Perfect Pie Crust

I was getting ready to bake and freeze some pecan pies for Christmas. I'm using a recipe that I have hung onto for 25 years since I was in home economics class in high school. Showing my age here, I know. It truly does make the perfect pie crust.

Ingredients:
makes (3) 9 inch shells

1-½ c. cold crisco
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 Egg
5 Tbs. ice cold water
1 Tbs. white vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

 To make the crust:

Put flour into a large bowl and add Crisco. Using a pastry cutter,  cut the Crisco into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal.

 In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/Crisco mixture.

 Add  cold water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are mixed well..

Dough should be slightly moist and well mixed.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 equal sized balls of dough and place each dough into a  piece of platic wrap. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½-1 inch thick) to make rolling easier later.

Place them in the freezer until you need them, make sure to thaw out 15 minutes prior to using from frozen state. Can be frozen for up to 4 months.
If you will be using it immediately, put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.
Put the dough on  a floured surface , gently start rolling  the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. Continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

Using the rolling pin, carefully roll your crust over the roller and place on top of pie plate.

Gently press the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan. Cut excess dough off 1/2 inch around top of pie plate.

 Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

                                                               Happy Pie Making!!

Leftover Lion House Sloppy Joe Buns and Recipe

We had some leftover rolls that start to get hard in a day or two if not eaten, usually there all gone by the next day. But today my sons wanted sloppy joes, so I steamed the buns over the pan while fixing the sloppy joes and they were perfectly soft again.

These rolls are great to use as buns for all types of dishes, we've had tuna salad, chicken salad, spam, ham and cheese, just to name a few so don't discard them just because they have gone a little stale.

Recipe for sloppy joes:

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 chopped onions

2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2/3 c. of your favorite BBQ sauce

½ c. ketchup
¼ c. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the grease off the meat and onions. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Cut your rolls in half and spoon sloppy joe mixture on.  Enjoy!

Lion House Rolls

Ingredients:

2 c. warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter

2 1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. dry milk powder

5 1/2-6 c. all purpose flour

2 eggs

2 Tbs. yeast

To make the rolls:

Mix the water, sugar, butter, salt, dry milk, and 5 c. flour together until combined. Make sure to tap the flour down in the cup until it is settled giving you a full 1 cup measurement. After this has been sufficiently mixed, add the eggs and yeast. Mix together again until combined. Add the last 1/2-1 c. of flour to the dough, if dough is to sticky. Mix on high for 5 minutes until the dough becomes slightly stiff and stretchy. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Put onto lightly floured surface.
                                    
Pull off a piece of dough and roll into balls and place thirty rolls on a cookie sheet.

To shape to rolls, hold in one hand and push through your thumb and first finger while pushing up through the hole with your other hand, pinch the ends closed to form a smooth ball.

 Let them rise on a cookie sheet until the balls begin to touch, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Butter tops after roll are out of the oven.

                                                               So soft and fluffy, Enjoy!

Cristmas Card Photo of Chloe and Bella

Well I spend all morning trying to get a picture of our girls for Christmas cards this year and boy was it a job. I don't see how photographers who photograph animals do it. They twisted and turned, took their hairbows out, growling at each other because one would sit on the other and would not sit down. But I'm happy with the one I got.

                                                                      Bella & Chloe

                                                                          Bella

Notice there is not a single shot of Chloe that is because by the time we finally got the Christmas card photo, she was done and jumped down and ran behind the couch, we played the-her on one end and me on the other end of the couch, trying to run her out but she wouldn't have it. It's just like toddlers going through the terrible twos with these two.

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

A family favorite of ours is cheesy hashbrown casserole. There are many variations you can do with the recipe to have different outcomes. We like the southwest flavor best. But any combination of spices taste great in this casserole.

Ingredients:

2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed  ( I used 1 pd. southwestern flavor and 1 pd. plain cubes)
1/2 c. margarine or butter, melted
1 can Cream Of Chicken Soup
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Chop onion and place in large bowl. Add melted butter, cream of chicken soup, salt and pepper and mix together well.

Next add cheese and mix again.

