Does anyone else remember the story of The Golden Windows? I think it may have been one of Aesop’s fables. Briefly, every morning a young man looked across the valley where he lived and saw a house that had golden windows. He dreamed about what it must be like to live in such a splendid place. One day he finished his chores early and crossed the valley to find the house. He finally arrived at sunset, but is disappointed to find a house with normal windows. Convinced he is a the wrong house, he asks a young girl who lives there if she knew of a house with golden windows. She says that she does and points across the valley to his own house. When he looks, he sees that as the sun sets the windows of his house shine like gold. I have always loved that story. It has so many good lessons. Lessons about appearances, appreciation, envy, and contentment.

My house has golden windows. You see my bedroom windows face the rising sun, and each morning the reflects off my windows and appear to be made of gold, even from the inside. Each morning when I see this I smile. It is such a gift from God! It is such a parallel to my life. In the past I have been guilty of envy in a big way! I would look at how a person or family appeared from the outside (the distant golden windows) and compare that image to the reality of my own life (normal windows), which was less than desirable.

I praise God that I have been set free from that!  Not only have I been set free from the envy and self-focus. But my life has been transformed! Now, what you see is what you get in my family! Golden windows inside and out!   We appear happy and loving on the outside, and that’s how we treat each other even when there is no one else around. Ed sums it up best when he says “I love my little life!” I love my little life too! God is so sweet to give us all this peace that only comes through Him. The big secret? Contentment! We have learned to be content in any circumstance, to accept both the good and the bad from God. Though often what we consider bad, He uses for amazing good. Contentment is a choice and one that doesn’t always come easily. It does get easier with practice and it is far better for us emotionally, mentally and spiritually than discontent.

Discontent is a destructive thing. It tears marriages and families apart. It causes intense self-focus which in turn causes depression. It causes feelings of “deserving” something. UGH! I hate the word “deserve”.  Ezra had the right idea “What has happened to us is the result of our evil deeds and our great guilt and yet, our God, you have punished us far less than our sins deserved, and have given us a remnant like this” (Ezra 9:13 NIV 1984.) All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), what we deserve is death. Yet God, in His mercy, awoke each of us this morning. Some people seem to take that for granted. I was reading a blog this week and the young author stated that she was so grateful for Jesus and God’s mercy because she knew that tomorrow she would commit the same sins she committed today. I was truly saddened by this sentiment, but it is easy to see how discontent can arise when that is the teaching. People are taught that they are trapped in the same sins day in and day out, powerless to do anything about it. Or worse, taught that there isn’t any sin, that under Christ everything is permissible and yet their heart tells a much different story.

When read in it’s entirety, the Bible tells us a much different story however.  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)  What kind of horrible, sadistic God would tell us to be perfect if we couldn’t!? Would you tell your child that you expected them to do something that you knew was impossible? Why then are people taught that we will always be stuck in our sins? I could give you a whole “conspiracy theory” about our tithes, but lets give history the benefit of the doubt and just say that humans often choose what is easy over what is right. Over time what was once just easy has come to be seen as what is right.

Choosing contentment is not easy, but it is right.  Recognize that it is a choice! You are not stuck, you can lay down your sins and become more like Christ. This is also not easy, but it is right. Laying down sin is not a “work”, it is done out of love. Children imitate their heroes, they want to be just like them. If Christ was truly your hero you would want to imitate him, be just like him. Maybe hero worship sounds a bit too childish for you, but we must become like children in order to enter the Kingdom. (Mt 18:3) Worship God, make Him your hero, emulate Him, set aside your desires and make His desires your own.  It is not easy, but it IS right.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lived by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (John 3:20-21)

Passover began at twilight last night. This was THE night! The night when God showed His awesome power, His love for His people and His complete lack of patience for those who do not obey His words. The Egyptians, each and every one, lost their firstborn that night. The Bible clearly tells us that there was not a house without someone dead.

