Pizza-Pepperoni, Sausage, and Olive

Pizza-Pepperoni, Sausage, and Olive



Pizza-Pepperoni, sausage, black olive, kalamata olive, balsamic vinegar reduction, with mozzarella & Parmesan



Ingredients:
1 package of pepperoni slices-9 ounce approximately.
1/2-1 lb of sausage, cooked in a fry pan, drain on paper towel, and set aside.
2 Pizza dough rounds (store bought or homemade, you decide)-homemade shown below
1  4 ounce can of sliced black olives
2-4 Kalamata olives, sliced
1 1/2 cup fine grated Parmesan
1 pound Mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup of a balsamic vinegar-reduce by half over medium heat, and then brush on the pizza before the sauce goes on
 Red Sauce-shown below

   
Pizza Dough-Ingredients
makes 2 pizzas
4 cups flour
1 3/8 cup warm water (not hot, not cold, warm to set off yeast correctly)
2 tbsp dry milk (if Vegan-omit)
1 tbsp white granulated sugar (if Vegan, use organic sugar)
1 1/2 tbsp butter (if Vegan, use vegan margarine-Earth Balance is good)
1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast (put in refrigerator after opening)
spray oil for resting bowl

Place in your Kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook following your machines directions for dough.  Or use a bread machine and put on the dough mode. My bread machine takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to make the dough. 

Remove dough to a clean oil sprayed bowl, cover with cling wrap, and a clean towel. Place somewhere warm in your kitchen to rise for 30-45 minutes. 

Cut into 2 equal pieces.  Then take it to a flour covered board, and use a rolling pin, or by hand to make into your pizza circles.  I place them on their pans at this point.  I like to use pizza pans with holes in the bottom, or a pizza stone.  Next add the sauce.  In this case, I used a red sauce.

Red Sauce
8 ounce can of tomato sauce
 herbs-
1/4 tsp salt
few turns of pepper
1/2tsp dill
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp garlic powder

directions:
Mix all sauce ingredients, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.


Personally I don't use too much sauce, just to coat the pizza all around except the edges.  Brush the edges of the pizza that still show with olive oil before baking.

Add a layer of each of the cheeses very lightly, then add the meats and olives, and the rest of the cheese.  Press down lightly to squish it together so that it will cook evenly.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 22 minutes, until it is well browned, and the center is done.
If using a pizza stone, bake at 450 degrees F for 17-18 minutes.

Meat Lovers Pizza

Pizza-Meat lovers Pizza

 
Chicken, Sausage, Bacon, Sweet onion, and 4 cheeses-Parmesan, mozzarella, fontina, and small amount of cheddar.  
Ingredients:
1-2 chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces and sauteed in fry pan in olive oil, set aside.
1/2 lb of sausage, cooked in a fry pan, drain on paper towel, and set aside.
Bacon-3-6 slices cooked in fry pan, and then drained on paper towel, and crumbled up into small pieces.
Sweet Onion-diced, sauteed in a little olive oil, set aside
2 Pizza dough rounds (store bought or homemade, you decide)-homemade shown below
1 cup fine grated Parmesan
1 pound Mozzarella, grated
8 ounces Fontina, grated
4 ounces Cheddar, grated
White Sauce-shown below

   
Pizza Dough-Ingredients
makes 2 pizzas
4 cups flour
1 3/8 cup warm water (not hot, not cold, warm to set off yeast correctly)
2 tbsp dry milk (if Vegan-omit)
1 tbsp white granulated sugar (if Vegan, use organic sugar)
1 1/2 tbsp butter (if Vegan, use vegan margarine-Earth Balance is good)
1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast (put in refrigerator after opening)
spray oil for resting bowl

Place in your Kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook following your machines directions for dough.  Or use a bread machine and put on the dough mode. My bread machine takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to make the dough. 

Remove dough to a clean oil sprayed bowl, cover with cling wrap, and a clean towel. Place somewhere warm in your kitchen to rise for 30-45 minutes. 

Cut into 2 equal pieces.  Then take it to a flour covered board, and use a rolling pin, or by hand to make into your pizza circles.  I place them on their pans at this point.  I like to use pizza pans with holes in the bottom, or a pizza stone.  Next add the sauce.  In this case, I used a white sauce.

