Real Deal Pizza

For as long as I can remember Friday night has been pizza night at our house. It started with Pizza Hut delivery when my son Brandon was little. I looked so forward to the warm cheesy pizza it even effected how I gave my weekly spelling tests to my students each Friday. I would give students the word to be spelled and then illustrate the word with a sentence that somehow referred to pizza. It was quite a challenge for me as well as both fun and dread for my students. We have gone through many different favorite pizza places over the years, but for quite a while, I've been trying to find pizza recipe that really tastes like one I could get at a good pizza joint.

Yippee! I finally found it on one of my favorite food blogs, Table for Two, by Julie Chiou. The original recipe is from Cooks Illustrated, a highly respected food magazine. This recipe has a couple of important secrets. First, the dough is made cold with ice water and refrigerated for 24 hours before making the pizza. It makes a nice thin dough with crispy edges. The recipe makes enough dough for two 12 inch pizzas. If you only want to make one pizza you can freeze the extra dough. The other secret is a screaming hot pizza stone. Heating the stone for an hour in a 500 degree oven means the pizza cooks quickly and the crust doesn't get too tough. I realized a few things after making this pizza the first time. First, I needed a pizza paddle. With the pizza stone so hot you have to have a way to slide the pizza on to it. I tried sliding it off of a cookie sheet but the dough stuck. I did get it on to the stone but not with out a bit of cursing and a funky looking pizza. Also I realized that I was using too much cheese and not enough sauce which made for a dry topping. Finally, I cooked the pizza way too long and the dough came out tough. My second attempt came out perfect (though I still need a bit of practice transferring the pizza from the paddle to the stone.) This recipe is for pepperoni pizza, but you can of course use the toppings of your choice. Pup Daddy and I have been talking about it all week. I can't wait to eat it again tomorrow night.

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups bread flour

2 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. instant yeast

1 1/3 cup ice water

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cornmeal

 

Topping

1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought

2 cups shredded, whole-milk mozzarella cheese

Pepperoni slices
 

 Directions:

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to combine.

 

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and process until the dough is combined everything is incorporated, about 10 seconds. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

 

Add the salt and vegetable oil and process until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl anymore. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 1 minute on a lightly oiled or floured work surface then transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 3 days. (AFTER the refrigeration process, the dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag, and frozen for later use.)

 

1 hour before making the pizza, preheat oven to 500 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the 2nd highest position. Place your baking stone on top.

 

Remove the pizza dough from the fridge and divide in half. If you plan on freezing the other half of your dough for later use, this is the time to do it.

 

Form your dough into ball and lightly oil it. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

 

Transfer your dough to a floured work space and flatten to an 8-inch disc. Using your hands, gently stretch the dough to a 12-inch circle. You may need your rolling pin at this time to help you get the crust thin.

 

Take the cornmeal and spread it over a pizza peel then place your pizza dough on top. Gently stretch it to 13-inches. Start layering your toppings, leaving a 1-inch border from the edge: marinara sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni.

 

Carefully transfer the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and melted.

 

Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

BBQ Shrimp and Parmesan Grits

Two of my favorite foods, shrimp and grits. They are perfect together which is why they are a southern favorite. For many years Pup Daddy swore he did not like grits. He was completely amazed when we had stone ground grits at The Farmhouse at Serenbe in Georgia. At this tiny farm restaurant everyone gets the same meal and the day we ate there the meal was fried chicken with grits and roasted veggies. He was quite certain he wasn't going to like the grits. What he found out was he had only ever eaten instant grits and that they are nothing like the real thing. Stone ground grits  do take longer to cook, usually about 45 minutes. You can use quick cooking grits if you must, but I don't recommend instant. If you make the grits with milk instead of water they are deliciously creamy!

The BBQ shrimp aren't cooked on the grill and don't have any BBQ sauce in them so I'm not sure where the name comes from. This is a New Orleans recipe that I found on the Food Network website. They are super simple and delicious. You should definitely have some great bread with this meal to sop up the sauce from the shrimp.

