Pizza Experience

I am a few days behind in my posts.  That seems like the norm this month!  Yes, I have some great recipes to share, no, I haven't had the time to post them.  I do however, want to share a very fun, food with friends night last night.  Friends of ours recently built an outdoor pizza oven.  They had a kick off party to fire it up for the first time.  The guys manning the oven kindly tolerated my many questions on the ins and outs of building it, the process, etc. -HEY, I occasionally was required to hand them a spatula or hold the thermometer, so I was not totally useless!  I won't bore you with all of the details regarding the double layer of brick and the necessary layer of sand between them, or other tech specs on the oven itself.  I will tell you that a wood burning fire at 500+ degrees is amazing to see.  The liquid heat is mesmerizing.  Our hosts let me jump in and help with the food preparation in the spirit of my blog.  They had prepared dough ready and rolled out, a generous array of toppings, sauces, corn meal on hand for placing under the dough on the paddle, and, of course, plenty of cold beverages and other spirits to enhance the evenings fun!  The traditional combo of peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni and cheese was heightened by the smoky charred crust of cooking in the wood oven.  I shied away from the combo that included a generous helping of jalapenos!  The bbq chicken was a big hit.  Delicious, describes the combination of green peppers, pineapple and ham.  Drumroll~~~~the winner of the night-onion, pear, Gorgonzola, walnuts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, oh my, best description, memorable!
Here are a sequence of photos to show you a great pizza experience that I am delighted to add to my food history of 2014.
I am thinking along with M & M Mondays (now MM & G Mondays!) and Junk Food Fridays, I need to add to the line up next year Fun, Food and Friends night!

Toppings on hand:
tomato sauce
bbq sauce
Pepperoni
Green peppers
onion
mushrooms
artichokes
pineapple
ham
chicken
mozzarella
Parmesan
feta
Gorgonzola
Brussel sprouts
jalapenos
pear
balsamic
olive oil
and forgive me if I am forgetting a few!

Avgolemono: Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon

My energy level hit a brick wall yesterday.  I am sure you all know; one of those move-in-slow motion-days until everything gets back in-sync.  So, what better thing to make for dinner than chicken soup.  This is quick, simple and healing.  Basic comfort food! Nothing fancy, except the name!  It's roots are Greek and Mediterranean.  Remember this recipe when you or your family need a little TLC.
I made my chicken stock from this weeks chicken.  Easy-place chicken in a pot.  Cover with water. Add 2 stalks of celery, 2 carrots cut in half and one onion, halved.  Simmer for a few hours.  Strain broth.  Discard vegetables and bones.  Reserve meat for any recipe.

Avgolemono: Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon
printable recipe

1 Qt. Chicken Stock
4 c. diced, cooked chicken
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 Bay leaves
2/3 c. Arborio Rice
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a small skillet.  Saute the onion until translucent.

Bring Chicken stock to a boil.  Add the onions and the bay leaves.  Turn down to medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the rice.  Bring back to a boil and lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and the lemon juice. 

Take 2 ladles full of hot broth and slowly add to the bowl while whisking.

Slowly add the broth and egg mixture to the pot and stir constantly till it is all incorporated.
Add the diced chicken.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Roast Chicken with Crispy Potatoes

I have often mentioned I feel the most wonderful thing to cook is a roast chicken.  Inexpensive, versatile, easy and makes the house smell wonderful!  After two days of red meat I was ready for something light.  I haven't been to the fish monger in awhile so I settled on a chicken I had in the freezer.  It was a chilly Fall day, so, perfect for turning on the oven for a few hours.  Not only did I have the chicken, I had some new potatoes from the garden and the lovely dried rosemary I dried a few weeks ago.  (I talk about the food trifecta-easy clean up + inexpensive + delicious, well add to that no trip to the store and it is a jackpot!)  Remember this when you have a 'to-do' list or binge TV watching, yet you want your family to believe you befriended Julia Child in your kitchen!  SO easy!


Roast Chicken with Crispy Potatoes
printable recipe

1 5-6 lb. chicken, cleaned and excess fat and tail removed
olive oil
kosher salt and course pepper
2 T. dried Rosemary
4 large new potatoes, cut in half or 8 small, if using Russet potatoes, peel them

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place cleaned chicken in a roasting pan.  Brush outside with olive oil.  Season inside and out with half of the rosemary and pretty heavily with salt and pepper.

Roast for an hour.
Add the potatoes around the bird, tossing them to coat with the pan drippings.  Sprinkle with remaining rosemary.

Continue to roast until done (internal temp. at the thickest part of the thigh 165)
Set chicken on a platter and rest for 15 minutes.  Remove potatoes.  Drain pan drippings into a bowl and allow the fat to rise.  Remove the fat and pour the remaining drippings into a small saucepan.  Heat on medium-high and allow to reduce to half.  Serve on the side with the sliced chicken and potatoes.

Chinese Chicken Salad with Cellophane Noodles

Tonight was another night I assessed what had in regards to time and what was on hand.  I needed to pull something together quickly because I had 3 things started for work and none of them finished!  This salad is subtle.  At first bite you think it is plain.  And then the layer of flavors start to come through.  The textures, the colors and the refreshing dressing is very good.  I probably would prefer it on a hot summer day; but, good nonetheless!  And, by the way, I did manage to finish 2 of the 3 work items before bedtime!

Chinese Chicken Salad with Cellophane Noodles
printable recipe

4-5 ounces cellophane noodles, also known as mung bean threads
4 c. shredded chicken
1 c. grated carrot
2 cucumbers seeded and chopped

For the dressing:

4 large garlic cloves chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. lime juice
1 T. sugar
1 T. peanut butter
1 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. coarsely chopped peanuts-for topping when serving

Place noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit for 10 minutes then drain.

