Elisa's Eye on the World

Twice Baked Stuffed Potato

In a move towards solid food, I came up with this twice baked stuffed potato. Instead of taking a small slice off the top and scooping out, I cut the spud in 1/2, making easier to work with shells.  After lining the baking sheet with parchment the empty shells were sprayed on both sides with Canola.

The scooped spud was mixed with a wee bit of milk, chopped scallion, grated Swiss cheese, crumbled Alaska smoked salmon and seasoned with pepper and garlic powder. A good mashing with a stiff fork made a nice mushy filling that was easy to scoop back into the spud shell.  Go ahead and use a clean hand to pat everything into place to get the nice domed.  Feel free to modify ingredients, this was just what we had on hand.

Smoked Salmon Quiche (oh my!)

Tonight I am making another Smoked Salmon Quiche following the recipe in this gem of a cookbook. True to the author's directions this is Alaska Smoked Salmon...from a local vendor who makes it with care.

The dish tastes great and is really pretty easy to assemble. I "cheat" by using a store bought quality (no hydrogenated yuck) frozen whole wheat crust, but the rest is quick to bring together. After all, she wrote the book for use in a ship's galley so there's nothing too fancy.

She owns the recipe so I am not going to print it here - but I will say cream (instead of condensed milk since I am not @ sea), 3 eggs, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, crust, 1/2 cup flaked salmon, crust..Djion mustard and a little dill to season...you get the idea.

Back to Soft Food

One Friday I had Part II of my gum surgery, so it's back to soft food for the next week or so. Ah, soon enough I will have my crunchy crispy foods;  but for now it's a diet of:

• Fruit smoothies, Mollie Katzen style with a protein powder and bran to supplement plain yogurt, OJ, banana and strawberries
• Gooey Mac and Cheese from the nearby grocery deli
• Oatmeal with a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar, but sadly no nuts or raisins
• The last of my split pea soup from the freezer, with intentions to make more for tomorrow
• Two egg omelets with some cream cheese and smoked salmon
• Chocolate frozen yogurt

 

Applesauce Mini Chocolate Chip Protein Powder Bread

For years I have made Mollie Katzen's pumpkin and banana breads with protein powder and assorted add-ins. I finally noticed her third option with applesauce and gave it a try in the new KAF bread pan.  It's not shown in the on line recipe from her site but it's an exchange of the banana for the same amount of unsweetened applesauce, and adding a tsp. of Cinnamon.

Pizza Dough From Scratch - Not So Hard!

Gather the tools!

Make sure the yeast is fresh!

Disolve yeast in water; then add the salt. Don't rush.

Mix dry ingredients (flours) well because once added to liquid; the idea is NOT to mix too much.

After adding dry to wet and mixing (not kneading) till blended; set aside to rise for a few hours. Getting to this point really took only about 15 minutes, a little more as I had fresh bags to flour to stow, etc. Not bad, considering there's enough dough here for 4 big pies!

I used a table knife to remove a wedge for pie the next day. The other three segments will be wrapped and frozen for future deliciousness.

Good estimate. I put it on the scale and it weighs in at a pound.

The Best Part.

NYT Polenta Lasagna with Broccoli Rabe

I decided to try out this NY Time's receipe for Polenta and Broccoli Rabe Lasagna.

 

Please note the tray underneath the baking pan, lined with too much parchment paper. "Very good idea." The leftover slices were nice and firm, but the first two after baking are always a bit floppy. But incredibly delicious. There are four steps up to baking:

1. Soak (and drain) noodles
2. Make tomato sauce (I simmered a bit longer than the author suggested)
3. Prep and cook (and rinse and drain) the broccoli rabe
4. Slowly cook the polenta (in the cooking water, instructions did not say this)
5. Mix in the ricotta and 1/2 the parm into the cooked polenta
6. Shred fresh mozzerella into bits (yay TJ log!)

ENJOY!

 

More March Meals

Split Pea Soup from the freezer.  With quesadillas filled with TJ tomato bruschetta topping and grated cheese and Alaska Smoked Salmon. TJ oyster crackers for more munch and a crisp white wine.

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Baby Bok Choy. Stir fry veggies topped cooked and drained noodles with TJ spring rolls for an awesome worknight meal.

Lentil Soup from the freezer.  Oh, what a good idea, especially with leftover buckwheat soba noodles stirred in. Topped with grated cheese and oyster crackers.

