Life is Good Award

Pin It Now! Aren't awards just the most fun thing since the slip 'n slide?

One of my most favorite blogs in this world is Drick's Rambling Cafe. His good ole timey Southern food makes this Yank feel as if she's right down the street from him in Old Alabama. I can just smell those good Cajun spices in the air. I swear, you can just hear the darling Southern drawl comin' right on out of these recipes!

Did I mention that his grandmother was a Ziegler. Yeah. Guess what. Me too. So on top of all of that. We're like. Siblings. (Go on, spread the rumor). Alright, we're not brother and sister, so we settle for long lost cousins.

Drick did a nice thing. He passed on the Life is Good Award. How about them apples? I don't always take part in these because they can be quite overwhelming, but seeing as today is Friday, and this is from Drick, I couldn't help but indulge.

LIFE IS GOOD AWARD


In order to accept this award, I must answer the 10 questions below and pass the award to six fellow bloggers.
1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?
I have never done anything in life anonymously. It's not in my nature. If you can't tell, I put it all out there! Besides, I want my friends to be impressed that I do all of this cooking and haven't managed to either: (a) cut off a finger, (b) burn down the house, or (c) accidentally poison someone.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.
I insist on making absolutely everything from scratch. Even if that means DapperDan spoils his dinner with snicky-snackin'. This means, as my readers have found out, that we often eat dinner pretty late!

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?
Someone who is undoubtedly hungry.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?
Pineapple juice. Coconut rum. Ice.

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
I Jane Austen myself. Either by reading or watching a movie. This happens like once every 6 months :-)

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?
Becoming the sixth member of the Spice Girls. They'll call me... Saucy Spice.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were if not one of these.
I suppose I'm still an overachiever. I didn't want to miss a thing. So, I did everything. Shooey.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?
Thanksgiving. Turkey, family, pie, POTATOES, gosh.. I may fall out of my chair if I don't stop.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?
I have no shame. My mother will attest. I'm surprised she has yet to gray over me. Working in the white collar world, pencil skirt, 9 to 5, it is so fun to cut loose and let it all out there in the void of cyberspace. :-)

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Talk on the phone. Come on now.

Passing this on to six wonderful blogs that I adore.
1. Ja Cie Kocham Kristi. My beautiful sister, my better half, the reason I started a blog in the first place, and soon to be MOTHER. (Yeup! That's why she hasn't been blogging. She's having a BABY!!!). What an amazing mother she will be! Can't wait to see what kind of foods she'll be making for Baby Sweet Pea!
2. Oven Love. Natalie is one of my best friends, my confidant, and my inspiration! I mean, look at that Rainbow cake she just did. My word!!
3. Tasty Trix Trixy girl! More than just a pretty face, this girl brings gourmet home, and makes it attainable to us mere mortals!
4. What's Cooking Italian Style Cuisine. Claudia! I feel as if I have known you for years! You share some amazing old family recipes and create some of the most sinful desserts that are to die for!
5. Cajun Chef Ryan Ryan. Oh what I could say about Ryan! I mean this man DOES Cajun. He is CAJUN. You read his recipes and feel like you're in Nawlins. Fantastic. We're all blessed that you document your incredible recipes.
6. Cookin' Canuck Dara!! Think it's impossible to create the amazing things you see in restaurants in your own home? Nope! It's not impossible, not in the slightest!!! Dara proves this to us on a daily basis with her amazing recipes.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Pin It Now! Moly Moses. We have made it people. It's Friday. I thought it would NEVER get here.

This week, I managed to be one of the few people that miraculously catches a summer cold. Phewie. Are they the pits or what?! As I spent my Tuesday home with the sniffles and sneezes, up to my elbows in tissues, watching every Jane Austen movie I own (...you don't do that on your sick days?!), I was thinking of nothing other than cinnamon raisin bread topped with melted butter, a cup of coffee, a cool and crisp autumn morning, and a wonderful massage from DapperDan.

Oh, the bread was calling out to me. Tantalizingly. Teasingly. ...I had to have it!

...So is the autumn part, and definitely the massage part.... I'm going to work on that.

"...heya husband!!..."

I had to wait a whole 2 days until I could make the bread. It was a torturous and lonesome time for me.

It was well worth the wait. It was. So good. And still is.... because I am still... eating... it. I brought the loaf to work to share with all of my coworkers. And it's so easy, I'm going to make another loaf tonight for this weekend, all the while sighing over the fact that I have to wait some time for the autumnal splendor that Philadelphia so kindly provides, but I'll still be working on that massage from my husband.

