Grilled Pizza

This was a new culinary adventure for me.  I don't utilize the grill, mainly because I don't have one, but still everyone I know has one so there should be no excuse.  Well, we are staying at my in-law's this week so I thought I would try something new and make use of the grill.  It was definitely a success...grilled cheese pizza.

Recipe:
1 can refrigerated pizza dough (or fresh dough)
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat grill to 300*. Set up grill so you have one area of direct heat and one area of indirect heat.

Sprinkle counter with half of the cornmeal (just enough so dough does not stick to your work surface) and sprinkle the top with remaining cornmeal.  Then roll out your dough and cut into 4 sections.  Roll each section to about 1/4".  Place 1tsp of olive on on each section and spread evenly.  Flip each section over and repeat with remaining oil.

Place all the dough on a tray; I just used the top of my broiler pan.  (This makes it easier to transfer on and off the grill.)  Place the dough over the direct heat, close the lid, and let bake 3-5 mins or just until the bottom of crust has become firm and browned.  Once the dough has started to brown, remove it from the grill.  Then top each piece with sauce and cheese.  Return pizzas to grill, making sure to place over indirect heat.  Close the lid and bake for 7-10 mins.  Once cheese has melted and the pizza edges are golden brown remove from grill.  Serve and enjoy!

This recipe is just a base for many culinary creations, try a spinach, artichoke, and feta cheese pizza.  Or goat cheese and sundried tomatoes.  Or simply pepperoni pizza.  Just make it your own!

Milanese...the cheater's version

I love milanese anything--pork, chicken, beef.  traditionally, it is coated with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.  This is a messy process though.  I have made my own cheat version which can altered to your specific tastes.  Instead of the traditional flour/egg, I substitute mayo, sour cream or anything else with a similar consistency that the breadcrumbs will stick well to. 


Be adventurous today and make your own version.


Breadcrumb mix:
1 cup panko, plain
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 tbsp dried herb blend (italian is great but try lemon pepper--amazing!)
1 tbsp parmesan cheese (kraft or fresh grated)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


Milanese Whatever: (This is my recipe from lunch today.)
2 1" thick boneless pork chops
2 tbsp garlic hummus
1 cup breadcrumb mixture
2-3 tbsp oil


In a 10" skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil over med-low to medium heat.  While the pan heats, spread hummus on one side of the pork.  Press the hummus side down into the breadcrumb mix.  Leave in the breadcrumb mix and spread hummus on the second side.  Turn over and press into the breadcrumb mix.  Make sure each side is well coated.  Repeat with second pork chop.  Once oil is heated (it will begin to waft), add the pork.  Do not mess with it, let it form a nice crispy crust--this will take about 5 mins.  After 5 mins, lift the edge to see how the crust looks, if it is a med to dark golden brown, flip it over and cook for and additional 5 mins, letting it form a golden crust.  After 5 minutes, check the temperature of the pork.  It should be between 145* and 160*. Then serve and enjoy!


* For an alternate version, spread meat with herbed cream cheese, roasted garlic aioli, or flavored sour cream dip then dip into the breadcrumb mix.  Also mix up your herbs and seasonings in your breadcrumb mix--use fresh herbs, montreal steak seasoning, or (my favorite) lemon pepper seasoning.

Chili Cheese Potatoes

2 Russet Potatoes, pierced several times

2 cups Leftover chili

½ cup cheddar cheese, grated

In the morning:

Oil the potatoes and place on slow cooker rack*. Sprinkle with salt. Set slow cooker on Low for 7 hours.

In the evening:

Heat 12” skillet over med-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil. Slice potatoes about ¼” thick and place in skillet. Cook until brown and crisped about 5 mins. Turn and brown the other side. Reheat left over chili while potatoes are frying and set aside. When potatoes are brown and crisp on both sides plate, individually, and top with chili and cheese. Enjoy!

*Note: If your slow cooker does not come with a wire rack, you make your our. Just take several pieces of aluminum foil, roll each piece so it fits lengthwise in the slow cooker, and place potatoes on top. The idea is to have the potatoes steam cook from all sides and leave the skin kind of crispy.

My "Famous" Chili

This freezes great or makes a great dish for a casual dinner party.

