One of my favorite appetizers is spinach and artichoke dip. This pizza from Real Simple is a sister to the dip! I love it! Now pizza is not my most favorite food, but if I make my own crust and cook it on my pizza stone it is a food made in heaven. The pizza is not as heavy as you would think. Really it is light yet filling. So if you are in the mood for pizza and don’t want to go the meat lover’s way this one is for you.
Filed under Main dish
Here I am back again with a boatload of recipes for you! School is in full swing and everyday I am bombarded by the question when are we cooking? I hate it that we can’t cook everyday, but there are Standards to be covered and all that other stuff the state requires. I am excited about this year’s angels that have been given to me to broaden their knowledge about my love of cooking. I have a plan to teach them 30 dishes that everyone should know when they leave home and endeavor life on their own. I am excited especially when I hear a student talking to a friend and saying to them that I am a cool teacher. It really makes my day because there are times that I have some self doubt. You know every once in a while you just want to know if they really care about what you are doing. I had a lot of fun doing this recipe from Pillsbury. There are so many students that want to help me in the kitchen! For this first demonstration of the year I had some great volunteers. Surprisingly none of the four had any cooking experience, but they did great! I am looking forward to another fabulous year with rewarding cooking experiences to share along the way.
Filed under Appetizer
Talk about a show stopper this Sky-High Brunch Bake is one that will stop you in your tracks! I could not resist making it when I saw the picture in Food and Family by Kraft. It is beautiful to look at and it is quite tasty. I am keeping this bookmarked to use during the holiday season for a brunch because the green spinach and red peppers are so colorful! Don’t let the beautiful picture intimidate you because it is super simple to make if you can get past rolling out the pastry dough. Just follow the thawing directions on the box. You can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or leave it out for about 45 minutes ahead of time. I like to thaw it out in the refrigerator. If you let it get too warm just put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes. The pastry dough is very forgiving. The rest of the recipe is a cinch to make. Trust me by saying the novice cook can pull this off without a hitch and come out smelling like a rose!
Brownies are the easiest cookie to make, but they are also the easiest to wreck. It is very hard to judge doneness so many cooks including myself *ahem* will overcook them. Most of the recipes will be done when they start to pull away from the sides of the pan. This recipe has a gooey caramel center so it is harder to judge doneness. Just watch carefully and be ready to pull these out. When I read the recipe and saw that you cooked one layer for 25 minutes, added caramel and more brownie mix and cooked for an additional 30 minutes I said no way! The recipe fooled me. It is a fantastic moist and chocolatey brownie. One of the best I have ever had. Try these and you will never make brownies from a box again and you may even throw your old recipe away. They won the taste test with about 42 of my best tasters!
Filed under Cookies
I ask myself, do I really have a part-time job? When I get off at 12 it seems to me that I have worked all day. I’ve taught 4 classes and have seen 125 students. It is nonstop for me and time just flies by. My hours are 8-12, but at 12 it is just like I have another job! I am busy to the point that I wonder what happens to my free afternoon. With more time I find myself with less time to just relax! It seems that I don’t have time to enjoy my front porch with a good book or eat lunch on my deck. I haven’t plugged in my sewing machine in 2 years! In the three years that I have had this blog many hours have been spent writing, planning, shopping , cooking, eating, and learning to use a camera. Thank goodness that I do have a busy life. What would happen to me without all this stuff to do???? Now for the recipe for this wonderful Coffee Cake that my sister-in-law gave me years ago that has saved my life for many showers, brunches, and for something sweet at 10:00 o’clock at night!
I love a good pasta dish. Usually they are quick to make and you can add whatever you have on hand to make them your own dish. That is exactly what I did with this dish that my Tennessee friend told me about. Her family loved it so I knew that we would , too. I was right. It was a big hit. I am not a lover of alfredo sauce. It’s just too heavy for me. I’m more the fresh tomato sauce person or pesto sauce. I liked the dish the first night I served it, but what I did with the leftovers the next night I loved!
Filed under Main dish
School started Monday and this is what I cooked for dinner. It is easy and filling. I just love the recipes that I am finding in the Make & Take July issue from Better Homes and Gardens. By the way it was a good first day. But, I have more news! It is my blog’s birthday. Yes, it has been three years since I started this experiment and I want to reward you the reader with two cookbooks from one of the first friends that I made as I was over whelmed with the whole blog thing. I did not know what I was doing. Well, if the truth be known I still don’t! Susan Russo from Food Blogga befriended me. I love using her blog for my class as a resource. She knows what she is talking about and is so well rounded. Check her blog out you’ll love it! Anyway, I am giving away two of her cookbooks Recipes that Every Man Should Know and The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches to a lucky reader. Just comment here on the blog. The deadline is Sunday at midnight. Good luck! And you are going to love this recipe! It is a keeper!
Filed under Main dish
Summer as I know it is about to come to an end in five days. There will be no more breakfast on my front porch. Sleeping past five AM will be not be a choice. Reading a good book late at night will come to a screeching halt. Summer has been fun, but way too short. School is starting a month earlier than most schools in other parts of the country. We get lots of breaks, but I so miss the first day of school starting after Labor Day! It will be bedtime at 9:30 and the alarm will go off at 4:50! So Tuesday it is official I will a working girl again!
Filed under Desserts
I have dreamed of making a great lasagna. You know the real Italian kind that’s labor intensive and that has your heart in it from start to finish. And yes, this is that recipe! This is not a recipe that you can make at the spur of the moment. It will take a little over an hour to put it together and about an hour to bake it, but it is so worth it!
Filed under Main dish
If you want to impress someone with a great appetizer this is for you. It will get you rave reviews no matter where you take it. My friend Marilyn has served this many, many times and it is always a hit. In fact, if she doesn’t bring it she is really in trouble. The recipe has been shared with everyone and I have it somewhere, but when I wanted to make it last month for my tennis match in Newnan I could not find it. Syble of course had the recipe and sent it to me. So I’m in the grocery store buying everything and the recipe doesn’t say what size can of deviled ham to use. Thank goodness for phone cameras and text messaging. I took a picture of both sizes of ham and sent it to Syble and the small can was the winner. Speaking of using your phone camera in the store. I get the biggest kick watching husbands shopping for groceries. There will be some conversation followed by picture-taking and more conversation, ” Okay good I’ll get this.” What a help for husbands that don’t have a clue about shopping.
Filed under Appetizer
The Teacher Cooks 