"...Hey Sweeetieee!!..."

..Whattaya think... Cinnamon Raisin French Toast for breakfast tomorrow after my morning 10 mile run? Yikes! What a thought.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Yields 1 loaf



Ingredients
3 cups flour (I recommend using all purpose, but want to try Whole Wheat)
1 cup raisins
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast and the water. Allow it to rest for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then, add 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, milk, vanilla, 3 TBS butter. Combine well.
2. Slowly add in the flour, one cup at a time. The batter should stick together, and not be sticking to the bowl.
3. On a floured surface, knead the dough, adding the raisins, for approximately 3 to 4 minutes. The dough should not be too sticky. If it is, add more flour.
4. Place into a covered bowl and allow to rise for 2 hours.
5. After the dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a floured surface into the shape of a rectangle until it is approximately 1/2 inch thick.
6. Baste the dough with the remaining melted butter and top with the remaining brown sugar.
7. Beginning at the smaller end of the dough, roll up the dough very tightly. Smush the sides in a bit (yes, smush is a technical baking term) and fit into a well buttered 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pan, with the big seam on the bottom of the pan.
8. Lightly grease the top of the loaf and place plastic wrap over the loaf (so the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the dough), and allow it to rise for an additional 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
9. Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. After it's done cooking, remove from pan and allow it to cool a bit before slicing and serving.

A Sloppy Tim

Pin It Now! What I wanna know is who is this "Joe" person that everyone refers to?!

I mean, a good ole' cup o' Joe
... Sloppy Joe's

Two awesome things right there to have named after ya, Joe!

Hmm.. I wonder what "The Emily" might be. If you asked my husband, I'm sure he'd come up with a Cup of Joe, Sloppy Joe, or any other food/drink which ends up spilled would be "The Emily." Astonished? I know. I'm a klutz. I won't pretend to not be. What amazes Tim is that he even allows me near an open flame or sewing machine given my clumsy tendencies. The reason he says this is that daily, yes daily, I spill my coffee on myself. I can't believe I'm admitting to this in writing. I do. I spill my coffee for one reason or another. We won't call me clumsy, we'll call me quirky!

My husband, whom I call DapperDan, and whose real name is Tim (I know, hush your mouth), loves bourbon. He is a bourbon man. In his honor last night, I made one sloppy sandwich. But seeing as I tried to Timify the sandwich from what Joe had previously provided us, I coin this sandwich a Sloppy Tim. No, DapperDan is not sloppy, in fact, we're polar opposites. I can't say I've ever seen him spill a thing, darnit. It's just as well. They say opposites attract. I suppose our case is not anything different.

Back on topic... This was one yummy Timified/DapperDanified sandwich. (Although I added bell peppers, which DapperDan hates, shh..). What makes this sandwich an Ode To DapperDan is the addition of good-old-timey bourbon. Yum yum!


What I mildly want to know is who are "Lou" and "John"? Probably not such great guys, huh? To have the.. well.. you know... the Lou or John named for them.

"Mildly want to know".


Anyway. DapperDanify a meal for yourself. Go on. Throw some bourbon in it.


A Sloppy Tim
Yields: 4 servings


Ingredients
1.25lb ground turkey or beef
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dijon mustard
3 TBS Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup water
Rolls/bread slices for serving!

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, minus the onions and peppers. Allow to marinade for 30 to 45 minutes.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and peppers.
3. Add the marinaded meat and juices.
4. Cook on medium for approximately 10 minutes.
5. Serve and eat up, now, ya heard!

Enchiladas

Pin It Now! Oh, it was Mexican night at the Malloy home recently. And man, it was rockin'.

Of course, being myself, I insist on making absolutely everything from scratch, which results in our eating dinner at midnight, essentially. What?! You don't eat dinner at midnight?! Weirdo.

Okay, so it's more like an 8:00 dinner, which to me might as well be midnight.

Despite the fact that my insistence results in a late dinner, it ends up being completely worth it (unless you're Spanish, then an 8:00 dinner might as well be lunch). Yes, it's a massive undertaking that ends up with my having flour in my hair, but TRUST ME, it's totally worth it.

At least ONCE in your life you have to make homemade tortillas. You really do. They end up tasting so much fresher. And, end up being loads healthier. Granted, since there are no preservatives and the like, there is essentially a shortened shelf life. When you make them, plan to eat them within a day or two, since they will harden much faster than store bought ones.

