There's nothing better on a cold day than that smell as it simmers away.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Hot Mustard Recipe
We're huge fans of spicy food around here. There are myriad condiments in our refrigerator, but very rarely do we have the standard ketchup and yellow mustard. I decided recently that I wanted to try to make my own mustard rather than buy some of the specialty mustards that we tend to like. This recipe is definitely worth repeating! It reminds me a lot of the Asian Hot Mustard that you'd put on an eggroll.
Hot Mustard
1 C dry ground mustard
1 C apple cider vinegar (we prefer the raw, unfiltered variety)
2-3 T Truvia or 1/4-1/3 C honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; whisk to blend. Simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Pour into a clean jar. This will last for several weeks.
Hot Mustard
1 C dry ground mustard
1 C apple cider vinegar (we prefer the raw, unfiltered variety)
2-3 T Truvia or 1/4-1/3 C honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; whisk to blend. Simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Pour into a clean jar. This will last for several weeks.
The hot mustard flavor comes through VERY strong initially, but it mellows out a bit over the next day or two. If it's still too strong for you, add a bit more sweetener to balance it out. It took a few adjustments to get it just where we liked it.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Monday, October 8, 2012
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheesecake
Last week, ricotta cheese was on sale with extra money off for gas. It was a pretty good deal, so hubby picked some up. We also had a couple boxes of lasagna noodles in the cabinet, so it was good timing to make a lasagna. However, the ricotta was a larger container than what I needed to make the lasagna, and I wanted to make sure that the extra wouldn't go to waste. So I suggested that hubby look up a recipe for cheesecake or something so we could use it up before it went bad.
He found nothing. Not to be deterred, ingenuous man that he is, he created a masterpiece recipe.
Doesn't it just look delicious?
So here's your recipe:
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheesecake
Ingredients:
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt (vanilla would work, too)
4 eggs
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 prepared chocolate pie crust
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat ricotta, yogurt, eggs, and sugar. Add vanilla. You can mix in chocolate chips now or save to sprinkle on top.
Pour mixture into the prepared shell. Do not overfill the shell -- it rises slightly when baking.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let pie cool, then refrigerate to set; the pie will become creamy and dense. Serve cold.
He found nothing. Not to be deterred, ingenuous man that he is, he created a masterpiece recipe.
So here's your recipe:
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheesecake
Ingredients:
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt (vanilla would work, too)
4 eggs
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 prepared chocolate pie crust
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat ricotta, yogurt, eggs, and sugar. Add vanilla. You can mix in chocolate chips now or save to sprinkle on top.
Pour mixture into the prepared shell. Do not overfill the shell -- it rises slightly when baking.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let pie cool, then refrigerate to set; the pie will become creamy and dense. Serve cold.
Enjoy!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Asparagus and Tomatoes
We're big fans of asparagus around our house. When I came across this recipe for Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes over at Newly Wife, I knew hubby would really want to try it.
We were all set to make it today, and then we remembered we were out of Feta Cheese. Rather than running out to the grocery store (again...), we substituted some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
The results were delicious! A hit for everyone.
Oops! It was so good, I forgot to take a picture until after we already dove into it. The mark of a good recipe, I'd say.
We were all set to make it today, and then we remembered we were out of Feta Cheese. Rather than running out to the grocery store (again...), we substituted some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
The results were delicious! A hit for everyone.
Oops! It was so good, I forgot to take a picture until after we already dove into it. The mark of a good recipe, I'd say.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Supper Art
Hubby is an excellent cook, and he's also very good at artistically arranging a meal for a nice presentation.
Now, our son tries to do the same. He asked me to take a picture of tonight's supper.
Looks like it needs a bit of green vegetable, but we won't discourage the budding artist. =)
Just in case you wondered, we had grilled salmon and homemade dill sauce with oven-baked sweet potato fries. Delicious!
Now, our son tries to do the same. He asked me to take a picture of tonight's supper.
Just in case you wondered, we had grilled salmon and homemade dill sauce with oven-baked sweet potato fries. Delicious!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Green Smoothie
We've been enjoying our smoothies lately for a good quick breakfast. We recently got a huge container of spinach, and since we all really like it I figured I'd throw some into the smoothies.
He had lots of fun watching the blender turn green, though he had some reservations about whether or not it would taste good. It was a success!
