Homemade Pizza/ Grilled Pizza

Making pizza is a great way to get your kids into the kitchen! Let the kids help you roll out the dough, spread the sauce, and top it with the cheese.

Pizza dough (I like to get it from the pizza place down the street, but sometimes I use pillsbury)
sauce (any kind you like)
mozzarella cheese
Whatever toppings you like

During the winter I bake the pizza in the oven. Usually around 350 for about 15 min.

During the summer we grill the pizza. Surprisingly the dough does not fall through the grates like you think it will.

On a hot grill you want to spread the dough on the grate (I usually put a light coat of oil on the dough first so it doesn't stick) Watch the dough closely so it doesn't burn. Once it has gotten brown on the bottom, flip the dough over and add the toppings. I like to top it with fresh mozz, sliced tomatoes, and at the end fresh basil. This is a much lighter version for the summer. YUMMM!

Japanese crusted chicken or pork

I LOVE tonkatsu, which is a japanese breaded and fried pork. I make my own version. The only problem is finding the dipping sauce. My supermarket doesn't carry tonkatsu sauce but I did find this teriyaki sauce that is really good. I know you can find the tonkatsu sauce at a japanese supermarket but there is none around my house. This recipe is very easy and you can use either the thin cut pork chops or chicken breast.

flour
egg
panko breadcrumbs
thin cut pork chops or thin cut chicken breast
oil

Basically you cook these the same way you would if you were to make fried chicken cutlets. I use vegetable oil or canola oil to fry in. I also like to serve this with rice, and a veggie (something asian inspired, like snow peas).

Baked Chicken Fingers

Last night I didn't know what to cook since my grass-fed organic beef order had not come yet. So I searched in my freezer and found some frozen chicken tenderloins and decided to make some chicken fingers. I wanted to make them a little healthier than the fried version so I baked them on my pampered chef bar pan.

If you don't have a pampered chef bar pan you do not know what you are missing. This is probably one of my favorite items in my kitchen and I use it for almost everything! (Also, I do not work for pampered chef and do not get any royalties or commissions).

Chicken Fingers
1 package of chicken tenderloins
1 egg (beaten with a bit of water)
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs ( I used the seasoned bread crumbs but if yours are unseasoned then you can season it with herbs of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take chicken and dredge in the flour, dip in the egg and coat in breadcrumbs. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 min.

I served my chicken fingers with ketchup, baked sweet potatoes and some green beans that I lightly steamed and sprinkled with some seasoned salt and butter. YUMM!

Hamburger Pie

This is a quick family friendly meal that my husband loves!

2 cans pillsbury crescent rolls (if you can find the crescent sheet it works even better)
1 lb chopped meat (use the type you like; beef, chicken or turkey all work well)
1/4 lb american cheese

Preheat oven according the directions on the can for the crescent rolls. Cook chopped meat over medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Roll out 1 can of dough and do not separate, it should be one sheet on a baking sheet. (I use my pampered chef bar pan) Spread chopped meat onto the dough but leave about 1/2 inch of the dough around the edge. Cover meat with cheese and then take the 2nd roll of dough and place it on top. Seal the edges and bake until golden brown. Serve with ketchup and some tater tots and a veggie and enjoy!

My inspiration

I decided to start this blog for my mommy friends who are often asking me what I made for dinner, and how I possibly had time to make it. So, this is to help my mommy friends cook some simple, kid-friendly, yummy dinners in a short amount of time.

Growing up my mom always cooked and made delicious dinners in a short amount of time. She is my inspiration! I hope that I can help out my fellow mommy friends by sharing my recipes and some funny stories along the way.