Basic Pizza Dough

Ok, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have have been trying to learn how to make a good pizza dough for a long time. The simplest dough seemed imposable to me. It would not rise, it would not come together, it was sticky, it was icky. No matter what it was it surely was not dough. Then came this great recipe. I hope you guys give it a go. It is easy to make and taste great too.

Makes 1 pound of dough
Total time: 1 3/4 hour

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sugar
1 packet (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons, extra virgin olive oi, plus more for bowl & brushing
course salt and ground pepper
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Directions:

1. Pour 1 cup warm water into a medium bowl; add sugar and sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5 minutes.

2. Whisk oil and 1 teaspoon salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until liquid is incorporated (dough will appear dry). Turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead until dough comes together in an elastic ball, 2 minutes. Transfer to an oiled medium bowl; bursh lightly with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; set in a warm, draft-free place unitl dough has doubled in bulk, 45 minutes. Punch down dough and cover; let rise another 30 minutes.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. (To store, refrigerate dough pieces, covered up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month). Let rest 15 minutes before using.

Fish Tacos with Salsa Verde and Radish Salad

This is a fabulous recipe that is simply wonderful. The Salsa verde is wonderful over these excellent tacos. Give them a try. It was not hard to make and it was a great addition into our rotation.

Ingredients:
Serves 4
1 bunch fresh cilantro (roots and thick stems removed)
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 bunch radishes (about 4 ounces), trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed, for less heat), minced
1 1/2 pounds skinless tilapia fillets (about 4)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
12 corn tortillas (6 inches each)

Directions:

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. In a blender, combine cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt and pepper. Blend until pureed. Set salsa aside.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, remaining tablespoon oil, radishes, scallions, and jalapeno; season with salt and pepper. Set radish salad aside.

Place tilapia on a rimmed baking sheet; season with coriander, salt, and pepper. Broil until opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes; break up into chunks.

Meanwhile, using tongs, hold tortillas over a gas flame until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds per side (or wrap stacked tortillas in damp paper towels, and microwave on high until warm and soft, about 1 minute). To assemble, fill tortillas with fish and radish salad; top with salsa verde and fold.

Salsa All’Amatriciana

This is Rome’s most famous pasta sauce. It originated in a town just outside Rome called Amatrice.

This makes about a 1 quart: Serves 4 over a pound of pasta as a main course. This sauce goes well with perfect with bucatini, perciatelli, or spaghetti.

Ingredients:

2 Tbls olive oil
6 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28oz) can tomato puree
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

In a large, heavy skillet heat the oil over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomato puree and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cheese. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.

Tuscan Herb Rub

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper (fresh)
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1-1/2 dried ground thyme

Directions:

Combine all ingredients; mix until well blended.

store tightly covered until ready for use.

Rub or pat on chicken, pork, beef or lamb just before cooking or up to 5 hours in advance.

Tangy Tuna Mac

Serves 3-4
350 degrees F.
30 min

Cook and drain according to package directions:

1 cup elbow macaroni

Add and stir to combined:
One 7oz package of tuna, drained
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
1 small onion minced
1/2 t. salt

Pour into greased casserole dish (small size)

Toss together
1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1 Tablespoon butter

Sprinkle on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Apple Gouda Quesadillas

Wonderful change to a plain old quesadilla. Sweet, salty and barbecued! Use any type of firm red apple. Additional options: add barbecued chicken or chopped jalapeno peppers. Serve warm with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or all three.

Ingredients:

8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 green onions, chopped
2 red apples, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups shredded Gouda cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat a grill for high heat

2. Brush oil onto one side of a tortilla, and place on a blate oil side down. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of mustard on the top side, and top with green onion, apple slices and about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Place a second tortilla on top, and brush the top with olive oil. Repeat with remaining ingredients, stacking the quesadillas on the plate.

3. Brush the grilling surface with oil, and place the quesadillas carefully on the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes or until the bottom is crisp. Filp and grill on the other side until crisp. Remove from the grill to serving plates and cut into quarters. Serve warm.

Pitas Stuffed with Warm Bulgur

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgar
4 whole wheat pitas, cut in half
1 tsp. sweet curry powder
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts)
1  1/2 cups red grapes, halved
1/2 cups dried cranberries or golden raisins
1 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta (I used gorgonzola)
Green leaf or butter lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. In medium saucepan, bring 1 1.2 cups water to boil. Remove from heat, stir in bulgur, and let sit, covered, until tender. 10 to 15 minutes (it will still be a bit chewy).

2. Meanwhile, heat pitas in warm oven. Transfer bulgur to large bowl, and add curry powder, balsamic vinegar, garlic, scallions, grapes, cranberries and bell pepper, stirring well.

3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bulgur mixture, and cook, stirring, until hot. Remove from heat, stir in cheese. Stuff lettuce and mixture into each pita.

