Veggie Pizza Easy Recipe

Veggie Pizza

We love this as a side dish or an appetizer. I take this to parties and pot luck dinners all the time. It is so simple and everyone loves it. 

Here is the cast of characters:

3 Packages of Refrigerator Crescent Rolls
2  8oz packages of cream cheese softened 
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 package of dry ranch dressing mix
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1-2 cups of broccoli 


Grease a large baking sheet. Unroll the crescent rolls press all seams together. Make sure there is no open spots. I usually end up with 1 piece left of the 3rd roll, however 2 packages isn't enough.

 Bake as directed on the package. I usually bake mine for 11 minutes. When done baking set aside and let cool completely.

 In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise and dry ranch dressing mix with a hand mixer. 

Spread the cream cheese mixture on the cooled crescent roll crust.

 Add cheese

 and veggies.

 You can use any veggies you want. These just happen to be my favorite to use. Some people don't add the cheese but I like the cheese and the color of the peppers and broccoli. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do here in the Fife house.

Mrs. Fife  

Best and Easiest Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce EVER!!!!!!

The Best and Easiest Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce EVER!!!!!  I Promise!!!!!!

Remember I didn't say healthiest just easiest.

Really I've made this for years. It tastes just like Olive Garden's alfredo sauce but better.

Here is the cast of characters. Simple just a few things.


1 Pint of Heavy Cream (remember I didn't say it was low calorie or healthy)
1 Stick of Butter
2 Tbsp of Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
1 Tsp of Garlic Powder
Parsley flakes = just for presentation if you have any on hand

In a saucepan combine the heavy cream, butter and cream cheese. If you don't like cream cheese don't worry. You really won't taste it because it is used to thicken the sauce and not add flavor.

 Simmer until the heavy cream, butter and cream cheese are melted. I like to make figure eights stirring the sauce but that is me and just something I like to do to pass the time. This isn't a sauce you turn on and walk away from.

 Add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

Simmer on low and continue to stir for 20 minutes. I tried this sauce with half and half but it isn't as good. It is healthier with half and half but it does lose some of the taste. I let everyone add salt and pepper to their own dish salt brings out the alfredo taste.

While this is cooking I cook my fettuccine noodles.

This is a rich sauce and since it isn't the healthiest I only make it a few times a year. It is usually a birthday dinner request.

I didn't have parsley flakes on hand this day but it does like pretty with a few sprinkled on top.

Try this super simple recipe. I love making it for a special night when my hubby and I decide to stay in and have a nice dinner for 2.

I put a little salt and pepper on my dish.

I hope you try this recipe and love it as much as my family does.

Mrs. Fife

Cream Brulee French Toast

We just got back from an amazing vacation in Tennessee visiting with family. I will write more about vacation in another post. We enjoyed some delicious, scrumptious, spectacular meals made by J.P. She truly is a wonderful chef and made every meal amazing. Here is one of the delicious dishes she made us for breakfast. Thank you J.P. for a wonderful vacation filled with so many memories. 

Cream Brulee French Toast

What you will need:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
6-8 slices thick bread (no crust) Texas Toast works great 
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit. Make sure there isn't any spaces. 

In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, Grand Marnier and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Place bread mixture in refrigerator and let it sit overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 and bring bread to room temperature.

Bake bread mixture, uncovered in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden about 35 to 40 minutes. 

Serve hot french toast immediately. A little sprinkle of powdered sugar adds a nice touch. This isn't a dish that is good cold or saved for later. 

It's been awhile..........

It has been so long since I posted on here. I'm sorry life has been so busy and we have been making so many memories. May was filled with some great events but Mr. Fife graduating magna cum laude with another degree was a highlight.

My husband who works full time plus overtime while attending college full time is amazing. Try saying that sentence 5 times fast. He sacrificed time with the kids, free time, missed family events, soccer games, baseball games, football games etc. I'm sure you get the point. He made a lot of sacrifices to earn another degree. 

To say I'm proud of him would be a huge understatement. He really put a great deal of time and hard work into this degree. 

It meant a lot for our kids to see him graduate, it was a good lesson for them about working hard and achieving your dreams. 

As you can tell I'm very proud and emotional about Mr. Fife and his accomplishments. Everyone is proud and sharing this moment meant a lot for all of us. My mom mentioned how proud she was to see him in his cap and gown. See I'm not the only one who gushes about Mr. Fife. 