I have often wondered about Pharaoh in this account. Was the Pharaoh who summoned Moses in the middle of the night the same man who rejected all of God’s previous instructions to let the Hebrews go, or was he a young man (or perhaps even a boy) who had just lost his father and oldest brother suddenly making him Pharaoh. Who out of desperate grief sent the Hebrews away, and then out of an equally desperate desire for vengeance perused them into the desert.

The Hebrews were spared from this most terrible of plagues, but God gave them something to do in order to be saved. We learned as children that they were instructed to slaughter a lamb and place some of the blood on the door frames to their houses. The death angel would see the blood and “pass over” those houses. The Hebrews were NOT guaranteed this pass over UNLESS they obeyed God’s instructions. We are not told that some disobeyed, like we are elsewhere in Exodus. That leads me to believe that there was 100% compliance, but who could blame them! After all, there had been 9 previous plagues and they endured the first 3 (blood, frogs and gnats) along with the Egyptians before God made a distinction between Goshen and Egypt.

Last night we had our Sedar dinner and as I was getting ready for bed I began to think about the plight of the Hebrews that night. Exodus 12:42 tells us that God kept vigil that night to bring His people out Egypt. I don’t think the Hebrews got much sleep either. I can imagine them clearly. The adults huddled together whispering, watching, and praying. The youngest children asleep, not knowing what that night was to hold. The older children trying to sleep, but sensing the tension in their parents, whimpering and unable to drift off. Perhaps the oldest children were told ahead of time what God had said He would do that night.

My church keeps vigil on this night, some signing up for times of prayer, others praying as God leads. Personally, I am in the “as God leads” group. I was up during the night several times in prayer. My mind wandered back to another Passover night many years ago, to another man who also spent a sleepless night praying. This man knew that the following day would be his last. He knew he would be executed, though he committed no crime. He ate the Passover lamb with his friends, then the next day he would become the Passover lamb for the entire world. He ate the unleavened bread and drank the red wine of Passover, then his body would become the bread and his blood would become the wine. He would tell his friends that if they loved him they would obey his commands (John 14:15 and John 14:23-24.) Just like the Hebrews had to obey the instructions of God in order to be saved, this man told his friends they must obey his instructions to be saved.

This week the majority of Christians will celebrate the empty tomb. And that is a GLORIOUS thing!  But that man, all alone, on his knees that Passover night will be all but forgotten. Our culture doesn’t like to contemplate the bad thing in life.  But the Passover lamb MUST be slaughtered, that is a command of God.  If not for the slaughter, there would be no body to put in the tomb, making the empty tomb a moot point. And even though the Passover lamb has been slaughtered, we still must obey in order to be saved.

“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am Coming back to you.’  If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

I have told you now before  it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming.  He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. (John 14:28 28-31a NIV)

This recipe came with my version of MasterCook. It was in their “kid approved” cookbook. So I thought I’d give it a try. Well, one of my 3 kids liked it but the other 2 most certainly did not. Ed doesn’t like shellfish of any sort, so even though I “hid” it under the cheese he wouldn’t eat it. Ger also wouldn’t eat it, I don’t know why. He likes crab, just not shrimp. Mac and I didn’t really care for it either, but it had nothing to do with the fact it had seafood on it. Rather the recipe does not call for sauce of any kind, so the result is quite dry. I think next time I would at the very least brush the crust with flavored oil. Or even better, use a garlic flavored white sauce. Mic loves anything that can be called seafood and I think he ate 90% of the pizza himself.

Alaska Seafood Pizza

1 recipe pizza crust
3/4 cup crab meat (I used imitation crab)
3/4 cup tiny shrimp (I found frozen medium shrimp that was on sale)
1 can chunked pineapple
2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated white Cheddar cheese

Make dough according to the recipe directions.  Press into pan.  Top with crab, shrimp, pineapple, Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.

