Wordless Wednesday

Meal Plan Monday

Hello, all! The past few weeks have been strange. Way too much fast food/take-out and running around. This week should finally slow back down to normal, and I'm happy to be back to a regular meal plan!

Monday: Homemade Chicken Strips, Creamed Corn, Fries

Tuesday: Spaghetti, Roasted Broccoli, Cheesy Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Pioneer Woman's Braised Short Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus - I saw this on her site a couple of weeks ago, and had it in my mind ever since! I can't wait to try this one!

Thursday: Breakfast Burritos - Kevin will be gone overnight on Thursday, so, as usual, we're having breakfast!

Friday: Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit, Chips

Pizza Party

Tonight was pizza night here! I made the dough early in the day, so putting it all together in the evening was quick and easy. My dough recipe follows. It is super simple, but very tasty! I like to stretch it out thin and pile the toppings on!

For the kids, I normally make small, mini pizzas, so they can all have their favorite kind. Hannah likes everything, Owen likes nothing, and Megan doesn't like sauce, so it's an easy way to let them each have their way.

As for me, I like my pizza with prosciutto and spinach. When we lived in West Des Moines, there was an AWESOME little pizza place that specialized in wood-fired pizzas (Red Rossa). It was divine! Kevin, the kids and I all loved it and ate there frequently. Sadly, there isn't anything nearly as good here. Through trial and error, this is pretty darn close!

Pizza Dough (originally from my friend Angela)

2 Tbls. olive oil (separated)

1 tsp. honey

1 cup warm water

1 pkg. yeast

3 cups flour (divided)

1 tsp. salt

Put 1 Tbls. olive oil and honey in a bowl; add in 1 cup of very warm water and stir. Add in 1 pkg. of yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. Add in 1 1/2 cups flour and salt. Stir to form a soft dough. Add in an additional 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Turn onto a clean surface and knead for about 5-7 minutes. Put 1 Tbls. olive oil in a large clean bowl. Place the dough ball in the bowl and roll it gently in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a dish towel and place in a warm place for 2-3 hours.

My Sauce

(I've never written it down before, so bear with me). I like pizza sauce to be unfussy. Only a handful of ingredients. Pour a Tbls of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add 4 or 5 cloves of minced garlic and cook until just browned (you can obviously use less, but I'm a garlic addict). Add a jar/can of strained tomatoes (any brand) and cook on low, until bubbly. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste (about a Tbls. of salt). Chop a small handful of fresh basil. Wilt into the sauce and continue cooking for 5-10 more minutes.

That's it.

Preheat your oven to 425. Lightly grease your pizza pan. Stretch/press your dough into a thin layer. Top with lots of sauce (don't be skimpy)!

Course chop a few slices of proscuitto (I use about 3) and layer over the pizza. Top with fresh, soft mozzarella and then pile high with fresh spinach (it wilts a lot in the oven). It is so, so good! You'll most definitely be ruined for Pizza Hut and the rest of the greasy pizza chains for life!

Meal Plan Monday (on Tuesday)

Columbus Day put me a day behind! The girls were off from school yesterday, and we were all tired from the weekend. Slowly, I'm getting into the groove of the week!

Monday: Corn dogs, Grapes, Cheese (don't you wish you were invited over for this one?) ;-)

Tuesday: Chicken Stir-Fry, Rice - We didn't have this last week, and I had prepared for it!

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza, Salad - When I was young, and "should" have loved pizza, it was never my favorite. Now that I make it myself, I find that I could eat it all of the time! When you use good ingredients, pizza can be fabulous!

Thursday: Waffles, Bacon, Fresh Fruit - Kevin will be out-of-town, so we normally have breakfast for dinner at least once!

Friday: Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Chips & Queso

Hope everyone is having a great week!

15 Years!

Wow. This weekend was my 15th high school reunion. A bunch of us class of '95ers met up and had a great time! On one hand, it seems like I hadn't seen many of them in ages. On the other, I can remember our time in high school like yesterday (aside from the "fight" that Lori swears her brother got into with Quintin our sophomore year)! Stories were swapped, kids were introduced and a lot of new memories were made!

My BFF Cathy, and Kevin:All of my former classmates who made it for dinner (a few more showed up later in the evening):
Lori and I:We were lucky that my cousin, Sara, and her daughter Elizabeth were able to come home for the weekend, too! I can't remember when we saw them last (Christmas maybe?)! Both of my sisters came out to my mom and dad's, too, and we had a fun day of hanging out and eating yummy food (Sara made a pecan pie, and Lisa brought a s'mores maker). The kids thought that was awesome (and I'll admit to eating a roasted marshmallow or two myself). A sticky, sweet mess, but so much fun!

My nephew Tyler, Megan and my sister, Lisa:

All of the s'more makers:Hannah with a sticky bite:Tyler helps Owen roast a marshmallow:Elizabeth (2 1/2) and Owen (3 1/2):She was wearing the perfect shirt for the occasion, "Napkins are for babies!" So true!

Meal Plan Monday

With the cooler weather, I thought I'd start the week with a soup. I'm most definitely a warm-weather gal myself, but I do like when I can start making soups, stews and chili again!

Monday: My mom's vegetable beef soup. So, so yummy! Someday, I'll put the recipe up, but it's so "mom" like (a handful of rice, enough water to cover - no real measurements). Crackers alongside, but no other veggies or anything. It's all in there!

Tuesday: Chicken stir-fry, rice

Wednesday: Comfort meatballs (the link says BBQ meatballs, but the cookbook has a different name), mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli

Thursday: Leftover soup. We'll eat it all up, and won't have more leftovers since we'll be gone for the weekend!

Friday: Eating on the road! We're heading to my parents' house for the weekend. It's my (YIKES!) 15th high school reunion!