Classic Pesto Sauce and Pizza Dough

I just found this pesto recipe and I love it!  My new favorite is making this pesto sauce and spreading it on pizza dough, topping it with fresh tomatoes and/or sauteed mushrooms and then top with Mozzarella cheese.  This recipe takes a tiny bit of work, but is so yummy!  Hint:  Make your dough first, then make the pesto while the dough is rising.   Also, this pesto can be used for anything, not just pizza!

Pesto Sauce
In food processor:
2/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 peeled garlic clove
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Continue processing while gradually adding:
  1/3 cup olive oil
  1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

This makes 1/2 cup pesto which is enough to spread on one pizza dough (below).

Pizza Dough
In mixer, add 2 1/4 cup flour.  Set aside.

In smaller bowl, mix together:
1 pkg yeast
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Add 3/4 cup WARM water.  Stir until dissolved.
Add 1 1/2 Tbsp oil.  Stir well.
Add yeast mixture to flour and mix very well.  Dough will be sticky!

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise for about 30-45 minutes in a warm place.

Spread some extra flour out on your clean kitchen counter.  Place dough on counter and knead a few times before you roll dough out to fit your pizza pan or baking sheet.  Use more flour as needed, to prevent sticking.  Add toppings and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes.

Sausage Balls

"These are easy and tasty. A great make ahead item for a Christmas party appetizer or to serve guests. I made a batch this afternoon and baked some and placed the rest uncooked in the freezer for Christmas".

1 pound of bulk pork sausage (you can use any flavor or heat).
2 cups of Bisquick or a homemade substitute
3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*I added a bit of Worcestershire Sauce to my mixture, however, this is not in the original recipe

Mix all ingredients together using your hands. I would suggest combining the sausage and the Bisquick first and adding the cheese last. You may have to work at it to get everything incorporated, but it will come together.
Roll about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture in a ball. Repeat until done.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Freezer instructions: Roll into balls and flash freeze on wax paper on a cookie tray. When the sausage balls have hardened move to freezer bags. Thaw in your fridge and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Apple Cheese Ball

This is a fun version of the traditional cheese ball, sure to be a crowd-pleaser!






Yield: 10 to 12 appetizer servings



Ingredients:
8 ounces white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Paprika
1 1/2-inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf



Process first 4 ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Chill 30 minutes.
Shape cheese mixture into a ball, and make an indentation in the top to resemble an apple. Chill ball 30 minutes.
Coat ball heavily with paprika; cover and chill 1 hour.
Insert cinnamon stick and bay leaf into indentation to resemble apple stem and leaf. Serve with assorted crackers.

Chocolate Chip Dip

I got this recipe from my sister's friend, Kirsten Moxey. It is very yummy and a sure crowd pleaser for any party or get-together.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (if you use light or fat-free, it turns out very runny)
1 stick real butter, softened
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 T brown sugar
3/4 C milk chocolate chips
3/4 C chopped pecans (optional)
Graham Cracker Sticks, Cinnamon Wheat Thins

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add sugars and beat. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Place mixture on large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Refrigerate 1 hour. Before serving, roll ball in chopped pecans. Serve with Graham sticks or Cinnamon Wheat Thins!

***The options for this recipe are endless! You could use mini-chocolate chips in place of regular, you could chop up a candy bar like Heath or Scor. For Christmas, you could chop up a candy cane or peppermint patties. Be creative and use holiday-appropriate M&M's colors!***

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is really Donna's recipe, but since she hasn't posted it, I will. I made it for a work thing last week and got rave reviews. There were barely any leftovers for me and David to enjoy during the football game on Monday night...too bad the game wasn't as good as the dip!


Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. ranch dressing
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
5 oz. Texas Pete (or your favorite hot sauce...in our house nothing but Pete crosses
the threshold!)
chicken--Donna uses 25 oz. canned chicken. I didn't have that so I used 4 chicken
breasts boiled and diced and it was just as good.

Mix together and bake in a casserole dish at 350 for 30 minutes.

Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving to thicken. Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks.



Note: I used reduced fat cream cheese and ranch dressing because using the regular tends to make it a bit greasy.

BANG BANG SHRIMP (Yes...the REAL deal)

If you've been to Bonefish Grill, you know EXACTLY what Bang Bang Shrimp is AND if you've tasted the delicacy, you probably find yourself CRAVING it from time to time. If you haven't tasted this delicacy....put it this way...they don't call it Bang Bang for nothing!

WELLLLLL, no need to make a special trip to Bonefish anymore for your craving. Thanks to some tips from an undisclosed insider, I've struck GOLD!!!!!!!!!! My husband really wants me to keep this find a secret, but I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I deprived my peeps of a party in their mouth. So, shhhhhhh but I'm sharing my gold so that you too can whip up this luxury in the confines of your very own kitchen. You can thank me later. :)

I'm not kidding...this is SO legit that I'm scared to post this under my name from fear that the Bonefish police are going to come after me. We made it for dinner Saturday night, had leftovers which were our appetizer for Sunday family lunch and have STILL been craving it ever since!

Ladies and Gentlemen, without furthere ado, BAAAAANG BAAAAANG Shrimp. You won't be disappointed!

This recipe may self destruct so be sure to put it in a REAL safe place.

Ingredients

• Jumbo Shrimp (the bigger the shrimp=the bigger the bang)


• Rice flour


• Mayonnaise (NOT low fat or FF)

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (Do not compromise this. KEY ingredient. It's the bottle w/ the rooster)

Sweet Thai Chili (couldn't find so I used...) OR Sriracha Chili Garlic Sauce (...and it worked perfectly w/ a dash of Sugar or Splenda...Again, don't compromise...also has rooster on bottle)

SHRIMP

Moisten (sorry for gross word) shrimp w/ milk or buttermilk. Coat w/ Rice flour. Flash fry in oil. Drain off oil. Stir sauce in with shrimp.

SAUCE

Begin with one cup of mayonnaise (adjust amount of mayo depending on size/amount of shrimp). Begin by stirring in 3-4 tablespoons of Sweet Thai Chili OR Chili Garlic Sauce depending on desired spice level (I did 4 tablespoons of Chili Garlic sauce w/ a dash of Splenda). Then, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of Hot Sauce depending on desired spice level (I did 3-4ish but we like things SPICY!). Mix well. Stir into lightly fried shrimp. Covers 2 lbs. of Jumbo Shrimp perfectly.

Tastes GREAT when served on top of iceberg lettuce and a side of rice. These two side items also help "cut" some of the heat from the spice.

VOILA!!!!

Ranch Salsa Dip

This recipe is from my friend, Mary (Teecy) Christmas. She made this dip over the weekend. It is so easy and SO yummy. It's great as a dip for tortilla chips, veggie slices or even as a spread on a sandwich.



1 envelope dry Ranch dressing
1 can Rotel (you can use mild, medium or spicy)
1 tub Sour Cream (regular size)


Mix all ingredients and chill.

Bunny-Jane Dip

This dip originated from Roy's Aunt Bunny. She gave the recipe to my MIL, Jane, who makes it when we all get together. I don't know the actual name of it, so I am going to call it "Bunny-Jane Dip"! Although the ingredients sound a little strange, it is so yummy and easy to make:

3 blocks Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Apple Jelly (NOT apple butter)
6 Jalepenos diced and seeded (you can used jalepenos in the jar or fresh ones)
1 Can Rotel
1/2 C Salsa (Jane uses hot)
Dash of Salt

Mix together. You can mix in food processor if desired. The longer the dip sits, the better it gets. Serve with tortilla chips.