Category Archives: Recipes

Freezable Homemade Pizza Dough

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freezable homemade pizza doughThis make ahead freezeable homemade pizza dough whips up in a cinch. The bread machine in this recipe does ALL the heavy lifting of the kneading, keeping your hands clean!

Once you make it a few times you will NEVER want to go back to take out pizza! It’s super easy to make and so much better tasting than store-bought or premade pizza crusts. And it’s better for you too!

Once you’ve made your own delicious pizza dough, throw some in the freezer and have it ready to go whenever you feel the need for pizza!

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Place all the ingredients in the bread machine pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions.

homemade pizza doughProgram for the Dough or Pizza Dough cycle and Press Start.

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When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the bread pan from the machine and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Divide it in the desired number of portions. Flatten each portion into a disc by kneading a few times then folding the edges into the centre. Cover with a damp towel on the work surface to rest for 30 minutes until the dough has increased about 20 percent in size.

Roll out and shape the dough as directed in your pizza recipe.

To freeze, wrap the dough in plastic first (to suspend the rising) and then in a resealable freezer bag. Pizza dough keeps frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in refrigerator overnight before using.  Allow dough to rise for at least 20 minutes before rolling out.

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

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slow cooker hasselback potatoesWhy turn on the oven for just baked potatoes? Making baked potatoes ahead of time in the slow cooker not only saves a whole lot of energy by not heating up your oven, but it also saves valuable time in the evening.

Simply place these yummy potatoes in the crockpot first thing in the morning. Come home to already done baked potatoes that are simply just as delicious, if not even better, than potatoes done in the oven. Many slow cooker recipes suggest that you wrap the potatoes in tinfoil, but this extra step is really not necessary.

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slow cooker baked potatoes ingredients

Clean the potato(s) and peel if desired. Skins are okay to leave on, if you prefer not to peel them.

Grease the interior crock with olive oil. Take a paper towel and coat the potatoes with olive oil. In this recipe we’ve sliced the potatoes hasselback style. To slice, simply place the potato in a wooden spoon and slice it thinly without cutting all the way through. This way the butter and seasonings can spread further into the potato making it more flavourful.

Add the potatoes to the slow cooker.  Remember the slow cooker should be at least 1/2 full and not more than 3/4 full.  Season the potatoes with your desired amount of butter, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Slow Cooker Baked Potato

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

Potatoes that are smaller in size will cook faster than larger potatoes.

Turkey Manicotti

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turkey-manicotti-freezerThis turkey manicotti a family favourite recipe in our house, that we have enjoyed for many years now.

There are several variations on how to make it.  I personally like using Olivieri fresh lasagna sheets.  It is the quickest way to get the filling in the pasta.  Unfortunately my local grocery store was out of these little gems, so I had to use oven ready canneloni tubes.  At least they were oven ready, and I could skip the step of cooking the pasta. Cooked tubes are very floppy – not the easiest to fill!

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Oven Ready Cannelloni Tubes – the preferred way to go, if fresh lasagna sheets are not available.

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In skillet, over medium heat, cook turkey, onions and oregano.

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Remove turkey from heat, add Parmesan cheese, roasted red peppers, artichokes, pesto and black olives.

turkey-manicotti-ingredientsturkey-manicotti-mixed

Stuff pasta tube with filling, which can then be individually frozen on a cookie sheet. turkey-manicotti-freezer

 

Spaghetti sauce can also be be frozen individually in silicon muffin cups.

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Pop out the frozen spaghetti sauce and include them in the meal packaging.
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Slow Cooker Pork Roast

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slow-cooker-pork-roastThis slow cooker pork roast recipe is so simple and a wonderfully warm meal for a dark autumn or winter evening. The delicious aroma will waft through your home as this meal slowly cooks in your slow cooker.

If possible, spend a bit more on a good quality roast. We buy meat that has no added hormones or antibiotics and the end result in taste is definitely worth it!

Tip:  Follow the recipe exactly in order to get the right amount of liquids for this recipe.  Do NOT lift the lid while cooking, as you will lose liquids and possibly cause scorching.  Be sure to cook only on low and not high. If after 6 hours the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, switch the setting to warm. Finally, make sure your crockpot is the right size.  It should be at least  half, up to three quarters full. 

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Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

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pumpkin pie spice blendI’ve come across recipes that from time to time call for pumpkin pie spice mix and never seem to find it in the stores. Well surprisingly, this spice mix is a combination of spices which I already have in my cupboard!

Super easy to make and a versatile spice mix to have on hand. It’s not just for pumpkin pie, but I like to spice up my pancakes a little with it, along with pumpkin puree for a vegetable boost in the morning. With a make ahead pancake mix and pumpkin pie mix, a healthy breakfast is quick to whip up in the morning. And my daughter gets veggies in her, without her even knowing it!

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pumpkin pie spices

 

After blending all spices together, funnel the mix into a jar.  I’ve used an empty spice jar and relabeled it. To fill this spice jar to almost full, I quadrupled the recipe.

pumpkin pie spice mix

Other great uses for pumpkin pie spice mix are:

  • add it in muffin, breads, cookie and cake batters
  • mix it in oatmeal with a few raisins
  • sprinkle a little on top of specialty coffees, hot apple cider, sliced apples or applesauce
  • season vegetables such as yams, carrots or squash

How do you use pumpkin pie spice mix?