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Rotisserie Chicken Soup

February 25, 2012 by 1 Comment
Rotisserie Chicken Soup

Rotisserie Chicken SoupA few weeks ago, I was half listening to Giada DeLaurentis prepare a chicken soup recipe on TV. Craig was watching it while on his exercise bicycle and I was in the kitchen doing something else.  I picked up her basics and adapted them into this recipe, which bears only slight resemblance. Giada introduced me to a seasoning mixture called Herbs de Provence. I’m going to mix up a batch to keep in my spice cupboard one of these days.  Since I didn’t have any on hand the day I made this soup, I selected fennel seed and fresh thyme as the flavors I most wanted to feature and just went with them.  This turned out to be a great idea and this rotisserie chicken soup got rave reviews.

This recipe makes a very large pot of soup.  Make it when you’re feeding a crowd, want lots of leftovers, or intend to freeze in portions for the next cold day.  It will last in your fridge for about 3 days before it starts to look cloudy and the rice is too mushy.  I made this much because my neighbors had just returned home from a 3-week ordeal in Memphis involving a car accident, leg surgery that included plates, pins, and screws, and way too much hospital food.  Taking in their mail every day just didn’t seem like a big enough gesture to welcome them back to their home.  Chicken soup was totally the ticket!  It was easy to just pick up a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket and shred it, having removed the skin.  I collect the chicken carcasses and freeze them, too.  There’s some great homemade stock just waiting to happen!  For the rice component, I used a beautiful blend I’d picked up at Whole Foods.  Since I got it from the bulk bins, I don’t remember the name.  For this recipe, I recommend using a rice that will cook in under 30 minutes, which leaves out some brown and wild varieties.  If you do prefer to use those, simply cook the rice separately and add it with the last batch of ingredients. I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you make the soup.

Ingredients
4-5 medium carrots, sliced into coins
5 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 large onion chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3 large shallots, finely chopped
1 rotisserie chicken (I like lemon pepper flavor), skinned and shredded
1 TBS fennel seeds, crushed (just to release flavor — don’t powder them)
1 tsp dried basil
8 cups chicken broth or stock
4 cups water
1 bundle fresh thyme (about 8 3-4 inch sprigs, tied with butcher’s twine or with another sprig)
1 cup uncooked rice (I prefer basmati)
1 can cannelini beans, with canning liquid
1 6-oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained (I use Green Giant)
10-oz bag of fresh baby spinach (or chopped fresh kale)
salt, pepper

Instructions
In a large stock pot, saute the carrots, celery, pepper, onion, garlic, and shallots in 3 TBS olive oil until tender and fragrant, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the shredded chicken, fennel seeds, basil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper and continue to cook 2 more minutes.  Add the chicken stock, water, thyme bundle, and rice. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the beans, mushrooms, and spinach (or kale) and simmer 5-10 more minutes.  If you used low sodium chicken stock, you’ll need significantly more salt at this point.  I prefer to keep my soups low-sodium and let the other seasonings do the heavy lifting. This is the point where you’ll want to taste and adjust. Remove the thyme bundle before serving.

This soup is fairly hearty, and thickens further in your refrigerator overnight. The flavors also marry nicely if you can resist eating it until the next day. It’ll look almost like a stew and you may think you don’t have enough broth, but don’t add more.  It heats to the right consistency. Thyme and fennel notes should be noticeable but not overbearing. For a real twist, consider squeezing a wedge of lemon into your bowl.

Your Daily Bread

John 10:22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple complex in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and asked, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in My Father’s name testify about Me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not My sheep. 27 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

 

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Baked Potato Soup

March 9, 2011 by 1 Comment
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Sure, lots of people have a potato soup or potato-leek soup recipe.  But, I’d never had baked potato soup until I saw it on the Panera menu last winter.  There’s a difference, people.  A big difference.  When we had a significant number of baking potatoes left over from Christmas’ family dinner, I looked online for a recipe and found several.  From a number of them, I created this one.  It was ridiculously good and only got better over the next 2 days in the refrigerator.  If you’re a fan of twice-baked potatoes, this soup tastes like a liquid version of that!  The addition of a little red pepper sauce makes this soup unique and especially wonderful.  This recipe makes a large potful.  You can halve it if you’re not feeding a crowd or don’t want leftovers.