Winter Roasted Veggies. This time the assortment were sweet potatoes (instead of mistakenly using yams) along with parsnips. There was not enough room in the pan for the carrots.

Quinoa Swiss Chard Feta. Googling those terms and found this recipe!  Leftovers were wrapped in flour tortillas with two stowed in the freezer for quick lunches.  Highly recommended and adaptable to what you have @ hand.

Sunday to Sunday

Dinners for the week included:

Chili from the freezer with rice and cheese. Two small containers of Joy of Cooking chili made a nice dinner, and the next night I wrapped it all together in flour tortillas.

A Fresh Batch of Mac and Cheese. Following the Gwenyth Paltrow example from her book adding a few of my own touches. See my post earlier this week for more details. 

Thai Style Green Curry. Following the directions on the package of the green curry paste left here by Guest Chef T. I stirred up a nice curry with fake chicken tenders, chopped red and orange pepper along with some red onion in Thai coconut milk from the can. Served with Jasmine rice, then on Monday with buckwheat soba noodles and  a handful of chopped spinach.

"Big Boy" Baked Stuffed Potatoes. Oh my, three meals and no pictures? There were two massive russets that were baked up, scooped out and served with some mixed vegetables and cheddar. Massive. Reheated the next night they were great with TJ falafel . Sunday there was some left that I had for lunch with the leftover bruchetta from the mac and cheese dinner.

Mac and Cheese in the Oven!

As I type a nice big tray of Gwenyth Paltrow Mac and Cheese is baking! I'm enjoying a nice cold Ranger IPA because it's Friday night and gloomy. A pile of baby spinach will go nicely with the soon to be golden and bubbly casserole. This was the first time I've used marscapone...interesting!

We have big appetites, but the book says 4 servings from the 1 lb. of pasta and that seems too much.

Another FIne Pie

These are from last Saturday night:
Mushrooms, red pepper, fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, dried oregano. Not shown is chopped red onion, which I find adds a remarkable taste to pizza.

Sauce and dough both pulled from the freezer the night before and defrosted in the fridge.
Doneness! I used a Caphalon 14" pizza pan, lightly greased with butter. The finshed pie slides right off to the maple pastry board, where it's cut into wedges with the pizza wheel that came with the pan.

Sunday Dinner from the Freezer

Photos of chili always look terrible but the house sure smells fantastic. I pulled wto small containers stowed in January in the freezer - they defrosted quickly in a small sauce pan.

Meanwhile, I rinsed and drained short grain brown rice. It's cooking now with the simmering pot with some frozen corn and "fake chicken tenders." This batch ended up too spicy and then too tomatoey and these additions have given it a good body.

Soon, I will rise from the comfortable spot on the couch and make some salads from the ready to go Romaine and some cherry tomatoes. Sundays can't always be spent in the kitchen. Today was a good example of pulling off a good meal while having time for other things.

As an added strategic bonus, chili burritos - or the stew with cooked riced and shredded cheese wrapped in flour tortillas and baked until golden brown and super bubbly. A nice worknight meal to come home to on on of my on site days.

Meals that March On

Cold but not freezing weather, good produce, the Internet for on going recipe ideas, here's what I served up last week:

• Roasted mustard/maple syrup root vegetable: turnips and sweet potatoes
• My mac and cheese from the freezer with a tossed green salad
• Roasted yukon gold potatoes to accompany already roasted root vegetables
• Store bought frozen potato dumplings with steamed broccoli and carrots
• Asian noodles from the 'fridge case stir fryed with my own home simmered Teriyaki sauce. With tofu, baby bok choy and white mushrooms; served with short grain brown rice. The leftovers made a nice lunch today with some store bought frozen spring rolls and some shredded Romaine lettuce.
  
  

What's For Dinner?

Every night I'm asked "What's for dinner" and this week we had:

• Tofu stirfry (made a ton!) with cauliflower, brocolli, onion, celery and carrots.
• Pizza with chard, mozzerella, blue cheese, red onion and red sauce
• Split pea soup with smoked salmon
• Roasted parsnips and sweet potato atop chopped chard. I added some Ranch dressing; Hubs prefers horseradish sauce.

 

Freezer and Fresh Options

This past week of dinners was a mixed assortment of fresh, frozen and take out!

Try II of Roasted Winter Veggies. Sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots coated ala Gwenyth Paltrow style in maple syrup and mustard. Mmm good for leftovers a few nights later.

