MediterraneanVeggie Sandwiches

This is SOOO yummy! Everyone should make it this week! My girls don't like complicated sandwiches like this, so to make it kid friendly, I just gave them sliced veggies on their plates with a piece of toast.

Ingredients- For two Sandwiches

• 4 slices of Dave's Killer Good Seed Bread
• 1/4 cup hummus of you choice {try this Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe}
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbles
• 3/4 cup matchstick carrots
• 4 tomato slices
• 12 cucumber slices
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts, washed

Instructions

1. Place the four slices of bread on a large cutting board and spread a layer of hummus one one side of each slice of bread.
2. Sprinkle the crumbled feta on one half of each sandwich then top with matchstick carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and finally the sprouts. Place the other half of the bread on the sandwich and cut in half.
3. Enjoy!

Amazing Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3 - 4 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit until bubble (about 10 min). Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger. Spray bowl and let dough rise until doubled (about 45 min). Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with booking spray. Roll dough into a rectangle 18 inches long and 9 inches wide and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter. Roll out a piece of dough like a snake and then drape it over your finger and twist (I used a chop stick and twisted the dough around it). Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise again (about 30 min). Cook at 425 for 10-12 minutes. Top with butter, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese (or whatever topping you want).

Price Guesstimate: $1-2

Steph's Comments: I know this isn't an easy recipe, but it's a fabulous, very versatile breadstick recipe. The breadsticks are DELISH and it's also a great recipes for other doughs - like pizza crust, etc. (I'll use the dough in other recipes and show you what I mean in a few days.) I'm so glad I found this recipe, and yes, it's another one from my current favorite cookbook - Our Best Bites. (By the way, they have a blog!) 

Whole Wheat Waffles

2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk (or 2 c. milk and 2 TB lemon juice/vinegar)
2 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. oil

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then gradually add dry to wet. Do not overfill waffle iron. Top with syrup, peanut butter, whip cream & berries, yogurt & bananas, or whatever else you like!

Price Guesstimate: $1 or so

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from my Aunt Mary Ann, and it's a great one. I love breakfast for dinner, and these waffles are great for that because they are super filling and have more nutrition than white flour waffles. They are also quite tasty! They're not very SWEET, so if want them to be sweet them top them with something sweet. :) I like it not too sweet because I feel like I'm eating more a meal than a dessert. They also make a great snack for the kiddos. Enjoy these!

Heather's Famous Pizza Crust

2 1/4 tsp. yeat
1/4 tsp. sugar
3/4 c. warm water
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Add yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let sit for 6-8 min. Add flour and salt, knee for 2-3 min. Put toppings on and cook at 500 for 8-12 min.

Price Guesstimate: Pennies!

Steph's Comments: I know, I know ANOTHER pizza crust! But I had to put this one because it doesn't need to rise!!!!!!!!!! Isn't that the best thing EVER?! And it's tasty too. I love to throw in spices that go with whatever the toppings are, so feel free to play around with it, but enjoy an even FASTER pizza making experiences! :)

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups peeled & grated zucchini

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Mix in order and pour batter into greased bread pans. Bake for 50 minutes at 350.

Price Guesstimate: Who knows with baking stuff... cheap!

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from my husband's cousin, Allie, but I changed the flour to whole wheat. This has been a FABULOUS snack to have around - and I love using zucchini this time of year! :) My kids have been devouring this (and I have too!) - I don't feel too bad knowing it's whole grain and at least has SOME veggies (am I justifying!?!). :)

Grilled Pizza Pockets

1 recipe of pizza dough (I used this one but I added garlic powder, oregano, and some other spices to it)

1/2 c. spaghetti sauce

2 c. shredded cheese

pizza toppings of your choice (I used pepperoni, green peppers & onions - not too many!)

Divide pizza dough into 8 balls. Roll out each ball into a 6-inch circle. Spread 1 TBS of the sauce in the center of each circle, leaving a 1-inch edge. Add toppings to one half of the circle. Fold in half and seal edges by pinching the dough together. The tricky part is that you have to start your bbq on high and get it to heat up to around 400-500 degrees, then turn off half of the grill and put the pizza pockets on the "off" half and close the lid. Let the pizza pockets cook in the heat (but not over it) for 8-10 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Price Guesstimate: It depends on what toppings you use - without toppings, but counting the cheese, it's probably going to cost you $2 or so.

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from this blog (I use that blog a lot, if you haven't noticed!). I was really worried they weren't going to turn out when I was folding them up because they looked like they were about to fall apart, but they ended up working great - way better than expected! Oh, and she (the blogger) said she put olive oil on the bottom of them so they wouldn't stick - I didn't, and I didn't have any problems. She also covered them with a seasoning, but I didn't worry about it. I LOVED these!