Ingredients

6 reduced sodium bacon strips, diced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 Tbs flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken broth (we use Swanson fat free, 33% less sodium)
6-8 large baked potatoes, cubed (leave the skin on half of them, peel the other half)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup low fat milk (1% or 2% – not skim)
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (Crystal Louisiana hot sauce is ideal.  Tabasco is too hot)
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large saucepan (6 quarts or larger), cook the bacon until crisp.  Drain and set aside.  Remove all but 2 Tbs of the drippings from the pot.  Saute the onions and garlic on medium high heat until tender.  Stir in the flour, alt, basil & pepper.  Mix well.  Gradually add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then add the potatoes, cream, and hot pepper sauce.  Heat through, but do not boil.  Crumble the bacon and stir it in.  Serve topped with shredded cheddar and fresh  minced parsley (optional).

Your Daily Bread

Proverbs 16:20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD.

21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.

22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools.

23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction.

24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

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Sunday French Toast Casserole

February 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Here’s a special breakfast that is always a hit. Its easy to make, and most of the prep is done the night before. Pop it in the oven, make a warm berry syrup to go on top, and you have something really special. Berry syrup is really easy to make, and so good, I’m sure you’ll be happy you made it.

About 10 years ago, I was working for a multi-billion dollar consumer products company that had a wellness initiative. Once a quarter, everyone would get a little magazine with health tips and a few “healthy” recipes…… Ha! My dad lived to 89 and my mom is still kickin’ at 91. I ‘m going to enjoy life while I can.

I found the basis for this recipe in the magazine one spring, and adapted it to use whole eggs instead of egg whites, and “real” cream cheese instead of no-fat cream cheese. I actually like it with 2% milk instead of the skim milk that was originally specified.

This week, we decided to make it again. Where’s the recipe? Can’t find it. OK, well then we’ll make it from memory. So here it is:

Ingredients:

4 – 6 slices of “country style” thick white bread – depending on size, you use as much as will fit in a glass 9x13x2 baking dish.
Cream cheese – about 12 oz.
2 cups 2% milk
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp almond extract
½ tsp salt

Instructions:

Cut the bread slices in half, as if they are the halves of a sandwich. Spread the cream cheese on them generously. Coat your baking dish with cooking spray, then lay the bread, cream cheese side up, in the dish.

Whisk the milk, sugar, almond extract, and salt in a bowl – then pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

To cook :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and cook the casserole for about 30 minutes, or until the edges of the bread are starting to crisp just a little. Top with warm berry syrup and enjoy!

Berry Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
1 pint of blueberries (you can use any berry you like – I prefer raspberries, but sometimes I make both syrups so guests have a choice)
2 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt

Combine water, salt, and sugar, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat stirring frequently. Add the berries and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes until the syrup turns the color of the berries and the berries start to disintegrate. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. As soon as the syrup is nice and thick, take it off the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Serve with the French toast.

Your Daily Bread

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

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Make the Perfect Quiche

February 16, 2011 by 3 Comments
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Julia Child taught me how to make great quiche.  Well, not personally.  I used her “The Way to Cook” book which is big, colorful, and radiates personality, just like the great French chef herself!  Chef Child explains that quiche is somewhat of a state of mind.  Once you have the basic concept down, the possibilities are endless.  That basic concept is to follow these simple steps:

  1. Pre-bake your crust with weights
  2. Fill your shell with flavorful ingredients
  3. Pour in the custard to surround and fill the shell
  4. Bake until brown and puffed

I use frozen, store-bought shells and prefer deep dish for quiche.  Today, I chose Mrs. Smith’s brand, but have used Pillsbury and a couple of other brands.  Right out of the freezer, let the shell stand on the counter for about 20 minutes.  Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then line the shell with aluminum foil and weight with dried beans or pie weights.  If you don’t do this, your shell will puff and bubble and you won’t see a clear separation of custard and crust.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, discard the beans, and let the crust cool.