White Sauce
1 1/2 cups of milk or cream (I used Lactose free 2% milk)
1/4 cup low fat margarine ( or butter)
1/4 cup flour
herbs-
1/4 tsp salt
1/2tsp dill
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp nutmeg (great for white sauces)-1/2 tsp

directions:
make a rue, (melt the butter, add flour, cook l minute), add the milk, herbs and whisk in until smooth and thickened and at desired thickness. 

Personally I don't use too much sauce, just to coat the pizza all around except the edges.  Brush the edges of the pizza that still show with olive oil before baking.

Add a layer of each of the cheeses very lightly, then add the meats and onions, and the rest of the cheese.  Press down lightly to squish it together so that it will cook evenly.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 22 minutes, until it is well browned, and the center is done.
If using a pizza stone, bake at 450 degrees F for 17-18 minutes.

Shrimp Cocktail

 Shrimp cocktail

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of 16 count per pound shrimp

1 stalk of celery, peeled and chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

6-8 tbsp of your favorite cocktail sauce

Mix up the sauce and tomatoes, place in a bowl and top with shrimp. 

Serve with lemon or lime.

New Page up-Kitchen Shelves-pictures and information on so much

New Page up, Lots of information and pictures of common kitchen items you may have or want to purchase


Knives, Utensils, Oils, Specialty Pans, Vinegars, Salts/ Information


Please check it out, thank you.

Salts

Salts

Left to Right:  Sea Salt, Kosher Salt, and Table Salt

This is just a sampling of what is available.  Try new salts, and see what it does for your recipes.  These just happen to be what is on hand at this moment. 

• Sea Salt-great for dishes where you want a touch of the sea taste, and a softer flavor
• Kosher Salt-a softer flavored coarse-grain salt.  Good for Kosher Diets
• Table Salt-Great everyday use
• SALTSalt is neither an herb nor a spice - but IS the number one seasoning in all the world.  Actually an "innovation" of mankind and noted throughout history.  The most common forms include:
  Table
  From mined rock salt deposits, contains chemical additives to keep it free-flowing.  Added iodine causes a slightly bitter aftertaste.  Has the "saltiest" taste. 
  Kosher
  Also mined from rock salt but with no additives. Purer taste, course grain, dissolves more quickly then table salt.  Preferred by most cooks (including me).
  Sea
  Made by evaporating sea water.  No additives, clean taste, course, large grains. Takes a little longer to dissolve and better for longer cooking periods, as for soups and stews.
  Fleur de sel
  French for "flower of salt".  Harvested by hand from salt beds.  It has a delicate flavor and works well as a finishing touch to appetizers, salads and roasted meats.
  
  

Knives

Knives

 Left to Right: 

Cleaver , Chef's Knife, Serrated Chef's knife, Bread Knife, Fillet Knife, Paring Knife, and Chef Shears

• Cleaver -used for large hard food items-larger butternut squashes, thin or soft bones that might chip another knife
• Chef's Knife-My everyday go to knife-used for almost everything, my favorite.
• Serrated Chef's knife-very similar but with serrations that will help release chopped items easily like potatoes, etc.
• Bread Knife-serrated knife that cuts through breads, baguettes using a back and forth motion 
• Fillet Knife-most commonly used for filleting fish, but great for cutting tomatoes without crushing them, and I also use this on mangoes to remove the skin from strips of mango.
• Paring Knife-an everyday knife for cutting small things, removing eyes from potatoes, cutting mushroom shaped potatoes, etc.
• Chef Shears-These are great for breaking down a cooked bird, or prepping meat for a recipe.  Heavy duty and can cut through cartilage between the pieces.

Utensils

Kitchen Utensils

Left to Right:

Micro cheese grater, Basting Brush,Melon Baller, Apple Corer, Zester, ravioli cutter, Carving melon tool, Offset spatula, straight spatula, chopstick

