
GEORGIA'S HOMEMADE PIZZA
Ingredients for dough:
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 pkg. dry yeast
5 - 6 cups all purpose flour
Ingredients for toppings:
2 - 15 oz. jars or cans of pizza sauce (Ragu/Contadina)
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese
4 - 8 oz. shredded mozzarella/pizza cheese
1/2 pound pepperoni
1 - 4 oz. can drained mushrooms
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Any other topping you like, including sausage, bacon, ham, olives, chopped tomatoes, pepper rings or jalepenos..(use your imagination)

Place the lukewarm water in a very large bowl (preferably one that is microwavable). Add sugar, salt, and oil and stir to mix...sprinkle dry yeast on top and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir yeast until completely dissolved and allow mixture to stand in a warm place for another 5 minutes.
Add the first 3 cups to the water/yeast mixture and stir until all the flour disappears. Let sit until bubbles appear on top of the mixture, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, add the rest of the flour until the dough becomes a little more like a big lump of dough.. On a lightly floured bowl, dump out all the dough and with clean, floured hands begin to knead the dough until it becomes a shiny, smooth consistency and a litte more elastic. Add a little more flour, if needed, and be sure the dough is not sticking to your fingers. Add oil to the bowl and place the dough into the bowl, turning it once so that the dough is coated in the oil.
To activate the rising process, place the covered bowl (with kitchen towel) into the microwave. Set it for 5 minutes and if your levels are from 1 to 10 for cooking, set it for #1 (which is even below the defrost level). This will start the dough to rise without beginning to bake it. Let it sit in microwave until double in size (which usually takes an hour). Punch the dough down and knead a couple of times back into a ball, and replace it into the greased bowl, cover and let sit in a warm place until double again.
In the meantime, prepare 4 pans by oiling them lightly and setting aside. This would be a good time to chop your vegetables, if that is what you're putting on your pizza and getting the cheeses, sauce, etc. ready to go.
After it has doubled for the second time, now separate into 4 balls, and keep covered. Put the first ball onto the floured table and flatten out with the palm of your hand and stretch it and turn it and stretch it again until it starts taking shape. You may also use a rolling pin, if you feel you need to in order to get it to the thickness you want. Quickly place the dough onto the greased pan and with your fingertips, continue to stretch and push the dough to the edges of the pan, making a rim so the sauce will not go over.
Now it's time to create that "Pizza Masterpiece". With a medium sized spoon, spread the pizza sauce evenly until it covers out to the edges. At this time, I sprinkle parmesan cheese and a little garlic salt all around the crust area. This adds a nice flavor to the crust when it is baked. Sprinkle 1 package (8 oz.) of cheese evenly and then build your pizza to your specifications.
The oven should be preheated to 450 degrees. When it is ready, and your pizzas are all complete, put them in and check after about 10 minutes...you may want to alternate the one on the top rack to the bottom and vice versa. I usually bake 2 pizzas at a time and watch very carefully so the bottoms do not burn. Total baking time for each pizza should be around 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the crust and the amount of toppings it has. The ones with all the vegetables sometimes takes a little longer. The main thing is, you should keep an eye on them and stay close to your oven. The crust should be golden brown and the cheese all melted and bubbly before removing.
I guarantee they will come back for more and say ...."Hey, Mom, when are you making pizza again."
ENJOY!!!!..from my kitchen to yours...

ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZAS
1 package English Muffins (split to make 12) ...or however many you need.
Ragu or Prego Italian Sauce
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers ??
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Split the English muffins and place inside up on a cookie sheet. Put into oven for 5 minutes. Remove and then spread sauce evenly on top and make them with whatever toppings you like. Cheeses first then toppings. Browning them a bit first before you top them helps them keep the sauce from soaking into the muffin.
Bake in oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until nicely browned and crunchy and cheese melted and bubbly.
For a switch, make mini pizzas out of pita bread. Much lower in carbs and in fat and you have a nice mini pizza to enjoy.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS (GEORGIA STYLE...not the state!)
INGREDIENTS:
3# Ground beef (preferably chuck)
1# pasta..your choice (spaghetti, rotini, shells)
Large (29 oz.) can tomato puree
Large (29 oz.) can tomato sauce
12 oz. can tomato paste
2 T. garlic salt
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
Or a combination Italian seasoning may be used
8 oz. can Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta during this process and set aside and keep drained pasta until needed. In a large (6 - 8 quart) stockpot, empty all tomato sauces and pastes. Rinse out the cans of puree and sauce with water (about half way)..with the tomato paste can....rinse out with 3 cans of water..loosening all the paste still inside. Mix all sauces until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons garlic salt, the black pepper, and the oregano and basil..(When adding the oregano and basil, put into the palm of your hand and rub between palms..this releases the flavors.) Also add about 1/2 of the parmesan cheese into the sauce and stir...Cook on medium heat about 2 hours..stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. With the sauce slightly bubbling and boiling...roll ground beef into meatballs (whatever size you like)...and drop "RAW" into the sauce. DO NOT STIR AT ALL YET! This will cause the meatballs to crumble. Wait for at least 30 minutes...and stir very, very carefully. Turn your heat to low and cover with lid and allow to simmer at least 2 more hours (stirring occasionally). Remove lid and cook 1 to 2 more hours and allow to thicken. (This you will decide as you look at the sauce..you want it thicker). At this point, you may want to taste the sauce to see if you want or need any more garlic salt or even more parmesan (this is one of the secrets of its unique flavor.) Add pasta to the sauce and meatballs and lightly toss, mixing the sauce throughout..Keep this on warm on your stove top with lid on and let sit another 30 minutes at least..the sauce needs to soak into the pasta..Top with parmesan and serve with warm garlic, parmesan bread........Wonderful!!!...I guarantee!

LASAGNE
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
2 jars Ragu Spaghetti Sauce (I prefer the Four Cheese and the Vegetable
Primavera)
Small can mushrooms (optional)
1 pound box lasagne noodles
8 ounce Parmesan Cheese
1 pound container small curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
Garlic Salt
Parsley
Black Pepper
4 - 8 oz. shredded Mozarella cheese (or the Italian or Pizza blend
cheeses)

In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef and Italian sausage, drain the
fat and add enough water to cover the meat and simmer on medium low for
about 15 - 20 minutes to tenderize a bit. Add to this, the Ragu sauces,
and mushrooms. Keep simmering on low for about 30 minutes covered.
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add about a tablespoon of oil
to help keep the noodles from sticking. Add the noodles to the boiling water
and stir with a wooden spoon gently to loosen them and keep them separate
while cooking. When tender, drain the noodles and rinse with cool water.
being careful not to tear the lasagne noodles. Place back in the pot with
just enough cool water to cover the noodles and keep them from sticking.
In a small bowl, mix the cottage cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 4 ounces of parmesan
cheese, and a touch of garlic salt, parsley and pepper. Mix well.
In a large deep rectangular baking dish, spread a little of the meat sauce
mixture on the bottom to coat it. Lay the lasagne noodles down evenly
across the bottom (should be about 3 to 4 noodles per layer).
Next spoon the meat sauce on top of the noodles, giving a healthy portion
to each layer. Then spoon a thin portion of the cottage cheese mixture
over the meat sauce. You then end this layer with about 8 ounces shredded
cheese.
You repeat the procedure two more times (noodles, sauce, cottage cheese
, shredded cheese), this will give you three nice
thick layers. Then you top it with one more layer of noodles, sauce and then
finally the mozarella shredded cheese.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for approximately 35 minutes. You then
lightly cover with foil (loosely and not touching the cheese). Bake
an additional 30 - 45 minutes or until the lasagne is bubbling and brown
around the edges and the cheese melted and lightly browned. You don't
want it too dark and browned too much because it will be crunchy and
tough.
Take from oven and let sit for abour 15 minutes before you slice them
into square serving sizes.
Serve with warm garlic bread or toast and a nice fresh salad with Romaine
lettuce... Bellissimo!!