Quinoa Black Bean and Corn. Well, this was good, but gave someone gas so I did not serve again for dinner, but I had some leftovers for lunch the next day heated in the micro with some grated cheese on top.

Lasagna from the Freezer. Heated up with some added sauce in the pan and on top, served with a crispy salad.

Lentil Soup from the Freezer. The Friday night chill was warmed by bowls of soup topped with smoked salmon and toasted garlic bread.

Spaghetti with Red Sauce. Tried, true and prepared by Hubs. I grated cheese and made the salad. He brought home a chocolate torte for our anniversary and collectively it was a perfect dinner!

Tonight we went out, oh my. Stuffed Dover Sole over Risotto!

Dinners this Week

Hi Readers;

I really have to get my photos in synch - until then, here's the list of the latest meals:

• Superbowl Sunday Lasagna. While the game dragged on this got a little dry, but still very tasty with a crisp salad. We've been lucky to get great California lettuce this time of year.
• Snow Chowder. Drawn from the freezer this still was tasty, especially with TJ Oyster crackers bobbing around.
• Chili. Also drawn from the freezer, reheated on the stove top while a fresh bath of brown rice cooked. Served with Colby Jack cheese and some home made chips made by baking torn tortilla shells sprayed with canola. There was a bit leftoever and I baked them into fresh tortillas with cooked rice and sliced cheese. Chili Burrittos Mmmm!
• Veggie Pizzas. Using a portion from this month's fresh batch of dough
  
  ...Last night I made a full size pie using up the mushroom sauce from the lasagna and topped it with chopped orange peppers, sliced mushrooms and shredded mozzarella cheese. A sprinkle of dried oregano and it was ready to bake...meanwhile I had an odd amount of dough and made one deep dish invidiual pie with the same sauce, cheese and mushrooms, but added sweet onion and some fresh spinach. That one I baked until it was almost done, with the intention of serving it today for lunch. Sorry No Photos.

Week of Eats

Ah, we have rolled into February, with 29 days this years so extra extra!

This week we had:

• Walt's classic baked burritos. Refried beans, chopped red pepper, carrots and spinach. Monte Jack Cheese rolled up in a flour shell, served with brown rice.
• Mock Chicken Chow Mein with "non meat" tenders, lovely fresh noodles mixed with homemade sauce following package directions. Veggie list: purple onion, baby bok choy, orange pepper, peas.
• Another amazing pizza with the "Artistan Dough in Five Minutes Per Day" book. Pulled from the freezer were the dough, sauce and cheese. From our co-op a small container of Vegan (no cheese) basil pesto. Topped with chopped fresh sweet onion and orange pepper this was nothing short of Kick Ass.
• Thai Fried Rice for One was a zippy lunch with some stray veggies: chopped Swiss Chard and Bell Pepper a scrambled egg topped with slivered almonds.
• Baked potatoes were simply delicious, flaky and flavorful without any added fat. The accompaniment were Ms. Paltrow's Roasted Vegetables with of equal amounts of maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil and Dijon mustard. I did not have sweet potatoes but had turnips and carrots. Served the next night, it was even better. Can't wait to try again with the sweeties.

More Dinner and Meals

My, the end of January is near and I"m glad to report on more home cooking.

• A double batch of Joy of Cooking (JOC) macaroni and cheese made two great dinners, served with spinach, sliced almond, cherry tomato salads. Four big pieces were wrapped in wax paper and stowed in a plastic freezer container.
• More JOC action with split pea soup to warm up some very wet and cold nights. A simplier variety than the Jane Brody receipe - having time to simmer is key. The leftovers were poured off into an 8 cup glass lidded container and the next night it was extra thick and hearty. Served with rustic potato rolls and a bit of cheddar.
• Half batch of Artisan pizza dough - or enough for 2 14" crusts. Splitting the measurements made my head hurt, but the dough was airy and light. I'm still waiting for a 6 quart container so I can make full recipes. But once the measuring is done it's just quick mix, set to rise then stow in fridge. No Need to Knead.
• Pizza 1 was a classic veggie: sauce, green pepper, yellow onion, fresh mushrooms with mozzerella.
• Avocado and cheese Sandwiches on Rustic Bolo Rolls. Bun toasted, cheese melted and blended avocado spread on an airy crusty roll, squished down before cutting into 1/2's or 1/4's. Quick and satisfying with a spinach salad with carrots, sliced almonds and cherry tomatoes.

