Homemade Pizza

You really can’t go wrong with kids when it comes to pizza. Let them put their toppings on it, and they will be more likely to eat it. But why not let them make the whole thing, dough and all? Here’s a super easy recipe.

Dough

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp oil

Toppings

• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Pepperoni
• Ham
• Meatballs
• Sausage
• Pineapple
• Pepper
• Mushrooms
• Olives

Dissolve yeast in warm water and add a dash of sugar. In a mixing bowl add salt, flour, Italian seasoning, and oil. When yeast is bubbly, pour into flour mixture to make dough. Form into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Allow rising 30-60 minutes.

Roll out dough on a floured surface and stretch into a pizza pan. With multiple children, you can make individual pizzas so they can add the toppings they desire. Spread sauce, cheese, and any other toppings over crust and bake in a 450-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Potato Pierogi

Pierogis are a great kid recipe to make. It teaches them a lot of skills and it’s something they enjoy eating. Plus, it’s way better to make your pierogis than to buy them from the store – huge money savings right here.

Pierogi dough

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup water

Filling

• 3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3 to 5 tablespoons milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and water. Using a fork or whisk, mix just the liquids. Now,, with a spoon, stir the flour into the liquid from the sides of the bowl. When you have made a dough, knead it for 7-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands. Put the dough aside in a bowl covered with plastic wrap while you prepare the filling. Put the potatoes in a pan with just enough water to cover them. Heat to a boil. Cook 10 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a sautée pan and add the onion, stirring until it’s a light golden brown. Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the onion, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, 3 tbsp milk, and about ¼ tsp salt. Mash adding salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is a little dry, add more milk.

Roll dough out very thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 3-inch circle cookie cutter. Place 1 tablespoon of potato filling in the center of dough cut-outs. Moisten half the edges with a finger dipped in water and fold the moistened end over onto the dry end to seal. Press the edges firmly together.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and place pierogis into the boiling water. Let them boil for 7 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Chicken Cutlets and Fries

Kids love chicken, but you might not be so crazy about having them fry chicken fingers. All that grease spraying everywhere. But baking them like in this recipe is not only healthieR but also not as dangerous for the kids.

• 2 large baking potatoes
• ¼ cup zesty Italian dressing
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 lb boneless chicken breast, pounded and cut into strips
• ½ cup bread crumbs

Heat oven to 425 degrees. 

Cut potatoes into ½-inch strips and place in a bowl. Toss with dressing and ¼ cup cheese until coated. Spread evenly into a lightly greased baking dish. Bake 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix bread crumbs and the rest of the cheese. Wet chicken and dip in breading mixture. Add the chicken to the baking dish with potatoes. Turn the potatoes. Bake 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

These recipes are all great to get kids cooking with you and to save money. It’s all stuff they’ll love, so they will not be throwing any food away, especially since they helped make it.

What are your favorite recipes to cook with kids?

How to Feed a Family of Four on $100 a Week

• Shop the sales. Follow those weekly sales ads. Look for the places that have the best prices on the things you need. That might mean going to multiple stores to save the most money.
• Buy in bulk. If you can get a membership to a shopping club, you can save a lot of money on meat.
• Clip coupons. Be mindful of the coupons you use, though. If you have to buy two of something to save $0.50 on a third item, it might not be the best coupon. Use them in conjunction with sales and when you can use double and triple coupons as well.
• Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. We know you love your watermelon. But you will pay more for it in the winter than in the summer. So stick with the fruits and vegetables that are in season.
• Brand name doesn’t always mean better. Oftentimes, the store brand is made in the same factory as the name brand. When you buy a name brand you are paying for the name. The store brand can be just as good as the name brand.
• Cheaper cuts of meat can still be made to taste good. Buy a whole chicken instead of chicken pieces. Drain fat out of ground meat and rinse it after cooking instead of buying the more expensive lean ground meat. Stretch the meat by adding other sources of nutrition, such as mashed-up kidney beans, shredded zucchini, or whole-grain rice to your meat patties. It will make it not only healthier for you, but it will also make the meat last longer.
• Canned fruits, vegetables, and even meats can save you money. Add canned chicken to casseroles and wraps. Use canned vegetables and fruit stored in its juices when money is tight. These items have a longer shelf life, so you can buy them in bulk.
• Frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as good as fresh. When you’re craving a strawberry shake in the middle of winter and strawberries are not in season, you can use frozen to save you some money.
• Make soups and stews. These are hardy meals that can be stretched far with healthy ingredients.
• Utilize what’s in your fridge and your pantry. Revamping your leftovers into another meal with some items from your pantry will help stretch your food that much longer.
• Don’t shop on an empty stomach. And make sure if you have to bring the kids with you that they are well fed as well. Otherwise, you might see some high price items sneak into your cart.

Following these tips will give you more food for the buck. You really can spend $100 a week to feed a family of four. And best of all – it can be done without sacrificing your health or that of your family.

