French Bread Pizza

We've started a new tradition in our family: Friday Night Pizza Night. We've done it for a total of two weeks now, and I'm really excited about it for a few reasons. 1. I love traditions. 2. I love pizza. 3. I love trying new recipes.

This past Friday, I had almost an entire loaf of Easy French Bread left to eat before it would start getting hard. My friend Amber had mentioned how much her family loves French Bread Pizza, so I decided to give it a try. I have to say that it's my favorite crust for pizza! It had great flavor and the right amount of crunch. You can use whatever toppings you like, but I'm pretty fond of the combination we had.

• 1 loaf of Easy French Bread
• olive oil
  
• pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a Four Cheese Italian blend of mozzarella, provolone, romano and parmesan).
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small can sliced olives
• 1/2 package pepperoni
• Garlic Rosemary seasoning (This is one of those "bread dipping' seasonings. If you can't find this at your market, you can make your own by combining garlic powder and rosemary.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut loaf in half and place both halves on a cookies sheet. Brush with olive oil. Place in oven for 3-5 minutes so that the bread hardens a bit to keep the pizza from being soggy.

Carefully, pull the cookie sheet out of the oven. Spread pizza sauce on bread and sprinkle over with cheese. Then sprinkle on the onion, pepper and olives. Place pepperoni on top. Shake Garlic Rosemary seasoning over pizza to taste. Bake in oven for 17-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Italian Bread Bowls

I've been on a bit of a soup kick this winter. It's been so obvious in fact that my husband started complaining about all the leftover soup in our fridge. That's unusual. My husband was called "the garbage disposal" by his family growing up because he ate all the leftovers and never complained about it. I feel like I'm able to move on from soup now that the weather is starting to warm up...I hope.
I like to make bread bowls to serve soup in every now and then. My favorite soup to put in them is Veggie Cheese Chowder.

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 7 cups flour
  
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.


2. Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.


3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.


4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on a lightly greased baking sheeting sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.


5. Preheat oven 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water, lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.


6. Bake in preheated over for 10-12 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10-12 minutes longer until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.


7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch think slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4 inch thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

Minestrone Soup

We ate this soup at a church activity and so I have to give tribute to Marina Rice for this recipe. I like to serve it with garlic breadsticks and salad.

• 3 chicken breasts (cooked in chicken broth) cubed
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1 lb. Italian sausage - cooked, drained
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 3 Tbsp. parsley
• 2 cups carrots, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 4 small or 2 large cans crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 oz. pasta, cooked and added to soup as needed

Combine all ingredients and let simmer all day in crockpot on low heat.

This recipe makes a lot of soup. So much in fact, that it doesn't fit in my crockpot so I just do it in a big pot over the stove. It tastes just as good...I just make it in the early afternoon instead so it can simmer and blend the flavors until dinner.

Mary Lee's Lasagna

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can/bottle spaghetti sauce (about 1 quart)
• 2 Tbsp. parsley flakes
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1 pint ricotta cheese
• 2 (24oz.) low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• lasagna noodles
• mozzarella & parmesan cheese (left over from earlier ingredients)

1. Brown meat, onion, and garlic; drain. Add all ingredients from tomatoes to basil. Let simmer with meat.
2. In a separate bowl, combing all ingredients from ricotta cheese through oregano.
3. Layer in a 9X13 baking dish: noodles, meat, cheese, repeat.
4. Layer everything with mozzarella and parmesan.
5. Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Parmesan

• 4 chicken breasts
• mozzarella cheese
• spaghetti sauce
• italian bread crumbs
• egg
• flour

Pound down your chicken until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Then get 3 bowls and fill 1 with flour, 1 with 2 eggs (more if needed) just a little bit beaten, and then the other with bread crumbs. Salt and pepper your chicken and then dip it in each bowl, beginning with the flour then the egg then the bread crumbs. Be sure the chicken is completely coated with the bread crumbs. Then place these on a greased 9x12 pan. Cover the pan with foil and cook at 350 degrees for about 30 or 40 minutes. Then, when the chicken is almost completely done in the oven, take the foil off and put spaghetti sauce and moz. cheese on each piece. Leave in over for a few more minutes so the chicken can finish up and the cheese will melt.