Eating out is fabulous, but so expensive. Eating at home takes planning but the results are so satisfying to the tummy and purse. I hope you are able to enjoy these everyday meals in your own home.

Joy of Cooking Split Pea Soup

On this blustry, wet but not too cold January evening I'm about to serve up some "Joy of Cooking" Split Pea Soup. There were two slices of Candadian bacon in the freezer and I defrosted them and threw them in with the spring water and lovely organic peas. Just to see.

After it came to a boil it simmered for an hour, then chopped onion and carrots were added to the mix with an assortment of herbs. Bay leaf, salt, pepper, basil, ground celery.

Some potato buns heating in the toaster oven - let's eat!!

Creative Planning Boosts Menus

It's been some time since I made a full fledged shop with the car for groceries at our natural food cooperative. Impending snow, actual snow and now lots of slush are not my kind of driving conditions.

So here we go, another week into January making the best of what's in the pantry and freezer; with supplements from the nearby conventional grocery (read icky produce).

• The last of the New Year's Risotto, served with TJ samosa,which we have now deemed too spicy
• Lentil soup with Franks in Blankets
• Homemade JoC "New England Clam Chowder" made with 3 cans of TJ Cherrystone clams from Maine, new potato and milk instead of cream
• Naan pizza with sweet onion, blue cheese, provolone and cherry tomatoes
• Store bought frozen Potato and Cheddar Ravioli, prepared then combined in a casserole wth sweet onion, chopped carrots and peas along with some grated cheddar and sprinkle of Panko breadcrumbs and baked with slivered almonds on top
• The last of the JoC Mac and Cheese served with a salad of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, slivered almonds and carrots
• JoC Tuna casserole over baby spinach

Another Week O Dinners

Last week brought another round of home made and store supplemented meals.

• Leftover baked potato sliced and served in a deep casserole with chopped spinach, carrots, grated cheddar with a bit of strained tomato.
• Lentil soup with carrots, onions and long grain brown rice served with cheddar cheese. With three containers stowed in the freezer.
• The last pizza from the three balls of dough stowed in December. Thursday night pie featured blue cheese, mozzarella, a bit of spinach, chopped green pepper and walnuts over a red sauce. Splendid.
• Tuna casserole from the freezeer with the leftover cauliflower reheated together with slivered almonds.
• Tonight we have risotto cakes from the freezer which will be freshly rolled in bread crumb and Parmesan cheese before baking to reheat- perhaps with some TJ falafel.

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

What can be better than cookies with:

• Dutch chocolate (for color)
• Milk chocolate chips (for texture)
• Genuine mint extract (for surprise)
• Butter and sugar (for gooey texture)

??

These are simply the best cookies, and I thank Mollie Katzen for sharing the recipe in her Still Life with Menu cookbook.

Franks in Blankets

Although I rarely eat meat, something about making Latkes brings on the urge to make these. The Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition has a great "recipe" that elevates the usual to quite special.

Of course the franks have to be Kosher, Hebrew National. Usually refrigerated crescent rolls are used. but the traditional brands are quite disgusting in terms of trans fat, and I was thrilled to find an alternative at our cooperative. The cookbook suggests spreading Djon mustard on the dough before rolling them up.

While they were baking and Hubs was making the Latkes I made the suggested "Honey Mustard" sauce (1/3 cup mustard, 6 tbsp. honey and some black pepper)...awesome!!!

Mom's Latkes in not too much Oil

Time for Latkes! I could not find Mom's recipe card, but Googled by blog and found the recipe. Most heat 1/4" of oil in a skillet, but we have this awesome griddle that just needs a light spray of canola oil. The results may be less crispy but they taste awesome and you can eat more with less guilt or excessive fat.

The ever handy (ancient) blender is perfect for fluffing the eggs, before adding the chopped potato and other ingredients.

Hub's skillful technique of ladling batter into small cakes onto the pre-heated skillet is unsurpassed!

The photo is a little over-exposed, but you get the idea. Golden brown but not hash brown crunchy. Placing them on a rack over the tray keeps them from sticking and getting too moist. We never used the dinner plates I set out and ate 'em as they came off the griddle with some crisp white wine and "franks in blankets" as shown in the next post.

Please see other posts in the "Latke" category for the actual recipe and additional photos.

Jane Brody "Greek Shrimp"

I finally got around to making Jane Brody's "Greek Shrimp" from her Good Seafood book and boy it was good! The deal is:

• Simmer up a tomato sauce with onions, garlic and plum tomatoes
• Sprinkle peeled and deveined shrimp (I cheated and used prepared frozen US wild shrimp) with some lemon
• Layer sauce, then the shrimp in a single layer, add more sauce and sprinkle with feta cheese
• Bake until bubbly
• Serve with pasta, I used orzo, layered over some spinach

A delightful dish that would wow a dinner party or make a few good meal for two.

Happy Thanksgiving

Best Wishes for a great Thanksgiving! I'm on my second cup of tea, soon to take a nice long home yoga session. The sun is out and rain stopped so a nice walk around the scenic park is in order before we get down to some serious eating.

In the fridge there's 3 slices of Crustless Brocolli Quiche to serve for our lunch, with some Vegan pesto.   Both pulled from the freezer stash.

Later on, for our early dinner there's a big tray of stuffed manicotti. I used the same online recipe as last time. Ricotta, onion, chard, Provolone (my substitution) and breadcrumbs. I skipped the egg white. Yesterday I tucked that into the nice Garden Time brand shells, I admit to cutting them in half; plopping the 2 TBSP of filling and rolling it up, placing seam side down in the pan. To save time, I have 2 jars of Newman's Mushroom sauce, though only 3/4 was needed for the prep stage. Before baking, I will top with a mixture of cheese and crumbs, followed by thinly sliced Roma tomato.

In between our lunch and dinner are extended calls to the East. See how everyone's travels went and how deep the snow is in ME.

The side dish for dinner is a big fresh salad, but I might go with steamed brocolli and carrots. Dessert is yet to be determined but there is both a chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt standing by. Two bottles of Chianti to accompany the meal await our testing and tasting.

All the best to you Dear Readers! Special shout outs to my pals in Cambridge & Concord, Mass. and Washington, DC.

-Elisa

Table for Four, Five...or is that Six?

Although I cook all the time, it's for two. This past week or so I had to opportunity to serve up dinner for travelers from Vermont, Maine and B.C. Where time permitted I did it from scratch, but sometimes the in house deli at the natural food store was the ticket.

Here's four menus for four or more that were met with rave revues, and no leftovers:

• Deli Fresh individual chicken or turkey pot pies, with a green salad of romaine, spinach, romas and red peppers. For dessert: the deli's pumpkin honey cake served with "Lady Grey" tea.
• Home made simple red pasta sauce with basil and whole wheat spaghetti, with steamed broccoli. For dessert: my home made blueberry yogurt cupkcake-like muffins with a Washington Pinot Noir.
• Home made lentil soup with long grain rice, with a green salad of romaine, hazelnuts, romas and red pepper. For dessert: chocolate cream pie from the the local pie shop. OMG!!
• Delivery "good old plain" tomato sauce and mozzarella pizza, with their house salad with garbanzo beans and a Cesar. Another one of those pumpkin honey cakes.

Pictures? Sorry, I was too busy cooking up a storm and visiting.

Yogurt Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins (no nuts)

Nice rise!

This time I remembered to let them cool before removing from the tin to the rack.

Success! See an earlier post of this recipe.

Crazy Baked Quesaidillas

Sorry, no pictures! Friday night quesadillas with what's in the fridge and on my mind:

• large flour tortillas
• cream cheese (about 3 tbs)
• Apple Fig Ginger Chutney (about 3 tbs) visitors brought us from B.C.
• chopped, raw rainbow chard
• caramalized onions
• rinsed and drained black beans
• grated Dubliner cheese (about 1/2 cup)

We had leftovers for lunch with mashed avocado with sliced cherry tomatoes. Hello summer.

Yogurt-Blueberry-Strawberry-Walnuts Muffins

Liquids and fruit: milk and plain yogurt mixed well, then canola oil slowly added. I let the fruit soak while the dry ingredients were finalized. The receipe called for only 1/2 cup of fruit but I used about 1-1/4 cups and 1/2 cup of waluts.

It's a little tedious, but strawberries cut into eighths work better than quarters.

Organized muffin making. Liquids and fruit, cup of chopped walnut standing by. I add the baking soda/powder at the very last minute, based on a tip I read about maximizing their effectiveness. Be sure to stir the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, soda, powder, salt) at this point - as once the wet and dry are combined the objective is minimal mixing.

There was plenty of batter and instead of filling the cups 2/3 full, I went for the top, taking some care to evenly distribute and try to making a mound which makes a pretty product.

I was about to test one and remembered to get a picture of the finished product. Some "fell-in" because I rememoved them from the baking tin too soon. Especially with fresh fruit muffins, it's best to wait till they are cooled/solidified a bit.

The recipe was found on-line, there's no egg, no vanilla but they came out great and can't wait to try again.

Thai Food Ingredients for the Fridge

Last weekend Elisa's Eye Guest Chef T. was here to dazzle us with her authentic Thai cooking. We've made due before with ingredients from our "well stocked groccery store" but she stopped at the large Asian / International grocery as a special treat.

I took a close up so you can see the labels, most are preservative and free of other additives. :Thai Kitchen" is the brand in most non-Asian stores. These are better.

Fish Sauce; Sweet (not to be confused with regular or dark) Soy Sauce, Tom Yum Paste (hot and sour) and Green Curry Paste, which I learned is hotter than the Red variety.

See if you can find them. It makes a real difference and now I am excited about trying more receipes in the Quick and Easy Thai recommended by G.

Busy Baking Bee

Yikes! I'm taking advantage of the cool July days and catching up on baking. Already done:

• Pizza Dough (1 used, 1 stowed)
• Pizza (gone already)
• Strawberry Muffins II (mostly stashed in freezer)
• Granola (stowed in air tight glass in the fridge, with a scoop)
• Blueberry Bread (sliced and stowed in fridge)

• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for Sunday's bike ride/party

On deck baking and cooking projects:

• Burritos for dinner tonight
• Orzo salad with lots of our ready to eat peas
• Macaroni and cheese because it's all gone
• Caramalized onions, to have as a condiments

Holiday Weekend Menu

Friday Night: Fresh Tomato Risotto

Saturday Lunch: Veggie Quesadillas

Saturday Night: Grilled Sockeye

Sunday Breakfast: Sourdough Waffles

Sunday Lunch: Avocado on Crusty Buns

Monday Lunch:  Garden Burgers in Pita

Monday Dinner: Grilled Halibut

Where did the weekend go? Standing by now for the fireworks...

Naan Pizza: Favorite Crust Alternative

Hubs set up this outdoor shot of lunch last week: Naan pizza with red sauce, chard, cherry tomato slices, blue cheese and a bit of mozzarella. Blog followers know my love of using Focaccia bread for pizza, but now we've decided this is better because it's less doughy, but still very textured. If I can't make the dough ball, this rules.

Fresh Tomato Risotto

Risotto to kick off the July 4th weekend...I found this Early Summer Tomato Risotto recipe in the Wall Street Journal. The featured ingredient is the extracted juice of heirloom tomatoes. 'Nuff said?

The finished dish with speckled lettuce from our garden. A+

There's a good amount leftover which I'm going to reheat/freeze in cupcake form with parchment liners.

Thai Style Fried Rice

I loosely followed a cookbook receipe:

• Canola oil, heated in pan
• Egg, scrambled
• 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar
• Cooked brown rice (about 2 cups)
• Add sliced veggies (red pepper, kale, scallion) once the mixture is hot and cook some more

Thank you T.  in B.C. for the authentic sauce!

Deep Dish Individual Pizza In Pictures

The dough has risen at doubled in bulk!

Air holes are good. This is right before it was deflated and rolled out into four crusts.

As it turned out, I should have made 5 or 6 as there was excess dough on each pan.

A bit of mozzerella in each, other ingredients standing by: sauce, caramalized onions, roasted red peppers, chopped walnuts , blue and Parmesan cheese.

Oven ready!

Cooling on the rack for 10 minutes - these came out great.

Crust recipe from the Jane Brody's "Good Food Book" Onion and Cheese pizza: a nice mix of whole wheat and white flours. Topping are our personal favorites. Maybe too much sauce on these, but some mushrooms or greens would have balanced it out. There's always next time.

Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Broccoli

Lovely local Asparagus. I used the top 5 or 6" in segments. The stem party I cut in half so it cooks evenly with the delicate tips. The bottom inch goes to compost, and the rest in the fridge to add to other dishes (see Naan Pizza).

Using this recipe as a starting point I made a fresh Orzo Salad. We did not have all the ingredients on hand, and it was going to be served here, so I made my own substitutions (blue vs. feta cheese, no cilantro, sprouts, almonds or cucumers)  the recipe is a great point of reference on what goes together. So many potluck salads are bland or scary. This would be great with the avocado to bring to Shakespeare in the Park this summer.

