Tasty Tuesday: Deep Dish Pizza

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This week's Tasty Tuesday recipe is for Deep Dish Pizza. I have been making this dish for years.  I started with a recipe from a church cookbook, but then eventually changed it up to make it more fresh-tasting and interesting. My family loves it.  I think yours will, too!

Ingredients:
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (or 1 loaf of homemade bread dough)
1 lb hamburger (most of the time I actually use venison burger)
1/4 c finely chopped onion
15 oz chunky tomatoes (with basil and oregano)
6-8 oz tomato paste
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 Tbsn each fresh, chopped basil and oregano
1 cup each shredded Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses (or I buy what they call "Pizza Blend" with them already mixed together)

Put the hamburger and onion in a large frying pan.  Brown thoroughly and then add tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.  While that simmers for about 10 minutes, spread the bread dough across the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9x13 pan.  Place the sauce mixture on top of the bread dough and then sprinkle with cheese.  Place in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

This is an easy recipe that takes very little preparation and could be made ahead of time to pop in the oven later.  If you give it a try, would you let me know what you think of it?

Quinoa is a Breakfast Food

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Have you been introduced to Quinoa yet?  Most people view this grain as exotic and expensive (which it is). However, Quinoa, at 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein per serving, is worth the investment.  

Quinoa is cooked just like rice - in fact, I cook it in my rice cooker.  You use the same ratio of grain to water (1 cup grain to 2 cups water) as you use for white rice.  It can be used just like rice, as well.  It can be used to make a salad (my favorite recipe is Ali Vincent's Mango Quinoa Salad) or add a few herbs and spices to make a delicious and different side dish.

This morning, I even ate it for breakfast.  I added some salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and mini chocolate chips and it tasted delicious!

I hope you will give this grain a try.  We don't need to be afraid to try something new.  After all, you never know until you try it!

I put this on Frugally Sustainable's Blog Hop Today.  Check it out for lots of great ideas!

Tasty Tuesday: Fruity Breakfast Salad

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Today I am starting something new!  It is called Tasty Tuesday.  Each Tuesday, I will share some of my family's favorite recipes.  I will keep the recipes simple with inexpensive, family-friendly ingredients.

Today I am going to start with one of our favorite salads. I am calling it a breakfast salad, but it can really be served anytime. Hope you enjoy it!

2 cups rice, cooked (can be brown or white)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 mango, cut in cubes
10-15 red grapes, halved
2-3 Tbsn honey (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix the first five ingredients together (add a dash of salt now if no salt was added to rice while cooking). Put salad in refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving, sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts.  Enjoy!

This recipe is extremely versatile and I have made the following substitutions many times: peaches, nectarines, green grapes, and pecans.  Also, you may want to note that the nuts will get soggy after a day or two, so if the salad is going to be around for a few days, sprinkle the nuts on the individual servings, rather than on the salad itself.

p.s. This recipe (#72) and other great ideas can be found on Frugally Sustainable's Wednesday Blog Hop.

The Warped Hierarchy

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If you have more than one child, you know that each child is different.  In my case, of my four children, I have three that love to play team sports and one who prefers individual sports.  I have one who loves to sew, three who love babies, one who loves to bake, and one who can fix anything. I could give more examples, but if you are a mom, you know exactly what I am talking about.  Our children are not only different in their preferences, but also in that which they excel.

Which leads me to one of my greatest frustrations when it comes to raising our children.  Some kids are very academic and do well on tests without even studying.  Other kids can take something apart and put it back together just right, and yet struggle to get good grades.  Some kids have the warmest hearts and are always thinking of others, but their report cards tell them that they aren't one of the "smart" ones.

Why are we so quick to judge our child's worth on academic test scores and grades?  Or perhaps we judge them on their athletic prowess or musical giftedness? Why don't we realize that there are different types of gifts and we should value equally the gifts our children are given? Of course, academics, sports, and music are important and I firmly believe we need to teach our children to always do the best they can do.  But I never want my child to believe that they were less valuable just because they struggled with test grades or to make a goal on the soccer field.

Our children are judged severely in their growing up years on their grades, their athletic ability, and even their musical talent. This leaves many children stranded in our school system.  They may not be good at any of these things but instead have amazing mechanical ability, logic skills, or a magical touch with babies or animals.

This warped hierarchy is one of the reasons I love homeschooling.  As moms, we can focus on our child's strengths, all the while teaching them academics in the best way for them.  But, for some of us, homeschooling isn't an option.  So it is up to us to make sure our child never feels worthless because they struggle on a test, aren't the star athlete, or can't act, sing, or dance.

Ironically, once we leave that microcosm of school, we lose total interest in anyone's GPA or awards.  Do you even know if your co-worker was an A student?  Or if the man at church was the star football player in high school?  No, not normally, because it doesn't really matter in life.  But what our children believe about themselves...now that matters.  Let's be so careful to keep our priorities in order when it comes to the fragile spirits of our kids.  Let's appreciate them for who God made them to be.