Our Green Smoothie Recipe
1 1/2 C chocolate milk
1 T peanut butter
1 large handful spinach
1 frozen banana
3-4 ice cubes
Throw it in the blender until well blended. Enjoy!
When I make a batch for all three of us, I adapt it a little:
3 C milk (chocolate, coconut, plain, or any combination)
3 T peanut butter or almond butter
2-3 frozen bananas
2-3 handfuls of spinach
5-6 ice cubes
Do you have favorite smoothie ingredients?
Our Green Smoothie Recipe
1 1/2 C chocolate milk
1 T peanut butter
1 large handful spinach
1 frozen banana
3-4 ice cubes
Throw it in the blender until well blended. Enjoy!
When I make a batch for all three of us, I adapt it a little:
3 C milk (chocolate, coconut, plain, or any combination)
3 T peanut butter or almond butter
2-3 frozen bananas
2-3 handfuls of spinach
5-6 ice cubes
Do you have favorite smoothie ingredients?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
German Chocolate Brownies
My hubby is a huge fan of German Chocolate Cake.
When I came across this recipe for German Chocolate Brownies, I knew I had to try it for him.
It's a three step recipe, but the final product is totally worth it. Want to try it?
12 oz. pecans halves
2/3 C brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13" baking dish.
Chop pecans in a food processor until very fine. Dump into another bowl and mix with brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Spread and press down in baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes (it will probably come out of the oven still bubbling and smelling delicious!).
Brownie layer:
9x13" boxed brownie mix
eggs, water, and oil as directed on package
While the crust is baking, mix together the brownie batter. Pour over baked crust and return to oven; bake as directed.
Topping:
3 egg yolks
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 C heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C pecan pieces
2 C shredded coconut
In mixer, combine egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Mix in softened butter until combined. Slowly add the heavy cream; stir in vanilla. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until you reach about 180 degrees. It should coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl to let it cool, then stir in the pecans and coconut. Allow brownies and topping to cool; spread topping on brownies.
Beautiful, delicious, decadent, glorious, rich, sweet, crunchy-gooey, not for those with nut allergies...
Hubby's verdict: Everything there is to love about German Chocolate cake without having to endure the really dry cake. =)
Try it and tell me how it turns out. It's a repeat recipe for our house.
When I came across this recipe for German Chocolate Brownies, I knew I had to try it for him.
German Chocolate Brownies
Crust:12 oz. pecans halves
2/3 C brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13" baking dish.
Chop pecans in a food processor until very fine. Dump into another bowl and mix with brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Spread and press down in baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes (it will probably come out of the oven still bubbling and smelling delicious!).
Brownie layer:
9x13" boxed brownie mix
eggs, water, and oil as directed on package
While the crust is baking, mix together the brownie batter. Pour over baked crust and return to oven; bake as directed.
Topping:
3 egg yolks
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 C heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C pecan pieces
2 C shredded coconut
In mixer, combine egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Mix in softened butter until combined. Slowly add the heavy cream; stir in vanilla. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until you reach about 180 degrees. It should coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl to let it cool, then stir in the pecans and coconut. Allow brownies and topping to cool; spread topping on brownies.
Hubby's verdict: Everything there is to love about German Chocolate cake without having to endure the really dry cake. =)
Try it and tell me how it turns out. It's a repeat recipe for our house.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Chicken Rice Soup
For several reasons, I decided to throw together some Chicken Rice Soup the other day.
- We've all had those nasty mid-summer colds hit us.
- We had leftover chicken from our camping trip that hubby had prepared to perfection on the smoker, and it needed to get used up before it was wasted.
- Our refrigerator is slightly possessed and has a tendency to freeze things at random times. That left us with a partially frozen bag of celery that needed to be picked through to find and use what was still fresh.
We recently got a Rice Cooker with a gift certificate, and we've LOVED using it. Make yourself a batch of about 4 C (dry) of rice. I ended up spooning my soup over the rice every time we ate it rather than ever mixing them together and letting the rice soak up all the broth. It worked for me.
For the soup: Start with the standard carrots (2), celery (whatever was useable), and onion (one large or two small). Saute that in a bit of olive oil, then add some herbs. We used what we had on hand that was given to us fresh by a friend: lime basil and parsley.
It already looked and smelled amazing!
Add 5 C. of water (or whatever seems proportionate to the amount of veggies and chicken you have available). I added pepper (a lot), but since the chicken was already seasoned, I left it at that.