Meanwhile, you can prepare your custard and filling.  Because pie shells vary in depth and some fillings will take more space than others, it’s best to use a custard ratio rather than a set amount of eggs and cream.  It may seem strange to say, but quiche is not all about the eggs.  In fact, you want to be careful not to have too much custard.  The goal is to allow the custard to surround and embrace your filling ingredients and, as the eggs slowly cook, suspend them in a creamy cloud of goodness.  So, for each egg you break into your glass measuring cup, add enough liquid (you can use cream, low fat, or skim milk here, but I find whole milk is best) to reach the 1/2 cup mark.  It follows, then, that 2 eggs would need liquid to reach 1 cup and 4 eggs would reach 2 cups.  I used 4 eggs today, but I prepared custard with 5 eggs and had some leftover.  That’s better than having to mix up additional custard if you come up short, so I recommend preparing 4-5 eggs’ worth of custard.

Cheese is another must in quiche.  Finely grated cheese is best and any cheese will do.  If you buy a bag of pre-shredded cheese, you’re making your task much more pleasant and easy!  When you’re ready to fill your shell, start with a layer of shredded cheese covering the entire bottom.  Then, add your flavor ingredients (I’ll get to those in a minute), then the custard, and top with a few more tablespoons of cheese.  Fill the shell to the top, just below where the fluted edge begins.  The quiche will puff while baking, then settle on the counter.  Bake at 375 degrees, usually for about 40 minutes.  The top will get quite brown, which is a good thing.  You want to make sure the custard is fully set or you’ll have runny quiche.  So, don’t go for a gorgeous, pale yellow appearance.  I’ve used the toothpick test and also just slightly jiggled the quiche to see how much wiggle it has to help determine doneness.

Ready to go in the oven

Okay, now the filling!  Once you’ve got that whole feel for what a quiche ought to be, you can fill your shell with anything you like!  I have two favorites.  The one pictured here is broccoli, green onion, and mexican 4-cheese and it’s just delicious!  The other favorite is shrimp, green onion, and Parmesan cheese.  Here’s how I do those:

Broccoli Quiche

Cut florettes into small pieces to make about 2 cups
Slice 3 green onions thin, about 3/4 of the way up (discard the tops)
Prepare custard and add salt/pepper
Line the bottom of the pre-baked shell with shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
Fill to top with broccoli and green onions
Pour in custard starting in the center and moving out to the edge in a spiral
Top with more cheese and bake

Shrimp Quiche

Chop 12-15 large cooked shrimp, cold (I buy shrimp cocktail)
Grate 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (don’t even think about the stuff in the green can!)
Slice 2-3 green onions thin, about 3/4 of the way up (discard the tops)
Line the bottom of the pre-baked shell with Parmesan cheese
Add the shrimp and green onions
Pour in custard starting in the center and moving out to the edge in a spiral
Top with more cheese and bake

Your Daily Bread

1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”

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Indian Style Chick Peas

February 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Kwality_Chick_Peas_01

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I wanted to follow up quickly with the side dish I prepared for Craig’s Butter Chicken.  We are fortunate to have an Indian grocery just 10 minutes from our home.  Here’s an online Indian grocer based out of Wisconsin, though I’ve never ordered from them and cannot vouch for their products or their service. If you’re not a fan of Indian food or don’t feel adventurous about tracking down and working with the exotic spices you’ll need to make it, worry not!  We’ve got some easy and delicious recipes in the wings!  This one is great for vegetarians!  And, there are options provided for you to leave out or substitute the hard-to-find ingredients, so you can still make a great chick pea dish with more common Western pantry items.

I modified a recipe from a cookbook called “Indian Home Cooking,” which is our go-to book when we’re dabbling in this cuisine.  The author’s recipe was called “Kwalitys Chickpeas,” from the name of a Bengal restaurant that specialized in them.  I changed it up enough that I thought it would be inappropriate to claim the moniker. This dish is deep in flavor, spicy but not insanely so, and perfect as a side dish for any Indian meat dish or even as part of a pot luck buffet if your crowd is fearless!