Ingredients

Grits
3/4 cup stone ground grits
3 cups milk
3 TB butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Shrimp
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons), rinds reserved and slice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
11/2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 pound (about 30) medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

 

Directions

 

Grits

Put grits in a large bowl and cover with 3 cups of water. Let sit for several minutes to allow any chaff to rise to the top. Remove it with a strainer. Then pour grits and water through the strainer. Put grits in a medium sauce pan with milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer grits for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently until the grits absorb the milk.Add butter and Parmesan. Stir until both are melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Shrimp

Heat a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Add butter, and cook until melted and foamy. Add garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice and rinds. Stir in Worcestershire and hot sauces, and bring to a simmer. Season shrimp with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until pink and firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with pepper.  

Creamy Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

If you like chicken enchiladas, you will love this recipe! It's creamy, tangy and a great way to use up left over chicken. Make the filling with cooked chicken, onions, sour cream, jack cheese, salsa verde and avocados. Top the enchiladas with a cheese sauce made with chicken broth, cream, cream cheese and green chiles. Just bake for about 45 minutes.

You will want to eat the whole enchilada!

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 cups jack cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup prepared salsa verde
1 avocado, sliced
4 large flour tortillas
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz cream cheese
1 can green chiles
salt and pepper

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chicken, onion, sour cream, salsa verde and 1 cup of cheese. Make cheese sauce by heating chicken broth, cream and cream cheese until reduced by about half. Add the other cup of cheese and stir until cheese melts. Add green chilis. Lightly cover the bottom of a 10 X 10 baking dish with cheese sauce. Place on cup of filling in each tortilla, top with 1/4 of avocado and roll up. Put enchiladas in baking dish and cover with remaining cheese sauce. Top baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Let enchiladas cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Big Mac at Home

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles onions on a sesame seed bun! My favorite fast food burger is the Big Mac, but I can't remember the last time I ate one. I only eat fast food out of necessity when I need to eat in my car, and a Big Mac can not be eaten while one is driving. It's way too messy! But, hallelujah, I found the special sauce recipe. You may think that it's just French or Russian dressing, but it is not. The special sauce has a base of mayo and mustard, but also includes onion and garlic powder. When you put it all together this burger is quite tall, so be sure to make your patties very thin. To make it double- decker like the real thing use two bun bottoms. I promise you if you like Big Macs, you will love this messy burger in the privacy of your own home!




Ingredients for 2 Burgers
2/3 lb ground chuck
salt and pepper
4 slices American cheese
1/2 cup chopped onions
6 hamburger dill pickles
Shredded lettuce
2 soft hamburger buns plus 2 more bun bottoms
Special Sauce

Special Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 TB white wine vinegar
1 TB onion powder
1 TB garlic powder
1 TB paprika
2 TB sweet pickle relish

Directions
Combine all Special Sauce ingredients in a small bowl. (Can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.) Make 4 thin burgers with ground chuck. Cook on the flat side of a grill pan or in a frying pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Flip burgers and top each with a slice of cheese. Remove after another 2 - 3 minutes.

To build burgers put Special Sauce on a bun bottom. Top with a burger and onions. Add another bun bottom topped with Special Sauce. Add lettuce, another burger, onions, pickles and bun top.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Yes, we had this for St. Patrick's Day last Sunday, but honestly who doesn't love good corned beef anytime. Other than being delicious, this is like most slow cooker recipes, super simple. Put your corned beef in the slow cooker with the pickling spices in the package. Add one beer and top with some peeled potatoes. If you want cabbage to got with your corned beef and potatoes remove the them  after 8 - 10 hours on low, leaving all the liquid in the slow cooker. Add your cabbage, over with water and cook on high for another hour. Yum!

Ingredients
1 package uncooked corned beef brisket
1 beer
4 -5 five medium potatoes, peeled and halved
1 head cabbage, quartered

Directions
Rinse liquid off corned beef after removing it from packaging. Place in slow cooker. Add pickling spices from package. Pour in beer. Top with potatoes. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours or on high for 4 - 5 hours. Then remove meat and potatoes from slow cooker to an oven proof dish. Put in a 200 degree oven to keep warm. Add cabbage to liquid remaining in slow cooker. Add enough liquid to cover cabbage. Cook on high for another hour. Remove and serve with corned beef and potatoes.

