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!

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.

Pork Chili

Here's a recipe for crockpot pork chili that includes Ro-tel and black beans. Very spicy, but very tasty. The recipe came from the website of a local grocery store chain, Hy-Vee. The original post includes nutritional information.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Grand Selections olive oil, divided
1 pound pork loin chops, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp Hy-Vee dried oregano
2 (10 ounces each) cans Hy-Vee diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 (4 ounce) can Hy-Vee diced green chilies
1 (15 ounce) can Hy-Vee black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. water
Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cubed pork and cook until browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to 3-1/2-quart slow cooker.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in same skillet and sauté chopped onions until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and oregano and sauté 1 minute more. Add diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, diced green chilies, black beans and water. Transfer to pork mixture in slow-cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.
Daily nutritional values:
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Emerson Microwave Grill - Chicken Breast

I recently got a new microwave oven with a grill unit. Emerson, who made the unit, had info about microwaving various types of food, but no help at all on using the grill/microwave combo.

So tonight I decided to experiment with a couple of chicken breasts. I soaked them in salted water for several hours and added some McCormick Montreal Chicken seasoning. Lemon pepper would work too.

I tried to warm the grill as some sources suggested, but it didn't work. When ready to cook, I took the chicken out of the water, dried it off, and salted and seasoned (again Montreal Chicken) both sides, and sprayed each side with olive oil cooking spray. I put them on the grill and set the oven on combo cooking (combination 2 which is 64% grill, 35% microwave) for 7 minutes.

After the timer rang, I turned the chicken and used combination 1 (55% grill/45% microwave) for another 3 minutes. As soon as I took the chicken out, I wrapped them in foil for 5 minutes.

Result: Juicy, tasty chicken breast!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tilapia with Bacon and Green Beans

I was looking for something different the other day and had some tilapia filets to work with. I also had a can of green beans and some bacon, and went looking for a recipe that might incorporate all three. What I found was lots of green bean and bacon recipes and one tilapia and bacon recipe that used some brown sugar. In a moment, I'd combined the two and here's what came of it: 

Ingredients

• 2-4 tilapia filets 
• 3-6 strips of bacon, cut into pieces of varying size 
• 1/3 cup chopped onion 
• 2 tsp's of lite brown sugar for each filet 

 Preparation

In a non-stick skillet, brown the bacon pieces over medium heat until they're as brown as you like. Sauté the onions until soft. Add 1 Tbl butter or margarine if you don't have sufficient bacon fat to sauté the onions.

Salt and pepper the first side of the tilapia, and use one tsp of the brown sugar for each filet, spreading over the filet evenly. Turn heat to medium-high and lay filets on top of the bacon and onions, sugar side down.

Salt and pepper the opposite sides of the filets and spread with more brown sugar. After 3-5 minutes (edges of fish begin to turn white), slide a nylon spatula under each filet and the bacon and onions, and turn the filet. Repeat for each filet.

Add drained green beans to pan and salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice over each filet.

Serve with rice or pasta.

Redneck Turtleburgers

Yes, you read that title right. I have not tried to make these, but got this in my email and just had to share it. This is a real recipe, as far as I know. Not sure who invented this, but they deserve all the credit. What follows is the text of the email:

CALLING ALL COOKS;

A NEW RECIPE FROM MISSOURI

Red-Neck Turtle Burgers

WOW!!! Only in MISSOURI!

Here's a new twist on how to serve burgers and if you don't cook,
give this handy little guide to someone that does and request them.






Handmade ground beef patties, topped with sharp cheddar cheese, wrapped in a bacon weave, then the next step, add hotdogs as the heads, legs with slits for toes and tail.

Next step. Place on an oven rack, covered loosely with foil and baked for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees. A little crispy, not too crunchy...just how a turtle should be, no?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My local grocer had pineapple on sale this week, so I bought one. While I love pineapple, with only 2 people in the house it can be challenging to use it all.

I incorporated the fruit tonight using this recipe. while the recipe suggests green pepper, I had none on hand. Most Chinese restaurants serve with onion pieces, carrot, and green pepper, so I used the first two. See the result below.



YUM!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Brazilian Chicken Curry

My friend in Florida, Val, writes:

I know you are always looking for interesting things to do with chicken. Here's one I tried once and it's spicy but not hot. It calls for the crockpot - don't know if you cook with one. I assume you could simmer on the stovetop for an hour or two and get the same results. BTW: The sauce was a bit thin, so I'm still working on this one... also, curry scent is tricky to get off of hands - try lemon juice rinse, then soap & water.

- V.

Original source: Women's Day 2010

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Coconut Milk (found in Asian food aisle. If you like a sweeter taste, I used "Crema de Coconut")
• 2 TBS Tomato Paste
• 1 TBS Minced Garlic (I use fresh)
• 1 TBS Minced Ginger (I use pre-packaged jar)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Fresh ground Pepper
• 1 Medium Vidalia [or sweet] Onion; thinly sliced
  (Can't say this enough - get a mandolin for chores like this!)
• 2 Medium Green Peppers; cut into 1 inch strips & halved crosswise
• 3/4 Cup Yukon Gold [or yellow] Potatoes; cut into 1 inch pieces
  (I upped these to a full cup)
• 1/4 tsp Curry Powder
  (more, if you like more spice)
• 8 (2+ Lbs) Chicken drumsticks [or 4 leg quarters]; skin removed
  (I used a whole, cutup fryer, minus the wings and back pieces.)

Preparation
Mix coconut milk, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, salt & pepper in a slow cooker. Add onions, green peppers, and potatoes. Mix well until veggies are evenly coated.

Rub curry powder all over chicken. Place chicken on top of veggies in the slow cooker. (I found that simply sprinkling the small amount of curry over the chicken parts was sufficient.

Cover and cook on high 4- 5 hours/ low 6 - 8 hours, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

PS - As I mentioned above, try and get a mandolin if you are serious about your cooking. My knife skills aren't perfect, and I have a lovely chunk off of my left forefinger to show for it. Ginsu knives are great, but they are hella sharp!!!

Simple Baked Whitefish (Cod, Pollack, Whiting)

I'm a fan of fish, fixed just about any way. I like fried fish with tarter sauce, grilled salmon fillets, orange roughy, tilapia, etc. But this week I found a sale at my supermarket of simple pollack fillets and decided to go for a light, baked fish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb whitefish fillets (one fillet/ person)
• lemon pepper
• parsley
• 1 tbl butter or margarine
• 1/2 lemon
• salt
• pepper

(Preheat oven to 325°) Begin with spraying a glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lay thawed fillets in the baking dish after checking for stray pin bones. Either melt the butter and drizzle on or take small bits of cold butter and arrange on top to get good coverage when it melts. Lightly salt and pepper the fillets, then sprinkle some lemon pepper lightly over fish, then use some chopped parsley (fresh is nice) across them. Finish with a squeeze of the lemon down the length of both fillets.

Bake uncovered in oven for 20-25 minutes. Fish is done when it the thickest part of the fillet will flake easily with a fork. Be careful removing fish from pan to plate, it will be fragile. But oh so light and flakey!

Serve with lemon wedge. Serves 2

Kevin's Oven-BBQ Ribs

I love ribs and being unable to smoke them during the winter doesn't stop me from making them in the oven.  I rub them down with a rub that is based on one by Emeril Lagasse, but mine is a little milder - his were HOT.  These were a particular favorite of Pete's.

Here's the rub:

Ingredients

• 1 Tbl salt
  
• 1 Tbl cumin
  
• 1 Tbl paprika
  
• 2Tbl Emeril's Essence
  
• 3 Tbl brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 tsp cayenne
  

I usually rub the ribs down the night before and let them sit in the fridge overnight.  If you have a lime, squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime over the ribs for some tanginess and to help break down the connective tissue.  Otherwise, I use a little wine vinegar, just a few splashes.

I cover them with foil and bake them at 300° for 2 1/2 hours, or until they begin to fall off the bone.  Then I take the foil off and brush with barbecue sauce, turn on the broiler and leave the ribs under the broiler until they begin to brown (usually 5 -10 minutes).

Kevin's Oven-fried Chicken

Pete usually deep-fried his chicken so I came up with this recipe so that I wouldn't be trying to imitate his. It turned out that he loved this recipe and often requested it when he wanted chicken but didn't feel like making it!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs of chicken, cut up (legs, breasts, or whole chicken)
  
• 2 C flour
  
• 3 Tbs BAM
  
• Oil for frying (Olive oil or other cooking oil mixed with some bacon grease tastes best! Don't use shortening because it has a low smoke-point.)
  

Soak chicken for at least an hour (overnight if possible) in 1/3 cup of seasoned salt and cold water, enough to cover all pieces. Drain. Finish trimming pieces (cut off excess skin, etc.) and flour each piece in the flour and BAM mixture.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (about 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom) until it froths when you toss in a smidgen of flour. Add chicken pieces, dark meat first (thighs, then legs, then the white pieces about 5 minutes after). Brown each piece, turning to get the entire piece brown.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Now you have 2 options for finishing the bird:

Option 1(original method):Toss the entire frypan in the oven on the center rack. This only will work if the pan is not non-stick and the handle isn't plastic! A cast-iron skillet works best.

Option 2(low fat method): Put chicken pieces on a wire rack over large cookie sheet. Cover sheet in foil, if desired. Place the sheet w/racks and chicken in the oven.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a thigh or breast cut open at the bone is no longer red.

If desired, make chicken gravy in the used fry pan. Drain all but a couple tablespoons of the grease and mix with 1/4 cup flour (use the flour & BAM mixture if you like it spicy). Heat on high, adding milk (about 2 cups) and stirring constantly until boiling.

Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. Peeled and Deveined Shrimp, save shells to make Shrimp Stock
  
• 2 Tbsp Butter
  
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
  
• 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
  
• 2 Ribs Celery, finely chopped
  
• 1 small Green Pepper, finely Chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning (BAM)
  
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
  
• 2-1/2 Cups Very Ripe Fresh Tomatoes, Diced
  
• 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
  
• 2 Cups Shrimp Stock (recipe here)
  
• 2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
  
• 2 Bay leaves
  
• Cayenne to taste
  
• Kosher Salt to taste
  
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
  
• 1 tsp White Pepper
  
• 1 bunch Fresh Thyme
  
• 2 Tbsp Tabasco
  
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  
• 1/2 Cup Green Onions, green tops thinly sliced, white part sliced into 1/4″ thickness
  
• 1/8 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley, minced
  
• 1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice*
  

Prep:
Melt the butter in a large sauce pan with the vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the butter begins to froth add 1/2 cup of the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown. Add the remaining onions, celery, and bell pepper, reduce the heat to medium and season with 1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning and a healthy pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until the soft.

Add the tomato paste mixing well, and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste begins to brown, then add the fresh tomatoes and another healthy pinch of Kosher salt, this will help the tomatoes break down. Stir well.

When the tomatoes start to break down into liquid add the white wine, and turn the heat to high until most of the alcohol burns off. Add the Shrimp Stock, remaining Creole seasoning, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne (to taste), and Thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

(If necessary at this point thicken the sauce with 1 Tbsp Cornstarch/ 2Tbsp water. Bring to a boil to maximize the thickening power of the cornstarch.)

Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire, and season to taste with Kosher salt. Last chance to re-season your sauce, remember that good cooking is all about proper seasoning. Make your Boiled Rice, and season your shrimp with 1 Tbsp Kosher salt and a pinch of Cayenne.

Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low and add the shrimp. The key is to not overcook your shrimp. Let them slowly simmer in the sauce until just cooked through.

Serve with boiled rice and garnish with the remaining green onions and parsley.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

*Creole Rice - Boil 1 cup rice with 1/2 tsp Emeril's Bayou Blast and a bay leaf.  Add 1 tbl butter after rice is done.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is good "comfort food" on a cold, snowy or rainy day.

Ingredients:

•  3/4 lb ground beef 
  
•  1/2 lb sausage (hot)
  
•  1 can whole kernel corn
  or 1/2 pkg frozen corn
  
•  1 can pieces of mushrooms (optional)
  
•  1 can of cream of mushroom or celery soup 
  
•  1 package of shredded cheddar cheese 
  
•  1/2 an onion (chopped) 
  
•  1 bag or less of tater tots 
  

Prep:
Heat oven to 400F. While cooking ground beef till done mix together the corn, mushrooms, soup, 1/2 bag of cheese, and the onion. After ground beef is done mix all ingredients together.

Put in a well greased baking pan. Top with tater tots, and bake at 400∞ for about 30 mins.

Ten minutes before its done top with rest of cheese. Bake till tots and cheese is done. Serves about 4 people.

Variation:
For a mexican flair, use Campbell's Nacho Cheese soup (instead of the cream soup) and some frozen Santa Fe blend vegetables (black beans, corn, & broccoli instead of corn). Add 1/2 tsp chili powder to the beef, or season to your own taste.

Pork Oriental Stir-Fry

Ingredients

•  2-3 lbs pork, cut in small chunks (pork steaks are cheapest)
  
•  1 Cup chopped cabbage
  
•  3 radishes, sliced fairly thin
  
•  1/2 Cup julianned carrots (julianne: cut lengthwise into small strips)
  

Marinate veggies for 30 min or more in:

•  1/4 Cup soy sauce
  
•  2 Tb vinegar or lemon juice
  
•  1/4 tsp salt
  
•  1/4 tsp ginger
  
•  dash or two of hot mustard powder (prepared mustard will do, but use it sparingly unless you like hot food!)
  

Marinate meat for 30 min or more in:

•  1/4 soy sauce
  
•  1/4 tsp ginger
  
•  1/2 tsp onion salt
  
•  1/2 tsp barbeque spice (or 1 tsp BBQ sauce)
  
•  2 Tb brown sugar (regular will do, brown's better)
  
•  dash or two of paprika
  
•  dash or two of hot mustard powder
  

Prep:
Put a Tbl of oil in the pan or wok and coat the inside. Heat the pan and add meat, draining excess marinade. Stir-fry meat until brown on the outside. Push meat to sides of pan (or wok) and dump in the veggies with the veggie marinade. Cover and turn down heat to a low simmer. Stir the veggies once or twice during cooking. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender but not soggy. Mix the meat into the veggies. Serve over a plate of white or long grain rice.
Serve over rice or chow mein noodles. Serves about 4.

NOTE: Lots of other veggies will work. Try a pkg. of frozen veggies that you like: Broccoli/Cauliflower mixture or greenbeans or carrots and diced green pepper. Be creative and make changes! Try to use fresh or frozen - canned veggies tend to be soggy.

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!