I also insisted upon making my own concept of an 'enchilada sauce'. Honestly, I have zero clue what goes into an enchilada sauce. What I had ended up creating was a combination of a salsa verde and tomato sauce. It was good! I would have adored to use nothing but salsa verde, but DapperDan isn't a complete fan of spicy food, unlike my brother-in-law.. Sheesh! I don't think they make food hot enough for him!

Since I recently made a bunch of Cajun seasonings, I decided to use the one I made for the Cajun Mayonnaise, which is found here.

Alas, I present to you, my take on enchiladas! Enjoy :-)

...Oh and don't try to eat like 6 in a sitting like I did after my run. You realize how full you are an hour later, then you become full of regret.. and well.. just FULL. Eek. So I caution you. I don't want any Writs comin' to my doorstep cuz you overate and feel sick, and then use the Courts against me! Consider yourself warned! They're too good to eat just a normal one or two or three servings.


Chicken Enchiladas
Yields: 4 to 5 servings


Ingredients:
10 to 12 tortillas, I encourage you to try this homemade recipe
2 chicken breasts
2 to 3 TBS Cajun Seasoning
3 cups Mexican-style cheese
3 cups salsa verde, either store bought or homemade
3 cups plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 TBS oregano
1 TBS basil
olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. On a griddle, heat oil on medium-high. Rub chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning and cook, approximately 5 minutes per side.
3. In a food processor, combine the salsa, tomatoes, cream, oregano, and basil.
4. Place about 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
5. Place approximately 1/4 cup of chicken and 3 TBS cheese in each tortilla, make sure you have about 1/2 cup leftover. Wrap tightly and place closely in casserole dish.
6. Once no more enchiladas can be fit into the dish, take remainder of sauce, and pour generously over top the enchiladas.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Once finished, top with cheese!

One Ragin' Cajun Meal

Pin It Now! I love Cajun food. The spices... the aromas... the ingredients... TO DIE FOR. Absolutely delicious. Nothing compares, really! It's in a league of it's own.

"we are the members of the All-American League, we come from cities near and far..."

Whoops. Not A League of Their Own. Although it is one fabulous movie and one of my childhood favorites, I'll promise to stay on task today.

I digress...

I also love mayonnaise... and homemade bread... and summer vegetables.

I decided to combine them all into one meal. Yum. So much fun.

This blog post is really just about playing around with the combination of spices to achieve a certain taste. Not too long ago, I was DYING to eat a Cajun meal. I decided to pan fry some tilapia and make a Cajun fish sandwich.

I had a ton of fun making (and eating) this dinner. The seasonings are very similar, but just a touch different to make each dish a bit unique, but still come together to make a great Cajun-feelin' meal.

There's nothing terribly ground breaking about this dinner, but it is a great way to add some pizazz to dinner, especially while the weather is still hot!

Won't you try it out, too??

Cajun Fish Sandwich and Summer Vegetables




For the Fish:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBS chili powder
1/2 TBS cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
2 TBS canola oil

Directions:
1. Combine the buttermilk and egg together in a shallow dish and also combine all of the dry ingredients in another shallow dish.
2. Dip the fish into the wet ingredients, then into the dry ingredients.
3. In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the fish. Cooking approximately 3 minutes a side.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cajun Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
2 TBS sea salt
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS lime juice
1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 TBS sugar
1 TBS cumin
1 TBS cilantro
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TBS chipotle pepper seasoning

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the broiled vegetables:
4 or 5 cups of summer's best veggies
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS sea salt
1 TBS sugar
1/2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 TBS paprika
1/2 TBS ground cloves
1/2 TBS onion powder
1 TBS chipotle pepper seasoning
1 TBS ground mustard
1 TBS cumin
1 TBS cilantro
1 TBS oregano
1/2 TBS black pepper

Directions:
1. Get your broiler ready!
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Place veggies onto a cookie sheet.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and top with the seasoning.
5. Broil for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Stay Tuned!

Pin It Now! I meant to post recipe for this super-awesome-get-your-husband-to-eat-mayo-and-peppers meal. Yes, in one night, I got Mr. Picky to eat mayonnaise and red peppers... and we're still happily married.

To be honest, I wrote down my super secret rub and cajuny mayo for this dish and neglected to bring it. Forgive me?

All of the veggies in this dish (minus the broccoli) came from my Uncle Denny's veggie garden! Thanks Uncle Denny!

