Smoothies

We have gotten into a really bad habit around my house.  Every night right before bed we have a big bowl of popcorn, nachos, or smoothies (last night we even had all three).  The kids love it and wait anxiously for that time of night.  So I thought I should post my smoothie recipe.  One of my three children HATES fruit, but he loves smoothies (he must not realize there is fruit in it).  The fun part is with this recipe I can use any kind of fruit that I want.  We've used blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches and mango and combinations of them together as well.  They all turn out great with this recipe.

1 cup frozen fruit
1 banana frozen (you can use not frozen also, it just makes the smoothie not as thick)
2 T. honey
1/4 vanilla yogurt (or whatever you have on hand)
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup milk
1-2 T. milled flax seed

Blend in blender until smooth.  I don't like my smoothies very thick, so you can actually drink them, so at the end if it looks too thick I just add more milk.

I'm don't like to measure things much when I'm cooking (it drives my husband nuts), so you can't really screw up this recipe because I'm sure I have put too much of something and not enough of the other a few times, but it always tastes good.

It is even a good for you by adding the milled flax seed.  I am hoping to try disguising a handful of spinach in the smoothies soon. I'm hoping nobody will notice :)

Pita's and Hummus

My sister lives in Israel (Hi Sister!) and this recipe is in honor of her.  I was a little nervous about homemade pita's, but they are delicious and really so easy.  And, hummus is just as simple.  My sister tells me that they use hummus in place of mayo on sandwhiches and I think I just might have to try that, I am sure it adds lots of flavor.

Let's start with the Hummus.  The recipe is so simple, but it does call for one ingredient that you probably don't have in your kitchen and that is Tahini.  Tahini is basically a sesame seed butter.  It is really good and adds tons of flavor, but if you don't want to buy it you can use regular peanut butter, or some sesame oil for the flavor.

1 can garbanzo beans (I reserved a little of the liquid and added later to adjust the thickness)
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 T. lemon juice (or 1 fresh lemon squeezed)
2 T. Tahini
1 tsp. salt

I just made my hummus really basic, but you can also add 1/3 cup chopped parsley (but I don't really like parsley so I left if out).  You can also blend in an avocado if you like those.  Put all the ingredients in the blender and puree until desired consistency.  To serve drizzle with olive oil on top and enjoy.

My favorite way to eat Hummus is with Pita chips.  NOT the store bought ones, those are gross.  You can use store bought pitas covered with olive oil, garlic pwd, salt, basil, oregano, and anything else you want.  Then toast them in the oven (around 425) for 8 minutes until crispy, but here is my recipe for homemade pita's.

1 T. yeast
1 1/8 cup warm water
1 T. oil
3 cups flour (you can use wheat flour also)
1 tsp. salt
pinch of sugar

Disolve yeast in water.  Stir in the flour and salt.  Stir into a ball and knead until smooth.  Divide into 6 balls and roll out in circle about 1/4 thick.  Cover with towel and let rise 45 minutes.  Flip pita's upside down onto baking sheet and bake at 500 for about 8 minutes or until browned and puffed.  They bread comes out hard, but will soften and flatten as they cool.
Enjoy!!

Homemade Granola Bars

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  Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

taken from www.allrecipes.com

Burrito Casserole

I found this recipe on another blog spot that some friends of mine have(http://www.pimpmydinner.blogspot.com/). Shawn and I really like the sauce. Take a package of frozen burritos and put them in a casserole dish. Mix together one can of green enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, and one cup of sour cream. Pour sauce over burritos and then sprinkle with cheese. Cook in the oven until heated through and serve. It is so simple for a quick dinner and pretty good.

Roasted Garlic Pizza with White Sauce

My husband and I love roasted garlic. So, we really enjoyed this pizza. The key to getting a good pizza crust is to crank your oven up all the way to 500 and let your pizza stone get nice and hot in there before you add the pizza. The second you put the dough on the hot stone (with a pizza peel) it immediately starts to crisp up and cook perfectly.

1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 to 4 heads Roasted Garlic, recipe follows
2 to 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal, for sprinkling on baker's peel
1 recipe Parmesan Pizza Dough, recipe follows
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 ounces grated fontina
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Gently heat milk in a small saucepan, just until barely simmering. Remove and keep covered.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter. When foam subsides, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Do not allow flour to color. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking to combine. Add the salt and cayenne and increase the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, whisking continuously, until the sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. Remove from heat and add 10 of the roasted garlic cloves. Pour the hot mixture into a blender, cover tightly, and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and cool slightly, placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface.

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the yellow cornmeal on a baker's peel or baking sheet. Place the rolled out pizza dough circle on the prepared baker's peel or baking sheet.

Spread the cooled sauce over pizza dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Place sliced mozzarella on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining roasted garlic cloves (whole) over the cheese and top with the grated fontina. Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cheese is melted and bubbly and golden brown in spots. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chopped herbs over the top. Serve immediately.

Roasted Garlic: 3 to 4 heads garlic, upper quarter removed 4 teaspoons olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub 1 teaspoon of oil into the top of each head. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove each clove of garlic from the head. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel any cloves that you cannot remove individually. Set aside until needed.




Yield: enough for 1 pizza
Recipe: Courtesy of Food Network (Emerill Lagasse)