Caesar Salad with Caesar Grilled Chicken

Pup Daddy and I have dabbled in vegetable gardening over the past few years with varying results, mostly poor. This year we finally figured out that in tropical St. Petersburg we needed to start in January, seriously amend our soil, and use drip irrigation on a timer (I have a real problem remembering to water regularly). Voila! It worked. Now I'm searching for ways to use our bumper crop. Right now I need to use lots of Romaine and what better way than Caesar Salad. I'm not kidding you, this was THE BEST Caesar Salad I have ever had, including the those from super fancy restaurants like Bern's Steak house. Even better, it's super easy. You will always want this dressing in your fridge.

I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com. The base for the dressing is mayo rather than raw eggs, which makes sense. Mayo is just raw eggs and oil. And yes, there are anchovies in it. If you have an aversion to them, you'll just have to get over it! You absolutely can not have Caesar Salad without them! If you can't make yourself chop them up, you can buy anchovy paste in a tube and squirt it in.

You can use store bought croutons, but fresh ones are very easy to make. Besides, I always seem to have left over bread to use up. For these croutons I used my favorite Fresh Market bread, Rosemary and Sea Salt, but any bread will do. Brown up some garlic in olive oil. Remove the garlic and add the bread, turning it over when it gets brown. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as soon as you take them out of the pan.

 

For the chicken I marinated bone-in, skin-on thighs in my own Caesar Marinade and cooked it on my gas grill. I love chicken thighs because they have such great flavor and stay moist. You could absolutely use any cut of chicken you like and use your favorite method to cook it.

 

You should seriously try this!!!!

 

Ingredients

 

Chicken

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 TB fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 TB anchovy paste or minced anchovies

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

salt and pepper

 

Salad

6 cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 cup mayonnaise

5 anchovy fillets, minced

6 tablespoonsgrated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil    

4 cups day-old bread, cubed

1 large head of Romaine, torn into bite sized pieces

 

Directions

Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste and Worcestershire. Add chicken and marinate from 1 hour to 8 hours. Grill over direct medium heat for 24 minutes flipping half way through cooking.

 

Mince 3 cloves of garlic, and combine in a small bowl with mayonnaise, anchovies, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into quarters, and add to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, and then remove garlic from pan. Add bread cubes to the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove bread cubes from oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with desired amount of dressing, remaining Parmesan cheese, and seasoned bread cubes. Serve with grilled chicken.

Rosemary Dijon Pork Cutlets

Sometimes there's no great story, it's just a really great dish. This is one of those times. I used pork cutlets because they caught my eye in the grocery store. After a long day on the road I knew they would cook quickly. The sauce is very creamy and the Rosemary, Dijon combination is perfect! This recipe is really more of a method. You could use any protein. Chicken, turkey, steak or even fish would be great. You can also flavor the sauce in a variety of ways. You could add your favorite cheese, herbs, even veggies like mushrooms or sun dried tomatoes. Get creative and give this a try.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 TB seasoning salt
1 lb 1/2 thin pork cutlets
2 TB butter
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 TB fresh rosemary, chopped
1 TB Dijon mustard

Directions
Heat oven to 180 degrees. Combine flour and seasoning salt. Lightly coat pork cutlets in flour mixture. Melt butter over medium high heat in a large skillet. Cook cutlets for about 3 minutes on each side in the skillet. Remove to a oven safe pan and keep warm in the oven while your make the sauce. Deglaze pan with  chicken stock, scraping up brown bits. Add heavy cream and reduce by half or until sauce reaches the thickness you prefer. Add rosemary and Dijon. Serve over pork cutlets.