Toss in your chicken, and cover to simmer for as long as you can. At this point, when I lifted the lid, I was blown away by the amazing smell of that smokey chicken.
Lastly, spoon some rice into your bowl and ladle some of that good-old-fashioned cold cure over top. Perfection!!
- We've all had those nasty mid-summer colds hit us.
- We had leftover chicken from our camping trip that hubby had prepared to perfection on the smoker, and it needed to get used up before it was wasted.
- Our refrigerator is slightly possessed and has a tendency to freeze things at random times. That left us with a partially frozen bag of celery that needed to be picked through to find and use what was still fresh.
We recently got a Rice Cooker with a gift certificate, and we've LOVED using it. Make yourself a batch of about 4 C (dry) of rice. I ended up spooning my soup over the rice every time we ate it rather than ever mixing them together and letting the rice soak up all the broth. It worked for me.
For the soup: Start with the standard carrots (2), celery (whatever was useable), and onion (one large or two small). Saute that in a bit of olive oil, then add some herbs. We used what we had on hand that was given to us fresh by a friend: lime basil and parsley.
Add 5 C. of water (or whatever seems proportionate to the amount of veggies and chicken you have available). I added pepper (a lot), but since the chicken was already seasoned, I left it at that.
Toss in your chicken, and cover to simmer for as long as you can. At this point, when I lifted the lid, I was blown away by the amazing smell of that smokey chicken.
Lastly, spoon some rice into your bowl and ladle some of that good-old-fashioned cold cure over top. Perfection!!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Recipe Feature
There was a lot of good feedback on our Reuben Pizza recipe (probably because if you like Reubens, you'll like the pizza, and if you don't, you didn't look at it ;-), it's true, right?!).
Lyuba at Will Cook for Smiles did a "Copycat Feature" of the recipe! It looks really good as a thin crust variety, too!
Go check out all her amazing recipes!!! Seriously good stuff over there--you'll thank me later. =)
Lyuba at Will Cook for Smiles did a "Copycat Feature" of the recipe! It looks really good as a thin crust variety, too!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Reuben Pizza
Yum. Yum. YUM!!!
This was some seriously good pizza. Please try it. You'll thank me later.
Ingredients:
Pizza dough
Thousand Island dressing
Corned Beef, thinly sliced
Sauerkraut, well drained
Swiss Cheese
Shredded Romano Cheese
Directions:
Roll out pizza dough to size of pan. Spread with Thousand Island dressing in whatever thickness you like your sauce. Layer on Corned Beef and Sauerkraut. Break Swiss Cheese into smaller pieces, if desired; spread on pizza. Sprinkle with Romano Cheese and bake until crust is golden brown. It doesn't take long, and everything is already cooked, so just let it go until the cheese and crust are the consistency you like.
We're back to "spring" today at about 48 degrees as I type...
This was some seriously good pizza. Please try it. You'll thank me later.
Pizza dough
Thousand Island dressing
Corned Beef, thinly sliced
Sauerkraut, well drained
Swiss Cheese
Shredded Romano Cheese
Directions:
Roll out pizza dough to size of pan. Spread with Thousand Island dressing in whatever thickness you like your sauce. Layer on Corned Beef and Sauerkraut. Break Swiss Cheese into smaller pieces, if desired; spread on pizza. Sprinkle with Romano Cheese and bake until crust is golden brown. It doesn't take long, and everything is already cooked, so just let it go until the cheese and crust are the consistency you like.
We're back to "spring" today at about 48 degrees as I type...
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Recipe - Pasta with Artichoke and Olives
Thursday night supper was delicious!
I snagged a recipe from Mika's Pantry that sounded so simple and tasty. She has 5 easy meals listed there--check them out!
What you need:
8 oz. pasta, cooked and drained (I had an open box of large elbow noodles, Penne works, too)
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with oregano and basil
6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, including marinade, diced
2.5 oz. can sliced olives, drained (or do what I did: 1 whole can olives, slice them 1/2 of them, munch on the rest...)
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese (oops, we forgot to buy that...it would have been SO good...)
In a saucepan, combine tomatoes, diced artichoke hearts with liquid, and olives. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour over cooked pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve!
Leave a little space on your plate for a slice of bread.
We all LOVED this meal! Even though a cold has been messing with his flavor-tasters lately, kiddo stamped his approval, too!
I snagged a recipe from Mika's Pantry that sounded so simple and tasty. She has 5 easy meals listed there--check them out!