I'm too excited about this to save everything for tomorrow. So here's a lil taste of what's to come:


Broiled Vegetable Medley with "Secret Rub"


Cajun Tilapia Sandwich with Cajun Mayonnaise

Pizza Junkies, Grand Finale

Pin It Now! My beautiful cousin Julia came over for dinner on Saturday. She is such a joy. She is getting ready to go to SPAIN as a missionary for a little less than a year. Amazing. What a journey she is embarking upon!

Of course, I want to get in as much Julia time that is humanly possible before she goes. (Second date, soon, Julez???)

After a fun night full of laughter and smiles, I concluded my need for pizza. For now, at least.

Julia helped me with making this dinner, which was such an EXCELLENT change of pace. Lovin' help in the kitchen! Thanks girlie!

This recipe, which I found on Better Homes and Gardens, blew me out of the water. It was so good! The combination of flavors is completely win-win. I also made my basic margarita pizza! So simple. But I didn't take a photo, yikes!, so I'll have to make it again and share that recipe with you!

I hope you have enjoyed some of these recipes and feel compelled to try them!

I am saving the best for last.

California Style Chicken Pizza
Courtesy: Better Homes and Gardens
Yields: 4 servings


Ingredients
1 lb. pizza dough
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS margarine or butter, melted
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup finely snipped dried tomatoes
2 fresh medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
For the sauce:
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll bread dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer dough to a greased 13-inch pizza pan. Build up edges slightly. Prick generously with a fork. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown.
2. In a small mixing bowl stir together lemon peel, lemon juice, and margarine or butter.
3. Rinse chicken breast halves; pat dry. Grill chicken directly over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing occasionally with lemon mixture the last 10 minutes of grilling. Cut chicken into cubes.
4. Meanwhile, pour enough boiling water over dried tomatoes to cover; let stand for 2 minutes. Drain well.
5. In a saucepan, cook the onion and garlic butter until onion over medium heat until onion is transparent, but not yet browning. Add the flour and pepper, stir for a few minutes. Add the milk and bouillon granules. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. When well combined, remove from heat.
6. Spread pizza sauce over hot crust. Top with chicken cubes, sliced fresh tomatoes, and dried tomatoes. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.
7. Bake about 12 minutes more or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

Pizza Junkies, Part 2

Pin It Now! Think you've had enough of my blogging about pizza?

Well, you can't have had enough!!! cannot..have.. had..? Hmm.. word choice flow?.. anyway!

You can't have had enough! I have more to share with you!

On Saturday I was not only feeling blue and restless about not running, but rather snarky. Fortunately, only the hound dog had to put up with my attitude. And she merely turned up her nose at me, gave a good howl, walked to her favorite nook, and laid down to ignore me for another 3 hours until she wanted more food.

As an outlet for my snarkiment. Yes, my snarkiment. I naturally made more pizza.

Seeing as it was only 8:30 in the morning, I decided to make myself and DapperDan a breakfast pizza.

It was totally yummy and filling. I was quite surprised since, gulp, I'm not a fan of hard-boiled eggs. It's really a maturity-consistency thing.

A Breakfast Pizza
Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens
Yields: 2 to 3 servings


Ingredients
1 TBS fast-rising active dry yeast
2 TBS sugar
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F)
3 TBS olive oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced into eighths
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
Salsa Verde, to drizzle

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Coat pizza pan with canola oil; set aside.
2. In medium bowl combine yeast and sugar. Stir in water, oil, and salt. Stir in flours and oats. Cover and let stand in warm place 20 minutes.
3. After dough has hung around, with damp hands, press dough into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.
4. After the dough has baked, sprinkle the crust with half the cheese. Top with sliced eggs, tomatoes, the remaining cheese, and lightly drizzle salsa verde on top of the pie. Bake 15 minutes more.

Pizza Junkies, Part 1

Pin It Now! Remember when I said that DapperDan and I had officially become pizza junkies? Welp, I've decided to post some of the pizza creations we decided to come up with (and I use "we" very loosely, I make the pizza, eat 2 slices, DapperDan licks the pizza pan. Teamwork... okay so he does the DISHES, too).

I am going to begin with our tuna and pepper pizza.

Hey now, don't you go runnin' away yet.

It sounds a tad on the peculiar side, I will give you that, but this pizza was so light and yummy, it attracted every kind of mosquito to our dinner. (Sidenote: we aren't slobs and have bugs in our house, we sat on the rocking chairs on the front porch and ate our dinner, k?)