Easy Flatbread Tacos

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix (or make your own - see below)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pound ground beef (can substitue with kidney beans or refried beans)
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
1/8 cup taco seasoning (this is 1/2 of an envelope)
1 recipe of flatbread

Ranch Salad Dressing Mix:

1/2 teaspoon dried chives (I didn't have these, so I left them out, and it was FINE!)

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives, shredded lettuce, diced green onion and shredded cheese

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.(at least 30 minutes). In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning; heat through. To serve, spread each flatbread with 2 tablespoons ranch sour cream then top each with meat mixture. Sprinkle with toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings

Price Guessimate: $7 ish

Steph's Comments: This is really fun new way to do tacos that I found here (the same place I found the flatbread recipe). Oh, and I found the recipe for the ranch dressing mix here - I just left out the stuff for the dressing and only added the spices.

3 MInute Flat Bread

1 Tube Large Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits (Pillsbury, or I used the Kroger version)

Roll out each biscuit into a 6 inch circle. (This will help you have the right thickness.) In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. (You don't need ANY oil - as long as it's a non-stick skillet!) Yields: 8 servings.

Price Guessimate: $2-3 (depending on which brand you buy)

Steph's Comments: I discovered these on this blog and THEY ARE FUN! They're a great base for a lot of different dinners - anything requiring some sort of bread base. And SO EASY!

Apple Carrot Muffins

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. oil (or applesauce)

1/2 c. milk

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp.soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. Granny Smith apples, chopped

1/2 c. carrots, shredded

Mix eggs, sugar, oil, and milk. Sift & add flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Bake @ 325 for 20-25 minutes. Yields: 16 muffins.

Price Guesstimate: Cheap - I don't know how to add up baked goods! :)

Steph's Comments: If you like muffins, you will LOVE these. I don't know where I first got this recipe, but they always remind me of my sister, Heather, because she loves muffins, especially these ones! I know it sounds weird to have apples and carrots in, but they are delish! They'd make a great snack to have around, and they freeze really well. I haven't tried it, but I bet they'd be great with wheat flour!

Rustic Pan Bread

2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
1 Tablespoon yeast
4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
melted butter

In a bowl dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let sit for a few minutes. Stir in flour and salt. Dough will still be quite sticky. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise until double in size. Grease a small cookie sheet/jelly roll pan (I used a 9x13 pan). Spread dough flat onto sheet with palm of hand. You can also add other toppings like parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, etc. Leg dough rise again. Spread melted butter on top. Cook at 400 for 20 minutes. (The person I got this from said those whole recipe took about an hour from start to finish but it took me about 2 hours... my dough just wasn't rising fast!)

Price Guesstimate: CHEAP! I don't know with small amounts of cooking stuff. :)

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from my friend Tarmy, and she got it from this GREAT blog called dinnersonme.blogspot.com. You should check it out! (But please continue to check my blog out too!) :) This is really yummy bread.... in fact, my kids are eating it right now for an afternoon snack (I made it last night for dinner). I'm glad to know about this!

Great Pizza Crust

1 cup warm water
a packet of instant yeast

2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp olive oil

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt (2 tsp also works well

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the rest of the ingredients. Let rise in greased bowl until double (about an hour). Split in half and roll out onto pizza stone. Cook at 450 for about 10 minutes. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas.

Price Guessimtate: Way cheap :)

Steph's Comments: This goes along with the marinara sauce I put up on Friday. This crust is SO YUMMY! I put up another crust that I have used for years in an older post, but I would probably say that this crust is better! Thanks Lynden & Lynds!

Sandwich a la Mode

2 grilled cheese sandwiches
1 can of tomato soup

Prepare the grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet or sandwich grill. While it is toasting, heat a can of tomato soup, diluted according to directions with milk or water. When the sandwich is toasted and the cheese is melted, place it in a large bowl. Pour the hot soup over it. The sandwich will soften and can be eaten with your spoon. You can experiment, using different sandwich fillings/cheeses/different soup/bread, etc. It's also fun to add spices to the soup - garlic, cumin, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes... just have fun! Yields: 2 servings

Price Guesstimate: $2-ish

Steph's Comments: I love, love, love tomato soup, and so do my kids. My grandma is the one who gave me this "recipe" and my sister, Heather, reminded me about it. It's simple, but what a great one for a busy day! And, it's very fun to play around with different cheeses, breads, spices, etc. My personal favorite cheese is Pepper Jack cheese! :)

Breadsticks

1 3/4 c. warm water
3 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 T. oil
2 T. yeast
5 c. flour

Spread:
1/2 c. butter, softened (or melted)
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Prehead oven to 425. Mix all breadstick ingredients. Dough will be a little sticky. Knead by hand until smooth and elastic. (You may need to add a litte flour as you knead, but don't add too much!) Let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Roll out onto greased cookie sheet. Combine all spread ingredients. Cut dough into slices and spread with butter mixture. (I cut about 1 inch strips all the way down the cookie sheet and then cut those 1 inch strips in half, if that makes sense!)Rise again (about 30 minutes), then bake 10-12 minutes. Yields: 16-20 breasticks depending on how you cut it.

