Copy Cat Pizza Hut Pan Pizza

I have a confession. I've never baked anything that involved using yeast (unless it was in my bread machine) because I've always been afraid of the science behind it.

I tossed that fear to the wind when I found this recipe on pinterest!! As soon as I saw it, I knew I would definitely be making it...yeast dough and all!

This pizza is so simple and the most amazing pizza we've ever eaten. Seriously, it's that good!! We thought it was even better than Pizza Hut's because it wasn't nearly as greasy.

If you have yeast or dough fears, please, please toss them aside and MAKE THIS PIZZA!!!!

We made our's as a supreme, but you can definitely add your favorite toppings.

Recipe Yields: Two 9" pizzas

Pizza Dough (recipe source)

2 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour

1 tsp salt   *I only used 1/2 tsp because I only had salted butter)

1 Tbsp baking powder

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 cup warm water

1 (1/4 oz) packet yeast

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and set aside. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together. Add the softened butter and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. Add the yeast mixture and stir together to combine.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until well blended and the dough is no longer sticky. Place the pizza dough into a oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap while the dough rests in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Divide dough into two balls. In two 9″ cake pans add enough oil to cover each pan make sure to spread the oil evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9″ circle. Place in cake pans.

Cover each pan with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Pizza Sauce (recipe source)

1 (7 1/2 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/8 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 whole bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat till boils and lower heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes – stir occasionally.

Pizza Ingredients
2/3 cup jarred or homemade pizza sauce (1/3 cup per pizza)
4 Tbsp oil
pizza toppings
mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon 1/3 cup pizza sauce on each pizza and spread within 1" of dough edge. Sprinkle cheese on sauce.

Add toppings. Top with additional cheese. Bake 15-18 minutes or until bubbly.

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Note:

**I doubled the sauce recipe and was able to freeze three (1/3 cup) baggies of sauce for future use.

**When I purchased the yeast envelopes, I notices a pizza crust yeast. I did not use this; I used the active yeast.

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

To say that I love baked potatoes would be an understatement!! I love, Love, LOVE them!! Always have. My mom used to make baked potato dinners with all the toppings...cheese, sour cream, steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms and onions, bacon. Oh yum!!!

I've never understood how my hubby and siblings never cared for baked potatoes. I always choose a potato as my side when we eat out.

Recently, I was eating a potato and hubby asked for a bite. He tried it and decided that it was pretty yummy :) I asked if that was ok to start making them for dinner...he agreed!!

I had heard about cooking baked potatoes in the crock pot, so I recently tried it. I will never go back!! These are the best potatoes...just like a restaurant!

Wash potatoes and dry. Wrap in foil and place in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

{I'm sure you can also coat potatoes in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt before cooking.}

Serve with your favorite toppings.

Creamy Orange Jello

My mom has made this recipe for as long as I can remember. It is so easy and so refreshing especially during these HOT summer days!

 

I always bring this when I make a meal for a new mom. There's just something so yummy about the cold fruit and pudding topping.

 

We've always had this as part of the meal, more like a side dish rather than dessert.

Creamy Orange Jello

2 boxes (3 oz) orange gelatin powder

1 cup boiling water

2 cups orange juice

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

Topping:

2 small boxes (instant) lemon pudding mix

2 cups milk

1 small carton cool whip

Combine gelatin and 1 cup boiling water in a 9x13 dish. Mix until powder is completely dissolved. Add 2 cups orange juice and stir. Add mandarin oranges and pineapple. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours until set.

For the topping: Mix together pudding mix with 2 cups milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Fold in cool whip. Spread topping over jello. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

These are my absolute favorite muffins in the world! My mom made them a lot when I was growing up. They are perfect warm out of the oven or when they have cooled off. Add a little pat of butter to a warm one and enjoy!

They are so simple to prepare and the batter will last up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

1 (15 oz) box raisin bran cereal

5 cups flour

3 cups sugar (or sugar substitute -- I've used Splenda)

5 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

4 eggs, beaten

1 qt. buttermilk

1 cup Crisco, melted

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Form a well in the center and add eggs, milk, and melted crisco. Stir until all is moistened. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 6 weeks.

To prepare: Spoon into greased muffin tins filling to 2/3 full.

If batter is cold, bake at 325* for 25-30 minutes

If batter is room temp, bake at 325* for 15-20 minutes

Cherry Limeade

This is such a easy, yummy punch. I've made it for birthday parties, bridal showers, and most recently a baby shower. Since the colors for the baby shower were pink & green, it was the perfect choice.

Sometimes I make it just to keep in a pitcher in the fridge for hot summer days!

It's an easy recipe to double or triple as well.