I hope you are having a great summer and had a great end of spring. 

Create a family tradition. One of ours is an annual ladies luncheon.

Family traditions are important for various reasons but the main reason in my opnion is the memories that are created. We have a bunch of family traditions and I think they hold special meaning to everyone in our family. In this post I am going to talk about a family tradition that was started 14 years ago and how it has evolved. 

My mom and aunt started this event and it has grown to be one of my favorite things we do as a family. We have an annual Palm Sunday Ladies Luncheon. It is a lunch filled with the ladies in our family. I come from a very large Italian family. My mom has something like 50 first cousins. See I told you it was a big family. 

Here is how it started. My mom and aunt wanted to get their aunts together and out of the house after a long winter. Well they thought how about we set up a lunch on Palm Sunday. Then they thought how about we invite all of our cousins or cousins-in-laws to attend. 

Each year they pick a different restaurant and buy small favors for everyone who attends. Some years the favors have special meaning. One year it was a scrapbook style booklet with my great grandparents marriage certificate copied and a picture of the church they were married in along with the story of their courtship. Another year one of my moms cousins took a large undertaking of making a family cookbook with recipes from each family. It is a beautiful book I will cherish always. Everyone who attended loved it.

There are some rules to the event. 

You must be at least 16 years old
You must be related to us either by birth or marriage.
You will not receive a favor if you don't attend the luncheon. 
You need to RSVP in order to receive a favor. 
One invitation is sent to one representative from each family and it is their responsibility to let everyone know in their family. 

So why Palm Sunday? Well because it is a holiday that isn't filled with family get togethers or parties. However if you google when is Palm Sunday 2025 you will know the date of the luncheon. It makes it clear for everyone to be able to fit it in their schedules or not. 

We have had years where there were over 50 women attend and we have had years where 12 are there (those are some of my favorite years.) It is a chance for our busy family to come together and catch up. It is a time where the woman can spend together away from the kids and husbands. Everyone is so busy that getting together is harder and harder and this event maybe the only time we will be able to see each other all year. We laugh, we cry, we have a great time filled with memories, favorite family stories and good food. What more can you ask for??   

Every year I walk away with such an amazing sense of pride because I am a part of family filled with fantastic, strong, brilliant women.  

Have there been issues? YES. The rules have to be followed or there is trouble and hurt feelings. Example the age rule. Children are not allowed with one exception newborn babies. If a mother is breast feeding and can't be away from the baby it is understood. EVERY female in the family is invited. Even when some aunts, sisters, cousins, wives, mothers don't like their brothers, sons, male cousins wife or girlfriend it doesn't matter. She is still invited. That rule keeps feelings from being hurt. The rule about the favors is kept so that again feelings aren't hurt. You attend you get a favor, you don't attend you don't get a favor. It really is as simple as that. 

Will this tradition keep going? In a word. YES. Even if it is just me and my daughters this tradition will never stop. It will carry on, just as it has lasted for 14 years and counting. Every year I can't wait and look forward to the Palm Sunday Ladies Luncheon. 

It doesn't have to be a Palm Sunday luncheon but create a family tradition. Believe me it is worth it. My daughters are counting down the years until they are able to come. I look forward to my daughter-in-law attending it with us. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this and have an idea for a new family tradition. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Mrs. Fife

Useful Soccer Gift Bags/Girls Hair Tie Bags

I know the weather may not make scream spring but spring is here. In our house spring means SOCCER. We love soccer although we play soccer all year round spring means a new outdoor soccer season. Our soccer team is like a family. I spend more time with the soccer parents then I do with my friends. Between practicing 2 to 3 times a week and the game we spend a lot of time together. 

Our coach has a rule, well he has a lot of rules but this rule is "always have your hair up and out of your face......" As we sit at practice I hear him say "why is your hair down?" "Put your hair up?" We always tell the girls to keep hair ties in their soccer bags. Well with that in mind.....

I decided to make each girl in our group a little bag with hair ties, headband, bobby pins, small little hair rubber bands and tissues. I wrote each girls name on the bag in case they are out of the their bags we know who it belongs to. I think these bags are a cute way to make sure each girl has something to keep their hair up and out of their eyes. It is a nice welcome to spring soccer season.

So if you are looking for a sweet useful gift to give your girls soccer team here is what you will need to make these bags. I purchased all of these items from our local Dollar Tree. 

