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Easy Pizza Calzones

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Pizza in any form is my true weakness. Whether it’s a whole pizza, pizza bites, pizza calzones, pizza subs, pizza soup….okkkk, now I’m just getting carried away.  You get the point.  Pizza it just simply amazing.
 
Sticking with my goal of trying to eat healthier, sometimes it is difficult to balance what I secretly wish I could eat everyday without gaining an ounce love with what is healthy. I try to do my best at balancing this by making as much homemade food as possible. This way I can make substitutions as needed, PLUS I know exactly what is going into my food.

About a week ago I posted how to make super easy pizza dough. Part of that recipe includes freezing half the dough for later.  The other day I was in the mood for pizza, of course, but decided to throw a twist into it and make calzones.

I started by thawing out the dough and then rolling it in about a 12 inch circle.  I then added 3/4 cup marinara sauce (add as much or little as you want depending on how much sauce you like), sliced turkey pepperoni (about 24 pieces), and cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella–about 1/2 cup each). Of course you can add whatever toppings you want 🙂 

Next, slowly beginning to roll up the dough from one side of the other.

Place seam side down on greased baking sheet. Place in a preheat oven at 350 degrees for 20 mins.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. You want to let it sit so forms up a bit.  If you cut it right away the sauce and cheese will just go everywhere (maybe that wouldn’t be so bad).  
Cut into slices. And devour enjoy!  I like to serve with some warm marinara sauce on the side for dipping! (you can never have too much sauce in my opinion). 
What other toppings would you add??

Baked Italian Parmesan Potato Bites

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I love potatoes, however, sometimes mashed and baked potatoes get old  worn out as sides, so these Baked Italian Parmesan Potato Bites are the perfect solution.  They’re quick, soooo flavorful, and everyone in the house is bound to love them.   I took a risk leaving the skins on, as my fiance despises them with a passion.  However, the baking process of these potato bites really softens them up and he loved them.  (great thing for me)
First, start my cutting up your potatoes into one-inch pieces. It’s important that all the pieces are roughly the same size.  We use a potato cuber to ensure the perfect sizes.
Then throw them into a bowl of cold water for about 30 mins.  Why you ask?  Potatoes have a TON of starch in them.  By placing them in water, it allows the starch to begin to break down and also softens them up just a little bit quicker to help with the cooking process.
Drain water out of bowl, drizzle Zesty Italian Dressing over top, a dash each salt and pepper, ensuring that all of the potatoes are covered. Your potato bites are ready to go! Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. And place in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

After the first 20 minutes, flip all the potatoes and put back in for another 20 minutes.  Once that is done. Remove.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over all the potatoes, making sure there is cheese on all of the potatoes. Return to the oven on broil for 5 minutes or until a nice crispy, golden crust has formed.

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Baked Italian Parmesan Potato Bites
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 2 large potatoes
  • 1 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Dash each salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. Cut your potatoes into one-inch pieces. Place cut potatoes in bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.
  4. Drain water. Add dressing, salt, and pepper to bowl and stir to cover all potatoes.
  5. Transfer to baking dish and place in oven for 20 minutes. Flip all potatoes in dish and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.
  6. Remove again and sprinkle Parmesan cheese across all the potatoes. Place oven on broil and cook for another 5 minutes. Devour with your favorite meal 🙂
Serve along with your favorite meal for a great twist on traditional potatoes.  We love them with our Crunchy Spiced Pork Chops! Enjoy!

Easiest Sweet and Sour Sauce

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Ok…So I have a confession.  Before this recipe, I had never actually tried sweet and sour sauce. *Gasp* According to a friend, this makes me very weird.  Years and years and eating all those McDonalds chicken nuggets and Chinese food, and I’ve never tried sweet & sour sauce…maybe this does make me weird?
However, I recently came across a recipe that called for sweet and sour sauce and immediately was like crap, I don’t have this at my house, how am I going to make this.  I’ve realized recently had an epiphany that many sauces can actually be made at home much easier than buying them.  Even better than that, they usually cost MUCH less and are MUCH healthier when you make them rather than buying it bottled.  So I searched Google, found tons of different recipes and finally put this one together.  Hope you enjoy!
First, start off by adding 1/2 cup each: water, ketchup, sugar, and apple cider vinegar to a cold pan.  Turn on medium heat.
While, that is heating up, mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch ((Updated:  Since first sharing this recipe – we now use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch)) and 3 tablespoons of cold water.  **It is important you use cold water or you will be left with clumps of cornstarch
Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and quickly stir until completely mixed together.
Let thicken to desired consistency.
That’s it!  Enjoy with your favorite foods!  We love it with this amazing slow cooker Sweet and Savory Pork Loin recipe.
 
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Easiest Sweet & Sour Sauce
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons water divided
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
  1. In a cold pan, add 1/2 each water, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and ketchup and stir until completely mixed together. Turn hurt onto medium and let begin to warm up. In a separate bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons COLD water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Stir until dissolved completely. Add cornstarch mixture to the pan and quickly stir together. Let warm up to desired consistency, stir frequently not letting sauce stick to pan.
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Easiest Egg Sandwich

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I want to let you in on the easiest way to make an egg sandwich.

