Dog Bed

I made this dog bed out of old sofa pillows that were chewed up by the dogs when they were puppies. It was a great way to "recycle" the, and I was able to use fabric that the kiddos really like. Here is a link to some cute photos of the tiny dude playing around in the pillows before I sewed it all together.

On a sad note, my sewing machine is getting a little worn out. It is only from 1914.

Uno's Frozen Pizza

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Uno Restaurant chain, because they have the best pizza, ever. There aren't really any around us, so whenever I got to Madison, I always try to eat there. Recently I ate at another one in Wisconsin Dells, and it was fabulous. I have seen Uno's frozen pizzas at Wal-mart, but never was brave enough to try one. Today I finally did, and it was wonderful. The best frozen pizza I have ever had. It was about $5, but worth it. The crust was wonderfully crisp and the sauce was everything I could hope for. Even the baby dude loved it, and he's a tough critic.

Cubano Quesadillas

• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• yellow mustard
• sliced pickles
• 2 ounces sliced roast pork
• 2 ounces sliced ham
• 2 ounces sliced swiss cheese

Spread yellow mustard on tortilla, I used a brush for even coverage. Layer on top of mustard: Ham, pickles, pork, cheese, other tortilla. Making up 2 separate quesadillas. Place on medium-low heat grill, flip after 3 minutes, cook for 3 more minutes. Cut with a pizza cutter.

Also, I know the combo sounds gross, but it turns out AWESOME. Even my Johnny, who HATES sliced ham loved it so much we had it twice this week, and it was only Wednesday!

Cherry Essence Prunes

Holy cats, these are good. I am serious. Sunsweet cherry essence prunes. There are orange essence ones as well, but not nearly as tasty as the cherry ones. If you think you don't like prunes, you are wrong.

Tomato and 3 Cheese Tart

I got this recipe from Redbook Magazine, and adapted it a bit to fit what we like.
Cornmeal Crust

• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal, extra for sprinkling stone
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup provolone cheese (Redbook said Fontina, but good luck finding that in Winona, land of Velveeta and American cheese)
• 4 ounces of feta crumbles
• 1 pound of tomatoes (Redbook said heirloom, but again, good luck)
• basil

In a food processor, mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt then butter. Drizzle in the sour cream mixed with water, continue to pulse till dough forms. Wrap it in plastic wrap in a small disc and chill for an hour.

Flour and roll out into a 14 inch circle. Transfer to a baking stone that has had been dusted with cornmeal. Layer, Parmesan cheese, provolone cheese, 3/4 of the feta cheese, tomatoes. Brush olive oil on top of the tomatoes then sprinkle pepper and salt on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, top with remaining feta cheese and basil. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

This is VERY good, but very rich. So, make sure you balance it out with a salad. We had leftovers, so 4 servings.

Here is the link to the original Redbook version.