In Front-Mushroom cleaning brush, and citrus juicer

• Micro cheese grater- great for super fine grating, nutmeg, and Parmesan in particular
• Basting Brush-used for egg wash on egg rolls, pies, etc., or basting chickens and turkeys
• Melon Baller-makes nice scoops of melon, or for de-seeding squashes.
• Apple Corer-not only cores your apples for apple pie, but aids in making mushroom shaped potatoes
• Zester-pull along the outside of citrus (lemon, lime, orange,grapefruit), the zest added to recipes adds so much intensity of flavor.  You want the colored part of the fruit, not the white pith.
• Ravioli cutter-Pizza cutter will do fine, but I like this one because it has a fluted edge on one of the rollers that makes a pretty edge on pastry.
• Carving melon tool-This takes a straight cut out of a melon
• Offset spatula- good for smoothing out the tops of things, cheesecake, h'orderves, etc.
• Straight spatula-Nice for spreading things out, and frosting cakes
• Chopstick-besides using them to eat, I use one wooden one to see if my oil is hot enough to fry-if it bubbles when put into the oil, your oil is hot enough.
• Mushroom cleaning brush-used to brush off your mushrooms to clean them instead of under water
• citrus juicer-cut your fruit in half, insert the pointed end, and twist. 

Oils-What oils do you cook with?

Oils-Do you know your oils

Left to Right:

Extra Virgin Olive oil, Avocado Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Pumpkin See oil, Sesame Chili Oil

Not shown here, but some staples are Canola Oil and Peanut oil for frying

This is just a sampling of what is available.  Try new oils, and see what it does for your recipes and vinaigrette's.  These just happen to be what is on hand at this moment. 

• The extra virgin olive oil I use in so much, it's my go to oil for stir fry etc.-very healthy oil.
• The Avocado oil is excellent in vinaigrette's, but I love it on a large prime rib roast with herbs.
• Hazelnut oil adds a nice nutty touch to recipes for baked goods, pancakes, etc.
• The Chili oil is best in Kung Pao chicken or adding a small amount with other less strong oils.
• Canola oil is another healthy choice, can take high temperatures without burning, good deep frying choice.
• Peanut oil is a good frying oil too, but some recipes, it can have too strong a flavor, so Canola is best there, for example, crab is too delicate, and would be lost in peanut oil.

Vinegars and Balsamic Vinegars

Vinegars

Left to Right:

Fig infused Vinegar, Pear Infused Vinegar, Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar, 25yr old Balsamic Vinegar

This is just a sampling of what is available.  Try new vinegars, and see what it does for your recipes and vinaigrette's.  These just happen to be what is on hand at this moment. 

I save the 25yr old barrel aged balsamic for caprese salad where you'll really taste it's special rich favor.  It's a little thicker than normal balsamic vinegars, and adds something special to the dish.

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Friends-Could any of you that check out my blog and like it, please ask at least 2 of your friends to check it out too.  It would really help me out.  Thank you.

Hi, Do you have friends in other countries?  If yes, please ask them to check out my blog site etc.  cookingdeliciousfood.blogspot.com

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Art-Casting my spell

Just for fun including a picture I drew called "Casting my spell"

Along with cooking, I love drawing too.

Crab Amus Bouche-1 bite orderves

  Crab Amus Bouche

This filling makes an amazing cold cracker topper as a great amus bouche too.

½ pound of cooked crab meat (l/2 lb w/ shells, and about l/2-3/4cup of meat only)

2 ounces cream cheese

l/3 cup Parmesan, grated

l/2 cup approximately of brie cheese, no white rind

salt and pepper, and ½ tbsp dill

Artichokes-how much fiber?

 Do you know how many grams of fiber are in an artichoke?
Check out my Vegetable and Fruit Nutrition Guide, pictures and statistics.

Bacon and Deviled Eggs

Bacon and Deviled Eggs

 Place 6 eggs in cold water and bring to a boil. 

    Once Boiling, boil for 8minutes. Immediately put under cold water and peel the eggs.

Mix up 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sour cream, sprinkle of pepper, and 1/4 tsp or rosemary.

Next, cut open each egg the long way, and use a teaspoon to scoop our the yolk.  Add yolk to the mayonnaise and sour cream mixture.  With a fork, smooth it out.  Fill the eggs with the mixture.

Fry up 3 pieces of bacon.  You won't need salt in this recipe, since the bacon already adds enough salt.

Crumble up the bacon by hand and sprinkle onto the top of the eggs.

Bacon and Deviled egg appetizers.

Slow Cooked Beef Potroast 7 bone roast

Beef Pot roast 7 bone roast


   Ok, this one is super easy.  This I must give credit to my mother in law.  With a few addition of vegetable and wine, it's very good.  I am proud to say that I even got a vegetarian to eat some it smelled so good while cooking.  I sent it home with an employee I used to have that Did eat meat, and his girlfriend just had to try some.