This one sounded strange, but it was really good.  My husband took one bite and was hooked.  The boys liked it hot, but apparently it didn’t make a good breakfast the next morning.  Unlike traditional pasta carbonara, this recipe does not have any raw eggs. It doesn’t have ANY eggs for that matter. I don’t know where I originally found this recipe, it just turned up when I was searching my recipe files for pizza.

Pizza Carbonara

1 recipe pizza dough

1 pound bacon

2 cups white sauce

1 teaspoon chicken bullion granules

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese

6 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)

Make dough according to recipe directions.  While the dough is rising, make the white sauce with a few variations.  Add the onion and garlic to the butter as it is melting and saute until the onion is translucent.   Then add the bullion granules when you add the milk.  Finally add the Parmesan while the sauce is thickening.  Next, cook the bacon until it is crispy, then crumble it after it cools.

Press dough into pan and top with the sauce.  Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce, then top with the crumbled bacon and green onions.   Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

I didn’t have time to get to the grocery store before I made pizza this week, so I went with a recipe that I already had all the ingredients for.  My husband loves Reubens and I try to make them about once a month.  Corned beef can be very fatty if you buy the flat cuts, but the round cut has a MUCH lower fat content. Unfortunately, I can only find the round cut at BJ’s and only in March (for St. Patrick’s day), so I buy 6 or 8 of them and put them in the freezer. Each piece will give me 2 meals of Reubens.   Reuben pizza was a huge hit here.  In fact they boys have requested that I put it on the “regulars” list for next year.

Reuben Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 bottle thousand island salad dressing

2 cups sauerkraut

1 pound corned beef- either sliced from a roast of from the deli section- cut into pieces

1 pound swiss cheese, shredded

Make dough according to recipe directions.  Press dough into pan and with a fork all over to keep it from getting too puffy, which makes the toppings difficult to get on.  Remove from oven and carefully spread the salad dressing over the crust (the burn on my wrist is nearly healed).  Top with cheese and corned beef.  “Sprinkle” with sauerkraut… sprinkle isn’t a good word, but the idea is to evenly distribute the sauerkraut so it isn’t in big clumps.  Return to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  If you overbake, the meat and the sauerkraut will be dried out.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

This was my attempt to imitate a Beef and Cheddar Hot Pocket.  It was good, but I think it still needs work.  I may have used too much sauce, I’m not sure though.

Beef and Cheddar Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

2 cups white sauce

6 sliced American cheese

1 cup mayo

a squrit or two mustard

Adobo

1 pound ground beef (actually used a very small roast sliced very thin)

3 cups cheddar cheese

1 medium onion

Make dough according to directions.  Make white sauce according to recipe, melt in the American cheese.  Once the cheese is melted add the mayo, mustard and Adobo (to taste).  Cook beef and onions together in a skillet.  Press dough into pan top with sauce meat and cheese.  I would add mushrooms too if my husband wasn’t home.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let cool 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Ger probably described this one best, “It’s like a flat meatball sub.”  I didn’t like this one that much, but then again, I think the best part of a meatball sub is the roll that has soaked up all the sauce.  The rest of the family loved it though.  And it was quick and easy.

Meatball Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 bag frozen meatballs

2-3 cups spaghetti sauce

3 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Make dough according to recipe.  While it is rising cut meatballs into quarters (they were much easier to eat when they were cut.)  Press dough into pan. Top with sauce, mozzarella, meatballs and Parmesan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Let me start by saying I love pesto!  So it’s not surprising that I loved this pizza.  But the rest of the family really liked it too.  I can get asiago cheese in large chunks at BJ’s, I don’t think I have ever seen it at my local grocery store though. But then again, I don’t check out the cheese counter very often.  If you can’t find asiago I think Parmesan would work just as well.