Now, that you've come back from judging, you ask: Why pizza? Why so often, lady?!

Well, to be quite frank (who was this "Frank" anyway that people are so often imitating him?), pizza is comforting to me. You, too? I know. There is something about carbs mixed with yummy toppings and sauce that is not only so pleasing to the palate but relaxing to the psyche.

What? Pizza as a means of therapy? Weirdo.

Know how I'm training for a marathon?? Well, about three weeks ago, I hurt my ankle. I tried to run through it, but found that the pain was not going away.

Not only did I have to give up wearing high heels to work. Hiccup. I decided to take a week off of my training schedule to hopefully heal and get back to it (we'll find out on my run tomorrow morning at 5:30AM how well rested/healed I am!).

Naturally I wanted to eat my feelings over the whole thing. You do that, too. Right?

Instead of filling this hole of sadness within the pit of my stomach with cookies and donuts, I decided to just make pizza for about 4 meals straight.

DapperDan is now hoping that I eat my feelings more often....

Tuna and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
Adapted From: Better Homes and Gardens
Yields: 4 Servings


Ingredients

For the sauce:
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pizza Dough, I used my grandmother's recipe!
1 can of tuna, drained and broken into chunks
1 cup roasted red sweet peppers, cut into bite-size strips
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a pizza pan and transfer dough onto the pan. transfer to greased pan, pressing dough out with your hands. Use a fork to make little punctures over the dough. Bake for 7 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, cook the onion and garlic butter until onion over medium heat until onion is transparent, but not yet browning. Add the flour and pepper, stir for a few minutes. Add the milk and bouillon granules. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. When well combined, remove from heat.
2. Spread sauce over the hot crust. Top with tuna and roasted red pepper. Top with mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly.

One Jerk of a Pizza

Pin It Now! I have a confession to make. We're all friends here, right?!

I have been lazy lately. I mean. Lazy. I come home and realize that I only really feeeel like making pizza. I mean, defrosting healthy fish full of good omegas... figuring out healthy side dishes... after a long day at the office... when I could really just mush into the couch and watch some fabulous Jane Austen-esque movie with a slice of pizza.

Lazy....and kinda fatty for that matter.

What does this end up resulting in?

Pizza. And lots of it.

I have been making an overabundance of pizza lately. Do I have any regrets? Not one.

DapperDan's thoughts on the matter? Well, let's just say if they had an AA for pizza, he'd be right in it.. front row, in constant relapse, on and off that horse, time and again. Needless to say, he has enjoyed every moment of my laziness resulting in the making of pizza.

Especially when I have recipes like my grandmother's which makes pizza dough so simple to make that it would be insulting to not make it constantly, quite frankly. Especially when pizza is so delicious. I mean, hi.. tomatoes. carbs. cheese. God's gift to mankind. (well.. okay, the second most important gift to mankind).

In one of my relapses and constant state of pizza making, I had decided to combine to fabulous recipes:

My grandmother's pizza dough and Alton Brown's Jerky Tomato Sauce recipe.

Holy Moses. What a treat it was. I suggest you make this as soon as humanly possible. It's smokey, it's cheesy, it's downright delicious.

Pizza with Alton Brown's Jerky Tomato Sauce
Courtesy: Dough- My Grandmother, Sally Ziegler
Sauce- Alton Brown, heart him.


The dough recipe can be found here from a previous post!
The sauce recipe can be found here from a previous post, as well!

I combined the two, added a cheddar/monterey jack cheese on top. Died. Went to heaven. And then came back down to finish the pizza.

Ya Know, The Greeks Invented French Food!

Pin It Now! One of my favorite movies of all time is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It is so witty and charming and contains some side-splitting humor. Simply fabulous.

"Give me a word, any word, and I show you that the root of that word is Greek"

In the not-so-distant past, one of my BFFs (it’s still socially acceptable to use that term, right? Past the age of twelve?), Natalie of Oven Love posted a galette that was to die for. When I got home from work yesterday, I was absolutely hunkering to make one. It was so yummy looking with all of that zucchini.. And I have TONS of zucchini at home begging to be eaten.

Know what else I had that has been begging to be eaten? RED MEAT. Oh man.

Naturally, I had to make a galette and eat red meat. What sane person doesn’t want to do that on a Wednesday night?

Know what else I have that is super yummy? Feta cheese. Lots of it.

