BLT Pizza

Ok, I’m thinking warm thoughts here. And I’m thinking reeeeeally hard. Summer. Oh, summer.

Winter storm Walda has decided to rear her ugly head. When I went to bed last night, I could see my yard. Like, all of it. The grass was even beginning to green. We planted asparagus in our garden on Sunday. And then…

I woke up to sleet/snow pelting our windows and over an inch of the white stuff on the ground. The boys and I about got leveled this morning walking through the grocery store parking lot on our quest to get milk. And those thick, frosted sugar cookies. We definitely needed those. Garrison, my three-year-old, told me so. I’m sure you can agree with him that cookies are a necessity.

We’re expected to get 14 inches of snow. 14! It’s spring. It’s April. I’m over it.

Enter, BLT Pizza. It’s summer on a plate, and it’s delicious. And it’s perfect for telling a winter storm, who shall remain nameless from here on out, to take a hike.

You already know about my family’s love of pizza when I shared with you my Simple Pizza Dough recipe. Pizza is such a fun food, and I love that the end result is whatever you want it to be. My tastes and mood drive how much of each ingredient I put on the dough.

You can use whatever pizza dough you prefer. Slather the dough with your favorite ranch dressing. Then layer the bacon pieces and Colby jack cheese on top and bake it until bubbly and nicely browned. Pretty easy so far.

After the pizza is out of the oven, top it with chopped, leafy greens and diced tomatoes. Sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese. Still easy, right?

Then close your eyes, take a bite, and imagine it’s 80 degrees outside. Yelling at the chaos out the window is completely optional. I might or might not be speaking from experience.

BLT Pizza
Ashley’s recipe box

Recipe for your favorite pizza dough (for a 12-14 inch pizza)
1/2 cup to 1 cup of your favorite ranch dressing
8-10 strips of bacon, cooked and in pieces
1 cup cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 cup to 1-1/2 cups chopped lettuce
2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Top the pizza dough with ranch dressing. Layer bacon and cheese on top of the dressing. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is slightly browned.

Remove from the oven and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes one 12-14 inch pizza.

Spicy Peanut Spring Vegetables and Noodles

You know what’s not fun?

A teething toddler. Oh, man. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it’s the worst. For nearly the past two months, little Kase hasn’t been his goofy-smiley self. He’s in pain, and it’s making him irritable. And clingy. And tired. And hungry.

And it’s making me irritable. And clingy. And tired. And hungry. Except the difference between Kase and me is that I actually eat when I’m hungry.

My poor husband.

It’s amazing how kids are so different. When Garrison got his 2-year molars, we had no clue. Sure, we brushed his teeth. Well, as good as you can for a small but chompy child. We just didn’t study the back of his mouth. So when the dentist shared that his molars were in, we were happy surprised.

So you can imagine our sad surprise when we realized Kase has a bad, bad case of molar teething. After ruling out double-ear infections (which he is prone to getting), we accepted this teething business. We are trying our best to power through it and find the good. Sooooo…

You know what is fun?

Finding in-season asparagus at the grocery store! I know I said we are trying our best to find the good, but I can assure you that fresh asparagus is not a stretch. I love this time of year. To me, fresh asparagus exudes spring. I am craving spring more than ever this year. With at least nine inches of snow still on the ground, I’ll take whatever I can get. I’ll take asparagus.

Spicy Peanut Spring Vegetables and Noodles is an excellent dish that incorporates fresh asparagus. It also includes other vibrant vegetables, so it’s a visually appetizing. Julienned red peppers and shaved carrots add great color. The secret to shaving carrots is using a vegetable peeler; just run the peeler over the carrot, and voila! Perfect carrot ribbons.

The spicy peanut sauce is so good. And so spicy. You might remember that I have a thing for spicy peanut sauces (and in case you don't remember, check out my Spicy Peanut Chicken Cups). If spicy sauces aren't your thing, cut back on the jalapeno. I should make a note about the sauce. It will thicken, so don’t panic if it seems liquid-y. Be patient. Let it boil. Stir it frequently. It will happen!

This post wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory jalapeno warning. I just love cooking with jalapenos. I can’t get enough of their spice! When you chop them up, wear gloves and be extra-careful. I would suggest that if you do cut them without gloves, don’t rub your eyes. Or pick your nose. At least for awhile. Ouch.

If you are trying to find any sign of spring you can, I hope buying asparagus and making Spicy Spring Vegetables and Noodles does the trick. And if you’re dealing with a teething toddler, would you like to start a support group?

Spicy Spring Vegetables and Noodles
Adapted from: Taste of Home

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. brown sugar

6 oz. thin spaghetti
18 asparagus spears, cut into 1” pieces
1 red pepper, julienned
1 medium carrot, shaved
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Dry roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, jalapenos, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken. Turn the burner off, but keep the saucepan on the burner to stay warm.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté asparagus and red pepper in oil for 6-8 minutes. Add carrots and green onions to the asparagus mixture; sauté for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender.

Drain pasta, toss with vegetable mixture and sauce. Garnish with dry roasted peanuts, if desired. Serves 4.

Parmesan Baked Potatoes

Goodness these are good potatoes. Like, really good. Delicious. Flavorful. Crispy and melt-in-your-mouth at the same time.

The ingredients for Parmesan Baked Baby Potatoes are so simple it’s ridiculous: baby potatoes, butter, grated Parmesan cheese, and parsley. I told you these are simple ingredients.