Here in the West, we tend to heat our oil in a pan, add ingredients, then season.  Indian cooking always starts with a “tempered” oil, so we add whole spices at the start and let them sizzle for a few minutes before anything else is added.  Often, there are several steps at which spices are added, depending on their texture and ability to retain their flavor when cooked.  What works for us is to use several small prep bowls with each “round” of seasonings measured out, so we can grab them and toss them into the pan when needed.  Once you get going with this recipe, things need to move quickly, so it’s important to read through the steps and have all of your ingredients ready to go.  Okay, let’s jump in!

Ingredients

3-4 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp black peppercorns (look for extra bold tellicherry for the best flavor)
4 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods
2 whole dried red chilies
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, minced
6-8 fresh or frozen curry leaves, torn into pieces (this is optional, but I love the flavor. If you can find it fresh, it freezes extremely well)
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 small jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried mango powder (also called amchur) or the juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp pomegranate seed powder (also called anaardaana) or the juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp ground toasted cumin seed (make ahead by oven-toasting whole seeds, then grinding)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups water
3 19-0z cans chick peas, drained and rinsed

Instructions

Combine the oil, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, and red chiles in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.  We use an over-sized commercial frying pan.  You’ll want your widest, deepest pan.  This makes a lot!  Or, halve the recipe and go with your best frying pan.  Cook the spices, stirring until the cumin begins to brown (about 2 minutes).

Add the ginger and curry leaves and stir in.  Add the onions, jalepeno and salt.  Cook on medium-high for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are brown at the edges and still a bit translucent in the center.  The longer the onions cook, the more flavorful your dish will be.

Add the mango and pomegranate powders (don’t add the lemon juice here if you’re substituting) and the ground cumin, turmeric and garam masala.  Cook, stirring for about a minute.

Stir in the cayenne and black peppers.  Add the water and two of the cans of chick peas.   While this is cooking, mash the third can of chick peas in a separate bowl until you have a lumpy puree, then add to the pan and stir.  Simmer gently for about 5 minutes.  If you substituted lemon juice for the powdered spices, add this now.

The original recipe says to taste for salt before serving, but honestly, there’s so much going on here in the flavor department, I’m not sure how anyone would know if they needed salt!  Just go ahead and serve up a heaping spoonful and enjoy!  As with most Indian dishes, this actually tastes even better the next day.

We’d love to know what you think of the recipe, whether you’ve worked with any of these spices, and especially what your experience was if you made this!  Leave us a comment!

Your Daily Bread:

Esther 1:1 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: 2 At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 3 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. 4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

Saran, Suvir and Lynes, Stephanie, Indian Home Cooking, (New York:  Clarkson Potter, 2004)

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Tabbouleh, Done Right!

January 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Tabbouleh

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This delightful salad originally came from Lebanon and Syria and I’m betting most Americans have had it (or at least seen it on a salad bar). Wikipedia tells me the name comes from the Arabic word meaning “little spicy,” though this salad isn’t at all spicy. It also tells me the American version of this salad is known as “Eetch,” but I’ve never heard of that! Careful with that Wiki!

I make a salad for Craig’s lunch each day. In order to keep him from dying of boredom, we tuck various goodies into two of the corners of the oblong container I send to work with him. Sometimes it’s a scoop of tuna, sometimes a bean salad, sometimes some hummous. He was bringing home tabbouleh from Costco for about a year when I casually mentioned that I used to make it often years ago and had a pretty good recipe. Once I whipped up a batch, there was no turning back for him!

Now, I’ve gotta be honest: This can be a labor intensive salad to make if you do it the way I do, but the results are well worth the effort. I make it on the weekend, usually, and once I did it a few times I got the time down to about 45 minutes. It’s mostly chopping and pinching work, as you’ll see. Since there is so much parsley in the salad, I believe it’s important to take care to keep stems out of the bowl for the most pleasant eating. Ya just can’t do that with a knife. So, I pinch off each little trio of leaves by hand and discard all the stems. Most recipes call for the parsley to be finely minced, but I like the leaves just as they come off the bunch (plus, it saves a lot of time after all that pinching).