Price Guessimate: Again, I don't know how to guess when it comes to small amounts of baking goods! If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know!

Steph's Comments: I love bread, as I've mentioned before, because it makes any dinner seem nicer, and it's CHEAP to make. These breadsticks are easy and very, very yummy. Sometimes I sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top after they've cooked. Oh are they good! :) I got the recipe from my sister, Heather - thanks Heath!

Becky's Biscuits

2 c. flour
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cream of tartar
2 t. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2/3 c. milk

Preheat oven to 450. Mix everything except shortening and milk. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two criss-crossing knives until shortening is pea-size. Add milk - only stir enough to moisten everything (over-stirring will make for tough biscuits). Place dough on lightly floured surface and cut biscuits using the top side of a cup. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes. Yields: 9 biscuits

Price Guesstimate: $2 (?) I honestly have no idea when it comes to small amounts of baking goods! Sorry!

Steph's Comments: These biscuits are flaky and easy. I got the recipe from my mom and they make a great and fast addition to meals - especially soups/stews! They also make a yummy meal if you want just cut them in half and add a fried egg and a slice of cheese - homemake Egg McMuffin! :)

Macaroni Grill's Rosemary Bread

1 Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2-3 cups flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbs. rosemary (fresh, or 2 tsp. dried)
2 Tbs. butter

Preheat oven to 375° F.Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary (I usually need to add between 1/2 to 1 c more). Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. (I just spray a bowl with Pam.) Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled. (If you raise your dough on a warm oven it only takes about 45 minutes.) Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 minutes. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes (30 minutes if rising on a hot stove). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired).

Price Guesstimate: $2-3? I really don't know on this one.

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from my sister Heather, and I think she got it off of recipezaar.com. It is one of those GREAT bread recipes that makes you look like an awesome cook - and it can make you look like your meal is restaurant-worthy, even if you just made a cheap main dish. I love that! It takes roughly 2 to 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, but most of that time is raising time, so you can do other things in between - it's just a matter of thinking ahead. This is my husband's FAVORITE bread - he said he could eat it every day. I like to play around with the toppings - sometimes I rub in Paremsan Cheese or other spices. I've also thought about shredding cheese and cooking it inside the dough. Yum. It's also really great dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but I don't usually do that. Oh, and I like to cook it on a pizza stone and put cornmeal on the bottom - it gives it that crusty feel. I could on and on about this bread, I just love it so! :)

Janice Dixon's Quick Rolls

3 1/2 c. warm water
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. oil
3 T yeast

1 T salt
3 eggs
About 10 c. flour

Mix first four ingredients until smooth & let sit in mixer for 10-15 minutes. Then add the next 3 ingredients . Add the last couple cups of flour a little at a time until you achieve the right consistency. You'll know you've added enough flour when the dough is coming off clean from the sides of the bowl and is not too sticky to the touch. Mix about 3 min. more once you've added all the flour you'll need. Shape into rolls and place onto greased cookie sheet. Let rise until double in bulk (about 1 hour). Bake at 400 for 8-10 min. Yield: About 8 dozen rolls.

Tip: If you want to learn a GREAT way to cut and shape rolls, watch this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8wPowCbtbo. It has changed my roll-making experience! :)

Price Guesstimate: $2? Sorry, when it comes to baking goods, I'm not sure how to price it!

Steph's Comments: First of all, I don't know who Janice Dixon is. :) I got this recipe from my cousin Becca. I've been so glad to have it! Rolls always make a not-so-nice meal seem like a nice meals, so when you can have a fairly quick roll recipe, it's nice to use it when you want to spruce up a dinner. This roll recipe takes me about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish, but I raise my rolls on a hot oven so they rise faster than the recipe says (usually about 45 min). I have a few other roll recipes that I love too, but this one's great because it's so fast!

Bagel Dogs (Fancy Pigs in a Blanket)

Caveat: This is NOT an easy recipe, or a quick one. But it IS cheap, so I'm putting it on here! :)

2 cups water (110° F)
2 packages, active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons table salt
5 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour (approximately I used 5 1/4)
12 quality all-beef hot dogs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and/or coarse salt for garnish

Pour the water into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and sprinkle with the yeast. Let the mixture stand about five minutes or until foamy, then stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Using the paddle attachment and with the mixer on medium speed, gradually add flour, beating until well-blended and smooth, until you have a stiff dough. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic in texture. Form the dough into a lump and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Turn the dough over to grease the top. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead briefly to eliminate any air bubbles and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12×9 inch rectangle or until it’s about a 1/4-inch thick, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or the board. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 12 1-inch pieces of dough.