To make these magic potatoes—and they truly are magic—halved potatoes are placed (and nestled cozily beside one another) on top of melted butter, Parmesan cheese and parsley.

These bad boys are baked for about 45 minutes. If it wasn’t for the amazing smell that fills the kitchen, you could forget these are in the oven. I love this kind of cooking!

This is one of my go-to side dishes. It’s versatile, so it pairs well with nearly any protein entrée. Oh yeah, and it’s easy. Who doesn’t love that?

Parmesan Baked Potatoes
Source: Ashley’s recipe box

About 1-1/2 pounds baby potatoes (I use baby Dutch Yellow), halved lengthwise
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped, or 1-1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Pour melted butter in a 9” x 13” glass baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and parsley over the butter. Place potatoes, cut side down, over the butter, cheese and parsley. Nestle as many potatoes as the pan will allow. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Football Stew

The big game is this weekend, and it’s the last football hurrah. Although I prefer college football over the pros (maybe that’s because I grew up in a state that didn’t have a professional team), I get a little bummed when the Superbowl is over. No more football until August. No more football UNTIL AUGUST?! At least I’ll have a great spread of food to drown my sorrows on Sunday.

I know appetizers are a popular choice for game time. Mini foods and dips are the best! But I keep thinking how fun it would be to change up the spread and do a meal instead. This Football Stew is so tasty and warm it’s bound to get anyone out of their seats for more (and to celebrate that first touchdown)!

 

What makes this stew delightfully delicious is that it’s chock-full of vegetable and beef, it’s made in the slow cooker, and…drum roll…it’s served over mashed potatoes! This recipe has been in my personal recipe box for years, and one of the changes I made to it was to serve it OVER the mashed potatoes rather than include the potatoes in the stew. I turned it into the ultimate comfort food, and I haven’t looked back.  

Who are you cheering for this weekend, the 49ers or the Ravens? And more importantly, what’s your must-have food at your Superbowl gathering?

 

Football Stew

Source: Ashley’s recipe box

1 lb. stew beef

4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 small onion, cut into chunks
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 cup low sodium V8 or tomato juice (I use V8)

Mashed potatoes, prepared how you prefer

Spray a slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine carrots, celery and onion; mix well. Layer the vegetables and meat (vegetables, meat, vegetables, meat, and vegetables). Sprinkle the top layer of vegetables with sugar, salt, and tapioca. Pour the juice over the vegetables slowly, trying to cover all of the vegetables. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serves 4-6.  

For the mashed potatoes, I have always used the notion that, in general, a pound of potatoes will make 2 cups of mashed potatoes. My mashed potatoes are simple; I peel potatoes, rinse them, cut them, boil them (until fork-tender), drain them, mash them but keep them a little lumpy, and I add milk, butter, sour cream and salt and pepper (to taste) until I get a consistency I like…this is a total “cooking-by-feeling” process for me. They’re not fancy, but they're oh so good.

Classic Stuffed Mushrooms

 

I’ve been feeling productive lately. Aside from keeping up this blog (never mind that this is only the second post), a lot of other things are getting done around our house, and I love it. I’ve organized and cleaned out my closet. It’s something I truly geek out about. Sorting by color, style, occasion…you catch my drift. Nathan sorted through his clothes too, and we now have a big ol’ box waiting to be taken to the local Goodwill. I have three huge tubs of baby/toddler clothes to take to the consignment store downtown tonight. And after sitting nearly untouched since our move—which was three months ago—the garage is finally looking good. The best part? It doesn’t cause me anxiety every time I get in the car. Seriously. It was that bad. It feels good to start the year with big items crossed off our ever-growing to-do list. 

Even though we’ve been cleaning like it’s our jobs (well, for me it kind of is as a stay-at-home mama), we’ve gotten some great quality time with boys lately, Tomaz the cat included. Our not-a-baby baby is big enough to participate in some “big kid” activities. He wants to be wherever his big brother is and do whatever he is doing. We’re having fun watching him grow, and I get a good laugh at his desire to be right in the mix during wrestling with daddy. We played a lot of cars, Transformers and Legos (Duplos) this past weekend. All of which, I can tell you from experience, kill a bare foot if stepped upon. 

  

Now for the ‘shrooms. This was my first time making stuffed mushrooms, and I am hooked. My sister-in-law Kate and I were talking meal ideas and food over the holidays (while stuffing our own faces, of course, that’s a holiday given!), and she shared that she makes stuffed mushrooms a lot and uses what she has on hand. That’s when I knew I needed to make them. I enjoy everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cooking, and I am a mushroom lover, so this was a done deal. There’s nothing fancy about these babies. The beauty of this recipe, an Ashley original, is that you can adjust the seasonings as you like. I decided to go very traditional, hence “classic” but there is a lot of potential here. May you be inspired by the mushroom! And the cream cheese. Definitely the cream cheese.

Classic Stuffed Mushrooms

Source: Ashley original

24-30 white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed (save stems)

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of a baking dish and place the mushroom caps upside down on the dish. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley flakes, and mix well. Finely chop half of the mushrooms stems (save the remainder for another use) and add them to the bowl and thoroughly incorporate. Transfer cream cheese mixture to a re-sealable plastic bag. Cut a small hole (but large enough for the mushroom pieces to pass) in one corner of the bag. Using the “piping” bag just created, fill the mushroom caps evenly with the cream cheese mixture. Bake mushrooms for 30 minutes or until they are soft in appearance and the cream cheese mixture is slightly browned on top.