versatile, cheap, and fulfilling! Homemade pizza!

Since I started cooking from scratch, I've found that one of the best meals we have is homemade pizza. It's cheap. It's very, very filling. And it's SO versatile. And it's EASY! I have about six different crust recipes, four different sauce recipes, and plus all the toppings... different cheeses, meats, veggies. All that jazz. We never have the same pizza twice (unless it's pepperoni... that's a pretty common one). I use the bread machine's dough cycle to make the crust, which makes it much easier. I just pop in the ingredients and wait, then roll it out and add stuff and throw it in the oven! It turns out wonderful every time.

Recipe for parmesean pizza crust and cost breakdown:
(Note: prices are estimates and based on Aldi prices)
3 cups whole wheat flour (.20/cup, $.60 total)
1 1/2 cups water (free)
1 pkg of wheat yeast ($.37)
1/2 tsp salt ($.05)
1/2 tsp sugar ($.05)
1 1/2 tbsp oil ($.05)
1/2 cup parmesean ($.20)

Toppings:
Sauce ($.50)
2 cup Mozzarella cheese ($1.90)
Pepperoni ($.50)
Chopped onion ($.10)

If you're not using a bread machine: Proof yeast. Add in other ingredients and mix until dough forms. Let rise about an hour, punch down, let rest about 15 minutes. Roll out. Stick with fork numerous times to allow 'airholes' through crust and make sauce stick better. Add toppings. Bake at about 350 until cheese is turning gold and crust is golden.


Total for the pizza, not including energy usage to oven-bake: Less than $5
If you make your own mozzarella or buy in bulk, it could easily be less than $3 per pizza.

The way I do it is I make sure the crust is thick so it'll fluff up really nice (and it does... the pizza in the picture ended up being almost half an inch thick after baking!). That way we get 'full' with the cheap stuff (the crust!) and the toppings are 90% for flavor.
Ben takes a few slices to work the next day and he says it's just as good, if not better, reheated.

And I meant to take a picture of the pizza after baking, but, well, it was gone too fast. ;) Even Mori had a slice!

No-Bake Oatmeal Fudge Cookies

Two years ago, Ben gave me a recipe. "This never works for me," He said, "But maybe you can make them. If you do, I'll marry you. Or something."

Apparently, Ben's lack of cooking finesse stepped in every time he tried to make these delightful cookies. Mostly, I believe this is because time is crucial in this recipe, and Ben... well, he's just not very observant. I can see him leaving the fudge on for five minutes (it's supposed to be on for ONE) and getting a block of fudgey mess instead of cookies.

But anyway, here's the recipe. It's egg free, but milk and butter are essential. I've never tried it without the peanut butter but I imagine it would still work. (EDIT: I tried it without peanut butter... and it was melty and gross. Apparently the PB is needed after all!)

No-Bake Oatmeal Fudge Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Butter
Pinch of salt
3 TBL cocoa
2 Cups Sugar
3 Cups Oatmeal (Quick oats work best)
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Tsp vanilla

Directions:
(I have gotten the best results by using a wooden spoon for all mixing, not metal or plastic!)

Mix milk, butter, salt, cocoa, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a rolling boil. After it hits a rolling boil, boil for 1 minute. Time is crucial - too much and it will solidify too quick, and too little time and it won't solidify at all!
After one minute, remove from heat. Mix in oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.
Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. DO NOT scrape the saucepan! Let cool until set and firm. Fudge should not be shiny; it should be pretty dull after it sets.
I don't recommend using the fridge to set these... They turn out more sticky and less firm.

This makes about two dozen medium sized cookies.

Problems?
1. Fudge doesn't set and is still sticky and runny after more than 20 minutes: You didn't boil the mix long enough.

2. Fudge is crumbly and doesn't hold it's shape: You boiled the mix TOO long.

3. Fudge is grainy, has a sand-like texture: The sugar didn't melt all the way OR you scraped the pan, scraping accumulated sugar crystals into the cookies.

4. Cookies disappear minutes after they're firm: Hah. :D This isn't a problem! It's the expected outcome! As you can see in the picture, two of my cookies have 'mysteriously' disappeared... and they're not even all the way firm yet. XD


Anyway, today I'm making three batches of these for Ben to take to work tomorrow. I'll probably end up making another whole batch just to keep here at home and munch on. :) Enjoy!