Rigatoni with Goat Cheese

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 pound rigatoni
salt and pepper
1  1/2 cups crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Topping variations:
1/4 cup slivered sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, chopped or towrn herbs, and/or pitted, sliced black olives.

Directions:

1. Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente, according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.

2. Return pasta to pot, and toss with goat cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and add some of the reserved pasta water as desired. Sprinkle with preferred topping, and serve ( your choice even with no topping this is still a winner).

Grilled Pork Chops with Spicy Paste

This one is a great recipe that Heidi and I love. She found it can cooked it for her father and I when we were working all day together. I hope you guys give it ago. We loved it!

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 min + Chilling time

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grates on grill
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 bone-in pork loin chops (3 pounds total)

Steps:

1. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oil, sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne until a paste forms. Coat pork chops with paste and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour (or up to three).

2. Heat grill to medium-high; clean and lightly oil hot grates. Grill pork, covered, 5 minutes per side for medium. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Fish Provencal

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons finely graded lemon zest
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon anise seed, crushed
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced crosswise.
6 small zucchini, thinly sliced
4 haddock, cod, or striped bass fillets (6 ounces each)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium or oven to 425. In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, Italian seasoning, red-pepper flakes, anise seed, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set spice mixture aside.

2. Place four 14 inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil on a work surface. Dividing evenly, place onion on one half of each square (leaving a 2-inch boarder), followed by the zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Top with fish; sprinkle with spice mixture. Top with tomato’ drizzle with oil. Fold foil over ingredients; crimp edges to seal.

3. Place packets on grill. Cover and grill until fish is just cooked through 10 – 12 minutes (oven times might be a bit longer). Remove packets from grill; open carefully (hot steam will escape), and transfer Fish Provencal to serving plates. 

Easiest Indian Stew

My wife and I tried this the other day and it was wonderful. We did not have all the things we needed so we did some changes. I will post the original recipe and what we did below.

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower.
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon curry powder, plus more for garnish
2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for garnish
1 teaspoon ground ginger

——————————————————————
3 cups homemade or best quality stare-bought tomato sauce
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt.
——————————————————————
What we did: instead of tomato sauce
3 cups Trader Joe’s tomato and Red Pepper soup
yogurt is optional at the end in peoples dishes. I like with out Heidi liked both.
——————————————————————-
Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions; cover, and keep warm.

2. While rice is cooking, heat oil over medium in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add curry powder and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add tomato sauce, chickpeas, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook stirring occasionally, until thickened, 8 – 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Serve stew with rice and yogurt, garnish with lime wedges and a pinch of curry.

——————————————————— 
What we did in Step three that is different:

We added three cups trader Joe’s red pepper and tomato soup. We did not add water, we added one tablespoon of Italian seasonings.

Put over rice and and then squeeze one lime wedge over each bowl. It is delesious my wife added the dolup of yogurt I did not.

This is very easy to make and tastes great.

Crock Pot Asian Beef Ribs!

These are wonderful but rich. Enjoy!

Ingredients

    * 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    * 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
    * 1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
    * 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
    * 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
    * 3 tablespoons brown sugar or Splenda sugar substitute
    * 2 tablespoons sesame oil
    * 2 tablespoons instant minced onion
    * 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
    * 2 tablespoons sake
    * 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    * 4 lbs beef back ribs or short rib of beef

Directions
   1.  Mix all ingredients except for ribs in crock pot.
   2. Add the ribs one at a time, coating them with sauce and stacking them as you go.
   3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
   4. Remove ribs and pour sauce into a separate container.
   5. Allow fat to separate and skim off of top (there will be quite a bit).
   6. Return sauce to meat, and serve.

One-pot Pasta

Fitting a sit-down supper into your family’s busy schedule can be a challenge, but with this easy, cheesy pasta, it doesn’t have to be.

Ingredents:
Penne pasta
1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch of broccoli
Parmesan cheese

Boil penne 6 minutes less than al dente; add broccoli florets, and cook until penne is al dente. Drain; return to the pot, and toss with a couple of crushed garlic cloves, some olive oil, the zest and juice of a lemon, salt and peper, and plenty of Parmesan. It’s one meal that’s sure to call the gang to the table in no time.  

Chicken with 40 Cloves!

Golden Eggplant Casserole

Serves 4 – 6 

Mediterranean Tuna Melt

2 Cans (6 ounces each) chunk light tuna packed in water, drained

Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients:

two peeled onions chopped

two cloves garlic chopped

4 Tbsp sliced almonds 

1 bag spinach

3 Tbsp yellow curry

1/2 pumpkin squash chopped into & inch pieces

1/2 bullion cube

Directions:

1. melt butter in pot

2. add onions, garlic and curry to pot. Sautè until clear.

3. then add pumpkin & 20 cl of water with melted bullion cube. Cook for 15 min on medium heat.

