Veggie Pizza

Pizza Crust
1 pkg Cream Cheese
1 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Soy sauce
Sweet and Sour sauce
Veggies (broccoli, carrots and red bell peppers are some of my favorites)

Bake pizza crust, or buy premade pizza crust.  Combine cream cheese, garlic and ginger powder, and soy sauce.  Top crust with cream cheese mixture, veggies and then drizzle with sweet and sour sauce. 

Mark...

Mom says you have a delicious recipe for tomato bisque.  Care to share it?

Casserole in a Pumpkin

Here's a recipe just in time for Halloween. We have made it each year around Halloween and love it!

1 pie pumpkin
1-2 lb ground beef
1/2 c onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
4 oz mushrooms
1 1/2 c cooked rice
9 oz water chestnuts

Brown the beef and onion. Add the soup, sugar, soy sauce, and mushroom. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice and water chestnuts. Put the mixture in your gutted pie pumpkin. Bake for 1-2 hours at 350.

Creamy Garlic Pasta

This was super good and super easy! You don't even have to drain the noodles...

Creamy Garlic Pasta
2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼  tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (Pretty sure I didn't use this much)
¾ cup heavy cream (I just used milk and I'm pretty sure I didn't use this much, but cream would just be that much better!)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I didn't use fresh)

Any vegetables or meat you desire to add (I added spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and summer squash...excellent combination!)

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. 

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

Homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu

Super easy! I wanted chicken cordon bleu so I decided to make up my own recipe.  It turned out super yummy!

All you need: chicken breasts, mozerella cheese, deli sliced ham, chicken broth, breadcrumbs

Cut a chicken breast in half (the long way) so you have 2 flat pieces of chicken. 
Put on a layer of Mozerella cheese
Place a piece of deli sliced ham on top
Roll it up
Dip it in chicken broth
Dip it in breadcrumbs

Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes

Apple Squares

I made these today. I don't know if you are a Taylor unless you like these. They always remind me of Grandma Graham. I don't know if any of you checked the stove top in her kitchen first thing whenever we arrived at her house to see what delicious treat she made for us that day or not, but I did. And when it was apple squares, I think I was the most excited. Probably most of you already have the recipe, but if you don't, you should because they are delicious. They are a little time consuming, but if you're looking for something to do some Saturday during this apple season, here you go...

Crust:
2 1/2 c flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c shortening

Stir together flour, sugar, salt. Cut in shortening. Beat 1 egg yolk and add enough milk to make 2/3 c  liquid. Add to flour/fat mixture. Roll out half of the dough and place on jelly roll pan with sides. Sprinkle with 2 handfuls crushed corn flakes on dough (this is to absorb some liquid as it cooks I think).

Filling:
1 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp flour (to thicken if desired)
8-10 peeled, sliced apples

Mix together. Spread over crust. Roll out top crust and place over filling. Beat 1 egg white until stiff and spread over crust. Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes. Make a thin glaze or 1 c powdered sugar and water and drizzle over crust. Cut into squares and serve. *Canned peaches can be used instead of apples but thickening would be needed. 

Enjoy! Mine were definitely not as pretty as Mom's and Grandma's but they were still good. Maybe someday I'll cook like them...maybe.

Spinach Cheese Swirls

I think I have made this for several of you, but it's a good, easy one.

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I used fresh spinach and didn't even cook it or anything...just put it on, rolled it up, cooked it, and it was good!)
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 refrigerated pizza crust (or make a pizza crust recipe of your choosing...this last time I actually did a roll dough and I liked that even better since it was fluffier)

Combine the first four ingredients and mix well. On a greased baking sheet, roll pizza dough into a 14-in x 10-in rectangle. Spoon filling over crust to within 1-in of edge. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; seal the ends and place seam side down. Bake at 400 for 25-27 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into slices to serve.