so into butterscotch. Can you tell? All I want to do is eat butterscotch. Yum!

When my husband says he likes something. I get a sense of satisfaction. I think to myself, YES! Mission accomplished. His comments were, “These are good. Not too sweet!”

BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES

recipes adapted from here

YIELD: 20 blondies

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOK TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Spray and 8×11 baking dish with cooking spray.

3. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

4. Whisk egg, butter and brown sugar in smaller bowl.

5. Add egg mixture to flour and mix well.

6. Stir in butterscotch chips.

7. Pour in prepared pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

8. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut.

9. ENJOY!

Butterscotch Blondies

Red, Yellow, and Orange Bell Pepper Pizza

Red Yellow Orange Bell Pepper Pizza
After all the eating and cooking and baking from Christmas now feels like a good time to relax and unwind. So here is one very easy dish to make this week going into New Years or for your New Years parties or get togethers! I am trying to eat as much pizza as I can while I am here in Italy. No matter how good I think my homemade pizzas are, they do not compare to “real” Italian Pizza!

RED, YELLOW, ORANGE BELL PEPPER PIZZA

YIELDS: 1 pizza

PREP TIME: 12 minutes +time for defrosting your dough according to package

COOK TIME: 8 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 frozen pizza dough

1/2 Red Pepper sliced

1/2 Yellow Pepper sliced

1/2 Orange Pepper sliced

1/2 onion diced

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

olive oil

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 450.

2. Defrost pizza dough according to package.

3. Roll out to fit your pan. Any round 8 inch pan or rectangle cookie sheet will due.

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

5. Top with cheese.

6. Top with peppers and onion.

7. Cook for 8 minutes on bottom rack of oven. Crust should be crispy and slightly brown.

8. ENJOY!

Red Yellow Orange Bell Pepper Pizza

Grandma’s Cream Cookies

Grandma's Cream Cookies

My all time favorite cookie is this one. I make them all year round but Christmas is when I yearn for them the most.I have lots of memories from our family making these cookies. What I do not have is the memory of ever making these with my Mamaw. These cookies are a staple in my holiday tradition. So much so that I whipped these up the day before I went to Italy just so I could share them with my Italian family and leave one out for Santa! Grandma's Cream Cookies

My holiday just would not have been the same without these. Over the years we have had so much fun with the kids gathering at my mom’s house to make these. The kids would gather around the card table to see who could make the biggest cookie or who add the most sprinkles.

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Hope you have as much fun making these as we do!

GRANDMA’S CREAM COOKIES

YIELD: 4 dozen

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

COOK TIME: 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare cookie sheet using parchment paper.

2. In mixer beat shortening and sugar. Add in egg and mix.

3. In separate small bowl dissolve baking soda into sour cream.

4. Alternate adding flour and sour cream into mixing bowl.

5. Incorporate all for a nice soft dough. Put on counter top.

6. Roll the dough out using more flour if needed so it is not sticky.

7. Use cookie cutters to make your favorite shapes.

8. Place on cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles.

9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edge of cookie is brown.

10. Cool and enjoy!

**notes**
1. These cookies can be cooked longer if you like a crunchy cookie, which my husband does so I make a tray just for him.

2. You can decorate after the cookie has cooled using frosting of your choice.

3. This is the half recipe, it can be doubled.

4. Lastly, these cookies can be made any time of the year! I use just random cookie cutters. They can be frozen up to a month.
Grandma's Cream Cookies