Cherry Limeade

1 can frozen limeade (found with the frozen juices at the grocery store)

1 (2-liter) lemon-lime soda

1 jar maraschino cherries, do not drain

sliced limes, optional

Combine all ingredients. Stir until limeade dissolves.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

4 Tbsp butter

1/4 c. flour

1 can tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz. sour cream

1 lb. chicken, cooked & cubed

8 oz. shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 pkg. 6-8" flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes and whisk in broth. Bring to a boil and let it thicken slightly. Add tomatoes, soup, and sour cream. Stir in cooked chicken. Spread small amount on the bottom of a 9x13 dish and top with tortillas. Spoon 1/2 of mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers ending with chicken mixture, and top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Warm Christmas Punch

I found this recipe in a magazine about 10 years ago. I love to make it for our family brunch on Christmas morning. It is so warm, comforting, such a pretty color red, and most importantly...Christmas-y!!

Just a little note -- I used to find the red hot candies at the grocery store, but the past few years I haven't found them there. These days I usually can find them at the d0llar store. Last year I used hot tamales because I couldn't find the red hots. The tamales worked fine, but the red hots dissolve much faster and have better flavor. If you can find the red hots, definitely use those over hot tamales!

 

Warm Christmas Punch

1 bottle (32 oz) cranberry juice

30 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice

1/3 cup red hots candies

1 (3-1/2 inch) cinnamon stick

In a 3 or 4 qt crock pot, combine the juices and candies. Add the cinnamon stick. Cook on LOW for 2-5 hours. Discard the cinnamon stick before serving.

Turkey Breast in Crock Pot

I have wanted to try cooking a turkey breast in the crock pot for a long time. It was SO easy and yummy!!

It tasted like it was oven roasted, but it didn't dry out at all! This is the way I will make all my turkey breasts from now on!!

I didn't thaw it first, just tossed it in frozen. It was in the crock for 8 hours and completely fell apart when I took it out.

I cooked a 7 lb turkey in my 7 qt crock pot. Once I unwrapped it, I realized that the turkey was too tall and the lid didn't fit. Crud!

To solve the problem, I used foil as a lid. I wrapped two sheets over the pot and then placed the lid on top. After a few hours, the turkey had shrunk down enough that the lid fit perfectly, so I removed the foil and placed the lid back on for the remainder of the cooking time.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Turkey breast (small enough to leave room on the sides of the crock); no need to thaw

Half stick of butter or margarine
salt & pepper

Liberally coat turkey with butter. Generously salt and pepper turkey.

Place breast side down in crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hour; reduce heat to Low and cook for 7-8 hours.

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

Here's another pinterest find! Yummy!! I loved this because with my diet for gestational diabetes, I was able to have pasta with lots of protein added in! Mmmmm....

This is another recipe that I doubled...one to bake that night and one to freeze. I cooked my own sauce in the crockpot all day and used it instead of jarred sauce. The recipe only calls for a 1/2 cup of sauce, so I was able to freezer the rest of the sauce for future meals!

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

8 oz uncooked spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef (I use ground turkey)

1 (26.5 oz) jar spaghetti sauce

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/2 cup green peppers, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

8 oz cream cheese

2 Tbsp. milk

grated Parmesan cheese

 Small can of French Fried Onions

DIRECTIONS:

Cook spaghetti; drain and set aside.

Brown ground beef; drain grease. Add sauce to beef and heat.

Combine onions, peppers, and butter in microwavable bowl. Cover and microwave for 4 minutes until soft.

Add cream cheese and milk to veggies and mix well.

Assemble casserole in 10x6 dish. Place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place spaghetti on the sauce. Top spaghetti with cream cheese mixture. Add the rest of the spaghetti sauce. Top with your desired amount of Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with fried onions and bake an additional 5 minutes. Don't let them burn!

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To freeze: Prepare casserole ahead of time and freeze without the fried onions.

Recipe Source

Turkey Parmesan Meatloaf

With our second baby due to arrive in 9 weeks, I've been working on stocking our garage freezer with meals. I have found so many recipes through pinterest lately, and they have all been new favorites! This one is no exception. I made it last night and put another loaf in the freezer for later.

The original recipe calls for ground chicken, but we like and use ground turkey at our house.

Turkey Parmesan Meatloaf

1 lb. ground turkey (or ground chicken)
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pasta sauce (either homemade or store bought)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. To not over handle the mixture otherwise it will get tough. Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and form into a loaf. Top meatloaf with pasta sauce.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove meatloaf from oven and let it sit 5-10 minutes before slicing.

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To Freeze:

Prepare meatloaf and place in loaf pan. Do not top with pasta sauce. Freeze loaf and sauce separately.

Thaw completely, top meatloaf with sauce and bake per directions above.

Recipe source