Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries Pizza

My Fish N Chips Pizza worked out so well I decided to use that crust for a Cheeseburger and Fries pizza!










Crust:

2 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed well 

1 tsp salt 

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 tsp onion powder 

salt and pepper to taste 

3 TB olive oil, divided use 

Sauce:

Option 1:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup ketchup

1-2 TB relish

Option 2:

1/4 cup mayo

1/3 cup bbq sauce

Option 3:

1/3 cup mayo

1/3 cup ketchup

2 TB yellow mustard

Option 4:

Straight BBQ Sauce or Ketchup

Option 5:

?? Your favorite Burger Sauce!

Toppings: 

Amounts to taste, don't overload, of course you can add or omit to your preferred bacon cheeseburger toppings

1/2-3/4 lb ground beef (seasoned to preference, crumbled and cooked)

6-8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

shredded mozzarella and  cheddar

purple or white onion

tomato slices

pickles

shredded lettuce

Crust:

Preheat oven to 400
Slice potatoes with a mandolin slicer or food processor(I used my 4mm blade). Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add 1 tsp salt and stir. Allow to soak for 15 minutes.

Drain and rinse potatoes, Pour onto a large towel and blot dry, then put back in the bowl.

Mix cornstarch and seasonings together.












Sprinkle 1/2 the mixture over the potatoes, toss to coat. Sprinkle on the remaining half and toss to coat again.













On a large pizza pan brush 1 1/2 TB olive oil making sure it is well coated.

Beginning at the outer edge layer the potato slices in concentric circles, overlapping about 1/2 inch. Press them down with clean hands to begin compacting them into a crust.







Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender in the center and starting to crisp on the edges.

Prepare your sauce option 

Spread it over the potato crust

Add toppings to your preference

Top with cheese

Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Allow to set 10 minutes before slicing, gently loosen crust with spatula before lifting off pan.

Top with shredded lettuce if desired and enjoy!

Leftover Pizza Lasagna

I had a whole  plain cheese pizza leftover from dinner last night so instead of just freezing it or eating it for breakfast I decided to make it into a lasagna!











1 baked  pizza(16 inch just covered it)
3 cups tomato spaghetti sauce(jarred or homemade)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 TB dried oregano
1/2 TB parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

a few handfuls of baby spinach and/or any other "toppings" you might like, you could add olives, bell peppers, pepperoni or just about anything your heart desires!

Cut cooled pizza into squares or strips.
Reserve 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce












In a 9 x 13 pan spread a scoop of the spaghetti sauce to thinly cover the pan.










Arrange pizza strips on the bottom of the pan, I made my bottom layer a little thicker

In a food processor or high powered blender mix ricotta, egg and seasonings. Blend to combine completely.








Spread 1/2 the ricotta mixture over the pizza strips, add 1/2 the sauce, 1/2 any veggies you are using and 1/2 the mozzarella.









Add another layer of pizza strips(this one can be spread out a little further)....then repeat previous layer.










Add a last layer of pizza and top with the reserved 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce and the Parmesan cheese











Cover with foil, bake 30 minutes, remove foil and bake 15 minutes more until heated through.

Allow to set for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Pork and Apple Pot Pie with Stuffing Topping

Apples, Apples everywhere!! I always need a new apple recipe in the Fall!













1lb boneless pork, sliced into bite sized cubes
2 TB olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

3 apples, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
1 TB butter

2 red potatoes, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans


1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1 cup chicken broth
3 TB flour OR Potato Starch
1 tsp marjoram
salt and pepper to taste

2-3 cups of your favorite stuffing, can be homemade, prepared from a box, leftover..... I just did a very basic bread stuffing recipe with some gluten free bread I had on hand.


Preheat oven to 350

In a deep skillet heat olive oil
Season your pork cubes with salt and pepper,











Add to skillet cooking until just seared on each side.












After searing the pork, remove from pan and set it aside. Heat  butter in the skillet, add onion, apples, celery and carrots and cook them until the onion just turns translucent.

If you are using flour, sprinkle over the veggies in the skillet
If you are using starch whisk it together the apple cider  until no lumps remain.


Pour apple juice and broth over the veggies along with the marjoram,salt and pepper and add potatoes and green beans. Cook until the sauce just begins to thicken




Pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish with the pork and toss well










Top with Stuffing
(can be made to this point and refrigerated for up to 12 hours)












Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes

Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until everything is tender.

Roasted Garlic and Pumpkin Pasta

I made delicious pumpkin pizza last year so to kick off pumpkin season this year I decided to modify it into a pasta dish.