Sooo.. I stood in the kitchen realizing I was going to be making a dish that contained ground beef, zucchini, and feta- seemingly Greek- while being baked within a super yummy Frenchy galette crust.

What came of this? A fusion dish. Well, hey, chefs do it all the time. Combine two ethnic dishes to create a new-super-awesome level of awesomeness and flavor.

What to call this fusion? Greek and French. FREEK! Hmm.. No, a Freek dish sounds like something that would be hard to sell. GRENCH! Well... um, that sounds like a malady that doughboys caught while fighting in the trenches of Normandy. “Dearest Mother, I was pulled off of the front lines, as I have caught a bad case of Grench. Your dearest son, Albie.” No. That won’t work either. So we’re still left with Freek.

I present to you, one Freeky dish.


A Greek Galette
Dough Recipe- Courtesy: Martha Stewart
Yields: 2 Galettes, Feeds: about 4 people


Ingredients for the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions for the dough:
1. "Place the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, and process, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, pour the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, until the dough just holds together (do not process for more than 30 seconds).
2. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten each to form a disk. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before using."

Ingredients for the filling:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup vidalia onion, chopped
1 TBS crushed mint
1 TBS basil
1 TBS olive oil
1 zucchini squash, sliced
2 1/4 cups feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
freshly ground black pepper
Egg wash


Directions for the filling:
1. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and saute the onions for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ground beef, basil, and crushed mint. Cook meat until 3/4 of the way cooked through (Don't worry! It'll finish cooking in the oven).
2. In a food processor, combine the feta, Greek yogurt, garlic, and black pepper. Pulse until a cheesy paste has been made. Yum! Don't eat any! Save it for the galette!!

Assembling/Cooking the galette
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/4 inch thickness and about 12 inches round.
3. Spread half of the cheesy mixture around the center of the rolled-out dough (should cover about 8 or 9 inches). Top with beef mixture and place zucchini or other yummy vegetables on top/around the sides.
4. Fold up the dough, each inch, creating a pleat, around the filling.
5. Brush the dough with an egg wash.
6. Drizzle olive oil over top of the galette.
7. Bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown.

Enjoy that darn good Freeky food.

"...there's a HOLE in this cake"

Grandma Ziegler's Easy Peasy Pizza Dough

Pin It Now! My grandmother has probably one of the most simple and tasty pizza dough recipes around. Really!! I mean it. I'm not just saying that 'cause she's kin. It's honestly good stuff!

I am absolutely a sucker for family recipes, as you well know. It has been a while since I have posted some of the excellent recipes that have been handed down through my family.

To help give this recipe some 'street cred,' my grandmother was a home-ec teacher! This was one of the recipes she would give to her students to make. It's full-proof, easy, and good. What's not to love here?!

It's an excellent dough that I have tried with both all-purpose and whole wheat flours, and both times it has been excellent.

I highly recommend you give it a shot!


Grandma Ziegler's Pizza Dough
Courtesy: Sally Ziegler, my grandmother
Yields: a touch more than one serving


Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm water
1 pkg yeast
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp powered milk
2 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
1. Measure water - add yeast
2. Mix oil, sugar, salt
3. Add yeast to mixture above
4. Add dry milk/ 1 cup flour/ beat well
5. Add remaining flour - if too sticky, add 2 - 3 tbsp flour
6. Knead dough - 2 to 3 minutes
7. 1 tbsp oil on pan, spread with hands
8. Spread dough on pan, evenly
9. Add sauce - meat, green peppers, etc
10. Bake at 400F for 20 to 25 min.
11. Top with cheese.

Yummm.

p>

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Pin It Now! Nothing screams summertime more than a good bowl of old fashioned vanilla ice cream. And no one has been screaming more for ice cream than yours truly.

The fullness of vanilla, paired with the refreshing feeling of that frozen treat on your tongue! .....Eating it as quickly as you can before it melts, but not too quickly so as to not get brain freeze.

This encompassed my every thought yesterday. The ironic thing? Yesterday marked one of the few days in Philadelphia that have been sub-90 degrees all summer. And I mean, all summer. Thus far, August has been cooler than June AND July... and a good part of April AND May. Sheer craziness. (and to think it was only a few months ago that I was blogging about my tearing through 12 pounds of flour when Philadelphia was under feet upon feet of snow). Boy, what a wild and crazy 2010!!

The cooler weather is about to change, and is changing right at this moment. The heat and oppressive humidity is comin' back! Drat! Oh, well. This is what happens during the summer. I can't act surprised.