What you need:
8 oz. pasta, cooked and drained (I had an open box of large elbow noodles, Penne works, too)
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with oregano and basil
6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, including marinade, diced
2.5 oz. can sliced olives, drained (or do what I did: 1 whole can olives, slice them 1/2 of them, munch on the rest...)
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese (oops, we forgot to buy that...it would have been SO good...)
In a saucepan, combine tomatoes, diced artichoke hearts with liquid, and olives. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour over cooked pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve!
We all LOVED this meal! Even though a cold has been messing with his flavor-tasters lately, kiddo stamped his approval, too!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tutorials
Tutorials are one of the best things about sharing craft ideas and recipes in the blogosphere, right? T is for Tutorials.
There aren't many here at In the Loop, but here's a compilation of what I have:
Chain Link Scarf
Curly-Q or Curlicue Scarf
Iris Folding - Paper Craft
Bead Crochet Rope Step-By-Step Tutorial
Refried Beans
Chicago Style Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza
Oreo Truffles, known around here as Bloodshot Eyeballs (2nd attempt was much prettier)
I think that's all I have. Did I miss any?
Let me know if you've tried any of these things! I'd love to see pictures.
There aren't many here at In the Loop, but here's a compilation of what I have:
Chain Link Scarf
Curly-Q or Curlicue Scarf
Iris Folding - Paper Craft
Bead Crochet Rope Step-By-Step Tutorial
Refried Beans
Chicago Style Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza
Oreo Truffles, known around here as Bloodshot Eyeballs (2nd attempt was much prettier)
I think that's all I have. Did I miss any?
Let me know if you've tried any of these things! I'd love to see pictures.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Bloodshot Eyeballs, aka Oreo Truffles
By request, here's my take on the popular Oreo Truffle recipe.
Start with a package of sandwich cookies, any flavor. Wouldn't peanut butter ones be yummy? I think I'm going to try the mint ones next time I make them.
You'll need 35 cookies.
One 8 oz. brick of cream cheese, room temperature for easy combining
Almond bark or baking chocolate
Holiday appropriate sprinkles or colored sugar
Place cookies in food processor in about 3 batches; crumble completely. You can always put them in a Ziploc bag to bash them, but I didn't want to spend the time or make the noise. The food processor gave me even crumb texture, too. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm an Even-Crumb-Texture Snob. OK, that's not true. I don't think I've ever been accused of that. But it sounds like a fun thing to be!
Let's get back to the recipe.
Mix the crumbs with the cream cheese until they are all incorporated. I'm not sure, but I might try using my mixer next time for this step. It was making my hands extremely sore using a fork since it takes quite a while to get all the crumbs incorporated.
Roll the mixture into small balls. I liked them being small enough to be bite-sized, but do whatever size you like. They are pretty rich.
Place the tray in the refrigerator to stay firm before dipping in melted chocolate.
Melt the chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave. The double-boiler method has always been the easiest for me since it stays soft no matter how long the dipping takes.
Dip cookie ball into chocolate and place on waxed paper.
Decorate immediately with holiday sprinkles (if desired) and return to fridge to set.
Ta da! Enjoy!
ps--I was told that I fooled the baker in the crowd because she was convinced that there was no way these were made out of Oreos because they weren't grainy. Rachel told her they were cookies, but the baker was convinced they were cake. Don't you love food that surprises you (in a good way)?
You'll need 35 cookies.
One 8 oz. brick of cream cheese, room temperature for easy combining
Almond bark or baking chocolate
Holiday appropriate sprinkles or colored sugar
Place cookies in food processor in about 3 batches; crumble completely. You can always put them in a Ziploc bag to bash them, but I didn't want to spend the time or make the noise. The food processor gave me even crumb texture, too. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm an Even-Crumb-Texture Snob. OK, that's not true. I don't think I've ever been accused of that. But it sounds like a fun thing to be!
Let's get back to the recipe.
Mix the crumbs with the cream cheese until they are all incorporated. I'm not sure, but I might try using my mixer next time for this step. It was making my hands extremely sore using a fork since it takes quite a while to get all the crumbs incorporated.
Roll the mixture into small balls. I liked them being small enough to be bite-sized, but do whatever size you like. They are pretty rich.
Place the tray in the refrigerator to stay firm before dipping in melted chocolate.
