Sausage, Pepper & Onion Stromboli

I usually make a deli meat type stromboli. Ben requested something a little different. This recipe sure did hit the spot.

Sausage, Pepper & Onion Stromboli
Source: My Kitchen Addiction

Ingredients
1 batch whole wheat pizza dough
1 lb. Italian chicken sausage links (we used regular because we couldn't find chicken)
1 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 large sweet onion (or 1 small), sliced
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 oz. parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated
Add extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over top
Italian Seasoning
Marinara

Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a grill pan over medium heat, brown the sausage links until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced bell pepper and onion and saute until the veggies are tender.

Stretch the dough over the baking sheet forming a large rectangle. Arrange teh peppers and onions lengthwise down the center of the dough rectangle. Slice the sausage links crosswise into small 1/4 inch slices and arrange on top of the peppers and onions. Sprinkle with the two cheeses.

To form the stromboli, fold the two long ides of the pizza dough up over the filling and pinch with your fingers to crimp at the top. Roll up the ends and pinch together to seal off the ends. Drizzle some olive oil over the dough and then use a pastry brush to evenly coat the stromboli. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes. Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes prior to slicing. Serve slices topped with warm marinara sauce.

Basic Whole Wheat Dough

We had some stromboli making going on at our house today. This was a good basic pizza dough. I like that it uses a wheat crust.

Basic Whole Wheat Pizza

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast (I TBSP)
1 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions
Start by combining the water and the yeast in a large mixing bowl (if you are using the electric mixer, use the mixer bowl). Add the sugar and stir to combine, dissolving the sugar and the yeast in the water. Add the salt, olive oil, and 1 cup of the whole wheat flour. Beat the mixture until smooth.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and the all purpose flour. Knead for about 5 minute, until the mixture forms a dough (or use the dough hook on the mixer on low speed for approximately 2 minutes until the mixture forms a ball).

Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough doubles in size.

Lightly grease a 15 inch pizza pan or a large baking sheet. Spread the dough on the pan and allow to rise for an additional 15 minutes.

"Benchilada's"

Digging around the internet for a quick easy recipe - I ran into "Benchilada's" on Annie's Eats blog. HMMM, I have a Ben at hime, we like enchilada's. It's one of those recipes where I read the ingredients and become intrigued. Curious how these thing could come together, I gave it a try. It was tasty ~ quick & easy too. "Benchilada's" got a thumbs up from the Ben in my house!

Cheesy Chicken Benchilada's
Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
flour tortillas (10-15) – we like Azteca, packs of 10
jar of salsa
shredded mexican cheese (I usually use close to 4 cups, I love cheese!)

Directions
Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.
While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).
Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

When reheating, reheat in the oven at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes.

CeCe's Banana Bread

Ben has been talking about his Grandma's Banana Bread - She was nice enough to share it with him. The family said my execution tasted like here - a HUGE compliment!! Without further ado - Grandma's Nana Bread!

Banana Bread
Source: CeCe Dougherty
As typed by Cece.


FIRST THING - MASH 2 BANANAS.
LEAVE THEM IN THE MIXER.
ADD 1 1/2 CUPS SUGAR
1/2 C BUTTER (1STICK AND i ALWAYS USE BUTTER)
BLEND TOGETHER IN MIXER
ADD 2 EGGS, 1/4 TEASPOON SALT, 1 TEASPOON VANILLA
MIX ALTERNATELY 1 1/2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
WITH 4 TABLESPOONS OF SOUR CREAM THAT HAS BEEN STIRRED TOGETHER WITH
1 TEASPOON OF BAKING SODA.
ADD CHOPPED WALNUTS IF YOU LIKE ( i LOVE WALNUTS SO 1 USE A WHOLE
CUP)(SOMETIMES i DON'T CHOP THEM, IT KIND OF LOOKS GOOD TO ME TO SEE
BIG CHUNKS OF WALNUTS.)
USE A LOAF PAN AND i GREASE IT AND LINE IT WITH SILVER FOIL 375
OVEN FOR 1 HOUR++.
THE TOP SHOULD BE FIRM.
STICK A TOOTHPICK INTO IT IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT. SHOULD COME OUT DRY.
IF YOU ARE USING A KITCHENAID THE BOWL HOLDS 2 RECIPES AT A TIME. i
NEVER MAKE ONE.
EXTRA RIPE BANANAS ARE BEST. tHE SUPER MARKET SOMETIMES HAS BAGS OF
OVERRIPE BANANAS AVAILABLE. SHOULD HAVE A LOT OF BROWN SPOTS ON THEM
(i GUESS THE SUGAR IS FERMENTING AND THEY'RE BECOMING ALCOHOLIC)
ANYWAY THAT'S WHEN THEY MAKE THE BEST BANANA BREAD.
THEY FREEZE BEAUTIFULLY. i