In a medium bowl combine carrots, cucumbers and chicken.

For the dressing mix the garlic and salt into a paste.  Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Add half of the dressing to the chicken and vegetables.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Make a nest of noodles on a plate.  Scoop salad into the center.  Drizzle dressing over noodles and salad and sprinkle with peanuts.

Sunday Dinner

I try not to make red meat as our protein more than once a week.  Our son brought friends home for dinner and requested his favorite Sunday dinner, roast beef.  My kids termed it 'meat with that good brown gravy' when they were young.  You know how everyone has that one thing they make that they know they do well?  Mine is gravy, thanks to my grandfather.  My grandfather was a proper English gentleman.  He is the roots to my love of cooking.  He taught himself the fine art of French cooking and mastered anything he tried.   In his later years he lived with us.  I am the youngest of five and experienced his years with us more than the rest.  He taught me to try new things, look at cooking as an art and more importantly, how to make stock and gravy. I didn't realize it at the time, however, I shared so much in common with this soft spoken, martini (very dry with an onion) drinking, artist (lace designer, fascinating story in itself).  I could add African violet expert, sweater wearing, painter, reader, and dreamer to the list too.  Yup, other than maybe the soft spoken attribute, it pretty much sums me up as well!
 Not really much to show you as far as a recipe today.  More tips than anything else.  And, I apologize for no final photo!  We were having fun setting the table and putting the food out that I completely forgot.  Trust me, every drop of the gravy was gone by the end of the meal!

Sunday Roast
not a printable recipe!

1 4-5 beef roast*
Kosher salt & pepper
3 c. beef stock
1/4 c. corn starch
1 c. water

*There are a few perfect choices to use when making a roast.  This is a dry method way to roast, low heat and no fat or added liquid.  Prime rib, rib roast, tenderloin, strip roast are all the best; however more expensive.  I use (thanks to my grandfather) a center cut sirloin tip.  It is similar to the cut you see on carving stations at restaurant buffets.

Tie the roast with string so the meat is more uniform thickness throughout to ensure even cooking.
Place in a roasting pan, not much bigger than the roast.
Season the fat side of the roast heavily with salt and pepper.
Roast in a 325 degree oven.  30 minutes per pound for medium-rare.
Let sit for 30 minutes before slicing.

Pour off the pan drippings into a bowl.  Let sit until the fat rises to the top.  Skim off the fat and discard.
Pour the beef stock in the roasting pan.  Set on a high heat burner and bring to a boil.  Scrape off the brown bits sticking to the pan.
In a glass mix the corn starch and water to make a slurry.
In the corner of the pan where the stock is the coolest, slowly add the slurry to the pan, whisking constantly.  Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes until thick, stirring occasionally.  It is important to cook for a few minutes to cook off the taste of the cornstarch.

Sorry!  This is when the family fun got crazy and I stopped taking photos :)

Cabernet Burgers with Rosemary Focaccia

Saturday (yes, I am posting this late!) was a day for playing catch up.  Catch up days make me feel good.  At first I hate them, but after those chores get crossed off the list, ah, that feels great!  It was also a day I could put some extra effort into dinner because the day's schedule belonged too me.  I started the morning off making the focaccia for these really, really delicious burgers.  My advice, be prepared and organized when it is time to grill.  The process from grill to serve goes quickly and it helps to have things lined up and ready to go.  The glaze is good.  I may add a little more brown sugar the next time.  The cabernet is dry and covered up the sweetness.

Cabernet Burgers with Rosemary Focaccia
printable recipe

Glaze:
2 c. Cabernet Sauvignon wine
1 T. brown sugar

Butter:
1/4 c. softened butter
1 T. minced fresh rosemary

Patties:
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1/4 c. wine glaze (above)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

4 slices sharp cheddar
8 slices of tomato, about 1/2" thick
olive oil
kosher salt
4 focaccia squares or buns, split
2 c. baby greens
4 slices of crisp bacon

In a saucepan combine the wine and sugar.  Over medium heat reduce to about 1/2 c.   Takes about 20-25 minutes.  Turn heat down if it begins to scorch.  Cool.

In a small bowl combine the butter and rosemary.

In a large bowl combine the ground beef, 1/4 c. glaze, salt and pepper.  Form into 4 patties (with your thumb put a shallow indent in the middle, this helps your burger from puffing up in the middle when cooking).

Grill burgers over direct heat on the grill.  Brush with remaining glaze occasionally while cooking.  Grill to desired doneness; about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.

In the last minute of grilling, top each burger with cheese.

Brush the tomato slices on both sides with olive oil.  On the coolest section of the grill (or lower heat on a gas grill), grill the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes per side.

Spread both sides of the focaccia with the rosemary butter.  Grill, butter side down to toast.

Assemble burger in this order starting at the bottom.  Greens, burger, tomato, and bacon.

Ultimate Nachos

It is Junk Food Friday and after being on the run for so long we decided on a TV night.  We started the series 'Boardwalk Empire' (yes now addicted), and made Ultimate Nachos as easy to eat, living room fare.  I had the Spicy Mexican Pork in the freezer from a few weeks ago.  That along with your favorite nacho toppings and you have an easy dinner with little fuss and hardly no clean up!  My kinda Friday Fun.

Ultimate Nachos
no need to print, although go back and grab the Spicy Pork recipe, so better than ground meat and powdered taco seasoning!

Suggested:

Taco Chips, the scoop type work well for this type of nacho dish
Meat of choice
Shredded Lettuce
Chopped Tomato
Chopped Onion
Diced Jalapenos
Shredded Cheese
Taco Sauce
Sour Cream

Others that I did not have on hand:
Sliced Black Olives
Black Beans