Then add hashbrowns, mixing well to coat all potatos well.

Then pour  into a greased 9×13 pan and bake in oven at 350 for thirty minutes, or until bubbly.

These are very similar to Cracker Barrells Hashbrown Casserole.

                                                         Enjoy!!!!

Pizza Hut Pan Pizza Copy Cat

Pizza Hut Pan Pizza Copy cat
Copy of the Pizza Hut Pan Pizza – (adapted from Minh via CDKitchen)

Dough :

1 1/3 c. Warm water (between 100-110 degrees)
1/4 c. Non-fat dry milk
1/2 tsp salt
4 c. flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 package instant dry yeast
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 oz vegetable oil for each pan

Sauce :

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp dry marjoram
1 Tbs. garlic powder

Making the Dough:

Using your dough hook. Add yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble. Add oil and stir again.
Gently add the flour and stir until dough forms. Then knead the dough with the dough hook on medium speed  for 5 mintues.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide dough into three balls.
Pour 2 oz of oil into three 9″ cake pans making sure it coats evenly.
Roll out each dough ball into an approximate 9 inch circle. Then place into the cake pans.
Turn oven on 350 degrees for 15 seconds and turn off. This is to ONLY warm the oven. Next put pizza dough in oven and let them rise for approx. 2 hours. (You can skip the warming the oven step in the summer).

Making the Sauce:

While your dough is rising, mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium size sauce pan. Cook on medium heat until the sauce starts to boil, then lower the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes before using.

Making the pizza:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
After the dough has risen, spoon 1/3 rd.  of sauce on the dough.  Add your favorite ingredients, then cover with cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minute or until the crust is brown and cheese is melted.

My Kids like cheese.

And Me and Hubby like pepperoni.

Either way it is delicious and tastes like Pizza Hut's Personal Pan pizza. Enjoy!!

Braided Calzone Pizza Loaf

 This is our familys favorite calzone, pepperoni!  We fix this at least once a week. It is unbelievably good.
This recipe makes 2 large loaves, eat one now and freeze one for later. (They never make it to the freezer at my house, though)

Dough:
1 Tbs. shortening
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
1 c. boiling water
1 c. cold water
1/3 c. lukewarm water
1 Tbs. yeast
5 1/2-6 c. flour
1 egg

Filling:
1 package of pepperoni or salomi
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Topping:
powdered Parmesan cheese
oregano
garlic
anything that sounds good to you

Make the dough:

 In a small bowl dissolve 1 Tbs. yeast in 1/3 c. warm water, set aside. In your mixer bowl: add sugar, salt, and shortening together and mix together. While still blending, pour the boiling water over the sugar mixture. Next add the cold water into the sugar mixture. Lastly pour the yeast and water into the sugar mixture.
Add the flour 1 C at a time while mixing. You know you have enough flour when the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Once you have enough flour mix on high for 6 minutes. Let the dough rest in the mixer bowl for about 5  minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal parts and let them rest on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray for about 5 minutes.

Lightly coat your counter with oil. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Using a scraper or pizza cutter, cut one inch wide strips along both long sides of the rectangle. Be sure to leave about 5 inches down the center uncut, leaving a space in the middle for your toppings.

Next fold over each strip to center of loaf on each side and fold ends together, now move the dough to your baking sheet and unfold. (It is alot easier to move it now than after you have your toppings on)

Place pepperoni, cheese and in my case, mushrooms down the center of the dough.

Next fold the end edge over and start pulling the dough strips across the loaf, criss-crossing as you go, when you get to the end stop at he third strip in and start at the end edge and fold over and then finish criss-crossing.

Beat the egg until bubbly. Brush over the entire top of the loaf.

Add your desired toppings (We used parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, oregano today, but usually we just use parmesan cheese and italian seasoning)

Repeat these steps with the other piece of dough.  Turn oven on 170 degrees and let rise for 20 minutes. Then turn your oven up to 400 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes, until loaves are golden brown. (Leave the dough inside while the temperature rises)

Let the loaves rest for about 5 minutes, then cut into slices.

                                                                    Enjoy!!!!