Quick and Easy Pizza

 I guess I'm just an appliance-girl - who knew?!  This weeks challenge is for your food processor! You ladies are all going to think we only eat bread around here, but some of my best recipes are baked goods.  Oh well, that's what I love about this - we all have different strengths and I've gotten so many delicious ideas for meat and soups already from you.

We Picciottoli's love our pizza and as any Jersey Girl knows, you can't get good pizza everywhere and we're lucky to have it here in the Garden State.  BUT...I hate to pay for it!  So when I found out you could make pizza (dough) in a food processor, I was right on board, ticket in hand!  You don't have to have a food processor, but it sure makes it fast and fool-proof! 

I've shared this recipe with some of you already, but here it is for the rest.  I've made changes to thins document over time, so as to keep track of what I find works or what topping combinations we like.  We always serve this with a salad for the vegetable since it won't hold up to a ton of toppings.  I know it's long, but the recipe is quite simple, and again FREEZABLE (I <3 freezer-cooking!!).  I hope everything here is clear - if not let me know!


One recipe makes 1 large, 2 medium or 4 small (personal sized) pizzas.

Preheat oven to 500 F for at least 15 minutes.  Very lightly oil a cookie sheet and then, if you want, sprinkle with corn meal.  Stretch dough out over pan, let it rest 5 minutes and then complete stretching.  Dough should be quite thin, but with no holes.  Spread toppings on dough- scant amount of sauce (1/2 cup) and 1 - 1 1/2 C cheese.  You should still see dough/sauce peeking through (the thinner the toppings the crispier the crust).  Bake 8-12 minutes or until cheese is lightly golden, crust edges lightly brown and bottom does not stick/is no longer "doughy".

:The last time I made this I did a few things differently and it turned out UH-MAZE-ING. (1) I used bread flour which I think made a big difference in the texture, (2) I made the dough in the morning and let it sit int he fridge all day (a cold ferment!), (3) I stretched the dough as much as it wanted to over the pan, let it rest 10 minutes, then stretched it the rest of the way and (4) I cranked the oven up as high as it would go, not just to 500 (obviously it cooked much faster - 4-9 minutes not 8-12). None of these things is hard to do, just take a big of planning maybe, and it still tastes great even without these tips, but try it and let me know what you think!

:if dough has been refrigerated unwrap cling wrap and place on lightly floured board, cover lightly with a floured cloth or cling wrap and allow to come to room temperature before forming.

:if frozen, loosen cling wrap (but keep covered so it doesn't dry out and form a 'skin').  Allow to thaw in refrigerator, in an oiled bowl , then bring to room temperature before forming.  (Best to transfer from freezer to fridge 24 hours before baking).

:i use just regular baking sheets/jelly roll pans that have been lightly oiled and (when i feel like it) sprinkled with corn meal.  It works best to use a pan that is not too large so the dough just covers the entire surface of the pan.  If I had a baking stone I'd use that though and it's ok to use a bugger pan, it just might not cover the whole pan - so don't worry about stretching it too far.

:You can freeze this dough in a blob covered twice with plastic wrap or flattened out on a baking sheet.  Once it's frozen, it should pop off the sheet and then you cover it twice with plastic wrap and put it back in the freezer.  This is way better because you only have to defrost for an hour or so (not 24) and you don't even have to get flour on your hands for a quick dinner!!

Dough Recipe
scant 1 T active quick rise yeast (such as red star) or 1 packet
pinch sugar
3/4 C very warm water
1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour
1/2 t salt
optional: may mix in 1 T olive oil

with food processor
:In a small bowl, mix sugar, water and yeast, then cover loosely with cling wrap or cloth and leave 5 - 10 minutes away from drafts or cold. 

:Place flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

:Check yeast; if it is ready it will be frothy.  If no bubbles appear, it is expired.  Discard and use different yeast.

:Add liquid mixture (and olive oil if using) to dry mixture and pulse until blended, adding a bit more flour as you go until mixture just forms a ball and follows the blade around the bowl (do not process until bowl is "clean"- it will kill the yeast).

