Pizza Buns

Years and years ago, my mom used to make pizza buns for our lunches. Zoe's birthday party is on Saturday and I wanted something, yummy, pre-made and not to messy. The memory of my mom's buns popped into my head so I decided to make them. I called her for the recipe and I found out that there was none, she had just made it up! This was a bit scary because I love my recipes...I don't often just wing it. All my mom told me was that she used frozen dough cut it up and added pizza stuff. Eeek! First of all I didn't want to spend money on frozen dough so I attempted to make them from scratch. They turned out amazingly! Everyone loved them and I am going to make a second batch because I don't have enough for the party now. You can easily make your own variation. Next time I make these I am going to try a whole wheat and add some mushrooms. If you do add vegetables I would cut down on the meat a bit.

Ingredients

2 tbsp instant yeast
8 cups of flour divided
3 cups luke warm water
2 eggs
6 tbsp oil
8 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

3 cups of pizza sauce
500g of meat - I used ham sausage
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Directions
In a large bowl combine yeast and 4 cups of flour. In another bowl combine eggs, oil, sugar and water, then briefly whisk together. Slowly add the liquid to the flour and yeast bowl and then beat thoroughly. Next add remaining flour and salt until dough is formed. Knead for about 5 minutes. Put in a greased bowl and let rise for 15 minutes. Punch down and let rise for another 15 minutes.

Next cut up the dough into chunks add meat, sauce and cheese. Use your hands to combine - really work it in. Put dough into greased muffin cups. Only fill about 1/2 to 2/3 because the dough still needs to rise. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.  This will make about 36 buns.

Light Bites - Bacon Macaroni

I humbly apologize to my fellow Light Bites bloggers, I completely forgot to blog this recipe. Last week I went on a cooking/freezing escapade and I actually pre-blogged a bunch of the recipes for the group, except on Thursday all hell broke lose with our business and I didn't get around to uploading this recipe. I was a bit cheap with this recipe and I didn't use real bacon, I am in the process of using up everything in our cupboards and decreasing my grocery bill. I also did not like this recipe. I know Amanda found this recipe to be very heavy. I just didn't find it cheesy enough.


Ingredients
from Cooking Light
3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray

Directions1. Preheat broiler.
2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

Leftover Stew Muffins

I made this really great stew from my friend Pam's blog, Lobster and Fishsticks. I highly reccomend it, she makes some great stuff. I made it and then froze it. Then this past week I thawed it and ate some more. Today I had still had some left and no one wanted anymore so I thought why not see if I can make some savory muffins. They turned out delicious a little like biscuits. I am very impressed because I had started cleaning up when I realized I had forgotten the baking powder but somehow they turned out wonderfully! I think I will try it again with another stew.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup melted butter

2 eggs

2 cups stew

1/2 cup of grated cheese for on top

Directions

Combine stew, eggs, and butter then add the flour and baking soda. Spoon into muffin tin about 2/3 full, top with grated cheese and bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes.