I have tried a few pizza dough recipes, and I have come to like this one recently.  It makes two pizza crusts, so I freeze the other half, thaw and then use it for another meal!  I try to do different types of pizzas instead of the normal meat, and cheese.  This time I did kind of an alfredo pizza.  I topped the pizza dough with alfredo sauce (Classico is a good brand if you want to buy it), then mozzarella cheese, spinach, artichoke hearts, fresh basil, tomato slices and seasoned, cooked chicken bits.  This was a good, fresh pizza, but I wish I would have added more basil and some salt and pepper.  It was a good change though! 

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
• 1-½ cup Warm Water
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ⅓ cups Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.
UPDATE 6/12
We have made this pizza dough quite a bit since this post.  I have ended up using the whole amount and putting it in a large sized cookie sheet.  It is just the right amount of crust for our taste.  Then I make half and alfredo pizza and the other half a deluxe pizza.  Perfect fit for kids and parents! 

I had leftover shrimp from my Coconut Shrimp dinner the night before, so I made this recipe.  It was good, but HOT!  I will make it again, but probably reduce the crushed red pepper even more.  If you want your kids to eat this, I would ditch the crushed red pepper altogether.

From Cooking Light magazine

2 Red bell peppers
8 oz uncooked fettuccine
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs unsalted butter
1 C finely chopped onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 C fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I used dried thyme)
1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage (I used dried sage)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

-Preheat broiler.
- Cut Bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes.  Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand.  Broil 15 min. or until blackened. (I got nervous seeing my peppers get black, but don't worry!  The burnt part is just on the skin.  Make sure you let it all get black and burt or else the skin won't peel as easily)  Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly.  Let stand 20 min.  Peel and chop; set aside.
-Cook fettuccine according to the package directions, omitting salt and oil; drain well.  Set aside; keep warm.
-Heat 2 Tbs olive oil and butter (I only used olive oil) in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion and garlic to pan, and cook for 4 min. or until the onion is tender, stirring frequently.  Add shrimp to the pan (I even added some cooked chicken), and cook for 2 min.  Add bell peppers and 1/4 C lemon juice to the pan, and cook for 4 min. or until the shrimp are done and half of the liquid has evaporated.  Add chopped parsley and the next 5 ingredients (through 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper) to the shrimp mixture.  Remove pan from heat.
-Combine cooked fettuccine and 1 tsp olive oil in a large bowl; toss well.  Add shrimp mixture, tossing gently to coat.  Top each serving with cheese.

I "heart" shrimp.  So if it is on sale, a really good sale, or for a special occasion, I get it.  I found this recipe for coconut shrimp in Cooking Light magazine and it turned out great!  Although, I will make sure that I have the shrimp all coated with everything before I start cooking instead of doing it while I go.  Yeah, I know.... duh!  But, when you are juggling two kids, and nursing a baby, you do what you can, right?  The sweet coconut is great with the salty taste of the shrimp and breadcrumbs.  YUM!  My kids didn't eat these, so I just cooked them for my hubby and I and did probably about 3/4 pound of shrimp, paired with green beans and orzo with parmesean and basil.  Delicious!

From Cooking Light magazine Jan/Feb 2010

28 jumbo shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 C flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 C panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/3 C cornstarch
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
8 tsp oil, divided
Cooking spray

-Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact, discard shells (or you can save time and get the already cooked and peeled shrimp from the butcher's counter in your store!)
-Place coconut in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until finely chopped.  Add panko; pulse to combine. Place coconut mixture in a shallow dish.  Place cornstarch in a shallow dish.  Sprinkle shrimp evenly with 1/2 tsp salt.  Working with 1 shrimp at a time, dredge shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off excess.  Dip in egg whites; dredge in coconut mixture.
-Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tsp oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add 7 shrimp to pan; coat tops of shrimp with cooking spray.  Cook shrimp 2 1/2 min. on each side or until done.  Repeat procedure 3 times with remaining oil and shrimp.
4 servings

They also had a Fiery Mango Sauce with this, that I actually didn't make.  Didn't have the ingredients for it or the time, and I thought the shrimp was good plain.  But in case you want it, here is the recipe!

1 tsp oil
2/3 C finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (12 oz) can mango nectar
1/4 Scotch bonnet pepper, unseeded
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp salt

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tsp oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion, ginger, and garlic; saute 3 min., stirring frequently.  Add nectar and pepper; bring to a boil.  Cook 10 min or until reduced to 3/4 C.  Remove from heat; let stand 10 min.  Place mixture in a blender; process until smooth.  Stir in juice and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Cool.

Ever realize that you don't have any milk left to make pancakes??  Well, if you have coconut milk on hand (which I always do just in case I want to make sticky coconut chicken), you can now make pancakes!  Cooking light has a recipe for them that is really good.  You may be thinking that they will taste too much like coconut, but really, you can't even taste it!  The original recipe calls for light coconut milk, but regular works too.  The light milk is thiner and so it  makes the pancakes lighter and fluffier.  This is how I like my pancakes.  My hubby, on the other hand, likes them thick and dense, which you can get if you use regular coconut milk.  Either way, they are good!  For 4 people, I would double or even 2 1/2 the batch.  1 batch is definitely not enough if you are pancake lovers!

From Cooking Light magazine Sept. 2010

Combine:
1 C All purpose flour (As always, I use half wheat, half white flour)
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk together:
1 C light coconut milk
1 1/2 Tbs oil
1 egg

Combine with dry ingredients.
Cook as usual for pancakes.