Melt the chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave. The double-boiler method has always been the easiest for me since it stays soft no matter how long the dipping takes.
Dip cookie ball into chocolate and place on waxed paper.
Decorate immediately with holiday sprinkles (if desired) and return to fridge to set.
ps--I was told that I fooled the baker in the crowd because she was convinced that there was no way these were made out of Oreos because they weren't grainy. Rachel told her they were cookies, but the baker was convinced they were cake. Don't you love food that surprises you (in a good way)?
Friday, February 11, 2011
What I've been doing today
When I woke up this morning, I decided I was going to make a loaf of bread. I'm willing to admit and embrace the fact that what I am about to say makes me unfit to be called a woman. It was nice knowing you, just the same. I hope you come back to visit me sometime.
I love to use my breadmaker. *gasp!* One of our favorite recipes is Honey Oatmeal bread.
Check! Yum.
On Wednesday, I started soaking some kidney beans to make chili on Thursday. We didn't expect for sickness to sweep through, so I didn't have that extra can of tomato sauce I needed. Oh well. I decided to mostly cook them anyway, then run out to the store for medicine and tomato sauce. Started that up this morning to hang out in the Crock Pot all day.
Check! Also, very delicious.
After lunch, it was time to start putting together my Oreo Truffles for a Bridal Shower tomorrow.
Here's after the final step just before supper:
Hmmm. Not quite as pretty as I hoped. That doesn't scream "love," it screams, "Why is she feeding us bloodshot eyeballs?" Good heavens, everyone else's cutesy things end up looking so much cuter than mine! Oh well, I'll take them anyway. At this point, I'm assuming they'll be yummy, but I have to make sure I have enough before tasting one. Although, what woman in her right mind would take something to feed other people that she's never tasted herself? (Yep, that would be me...)
So that's what I've been up to today amidst valiant efforts to get hubby back to health. =( Blech.
I love to use my breadmaker. *gasp!* One of our favorite recipes is Honey Oatmeal bread.
Check! Yum.
On Wednesday, I started soaking some kidney beans to make chili on Thursday. We didn't expect for sickness to sweep through, so I didn't have that extra can of tomato sauce I needed. Oh well. I decided to mostly cook them anyway, then run out to the store for medicine and tomato sauce. Started that up this morning to hang out in the Crock Pot all day.
After lunch, it was time to start putting together my Oreo Truffles for a Bridal Shower tomorrow.
So that's what I've been up to today amidst valiant efforts to get hubby back to health. =( Blech.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Chicago Style Pizza
With permission, I swiped this tutorial that hubby posted on our family blog a while back. After Em told us about her delicious visit to Giordano's, I figured I'd share this fairly simple recipe to make your own Chicago Style Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza at home!
Want to make yourself some awesome pizza? Follow along carefully (or not) and you’ll soon know how to make Chicago-Style stuffed pizza. Of course, this is my method, and you’ll find there are lots of methods for doing this style of pizza.
First, you need to get yourself some ingredients.
Yup, my method is not “pick up the phone and call Edwardo’s”. Here you have the ingredients for 2 kinds of pizza. I made a sausage, mushroom, and onion pizza and a pepperoni, onion, and green pepper pizza. If red and yellow bell peppers are priced well, they are a great option, too!
First step: Prepare the ingredients. I like to have all the veggies chopped and meat cooked (if needed), before I start on the dough. You can cook your onions and bell peppers if you want a softer veggie in your pizza or throw them in raw if you like a little bite and some fresh taste.
Bob Evan’s Italian Sausage and red onion. Mmmmmm….look at the steam…can you smell it?
Pizza sauce? Make your own! I like to use tomato sauce (Contadina has the best flavor for pizza, in my opinion, but we had the good old Food Club in the house) and season it how you like.
This time I picked Paul Prudhomme’s Magic seasoning. It really is a good blend for pizza. It has some brown sugar in it, so it sweetens the sauce a little bit.
Some mood music is always nice. This day we got “goofy toddler thinks he’s Jimmy Hendrix”.
Here’s my shortcut. I’m sure anyone from Chicago name Gino would not approve, so please don’t tell on me. I have found that the frozen pizza dough from the grocery store works really well. You’ll need two dough-balls for each pizza. Roll one out large enough to sit down in the pan and overlap the side a little bit. The second needs to be just a little larger than the top of your pan to be able to lay it on top of all of the ingredients. This is definitely a “pizza pie”!