4. add one bag of spinich sliced (or chopped) to the top when done.

5. serve

Italian Lemon Chicken

This one is one of our favorites. It is so simple and
truly produces a wonderful chicken.                        

 Roast
Chicken with Lemon

Recipe By     : Marcella Hazan, The Second
Classic Italian Cookbook 
Serving Size  : 4    Preparation
Time :1:40 
Categories    : Main Dishes

  Amount  Measure      
Ingredient — Preparation Method 
——–  ———— 
——————————– 
   1                   
Chicken (1.1 kg.), Whole — (39 ounces) 
                       
Salt 
                       
Black Pepper, Freshly Ground 
   2     
Whole         Lemons

1)  Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside
and out.  Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose.  Let the chicken
sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted dish, until all the water has
drained out of its cavity.  Dry it well internally and externally with
kitchen paper.

2)  Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt and freshly ground
pepper on the chicken, rubbing it into all its surfaces and into its interior,
using your fingertips.

3)  Rinse the lemons in cold water and dry them off with
kitchen paper.  The lemons can also be peeled.  Soften them up
gently, pressing them between your two palms, and rolling them back and forth a
few times.  Perforate each lemon in at least twenty places with a trussing
needle or a round toothpick.

4)  Place both lemons in the chicken’s cavity.  Close
up the opening with toothpicks or trussing needle and string.  Run a
string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends.  Do not
pull the legs tightly together; leave them in their natural position.  The
chicken swells while it cooks and the string is only to keep the thighs from
spreading and streching and splitting the skin at the inner folds.

5)  Put the chicken in a roasting tin, breast downwards. 
Do not add cooking fat of any kind.  This bird is self-basting, so it
won’t stick to the pan.  Place it in the upper third of an oven preheated
to 180° C (350° F).

6)  After 25 minutes, turn the chicken so that the breast
is facing up.  Be careful not to break the skin.

7)  Cook for another 30 minutes, then raise the heat to 200°
C (400° F) and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

8)  Bring it whole to the table, leaving the lemons inside. 
Serve it with all the juices that run out.

Pasta with Broccoli and Peanuts

Serves
4

Prep Time 35 min

Total time 35 min

1/2 lb. Whole wheat pasta – Fusilli

2 heads (2 lbs. Broccoli

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup)

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

—————

Directions

—————

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta
until al dente according to package instructions.
Drain, and rinse under cold water. set aside.

2. Meanwhile, trim 1 inch from the stem of end of the
broccoli stalks. Using a vegetable peeler or paring
knife, peel outer layer of stalks; thinly slice
crosswise. Separate florets into bite size pieces.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over
medium. Add pepper flakes, broccoli, and 3/4 cup water;
cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, 6 to 8
min. uncover and cook until liquid has mostly
evaporated and broccoli is tender, 2 to 4 min.

4. In a large bowl whisk together remaining 2 table
spoons oil, vinegar, peanut butter and soy sauce until
smooth. Add cooled pasta broccoli, scallions , and
peanuts; toss to combine

*** Put chopped Peanuts on top as a garnish

*** Alternative peanut sauce ***

1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter

1 Tsp. Garlic Powder

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tsp. Sugar

1/3 cup water

Sprinkle of Cayenne to Taste

1. Place the ingredients in a bowl, stir well, and
microwave for 30 seconds,

or over medium heat in a small pan on the stove top.

2. Pour over chicken, noodles, or your other favorite
dish.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Curried Rice

Curried Rice with Lentils

Prep Time: 20 min

Unsupervised Cooking: 40 min

this has always been one of my standbys. It’s good by
itself, topped with yogurt and chutney or raisins, and
it makes a fine stuffing for acorn squash. If you
double the quantities below, you’ll have more than
enough for an evening’s meal and stuffing for acorn
squash the following night.

1 to 2 tablespoons (15 – 30 ml) safflower oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground ginger

1/2 teaspoons ((2.5 ml) turmeric

2 to 3 teaspoons (10 – 15 ml) curry powder, to taste

1 cup (250 ml) brown rice, washed

3/4 cup (180 ml) dried lentils, washed and picked over

4 cups (950 ml) water

2 vegetable bouillen Cubes

Spring Pasta

This is a colorful recipe that
taste great!

Serves: 4 people

Time: 25 min

Make pasta of your choice according to package or
preference

In a large frying pan on high heat:


2 Tbl. olive oil

2 minced cloves garlic for 30 seconds then add:

2 cups asparagus cup in one inch diagonal pieces

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until asparagus get dark
green Then turn off till you ready to do the next step.



Add pasta to frying pan once done to perfection. Put
the heat to high again then add:

1 1/2 cups halved cheery or grape tomatoes. Cook for
only about 2 min. just to heat them up.

Also add:

5 tea spoons more olive oil

1 Tbl. spoon Thyme

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Put in bowls and add a sprinkle of good grated parmesan
cheese.