Pizza Roll

If there's one thing I've learned in the world of cooking, it's that minor changes can appease the masses. My husband, for example, often complains about how often we have homemade pizza.

Can you ever have too much homemade pizza? Puh-lease.

Apparently so. There is really absolutely no reason to make your pizza this way. It just looks looks cool, and quite frankly, you get away with eating much more pizza than if it was prepared the traditional way. And I'm all for more pizza, let me tell you.

Ingredients:

• Fresh pizza dough
• Pizza sauce
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic salt
• Olive oil
• Pepperoni
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

• Roll out the dough in as square-of-a-shape as you can.
• Spread out a thin layer of pizza sauce. Too much and your dough will break.

• Layer with several pepperonis. This is not the time to be worried about quantity. Lay it on there thick.

• Generously spread out mozzarella cheese.

• Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

• Roll it up! Do this very slowly and carefully.

• Brush olive oil on top of the "roll" and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-50 minutes.
• I know people probably get sick of hearing me say this, but I really hesitate to give a specific time for cooking. Every oven and pan are different, so just make sure that the top of this is golden brown and all the dough is cooked thoroughly.

It's that easy, folks! I've also seen people make this without sauce and put the sauce in a different container to dip this in. It's almost more of an appetizer than an actual meal. I won't say I'll make it like this every time, but it was definitely fun and different.

Love and variations,

Rachael

Apple Pie in a Jar

I'm not much of an apple person. I don't eat them. Unless, of course, they are covered in a syrupy mixture and in a buttery, bready crust. Or in a jar, of course. These little angels are perfect Christmas gifts for friends, co-workers, or the mail man. Apparently you're supposed to get your mailman something. Can someone enlighten me?

Regardless.

Imagine handing this to a co-worker. Their mind starts wandering to their Saturday morning pancakes or waffles. You just took it up a notch. Or their celebratory Friday night ice cream after a long week of work; you can add this to otherwise boring vanilla ice cream. The best part? It lasts for a whole year. 365 days. 52 weeks. That's a long time. They say one of the greatest pleasures in life is anticipation. Chew on that.

Ingredients:

• Mason jars
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 10 cups of water
• 6 pounds of tart apples, washed, peeled and thinly sliced (I used golden delicious and a few granny smith apples).

Directions:

• In a large pot, blend together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in the water and lemon juice with a wire whisk. 
• Cook and stir until bubbly and thick; remove from heat. 
• While the filling is cooking, slice apples and add them into a solution of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 quart of water to avoid discoloration. 
• Drain the fruit well before packing in jars. Pack apples into clean mason jars, leaving an inch from the top of the jar. 
• Fill with the hot syrup mixture, leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of the jar. 
• Remove air bubbles by gently tapping jar on the counter. They should rise to the top.
• Close the jars with sterile lids and rims. 
• Place in boiling water for 20 -30 minutes.
• Use a jar tongs to remove the jars from water.
• Place the jars on a dish towel to dry and allow the jars to cool for several hours. Check the seals to make certain the lids are sealed properly (the lids should be lowered in the middle and not move up or down).

I also found free mason jar templates online (Google it) and personalized it on my computer. I then printed them, cut them out and placed them on the top of the can. This is such a fun, unique gift, and it is is the perfect Saturday activity.

Love and apple (pies),

Rachael