Thursday, March 4, 2010

Pizza sauce

I have been using the pizza sauce recipe from Gluten Free Homemaker for a couple of months. It is so easy to throw together out of ingredients that I always have in the pantry.  I make a 2-3 batches every Friday. As soon as the crusts go in the oven for their first bake, I start the sauce. That give it just enough time to simmer before we are ready to use it.

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 Tb. sugar
  • 1 Tb. minced garlic (1/8 tsp. garlic powder in the original recipe)

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a pan and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

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Pizza crust

Friday night is pizza and movie night at our house. Since we are gluten and casein free, that means mom gets to make pizza crust. After trying several recipes with only moderate success, we finally found one that everyone likes on the Sure Talent Books site. I have made a couple of modifications, that are shown below. I make two batches to feed our family of 7. We make 5 pie plates for individual pizzas for the younger kids and I and 2 bar pans for Scott and E. We normally have enough leftovers for lunch one day, but not always. I have two bowls for my Kitchen Aid, so I make one batch in each bowl. I tried making a double batch in one bowl, and it didn't work out very well.

Ingredients

  • 1¼ Cups Cornstarch 
  • 1 Cup Millet Flour
  • 2 Cups White Rice Flour
  • 1½ Tablespoons Xanthan Gum 
  • 1½ Teaspoons Salt 
  • ¼ Teaspoon Dried Oregano 
  • ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder 
  • 2 1/4 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil 
  • 2 Eggs 
  • 1 Egg White 
  • 1¾ Cups Warm Water (110-115°)
Yield: dough for two 12 inch round pizzas.

Directions

Place Cornstarch, flours, Xanthan gum, salt, oregano, garlic powder and yeast in mixing bowl; mix. Add, vinegar, sugar, honey, oil, eggs, egg white and lastly the warm water; mix. Increase mixing speed to high, and beat for 4 minutes.

Coat your pizza pans with cooking spray. Dough will be a bit difficult to work with (sticky). Place dough in pans and spread with wet hands. (NOTE: This is the best way I have found to work with gluten free doughs. I just keep getting my hands wet and spreading the dough until it looks good.)

Allow to sit in a warm, dry location (free of drafts) covered loosely with plastic wrap or a towel for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375° and pre-bake crusts for 17 minutes.

Remove pizza crusts from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°.

Add pizza sauce, cheese and any other desired toppings to the pizza crusts and then place back in oven for an additional 20 minutes (note: if using sausage or other raw meat, it should be precooked before adding to pizza). We use ground turkey, canadian bacon, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and soy cheese.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting.


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Taco soup

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe for taco soup years ago. It is a favorite at our house. The original recipe calls for a package of ranch dressing mix, but since we are casein-free, I leave that out and we add some sour cream substitute at the table. I always use ground turkey in place of ground beef. I really prefer the flavor and the cost.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef or turkey
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 oz can green chilis
  • 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
  • 3 cans stewed tomatoes
  • 2 cans hominy
  • 1 can pinto beans
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 1/2 cups water


Directions

  1. Brown the meat and drain. 
  2. Put it all together; it needs a little simmering time for flavors to blend (about an hour). I normally cook it all day in a crockpot on low heat.
  3. Top with sour cream substitute and grated soy or goat cheese.
  4. Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips. 

    Time to get organized in the kitchen again

    I can't remember the last time I sat down and made a menu plan for the week. Maybe that explains why we have been eating the same boring meals for so long. I have to get back on track! Since Sprouts and Newflower ads start on Wednesday, I am going to start planning Thursday to Wednesday so I can take advantage of their sales.

    Thursday

    Friday
    Saturday
    • Breakfast casserole
    • Sandwiches
    • Fried rice
    Sunday
    Monday
    • Eggs & bacon
    • Burritos
    • Honey lime chicken chicken, rice, veggies
    Tuesday
    Wednesday
    • Breakfast burritos
    • Rollups
    • Beans and cornbread

    Wednesday, March 3, 2010

    Custom colored chalk board paint

    A Very Blessed Nest just saved me a trip to the store with her super tip on how to make chalkboard paint in any color. I can't wait to get started on a couple of projects.

    Dolly hair pretties

    From An Igloo has a great tutorial for making dolly hair pretties. I wonder when I can find time to make some for my girls?

    Tuesday, March 2, 2010

    Quick gift

    What do you do when you find out about a birthday party less than 24 hours in advance on a day that the kids are going crazy and you have plans for the evening? I'm not sure what anyone else would do, but I decide to make a gift. Then I decide it will be easier to try to design something than to find a pattern on the internet. Oh, and I decide to make a purse, even though I have only made one purse in my life. Sounds like a brilliant plan, doesn't it?

    Even though this was the worst thought out plan in history (Well, maybe not, but you get the idea), I was still pleased with the results. K and I will make a quick trip to the store to pick up some lip gloss, etc. to put in the purse and we will be finished.

    Now, if I was smart, I would make a couple more and put them in the closet for when we need another gift in a hurry. Of course, that would take all the challenge and excitement out of getting ready for a party.
     
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