Caprese Pizza - My way

See the post about pizza crust and then add my favorite ingredients.


1. Slice Tomatoes
2. Fresh basil compliments of Kim
3. Mozzarella (the good kind)
4. Parmigiano (the good kind)
5. Splash of Balsamic Vinaigrette, Salt, & Pepper.

And, voila

Ugly Dip - Guest Recipe from Ms. Sara

Sara, a dear friend from work makes this amazingly ugly and devilishly delicious dip. I made it twice this past weekend!

Ugly Dip
~Looks ugly, tastes pretty great

1 Roll regular or hot sausage
1 can Rotel (Do NOT drain)
2 pkgs Cream Cheese
Red Pepper Flakes to add heat (optional)

Brown meat, drain grease.  Add Rotel and Cream Cheese.  Warm through.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Doubles easily

Tip: It will take about an hour and a half to warm in a crock pot

Grandma Betty's Manicotti Recipe

A few weekends ago Becky Smith, the future Mrs. Colglazier, & I whipped together a last minute dinner for Jordan and Scott as we waited for them to return from Boston.

Manicotti

INGREDIENTS
Package of Manicotti noodles
- Filling & Topping -
1/4 c fresh ground parmesan
1 lb. ricotta
1/2 lb mozzarella
2 eggs
salt & pepper
1 pkg chopped frozen Spinach (cooked & drained)*
- Sauce -
1 lb ground beef
oregano - italian seasoning
1/2 c onion
2 cloves garlic
#2 can tomatoes - 2 1/2 cups
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato paste*
1/3 t black pepper
1 1/2 t salt

DIRECTIONS
Cook sauce on top of stove for about 45 min. (Brown meat with onions and garlic then add remaining ingredients) Cook manicotti shells 8-10 min. Rinse in cold water - fill with mixture. Pour half meat sauce into 12 x 7 1/2 baking dish arrange manicotti. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 Parmesan chese on top - bake 350 degree 30-35 min .




Tips: The tomato paste in the sauce is optional - I add it because I like a thicker consistency. We also skip the spinach - Jordan hates cooked green leaves.

Autumn Chicken Cacciatore Menu - from cooksillustrated.com

Life has been crazy busy for the last 7 wks. SO I haven't gotten to cook all that often. But, here is a wonderful dish I made Tuesday right after work for the in-laws and our good friend Scott Kline.

I was lucky enough to have my Great-grandmother Carrie's Dutch Oven. There is something magical about cooking in an heirloom cast iron.

It was delicious. And, took about 30 min of 'cooking' and 45 of simply simmering. The dressing was quickly made the night before, and the apples were SO easy. If I did it all again I wouldn't forget the sage and I'd be sure to cook the apples for a good hour so they were good and soft.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Wait Time: 40-60 (let the pot simmer, and apples bake)
Cook Time: 30 (browning, mixing, etc)

Autumn Chicken Cacciatore Menu - http://tiny.cc/cacciatore
TIPS: Make sure your apples are baked until soft.

Amazing thin crust pizza on the gas grill? - Cooksillustrated Late Summer Menu

This week Jordan and I cooked for some of our friends... unfortunately the pictures did not turn out... but no worries I will be making this dish again soon.

The menu includes:

• Grilled Tuscan Steak with Garlic Essence
• Stuffed Tomatoes with Goat Cheese (we used Blue Cheese), Olives, and Oregano
• Grilled Flatbread
• Fresh Peach Cobbler

The winner of the night was the amazing flat bread -- the dough was a curious Nickelodeon Gak-esc substance. It worried me and my guests until it magically turned into the most amazing flat bread ever.

Next time I want to try using one of those thin pizza cutting boards/handled things to slide the dough on the grill.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Wait Time: 90 mins (letting the peaches sit and the bread rise)
Cook Time: 60 min (Peaches first - then the tomatoes, then the steak and then the flat bread)

Late Summer Menu - http://tiny.cc/flatbread


Tips:

Flat Bread: Using all-purpose flour did not ruin the bread & add 1/3 cup whole wheat flour not the listed 1 TLBS. Be careful when putting the thin dough on the grill -- make sure you re-flour so you can gingerly flatten it back out once on the grill (try not to burn yourself)

Stuffed Tomato: Use more olive oil and perhaps use a cheese that melts better.

