Em's supreme Pizza

make your own pizza crust or have a pre-made one
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 C finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 C finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 bell pepper chopped into small pieces
1/4 C sliced mushrooms
1/2 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives
1 Jimmy Dean pre-cooked Turkey sausage link, chopped up
about 8 turkey pepperoni's
2 thin slices of red onion, cut slices into quarters and separate.

Mix Italian seasoning and garlic powder to tomato sauce. add desired amount of sauce to your crust. sprinkle cheeses on top. after preparation of the rest of ingredients mix them together in a bowl and top the pizza. cook to instructions for dough or about 425 degrees for 10 min if crust is pre-made or 20 -30 min if raw dough, just watch for browned edges and melted cheese.

I normally take the other half of the ingredients (ex. bell pepper, olives, etc.) and freeze them in a bag for the next time I want a pizza.

Stir-Fry

About 3C cooked rice
1T oil (canola or sesame)
2 bags (16 oz each) frozen mixed stir-fry vegetables
boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 12 oz) cut into bite size or strips
1/2 slivered almonds or chopped walnuts or cashews (opt.)

In a large frying pan or a Wok medium-high heat add oil and chicken. cook until chicken is browned. add veggies to wok (no need to thaw) cook 11 to 13 min to desired tenderness. add nuts if desired. mix with rice or serve 1 C stir-fry over 1/2 C rice.

Em's Homemade Mac & Cheese

1 1/2 C (uncooked) whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 T flour
3/4 skim milk
2 C reduced fat shredded cheese

cook macaroni drain and set aside. put cheese in a bowl and coat with flour (this helps prevent lumping) add milk to pan and start to warm up then add cheese. stir until melted add back the macaroni. mix well.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 C sugar
1 cube butter
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 T corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Boil sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup, & butter for 2 min.
2. remove from heat & mix in vanilla
3. stir in baking soda
4.serve

Restaurant style taco salad (ex. Bajio)

PORK

2-3lbs Pork roast or tenderloin
1 med onion sliced or diced
2T or about half a taco seasoning packet
2 cans of red enchilada sauce (about 10oz)
1/4 C brown sugar

combine into crock-pot. cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. remove pork to a large bowl and shred with forks. pour juices from crock-pot on top of shredded pork.


CILANTRO-LIME RICE

follow cooking instructions for your rice, except replace half the water with chicken broth. add lime zest and cook. when done add fresh squeezed lime juice and about 3T chopped cilantro (about 1 T for every cup of rice) mix.

CREAMY TOMATILLO SALAD DRESSING

1C sour cream
1 envelope Ranch Salad Dressing
1/2 envelope Fiesta Ranch Salad Dressing
6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half*
1 garlic clove, minced
juice from 2 freshly squeezed limes
1/4 C freshly chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
*for those who don't know what tomatillos are, they look like green tomatoes with a green husk on them. they are in most produce departments.

RESTAURANT STYLE TACO SALAD

Tortillas
shredded cheese
cilantro-lime rice
black or refried beans
shredded pork
salad greens
Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing
salsa (opt.)
guacamole (opt.)
corn chips (opt.)

to assemble..
melt a little cheese on your tortilla
add about 1/4 c of the following- shredded pork, beans, rice.
add desired amount of salad greens and dressing and any other toppings. Enjoy.