HOMEMADE CALZONE
Ingredients for dough:
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pkg. dry yeast
5 - 6 cups all purpose flour
Fillings: Your choice
Ragu or Prego sauce in jar (Definitely need)
8 - 12 oz. shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, pepper rings, olive slices, or whatever you want.
Place the lukewarm water in a very large bowl (preferably one that is microwavable). Add sugar, salt, and oil and stir to mix...sprinkle dry yeast on top and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir yeast until completely dissolved and allow mixture to stand in a warm place for another 5 minutes.
Add the first 3 cups to the water/yeast mixture and stir with whisk until all the flour disappears. Let sit until bubbles appear on top of the mixture, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, add the rest of the flour until the dough becomes a little more like a big lump of dough.. On a lightly floured table, dump out all the dough and with clean, floured hands begin to knead the dough until it becomes a shiny, smooth consistency and a litte more elastic. Add a little more flour, if needed, and be sure the dough is not sticking to your fingers. Add oil to the bowl and place the dough into the bowl, turning it once so that the dough is coated in the oil.
To activate the rising process, place the covered bowl (with kitchen towel) into the microwave. Set it for 5 minutes and if your levels are from 1 to 10 for cooking, set it for #1 (which is even below the defrost level). This will start the dough to rise without beginning to bake it. Let it sit in microwave until double in size (which usually takes an hour). Punch the dough down and knead a couple of times back into a ball, and replace it into the greased bowl, cover and let sit in a warm place until double again.
In the meantime, prepare 2 cookie sheets by oiling them lightly and setting aside. This would be a good time to chop your vegetables, if that is what you're putting in your calzone and getting the cheeses, sauce, etc. ready to go.
After it has doubled for the second time, now separate into 4 - 6 balls, and keep covered so they don't dry out. Onto the floured table top, take one of the balls of dough and push it down and out with the palm of your hand and either using a rolling pin or glass, roll it out to be about 6 - 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Spread lightly the sauce over the entire area leaving about 1 inch on each side. Sprinkle with parmesan and Mozzarella and whatever fillings you like. Be sure not to put TOO many inside so it can be rolled up easily.
Fold in the two end about an inch and begin rolling the dough starting from the part closest to you and roll tightly, making sure the ends you folded in stay in tact. Roll all the way to the end and place the calzone on the greased cookie sheet with the seam side down and curve the ends toward you so it looks somewhat like a crescent. Poke holes in the top with a fork. Spray butter spray on it with a touch of garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Let sit and rest to rise while the others are being made.
The oven should be about 375 degrees. Each cookie sheet can hold 3 calzones easily. Bake one sheet at a time for about 20 minutes to 30 minutes or until it is nicely browned and when you tap it you hear a hollow sound. Sit for about five minutes before you cut in half and serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SUBS
Ingredients:
Italian Sausage Links (mild, sweet, or hot) Your choice
As many or as little as you like.
My recipe here will call for 8 Italian Sausage Links
2 medium onions
1 large green pepper
Red and Yellow peppers may be used as well.
Mushrooms (optional)
Jar Spaghetti Sauce (Prego, Ragu)
8 oz. shredded mozarella cheese
Sub buns
In a large frying pan, place the sausages in and cover with water. Cook and turn over sausages as they brown and continue to add water as needed. This needs to be tended to as well.. not leaving the immediate area while cooking. The entire time for this will be about 45 minutes. When the sausages are nice and dark and browned, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
Rinse out the pan, but leave the brown from the sausage cooking for a rich flavor.. Slice the onions into rings, and slice the peppers in long thin slices, add mushrooms if using them. Add a touch of water to it and put on medium heat to cook the onions and peppers until they are nice and limp and tasty from the sausage drippings. Slice the sausage into large chunks and add it to the onion mixture and heat a little longer on low heat.
Keep the spaghetti sauce warm, place it into a small sauce pan and keep at a medium low to low heat until you use it. When it's time to put the subs together, slice the sub buns and spray with Butter spray on the outsides and insides. Place in a 350 oven for about 8 to 10 minutes until lightly crunchy. Remove from oven and put desired amount of sausage, onion, pepper mixture into the bun. If desired, you can then add the warmed sauce and sprinkle mozarella cheese on top. You can also have these subs with no sauce or cheese as well. If you like, you can put the sub wrapped in foil loosely on a cookie sheet for a few minutes and melt the cheese.
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