Pesto Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 8oz. jar pesto

1 to 1 1/2 cups asiago cheese

1 cup feta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 can diced tomatoes (or 2 fresh tomatoes diced)

Make dough according to directions.  Press into pan.  Stir pesto very well and spread over dough.  Sprinkle with mozzarella, feta and asiago.  Top with tomatoes.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.  Serve and enjoy.  Mmmm pesto!

Sorry these are so late!!  We lost our dog the Saturday before Christmas and honestly, I haven’t been in the mood to do much of anything I didn’t have too.  Griz was 13 years old, but had been in good health (for a dog so old) up until about two weeks ago. But he died peacefully in our backyard in the snow… his second favorite place to be.  Also I do have pictures of Week 19 and Week 17, but they are mixed in with the Christmas pictures at the moment.  Edited- Pictures are now up!

This idea came from another local pizza place.  I was looking at take-out menus for inspiration and thought this sounded good.  My husband took 2 bites and said “This is really good!” and Monday morning Ed (while eating leftover pizza for breakfast) described it as “Awesome!”  If you don’t like garlic though you may want to skip this one. But my family is of the opinion that there is no such thing as too much garlic.

Chicken Scampi Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

about 16 breaded chicken fingers, diced (you could also use diced cooked chicken)

1/2 cup butter

3-4 medium cloves garlic, minced (or put through a press)

4 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Adobo seasoning

Make dough according to recipe. Press into pan.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan add garlic and cook for a few moments until fragrant.  Brush top of dough with garlic butter. Add chicken to remaining garlic butter and toss to coat (add more butter if you need it.)  Dump contents of pan onto dough.  Arrange chicken evenly over the surface.  Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.  Sprinkle Adobo over the whole surface.  Bake 350 for 30 minutes, let cool briefly before cutting.

OK, I didn’t get to the grocery store on time and had to sort of “wing it” this week.  But this may be a good one to try if you have little bits of different cheeses leftover from your holiday celebrations.  A simple variation on the basic cheese pizza.

Odds and Ends Cheese Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 jar spaghetti sauce

3-4 cups cheese, grated- I used cheddar, American, Parmesan and mozzarella

Adobo Seasoning

Make dough according to recipe directions.  Press into pan.  Top with sauce and cheeses. Sprinkle with Adobo.   Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let cool about 10 minutes.  You will want this one to cool a bit longer to let the cheese set slightly so it stays on the crust.

I don’t remember where the idea for this pizza came from.  I made the sauce with a mixture of ranch dressing and hot sauce, but I may try sour cream and hot sauce next time.  If your family likes ‘hot’ you could also try coating the chicken in hot sauce.  But however you make it just remember that people can always add extra hot sauce to their pieces, so adjust the heat of the sauce to the tastes of the family member least tolerant to it.

I also made a stuffed crust which the kids have been asking me to do for a few months.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

hot sauce (I used about a 1/4 cup)

ranch dressing (I used about 3/4 bottle)

2-3 cups mozzarella

1 cup blue cheese

2 cups cooked chicken chunks

1 package cheese sticks (if you are going to stuff your crust)

Make dough according to recipe but make sure it is slightly sticky.  While dough is rising mix hot sauce and ranch dressing.  Press dough into pan making sure to leave plenty dough at the edges of the pan. Open the cheese sticks and lay around the edges of the crust.  Press the cheese sticks down slightly and stretch dough over the top of them.  Press the dough down well to seal the cheese sticks in the crust.  Top with sauce, mozzarella cheese, chicken and blue cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let cool about 10 min, cut and serve.