Needless to say, despite the oppressive summer we have been experiencing, I've only managed to break out my new ice cream maker (yeup! finally got one!!!)... once! I have intended to make things with it constantly, but time constantly gets away from me! Once, I did manage to make gelato, which was so yummy!

Now the summer has managed to slip through my fingers and I have failed to really hit pause and enjoy it while it's still here!

This was remedied yesterday. I was bound and determined to throw together my own vanilla ice cream sans recipe. I was nervous, DapperDan was nervous, even Daisy Mae the hound dog was a skeptic.

Nevertheless, I ran with it. I took off in a dead sprint, not looking back! Trying to remember a few articles I have read in my favorite magazines (Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, and so on) about homemade ice cream. For the life of me I couldn't remember exact measurements, but had a broad idea of what was in vanilla ice cream.

My pride strolled right into my inner monologue and I then refused to look up any of these recipes so that I could make this on my own merit.

The result? A very yummy ice cream, that ended up being Daisy Mae approved.

Don't go freaking out on me quite yet, I didn't feed the hound any ice cream. In my clumsy nature, I dropped a bit on the floor, she very happily cleaned up my mess!! And the proceeded to beg for ice cream.



Ice cream that's hound dog approved?!?! I know, not a claim to fame many people can wear with pride, but I must, I will, dagnabbit! So here goes nothin'...


Hound Dog Approved Homemade Ice Cream
Yields: 4 servings


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
2 TBS vanilla extract (I used Mexican Vanilla, love the edginess of it!!)
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, except for the milk! Make sure to combine the ingredients really well! Add the milk, stirring a few times until well combined!
2. Add to your ice cream maker, following the machine's instructions (mine required being spun and frozen in my little machine for about 25minutes), then I put it in the freezer for an additional 3 hours.
3. I, then, put as much as I could into one bowl, sparing a tablespoon for the husband to enjoy (kidding... it was more like a 1/4 cup), and ate it as quickly as I could without getting brain freeze!!!

Yum!

My next venture: Coffee in that ice cream! Should be fun :-)

Black Bean Burger, Whole Wheat Buns, and a Feta Spread to boot!

Pin It Now! I love red meat.

I mean. I loooove red meat. Nothing melts me quicker than a broiled steak. So does DapperDan, for that matter. If we had it our way (okay, my way), we would eat red meat "day and night... night and day" (ahem, Sinatra?!).

Well. That being said. We don't eat red meat. Once a month, maybe. Ironic, huh? Well DapperDan wants to eat less and less of it, considering many of the recent health risks that have been associated with the over consumption of red meat.

..Sigh... So I end up not buying it.

And it stinks, kinda. But, to be honest, I have come to find that with black bean burger recipes like my favorite Canadian, Cookin' Canuck's (heart you), staying away from red meat has been quite fun!

I ran into only 2 snafus while prepping these burgers:
Snafu 1: Cookin' Canuck calls for brown rice. Crap! Same problem here as when I made my mom's frittata.
Solution: Quinoa.
Snafu 2: Cookin' Canuck calls for lime juice. Yikes! No lime juice!
Solution: another citrusy juice- orange juice.

How did it turn out, snafus and all? Pretttttyyyy darn good!

Thanks Cookin' Canuck for your inspiration and excellent recipe!

Check out the Black Bean Burger and other great recipes from my favorite Canadian-American here!


Black Bean Burger
Adapted from: Cookin' Canuck
Yields: four servings


Ingredients:
4 slices stale or toasted whole wheat bread
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 1/4 cups quinoa (again, I had no rise, darnit!)
2 tsp orange juice
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper


Directions:
1. Pulse sandwich bread to breadcrumbs in a food processor and set aside.
2. Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute about 4 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Saute for another 2 minutes.
3. Place the sauteed food into a food processor, add the black beans, rice, juice, and salt and pepper. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed.
4. Place the black bean mixture into a large bowl, add the bread crumbs and cilantro. My favorite Canadian says to use a wooden spoon to stir until combined! So you better do it, too!!
5. Divide into four equal patties. If it’s too moist, add more breadcrumbs.
6. Place patties onto a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap on bottom and top and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Heat some more olive oil into a large skillet, cooking burgers four to six minutes a side.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feta Spread
Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Place onto the black bean burger, yumm! Or perhaps some crackers!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun
Courtesy: Healthy Whole Grain Breads in 5 Minutes a Day

