Thursday, January 28, 2016

Our Favorite Pizza


Yep, we eat pizza a lot at our house. 
Always have and probably always will!           

We like both homemade or delivery...we just do not like frozen. 
Here is our favorite...Sourdough crust, with ham, pineapple and my half has green peppers and onions. One of the things that makes it our favorite is my special sauce...yummy. We just had it and I want it again!                                

Sourdough Pizza Crust

1 cup sourdough starter, unfed (straight from the fridge)
1/2 cup hot tap water
2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour (just depends on how wet your starter is)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1/2 teaspoon yeast
Stir any liquid into the sourdough starter, and spoon 1 cup starter into a mixing bowl.
Add the hot water, 2 cups flour, seasonings and yeast. Mix to combine, then knead till smooth adding more flour as needed. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased container, and allow it to rise till  doubled in bulk.  Drizzle pizza pans with olive oil.
Place dough on pan. Shape dough into a disk, toss, roll or press to edges, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. Gently press the dough towards the edges of the pan. Cover the pan, and let the dough rise until it is as thick as you like. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F.
Pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes before topping. Top, then bake till toppings are hot and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting.
  
Now for the toppings...start with the sauce. I use 1/2 cup of pizza sauce. I home can mine during tomato season, but you can use whatever brand you like. Add 2 Tablespoons of Bar-B-Que sauce. Whatever brand you have on hand. Mix it together and top your crust, We like a very thin amount of sauce on our pizza. If you like more just increase the amounts. The small amount of BBQ sauce really accents the ham and pineapple. I don't use this sauce on every pizza I make, just this "Hawaiian" one, but since it is our favorite 8 out of ten times this is the pizza I make!  We top it with Mozzarella cheese, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese for color and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Then add as much ham and pineapple as you like. 
I love green bell peppers and onions on my pizza, my sweetheart does not, so we go half and half with it, and we are both happy in pizza heaven.  
Enjoy!

Monday, January 18, 2016


Slow Cooker Rustic Tortellini Soup

I I have been out of commission for several months with major surgery, then out of town to visit the family, when we returned home...we brought back the flu with us. Which for me turned into pneumonia. I am just beginning to regain my strength. Yesterday it was very cold here in Central Illinois so I wanted something tasty and hardy to eat. This is one of my old stand-byes. Super easy to make and warms you up well! I served it with crusty sourdough bread and it was a perfect end to the day. I hope you enjoy this one!


Slow Cooker Rustic Tortellini Soup
1 lb. Italian Sausage or groaned beef, browned
2 cups chicken broth
1 can stewed tomatoes (I like to chop mine up a bit)
1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 tsp. Italian seasonings, to taste
1/2 tsp. minced garlic, to taste
1 package Tortellini (It comes in many different sizes, so give or take 10 oz. works great)

Add all ingredients except Tortellini to slow cooker. Heat 2 hours or longer on low. Add Tortellini and cook 20-30 minutes until done.