We all had colds this week, in fact my sweet husband joked I should develop a chicken soup pizza.   This week’s pizza isn’t too different from last week’s, but it was very simple to prepare and frankly, I didn’t have the energy to fuss too much.  But my husband LOVED it, and didn’t seem to notice that it was nearly the same pizza.  Next time though I will add more garlic, maybe some extra garlic to the sauce.  I used freshly grated Parmesan since I had a chunk in my refrigerator so it melted very nicely.  If you use the pre-grated it won’t melt as well because of the anti-caking agents added to the cheese.  We use both here, but I much prefer the flavor of freshly grated.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 jar Alfredo sauce

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced

2-3 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

garlic powder (optional)

sliced mushrooms (optional- we didn’t use these, my husband doesn’t like mushrooms)

Make dough according to recipe directions.  Spread on greased pan and top with Alfredo sauce.  If you are using extra garlic, I recommend stirring it into the sauce rather than sprinkling it over the pizza.  Personal experience speaking.  Sprinkle cheese and chicken over the sauce.  Bake 30 minutes, let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

You knew it was coming didn’t you?  A pizza that uses up some of the leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  This pizza was declared “Awesome!” by Mic.  Now 14 year old boys eat pretty much anything, but the rest of the family seemed to agree.  I wasn’t hungry last night so I didn’t have any then, but I did have a cold piece for lunch today and I thought it was good.  It probably would have been even better if I had taken the minute or two to heat it up, but I like cold pizza.

Turkey Club Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 jar Alfredo sauce

3-4 cups of cooked turkey (I didn’t measure it to be honest- cooked chicken would work fine too, it would just be a chicken club pizza)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained well

1/2 pound bacon (again I didn’t measure, I just had a hunk in the freezer)

2 cups provolone cheese, grated

Make pizza dough according to recipe directions.  Press dough into greased pan.  Top with Alfredo sauce then turkey, bacon and cheese.  Bake 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.

You could add frozen spinach to this (thawed and drained of course) to take the place of the lettuce in a true club sandwich, but my husband won’t touch anything with spinach so I didn’t even try it.

Ger used butter this week to grease the pan instead of olive oil (my usual choice) and the bottom of the crust seemed chewier.  I think we are going to try that again next week to see if it was the butter or just a quirk of my oven.

This recipe came from a boy scout cookbook of Dutch oven recipes.  We’ve made it while we were camping before, but it makes a LONG time before breakfast!  Start the fire, precook the ingredients, then cook the pizza… You can see this can easily take 1 1/2 hours from the time you get up.  It can be done, but it is SO much easier at home!!  I have made this occasionally for breakfast, but this week we had it for dinner.  It is a little different than my usual pizzas in that it has a biscuit crust.

Breakfast Pizza

Crust

6 cups flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shortening

2 1/4 cup milk

Toppings

8 eggs

1/2 pound cheddar cheese, shredded

1 pound breakfast sausage or bacon (or a combination, I had about a quarter pound of bacon in the freezer and a small chunk of sausage)

To make crust:  Mix dry ingredients together, cut in shortening.  Don’t worry too much about his step.  No one will notice how flaky your crust is!  Take it from this northern girl.  Add milk and mix until dough form a soft ball.  Knead a few times then press into an ungreased pan.  If you are using a pan with a small edge, or none a tall (like mine), make sure to pinch up a good edge.  It usually isn’t too important, but it is this time!  If you prefer you can use canned biscuit dough, which is what was originally called for.  I would say about 4 cans, maybe 5.  I’ve never used them on my big pan though, so I’m not sure.

Precook meat and drain.  You can rinse it if you want to remove some fat, though I never do.  Spread the meat over the crust.  Beat the eggs adding a bit of milk , salt and pepper if you want.  It is also good with about a teaspoon of dry mustard powder added.  Pour eggs over the meat.  Now you will see how good the edge you made is.  I guarantee you will only spill egg all over your kitchen once!  Sprinkle cheese over the top.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, or until the egg is set.

