A Date Night Freebie
August 28, 2010 > 2 Comments
My husband and I have big plans to fit in at least 2 date nights out of the house before the baby is born. We figure we need to do it now since it will be at least 6 months before just the two of us can go out again. We’re pretty simple when it comes to date nights out. Usually we just go out to eat, lingering at the table while we talk about everything, and then walk around somewhere, typically Wal-Mart or Target. We’re exciting people, aren’t we?
One of my favorite chain restaurants is Chili’s. It’s been a few years since we’ve been to one, but it sounds so good! Plus, I have been craving ribs like crazy, and their ribs are mighty tasty.
So you can imagine my excitement when I received this offer in my email inbox – FREE chips and queso dip at Chili’s just for signing up for their email club. I am all over that!
Hopefully we’ll be enjoying our free chips and queso next weekend. And I hope you get to enjoy them soon too!
Ham & Cheese Pockets
August 26, 2010 > 5 Comments
During my baking marathon last Saturday, I was so excited to get a quick, grab-and-go lunch stocked in the freezer. Once school starts, it will just be my husband, our 3 year old and me eating lunch at home. Figuring out what to make for the three of us for lunch has been tricky for me.
If it were just my daughter and me, we’d eat a lot of salads with chick peas (her current favorite food). If it were just my husband and me, we’d punt and just grab whatever was on hand. But for some reason, the three of us eating lunch together makes me feel like I need to plan an actual meal of sorts. Maybe that will change after a few weeks though.
In addition to the three of us eating at home, lunches for school is also a concern. Most days, the 3 kids at school will be eating one of the school’s hot lunch options (or their third option of tossed salad with beans, yogurt and whole wheat rolls – love that!) But if this year proves to be anything like last, there will still be many days when they opt to bring lunch from home. That is just fine with me. So having a few options in the freezer that can be tossed in lunch boxes to thaw by lunch time sounds like a great plan to me, especially given how worried I already am about the hectic mornings ahead after the baby is born.
Using the same dough I did to make the Chicken & Broccoli Rolls, I threw together 2 dozen easy lunch options. I actually made 1 dozen ham & cheese and 1 dozen just cheese, or “grilled cheese pockets” as I called them for the kids. We’ve since sampled them and decided that we definitely prefer the ham and cheese pockets because the ham adds just enough extra flavor and texture. Although personally, I could happily eat all of those grilled cheese pockets myself. I mean, it’s cheese and bread. What could possibly be wrong with those two together? (I’m also the only one in the house who could eat a straight-up cheese sandwich, so maybe that explains it a little.)
Ham & Cheese Pockets
For the dough:
- 1 T. (or 1 packet) yeast
- 1 c. warm water, divided
- 1 t. sugar
- 1/4 c. melted butter, cooled to room temperature
- 2 1/2 – 3 c. flour
- 1 1/2 t. salt
1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 warm water. Stir in the sugar and let sit to proof for 5 minutes. Pour in the melted and cooled butter and the remaining warm water.
2. Add 2 c. flour and the salt. Mix for two minutes. Work in as much remaining flour as needed to make a dough that is smooth but not sticky. Knead on a floured surface or continue beating for about 10 minutes. Add a bit more flour if the dough starts to get sticky while kneading.
3. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Punch down dough, cover and let rise for at least another 30 minutes.
For the filling:
- 1/2 lb. sliced deli ham
- 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, sliced (we prefer sharp cheddar)
To assemble:
- 3 T. butter or margarine, melted (optional)
- 1 t. coarse salt (optional)
1. Divide dough into 12 evenly sized balls. Roll out into a circle about 6 inches in diameter. Place some ham and cheese on one half of the dough. Fold the remaining half over the top. Pinch closed and then seal with the tines of a fork. Repeat until done.
2. If desired, brush melted butter over each pocket and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-18 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
To freeze, cool completely and place as many as will fit into gallon-sized plastic freezer bags. To reheat, warm in the oven or microwave. Or, simply eat once thawed, as you would in a brown-bag lunch.
Definitely play around with these to your tastes. Omit the meat for just the grilled cheese pockets. Replace the ham with turkey or pepperoni. Use a different cheese. There are definitely tons of options!
Homemade Pizza Sauce
August 25, 2010 > 2 Comments
I’ve included my recipe for making homemade pizza sauce in a few posts in the past, but as I made a large batch on Saturday night, I decided it deserved a post all its own. Homemade pizza sauce is so simple and it tastes SO much better than anything you’d buy at the store. And I am a pizza sauce kind of girl. In fact, I usually prefer a pizza with half the cheese and double the sauce. There’s no health reason or counting calories behind that, it’s simply a taste preference.
So, you know I’m very particular when it comes to a pizza sauce. I’ve been making my own sauce for a few years now and I’ve played around with it plenty. I don’t measure anything (unless I have to in order to share the recipe) and I mix up the textures quite a bit, but the underlying taste is always the same, and we all love it around here!
Since I was freezing half a batch of pizza dough when we had pizzas on Saturday night, I decided to double the pizza sauce to freeze as well. I was quite proud of the common sense I used there. (For some reason, pregnancy and common sense don’t always go hand-in-hand for me.)
Homemade Pizza Sauce
- 1 15 oz. can diced or petite-diced tomatoes
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 1/2 T. olive oil
- 2 – 3 t. Italian seasoning
- 1 1/4 t. salt
- 1 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. sugar
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 T. water, optional
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well mixed. Only add the water if the sauce is too thick for your liking. Cover and refrigerate until using.
This recipe is for a chunky-style pizza sauce. That’s really my preference, although you won’t find it served at too many places. But I grew up loving my Chicago-style pizza at Gino’s East, so that chunky sauce has my heart. If you’re not a fan of chunky sauce, you can replace the diced tomatoes with an 8 oz. jar of tomato sauce plus about 1/4 c. of water, or you can just process the diced tomatoes in a food processor or blender until they are smooth.
Anyone else prefer the sauce on a pizza, particularly a chunky sauce, to the rest of the toppings?