Here's the pasts and the tender crisp greens. Because we were eating this straight away, I drained but did not rinse.

A wee blurry, sorry...added slices of Sugar Plum tomatoes and the oddly chosen toasted burger bun. I used Blue Cheese instead of Feta, just because it was on hand.

 

Naan Pizza: one of endless combinations

• Olive oil
• Sliced cherry tomatoes
• Chopped spinach
• Chopped red onion
• Shredded mozzerella

 

Salmon the Other Night

Copper River (Alaska) Sockeye Salmon right off the grill....thanks Guest Chef Hubs!

Served with spinach salad with red onion, hazelnuts, fresh parsley and drief cranberries. The second course were "potato skins" from the leftover bakers.

That's caramalized onion on top which added some moisture during grilling along with garlic and olive oil.

A Bunch of Green Dinners

Penne with Cottage Cheese, & Red Sauce with steamed Asparagus and Red Leaf Lettuce.

Re-heated roasted vegetables with chopped fresh Spinach.

Fried rice with Kale and Asparagus.

Lemony Orzo salad with Bay Shrimp, Feta, Parsley and Scallions, which are green but not as hearty as the other greens.

Pizza from Scratch Rules

I was glowing with pride when I pulled this pie from the oven.

Mollie Katzen's Still Life with Menu (page 226)  crust (doubled since my pan is big), pizza sauce (canned), slowly roasted onions with thyme and bay leaf; chopped fresh spinach, a mix of mozzerella, provelone and blue cheese and chopped walnuts.

Thanks again to L. in Cambridge for all the great tips on making dough. No food processor, no stand mixer. No 500 degree oven preheated for an hour or pizza stone and peels are needed. My oven was 425 and the rack in the upper third and it came out righteous. So there!

Roasted Vegetables

Yukon Gold Potatoes. Scrubbed, patted dry, cut into wedges and tossed in a mix of Canola and Olive Oil.  After roasted for about 20 minutes in a 425 oven, I added a mix of salt & pepper before they roasted for another 20 minutes.

Soaking beforehand in cold water? Maybe it helps but these come out fine so I don't see the point.

 
Cauliflower, here in it's final serving form with some blue cheese crumbled melted in.  The roasting technique was very similar to the potatoes with a mix of oils an sprinkle of S & P. I made it before with lemon and Parmesean but that would have conflicted with the blue cheese planned for this meal.

The Final Plated Dinner. Added to the mix were red peppers and carrots (hiding somewhere) with a garnish of Red Leaf lettuce. Meat eaters might wonder where the beef is, but we find this very filling and satisfying "as is."

There were lots of left overs for use in meals over the long weekend. Red peppers on crusty rolls with Muenster cheese for quick sandwiches, the spuds and cauliflower to serve with some BBQ salmon today, etc.

This brings up the technique of roasting peppers. I just cut 'em in half, pull out the seeds and roast them in the oven with everything else. The skin separates from the "flesh" and  peels right off (some find it bitter). I have read about holding one with thongs over the gas burner for 20 minutes then putting it in a bag so the skin comes off but once I found this works, I gave up on that idea.

Stored in airtight containers, roasted veggies are fansastic to have on hand. So when you have a little time, roast away so you can spend more time in the yard when the sun (finally) comes out.

Minestrone Soup from the Freezer

Last weekend was cool and a steaming bowl of minestone soup pulled from the freezer with Hubs corn meal sough dough muffins rocked the house.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

 
The trick to this condiment is not technique, but getting both the fresh rhubarb and strawberries at the same time as they both have uneven seasons. I have leanred, and when the Rhubarb was local and organic, I settled for CA organic strawberries, since ours are not available for at least a month.

I use the the Silver Palatte "New Basics" reciepe for Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce but you will find others...the idea is to bring to a boil and slowly simmer:

• 10 stalks chopped Rhubarb
• 4 cups hulled Strawberries
• 1/2 - 1 cup of Sugar
• 1 cup fresh orange juice

Optional: 2 tsp. ground ginger; 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 vanilla bean. I wasn't sure if what we had was ginger :D so I used 1 tsp. and used a tsp. of real vanilla extract since we did not have a bean. The fruit is what matters, and balancing out the tart and sweet. Remember, it's going to mix with something in most cases.