Dry the hot dogs thoroughly. Starting at one end of a hot dog, wrap the dough around overlapping slightly as you make your way to the other end. Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining hot dogs and strips of dough. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the over to 400°. Fill a deep, heavy pot with water and add the baking soda. Bring to a gentle boil. Working 2 to 3 bagels at a time, carefully drop the bagel dogs into the boiling water, turning frequently with a slotted spoon or spatula, for about a minute. Lift out of the water and gently dry each bagel well on a kitchen towel and arrange about 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining bagel dogs.
Brush the bagels with the egg glaze and sprinkle on your garnish of choice. Bake for about 35 minutes or until nicely browned and crusty, turning the pan about halfway through (I didn’t turn my pan and I had to bake 3 dogs on another pan. they all wouldn’t fit on one sheet). Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 Bagel Dogs

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from realmomkitchen.com. I made it awhile ago and it took a long time, but it was a really fun spin on Pigs in a Blanket. If you're in the mood to really cook, then try this one out, otherwise, just get some Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, wrap them around a hot dog, and enjoy the basics (that's what we're having for dinner tonight - I got the Cresent Rolls for only $1!).

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

One Pizza Crust (See my homemade pizza crust recipe here, or use your own!)

Alfredo Sauce (In a can, or for a CHEAPER way, see a homemade version below)

Cooked, shredded chicken

Canned or fresh mushrooms (opt.)

Cooked, chopped broccoli (opt.)

Cooked, chopped onions (opt.)

Cooked, chopped green peppers (opt)

Parmesan or Mozarrella Cheese (but Cheddar works too! Or a mixture!)

Cook pizza crust. While crust is cooking, saute veggies. Once pizza crust is done, spread sauce, add toppings, cover with cheese of choice. Put under broiler until bubbly

Sauce:

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. cream (or milk works fine too)

3/4 c. parmesan cheese (fresh obviously is better, but canned is cheaper!)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter and cream/milk on medium heat in a pan until boiling. Turn heat to low and simmer (stirring frequently) for 6 months, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add cheese and salt and pepper.

Steph's Comments: This isn't the cheapest of recipes out there, but it's a cheap-er version of a yummy meal! And if you use milk instead of cream, and canned Parmesan cheese instead of fresh, it's really not too expensive! My sister, Rachel, gave me this recipe. She doesn't like mushrooms or onions or green peppers, so I added that part! :) I've found that with making pizza that it's WAY better to cook the toppings under the broiler. If you time it just right, you can get that almost burnt look - you know, where the cheese is just perfectly done. Yum. Also, I put a lot of Parmesan cheese on top, and it seemed to dry out the pizza a bit, so beware of that. The sauce is once I got from my Betty Crocker cookbook. It's a great Alfredo sauce, but it was a little thick for my taste for pizza, so afterwards I thinned it with quite a bit of milk - I'm sure that's not the "proper" way to do it, but it worked! :)

Creamed Ham & Eggs

3 TB butter
3 TB flour
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 1/4 c. milk
1 c. diced, cooked ham
4 hard-cooked boiled eggs

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour& seasonings. Cook over low heat stirring until mixture is smooth & bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil & stir for 1 minute. Gently stir in ham & eggs. Heat thoroughly. Serve over toast or rice.

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from my mom, and my husband and kids love it. If you don't have the good ham from the deli (it's not something I usually have on hand) you can substitute plain old lunch meat. Also, it's obviously creamier and yummier when you make it with cream or whole milk, but I always use 1% milk and it turns out plenty creamy for my tastes, and it much less fattening. Make sure you remember to boil the eggs before you get things going - sometimes I forget and then I have 20 minutes to wait until the eggs are done! :) Oh, and a meatless option that my sister told me (see her comment to this post) is to do 6 eggs and leave out the ham. Good idea Heath!

Oatmeal Muffins

1 c. oats

1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk and 1 TB lemon juice)

1 beaten egg

1/3 - 1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. white or whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Pour buttermilk over oatmeal and soak. Add oil and egg, then brown sugar. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix just until moistened. Bake 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Steph's Comments: Sorry to do another breakfast item right in a row, but I love these muffins. They make breakfast cheap, and they also make another great snack. They are pretty crumbly, so just be aware of that. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make them less crumbly, I would love to know! But they are very tatsy! :) This is a recipe I got from my Aunt Lynn Marie, who got it from her mom, my Grandma. It's a definitely family staple.