Potato Turbate - AKA Pinellas County Schools' Shepherd's Pie

I rocked Pup Daddy's world this week. Yep, I made Potato Turbate. Many of you will ask, "What the heck is Potato Turbate?" But those of you who attended Pinellas County Schools know. For some reason the school cafeterias decided to call their Shepherd's Pie recipe Potato Turbate. Everyone I know has fond memories of it. In fact, when I worked for PCS I would be sure to put in my order early in the morning on Potato Turbate day to make sure I got mine. Pup Daddy has such fond memories of lunch in the school cafeteria, he has had a long time dream of opening a restaurant called, "School Food." Customers would line up, pick up their small carton of milk and be served the meal of the day by women in hairnets. Be careful, if you're too slow or talking too much you will get yelled at. Of course, the best meal on School Food's menu...Potato Turbate.

I found this recipe online in an article from the St. Petersburg Times. I tweaked it a bit, and it honestly tasted just like I remember. You should try it for some easy, yummy comfort food!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1 ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2  Tbsp. flour
1  Tbsp water
1/2 cup beef stock
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups mashed potatoes
 1 tsp paprika

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown beef and onions lightly in a saute pan. Drain off and discard fat. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce garlic powder and onion powder to pan. Cook five minutes. Mix flour and water and stir into meat. Add beef stock or beef extract combined with water.

Put ground beef mixture in the bottom of a 9x11 pan. Top with cheese and then potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for ½ hour until lightly browned.

Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup

This past weekend was the coldest of the season this year. Brrrrrr, here in St. Petersburg, Florida the high on Sunday was 54! It was so cold I couldn't wear sandals, which is, of course, in Florida the meter for how cold it is. We wear sandals all year long. Also, of course, cold weather calls for soup and I made one of my very favorites. I had always stayed away from squash or pumpkin soup because I thought they would be sweet like pumpkin pie, but when I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine I decided to give it a try. While it does have apple in it, it's not sweet. It is quite savory and very creamy, but without heavy cream. In fact, the recipe calls for whole milk, but I used 2% and it turned out great. The potato and the squash really thicken it up. The recipe also says to blend the vegetables and apples immediately after you cook them.  If you've tried to blend anything hot, especially with liquid in it you know the steam likes to explode out of the top of the blender. You can do this if you must, but I like to cook them and let them cool for a while before blending. The garnish, prosciutto, fried in butter, just takes
it over the top!

Cold weather or not, you should try this soon!

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 medium apples, thinly sliced

1 large white potato, diced

1 1/2 cups chopped peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup apple cider

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup milk

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

 

Directions

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring, until thickened. Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in batches until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the prosciutto, more cheese and chives, if using. Serve with bread, if desired.

Shrimp Tacos

One of my favorite restaurants in St. Pete is Red Mesa. One of my favorites there is the shrimp tacos. The shrimp are seasoned and grilled. They are topped with a bit of cabbage, pico de gallo and a habanero aioli. Yes, I wish I could get there recipe, but since that hasn't happened yet I just had to make my own version.

I seasoned the shrimp with Siesta Key Spanish Sazon from another of my favorite places in St. Pete, Savory Spice Shop. It was really cold last night so I didn't grill them, but they turned out delicious in a non-stick skillet with a bit of olive oil. I made my own pico de gallo with tomatoes, onions, green pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Instead of habanero  aioli, I made a chipotle mayo, sour cream sauce. I used a little bit of broccoli slaw to give them some crunch.

No, they're not Red Mesa shrimp tacos, but they are delicious.

Ingredients for 4 tacos
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 TB Siesta Key Spanish Sazon or other seasoning blend
4 corn or flour tortillas
1/4 cup cabbage or broccoli slaw

Pico de Gallo
1/2 cup tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper or jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced

Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 TB chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped (to make it less spicy just use the adobo sauce and not the chiles)

Directions
Make pico de gallo and chipotle pepper sauce by combining ingredients.

Heat skillet with 1 TB of olive oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle seasoning blend on both sides of shrimp. Cook shrimp in skillet, 1-2 minutes per side, until they become opaque. Remove from pan. Heat tortillas one at a time for 1-2 minutes.

Assemble tacos with shrimp, slaw, pico de gallo and chipotle pepper sauce.