Out of School Party

Fun. Fun. Fun. Last May our class was a presentation of ideas for graduation/out of school get togethers. Table decor ideas can be simple with beach towels for table cloths, helium balloons coming out of beach buckets filled with treats. Don't forget sea shells, sunglasses and flip flops scattered about the table as well. Each person can make their own homemade "beach" frame with a some cheap shells and a little glue. We talked about how great pizza stones can be for a delicious homemade pizza, and how you can find them at grocery stores for relatively inexpensive. Homemade Pizza (This dough recipe makes enough for three 12 inch pizzas. Store bought dough works just great) Basic Pizza Dough: 4 ½ cups flour, plus extra for the counter 1 envelope (or 2 ¼ tsps) instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 ½ tsp salt 2 Tbs olive oil 1 ¾ cups water, warm Pepperoni Pizza (makes 1 pizza): 3/4-1 cup sauce 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese Pepperoni slices (regular or turkey) Olive Oil Chicken Ranch Pizza: 3/4-1 cup ranch dressing (you can add a small amount of minced garlic for some zip) Cooked and sliced chicken 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese Thinly sliced tomatoes Thinly sliced red onions Cooked bacon pieces Olive oil Barbeque Chicken Pizza: 3/4-1 cup barbeque sauce 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese Cooked and sliced chicken Sliced mushrooms Sliced red onion Pineapple tidbits Olive oil Crust: Whisk 4 cups flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add oil and water and still with spatula until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand until forms a smooth, round ball (about 10 min.), adding the remaining flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to the counter. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Pizza: Heat oven to 500° and let baking stone or upside down cookie sheet heat for at least 30 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and cut into three pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth round ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20-30 minutes. Working with one ball at a time, stretch and shape the dough into one 12 inch round on a piece of parchment paper. Spread sauce over pizza, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Next, add the cheese and any desired toppings listed above. Lightly brush the edge of the dough with olive oil. Put pizza (parchment paper and all) in the oven. Bake until the curst edges are brown and the cheese is golden, 8 to 13 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and remove parchment. Let the stone or pan reheat for 5 minutes before baking the next pizza. Oreo Dessert Crust: 6 Tbs. Butter, melted 2 cups crushed Oreo cookie crumbs Filling: 1-2 quarts ice cream of choice Hot fudge sauce: 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup light corn syrup 4 Tbs. butter Pinch salt 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped Topping: Oreo cookies, roughly crushed Crust and filling: Combine cookie crumbs and butter and press into a 9x13 pan. Soften ice cream slightly and then smooth onto cookie crumbs. Freeze for at least a few hours. Sauce: Bring the cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil in a small sauce pan over medium- high heat. Off the heat, stir in the chocolate, cover, and let stand until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Uncover and whist gently until smooth. Adjust the consistency by heating and stirring in additional cream as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Sauce can be poured over ice cream and frozen, or served as a warm sauce over a serving of the dessert. Top with crushed oreo cookies.

Spring Brunch

Fun class you missed in March...shame on you. Oh, you want to see pictures? Well tough, because not a single camera was in the building. Not to worry because I will post the recipes for you. Shanna and I talked about how this menu is kid friendly, both to prepare and eat. We also showed some fun ways to present the brunch, such as the Dum-Dum topiary trees and the free printables you can find online (such as the printable take home box). The quiche recipe actually comes from our "Pantry Solutions" pile , but that makes it sound less sophisticated, and it has done nothing to deserve that.

Crustless Quiche adapted from Sisters Café
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
6 eggs
3 cups milk
½ cup melted butter
Pinch or two of salt & pepper
3 cups grated cheese of your choice(cheddar, Colby jack, pepper jack, Swiss, Gouda, fontanel, etc.)About 2 cups Vegetables of choice- (diced zucchini, mushrooms, chopped spinach, broccoli, can of diced chilis, etc)
About 1 cup Meat of choice- (sliced precooked breakfast links, crumbled crispy bacon, diced ham)
Sliced tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Beat together Bisquick, eggs, milk and melted butter. Add salt and pepper. Mix in grated or diced cheese (it is really good with a couple different kinds), vegetables, and meat of your choice. It is really very versatile—you can add what (and how much) you like! Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and pour mixture into pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. After 15 minutes I like to place sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese. Continue baking until egg mixture is set and cheese is crispy and brown. Let it stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

This is called a breakfast Quiche--but it is actually not a quiche because it has no crust. Although, the baking mix does seems to create its own crust while baking. It really is so good--and I love that you can throw in any vegetables or meat that your family loves and you have on hand. I usually slice up the precooked turkey breakfast sausage links (that is a mouthful!) with sliced zucchini or chopped fresh spinach. It is fun to try different cheeses too. You can be as creative as you want.

Easy and Yummy Orange Roll Swirls adapted from Rhodes website
12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold (takes about 1- 1½ hours on a plate on your counter)
1 medium orange rind, grated
½ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted

Citrus Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
3 Tablespoons orange juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix grated orange rind with sugar in a small bowl. Melt butter in a separate small bowl. When rolls are thawed but still cool, cut one roll in half and roll one of the halves into about a 5 inch rope. Roll the rope in the melted butter, followed by the orange and sugar mixture. On a surface, form rope into a coil or swirl. Place each swirl into a sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat process with other half of the roll, and remaining rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, until starting to lightly brown. Remove from oven and let sit in pans for about 5 minutes, then remove to a serving plate and glaze when rolls are still warm. Makes 24 mini roll swirls.

Heath Bar Fruit Dip
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2-3 Heath Bars chopped

Mix and serve chilled.