Gumbo

(originally from allrecipes)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup skinless, boneless chicken breasts - diced
1/2 pound pork healthy choice sausage, thinly sliced
1 cup olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 quarts chicken broth
1 (12 oz) can beer
6 stalks celery, diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chile peppers
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1.Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat, and cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Stir in sausage, and cook until evenly browned. Drain chicken and sausage, and set aside.

2.In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, blend olive oil and flour to create a roux. Stir constantly until browned and bubbly. Mix in garlic, and cook about 1 minute.

3.Gradually stir chicken broth and beer into the roux mixture. Bring to a boil, and mix in celery, tomatoes, sweet onion, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, red chile peppers, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes, stirring often.

4.Mix chicken, sausage, and shrimp into the broth mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

5.Serve over rice.

Easy Goulash

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato juice
1 can kidney beans
1 cup pasta
your choice of veggies (sometime we put in leftover corn, sometimes nothing)
2 tbsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
other seasoning to taste-cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, etc. ( I use Adobo)

Brown beef and onion. Drain off fat.

Add remaining ingredients except any pasta, bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-60 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking, add the pasta and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

This is so easy and so yummy! My kids love it!

pizza crust

I doubled this tonight and made four pizzas... one to accomodate everyone! Matt's was full of veggies, Bailey's only had black olives and cheese... Emelia had pineapple and cheese and a little canadian bacon (aka ham :) )... and mine had lots of olives, mushrooms and some ham. They were delicious. Matt said better than carryout.

Pizza Crust:
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degress F)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups flour
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix. Dump onto a floured surface. Knead into a smooth dough (five minutes or so). Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan. Add some pizza sauce and your toppings. Bake at 450 degress F for around 12-15 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned. Dough can also be frozen as well.

Pizza Sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine or water
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
1-2 tablespoon parmesan cheese