Grape, Mozzarella, and Pinenut Pizza

Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Source: http://honestfare.com/grape-pecoro-romano-pine-nut-flatbread/

Ingredients
1 ball pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
¾ cup red seedless grapes halved
¾ cup mozzarella
2 sprigs diced fresh rosemary (or a few sprinkles of dried)
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Light sprinkle red pepper flakes
Sliced deli ham or prosciutto (optional) (we did salami)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Cut your grapes in half. Slice fresh mozzarella into thin pieces. Cut or tear slices of salami. Toast pine nuts on a pan on low heat, tossing frequently, until they’re toasted golden brown. Set aside.
3. Roll out your first fist-sized ball of pizza dough as thin as possible without tearing. Place it on a baking sheet that’s sprinkled with a little flour or semolina so it doesn’t stick. Repeat with remaining dough. (I just sprayed it with cooking spray).
4. Dice rosemary. Combine olive oil, rosemary and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Slater top of dough with it using a brush or back of a spoon. Bake until dough begins to puff up and bottom is toasted golden brown. Remove from oven. (I didn't bake at this step)
5. Apply generous layer of cheese(s). Place grapes (cut side down) with about ½ inch space between. Apply ham and black pepper. Bake until grapes blister and crust become firm and crispy.
6. Remove from oven and add toasted pine nuts (and optional red pepper flakes) while flatbread is still piping hot.

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.

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.

Fresh Salsa

Rating: Too HOT for you! 
4.5 out of 5

Okay, I am not the salsa maker in the family. However, Brian didn't have time to make the salsa before going on a business trip and the veggies were going to spoil. Not knowing what I was doing, I chopped, tossed, and mixed my way into a HOT salsa. We now have five bags of salsa in our freezer (who needs jarred salsa anyway!).

Ingredients

7 Roma Tomatoes
1 can of petite chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 white onion
5 hot peppers
5 garlic cloves
1 lime

Directions

Roughly chop all the ingredients (except the lime). Toss together and squeeze the lime juice over the salsa. 
Directions

Grandma's Meatballs

Rating: 5 out of 5

My official rater is out of town, so I get to give this our very first PERFECT score. If he disagrees he can have a talk with grandma. I love these meatballs so much I decided to make a double batch and freeze nearly 40 saucy balls (that's a reference to the America's Next Great Restaurant). This time I ate them as a meatball sub but they would be great as an appetizer or on some noodles. Mmm....

Ingredients

2 lbs Italian sausage
1 egg
1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/2 Red Onion
10 oz of Sweet Chili Sauce
18 oz of Grape Jelly

Directions

1. Mix together the sausage, egg, onion and bread crumbs. Form the meat mixture into ping pong ball sized meatballs (yes, that is my technical term).

2. Combine the chili sauce and jelly in a slow cooker. Add the meatballs and cook on low for 6 hours.

3. Smell the excellence for a few hours and then serve warm once cooked through.

Focaccia

Rating 4.75 out of 5

This was a combination of two recipes (NBC and Taste of Home) and it was yummy in my tummy. It was super fast, tasty, and very minimal dishes. I highly recommend this one, especially if you need a side dish or a compliment to a salad. This is basically a pizza without the sauce and cheese (but don't worry it is super delicious minus those two vital ingredients).

Ingredients

1 15 oz. bag pizza dough
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (We used Penzey's Tuscan Sunset)
3 tablespoons olive oil blend
Handful of sliced mushrooms
Handful of pepperoni
Handful of chopped green peppers
Handful of chopped onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle to fit a 9 x 13 glass bakeware dish. Using a fork poke dents into the dough.

3. In a small bowl mix together the Italian seasoning mix and oil. Brush herbed oil mix all over top of the dough.

4. Top with veggies.

5. Place in oven and bake in glass bakeware dish for 20-25 minutes until focaccia is golden brown. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Artichoke Bread

Rating 4.5 out of 5

This week was my first week test driving freezer recipes. I figured with Brian traveling and a baby on the way, I should start stocking my freezer with some dinners. My plan is to make a few each month and try them freshly-made and out of the freezer while Brian is gallivanting around. First up, I started with a tasty side dish or lunch option -- artichoke bread. The recipe is from Once a Month Mom and it tasted great fresh (not sure what it will be like out of the freezer yet).

Ingredients

1 loaf french bread
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Slice bread. Turn on broiler.

