Comfort Food: Pizza

Pizza isn't usually associated with the phrase "comfort food" but I think it should be! It is one of the few foods that just about everyone loves; it is good either hot or cold; and it's fairly portable.

Over the years, my family has eaten a large amount of pizza--most of it homemade. We've also eaten restaurant and store-bought pizza, but we all agree that homemade is best. I don't say that to brag, and I'm not being biased. My children's friends all rave about my pizza, and my husband is always disappointed when I buy pizza instead of making it. (Sometimes I just need a break from the Friday routine, though!)

I doubt I'll ever open a pizza parlor, so I'm going to share my recipe here.

Kelly's Pizza Sauce

1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Basil
2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Salt
several dashes Pepper
8 oz can Tomato Paste
15 oz can Tomato Sauce

Heat all ingredients over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce heat to lowest setting and allow to cook for 5-10 more minutes. Remove from heat. Use two heaping tablespoons on each pizza (more or less as your taste prefers). Store leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.

You'll notice there is no garlic or onion in my pizza sauce. You are welcome to add it, but it will alter the taste. As much as I love garlic and onion, they do not seem to agree with my husband's stomach. Therefore, I leave them out of just about everything I cook. As I said earlier, people love my pizza and I think the sauce is a big part of that (and the fact that I leave out the garlic and onion).

Pizza sauce can be used on many things, such as English muffins or breaded cheese sticks, but it goes best on pizza crusts. With that in mind, the following is my crust recipe.

Kelly's Pizza Crust 

2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups room temp Water
4 1/4 cups Flour
2 tsp Yeast

Preheat oven to 425F.
Place all ingredients into bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer and set to "dough" setting. When machine beeps (end signal) allow to set for 10 - 15 more minutes to get a good rise. Turn out onto floured surface and cut into four equal sections. Working with one section at a time, roll out into thin circle. (If you like your crusts thicker, cut into three sections, or even two, and adjust baking time.) Place onto round pizza pan, and place a second round pan on top (to keep flat); place in oven on lower rack and bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with sauce, cheese, and whatever other toppings you enjoy. Place pizza directly on upper rack (so you can put a fresh crust on the the pan on the lower rack) and bake for another 8-9 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

If you give these recipes a try, I hope you like them!

Peanut Butter Krispie Treats

When I was growing up, my mom always made Peanut Butter Krispie Treats. I didn't have the marshmallow kind until I was in my late teens, and, quite frankly, thought they weren't nearly as good as the peanut butter kind. My children were raised on these peanut butter ones, and everyone I serve them to is amazed at how good they are -- so I thought I would share the recipe.

When I asked, Mom said she got the recipe from a magazine. A Google search of the ingredients turns up Chocolate Scotcheroos. I'm asked for the recipe so often, and it's so simple, I'll post it here.

Peanut Butter Krispie Treats

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
(They're also good when made with Cocoa Krispies® cereal.)

In a large pot, add the corn syrup and sugar. Heat on medium, stirring to combine, until sugar is melted and mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; add peanut butter and stir until combined. Add cereal and mix until completely coated. Pour into greased (I like to use real butter for these) 13X9 pan, and press it out evenly. 

This is where I stop -- these are fabulous just like this. However, you can add a topping if you wish:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Melt together, stirring until smooth and creamy. Spread over Krispie Treats and place in frig to cool/harden. 

With the topping, these taste much like a Hershey's Whatchamacallit candy bar. I prefer to leave off the topping and use chocolate cereal... or regular cereal... I'm not picky. If you decide to make some, of these, with or without the topping, let me know. I'll be over. ;-)

Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr Pepper Shredded Pork

A few weeks ago we had illness sweep through our house. Sunday morning found three of us (me, hubby and youngest child) unable to go to church. After the other two children went off to church (it's so nice to have another driver in the house!) we settled into some comfy chairs and watched some TV. I was lucky enough to get control of the remote -- better known as the clicker around here -- so I put on Food Network (thankfully, none of us were nauseous).

That day there happened to be a bunch of Pioneer Woman shows on, back to back. I'd never watched PW before, but after a few recipes I decided I liked her. She cooks real food; stuff that kids and cowboys like; down-to-earth meals. One recipe in particular caught my eye: Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork.

A couple weeks later a local store had a sale on the exact cut of meat I needed for this recipe, so I bought it, along with the other ingredients. I must admit, finding chipotle peppers in adobo sauce was a challenge, but now I know where to get them!

After a few hours in the oven, my house smelled heavenly. When it was finally time to take it out and shred the meat, I was starving! If you like pulled pork, you'll really, really like this. We chose to leave the meat separate from the sauce, so we could add the amount of "spice" we each wanted -- yes, the sauce is very, very spicy.

This recipe makes a large amount; we ate about 1/3 and split the remainder into two containers for future meals and stuck them in the freezer. I also split the remaining sauce into two containers and froze that as well. This is going to make a wonderful, quick meal sometime in the next week or two!

Sausage & Spaghetti Spirals

Years ago, there was a jarred sauce called "Pasta Bakes." All you needed to do was mix it with cooked pasta, place it in a 13x9 pan, top it with cheese and bake it. It tasted great, but later in the evening someone was sure to be uncomfortable. I had to stop buying it. :-(

So, I created my own recipe! I have not yet gotten to the point of making my own spaghetti sauce (although I do make my own pizza sauce), so I use Prego. We've found that the combination of ingredients in Prego do not cause digestive problems like some of the other sauces. Feel free to use whatever works for your family.

1 lb Italian sausage
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 box (16 oz) spiral pasta
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. While this is cooking, brown the Italian sausage and green peppers. Drain the meat and add the spaghetti sauce, then mix with the cooked pasta. Place in a greased 13x9 pan, cover with foil, and bake at 350 (F) for 30 minutes. Uncover, add Mozzarella, and bake for 5 minutes more to melt cheese.

This is a great dish for pot lucks, too! Enjoy!