Thursday, January 29, 2015

Pizza!

I have discovered a love for pizza and making it at home :)


This was our Halloween pizza part 1

Ingredients:
  • Packet of pizza crust dough (I used a store brand packet) made according to directions
  • 1/2 Jar pizza sauce (I used Ragu)
  • Cheeses and toppings of your preference - I usually use a mix of mozzarella and Mexican cheeses - I like black olives and my husband prefers pepperonis
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic powder


After I make the dough and let it rise, I put flour on the pan (with aluminum) before spreading the dough because otherwise it is next to impossible for it not to stick. (I think this might be the type of dough I'm using or the aluminum, nevertheless, I don't mind.)
Before I put the sauce on my pizza, I brush the outside crust with olive oil and then sprinkle garlic powder on it. Seriously makes it tasty and makes up for it being store-brand.
This is a super fast dinner idea (usually about 10 minutes in the oven - depending on your crust instructions) and it's fun if you make different shapes!

This was a Jack-o-lantern that tried to combine our favorite toppings... badly
Have a wonderful day!

~ Sarah

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Peanut Butter Blossoms!

It's been almost a year since my last post, so I figured I needed another! No updates from me, but I got a new computer, and uploading pictures just got a whole lot more difficult (no SD card slot!). No worries, I'm working on it.

Today we're making Peanut Butter Blossoms, or Peanut Blossoms.
Don't mind the messy stove!! 0.0

This has been a long-standing tradition for Thanksgiving since I was little, and when I got married, my aunt passed down a recipe book with this included. These are my favorite dessert in the world, and hopefully you'll like them.


I usually don't measure my peanut butter, and my husband is in charge of "eye-balling" what he thinks is 1/2 cup (but is usually about 3/4 cups). This makes my cookies softer than they would be if a followed the recipe, but not everyone likes them like this.



I also usually unwrap the kisses while the cookies are in the oven because it takes almost as long if you're making a double-batch, which I usually am.

Ingredients: (loaded on MyFitnessPal for relatively accurate calorie count per cookie)
  • 1/2 c. butter (softened)
  • 1/2 c. peanut butter (creamy) 
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Hershey Kisses - unwrapped


Directions: Preheat oven to 350
1) Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar
2) Add egg and vanilla - beat until fluffy
3) Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to egg mixture and mix well until you have cookie dough consistency
4) Shape into small balls and place on cookie sheet
5) Flatten slightly (I usually use a fork because it makes nice lines on the top
6) Bake at 350 deg F for 8-10 minutes
7) Remove from oven and place a kiss in the center of each
8) Bake 1-3 minutes longer or until the kisses are shiny

Try to wait until they cool off before you store them - it takes several hours for the kisses to set up. However, they taste best straight from the oven ;-)

Until next time!
~ Sarah