A terrific friend gave me a subscription to the Cooking Light Magazine last year for Christmas (Thanks again and great idea by the way if I didn't ever tell you!!).  I have tried some of the recipes, but lately I have been in a need new recipes funk, so I am going back through all the ones I pulled out that I wanted to try.  Tonight I made a dinner that was soooooo easy and it was good too!  My husband (who shows little emotion about lots of things :), even was impressed by this meal.  Looks like it was a winner!  I am not a huge fan of pork, but get sick of chicken.  So, I got some pork chops on sale and had them in the freezer waiting for me to decide what to do with them.  This was a great recipe for them, and a lot less fattening than your normal pork chop dishes.  And, one of the best things besides how easy and quick it was, is that it only had 7 ingredients, 2 of which are optional!  You should try this!

From Cooking Light December 2010

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 1/2 C refrigerated fresh salsa (DON'T Go "el cheapo" on this.  The salsa will make or break it! We   used the Organic Salsa from Costco.  The best!)
2 C. hot rice (we use brown rice)
1/4 C. light sour cream
3/4 C. cubed avocado (I actually didn't have a ripe one, so we didn't use this tonight and it was still great)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over med.-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add pork to pan; sprinkle with 3/4 tsp kosher salt and 3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper.  Saute for 8 min. or until lightly browned.  Add salsa and 1/4 C. water to pan; bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 min. or until slightly thickened.  Serve pork mixture over rice; top with sour cream and avocado.  Yield 4 servings.

Here is a great recipe if you are in need of something different than the regular, weekly meals.  I don't make this very often because to be honest, it takes a bit of time to prepare.  I did, however, finally get smart this last time I made it and I did it in phases.  I cooked the stuffing earlier in the day, and then finished it up before dinner time.  Much better idea.  So, note to anyone who makes this... plan ahead.  Sorry to say this is not a great throw together recipe at the last minute, but it does taste yummy! 

Stuffed Peppers

    * 6 green bell peppers

    * 1 tablespoons butter

    * 1 tablespoon olive oil

    * 1/2 cup chopped onion

    * 1/2 cup chopped celery

    * 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

    * 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

    * 1 clove garlic, crushed

    * 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

    * 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

    * 2 teaspoons salt, divided

    * 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

    * 1 egg, lightly beaten

    * 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

    * 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (or turkey)

    * 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice (we prefer brown rice)

    * shredded mild Cheddar cheese, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup, optional

PREPARATION:

Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground (either precooked or raw, but if you want to take less time cooking in the oven, cook meat) beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.

Recipe for stuffed peppers serves 6.

Found on Mel's kitchen cafe

I have made a couple different recipes for this (as always!), and really like this one, and it was a hit with my family too (which is always a plus!).  They had a really great tip too on this website... they said, "Thankfully Cook’s Country came out with a clever version of how to stuff this classic dish and it peaked my interest. The shredded swiss cheese is rolled up in ham slices and then gently tucked inside a pocket cut into the chicken."  I didn't shred my cheese, but used cheese slices and just rolled those up in the ham and then stuffed them inside the chicken.  It worked great!


Note: To make sure the cheese doesn’t leak out of the chicken while baking, use large (at least 8-ounce) chicken breasts and chill the stuffed chicken breasts in the refrigerator before breading. (I didn't chill mine, and it still turned out fine)

Make-Ahead Tip: The breaded chicken can be refrigerated covered for up to 1 day.

*Serves 4 to 6

25 Ritz crackers
4 slices hearty sandwich bread, white or wheat(I wanted this part to be quick so I used store bought italian bread crumbs)
6 tablespoons butter, melted (I didn't use butter, but used olive oil instead)
8 thin slices deli ham (about 8 ounces)
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
4 thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total), see note
Salt and pepper
3 large eggs ( I realized as I was making this that my hubby used the last egg for breakfast! So I omitted this)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pulse the crackers and bread in a food processor until they are coarsely ground. Drizzle in the melted butter (or olive oil) and pulse (I just mixed mine with a spoon) to incorporate together. Transfer the crumbs to a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the crumbs are lightly browned. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow baking dish (a pie plate works great!). Leave the oven on.

Top each ham slice with about 1/4 cup shredded cheese (Or if you have slices, roll these up in the ham). If your ham slices are too small, shingle two ham slices on top of each other to create a larger slice and roll the cheese up in that. Roll tightly and set aside. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast and stuff each pocket with 2 (I only used 1) ham/cheese rolls. Pull the top flap of chicken over the rolls and press to seal (you can use a toothpick to gently secure the pocket edge, if you like). Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the stuffed chicken, covered, for at least 20 minutes. (I forgot this step, but it worked fine)

In another shallow dish or pie plate, beat the eggs (or if you don't have eggs, just mix olive oil, enough to dip the chicken in on both sides, and mustard) and mustard. Place the flour in a third shallow dish. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Working with one stuffed chicken breast at a time, coat the chicken lightly with flour and then dip in the egg mixture, covering both sides. Dredge the chicken in the toasted bread crumbs, pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick to the chicken. (The breaded chicken can be refrigerated covered for up to 1 day.)

Transfer the chicken to a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until the bottom of the chicken is browned, about 10 minutes. Move the chicken to a middle rack in the oven, reduce the temperature to 400 (you don’t have to leave the chicken out of the oven while the temperature adjusts, just put it back in the oven and then reduce the temperature), and bake until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through (160 degrees on an thermometer), about 25-30 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Cook’s Country April/May 2010