Very Few Ingredients:
3-5 lb. Beef 7 bone pot roast-(a very inexpensive cut of meat)
1 cup of carrots
1 cup of onion (I used sweet, my favorite)
1 1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon wine (I use cheap wine here, as it's just to flavor, seriously 2.00 per bottle)
1 regular size packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix (shown in picture is the larger size)

Wash the roast, and cover it in the soup mix, top and bottom.  Sprinkle the carrots and onions around it.  Pour the wine in around the edges.  Seal tight with aluminum foil.  Bake at 275 degrees F for 2 1/2 hours-3 hours.  Do nothing in this time with it, it's fine, and will turn out great.

I don't eat the vegetables, you can, but they have
                                                                                already given their all, and aren't that good at this point.

Let Rest 10 minutes and serve.

I've given this recipe to bachelors, who said they couldn't cook, and it was such a success.  

Fruit Appetizer, with fancy cheeses & sage honeycomb

How about some fruit for dessert tonight?

Fruit Appetizer, with fancy cheeses & sage honeycomb

This is so easy, use whatever items you like.  I enjoy it spread out on a large plate, and making the cheeses in different
shapes. This appetizer has apple slices, raspberries, Ireland Dubliner cheese, Aged Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese triangles, and Sharp Cheddar, almonds and sage Honeycomb.

 Sage Honeycomb-surprisingly good with fruit and cheeses.  We went to a tasting menu at the Ritz Carlton one time, and they served their cheese course with honeycomb, so I tried it at home, and loved it.

Support Whirld Peas

  Support Whirled Peas
and World Peace

Which vegetables have the most protein?

Which vegetables have the most protein?

    It's Eggplant

 And Bok Choy, with 6 grams per serving each.

To see all your favorite vegetables and how they stack up, check out my Vegetables and Fruit Nutritional pages.

NUTS, chopped or crushed-easy method

Nuts, chopped or crushed-Easy Method

Simply put your nuts into a zip lock baggy, and use a rolling pin over them, crush them or mildly sliver them, depends how long you roll.  I like them over curry dishes, added to the top of green beans, etc..No more flying nuts across your kitchen trying to chop them with a knife.

 

                         Deluxe mixed nuts used above

Rhubarb Baklava

 Rhubarb Baklava

Baklava -         Makes about 18-20 pieces

Standard recipe

1 1/2 cups walnuts

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

3/4 cup butter or margarine

8 oz. Phyllo pastry sheets

………………..Mix nuts and spices together.  Melt butter, brush pan with butter, place 7 sheets phyllo, brushing after each layer, then ½ the nut mixture, then 6-7 more sheets and the rest of the nuts. (*if using fruit, add here).  Then the rest of the sheets, remembering to brush with margarine between all layers.  Cut into 1 ¾ inch strips and then cut at angles about ½ inch deep.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Immediately  pour on cooled honey syrup.

   Honey Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp lemon juice

3/8 cup honey……For syrup-boil all but honey for 5 min. then remove and add honey. Pour on baked baklava right after cooking.

*If Pear Baklava-add l cooked pear thinly sliced

*If Rhubarb Baklava- add mix of

4 stalks of rhubarb

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp tangerine zest

2 tbsp tangerine juice
Cornstarch to thicken (2tbsp approx)    

cook all but 2 of the stalks first until really soft, mash slightly, then add other 2 and cook only until soft, thicken and cool.  Add to mix in the middle layer of the baklava.

Rosemary Bon Sai and how to grow your own Rosemary for years

Rosemary Bon Sai and how to grow your own Rosemary for years

  This is the Fountain in my back yard, my husband and I built it from rocks we found, all but 1 flat one we purchased.  The large Bon Sai tree on the bottom right is Rosemary.  I've been growing my own rosemary for over 8 years now.  To do so, snip off some branches or twigs, wash very well.  Then cut the shoots from the stem off to form their own single stem, so to speak.  Place on a clean towel on a baking sheet, and let air dry for a few days.  You can cover them if you want, I leave to air dry.  When dry, they are now easy to remove the rosemary leaves from it's stem as it is just one easy length.  Then I store them in old washed out spice jars.  When ready for a new bottle, I take the leaves and process through a coffee grinder I use for spices.  If you can, I highly recommend getting a coffee bean grinder for spices.