Some people spend hours creating fancy appetizers that they may find quite tantalizing. The trick is this, will your weekend guess find your appetizers as mouth-watering as you do? How can you be sure that your guests will like the fancy appetizers you’re preparing?

One sure-fire way to find appetizers that will get the job done is to use copycat restaurant recipes. These recipes have been developed by skilled chefs that mimic some of the best entrees, appetizers, and desserts from America’s most popular restaurants.

This is always a great way to ensure that the appetizers that you prepare will appeal to the greatest number of your guests. Most people have several appetizer dishes they order when they frequent their favorite restaurants. As you read this article, a few appetizers that you enjoy may come to mind.

Many copycat appetizer recipes are quite easy to follow and use common ingredients that may be purchased from any local grocery store. Instructions for creating these scrumptious appetizers are usually straightforward to follow.

You’ll find everything from unique chips and salsa recipes to the more elaborate appetizers that can lend themselves to combination appetizer platters. Many of these recipes also include a wide range of supplemental sauces and dips that accompany these recipes that can add additional taste and savor to the recipe. You can also augment these recipes with your dips and sauce recipes to further spice things up.

Many of these recipes can be whipped up in less than an hour and augmented with attractive garnishments that will dazzle your guests and appeal to their taste buds. Simply choose a few appetizers that cover a wide range of tastes, and you’re in business.

Bottom line: don’t spend hours and hours developing appetizer items that may not appeal to your guest. Just copy recipes that are proven winners as well as time savers and feel confident that you’re serving appetizers that are solid winners.

William Lockhart is the founder of The Secret Inside Scoop and SuperNetSecrets.com His site and ezine focuses on unique and useful
resources, products, and services that are difficult to find on the
Internet.

Here are three places where you can find cooking recipes without spending hours looking for them.

1. The most obvious place to find cooking recipes is in a cookbook. Paper recipes are what the majority of people turn to when they are trying to make a dish that they are not familiar with. After all, paper recipes allow you to keep the instructions handy as you move through the process. The good thing about cookbooks is that there are hundreds of them for sale, with each one touching on a unique topic. You can find a cookbook that covers everything from bread making to desserts.
2. When searching for cooking recipes, never overlook a good friend. Chances are if you like to cook, you probably know somebody else that shares the passion. Why not swap recipes so that everybody can enjoy? Trading paper recipes with a friend are one of the most overlooked ways of finding new dishes to make.
3. Of course, you can search for recipes online. If there is something that you need information on in a hurry, the internet is the place to look. Computer recipes allow you to find what you need without buying a single thing. In addition, many people have decided to go the internet route because they can print out the computer recipes and take them to the kitchen. It does not get much easier than that.

Regardless of what type of recipe you need, the fact of the matter is that they can be in some different places. If you do not have luck with one of the options listed above, you can always try the next. And if none of them work for you, why not find your way of compiling recipes?

The bottom line is that you do not have to be a cooking professional to find quality recipes.

1. Roast Chicken

Because you can get a whole chicken for very cheap this is a perfect meal that seems expensive, but isn’t. Just include some potatoes and carrots in the roasting pan with the chicken and you have a whole meal in one pan that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Simply take your roast chicken and season with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Place it in a roasting pan with rack. Surround the chicken with quartered potatoes and some cut up carrots with half a cup of water and place in a preheated 350 degree oven. Allow to cook half an hour per pound of chicken.

About half an hour before the chicken is done cooking, pour some chicken broth over it. Once done cooking, remove the vegetables from the pan. Mash the potatoes if you’d like and season with a little salt and pepper. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let stand a few minutes before carving. Meanwhile use the drippings from the pan to make gravy if desired. And there you have it – a full meal for under $10.

2. Meatloaf

This is an American classic that’s inexpensive to boot. Pair this with some green beans and egg noodles for a meal that’s less than $10.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 envelope onion soup mix

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Place in a loaf pan. Put in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve over egg noodles.

3. Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

A nice hearty meal to really fill you up. And it’s easy because you can set it to cook all day in the crockpot.

• 6 pieces boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 red potatoes, quartered
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Carrots and peas

Brown chicken on both sides in oil. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove to slow cooker. Add vegetables and chicken broth to slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours (high for 4 hours).

4. Chili

Here’s another hearty meal that won’t break the bank, but will fill you right up.

• 1 onion
• 1 head of garlic
• Bell pepper
• 15 ounce can of black beans
• 14 ounce chicken broth
• 14 ounce stewed tomatoes
• ½ pound ground turkey

In a large saucepan heat onion, garlic, pepper, and ground turkey. Cook until turkey is done, about 6 minutes. Drain the canned beans. Add to turkey with stewed tomatoes and half of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for half an hour.

5. Vegetarian Tacos

This is really very simple and basic. To make it more filling, use beans instead of meat. Just heat a can of beans in a pan with some chipotle pepper. Add your taco shells, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese and you have a quick and cheap taco dinner for the whole family.

So those are just five recipes you can make that won’t break the bank. What other meals do you like to make that cost less than $10?