But first, I know two things about breakfast first hand:

1. It is very difficult to try to squeeze in breakfast every morning. Whether you are chasing kids around or simply can never seem to drag yourself out of bed until you only have ten minutes left to quickly shower and throw on some clothes before you will make yourself very late to work, cooking breakfast for yourself is the LAST thing on your mind.

2.While it may be difficult, breakfast literally is the most important meal of the day. While in college I wouldn’t say I gained the “Freshman 15”, however, I did gain the “College 30”.  Over the course of 6 years, I gained approximately 30lbs and one day found myself starring at my pictures from that weekend saying what in the world happened to me.  Determined to loose the weight, I did some research and found that eating healthy is often times more important than any exercise plan you can do. And eating breakfast is even more important as it starts your metabolism right away in the morning helping to aid the weight loss.

So, I found myself desperately looking for quick ways to grab breakfast. Thus I bring you the Easiest Egg Sandwich EVER. Literally, in under 2 minutes you can have the simplest sandwich.

First, add one whole egg to a large mug. (a large mug like this is really important) Proceed to beat the egg with a fork until completely mixed. Throw in two pieces of toast into the toaster and then place the mug in the microwave on high for 1 minute or until no more liquid is seen in the bowl.

Assemble sandwich and place back into the microwave for 10 seconds to melt the cheese.

Then dig in!  No more excuses for not eating breakfast!  Enjoy!!

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Easiest Egg Sandwich
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 2 pieces bread- I prefer Nature's Own Honey Wheat
  • 1 egg
  • 1 piece of sliced American cheese or your favorite sliced cheese
  • No Salt Sodium Alternative and pepper as desired
Instructions
  1. Lightly spray bowl with cooking spray. Crack and beat one egg in the bowl. Toast two pieces of bread. Put bowl in microwave on high for 1 minute or until no liquid remains. Place cheese and egg on one piece of toast. Sprinkle with No Salt & pepper as desired. Top with second piece of toast. Place back in microwave for 10 seconds to slightly melt the cheese. Enjoy!

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Perfect Pizza Dough

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5/11/2017 Update:  We had no idea this perfect pizza dough recipe would ever be as popular as it is! We’ve officially updated our images!  Thank you for the love and support!

This perfect pizza dough recipe is literally perfect every single time as long as you following the directions. Yeast dough that rises needs to be pampered a bit and it’s important that the directions don’t get messed with.  I promise it’s not super difficult to make perfect pizza dough if you keep working on it.  I’ve been making this dough recipe for what seems like forever. It literally works, without fail, for us every single time.  I’d encourage you to try it for yourself and let us know how it turned out!

 

  

Voila!

I wanted you to be able to look at the amazingness that is making pizza dough without any interrupting words or thoughts on my part.
I didn’t really learn to start cooking at all until I was in college. Being transparent, I didn’t start learning to make food from scratch until I had our first child.  So much of what we ate before having her was processed, boxed foods. I’ve done a lot of trial and error since then.  I was always daunted at the thought of making pizza dough, but surprisingly it’s one of the first things made from scratch that I perfected.
For a long time it was always too stiff or too runny. I couldn’t figure out the balance to get it just right forever it seemed. Finally, I have perfected the combination of ingredients and it’s the most simple homemade perfect pizza dough.

Looking for our recipes using this pizza dough? Check out our:

As stated above, it’s really important to follow the directions to a tee, so let’s get to those.

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Perfect pizza dough
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour divided into 3 parts
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or 1 package
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil vegetable oil would also work
  • Extra flour for surface
  • Desired pizza toppings Don't skimp on the cheese
  • Optional: Italian seasoning or Garlic Powder to season dough
Instructions
  1. In medium sized bowl, mix 1 3/4 cups flour with the yeast and Salt. (If adding optional Italian seasoning or Garlic Powder, add it now)
  2. Add the warm water and oil.
  3. Beat with a whisk until a thick pancake like batter forms.
  4. Add 1 more cup of flour to the mixture and using a wooden spoon, stir together, enough so the mixture holds together by itself.
  5. Lightly flour a flat surface and with a little flour on your hand, remove the dough mixture from your bowl onto the surface.
  6. Knead in another 1/4 cup flour (may need to add up to 1/2 cup) stopping once the dough is lump free. Do not overwork your dough.
  7. **See tips below for thin crust**
  8. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a tea towel (or other kitchen towel that is large enough to cover bowl completely)
  9. Let the dough in the bowl sit, covered, for approximately 45 minutes.
  10. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  11. Lightly flour pizza stone or lightly greased baking sheet.
  12. Roll dough out onto floured surface.
  13. Place in oven for 8-12 minutes. Thin crust - 8 minutes, Thick crust - 10-12.
  14. Remove the dough from the oven and place desired toppings on top of the crust.
  15. Place back into the oven for an additional 8 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and is bubbly.
Recipe Notes

1. Make sure you are adding warm water. This is what activates the yeast.
2. Do NOT overwork the dough. Each step should be just enough that you can move to the next one. This is especially important when you are kneading.
3. If you want to make a personal pizza size or very thin crust, you may cut the dough into two equal parts after kneading. You can make two pizzas this way or freeze half for later use.
4. You could technically use the dough after 20 minutes of rising, but it's really ideal to let it sit for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours.
5. Don't put a lot of sauce in the center of your dough or it will get soggy.