Dough #1 is done and filled with a layer of mozzarella cheese, then your ingredients, then a little more cheese on top. The pan I use is a Pampered Chef deep-dish baking stone. Make sure to rub a thin layer of olive oil on the pan for easy removal when it’s done baking. Most restaurants use a metal deep-dish pizza pan.
Lay the second dough on top, roll the edges of both doughs together, and coat the edge of the dough with olive oil.
The sauce goes on top! Yes, you heard me right. Keep that sauce out of the inside and cover the top with it. I like to garnish mine with the diced green onion.
Stick it in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, and voila! That’s one perfectly baked Chicago Style stuffed pizza.
(Mindy back now) Well, I guess this constitutes being a guest-poster! I'll make sure he puts it on his resume ...that I hope we won't have to use for a long time.
A few ideas for variations for you:
We've used our bread maker for the pizza dough a couple of times. This works well if you plan ahead for the time it will take to rise properly (in our machine, about 1 hour 40 minutes total).
We have also found that we like Dei Fratelli Presto! Pizza Sauce as a pre-made substitute. It has very good flavors and seasoning.
Garnish the top with a couple sliced black olives instead of green onions to differentiate between which ingredients you've used in which pizza.
I really hope you try it. It was a little intimidating the first time around, but it is definitely worth it! And practice makes perfect, right? Yum...
Want to make yourself some awesome pizza? Follow along carefully (or not) and you’ll soon know how to make Chicago-Style stuffed pizza. Of course, this is my method, and you’ll find there are lots of methods for doing this style of pizza.
First, you need to get yourself some ingredients.
Yup, my method is not “pick up the phone and call Edwardo’s”. Here you have the ingredients for 2 kinds of pizza. I made a sausage, mushroom, and onion pizza and a pepperoni, onion, and green pepper pizza. If red and yellow bell peppers are priced well, they are a great option, too!
First step: Prepare the ingredients. I like to have all the veggies chopped and meat cooked (if needed), before I start on the dough. You can cook your onions and bell peppers if you want a softer veggie in your pizza or throw them in raw if you like a little bite and some fresh taste.
Bob Evan’s Italian Sausage and red onion. Mmmmmm….look at the steam…can you smell it?
Pizza sauce? Make your own! I like to use tomato sauce (Contadina has the best flavor for pizza, in my opinion, but we had the good old Food Club in the house) and season it how you like.
This time I picked Paul Prudhomme’s Magic seasoning. It really is a good blend for pizza. It has some brown sugar in it, so it sweetens the sauce a little bit.
Some mood music is always nice. This day we got “goofy toddler thinks he’s Jimmy Hendrix”.
Here’s my shortcut. I’m sure anyone from Chicago name Gino would not approve, so please don’t tell on me. I have found that the frozen pizza dough from the grocery store works really well. You’ll need two dough-balls for each pizza. Roll one out large enough to sit down in the pan and overlap the side a little bit. The second needs to be just a little larger than the top of your pan to be able to lay it on top of all of the ingredients. This is definitely a “pizza pie”!
Dough #1 is done and filled with a layer of mozzarella cheese, then your ingredients, then a little more cheese on top. The pan I use is a Pampered Chef deep-dish baking stone. Make sure to rub a thin layer of olive oil on the pan for easy removal when it’s done baking. Most restaurants use a metal deep-dish pizza pan.
Lay the second dough on top, roll the edges of both doughs together, and coat the edge of the dough with olive oil.
The sauce goes on top! Yes, you heard me right. Keep that sauce out of the inside and cover the top with it. I like to garnish mine with the diced green onion.
Stick it in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, and voila! That’s one perfectly baked Chicago Style stuffed pizza.
(Mindy back now) Well, I guess this constitutes being a guest-poster! I'll make sure he puts it on his resume ...that I hope we won't have to use for a long time.
A few ideas for variations for you:
We've used our bread maker for the pizza dough a couple of times. This works well if you plan ahead for the time it will take to rise properly (in our machine, about 1 hour 40 minutes total).
We have also found that we like Dei Fratelli Presto! Pizza Sauce as a pre-made substitute. It has very good flavors and seasoning.
Garnish the top with a couple sliced black olives instead of green onions to differentiate between which ingredients you've used in which pizza.
I really hope you try it. It was a little intimidating the first time around, but it is definitely worth it! And practice makes perfect, right? Yum...
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