Dry chicken and AMAZING topping

I wasn't able to brine the chicken quite long enough .. and it could probably have used some more salt. BUT, the topping was AMAZING! I made this dish for my Mom and Uncle Dave last week - Dave is an honest food critic he didn't touch the chicken after just one bite. Of course he is also a lifetime smoker and probably couldn't taste much of anything. I save a plate for my husband who picked around the tomatoes and devoured every morsel of meat, chicken included.

Next time I'll be sure to brine the chicken longer and season it with a heavier hand.

Prep Time: 5 mins + an hour for Brining
Wait Time: 15-20 (while the pasta cooks, be sure to stir often)
Cook Time: 40 mins

Sauteed Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Scallions  - http://tiny.cc/bluecheesechicken
TIPS: Use more bacon - people love bacon.

Squeamish vegetarians/vegans beware…

#1 - Sweet & Savory Lamb, Indian Summer Veggies, & Rice Pudding

I've been quite busy with work, travel, and life in general for the past few weeks. During which, my wonderful husband has had to sustain himself on frozen pizzas, any'tizers, & lunch meat sandwiches. (& beer)

Monday, I made a trip to the butcher's shop near work (http://lekincaidmeats.com/) and purchased hot Italian sausage, flank steak, bone-in ribeyes, lamb chops, roast beef, peppered turkey, horseradish cheddar cheese, provolone, bacon, bacon burgers, Traders Point Creamery yogurt, and a a loaf of bread (all for about $90).

The plan was/is to make at least three great meals before leaving again next week for training, so my husband doesn’t have to live like a frat-boy.

So, here we go -- this is actually meal #1 (the steak tacos were meal #2)

I found the Lamb and Rice Pudding recipe the first week we were married. It was part of cooksillustrated.com's menu selection. The problem was that the closest grocery store did not carry the cut of lamb required. So, I called the butcher to see if they would have what I needed - and they did!

Unfortunatly the lamb may have been a bit over cooked. I thought it was lacking in flavor and I probably won't make it again -- but perhaps it could have been better if I hadn't 'braised' it for so long.

Luckily, the veggies were fantastic and had a great spicy/sweet Indian flavor - Jordan even enjoyed them (which says a lot)!

The pudding was good as well. Neither of us is big on raisins, so next time I might try adding different fruit or maybe some almonds. It also holds well in the fridge overnight.

Prep Time: 15-30 (cutting veggies takes some time)
Wait Time: 30-60 (only if you are going to cool the pudding)
Cook Time: 40-60 (could be less, I used the same pan for the veggies & meat so I could only cook one at a time)

Sweet & Savory Lamb and Rice Pudding - http://tiny.cc/lambrice
Indian Spiced Vegetables - http://tiny.cc/indianvegy
White Rice - http://tiny.cc/limerice

Taco Night

Last night we made delicious homemade tacos. Not the Old El Paso's packet of seasoning on some frozen ground beef. Would I do that?

This week I went to a butchers (http://lekincaidmeats.com/) and bought Flank Steak. I also made 3 trips to the grocery since I kept forgetting to pick up tortillas, cheese, and sour creme.

The tacos were DELICIOUS! Filled with flavors from the lime and cilantro paste. I paired it with a lime/cilantro white rice (Chipotle), homemade salsa, & left over rice pudding for desert.

I've decide to add some 'times' to my blogs -- since i broke up the prep it didn't seem to take too long -- it just depends on how fast you chop, etc. These times include steak, rice, and salsa.

Prep Time: 15-30

Wait Time: 30-60

Cook Time: 30-40

Steak Taco Recipe - http://tiny.cc/steaktacos

One-Min Salsa Recipe - http://tiny.cc/1salsa

White Rice - http://tiny.cc/limerice (I simply followed the directions on a package of long grained white rice. Then squeezed 1/2 a lime into the rice and added 2 Tablespoons of minced Cilantro leaves.

TIP: The salsa is really easy to make -- I used the bullet my sister bought me for Christmas years ago - the clean up is so much easier then using my large food processor. It takes about 3 mins from start to finish.