Be careful not to stain stuff! We used a bit with yogurt and waffles and the rest was frozen in ice cube trays, then transfered to an air tight container for the freezer. Hubs has added them to smoothies and his oatmeal.

Elisa's Sweet Curry with Mock Chicken

One of those recipes that just came together from what was on-hand and tasted fantastic:

• Onion, sliced and browned
• Red pepper, previously roasted and sliced
• Two Carrots, sliced
• Broccoli, florets and peeled and chopped stems
• Small can of tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. Thai green curry paste
• package of "Chicken Tenders" made of soy

Heat up the vegetables and get the sauce bubbling adding water so it's not too dry. About 20 minutes before serving (time with rice) add mock chicken and heat thoroughly. Serve with (brown) rice. The roasted red peppers added a very sweet taste, but starting with fresh would work too.

Asparagus with Macaroni & Cheese Topped with Caramalized Onions

Early Washington State asparagus, gently steamed; my homemade mac and cheese pulled from the freezer. When it was cooked 1/2-way I added the last of the caramalized onions from last weekend. The oddity on the side a small bit of burritto that does not match the meal, but it fit in the oven had to be eaten, so it made a nice starter. This all went wonderfully with crisp Chardonnay.  A nice Friday night at home dinner without the $13/plate tab charged at local places for simlilar fare.

:-D

End of April Minestrone Style Soup

The latest in my take on Minestrone Soup, mostly based on the Joy of Cooking recipe.

I believe these are "armoatics" onion, garlic, carrot....slowly cooked in a bit of butter. I wish I used the heavy saucepan instead of this Revere pot...but it will be okay.

Finely chopped cabbage....a nice Sunday Holiday organic find at the convential grocer. The only thing we did not have aside from the loaf of crusty bread.

Not shown, plum tomatoes whirrled in the food processor, broth and drained Navy Beans which are white and some chopped fresh parsely. To all that I (unconventially) added cubed red potato. 

All was brought to a boil and the rind of some Parmesan cheese added. Now it's slowly simmering with the lid a little ajar. Soon as the potatoes are done it will be time for the elbow shaped pasta and an early dinner. Then chocolate!

White Bean, Kale and Elbow Soup

My latest soup, sort of a Minestrone, but missing a few of its key ingredients, so renamed.

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Two onions, pulsed a few times in the food processor
• 2 cloves garlic, run through the press
• Four carrots, diced
• Large can of plum tomatoes, also pulsed a few times

• Two containers of vegetable broth
• Can of White (Navy) Beans, well rinsed and drained

• Bunch of kale, washed and spun, then chopped small
• Bay leaf, Basil, freshly ground Black Pepper

• 6 oz. elbow macaroni

In large stock pot brown onions in oil while beans drain, stirring occassionally.

Add garlic, followed by carrots, continue to cook and stir

Carefully pour in chopped tomatoes (don't make a mess) cook until bubbly then simmer a bit.

Add drained beans along with the broth - bring to boil, then partially cover pot and simmer.

Stir in the chopped kale and bring back to a boil, then add elbow macaroni and cook until they are tender, then simmer while the rest of dinner is prepared (heat up rustic bread, grate Parmesan cheese, taste wine.

ENJOY!

 

Baked Potato Stuffed with Chard and Cheese

Here's a nice cross section of my take on baked stuffed potatoes. Check out the lovely evening sky color in the window! The spuds were stuffed with a splash of milk, a bit of crumbled blue cheese and some finely chopped, raw rainbow chard. A spritz of canola spray before the 2nd baking keeps the skins from drying out.

Three From Jane Brody

There's a reason this book is never far from the stove.

Tonight I pulled some chili from the freezer, and instead of serving it with rice, I heated it up then baked a cornbread on top. The idea is from Jane Brody's "Meatless Tamale Pie."

On Saturday I followed Jane's crust recipe for her "Onion and Cheese Pizza", and the results were fabulous. After all, it's a white pizza, but carmalized onions and mustard are mighty tasty. I have to admit I substituted Dijon for "grainy" mustard and Jarlsberg, or swiss instead of Fontina. It still came out awfully good, and there's a second ball of dough resting in the fridge.

One of my all time favorites is her "Favorite Lentil Soup" which I merge with the recipe on the following page which includes rice. While reheating a smallish portion from the freezer, I cooked up some frozen "potstickers" or Asian dumplings, which I then added to the soup for a hearty dinner.