Erika's Canadian Bacon & Pineapple Pizza

1 pkg. Canadian bacon (thinly sliced)

1 can pineapple tidbits drained

Cheese, (Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese)

Pizza sauce

Pizza Crust

Make Pizza crust according to directions. Here are some good recipes for a crust:

(Papa John's Style Pizza Crust Recipe HERE)

(Homemade Pizza Crust Recipe HERE)

Make Sauce, or add store bought sauce

(Good sauce recipe HERE)

(Depending on the crust recipe you use, will depend when you add your ingredients. Some recipes you are supposed to bake for 10 minutes before adding toppings, and others you can add right away).

Add Pizza sauce to the pre made crust. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Add Canadian bacon slices on top. Add another layer of Mozzarella cheese. Bake. About 5 minutes before taking the pizza out of the oven, add pineapple and sprinkle Parmesan cheese and continue to bake until the pizza is done or golden brown.

Pizza Crust 2

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp. sugar

4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. Oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, warm water and sugar. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add 2 cups flour, salt and oil. Stir until well blended. Add remaining flour and knead until smooth and elastic. Let dough rise until double (30-60 minutes). Roll out dough and rub a thin layer of olive oil on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Spread on pizza sauce and top with your favorite toppings. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until crust is light brown.

This pizza crust recipe is similar to the other "Papa John's Pizza Crust" recipe that I have posted, but the texture was completely different. This was a thick but yet light crusted pizza. It was delicious! I got this recipe from my amazing cooking cousin JADI. She said you can make 4-6 personal size pizzas with this dough or one large pizza. We made a large jelly roll pan size of pizza with it. Yum!

Papa Johns Garlic Butter Sauce

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted and ingredients are combined


Living away from many restaurants, I find myself craving them. I always loved papa johns pizza. So we though we'd give this recipe a try. If I make this again I will use butter instead of margarine, and add a pinch more garlic powder.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato puree
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder


Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

(Makes about a cup)(This will be enough sauce for 2 medium pizzas)

"Papa Johns" Pizza Crust

Makes 2 medium pizza crusts

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees)

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour (this always varies for me)

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

5. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

I KNOW this is not the same as Papa John's, but it still tasted good. I loved the lightly crispy crust on the outside, but soft inside. Yum!

Stuffed Crust Pizza

Make your favorite Pizza dough recipe. The dough should hang over the edge of the pizza by about an inch. Add string cheese around the edge of the pan.

Fold the crust over the string cheese and seal. Bake according to your pizza crust recipe directions. Enjoy!

I know there is an authentic "Stuffed Crust Pizza" recipe out there, but we just like to use our own pizza crust recipe and add string cheese. Enjoy!...We did!

Bread Bowls

Make your favorite bread dough recipe. After the first rise, form the bread dough into the shape of a ball. Place on a greased jelly roll, style pan. Brush with a beaten egg. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let the dough rise again. Remove the wrap and bake according to bread recipe directions. (It will probably need less time). Let it cool. Then cut out a hole on the top of the bread, and hollow out the inside of the bread bowl. Make sure you don't hollow out too much of the bread, or else you'll have the soup leaking out, believe me... I know from experience! Enjoy!

My Cousin Jadi also has a great version. Check it out Here

2 loafs bread dough thawed but still cold.

(Jadi likes to use Rhodes frozen bread dough)

1 egg, beaten

Cut loaf in half. Form each half into a ball. Place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush with egg. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and slice off top. Hollow out bread and fill with favorite dip, chili or soup. Makes 4 bread bowls.

I'm sure you're sick of reading about how much we like soups. But we do!! So here's a way to spice it up a little...homemade bread bowls!

Erika's Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (1)

This is one of those "A little bit of this, and a little bit of that" recipes so you may need to alter it yourself to your liking.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (we used about 1 lb)

Water (Reserve the water from your chicken broth, you'll make when boiling the chicken)

Peeled & Chopped Carrots (I used about 4-5)

Chopped Celery (I used 3 stalks)

Onion (1 whole onion, chopped fine)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 soup can of cream or milk

1/2 c. butter

Noodles of Choice (We like to use the thick country noodles, homemade noodles, or the "Frozen homemade noodles" in the freezer section at the store, just depends what I have on hand)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Parsley (to taste)

Basil (to taste)

Garlic salt (to taste)

Oregano (to taste)

In a large cooking pot, add water until half full. Add chicken breasts, onion, carrots, and celery, and spices. Boil the chicken until cooked through. (If you want to add more water, because too much has evaporated, you can add more water and add a few chicken bullion cubes). Take the chicken from the broth and cube or shred. Add the chicken back into the soup. In the meantime, cook noodles according to directions on the package. Add Cream of chicken soup and milk or cream, and the butter. Stir well. Add noodles once cooked. Simmer for a few minutes. If you feel it doesn't need anything else, then eat it, enjoy it, and place your hand over your heart and think of me!

We LOVE soup at our house. We are always making our own version of soups. I decided I need to write these recipes down, and do a better job at measuring the ingredients, because I hate when recipes say a dash of this or a sprinkle of that. So hopefully this won't be too hard.

Chicken Broccoli Supper

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, broccoli, macaroni and cheese. Whisk the soup, broth, garlic powder and pepper; stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13" baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Stir; cover with tine foil and bake 25-30 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear and macaroni is tender. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

My kids made this for dinner. It was very simple. I didn't get to eat any (I went to a GNO) but they said it was delicious. I'll take their word for it.

Chocolate Mint Mousse/Freeze

1 1/2 c. cold milk
1 pkg. (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract (I think next time I'll only do 1/8 tsp.)

In a large mixing bowl, mix milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set. Stir in chocolate chips.
In your kitchen aid, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add peppermint extract; beat until soft peaks form. Fold into pudding. Mix well.

*If eating as mousse, refrigerate until you're ready to eat!

*If eating as a freeze, transfer into an ungreased 8" square dish. Cover and freeze for about 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting. (Serves 9)

Gingerbread Pancakes

1 c. flour

1 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

1 c. buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tbs. molasses

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

Maple syrup, Buttermilk Syrup, or whipped cream for toppings

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Combine buttermilk, egg, molasses and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix well. (This is a thin batter) Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with syrup and whipped cream.

This will make about 8-10 pancakes.

We love pancakes (AKA "hot cakes" if you ask my mom)! We love to try different variations. Banana, Hawaiian, Peach, Wheat, Apple, Blueberry etc.

Pizza Grilled Cheese

Butter (or margarine)
2 slices of bread
Cheese (Mozzarella is our favorite) (Sliced works best, but shredded will do also)
Pepperoni
Pizza Sauce

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice in a skillet butter side down. Top with cheese, pepperoni, pizza sauce (about 3 Tbs) and the second bread slice, butter side up. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, turn once. Serve with additional pizza sauce if desired.
(serves 1)

*If you are using shredded cheese and it's not fully melted after it's grilled to golden brown, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Jello Oranges

1- Cut the orange in half.

2-Scoop out the pulp of the orange.

3-Add fruit (mandarin oranges) to the cleaned out orange

4-Make jello according to package directions.

5-Pour into the orange cup. (I set my oranges into a empty egg carton so they didn't spill in the fridge)

6-Chill for several hours

7-Enjoy!

My kids love to eat these. Especially around Halloween time!