Homemade Pizza…

Not very often does even the most seasoned cook make homemade pizza!

Several years ago, I hosted a Pampered Chef party. Not only did I get some great kitchen utensils, I got some great recipes as well. One of the recipes that I received was for a Garden Ranch Pizza.

Well, I was looking thru my recipe file and ran across it. I thought, “I’ll make this for my man!” Later that week, he and I went grocery shopping together- for the first time. We had fun, going down each aisle. He really wasn’t paying attention to what I was putting in the basket – as I picked up the ingredients for the pizza.

We got back to my place, and I began putting it together. Actually, it’s a very simple recipe (I’ll share at the end.), so it didn’t take long to prepare. Once done, I served it with a tossed spinach salad. My man was all smiles as he blessed the table and began to eat.

“WOW, this is the best homemade pizza, I’ve ever had,” he exclaimed. Matter-of-fact, I’ve never had homemade pizza! LOL.”

The homemade pizza story is a re-occurring dinner table topic and I’ve served it several times since then. It pays to try something new every now and then– makes for a a perfect blend of food and love!

Divertiti!

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Garden Ranch Pizza

1 package (10 oz ) refrigerated pizza crust

Non-stick cooking spray

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 package (1 oz) ranch seasoning & salad dressing mix (2 tablespoons)

1 garlic clove. pressed

2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup coarsely chopped broccoli

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 medium carrot, sliced

1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced

1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Unroll pizza dough and arrange on a large round baking stone- spraying the stone first with a non-stick cooking spray (if you have one). (If you do not have a large round baking stone – you can use round non-stick pizza pan or a square non-stick cookie sheet- spray either with non-stick cooking spray before rolling out dough). Roll-out dough to edge of pan.

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, seasoning mix and garlic and mix well. Spread mixture evenly over crust to within 1/2 inch from edge. Top with half of mozzarella cheese.

In another bowl, combine the chopped broccoli, diced red pepper, olives, sliced carrots and sprinkle over pizza. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Then finally – sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the top of the entire pizza.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven, let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve!

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 200, Total fat 10g; Saturated fat 2.5g; Cholesterol 15mg; Carbohydrate 19g; Protein 8pg; Sodium 480mg; Fiber less than 1g

Introducing…Cooking for My Man

This past November, I met the man of my dreams – at least I’d like to think so. He’s fine and he’s SAVED- praise God! I’m happy to report that he was purposefully seeking a wife and found me!  We are in the midst of a “formal courtship process” and are prayerful yet excited about our future. I’ll share more about our progress in upcoming posts.

After about a month, I invited him to my place for a home-cooked meal. Since we had dined out, I generally knew what he liked.

I prepared a normal- nothing fancy– meal of skillet cabbage, candied yams, oven-fried pork chops and cornbread from scratch. My man sat down at the table and appeared speechless. He complimented me on the flavorful aroma and presentation…”Wow, dinner smells sooo good- this is beautiful!” He graciously blessed the table and we began to eat.

He took his fork and proceeded to taste each dish on his plate. With the first bite, he expressed satisfaction-—complete with smacks! He then indicated to me (LADIES READ THIS) that there were a few things that he desired in a wife, but were not on his “list.” (MEN HAVE LISTS TOO!) He said, “I absolutely love candied yams! I didn’t think it possible that God would honor a desire of my heart – as inconsequential as whether or not the woman could cook – let alone that her yams would be the BOMB!”

I laughed as he shared this with me.  He was TOTALLY pleased. So needless to say, I serve candied yams often.

It is from our dinner table conversations that the vision for this blog was birthed. We’ve gotten to REALLY know each other – at the dinner table. Matter-of-fact, he insists that we shall always dine at the table- never in front of the TV! That has truly blessed me and showed me a lot about his character. Our dinner conversations have generated much discussion about God, relationships, family, love and of course, food! This is a lost art in today’s microwave, fast-food generation. As a result, this blog purposes to provide insight and faith-filled commentary into relationships from a biblical perspective, to “cooking for your man” lessons and recipes, all while sharing fun stories about food and love!

Author’s Note:  Anyone who knows me personally- knows that I’m a good cook! I cook like my Mom…Not so much gourmet (I can go there, too!) but in the traditional, down-home way :)! “Cooking for My Man” is “easy & enjoyable” for me however, this blog is not so much about “cooking” but about the importance of developing intimate relationships with the people we love and cherish. Food and love go together – just like sugar and butter! Dining and good conversation brings out the best in all of us!

Bon Appetit!

LaTanya

P.S. See this ministered message from Dr. Creflo Dollar — How to Keep  a Good Man Forever. This message was intended for married couples HOWEVER, good prereq for those who are dating or waiting…