2 cups pumpkin puree(approx 1-15 oz can)
6 cloves garlic, roasted  (link for method)
4 oz cream cheese

1 lb pasta, cooked al dente and drained
2 cups diced ham
2 cups broccoli, chopped into desired sized florets, we like them small
1/2 cup sweet onion
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds*


Preheat oven to 350
In a saucepan combine roasted garlic with pumpkin puree and cream cheese, heat over medium low heat, stirring often until the cream cheese is melted








In a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish toss cooked pasta with the sauce, broccoli and onion.













Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

Sprinkle with cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds. Bake 5 minutes more to melt the cheese.

*My roasted pumpkin seeds were not finished in time for this meal....but I KNOW they will be a fabulous addition.

Fish N Chips Pizza

I made my Cheesy Fish Nuggets but instead of just serving them with fries I decided to take it up a notch!

I was going to use hash browns but then I found THIS recipe for a potato crust and modified it slightly for my needs.







 Crust:
2 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed well
1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

3 TB olive oil, divided use
1 TB malt vinegar(optional)

Toppings: (amounts to taste, don't overload)
Tartar Sauce*(see below for recipe)
1/2 batch Cheesy Fish Nuggets(or any fish nuggets you choose, homemade or store bought**)
Mozzarella Cheese, divided use
Green Onion

** Actually 1/2 batch was even a little to much, but these freeze beautifully too! If using store bought/frozen cook them before adding to pizza.

Preheat oven to 400


Slice potatoes with a mandolin slicer or food processor(I used my 4mm blade).
Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add 1 tsp salt and stir. Allow to soak for 15 minutes.








Drain and rinse potatoes, Pour onto a large towel and blot dry, then put back in the bowl.

Mix cornstarch and seasonings together.












Sprinkle 1/2 the mixture over the potatoes, toss to coat. Sprinkle on the remaining half and toss to coat again.












On a large pizza pan brush 1 1/2 TB olive oil making sure it is well coated.

Beginning at the outer edge layer the potato slices in concentric circles, overlapping about 1/2 inch.  Press them down with clean hands to begin compacting them into a crust.

Brush gently with remaining olive oil and malt vinegar if using.






Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender in the center and starting to crisp on the edges.



Remove from oven and allow to cool until you can comfortable touch it. Press down the potatoes again, compressing it further.






Spread with tarter sauce, top with 1/2 the cheese, then add nuggets, then the remaining 1/2 of cheese then top with green onions.








Bake for 20 minutes more until the cheese is melted and bubbly,


Allow to set for 5-10 minutes before slicing. gently loosen the bottom with a spatula before lifting off pan.







* I made an easy low fat, high protein Tarter Sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
2 TB sweet relish(I used homemade zucchini relish!)
1 TB sweet onion
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Place all in a blender and puree to smooth. Allow flavors to mingle for at least 15 minutes.

Cheesy Fish or Chicken Nuggets

I have been wanting to add my Cheesy Nuggets for a while so I am finally getting it up. This is excellent for fish or chicken nuggets! I did fish today for a recipe trial tonight. (If it works it will be up too!)











2 lbs White Fish  (Tilapia, Cod, Pollock, Swai) or Chicken

1 cup finely crushed cheese crackers....(homemade or something like Cheez-Its or Goldfish)
1/3  cup corn meal
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
1 TB paprika(smoked if you have it)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup milk





 Preheat oven to 425

Cut your fish or chicken into desired size pieces.

In a large ziplock bag place cornstarch and fish or chicken pieces, shake to coat each piece well.






Add milk and shake again to make sure each piece is evenly dampened. (Missed this pic, my bag had a hole and was dripping!)

In a shallow dish mix cracker crumbs, cornmeal, parm, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. ( I put mine all in the dry container for my vitamix to make the crackers extra fine and chop up the Parmesan)









Remove pieces of fish or chicken , tapping to remove excess batter, and roll in the cracker mixture, coating well.









Place on a greased baking sheet.


















Bake for 15-20 minutes (chicken may take longer) until they are cooked through, 145 for fish, 165 for chicken

Serve with your choice of  sauce 

Fresh Tomato Ketchup

I still have tons of fresh tomatoes on my vines so I decided to try my hand at some fresh ketchup!












40 oz  fresh tomatoes*
1 oz sweet onion
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 pinch of cloves
black pepper to taste

*I leave the skins and seeds, if you prefer you can remove them from your tomatoes beforehand. The skin and seeds holds some great nutrients so I really recommend leaving it!









In a high powered blender process your tomatoes until totally pureed. Add in onion and garlic and puree them as well.

Pour into a 6 quart stock pot and add remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring well.
Reduce heat to medium low, simmer for 60-90 minutes until thickened to your preference, stirring often.

When it is thick return it to the high powered blender and process one more time to smooth out the remaining seeds.  (If you want to cheat and thicken it up even more, add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum into the blender too!)



Return to pot , adjust seasonings and sugar to taste, cover and simmer 10 minutes more.

Pour into a bowl and chill completely and bottle as desired