My June Garden

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I thought you might enjoy some photos from my June Garden--

Freezing Herbs

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I just found this great tip for freezing herbs on the Spiral Path Farm facebook page:

"Freeze Parsley and other herbs: roll tightly into a bundle, wrap with a sheet of foil, place foil roll into a platsic bag, remove air, label, and freeze. Keeps very well for up to 6-8 months. When ready to use herb, bring out foil roll, while still frozen unwrap a small amount of roll, slice off amount you’d like to use, and put to use immediately. So fresh and fragrant. "

This idea will easily take those of us who are without a growing season 5-6 months out of the year through the winter! Yay!

Thought maybe someone else might appreciate this great tip :)

Never Underestimate Family Time

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A pick-up game of basketball with Grandpa in our backyard

Oftentimes we get so wrapped up in our to-do lists and our schedules that we forget to have good, old-fashioned fun.  Like pick-up basketball games and campfires in the summer or games of Balderdash or putting together puzzles in the winter.  Some of the best times we have had as a family have been these unscheduled, spontaneous times.  Why do we keep ourselves so scheduled that we have a difficult time finding a few minutes to just have fun together? 

One of the best things we have ever done as a family is camping together.  It is a time that all of us get away from the daily grind and just enjoy being together.  We have been camping since our youngest child was about a year old.  Now the kids are ages 13-21 and, believe it or not, they still all love to go along when they can.  That is because we have so many great memories wrapped up in those weekends.  And we continue to make more memories each time we go.

One of the things I struggled with most as a young mom was setting aside my to-do list to just enjoy being with my kids. Looking back, I realize the foolishness of that mindset. My kids are almost grown and I can never have that time back.  Of course, we can't spend every minute of every day doing fun stuff, but let's make time together as a family.  And in that process, don't let your pre-teens be too cool to be with the family.  Ask them to be with you and if their attitude is less than to be desired, just ignore it. Sooner or later, they will come around if you will just keep including them.

We can never, ever underestimate the value of family time. It is part of the glue that keeps our families strong. It is in these moments that some of life's biggest questions come up.  It is in these moments that kids and parents join together in a common cause.  And it is in these moments that we show our kids that parenting is not only about disciplining and scolding but is also very much about having fun!

Lemon Iced Tea for a Crowd

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There are a lot of great summer drink recipes to be found online.  However, most are not for a large crowd.  I decided to make my own.  It was all gone by the end of the evening, so I will take that as a good sign and share this recipe with you all :)  This recipe made about 2 gallons of drink.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Family Size Tea Bags (or 16 regular size)
2-4 Mint Tea Bags (I use Boston Mint Tea)
8 cups boiling water
3 Lemons
2 1/2 cups sugar (more or less to taste)
Water and Ice

1.  Pour 8 cups of boiling water over the tea bags in a heatproof bowl.  Let it sit and steep for at least 30 minutes or for up to 8 hours.

2.  Pour tea into your beverage container and add sugar.

3.  Use a lemon press to squeeze the juice of the lemons into the mixture.

4.  Add water to fill, leaving some space to add a generous amount of ice.

5.  Mix together well.

6.  Add ice.

It is yummy, homemade (which means it does not have the lethal amount of sugar found in store-bought varieties of this drink), and refreshing!  Enjoy!





I posted this on Frugally Sustainable's Blog Hop this week!  I am #124 :) You can find Frugally Sustainable here.

Re-Doing the Herb Garden

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Before

I have a little corner where I like to grow herbs behind my house.  Unfortunately, I have found  that some herbs struggle for survival over the long haul and others do really well and want to take over the whole area. This means that every other year or so I have to clean up my herb garden a bit.

This spring I found that oregano, parsley, and fennel had completely taken control of the garden. There was also a healthy sage plant that returned this spring.

I found dill and cilantro scattered throughout my flower gardens.  Long ago I realized that when plants re-seed themselves it does not necessarily mean it will be in the same garden where they started.  And so, for now, I have a tall, bushy cilantro plant among my roses and perennials, doing very nicely there, thank you very much!

After

However, as I wanted a few herbs besides the aforementioned control freaks, I decided it was time to clean out my bed and plant a few more.

The oregano was a monster plant and I had to get a large shovel and put some effort into removing that one. The parsley, sage, and fennel were a little easier to remove. I left a little section of all four plants and then added dill, rosemary, chives, and cilantro. Yes, I am a cilantro fanatic and I figure once this one gets going, I can get the rogue plant out of my flower bed.

It was hard work, but the end result was worth it.  I love cooking with herbs.  They add so much to ordinary food, like potatoes, chicken, and vegetables. I will post more on that in the coming weeks and give some ideas for recipes.

But, for now, why don't you find a little corner to grow a few herbs?  I will give you a few ideas next week for great herbs with which to get started.

Have a great weekend!