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans chili beans, I prefer the Kroger brand

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos and onion

1 ½ cup tomato or veggie juice

1 cup frozen corn

1 packet hot chili seasoning mix

½ cup crushed tortilla chips

Combine the first 6 ingredients and cook over med-low heat for at least 30 mins. (The longer it cooks the better the flavor. I like to simmer it about 1 ½-2 hours.) About 10 mins. before serving, add the tortilla chips—this helps thicken the chili. Serve with diced red onion, jalapenos, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Brazilian Pork and Beans

This dish is Ahhh-mazing!! Seriously. Also, if you are in a time crunch most days, this would be good to fix one Saturday or Sunday, then freeze for meals later on or reheat for a quick meal later in the week. Anyways, this is my version of the recipe.

Recipe: Serves 8-10

8 cups water
2 tbsp oil
1.5 lb pork loin roast
1 lb bag of dried black beans (sorted and rinsed)
1 medium onion, diced
1 package soy chorizo (regular chorizo is fine, but i thought this worked better because it crumbled and became part of the sauce, adding a nice background flavor and richness)
6 slices bacon, cooked or uncooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalepenos, diced
2 cups long-grain rice, prepared per package directions
cilantro for garnish

In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and brown pork. Once pork in browned on all sides, add black beans, 1/2 of the onions, bacon, and chorizo. Pour all of the water over the pork and beans, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 2 1/2 hours.

After 1 hour 45 minutes hours, heat a 10"-12" fry pan with a little oil, saute the rest of the onoins, jalapenos, and garlic. Once veggies are softened, add 1 1/2 cups of the cooked balck beans to the veggies and mash with a fork or potato masher. At this point, you can break the pork up into chunks if desired. (It will basically fall apart, think pulled pork, during the last 30 minutes of cooking.) Stir the bean mixture into the pork and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Once you add the bean mixture to the pork, start cooking the rice. Everything should be finishing up about the same time. Serve pork over the rice, garnish with cilantro and enjoy!!

Summer Squash Frittata

We eat a lot of squash during the summer. We bake, sauté, and steam it. Squash is just so versatile. Well, I had some leftover and wasn't sure what to try. I was reading another blog and saw she has made squash frittata. Why hadn't I thought of this? Oh well, here is my own version. I turned out pretty good for the first try. Next time I will drain the leftover squash first.

Recipe: Serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as a main course

5 eggs

1 each small yellow squash and zucchini, steamed or sautéed

4 slices of bread, toasted and torn into pieces

3/4 cup SHARP cheddar cheese

s/p to taste

1/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 375*. In an 8x8 casserole dish, spread out squash and top with bread. In a bowl, mix eggs, milk and s/p. Pour over squash and bread. Top with cheese. Bake 15 minutes and then turn on broiler. Heat under broiler for 2-3 mins or until is browned and bubbling. Enjoy!!

Pork-tastic Chops

Let me begin this post by saying I typically do not like to eat pork (exception bacon). However, I had a coupon for a free pound of boneless pork chops at EarthFare (love this store). So Nick and I splurged one pound free and $4.99 for another pound. This got us four 1"-1 1/2" chops weighing 1/2 lb each. These were huge! Anyways, I made two of these with a homemade mango bbq sauce.

Recipe: Serves 2

BBQ Sauce:

1 mango diced

1 hot banana pepper (or other chile pepper)

2 tbsp Sweet Baby Ray's Bbq Sauce

1 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until all mango is smooth.

Pork Chops:

2 thick cut boneless pork chops

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, steak seasoning (like McCormick's Montreal Seasoning)

2 tbsp oil

Heat skillet on medium high with oil. Season one side of the pork with a sprinkle of each seasoning and place seasoned side down in skillet. Season the other side of the pork. Cover with lid or aluminum foil. Cook each side for about 5 mins. Reduce heat to medium low. Once each side is browned, begin basting with the mango bbq sauce. Baste one side and flip, it cook about 2 mins. Baste other side and flip immediately, cooking about 2 mins. Baste and cook each side 2-3 times. Should take about 20 mins to fully cook. Once pork is finished top off with mango bbq sauce, cover and let rest five minutes. Serve with veggies or instant potatoes (that's what I did). Enjoy!