Ingredients
5 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 TBS yeast (or 2 packets)
1 TBS kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 110 degrees, I say)
1/2 cup honey
5 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup canola oil
Egg wash

Directions:
1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a 5-quart bowl.
2. Combine the wet ingredients. Then add to the dry ingredients, WITHOUT KNEADING, using a wooden spoon. You may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour you'll find on the bottom.
3. Cover (not airtight) with plastic wrap and allow to rise and collapse at room temperature (about 2 hours). Dough can be used immediately, or kept in the refrigerator in a non-airtight container (I cover a bowl with plastic wrap)
4. After it has risen, dust the top of the dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2 lb (size of a cantaloupe) of the dough. Dust ball of dough with more flour, shape into a ball by pulling the sides of the dough to the back of the dough, making a ball.
5. Preheat oven to 350
6. Divide the ball into 6 roughly equal portions (about the size of a plum). Shape each one into a smooth ball as you did earlier, pulling the sides of the dough to the back. Place the buns at least 2 inches apart on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Press them so that they are slightly flattened. Allow them to rest, covered loosely with plastic wrap for 20 minutes (if you're using the dough right away, after the 2 hr rise... if you're using refrigerated dough, let it sit 40 minutes). Or instead of parchment paper, you can use a silicone sheet, or a greased cookie sheet.
7. Use a pastry brush and paint the tops of the buns with the egg wash, slide cookie sheet into oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until richly browned and firm.
8. Allow buns to cool on rack before slicing

Mom Knows Best Frittata

Pin It Now! There are countless phrases circulating the universe about mom knowing the best thing to do! This is another one of those moments! This became a eureka moment for yours truly!

When I am finished putting in my full day's work at the law firm, I call my mom on my way to the train to discuss the day, but most importantly, talk about what each of us are cooking for dinner. Recently, I was in the mood for a gold ole frittata and was telling this to my mom during our usual post-work convo. "Why don't you put some rice in it?" she said. *Cue epiphany music* Hmmm.. what a concept! Rice IN the frittata? Hmmm... It was something I had to try!

I realized when I got home that, unfortunately, I did not have rice. Womp, womp. Aha! But I did have quinoa! Maybe I'll throw quinoa in my frittata!! Pretty similar concept, I thought! Well, I will be honest, DapperDan was feeling quite skeptical about this meal. I was a tad nervous myself, quinoa is similar to rice, but still quite different.

Well, boy oh boy! and golly gee! This was another "mother knows best" moment if I ever had one. It added such a surprisingly delicious element to the frittata. It gave the dish a different texture and kept DapperDan and I full for quite a while! We were so happy that it tasted so good!

Unconventional? Probably. Worth trying? Totally.

It was totally yummy, and I NEVER would have thought of it myself. Thanks, mom!


(My sister, my mother, and myself!)


Mom Knows Best Frittata
Courtesy: Patti Ziegler, aka my mom!!


Ingredients (using my favorite frittata recipe):
1/2 cup cooked rice or quinoa!
1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
3 egg whites
1 large egg
1/2 cup of skim milk
TBS cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup onion
3/4 cup broccoli, chopped
Cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add your vegetables.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites, rice/quinoa, egg, milk, cumin, and salt & pepper.
4. Add egg mixture to vegetables. Once the edges of the eggs have set, and the beginning begins to set, remove from stove top and place into oven.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Serve, eat, and enjoy!

Coming this week!

Pin It Now! July..

Well, July was kind of an "off month" for me. I ended up taking a mini-vacation from blogging, but not cooking!, so that I could figure out how to get into the swing of this marathon training. It's going very well!! The problem I have run into, hehe.. that pun was completely intended, is that the time that I spend blogging, has turned into my running time. Never fear! I am now able to see when else during my day that I will be able to share some recipes with you!!

You know those moments in commercial breaks when the show comes back on for a millisecond.. saying "up next..." It drives you absolutely bananas?! Yeah, well, um.. this is one of those moments! Sorry!

The recipes you will be seeing this week... so stay tuned, ya heard?!


Black Bean Burger, Feta Spread, and Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun


DapperDan's Marlboro Man Sandwich


My Grandmother's Easy Peasy Pizza Dough


It could have been yummy Zucchini Pizza... Well, at least it looks pretty!


Alton Brown's Jerky Tomato Sauce meets it's match: PIZZA!!


An Engagement Celebration for two very good friends!


You interested?! Course ya are! Stay Tuned, now... these amazing recipes (and their stories) will be posted throughout this week! Trust me, you do not want to miss it!