Homemade Pizzas

I rolled out individual sizes for the kids and let them top their own. They actually had more interest in devouring the toppings than building a pizza, but the pizzas made it to the oven eventually. :P

And this is a grown up version - pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, red & yellow bell pepper, and onion.

I will share my go-to dough recipe with you. It's for the bread machine, but you can do it by hand too. I ended up doing just that because my machine is pretty much dead.


Pizza Dough (Bread Machine)
Yield: 1 large or 2 medium pizzas

1 cup beer (you can use water, but beer is best for flavour)
1 tbsp shortening
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 cups white flour (bread or all-purpose)
1 1/4 tsp yeast
OPTIONAL: 2 tbsp cornmeal

Measure first 6 ingredients in order listed into Baking Pan. Set bread machine to Dough setting. When cycle is complete, remove dough from machine to a lightly floured surface. If necessary, knead in enough flour to make dough easy to handle.

Grease two 12" pans or one 14" pan, and sprinkle with cornmeal (optional). Roll out dough and place on pan or pat in pan. Top each pizza with sauce and toppings. Bake at 425°F for 15 to 25 minutes or until done. Pizza is done when edges of crust are golden and cheese is bubbly.

Pulled Pork Buns with Waffles

I am not new to the breakfast for dinner club. I am also not afraid to turn typically sweet pancake-y foods into something savoury. One of my favourite dishes is Beef and Mushroom Crepes. (Mmmm must make those again soon.) I contemplated using the waffles in place of buns and turning the whole thing into a sandwich. I actually didn't care how we ate it, I just had a wicked craving for barbeque pulled pork with coleslaw AND waffles. My husband gave the final vote and so we decided to have them on the side. It brings back memories of our hometown, going out for lunch and ordering the Hoito burger with a side of Finnish pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries. Ah, good times.

Trail Mix Salad

One of my favourite things for lunch is a BFS (Big Fat Salad). I had extra trail mix leftover from granola bars, which I planned on purpose because I love nuts, seeds, and dried fruit tossed in salads. This salad is filled with all kinds of yummies and dressed in a garlic balsamic vinaigrette.

Steak Dinner

With loaded baked potato and sauteed asparagus.

Nachos for Dinner

 Homemade Nachos

 Chicken, bacon, green onion, tomato, and cheddar cheese

 Homemade guacamole

My plate

Granola Bars

These are so easy to make and they freeze well. I make a double batch, and then individually wrap half of them in plastic wrap and store them in a bag in the freezer to make it easy for packing school lunches.

You can customize them all you like! The one on the left is peanut-free for school lunches. It has chocolate chips and yogurt raisins. The one on the right is filled with a mix of nuts, seeds, and raisins.

Granola Bars
Makes 24 bars

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ (I used whole wheat flour - if you don't have either of those, just add an extra 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins/chocolate chips/nuts/whatever you like!
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. It will seem as if it will never come together, but keep mixing because it will eventually. Wet your hands with cold water and press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. 

 Chocolate Chips and Yogurt Raisins

 Nuts, Seeds, and Raisins

I cut the school-friendly ones to fit in my daughter's lunch container.

Soft Tacos

Beef Soft Taco

Chicken Soft Taco