Homemade Pizza (Pepperoni & Sausage)

I got a hankering for pizza last week and rather than spend money at Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa Murphy’s or Marco’s, I decided to make my own. Since I’ve been working with sourdough starter, I found this recipe for a sourdough crust. By using bread flour, it made a nice, thin crust that was crisp and crunchy. All purpose flour would made a softer crust. 

Next, I opened a can of tomato paste and an 8 oz can of sauce. I seasoned with some frozen onions buzzed fine in the food processor and added fresh oregano, basil, and parsley from my garden along with some dried thyme and a pinch of cayenne. I added some water to the sauce to thin it a bit and spread half on the crust, freezing the rest for next time.

Ordinarily, I use an Italian shredded cheese blend but since I already had some Colby Jack on hand, I used that, putting down a layer of cheese, then some green pepper and onions, then a second layer of cheese. Lastly, I added the pepperoni and some fried Italian sausage. It made for a heavy pie!

But boy, was it good! And since so many of the ingredients were already in the kitchen, it cost a fraction of a delivery pizza!

Sourdough Crackers

I’ve been working with sourdough starter since the COVID-19 quarantine has left me with extra time on my hands. One of the things I’ve hated is tossing out part of the starter when I feed it. I just recently found out that there are even recipes that use the discarded starter! I’ve made these twice and they disappear quickly.

The basic recipe I’m using is from King Arthur Flour’s site and this is my modification of the original recipe, since they leave the choice of seasoning to you.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (113g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup (248g) sourdough starter, unfed/discard
• 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons dried herbs of your choice (see my herb mixture below)
• oil, for brushing
• coarse salt (such as kosher or sea salt) for sprinkling on top

Herb Mixture

• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 Tbl Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Mix together the flour, salt, sourdough starter, butter, and optional herbs to make a smooth (not sticky), cohesive dough.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a small rectangular slab. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a couple of hours, until the dough is firm.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Very lightly flour a piece of parchment, your rolling pin, and the top of the dough.
Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough to about 1/16" thick. The dough will have ragged, uneven edges; that's OK. Just try to make it as even as possible.
Transfer the dough and parchment together onto a baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil and then sprinkle the salt over the top of the crackers.
Cut the dough into 1 1/4" squares; a rolling pizza wheel works well here.
Prick each square with the tines of a fork.
Bake the crackers for 20 to 25 minutes, until the squares are starting to brown around the edges. Midway through, reverse the baking sheets: both top to bottom, and front to back; this will help the crackers brown evenly.
When fully browned, remove the crackers from the oven, and transfer them to a cooling rack. Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.
NOTE: If the center crackers are not dry enough, leave them out to dry for an hour or two.

Crab Mac & Cheese with Spinach

After a long absence, I'm going to try and start posting again.

This week, we went to Red Lobster (Crab Fest is on!) and each got an order of Snow Crab legs. My roommate had a hard time cracking and eating them, but I went through one set of legs and still had one left. We took them home, along with some of the great cheese biscuits Red Lobster serves. I had to find a way to use this delicious and expensive food!

There were 3 "knots" of legs that we brought home. I stored them overnight in the fridge, then removed the meat from the legs and shredded it.  I thought about things I could do: Crab salad, crab Alfredo, crab cakes, etc. Finally I came up with this recipe.

Crab Mac & Cheese with Spinach

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• 4-6 oz shredded cheddar cheese (I used mild)
• 2 T butter
• 2 T minced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 T flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4-8 oz shredded crab meat
• 1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach

Procedure

Start a pan of salted water on high heat until it reaches boiling. You'll add the macaroni, reduce the heat to medium-high and let it cook per the package directions, usually 8-10 minutes. 

While the pasta boils, sauté the onion in the butter using a sauce pan at medium-high heat. We'll be making a roux as a base for the casserole, so once the onion is translucent and just beginning to brown, reduce the heat to medium low and add the minced garlic (don't let it burn, it makes it bitter) and the flour, along with salt and pepper to taste. Use the flour to soak up the butter, then add the milk and turn the heat back up to medium high. Use a whisk as the roux begins to thicken so that you don't get lumps of flour. Once it thickens it should be about the consistency of cream gravy. Whisk in the shredded cheese, reserving a small amount for the topping.

