Grilled Pizzas

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

The only thing that can be improved with this recipe is the pizza sauce. We used store bought sauce and it was lacking in flavor. We also think next time we will mix in some Penzey's Italian Seasoning into the dough. The dough recipe is from eating well and the toppings were Brian's creation.

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, (105-115°F)
1 package active dry yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup bread flour, or all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

Pizza Toppings

Italian Sausage
Tomatoes
Mozzarella Cheese
Mushrooms
Spinach
Pizza Sauce

Directions

Dough

1. Stir water, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl; let stand until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in whole-wheat flour, bread flour (or all-purpose flour) and cornmeal until the dough begins to come together.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, mix the dough in a Kitchen Aid Mixer with bread hook. Process until it forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.)

3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. (To make individual pizzas, see Variation.) Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Individual variation: The dough can be turned into 4 or 6 personal-size pizzas. After kneading, divide the dough into 4 or 6 equal balls. Brush with oil and place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Roll each portion into a 6-to-8-inch circle.

Grilling the Pizzas

1. Prepare the grill for high direct heat. Prepare a small bowl with olive oil for greasing the grill grates and for brushing the pizza. Prepare the toppings so they are ready to go on the pizza.

2. Once the grill is hot (you can hold your hands an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds), brush olive oil onto the grates. Slide the pizza dough onto the grates and close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes.

3. After 2 minutes, open the grill and check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned.

4. Once the pizza dough has browned lightly on one side, remove it from the grill. Use a spatula to flip the dough over so that the grilled side is now up. Put your toppings on the grilled side of the pizza and slide back onto the grill. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the bottom begins to char. Move the pizza to the side (indirect heat) until the cheese starts to bubble.

5. Pull off the grate and let rest for a couple minutes before cutting into slices.

Watermelon Lemonade

 Photo from Oopsey Daisy

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

It is starting to get HOT here in Boise! This drink was incredibly refreshing and only took seconds to mix up. It is a tad heavy on the sugar side, but I am sure you could find a sugar-free lemonade mix. Thank you to Positively Splendid.

Ingredients

2 cups of chopped watermelon
1/3 cup Country Time lemonade powder
1 1/3 cup water
2/3 cup ice

Directions

Put the ingredients in a blender and mix.

This made about 2-3 glasses of lemonade and held up well in the fridge overnight.

Avocado Ranch Sauce

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

I was tired of the same old toppings on my hamburgers, so when I saw this on Rachael Ray I knew I had to give it a try. I changed it up a bit but here is the link to the original post.

Ingredients

1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
A few squirts of Ranch dressing
A few squirts of Tabasco sauce (We used Sriracha sauce)
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and serve on top of a hamburger in place of the ketchup, mayo, and mustard.

Twice Baked French Fries

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

We had a huge bag of Idaho potatoes that we needed to finish, so I started testing all sorts of french fry recipes. This one from Rachael Ray was the PERFECT combination of seasoning and crunchiness.

Ingredients

4 starchy medium Idaho potatoes
Olive Oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Optional flavorings (we used Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange a cooling or wire racks over a baking sheet.

2. Peel potatoes lengthwise, living a patch of the skin on each end of the potatoes. Cut each potato into very thin fries lengthwise no more than 1/4-inch thick -- the thinner they are the crispier the end product will be.

3. In a large bowl, dress the fries very lightly with EVOO – a couple of turns of the bowl ought to do the trick. Season with salt and pepper, and arrange fries in single layer without crowding either baking sheet.

4. Place fries in oven and roast 30 minutes. Remove fries and increase heat to 425°F. Toss fries in large bowl again with seasonings. Return fries to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until very crisp and brown.

Shrimp Po Boy Pitas

 Photo from Rachael Ray

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

This was a quick, healthy and filling spring recipe. We substituted the heavy bread with whole wheat pitas, but other than that we followed the Rachael Ray recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound medium shrimp, peeeled and deveined
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons creole seasoning (we used Old Bay)
Salt
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Two 12-inch baguettes—halved crosswise, each half split and excess bread dug out
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

Directions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high. In a bowl, combine the shrimp, olive oil and creole seasoning. (If the seasoning is unsalted, add a pinch of salt.) In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons water, stirring until smooth.

2. Lay the baguettes open on plates. Layer with the lettuce, bell pepper, tomatoes and scallions.

3. Add the seasoned shrimp to the grill, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook, covered, until just opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes more. Arrange the shrimp on top of the vegetables and drizzle with the mayo-mustard sauce.

Whole Wheat Waffles

Rating: 4 out of 5

We got a fabulous waffle maker from Brian's mom (thank you!!) so we can now leggo our eggos whenever we want! This recipe is courtesy of Tammy's Recipes and was a breeze to whip up. The even better part, I put the batter in the fridge for a day and finished cooking the waffles without any problems. My freezer is now stocked and ready for a week of toasty warm waffles.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients and then add to dry, stirring just until moistened.

3. Cook on pre-heated waffle iron until waffles are browned and test done.

Salmon Salad Wraps

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

This was a perfect, light and fast spring dinner and would make an even better lunch. The original recipe from Rachel Ray was intended to be a salad, but I thought it tasted even better in a wrap. In the future, I would add tomatoes and reduce the amount of olive oil (I preferred the lemony seasoning more than the oil taste).