Sensational Salad

I love salad--really love salad!! Seriously, I could eat salad everyday. Recently I tried a simple salad and it was a hit. I hope you try it and love it as much as I did. My only request is USE FRESH INGREDIENTS--splurge just a bit for fresh lettuce and cheese.

*Side note: Even my I-don't-eat-anything-with-salad-in-the-name husband enjoyed this. He's eaten it three different times now!!

Recipe:

3 cups mixed salad greens (or favorite lettuce*)

3/4-1 cup freshly grated gouda cheese

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Mix together and top with any vinaigrette (or ranch if you must).

*Please, please, please do not use iceberg with this. It will only detract from the quality of this dish.

Quick Cooking Potatoes

Tonight, Nick and I took dinner over to his grandmother's house. It was so good--the food and conversation. Also we got to spend some time with Nick's cousin, Kevin, who was over for dinner as well. Well, I cooked this meal tonight after I got off work so I definitely needed to make sure it was fast! I made homemade mashed potatoes. Usually I would not make these in a time crunch but had a brilliant thought..."Why not slice the potatoes so they cook faster?" So I did. And it worked wonders!

I figured the amount of time spent dicing the potatoes vs. time spent slicing (about an 1/8"-1/4") was the same--maybe 8-10mins. I just filled the water, covered it, and started heating it on med-high. Then I sliced the potatoes and placed them in the heating water when I had too many on the cutting board. Added salt and chicken bouillon, and let it boil for about 15 mins (about half the time had I diced them). They were perfect! Mashed with butter, milk, and s/p. Delish! Try this one and enjoy a fabulous homemade dinner.

Another Casserole

I don't why, but I have just made alot of casseroles lately. No that that is a bad thing, it's just I feel like I've just given up. It's just been busy so I just throw whatever into a dish and that's dinner. Anyways, here is a tex-mex insprired casserole.

Recipe: Serves 4-6

1 1/2 cups cooked rice (leftover or just cooked)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

1 can rotel

1/2 cilantro, roughly chopped

10 6" or 8" flour tortillas

Dash of red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper, salsa

1 cup cheese

Heat oven to 375*. Combine beans, corn, Rotel, cilantro, and rice. To this mixture add just enough, vinegar, lime juice and salsa to coat everything. In a 2qt casserole dish, layer one tortilla and 1/3 mixture. Repeat until finished then top with cheese. Back for 15-20 mins or until cheese begins to brown. Serve with extra salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Mexican Casserole

So this is a dish I just made up. Nick didn't really care for it, but I loved it!! If you fix it, let me know your thoughts.

Recipe: Serves 4-6

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 can Rotel (or other diced tomato with jalapeños), drained

1/2 can corn, drained and rinsed

1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bag of boil in bag rice (or 2 cups cooked white rice)

1/2 non-fat greek yogurt (sour cream)

A splash of red wine vinegar, lemon or lime juice, salt and hot sauce.

1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375*. In an 8x8 baking dish, combine everything except cheese. Top with cheese and bake 15-20 mins or when cheese is melted and bubbling. Enjoy

Baking

I don't bake much. I just don't enjoy baking as much as cooking, but today I was off and had been wanting to make a few things. So I did.

First up is homemade white bread. A while back I inherited my mother-in-law's stand mixer. Yes it's a vintage Sunbeam and I had been eying it since I first met her, but anyways, I haven't used it too much. I've made some cakes with but never bread so I thought I'd give it a try today. I must say I would rather make it by hand. I found my dough just crept up the dough hooks therefore making it difficult to mix. I ended up just dumping it all out on the counter and finishing by hand. Although, I had some trouble with the mixer, the recipe is probably one of the easiest I have found and definitely a keeper!!

Well, after much patience, here is the finished product, and I must say it turned out fabulous. We are definitely having some tonight for dinner!! Homemade bread it just so yummy!!!

Also, I had dried some apples a while back and finally decided to use them. This is a cross between an apple pie, an apple crisp and an apple tart. I made the dough right in the tart pan--so simple! Then I rehydrated the apples and used all the traditional apple pie filling ingredients. Lasting I made a apple crisp topping. It looks and smells delicious! Nick is going to take it into work tomorrow so hopefully glowing reviews!

