Thursday, January 23, 2014

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels


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These are an easy, fun dinner. I also love that I can make them for dinner and then put them in Bryce’s lunch for school. I’m contemplating making them and freezing them individually for lunches. I love having different options for school lunches. They were a hit and I will definitely be making them again.


1 1/2 C warm water
2 T sugar
1 T yeast
1/2 t salt
4-4 1/2 C flour
1 pound deli ham, sliced thin
2 C cheddar cheese, shredded


Pour 1 1/2 C warm water into your stand mixer and preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Add sugar and yeast. Turn the mixer on low for about 30 seconds allowing the ingredients to combine. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, or until it gets all bubbly .Add salt and flour. Turn the mixer on to low and let the flour mix in. Add the rest of the flour (2 1/2 cups worth) one cup at a time. When the dough pulls itself away from the side of the bowl, you have enough flour.


Turn the mixer to medium speed and allow it to knead for 5 minutes.


Spray your counter with cooking spray, divide the dough into two equal parts and allow them to rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Don’t skip this step. If you don’t let the dough rest it won’t roll out nicely. After the dough has rested roll it out into a large rectangle. Cover it with half of the ham and sprinkle it with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.


Roll the dough up starting at the longer end.Spray a large knife with cooking spray and slice the roll into 12 rounds. Place each pinwheel into a greased 9x13 pan barely touching. Repeat steps above with the other half of the dough. If you run out of space, you might have to use an additional 8x8 pan.

Place pans into your warm 170 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until they start to rise just a bit. You don’t want them to get super puffy, you just want the dough to have the chance to expand a little.
Turn the oven up to 350 degrees (don’t take the pans out of the oven) and let the pinwheels bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown along the top and bottom.


Take the pans out of the oven and let the pinwheels rest for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!!


*From jamiecooksitup.net

Friday, January 3, 2014

Bubble Pizza


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Sometimes I need a FAST and easy dinner that I know the kids will love.
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Who am I kidding I need that ALL the time!! I’m noticing if it takes longer than 15 minutes to prepare a meal, I’m going to be outnumbered and stressed and I hate feeling that way. Especially at the end of the day. I’ve been very keen on these FAST dinners lately and they are saving me!!
 
This is so delicious and fast and sure to be a favorite. 8x8 feeds my family of 5, but 3 of them are small children that eat hardly anything. If you’re cooking for a lot of kids or adults, I would double it.
 
1 (12oz) can Grands biscuits
1/2 to 1 jar pizza sauce, depending on how saucy you like it
Mozzarella cheese, about 1 1/2 cups
Any of your favorite pizza toppings. I use Pepperoni, cut into 4ths so it’s easier to eat and sautéed onions, garlic and peppers.
 
Pop open the can of biscuits and cut them all into 4ths. Place them in a greased 8x8 pan. Top with the sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You want to make sure that the middle dough is cooked through so it takes longer than you would think to bake. Then sit back and enjoy the fastest dinner ever made!