No-fail Pizza dough!

I love pizza, but I haven't really had the chance to make it from scratch very often. Something about throwing food in the air and all the flour needed to roll out the dough frightens my mom. I think her aversion to it comes from the time my youngest brother threw full, open GoGurts into a ceiling fan in a newly painted room. But now that we are older, I finally got to make homemade pizza with my brothers! This base recipe is great on its own, but with a few changes it can make an awesome breakfast, dinner, or desert pizza!

Base recipe:

• 2 c. flour

• 1 t. salt

• 2 t. baking powder

• 2/3 c. water

• 1/4 c. vegetable oil

Preparation

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, add water. Next knead the mixture on a floured surface until it is easy to roll out onto a pizza pan. brush outer edges with vegetable oil. Cook at 425 for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and put whatever toppings you please. Return to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, let cool, and enjoy!

Christmas Morning Casserole

When I was younger I would be up at 5 am digging through my stocking and then waiting at the top of the stairs with my brothers at 7 am, barely able to contain my excitement about running down and seeing what Santa left under the tree. Now things are a little different. We still have our Christmas Eve party, but now that everyone is older, the party usually doesn't end until 1 am. Then my brothers and I  are left to clean up after the party and set out the presents and get everything ready for Christmas Day. We usually don't get to sleep until 3 am, later if one of my brothers starts opening his presents instead of helping.

Thanks to years of 8 am classes, I can't sleep past 9 am... so Christmas Morning I sit in my room watching The Year Without a Santa Clause (the best claymation in existence), and waiting for my family to wake up. Patience is not my virtue and I get bored waiting for everyone in my house to wake up. In my experience, nothing wakes people up like the smell of a great breakfast. This year when I woke up at 9 am to the sound of my dad snoring two rooms away, I got my dogs and my DVD and went downstairs and brewed a pot of The Fresh Market's Christmas Blend coffee and baked a sausage and egg breakfast casserole. The smell of this breakfast woke up the house and started a wonderful Christmas!

This casserole is the perfect start to any morning, just pop it in the oven--the wonderful smell will wake even the deepest sleeper up and the savory taste will make sure they stay awake!

INGREDIENTS

• 0.5-1 lb sausage (I honestly cannot say how much sausage I used. I bought 1 lb, but then my dogs and I had a little snack as we waited for the oven to preheat)

• 6-8 slices of bread

• 6 eggs, beaten

• 2 cups milk

• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• pepper to taste

Remove sausage from casing and cook in a skillet over high heat. While the sausage is cooking, grease a 9"x 13" baking pan and line the bottom of the pan with slices of bread. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, dry mustard, onion powder, and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Add the cooked sausage to the baking pan as evenly as you can. Liberally add the cheese to the top of the casserole.

((Can be refrigerated for 24 hours))

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Holiday kisses,

Megan

Candy Stuffed Christmas Cookies

There are so many wonderful things about Christmas, the gathering of family and friends, the music, and the Christmas spirits (and by spirits I mean cocktails). Usually these things only come together at holiday parties, but now you can enjoy them all throughout the Christmas season. This weekend, my friends came over for a night of Christmas songs, drinks like Guy Fieri's Gingerbling,  a pile of candy, and bowls of cookie dough. This recipe is easy and fun and perfect for a night with friends or for parents to do with children! Just try and resist eating all the cookie dough and candy before baking!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Crisco (I know some people hate Crisco, but I love it)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups All Purpose Flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Retro Headband

I have a serious headband obsession. I should probably be embarrassed by how many headbands I have, but I love them and how much easier bad hair days are with them. I also love bows, my mom used to put giant pink bows in my hair so she could easily spot me when I was bouncing around the pool or playground like the spastic child I was. I'm a little sad that its now only socially acceptable for me to wear giant bows in my hair for sports games or sorority mixers, which is why I was overjoyed when I found this headband! Not only did I get to make it pink, but it has a updated 'bow' on top so I can sport my old accessory again! For this craft you will need at least 10" x 6"  of fabric, hemming tape (or if you are better at sewing than me, you can sew it), and velcro, elastic, or ribbon. If you have those things than you too can make an adorable retro headband!

Do it yourself!

Cut two pieces following the measurements above. I have a pretty small head, but I wanted to have a big knot. If you have a big head and want a small bow, this will be fine.

Fold the two pieces in half like a hotdog bun...

Flip the two pieces inside out so the seam is on the inside, keep the ends open

In the open ends, tape/sew/iron on your fastener. I used thick pieces of elastic.

Make sure you measure how it will fit on your head before adding the fastener!

Now you have your very own retro headband!

xx, Megan

French Onion Soup

Soup is possibly the most comforting food. Its warm and delicious and just makes me happy on cold winter days. As soon as the temperature drops below 60, nothing makes me happier than curling up with a great book and a hot bowl of soup. I thought Fall was finally here a few weeks ago, but the warm weather came back and pushed the lovely cold weather back to the north. This weather may be able to stop me from wearing cozy sweaters and warm scarves, but it can not stop me from craving my favorite winter comfort food.French onion soup is the clear champion of the soups. The caramelized onions, boozey brandy-beef stock, and the pile of melted cheese combine to deliver a healthy dose of happiness with each bite. Don't let the stress that comes with the end of  semester get you stressed or sick, enjoy some warm soup that is good for your heart and soul!

From the Bon Apetit Test Kitchen:

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon Calvados, Applejack, or other brandy

• 4 cups low-salt beef stock

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 -8 1/2"-thick slices baguette, cut to fit ramekins

• 1 cup grated Gruyère or raclette cheese

Special equipment:

• Four 10-oz. ramekins

I hope this cures everything from winter madness to your sniffles.

xx, Megan