Ingredients
 
3/4 pound skinless salmon fillets
1 large cucumber—peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large red bell pepper—stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the salmon in a medium baking dish and bake, covered, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let stand until cool.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, scallions and lemon with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

3. Add the baked salmon, flaking the meat with a fork, and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Cinco De Mayo Feast

Rating 4.75 out of 5

I have finally recovered from my Cinco de Mayo food coma. The only thing missing from this meal were sopapillas. I used a variety of sources to make my ultimate dinner so here is the breakdown:

1. Horchata (it is dangerous how easy and tasty this drink is)
2. Mexican Rice
3. Creamy Chicken Taquitos (I will be stocking our freezer with these soon)
  
Horchata Ingredients and Directions

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

5 cups water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar

1. Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute.

2. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.

3. Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice.

4. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water.

5. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

Mexican Rice Ingredients and Directions

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes.

3. Stir in the cheese and transfer to a serving bowl. 


Creamy Chicken Taquitos Ingredients and Directions

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salsa
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

3. Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-3o seconds. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet.

4. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. (You may be tempted to skip the sprinkle of salt, but it really adds a nice touch.)

(To freeze before baking, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos 30-60 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To bake from the freezer, simply add a few additional minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through.)

5. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Avocado Hummus

 Photo is from Kraft

Rating: 3 out of 5

I wanted a healthy snack to eat after my lunch so I decided to make my own hummus. I looked online at a variety of recipes and came up with this combination. It has a great flavor and is super yummy on a pita, but the consistency is slightly different than store-bought hummus.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced avocado
3 slices of hot peppers (or one finely diced jalapeno)
2 tablespoons of cilantro

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency.

Shrimp and Corn Pasta

 Photo is from The Cottage Home

Rating 4.75 out of 5

Using the same ingredients and process as the previous recipe, you can make a tasty pasta that really tastes completely different. Brian, loved this one, hence the high rating.  Again, this recipe is from The Cottage Home.

Ingredients

Shrimp

1 lb. raw shrimp, shells on

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 limes

Corn Relish

 

1 bag frozen corn (or several ears fresh with kernels removed if in season)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Extras

 

1 red onion, sliced

Pasta

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or any shape you like)

1 package grape tomatoes

Olive oil

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

 

2. Place leftover corn relish, grilled onions, and grape tomatoes on a large baking sheet (note: the first night I made a double-batch of the corn relish so I just had to marinade the shrimp and onions on the second night). Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  

 

3. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until grape tomatoes start to get wrinkly and corn starts to get a little color.

4. Meanwhile, cut up your shrimp into small pieces.  Once you remove your corn and tomato mixture from the oven, add your shrimp to the baking sheet - this will warm them up without cooking them any further.

5. Drain pasta.  Add all the contents from the cookie sheet into the pasta.  Make sure to scrape up all the little brown bits (this gives the great roasted flavor).  Add your Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste).

 

Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 

Throw some shrimp on the barbie! This is option one of two for a tasty shrimp and corn combination. I love the idea of making extra one night and being able to use the leftovers in a completely different way you don't even realize it was the same ingredients. Talk about more bang for your buck. The recipes are courtesy of The Cottage Home.

Ingredients

Shrimp

 

1 lb. raw shrimp, shells on

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 limes

Corn Relish

 

1 bag frozen corn (or several ears fresh with kernels removed if in season)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Extras

1 red onion, sliced (we didn't use this)

Pineapple, cubed - fresh or canned chunks (we didn't use this)

Rice, of your choice (we baked garlic bread instead)

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients under "shrimp" to make a marinade/paste for the shrimp.  If you are doing the optional onions, reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade.  Add shrimp to marinade and let sit for 20 minutes before grilling.  You do not want to over marinate shrimp.  The acid from the lime juice will start to cook the shrimp ever so slightly and if you marinate them all day then you can end up with some tough, over cooked shrimp.

2. Drizzle the remaining marinade over your sliced red onions.

 

3. Optional: Cube pineapple or used canned pineapple chunks.  

 

4. Defrost your frozen corn and combine all ingredients under "corn relish".  Allow flavors to come together.  This can be made up to a day ahead of time.

5. Heat up your grill.  Add the onions, then the shrimp and finally the pineapple once the grill is hot.  The shrimp should take approximately 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side), but the onions will take a bit longer.  If you are doing a kabob, just put everything on the grill all together.

 

Philly Cheesesteaks with Parmesan Sauce

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

There are a few things I miss from the south/east coast and a good Philly Cheesesteak is one of them (crab legs are another!). The recipe from the Recipe Shoebox sounded easy and tasty, but I decided to kick up the cheese factor with a garlic black pepper parmesan cheese sauce from Stirring the Pot (PS - if you want a recipe for a sirloin burger, the link has one that sounds great but I haven't made it yet).   

Ingredients

Cheesesteaks

3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs. boneless sirloin steak
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
paprika, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. butter
5-6 sandwich rolls (crusty rolls are good)
5-6 slices of Provolone, Swiss, mozzarella, or muenster cheese

Cheese Sauce

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

 

Directions

 

1. In hot oil (or on grill) brown the outside of the steak without cooking through. After browning cut steak into thin slices. Reheat oil (adding more if needed) in large skillet on medium heat; add thinly sliced steak. Season with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

 

2. A minute or two before the steak is done cooking add the peppers and onions to the skillet, sauteing just until steak is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.

 

3. Place a small pot over medium heat with the butter.  Add the garlic to the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute.  

 

4. Add the flour to the pan and cook for 1 minute more.  Season with salt and the coarse black pepper.  

 

5. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble.  Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the grated cheese.

 

6. Split each roll and spread each half with butter, then toast lightly (either in oven or on grill). 

 

7. When bread is toasted top rolls with meat mixture, cheese, and cheese sauce; wrap tightly in foil. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until thoroughly heated.