Butternut squash Consomme (clear intensely flavored broth)

Butternut Squash Consomme, super healthy and super easy.

I like to serve this in Saki cups like these.  A great amus bouche (and vegan too)

 Peel and cube 1/2 of a small butternut squash.  Boil in 1 can of vegetable stock (fat free and salt free)  for 4-5 minutes until soft enough to mash. Remove the cooked pieces with a slotted spoon and save for use in other recipes, and use the liquid for consomme (*just strain with a fine mesh strainer {picture below}, and serve warm-so so good-a vegan treat too) I prefer to use a Cuisinart to blend up, but you can mash by hand if you prefer, just get it smooth, and no lumps if by hand. 

Pour through a Fine Mesh strainer for remaining liquid

                                          to become a  pure consomme.  If you don't have one, it's still good as it is.



* Butternut squash Consomme-great stuff, and great vegan treat too.  See above recipe for how this is made.

Olive Dip-Super Easy, Kalamatas make the difference

    Super Easy Olive Dip
 Take 1/2 cup mayonnaise
          1/2 cup sour cream
          1 small can of chopped black olives
          3 kalamata olives-chopped (or your favorite fancy olive-there for intensity of flavor)
          a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and 1/4 tsp dill
mix up and put on your favorite crackers-I like Ritz crackers for this dip.  Also good with the Parmesan crackers recipe on this site.

Vegetable Tower-Orange Pepper, mashed potatoes, and sauteed sweet onions

Vegetable Tower
Orange Pepper. roasted, and sliced in circles to match your ring mold. They are kind of like a tube mold.
mashed potatoes1/2-1 cup
sweet onions-1/4 cup-sauteed in olive oil, salt, and pepper

Using a ring mold (spray with cooking spray oil) place 1 of the pepper circles at the bottom, then 1/2 of the mashed potatoes, another pepper ring, the sauteed onions, another pepper ring, mashed potatoes, and the final pepper ring.  Reheat a little-350 degrees F, maybe 10 minutes.  Put on the plate in the ring mold and right before service, you remove the ring to see this pretty tower.

I like to do these when I already have leftover mashed potatoes.

Almond and Walnut Souffle

Almond and Walnut Souffle

Ingredients for souffle

1/3 c sugar

1 cup walnuts (fine chopped will be ¾ cup)

1 tsp almond extract

¼ cup flour

1 cup milk ( I use 2%milk)

3 egg yolks

2tbsp low calorie margarine or butter

4 egg whites

l/4 tsp cream of tarter

l/8 tsp salt

3tbsp sugar

Souffle Directions: mix the 1/3 cup of sugar and flour in saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk. Heat to boiling stirring constantly, remove from heat.  Beat egg yolks .  beat in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Gradually stir in remaining flour mixture. Stir in the margarine and the vanilla, cool slightly. 

Place oven rack in lowest position. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. butter and sugar 6 cup souffle dish or 4 smaller ones.  Make a foil band of aluminum foil 2 inches longer than circumference of dish. Butter and sugar on side of band. Extend dish by securing band, buttered side in, around outside edge.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in 2 ½ quart bowl until foamy.  Beat in 3tbsp of sugar, l tbsp at a time until stiff and glossy.  Do not under beat. Stir about ¼ of the egg white into chocolate mixture and fold in remaining egg whites.  Carefully pour into souffle dish or dishes. Bake the single souffle for 1 hour and 15 min. bake the individual souffles for 50 minutes. Serve immediately with whipped cream (cool whip is good too) and the chocolate sauce.

Do ahead tip, do all but the egg whites and folding in beforehand and put in the refrigerator. Then right before you want to bake them, make the egg whites last minute, fold into the cocoa batter and bake .

Can be served alone or with a chocolate sauce and whip cream.

Ingredients for sauce:

1 square of unsweetened baking chocolate

½ cup of semi sweet chocolate baking chips

2 tbsp of low calorie margarine or butter

2 tbsp of sugar

¼ cup of water

Semi-sweet chocolate Sauce directions- melt the unsweetened chocolate, the semi-sweet chocolate, and the margarine in a sauce pan until smooth. Add the sugar and then Add approx. ¼ cup of water until of desired consistency.

Whipped Cream

Take 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream and whip first slower speed, and then on high with a mixer until starting to thicken, then add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.  Continue whipping until of desired consistency.