Zipper plastic bags
Hairties
Bobbypins
Headbands
Little hair rubber bands
Plastic eggs
personal package of tissues

I wrote each girls name on the bags.

I then filled each bag with 7 hair ties, headbands, bobby pins, tissues and little hair rubber bands.

I used the plastic eggs to hold the little hair rubber bands. It will keep them from spilling all over the place. I purchased packages of each of the items and split them up into each bag. 

Here is how the bag looked finished with everything in it.

I hope your team likes these bags. Also good luck on a great spring season. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Mrs. Fife

Easy Homemade Calzones

Easy Homemade Calzones

Calzones is a easy, fast supper that can be put together in a matter of minutes. I make the dough the night before and let it rise in the refrigerator. The dough I make can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. There is a simple pizza dough recipe that The Pioneer Woman makes that is easy and tastes great. Here is how you make a homemade calzone.

You will need:

1. Pizza or marinara sauce (addition sauce is needed to serve with the calzones. I don't use pizza sauce for that.)
2. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (you could also use mozzarella but I prefer the taste of monterey jack)
3. Pizza dough (You can use the refrigerated kind or the dry mix to make the dough. I personally like the taste of fresh homemade dough and it is so easy.)
4. Topping you like on pizza such as pepperoni, veggies or anything else you like on pizza)
5. Garlic butter (optional but I feel it makes a big difference in taste and appearance I use Chef Shamy brand)
6. olive oil

For this post I was making 2 different calzones. I served them with a salad and hot marinara sauce. 

Here is how you assemble make a calzone.

Preheat the oven at 500.

I start by putting olive oil on my baking sheet. 

I don't use a rolling pin to roll out the dough I use my hands which works great and doesn't stretch out the dough to much. 

Place sauce on 1 half of the dough. Don't put the sauce to close to the edge of the dough.

Place cheese on top of the sauce.

Add your desired toppings.

Now fold the plain half of dough over the half with the sauce, cheese and toppings.

Start to fold the bottom rim over the top to create a seal. You don't want to leave an opening in the calzone.

I then spread the garlic butter over the top of the calzone. It makes a big difference in taste and especially in appearance. 

Place in over for 15-18 minutes. Depending on the size of your calzone you may need to cook a little longer. You want the crust on top to be golden brown. 

Let cool for 5 minutes and serve with bowl of hot marinara for dipping. I cut up the calzones so everyone can have as big of a piece as they like or you could make smaller individual calzones. 

I hope you love these as much as we do. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Mrs. Fife

Easy Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Easy Italian Pasta Salad 

There is nothing like a good pasta salad. This easy recipe is one I use a lot especially during the summer but it is great anytime of year. My kids love it and they actually eat the veggies so for me that is a win-win situation. I hope you like this recipe as much as we do. 

Here is the cast of characters.

You will need:

1  16 oz box of farfalle pasta  (I used the small farfalle this time but I have also used rotini pasta.)

1 bottle of Italian dressing

1 container of cherry or grape tomatoes

1 green pepper

1 can black olives

1 8 oz. block of cheddar cheese

1/4 pound of salami 

1 small package of pepperoni

Cook the pasta according to the box directions. While the pasta is cooking I start cutting up the veggies, salami and cheese. When the pasta is done rinse it in cold water to stop it from cooking and because it is best to have the pasta cold when assembling the salad. 

Place the cold pasta in the bowl you want to serve it in.

Then I start cutting and adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Drain the can of black olives and add them to the pasta.

I cut the tomatoes in half and add to the salad. 

I cut the green peppers into small pieces. 

I use sliced salami now because that is what my family likes. I used to cut the salami into chunks like the cheese. When I used to cut it like that I bought the salami from the deli in a chunk size about 2 inches thick. If you use the slice salami you only need a 1/4 pound of sliced salami.

I add the pepperoni to the salad. If you like more pepperoni add more in between the layers.

I cut the cheese into small chunk pieces. Don't cut the cheese into large chunks because you just want small little pieces that will mix well with the rest of the salad. 

Next I add the salad dressing. I pour the entire bottle in salad. If you are making this the night before I would leave a little of the dressing so you can add it the next day before serving. I then mix all of the salad together.

 Here is how the salad looks all beautiful and ready to eat. 

I think the salad tastes better when it chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours. 

You can add or leave out any ingredients you don't like. You can adjust the recipe to your preferences. 


I love this pasta salad and I hope you do also.

Thanks for stopping by.


Mrs. Fife