: To remove from food processor bowl, flour hands well, form dough into ball and shape into crust on pan.

OR

by hand

:In a small bowl or glass measuring cup dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water, stir and set aside for 10 minutes. Mixture should begin to bubble and foam at the end of the time (indicating that the yeast is activated & alive.)

:In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt, set aside.

:Add the liquid yeast mixture (and olive oil if using) to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

:Flour a work surface and knead dough for a couple of minutes until smooth and elastic.



VARIATIONS:

• bbq pizza: 1/4 C bbq sauce mixed with 1/4 C tomatoe sauce.  Spinkle 1 - 1 1/4 C mozzarella on, then sprinkle 1/2 - 1 C shredded chicken mixed with bbq sauce.  SOOOOOO good - michael's favorite.
• mexican pizza: 1/2 can of refried beans, mixed with 1/4 water, 1/4 t cayenne pepper, 1/4 t paprika, 1/2 t cumin. Spread on dough, then cover with 1 C cheddar or mixed cheese, chopped tomatoe, sliced olives, 1/2 C frozen corn, 1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 c thenly sliced red onion - basically taco toppings.  Just made this last weekend and we really liked it.
• garlic pizza: really thinly slice several cloves of garlic and lay over sauce before adding cheese. 
• white pizza: mix 3/4 C ricotta with 1 egg, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, 1/2 t italian seasoning (or parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil).  thinly slice two garlic cloves. sprinkle 1 T olive oil on dough, sprinkle with garlic, put blobs of ricotta mixture evenly spaced across dough, then sprinkle with 1 - 1/2 C mozzarella.  Top with small pieces of broccoli if desired.
• whole wheat pizza: replace 1/3 - 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat (white whole wheat is best) and top as usual.

Betty Crocker 30-Minute Mini Meat Loaves

I'm sure this will make sense, but my appreciation of a recipe is mostly determined by how much Dave enjoys it. I also like things that are healthy and filling, but the fact that I can make my hubby happy is a bigger deal sometimes. So what happens on most days is that I eat a super healthy breakfast and lunch and that I'm willing to compromise on dinner. I've been trying to find recipes that are both healthy and that he likes, but that's not always easy because variety is also very important to me. Long story short, here's a dinner recipe that Dave loves and that I like too. Not super healthy, but pretty good. I'm sure you can change it by making any of your favorite/healthy meatloaf recipe instead of the mix that this recipe suggests.

Our favorite sides are mashed potatoes and cooked baby carrots, but last night we had it with whole wheat spaghetti and green-beans (which I got from the Asian food-center for a third of the price of beans at the grocery store. Thanks Annette for the ride! :) ).

Makes 6 servings, 2 mini-meatloaves each

1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar (optional)

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 egg

(Note: you can replace this with your favorite/gluten-free meat loaf recipe)


1. Heat oven to 450°F. If you're using brown sugar, in small bowl, stir ketchup and brown sugar until mixed; reserve 1/4 cup for topping. In large bowl, stir remaining ingredients and remaining ketchup mixture until well mixed.
2. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place meat mixture in pan; pat into 12x4-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved 1/4 cup ketchup mixture.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160°F.

Annette's Thai Coconut-Curry: A Dinner Swap Recipe

This recipe is adapted from an Epicurious.com recipe and was also inspired by a similar dish I've had at Monica's and several Thai restaurants. It's hard to decide what I love most about this recipe- the sweet flavors from the coconut milk and veggies, which soothes the heat from the ginger and curry; the tangy lime and basil combination; or the strips of meat that, because they are cooked in the coconut milk, are so tender they simply melt in your mouth. If I had to chose one word to describe this dish it would be "bright".