Served as a side (though it can be a meal!), this batch will serve 8-10. It barely makes it through the week for us since we both love it. And, that’s good since tabbouleh really needs to be fresh to be amazing. Craig’s very fond of lemon in Middle Eastern dishes, so I make this very bright. It’s almost surprisingly citrusy, which will make you the hit of the pot luck if you bring this along!

Ingredients

3/4 cup bulgur (aka: cracked wheat or burghul)
2 tsp olive oil
3 cups chopped curly-leaf parsley (stems removed)
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint
4 whole spring onions, finely minced (aka: green onion or scallion)
1 large beefsteak or heirloom tomato, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (I use 1 tsp of jarred minced garlic for this)

In a large bowl, soak the bulgur in 3/4 cup of boiling water and 2 tsp of olive oil for 10 minutes (stir before leaving to soak). Stir again and set aside.

Chop your herbs, onion and tomato while the bulgur is cooling. The cooler it is when you add the rest of the ingredients, the better.

In a second bowl, combine the spring onion, mint, and parsley, taking care to pinch off the parsley leaves and remove as much stem as possible. You can tear or chop particularly large leaves or clusters, but leave smaller leaves intact.

Cut the tomato into 1/2-inch chunks.

Prepare the dressing by combining the 1/2 cup of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

Drain the bulgur of any excess water and add the herbs, onion, and tomato. Toss to combine well. Pour in the dressing and toss again, making sure everything is well coated. (The bulgur will want to collect on the bottom of the bowl. Don’t let it.)

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Served with hummous and warmed pita bread, this can be a meal in itself. We’re planning to serve it with some charcoal-grill roasted chicken too, for an upcoming dinner party. Stay tuned for Craig’s amazing Spinach Pie recipe, which is also great with tabbouleh if you’re going for that Middle Eastern or Greek experience.

Your Daily Bread

Luke 3:15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

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Homemade Pizza To Die For!

October 26, 2008 by 5 Comments
pizza-20

Click to enlarge. Seriously -- click! Yummm!

My last recipe post included a complaint that we haven’t been able to find good Chinese food in Jacksonville.  New Yorker’s are pretty finicky when it comes to food.  Well, if there’s anything more scarce in Jacksonville than good Chinese food, it has got to be good pizza.  That stuff you see advertised anywhere outside of New York as, “New York Style Pizza?”  Fuggedaboutit!  Gimme a break!  So, once again, this household coped with the problem by simply making what we wanted in our own kitchen.

My husband makes his own bread regularly.  He enjoys messing with yeast and kneading and waiting for stuff to rise.  I, on the other hand, do not.  So, that’s his department.  He found a recipe for “New York Style Pizza Dough,” at Recipe Pizza online.  That link will take you to their version, but I’ve reproduced it here with a couple of modifications we’ve made after making it about a half dozen times.

Now, I’m not going to tell you this tastes exactly like the best pizzaria pizza in New York, because it doesn’t.  However, it does taste unbelievably good and close enough to satisfy us!  We discovered last night that the fresher your flour is, the easier the dough will be to work with.  Hubby prepares it a couple of hours before we want to eat and then I roll up my sleeves and take over

This recipe makes 1 15-inch and 1 12-inch pie

This recipe makes 1 15-inch and 1 12-inch pie

the shell forming and assembly.  He handles the baking peel (that wooden paddle) and the actual baking.  The system works flawlessly!