What’s your favorite toppings?  
Comment below and let me know! 🙂  Thanks for reading! Share & enjoy!

**The pictures below were the original pictures for this Perfect Pizza Dough recipe, posted on 6/16/2012, which you may have seen floating around Pinterest.  It’s the same recipe, we’ve just gotten a lot better at photography!

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Crunchy Spiced Pork Chops

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So I will admit…I haven’t really been cooking that long, so many things we have for dinner are trial and error.  I have attempted pork chops before and my fiance hated them, so when I saw them on sale this week at the store, I figured I would have another go at it.  I mean if I ruined the pork chops, at least I didn’t spend a ton of money on them. 
Regardless of my Pinterest obsession and ease of finding recipes on the internet, I actually had a difficult time finding something that balanced our desire to eat healthy with taste, so I ended up combining a few different things to come up with the perfect meal and it was actually a HUGE SUCCESS!!  
 
He even took the leftovers with him for lunch today! So let’s get started…
First mix together yogurt, water, salt & pepper…I use this instead of flour/egg mixtures because its much healthier and I think it also tastes a lot better! Next, Mix together panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and both types of Mrs. Dash seasoning

Now, the next part is completely up to you.  The pork chops I bought had a small bone on the outside of each along with some fat.  My fiance hates any meat with fat, so I cut the bone and fat off each one as shown.

 Next you, will put each pork chop into the yogurt mixture, then the panko mixture…making sure to coat each side evenly.  Make sure you do not soak the pork chops in the yogurt mixture. Just a quick turn on each side will do.
 After coating in the panko mixture, transfer to a greased baking dish. And place in the oven on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (the time will depend on your desired doneness– Medium for pork is 145 degrees and well done is 160 degrees).
Then broil for 5 minutes to get a nice crispy golden color on the top.

 Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

I decided to serve them with corn and our infamous loaded mashed potatoes and it was all amazing.
Enjoy!
 
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Crunchy Spiced Pork Chops
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 4 Pork Chops thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Mrs Dash Table Blend seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Extra Spicy seasoning
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
  2. In shallow dish mix together yogurt, water, pepper & salt. Set aside.
  3. In another dish mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and both types of Mrs. Dash seasoning.
  4. Dip each pork chop in the yogurt mixture, then the panko mixture, making sure to cover with the panko entirely before transferring to the greased baking dish.
  5. Place in preheated oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Then broil for 5 minutes until a nice crispy golden brown color (Depending on your broiler, you will want to watch to make sure it does not burn).
  6. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite sides.
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NY Cheesecake Pancakes

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We’ve updated this post to be even better.  View the new post for Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes including homemade whipped topping. 

We love eating out and enjoying amazing food, however, with only one of us working, its not always possible to enjoy it as much as we like.  I try to help by finding recipes on the internet that are “copycat” versions of the real thing, sometimes making my own little twists and usually it comes out great.  While it obviously takes much longer than walking in and ordering it, it’s always cheaper, and even sometimes (including this case) the homemade version actually tastes better!

My fiance is addictive-ly in LOVE with IHOP’s New York Cheesecake Pancakes. He gets them EVERY time we go.  I recently came across a recipe on Food Network and the reviews said they were spot on, so I just HAD to try it for my myself.  I went to the store and got the frozen cheesecake and buttermilk that I didn’t have on hand, and actually forgot the strawberry jam the recipe calls for so I just substituted water and sugar and it turned out perfect.  This is what I did:

Ingredients: 
Strawberry Topping:
1 1/2 cups strawberries, tops cut off and sliced thin
1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water

Batter:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of Salt
2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake (I just used a small Sara Lee cheesecake found in the frozen section and used a little more than 1/4 of it to equal 2 cups)

Other Needs:
Cooking spray
Powered sugar and whipped cream, for topping

Directions:
Mix the 3 ingredients for the strawberry together in a small bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

In a blender, add together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, egg, and oil. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole (I cut my pieces about 1/4 in).

Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium low heat. One at a time, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 more minutes.

Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking dish and keep warm in the oven.

 Once finished serve the pancakes with sprinkled powdered sugar, strawberry topping,whipped cream, and syrup. You can see the cheesecake oozing out of the pancakes.  They were simply amazing! 🙂
ENJOY!
You can also check out our Blueberry Cheesecake Pancakes for even more inspiration!

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