Twirly Whirly Pizza

I got this recipe from a Parents magazine. My family LOVES it! It can be messy but this is one that supposedly the kids can help with. (I can't imagine them helping since it's messy with me making it...but my daughter likes to watch and hold things for me). I'm including the recipe from the Parents magazine and how to make it then I'll put my own ingredients list since we like lots of stuff in our pizza---which might be the reason why it's so messy for us!! We pack it in!!)

Ingredients:

1 (13.8oz.) tube refrigerated pizza dough

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1/2 cup shredded italian mix cheese, divided

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves

How to:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll dough from tube. Spread Pizza sauce on top.

Sprinkle with half of cheese and top with spinach leaves. Roll up, starting with short end.

Cut into 8 pieces, then lay the pieces flat on a greased pie pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 servings.

***Now we like to nix the spinach leaves but add cooked ground beef, mozzarella cheese instead of italian mix cheese and add pineapple tidbits. And we double the recipe--so 2 tubes of dough. It's really messy to get on the pan but it's tasty.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

When I first made chocolate chip cookies after becoming a wife, I was disappointed in my husband's disappointed reaction. He said his sister sent him cookies when he was on his mission and that they were the best. So, I got her recipe. They really are the best. I've tried others who claim that they are the best, but to no avail. These are soooo good! This is Mary's recipe:

Ingredients:
1 small pkg vanilla pudding
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*. Cream butter, brown sugar, pudding, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour and baking soda. Mix in chocolate chips. Place on cookie sheet in little balls. Bake 8-10 minutes. They should still look a little rounded with touches of golden brown. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, then move to a rack to cool the rest of the way. Brent thinks they're even better the next day.

*to send them to a missionary anywhere in the world, wrap them in aluminum foil and put that in a ziplock bag with a piece of bread in it. Freeze them and send frozen. I send them in either pringles or crystal light canisters that I've wrapped in paper or placed inside another box. They made it all the way to my brother in northern Russia and they were fine...even though their mail system is a wreck over there.

Chicken Marsala

This is our "special dinner". Brent made it for me on Valentine's Day, I made it for him on Father's Day...you get the idea.

We love the Marsala sauce at Carrabba's and have been trying to find a recipe that comes close. I was flipping channels and saw Giada cooking this on "Everyday Italian" and grabbed a pen because it looked close. It's not nearly as good as Carrabba's, but we still really like it.

1 1/2 lb. cut chicken breasts

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 lb cremini mushrooms (the brown ones)

1 cup dry marsala wine

8 oz mascarpone cheese (I find this by the hummas and fancy cheeses)
2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5 tbsp butter

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp dijon mustard

12 oz fettucini (I didn't serve it over pasta this time)

salt and pepper

Cook fettucini, drain, and toss with 3 tbsp of butter and salt and pepper. Set aside. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and brown 4 minutes per side, searing the chicken and locking in moisture. Transfer to a plate and cool slightly. I put the plate in the microwave (turned off) so it will keep warm while I do the rest. Melt 2 tbsp butter in the same pan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute 2 min. Slice mushrooms and add them to the onions along with the garlic. Saute 12 minutes. Add wine and simmer 4 minutes, or until it no longer smells like alcohol. Stir in mascarpone and mustard. Cut chicken into 1/3" thick slices and return it to the skillet. Simmer over medium low heat until cooked through and the sauce thickens - about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve over fettucini or just by itself.