Well, I also made upside down pineapple biscuits. This is a recipe my mother-in-law makes frequently, and everyone loves!! I have started making my own twist of it. Instead of baking individual biscuits, I just roll out all the biscuits (you use canned ones) and press them together. Then I place the pineapple topping in a 8x8 pan and lay the biscuits on top. It is scrumptious! I think the next I bake this, I am going to add in some cream cheese to the pineapple mixture. It just occurred to me that that would a perfect combination of flavors.

Well, I'll try to post these recipes soon so you can try them out!

New Meals

This is a meal I fixed from last month's Rachel Ray magazine. It is called Disco Fries and it was delicious!! Seriously one of the best meals we have had in awhile. It is french fries, mushrooms, onions, gravy and sharp cheddar cheese. I mean how can you go wrong with that?! Check it out. It was simple and quick.

This is my most delicious chili. I love my chili because it is so simple and can be ready in 15 minutes or an hour. It is seriously fix it and forget it. I posted the recipe in a previous blog Winner, Winner, Chili Dinner. If you need a quick meal--this should be on of your go to's. Enjoy these recipes and look for more to come soon!

Also, if you are looking for ways to cut calories but can't give up your faves like cheese, pay a little extra for an extra sharp cheese (check out the specialty cheese section). You'll use less but get a more intense flavor. One more tip, buy fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and parsley to bulk up flavor while using less salt. And if don't use all the herbs--tie a string around it and hang it upside down to dry it out. Then crush and store in an airtight container. It will keep for awhile.

Easy Lemon Chicken

I helped out with a catering event earlier this week and really enjoyed it. I was in charge of making the chicken and a mistake actually turned out to be great. The caterer asked me to marinate the chicken in Italian dressing, but I already had placed half the chicken onto baking sheets and thought she meant to brush the dressing on and let it sit for a few minutes. Anyways, I ran out of dressing and we needed a quick marinade for the rest of the chicken. All we had was olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper. In my opinion, the "mistake" chicken was better than the Italian one. Anyways, here is what we did.

Recipe: Serves 4

12 chicken tenderloins

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp pepper, freshly ground is best

1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 rounds

Heat oven to 375*. Combine oil, lemon juice, and pepper. Pour over chicken, mix, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Take the chicken out, flip it over, and top with lemon slices. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Serve alongside 7 grain pilaf* and

enjoy!!

*Kashi makes a great 7 grain pilaf. Cook according package. Near the end of cooking add a couple tablespoons of butter, cracked pepper, and 1/4 cup of cranberries. Finished cooking, fluff with fork, and splash with bit of lime juice. Enjoy!!

Cooking with Carob

I don't know if any of you have used carob chips in your baking, but I tried them in a brownie recipe and thought they were terrible!!!! Carob chips are often substituted for chocolate chips--especially in vegan/vegetarian baking. I would like to try using them again. If you have tried them with success, please leave me a note with some tips or let me know if there are recipe modifications when using them. Thanks!!!

Beef Stew

This is a combination of various beef stew recipes. I just took all the things I liked from each recipe and made up my own. Also, I fixed so that my father-in-law could eat (he is watching is calorie/fat/sugar/sodium intake) so there is no added salt to this.

Beef Stew Recipe: serves 6

5 lbs Bottom Round Roast

6 Red Potatoes, quartered

1 Small Onion, diced into large chunks

2 large Carrots, diced into 1" chunks

1 package of Baby Portabello Mushrooms, stem removed and halved

1 can diced Tomatoes

2 tbsp. Tomato Paste

3 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped

1 tsp dry Thyme (1 tbsp fresh Thyme, if using)

1 cup water (or homemade or low sodium stock)

In a pan, sear roast just until it browns on each side. While meat is browning, chop veggies and place in slow cooker. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, then stir together. Make a well in the veggies, making sure there is a layer of veggies on the bottom. Place roast fat side up in the well. Pour the water or stock in, and sprinkle the thyme over meat and veggies. Cook on low for 8 hours. (Or in the oven at 200* for 8 hours.) Slice and plate roast. Scoop out veggies*. Season individually. Serve and Enjoy!!