It's extremely easy to make and only takes one large pan; chop everything up ahead of time and just drop the prepped ingredients into the pan at each step. In the version I made for the Dinner Swap, I added bok choy and shredded carrots because Mr. D and I like our meals loaded with veggies, but you can leave out or add whatever veggies you want to create your own version of this dish. And don't be afraid of the heat- neither Mr. D nor I like our food very spicy so even though it has curry in it, this dish is not hot at all. But if you do like it hotter, feel free to add more curry!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (whisked to blend)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons green curry powder
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound boneless chicken or pork, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce* (also called: nam pla) 
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Optional additions:

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 4 heads of bok choy, chopped, or whole leaves broken off
• Any other vegetables desired

Directions:

1. Bring 1/4 cup coconut milk and curry to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. 
2. Add garlic, ginger, bell pepper and onion; sauté 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in meat, remaining coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce*. Cook until meat is just about cooked through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. 
4. Add shredded carrot and bok choy, simmer for 1 minute. 
5. Stir in basil and lime juice, simmer 1 minute. 
6. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
7. Serve over rice or noodles... or enjoy by itself. 

*Fish sauce can be purchased at your local supermarket or any Asian food store. Or, soy sauce can be used as a substitute.

Dom's Delicious Dinner

The idea for this meal comes from my husband Dom, and is influenced by his German heritage. It is very versatile, easy to make, generates few dishes in the making, healthy, looks pretty (due to all the colors) and is yummy! We just usually throw all the ingredients in the pan, season and test-taste till it's good, so here is a fairly loose guideline for the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 -1 tbsp butter (or oil for a healthier option, but we like the flavor the butter gives)
boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces (I think I use 0.2-0.3 lb)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced (you can also use half red and half yellow for a more colorful dish)
2 zucchinis (sliced)
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
dried basil
salt and pepper
up to 1/2 c fat-free sour cream

your favorite type of pasta, boiled

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large pan, add onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper . On medium heat, saute until onions are translucent.
   
2. Add chicken and saute until white all over. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and stir. Add the remaining vegetables to the pan, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle some dried basil (I have a shaker, so I have never measured this... oops). Cover with a lid, and let vegetables and chicken cook, around 15 minutes (this is when you can set your pasta to boil). I have found that the juices from the vegetables plus the steaming effect of covering the pan are enough to cook the chicken and vegetables. However, if you find it's running dry, add a little water, but only a little :-)
   
3. When the chicken and vegetables are cooked (there should be small amount of liquid in the pan), add the sour cream and stir through (I usually add it in tablespoons until the desired creaminess). Add more salt and pepper to desired taste.
4. Serve over your favorite type of pasta (I usually do penne or fusilli, but you could use anything) and enjoy!

I love this dish as it takes less than an hour from start to finish (including prep time). You can also throw just about anything in there, for instance, I have used shredded chicken (leftover from cooking a whole chicken) instead of chicken breast and it was great. Due to the abundance of vegetables, you don't need a whole lot of meat. I have also made a vegetarian option using cannellini beans. Also, for vegetables, you can add broccoli and peas or asparagus instead of zucchini - your pick! :-)

Francis' BBQ Shepherd's Pie: A Dinner-Swap Recipe

This yummy version of Shepherd's Pie is from Francis... the classic taste of Shepherd's Pie just got kicked up a notch, people! She incorporated Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce into the ground meat and the sweet and spicy taste of BBQ really came through. The addition of sour cream to the mashed potato topping gave it extra creaminess and it complimented the kick from the BBQ flavors very nicely. Here's the added bonus: you don't need to feel bad about serving what is a typically a very heavy dish; Francis used ground turkey, turning this delicious meal into what can now be a healthy option for your family.

Ingredients:

• 0.65 pounds of lean ground turkey
• 4 ½ cups of potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 2 cups of corn
• 1 cup white onion (diced)
• ½ cup of BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet and Spicy)
• 7 Tbsp sour cream
• 3 splashes of milk
• 1/3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/3 Tbsp cumin
• 1/3 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1/3 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tsp olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the diced Potatoes in a large pot with water and boil.
3. Add a tsp of olive oil to a pan at medium heat and add the ground turkey. Season the turkey meat with chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, and garlic powder. Cook until brown and there is no liquid left.
4. In a small pot or saucepan, cook the corn if frozen. You can cook it in boiling water, steam it, or microwave it- you choose! If it's not frozen, there's no need to cook it.
5. In a large pot, at medium high heat, add about a tsp of olive oil and add the white onion. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the cooked ground turkey mixture (from step 3). Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. When the turkey meat is completely cooked, turn off the heat and add the BBQ sauce.
7. When the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and ready to mash, remove the pot from the heat and drain the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pot you used to cook them and add the sour cream, chives and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste, then mash it up!
8. In a 9x12 baking pan, spread a layer of mashed potatoes, ground meat and then corn. Repeat once more and top with a last layer of mashed potatoes. (Remember to reserve enough for each layer so you don't run out.)
9. Once everything is in the baking pan, sprinkle the top with chili powder or paprika. Place pan in the oven for 30 min.
10. Enjoy!

Elisabeth's Kenyan Cabbage Stew: A Dinner-Swap Recipe

My sister Elisabeth made this tender, melt-in-your-mouth stew for a pot-luck dinner swap. The veggies were tender, the broth was rich with flavor, and the cilantro gave this stew just the right amount of kick... not bitter at all! It was surprisingly sweet, actually, from the natural sugar in all the veggies. I'm already dreaming about the way it tastes; cannot wait to make this myself so I can taste it again... YUM!

Ingredients: 

• 1/4-1/2 cup oil 
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• 3 plum tomatoes (chopped) 
• 1 cabbage (shredded) 
• 1 carrot (shredded)
• 3 cups water 
• 1/2 green pepper (diced)
• fresh cilantro (chopped)
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil (vegetable or olive) in a large pot.
2.  Add the onion and reduce heat to medium.
3. Once the onion becomes slightly browned, add the tomato.  Continue cooking (stirring occasionally) until the tomato is well broken down and is cooked into the oil.  
4. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot, stirring to coat with the stew broth. 
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  
6. Add water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low, simmering for about 15 minutes.
7. Add green pepper and cilantro.  Cover and let simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
8. Add more salt or pepper to taste.

Baked Potato Soup

Today I decided to post the baked potato soup recipe I made for my sister's cyber baby shower! It's very filling and delicious and I think I'm going to make it again for some of our dinners next week! I got the recipe from allrecipes, but I changed it so I wouldn't have to worry about buying bacon and having it go bad (this recipe calls for only 3 strips of bacon). If you eat bacon on a regular basis, you should make it with real bacon. I find that it didn't affect the taste too much to just cook the onion in oil and add bacon bits at the end.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

2 large potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Bacon bits

1. Bake the potatoes in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for an hour. Let them cool, then peel and cube (about 1 inch pieces). I bake the potatoes ahead of time. When I peel them, I try to only remove the peel, but leave the part close to the skin that gets browned as they are baking. It gives it a nicer flavor.
2. Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in salt, basil and pepper. Mix well. Gradually add chicken broth, mix and bring to a boil, then boil for 2 minutes.
3. Add the corn starch according to package instructions.
4. Add the potatoes, half-and-half and hot sauce. Stir and heat through but don't boil. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

CHILI

Hi everyone,

Today I will be sharing the best chili recipe that I've ever made!

INGREDIENTS (4-6 servings)

* 1 lb ground beef
* 1/4 onion, chopped
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce (I use a can)
* 1/2 jar salsa
* 2 tablespoons chili seasoning
* 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans 1 can

* shredded cheddar cheese
* sour cream
* (brown) rice

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.
2. Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.
3. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and brown rice.

                                                                                    photo courtesy of natehendersonphoto

Cream of Carrot Soup

*serves 6 cups

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 lbs. fresh carrots, sliced 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• parsley to garnish
• *Need a big pot and a blender 

Directions

1. Heat water and butter over medium low heat.
2. Add onion, ginger, and curry, and cook, partially covered, until tender (5-10 min.)
3. Stir in chicken broth, O.J., and carrots. Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15-20 min.)
4. Blend all the ingredients in a blender.
5. Return it to pot and stir in heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Heat through, but do not boil.
6. Garnish with parsley.
7. Invite friends over, break bread, and enjoy!

recipe inspired by The Joy of Cooking