I was working on my latest menu plan this morning, and I started thinking about the upcoming holidays and how every woman I know has a vision of how she wants her holidays to be.  Our husbands, for the most part, just seem to flow along.  They may have a few ideas, or one or two things they like done a specific way.  And I heartily encourage you to honor that!  Last year Mac decided that we need all new outdoor lights, so he bought new  LED lights.  I’m not convinced that we really needed them, there are tons of lights in a tote in the attic, but it was important to him so we bought new lights.  In general though men don’t seem to have the mental images of  the “perfect” holiday many women carry around.  Usually our intentions are quite noble, happy memories for our children and family.  Unfortunately, the impossible quest for perfect causes a huge amount of stress.

I want you to take a moment though and think back to your childhood holidays.  What do you remember?  “Perfect” gifts?  Or the way your family unwrapped them (one on Christmas eve, taking turns, everyone digging in)  The “perfect” turkey?  Or eating dinner at Grandma’s?  When I look back, I have very few memories of specifics, but I do remember traditions.  We would wait at the top of the stairs until Mom and Dad told us we could come down (usually once Grandma and Grandpa arrived) then we ran downstairs and all unwrapped at once, though we had to make sure we showed Grandma and Grandpa what we had opened.  Then Dad cooked breakfast, usually eggs and bacon.  I could go through the whole day like that.  My point is that at least for me, my memories are made up more of our traditions than anything else.  The good part about this is that traditions are established over the course of years, which means the things that don’t go just right one year are not likely to be remembered.  And the ones that are usually end up are really funny family stories, even if your don’t think they are funny at the time.  Another good thing to keep in mind, the younger the child, the fewer number of years needed to establish a tradition.  What you see as something you have only done for 2 years, is established tradition to a 5 year old.  But even my teenagers find tradition in things I never would consider.  For example 2 or 3 years ago I was sick on the day we decided to decorate the tree, so I laid on the couch and let the kids do it alone.  The next year I found it had become tradition for the kids to decorate the tree.  It completely took away any stress I felt over having the “perfect” tree, I tell guests that in OUR house it is tradition for the kids to decorate the tree.

We can hold on to our vision and completely wear ourselves out worrying about every detail.  If that’s you, stop this minute and go read Matthew 6!!  Then take off your “Hello.  My name is Martha.” nametag.  After all Martha was more worried about the preparations, wasn’t she?  And don’t tell me that the house wasn’t small enough that she couldn’t have prepared AND listened.  Or that she couldn’t have graciously gone about her work and allowed her sister to remain where she was.  Or both!  Sure she could have, but I’ll bet she was really focused on making things perfect, not simply nice.  Like a magazine.  Oops, I was talking about Martha, wasn’t I.  Not modern holiday preparations… kind of hard to tell the difference.

Some of us don’t keep the stress to ourselves, we fuss at our families to make sure they comply with our vision.  After all we reason, it’s for them!  This is, in my opinion,  far worse!  Especially for those of us who are married.  If that is you, you need to humble yourself and apologize to your husband and find out what HIS vision for the holidays is.  That then completely becomes YOUR vision, not something added to your vision, not something to take under consideration if you have time or money.

How do you think God would have you prepare?  For the Earthly or the Eternal?  Your vision or your husband’s?  The “perfect” tree (or gift, or meal or whatever) or your children’s hearts?

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.”  Luke 10:41

OK, in the spirit of full disclosure, most of us didn’t like this pizza.  We found it “pasty.”  But my youngest LOVED it!  Might be a good way to get the younger set to eat beans.

Mexican Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 can refried beans

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pound ground beef

2-3 teaspoons taco seasoning

2 cups cheddar, jack or pepper jack cheese (I used a combo of cheddar and colby jack)

Make dough according to recipe.  Let rise and press into pan.  Brown ground beef and drain.  Add taco seasoning and tomatoes to meat and simmer for a few minutes to boil off excess water.  Mix refried beans and sour cream.  Spread on dough.  Top with ground beef mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.

I know I took a picture of this, but now I can’t find it.

This was really popular. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do a sauce, but I ended up making a mixture of ketchup, mustard and relish.  Sounds weird I know, but even my non-mustard eating youngest liked it.