2. In a bowl, combine drained artichokes, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Spread evenly over sliced bread. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

3. Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Freezer Directions


Prepare as directed above but DO NOT broil. Instead, place on a cookie sheet and flash freeze, then place in a freezer bag, label, and return to freezer. To serve: Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Peppery Monterey Jack Pasta Salad

Rating 4 out of 5

I slightly disagree with the rating, but that's what the official rater gave this dish. I enjoyed the simplicity and agree if you use salami (it is on my no-can-do list) and maybe a sharper more flavorful cheese it would be a higher rated dish.  The recipe is courtesy of the Well-Fed Newlyweds.

Ingredients

8 oz. uncooked Israeli couscous or other small pasta shape (we used quinoa)
2 1/4 cups plum tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced jarred banana peppers (I didn't care for these)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (you may want to switch with a sharper cheese)
1 oz. salami, chopped (we used canned chicken, I would recommend the salami)
15 oz. can navy beans, rinsed and drained (we used Great Northern beans)
1 clove garlic, minced (or more to taste)
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. salt (use 1/4 tsp. if using kosher salt or sea salt)
 
Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.

3. Gently stir in the pasta until well combined. (A rubber spatula works well for this.)

4. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Avocado and Shrimp Salad

Rating 4.25 out of 5

Food on the Table had a very simple "salad" that I wanted to try out as a topping on crostinis and a salad topping.  This was super quick, healthy, and uses fresh veggies. Unfortunately, I gobbled it down before I could take a picture (I was STARVING), but I'm sure you can picture what it looked like.

Ingredients
 
2 avocados - peeled, pitted, and cubed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 (pound) small shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved
salt and pepper, to taste
2 (tablespoon) lime juice
1 baguette (for the crostinis) or handful of spinach (for a salad) 


Directions

1. In a medium pan, saute shrimp and onion (if you don't like raw onions) in a small amout of olive oil until opaque, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

2. Stir together avocadoes, tomatoes, onion, and shrimp in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in lime juice.

3. If serving on bread, put the sliced bread on a cookie sheet and brush with a little olive oil. Broil on low for a few minutes until toasted.

4. Serve cold on crostinis or on a bed of spinach.

French Peasant Bread

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

This is a simple recipe (no kneading) for homemade bread. It is perfect for soaking up pasta sauce and tomato soups! The recipe makes two loaves so I froze one after baking and hopefully it tastes as yummy as the first loaf. I found the recipe on the Recipe Shoebox.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. dry, quick rising yeast
2 cups warm water
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Olive oil or PAM spray (for greasing the pan)
Corn meal (for pan)
1/4 cup butter, melted (for brushing over top before and after baking)

Instructions

1. Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved.

2. Add flour and stir until blended, but do NOT knead.

3. Cover and let rise one hour or until double in size.  (NOTE: It only took about 30-40 mins for mine to double in size)

4. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 roughly equal rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal.  Let rise an additional hour.

5. Brush the tops and sides of the rounds with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Remove from oven and brush tops and sides of rounds again with melted butter. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Gazpacho with Avocado

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

To kickoff my new blog, I tried my first recipe from The Amazing Avocado. It was incredibly fast (under 30 mins to chop) and tasted absolutely fresh--it had the consistency and taste of homemade salsa. Overall, it was a great teaser to Spring/Summer, but next time we will serve it as an appetizer before a BBQ dinner.

The original recipe is below with my notes/changes in Italics.

Ingredients
Soup
1 1/2 LB tomatoes, cored (but not peeled)
1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 red onion
1/2 red pepper *I forgot to add!
2 radishes (medium sized)
1 stalk celery *Yuck, I omitted
1/4 cup picked parsley leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sherry vinegar
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 dashes of Sriracha sauce

Mousse
1 Hass Avocado from Mexico
1 shallot, grated *Omitted
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of chopped cilantro *Omitted
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Soup

1. Prep the vegetables - core out the tomatoes, peel and seed the cucumber, top and tail the radishes, etc.

2. Cut them in to medium sized chunks that will fit through the feed tube of a meat grinder. *I used a food processor.

3. Set up your meat grinder with the medium sized disk (if you have used it for meat, be sure that the parts have been thoroughly washed and sanitized). *Omitted

4. Slowly feed the vegetables through the grinder to a bowl below (it might splash out the side a bit – so have a towel handy!)

5. Season the puree with the salt, vinegar, olive oil, and black pepper.

6. Taste, and adjust if necessary. Chill until cold.

7. Best used the same day that it’s made.

Mousse (see my notes below)

1. Peel the Hass Avocado and place in a small bowl and mash it with a fork.

2. Add the grated shallot, sour cream and cilantro and whisk to combine. Season with a pinch of salt.

3. To serve: ladle cold Gazpacho into chilled bowls. Garnish with the Avocado mousse.

I didn't make the mousse. I sliced the avocado and placed them around the rim of my bowl and topped the gazpacho with a dollop of sour cream.