Put the frozen spinach in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water and microwave on medium for about 2 minutes. Not enough to really cook the spinach, just enough to get it thawed and easy to work with. When the pasta is done, drain and put in a 2 qt casserole dish. Add the spinach and try to distribute it evenly through the pasta. 

Add the crab meat to the cheese sauce and mix it in well. Add the cheese sauce & crab meat to the macaroni and fold it in until it looks like all the pasta has been coated with the sauce and it looks well-mixed. Top with the reserved cheese. Bake in 350° oven for 25-30 minutes. Edges of the casserole should be bubbling when you take it out. 

Optional - I had some of Red Lobster's great cheese biscuits, so I crumbled them up on top of the cheese to make a crunchy topping. It was a good way to use the biscuits and adds a nice contrast to the pasta and sauce.

Ultimate Mac & Cheese

My mother made the best mac and cheese! This was years ago, before you could buy it in a box for 35 cents. It was for this recipe that I first learned to make a roux, and she made a nice cheese sauce with it.

I still make it her way, though I've added some tinkering of my own. Just when I thought it was perfect, Pete went and added a topping to it that made it even better!

To make the Mac and Cheese:

Ingredients:

•  2 Tbl olive oil or butter
  
•  2 Tbl to 1/4 Cup of minced onion
  
•  1/4 to 1/3 Cup flour
  
•  3 Cups of Ziti noodles
  
•  2 Cups of cheddar or colby cheese, cubed
  
•  2 1/2 Cups milk
  

Prep:
Boil the Ziti according to package directions (about 10-12 minutes).

Saute"Æ the onion in the oil. When it just begins to brown, add the flour and take it halfway off the fire while you stir the flour into the oil, making the roux for your sauce. Add the milk and put pan back on fire, turning it to high or med high and whisking until it begins to thicken. Once it's about the consistency of buttermilk (thicker than whole milk, but thinner than cream), add the cheese and stir until the cheese is well incorporated. To this I had about a 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the ziti and the sauce in a casserole dish, mixing well. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, adding the topping after 15 minutes.

To make the topping:

Ingredients:

•  4 slices of bread, toasted well but not burned. White or wheat.
  
•  2 Tbls melted butter or margarine
  
•  1 Tbls olive oil
  
•  1 Tbls Parsley (fresh if possible)
  
•  1 Tbls Thyme (fresh if possible)
  
•  1/2 tsp salt
  

Prep:
Put toast in food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. Put crumbs into a bowl with the other dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add butter and olive oil and fluff with fork. Immediately sprinkle on top on Mac and Cheese and continue baking 15 minutes.

Do not make topping until you are ready to apply it! It will get soggy if you let it sit!

Cheesy Creamed Eggs

A family favorite, made with simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

•  3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
  
•  3-4 Tb butter
  
•  2 Tb flour
  
•  cheese packet from a box of Mac & Cheese (Kraft or similar)
  
•  2 cups milk
  
•  1 tsp dijon mustard
  
•  1 tsp mayonaise
  
•  dash of hot pepper sauce or ground red pepper
  
•  dash of paprika
  
•  salt and pepper to taste
  

Prep:
Boil the eggs 5 minutes, then let sit in hot water for 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water, peel and chop into chunks.

For sauce, melt butter in sauce pan, mix in the flour, cheese packet, paprika and hot spice/sauce. Save salt and pepper until done, some cheese packets are can be salty already, you don't want it to taste like a salt lick!

Mix the flour and spices into the butter until all is moist, then continue to make a roux by adding the milk, mayonaise, and mustard, stirring over med-high heat (use a whisk, it's easier) until mixture begins to boil, then remove from heat. Add the chopped eggs and mix lightly (don't want to break up the yolks into the sauce too much, unless that's your preference).

Serve over fresh biscuits, toasted english muffins, or your favorite toast or bread. Serves 3.

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

• 4 frankfurters
  
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon
  
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 4 hot dog rolls
  
• wooden toothpicks
  

Preparation:

Preheat the broiler. Pat the frankfurters dry. In a skillet cook the bacon for 3 minutes or until still pliable and not crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Cut a 1/2-inch slit lengthwise from end to end of each frankfurter. Stuff each frankfurter with the cheese. Wrap the entire length of each frankfurter with 2 slices of the bacon and secure with toothpicks.

Place the prepared frankfurters on a rack over a baking pan or on a broiler pan. Broil the frankfurters until the bacon is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes or bake at 375 for 20 minutes.