Cheeseburger Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1 cup ketchup (more or less)

1/4 cup mustard (more or less, I added it just until the ketchup turned a rust color)

2 Tablespoons relish (just enough to add a little sweetness after you add the mustard)

1 pound ground beef

1 pound cheddar cheese

Make dough according to recipe, let rise and press into pan.  Brown and drain the ground beef.  Mix ketchup, mustard and relish together until it is a rusty red, but let your own taste be the guide.  Spread this sauce on the dough.  Top with cooked ground beef.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese over all.  I actually used a bit of bacon cheese I had in the refrigerator too.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Sorry, I thought I posted this!  But I just saved it in drafts.

This week’s pizza uses a flavored oil that’s really simple to make.

Herb Infused Olive Oil

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil

Mix everything together and let it sit at least overnight before using.  The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor.

White Pizza

1 recipe Pizza dough

Herb Infused olive oil

1 sweet onion sliced

1 tomato (sliced or chopped)

3-4 cups mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Make dough as directed, let rise and press into pan.  Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Top cheese with onions and tomatoes.  Sprinkle Parmesan over all.  Bake 30 minutes at 350.

First the good news, I figured out why my camera saved last week’s picture to the internal memory on the camera.  The memory card is missing.  The bad news, I can’t find the memory card.  It was sitting on the cupboard the other day, but now…  Who knows!

This week’s pizza is a replica of a pizza served by a local pizza place.  My sister brought it over for dinner one night and the whole family loved it!  Then I saw the price, $36 for a sheet (about 24 pieces.)  Yikes!  My version isn’t the most frugal of meals, but it is still less expensive than that.

Steak and Cheese Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1-2 pounds beef- the menu said they use sirloin.  I’ve used that when it’s on sale.  But I’ve also used round steak which works well too.

1 large sweet onion, sliced into half moons

1 green pepper, sliced

1-2 handfuls of mushrooms, sliced (you can also use canned to save time)

1-2 teaspoons Adobo/garlic salt

olive oil

20-24 slices American cheese- white looks best, but the color doesn’t really matter

1/2 pound mozzarella, shredded

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, shredded

Make dough according to directions.  While the dough is rising, thinly slice the beef.  This is very easy if the meat is still mostly frozen.  Cook beef, onions, mushrooms (if you are using fresh) and peppers in olive oil until done.  Sprinkle with Adobo while cooking.  I cook everything together, but you can cook them separately if you need to be able to leave something off of part of the pizza.  Spread dough onto an oiled pan, lightly brush the top with olive oil.  Next top with the American slices, these will melt into a creamy “sauce”.  Then add the other cheeses, the meat and vegetables.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let cool about 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Hmmm… Apparently the camera saved the picture to the internal memory instead of the memory card and I can’t find the cord to connect the camera to the computer. I’m sure Mac knows where it is, but he is at work right now. So pic coming soon.

This idea came from a flat bread snack I bought one time. When I asked, everyone said they liked it. But no one volunteered that information on their own. Personally I think I didn’t use enough dressing, it seemed bland. So this one is up in the air for now, I’ll try it again with more dressing later.

Chicken (Turkey) Bacon Ranch Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

1/2 bottle ranch salad dressing (I think I should have used 3/4 to a full bottle)

2 cups diced chicken (I used leftover turkey since I had roasted a turkey earlier in the week)

1/2 pound of bacon

1 can diced tomatoes (optional, but they add a nice color)

4 cups (1 pound) mozzarella cheese, shredded

Make pizza crust and let rise.  While dough is rising cook bacon til crisp, and cook chicken if it’s not precooked.  Crumble bacon.  Drain the diced tomatoes well, I even pressed out some of the juice.  Spread dough onto pan, top with dressing, cheese, chicken bacon and tomatoes.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Next time I think I’ll try to prebake the crust for 10 minutes (to keep the center from staying doughy) and top it with a whole bottle of dressing.