*I am not good at making gravy, and since I did not add salt for flavor, I used a dry gravy mix to serve alongside. However, you could use some of the juice from the crockpot to mix in with the gravy mix or make a rue and whisk the rue into the leftover juices; allow to thicken and enjoy homemade gravy.

Poor Man's "Stir Fry"

So this was just thrown together but should be a good recipe for my Peace Corps pals!

Recipe: Serves 1 large or 2 small portions
1 package ramen noodles, any flavor
1 package mushrooms (or other quick cooking veggies--think stir fry)
a few dashes of soy
juice from 1/2 lime (or whole lomi)
two eggs
oil or margarine

Place pot of water over high heat and bring to boil. While waiting for water to boil**, chop mushrooms or other veggies. Heat skillet with oil or margarine over medium heat. Add veggies to pan and ramen to water. Cook veggies until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Drain noodles and add to skillet. Make hole in the center and crack eggs directly into pan. Let eggs set for 30 seconds, scramble in the center and then stir into noodles and veggies. Stir just until eggs are finished cooking, add a dash of soy to taste and lime juice. Enjoy!!

**If you are cooking on a buta gas, bring water to boil remove from heat, add ramen, cover for 3 minutes, drain and return to pot. Place skillet on buta gas and cook veggies until soft and then follow the recipe.

Upcoming Recipes

Since I have started working again (after a year off), it has been hard adjusting to cooking once I get home. Mostly this has do with the fact I am on my feet all day and just don't feel like standing in the kitchen at home. So I have been thinking of what I can do to make it a little easier to have a good home-cooked meal and still enjoy cooking while not being exhausted. Also, Nick's breakfast habits have changed so I am thinking of things we can cook the night before or whip up in a jif.

My solution: Slow cookers.

I have used my slow cooker before, but probably not to its full potential. In the coming weeks I am going to be trying some new recipes specifically for slow cookers and see what happens. I'll be posting some these recipes--at the ones that work--and offering suggestions for the recipes and tips for using slow cookers.

So here are a few recipes that might be making an appearance soon: Asian Pepper Beef, Lemon Honey Chicken, Oatmeal, and Morning Casserole.

Lastly, I have seen some recipes for slow cooker bread baking. I think I may try something and take it to church on Sunday, see what people think. On to a new adventure!!

Simple Chicken "Parmesan"

This is a delicious and quick dinner I just came up with tonight. Nick ate about 3/4ths of the pan--seriously! Hopefully, you'll enjoy it just as much.

Recipe: Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are)

1/4 box spaghetti, cooked and drained

3/4 cup spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup italian dressing (I used this Lite Northern Italian w/Basil & Romano)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

several frozen pre-cooked chicken strips--grilled or breaded

Heat oven to 400*. Mix sauce, italian dressing, and pasta. In a large oven-proof pan, cook chicken until heated thoroughly and remove from pan. Turn off heat. Place pasta into pan, layer on chicken, and cheeses. Heat in the oven until cheese is melted. (Or broil until cheese is browned.) Serve and enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Scones

These are some Chocolate Chip Scones I made for church on Sunday. Of course they were a huge hit. Everyone always loves them. They are super quick to make and are great gifts--once I gave a couple scones and some tea as take home gifts after a tea party. Anyways, try them out sometime; they make a great go-to snack or breakfast.

Recipe: Makes about 12 (depending on how big or small you make them)

3 cups AP flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar + 2 tbsp

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup soy cream*

3/4 cup soy milk plus a splash of apple cider**

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (minis work better I think)

Heat oven to 400* and lightly grease cookie sheet. In a small bowl set aside soy milk and apple cider vinegar. In a large bowl, sift (please sift!!) flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Mix in soy milk, creamer, oil and vanilla. Mix just until combined--dough will be slightly clumpy. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop 1/4 cupfuls onto cookie sheet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and bake 10-12 mins. or until lightly golden brown on top. Serve with fresh whipped cream and Enjoy!!

*1/2 cup plain creamer or 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup milk can be substituted.

**Regular milk can be substituted with apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar). Or just use 3/4 cup buttermilk without vinegar.