Pizza with Sausage, Tomatoes and Basil

Ok, so I had these pizzas at my friend Nicole's house...SOOOOO Good! I bugged her about the recipe for weeks after because I wanted another one so bad. It's almost enough to go out and buy a BBQ grill just so I can have one.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. yeast

1 tsp salt

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Topping:

1 pound red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 pound turkey sausage, cooked and thinly sliced

1 C. grated part-milk mozarella

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

PREPARATION

For dough:

Mix flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Gradually add 1/2 cup warm (110 degree) water until a soft dough forms. Divide into 4 portions. Using hands, roll dough into balls, coat with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise 30 to 45 minutes. When ready to cook, place each ball of dough on a piece of wax paper and flatten into a 4-inch circle. Coat grill with cooking spray and heat on high. Gently lift dough onto grill and cook until dough puffs and underside stiffens (about 30 seconds); flip and reduce heat to low.

For topping:

Mix topping ingredients and then divide among crusts; cover grill. Grill until cheese melts, 5 to 6 minutes more. Slice and serve.

Ok, so that's the recipe, but that's not exactly how we had them. We had the sauce separate, so the balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes and olive oil. We spread that on each pizza first and then a layer of mozzarella, and then a mix of toppings, including:

mushrooms

sauteed mushrooms and onions

red peppers

tomatoes

sliced olives

pinenuts

pepperoni

canadian bacon

zucchini sliced

any toppings you want really, and then topped again with mozzarella...cooked until melted. Sooooo good!

And the best part, the dough cooks right on the grill. Great summer food, and healthy!

Crockpot Cooking

Here are several recipes for the crockpot:

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 Can Cream of Celery Soup, Condensed

1 Can sliced mushrooms, with liquid

1/2 C. long-grain rice, converted

white rice, uncooked

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix

Combine soup, mushrooms, and rice in greased 2 to 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Place chicken on top of mixture and sprinkle with onion soup mix. Cover and cook on low heat 4 to 6 hours. Makes 2-4 servings.

Creamy Chicken Soft Tacos

4 frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 - 16oz. jar of salsa

1 C. sour cream

6-8 flour tortillas, I recommend buying the uncooked tortillas at Costco and cooking them up yourself.

Place chicken in greased 3.5 to 4.5 quart slow cooker. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on high heat 6-8 hours or on low heat 10-12 hours. Shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks. During last hour of cooking, stir in sour cream. Makes 6-8 servings.

Fold chicken mix inside warm flour tortillas with lettuce and grated cheddar cheese.

Jalapeno Poppers

1 quart oil, for frying
10 jalapeno chile peppers
1 C. softened cream cheese
2 Tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs, beaten
1 C. Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat broiler. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F. Arrange jalapeno chile peppers on a medium baking sheet. Place in the broiler approximately 5 minutes, turning once until lightly browned. Remove from heat and place in a small airtight container. In a medium bowl whip together cream cheese, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper. Place eggs in a small bowl. Place Italian style breadcrumbs in a seperate small bowl. Remove jalapenos from container one at a time and remove the skin and stems. Cut the tops off and remove seeds. Stuff each pepper with equal amounts of cream cheese mixture. Roll in eggs then coat with breadcrumbs. In batches, deep fry stuffed peppers in the prepared oil for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

OR

Go to your local Costco and pick up a box of frozen poppers and bake! :)

Just want to give you options.

Avocado Fish Tacos

I haven't actually tried these, but they sound delish!

2 Chilean Hass Avocadoes
2 Tbsps Lime Juice
1 pound firm white fish, such as cod or halibut, cut into 2-inch chunks
1/4 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper
About 1/4 C. oil for frying
2 C. red cabbage, shredded or finely sliced; or 1 C. each red and green cabbage shreds
1/3 C bottled poppyseed dressing
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
4 (8-inc) flour or corn tortillas
Cilantro

Cut avocadoes in half, remove pit, and peel. Cut in chunks and sprinkle with lime juice. Set aside. In medium bowl toss shredded cabbage with poppyseed dressing, salt and pepper. Set aside. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a deep plate with a fork. Dredge fish chunks in mixture. In large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil. Add fish chucks, cook until nicelly browned on all sides. Divide cabbage mixture between tortillas. Top with fish chunks, avocadoes and garnish with cilantro and additional lilme or lemon slices.

Sweet Pulled Pork - Rochelle

1 pork roast
3/4 C. sugar
1 C. salsa
1 C. Dr. Pepper
Set on low heat in crock pot and let cook all day.
Shred with a fork and use in salads, burritos or whatever your little heart desires.