Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza

There's nothing quite like it. Can't drive to Chicago to get it. So here's my attempt. Using what I had in my pantry, I combined several on line recipes.

It wasn't bad for the first try. The crust was great, but I need to work on the sauce. I think there are a few people around who would be willing to try it again:) It was a great way to use the tomatoes from our garden, but next time I think it will be sauted mushrooms, garlic and onion.

Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes rising time)

Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Cost: Approx. $5.00

Crust

1 cup warm water
1 package quick rise yeast ($.50)
2 eggs
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour

Place sugar, yeast and water in a bowl and mix well until dissolved. Let rest 5 minutes. Then add 2 eggs well beaten.

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients adding additional flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky. Knead for five minutes. Let rest in greased bowl for 15 minutes. Press into deep dish pan and add toppings.

Toppings

Pizza Sauce (I made my own from canned tomatoes and this mix) ($.50)
3-4 cups shredded mozarella cheese ($2.50)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese ($.75)
diced onion and minced garlic sauted in olive oil until tender ($.25)
Sliced tomatoes (from garden)

To assemble pizza:

Press dough in deep pan or iron skillet making sure that dough is covering the sides. Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom. Layer 1/2 of onion/garlic mixture, sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 3 large spoonfuls of sauce, 1/2 of mozzarella cheese and repeat.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese becomes golden brown.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I had a lot of leftover spaghetti noodles and not much else for lunch. I searched some recipes and modified to up with this my own version with the ingredients we had on hand. I'm sure it would be much more delicious with the cream and white whine. It was a little drier than the kid's preferred so I think next time I'll add a little chicken broth to the noodles.

Prep Time: less than 5 minutes
Cook time: less than 10 minutes
Serves: 8
Costs: approx. $2.00

1 pound of cooked spaghetti ($.75)
4-6 slices of turkey bacon ($.50)
1/4 cup of onion diced
1 tsp minced garlic
olive oil
3 eggs ($.25)
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese ($.50)

Reheat spaghetti in the microwave. Mix eggs and cheese together and set aside. In olive oil saute garlic and onions until translucent. Add bacon that has been cut into pieces and cook. Add warm noodles and toss well. Slowly add cheese mixture and continue tossing until eggs are cooked.

You can find this along with lots of other budget friendly recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge's Friday Recipe Swap.

Spaghetti Herb Mix

I'm interested in making more mixes from the spices I already have in the cabinet. I came across the book, "Miserly Moms", on our bookshelf. After dusting it off, I found a chapter on mix recipes. I'll be trying them out in smaller portions just to make sure they pass the test. If they work out well, I plan on making jars of mixes to use regularly.

Spaghetti Herb Mix

1/2 cup Garlic Powder
1/2 cup Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Dried Oregano
3 T. Dried Basil
3 T. Dried Thyme
3 T. Salt
2 T. Sugar

Place 16 oz of tomatoes in a blender with 4 T. of the mix. Liquify. Add additional ingredients such as mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, green peppers as desired. Warm and serve.

Cost Comparison:

Jar of generic spaghetti sauce: $1.25
Package of store bought mix with 16 oz of tomatoes: $2.00
Homemade spaghetti mix with bulk canned tomatoes and spices on hand: $.36


Okay, this one's a keeper. Sean said it is the best sauce we've ever had at home. I think I'll need to take into account the amount of salt in the mix if I'm using canned tomatoes. Maybe I'll leave the salt out altogether and add it to taste when the sauce is heating. I can't imagine how this would taste with fresh vegetables from our garden this summer!

You can find this recipe along with many others at The Grocery Cart Challenge's Friday Recipe Swap and at Life As a Mom's Frugal Friday.

Pizza Pockets

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Serves: 12
Cost: Approx. $8.00

3 tubes of crescent rolls ($3.00)
3-4 cups mozzarella cheese ($2.00)
1 package of pepperoni or 8 oz of cooked sausage ($2.00)
1 can of pizza sauce (1.00)

Remove crescent rolls and separate each package into 4 rectangles. Gently roll with a glass to remove perforations.

Place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and meat of your choice in the center of the rectangle. Fold over and pinch edges well to seal. Wrap each pizza pocket in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing.

To cook, unwrap frozen pizza pocket and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Stuffed Shells

This is an all-time favorite and easy to assemble since the noodles are raw when stuffed. The noodles soften in the sauce overnight and taste as though they had been already cooked. The kids love the have the job of stuffing the shells, but be prepared for a little mess:)


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8
Cost: Approx. $5.50


1 block of cream cheese ($1.00)
2 cups mozzarella cheese ($1.00)
1 egg
1 box large shell pasta ($2.25)
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
Pepper to taste
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce ($1.25)


Mix together cheeses, egg, garlic and pepper well. Place mixture in large Ziplock bag and seal. Cut the corner off the bag to allow cheese to squeeze through. Fill pasta shells and freeze.


Take frozen pasta shells and place in 9x13 pan. Cover with sauces and let set overnight in refrigerator covered.

When ready to bake. Place covered 9x13 in oven at 305 degrees and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

I had this soup recently at an Italian restaurant and loved it! I was thrilled to find this recipe and to be able to adapt it for our taste.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Ready in: 3 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 10 servings
Cost: approx. $4.75 (without pasta)

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage ($1.75)
1 large onion, chopped ($.50)
1 stalk celery, chopped finely ($.10)
1 Tablespoon garlic chopped
16 ounces red lentils rinsed ($1.50)
1 carrot shredded ($.10)
14 cups water
4 Tablespoon chicken soup stock base ($.25)
1 small can diced tomatoes ($.50)
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 Bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Brown sausage in large pot. Add onion, celery and garlic. Saute. Stir in lentils, carrot, water, soup base, and tomatoes. Add all other seasonings. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Cover and summer for 2 /12 to 3 hours.
2. Add 1/2 pound of pasta if desired and cook 15-20 minutes longer.

This could be cooled and frozen in a zip lock. Unthaw at room temperature and reheat.

The results are in...

5 thumbs up. 3 neither up or down. 1 thumb down.

I really should work on presentation, I know.

Sausage Polenta Bake

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Ready in: 40 minutes
Yields: 12-16 servings
Cost: approx. $7.00


2 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta ($1.25)
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ($.50)
1 pound Italian sausage ($2.25)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce ($1.00)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ($2.00)

1. In large saucepan, combine cornmeal and salt. Gradually add boiling water while whisking. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.

2. Spread polenta into greased 9x13 pan.. (We use a 1 1/2 sheet cake pan.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook sausage and add spaghetti sauce. Cook until heated through.

3. Spread mixture over polenta; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

This recipe was adapted from the original found here.

The results are in....

7 thumbs up. 2 thumbs down (mainly due to an aversion to red sauce).



"It was a little spicy." -Hannah

"I liked the creamy bottom layer." -Lydia

"It was easy to fix. It reminded me of lasagna, but not runny and hard to cut." -Mom