New York Style
Pizza Dough

Ingredients Required
1 1/2 cups warm water (105F)
4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons of olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of yeast

Step by Step Procedure

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and salt in water.
  2. Add oil and flour and mix with a dough hook in a heavy duty mixer until dough forms.
  3. Turn out to a lightly floured surface and press into a circle.
  4. Sprinkle yeast evenly over dough and knead for 12 minutes.
  5. Divide dough into portions: 6 oz. for Calzones, 18 oz. for 12 inch, 25 oz. for 15 inch
  6. Roll each portion into a ball. You want a dough ball without visible seams except the bottom.
  7. Place dough balls in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to proof for 1−2 hours at room temperature to use the same day, or store in refrigerator to use the next day.
  8. Place dough ball on lightly floured surface, and lightly flour the top. Use fingertips to evenly flatten out the dough ball. Work from the edges to the center press dough into a 12″ circle. Place both hands within the shell edge and stretch with fingertips and palms maintaining an even pressure. Or, use a lightly floured rolling pin to stretch to desired shape. (I do both)
  9. Lift the shell onto a square of baking parchment placed on your pizza peel.
  10. Add desired toppings to the pizza.
  11. Carefully slide the pizza and parchment onto the stone in the preheated oven.
  12. Bake in a 550 degree oven for 10 minutes for a 15″ pie and 8 minutes for a 12″ pie, until crust is golden.

Additional Information
Cooking pizzas with this dough should be done on a baking stone. Using a pan will produce a very soft “doughy” crust. The stone in the oven should be preheated to 550F for an hour prior to baking, and should be placed in the middle of the oven.

Now, let me tell you about the toppings we put on last night’s pizza.  I’m telling you, you should have been there!  Since you weren’t, please enjoy this slide show of the process, featuring my step-son Matt sampling the meaty, cheesey goodness!

You can click on the slide show to visit the web album and see these shots full size.

We had some leftover grilled bratwurst in the refrigerator.  I cut that into thick slices, then tossed those into my food processor and pulsed for about 20 seconds until I had a nice, course, crumbled result.  I also had about a half dozed strips of chicken breast I didn’t use when I made the Pad Thai the other night, so I breaded and fried those in olive oil, drained them and cut them into bite-sized chunks.  We always have onions and jarred sliced mushrooms on our pizza.  I prefer to sliver my onions by cutting them in half, removing the centers and then slicing lengthwise as thin as possible.

So, the large pie got topped in this order:  sauce (Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce has worked fine for us), mozzarella (I prefer part-skim and always buy it pre-shredded for this purpose), bratwurst, chicken, a little granulated garlic and a little oregano,  onions, mushrooms.  Just look at that picture at the top of the post!  Doesn’t that look amazing?  It was, by a wide margin, the best pizza I have ever had in my life, New York or anywhere else!

We decided the smaller pie would be a white pizza.  I dumped an entire pint of ricotta cheese onto the shell (again, part skim) and spread it around with a tablespoon, nearly to the edge. Then, I added minced, jarred garlic (crucial to the flavor of this one) and some fresh ground black pepper.  The mozzarella was next (I went light on this layer) and then topped it with some freshly sliced, ripe plum tomatoes.

Of course, pizza toppings are a very personal thing.  We often like to crumble crisp bacon on ours.  If you haven’t tried that, and you’re not the slightest bit concerned about packing on the calories and making your pizza exponentially fattier (lol), you really must try this!  Hubby likes sliced black olives and pepperoni.  What are your favorite toppings and, have you ever made your own pizza?

Your Daily Bread

Leviticus 23:17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord.

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Cold Sesame Noodles: They Don’t Sell It Here, So I Had To Make It!

October 24, 2008 by 2 Comments
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I’m a New Yorker, born and raised.  There, if you walk into just about any Chinese take-out restaurant, you can order Cold Sesame Noodles (sometimes called, “cold noodles with sesame sauce,”).  In my single years, a pint of that and a pint of roast pork fried rice made a perfect dinner for me.  I could pick it up on the way home, walking from the subway to my Queens apartment and it filled me up for very little cash.  In fact, that Chinese place on 108th Street in Forest Hills at about 65th Avenue made the best cold sesame noodles anywhere!  I wonder if they’re still doing that.

Since we moved to Jacksonville three years ago, not only is it really tough to find good Chinese to begin with, but my husband and I have never seen this culinary delight on any menu.  Three years is a long time to go without that kind of taste sensation.  So, I just got fed up about six weeks ago and decided I’d figure out a way to duplicate that flavor, by hook or by crook.  I knew I needed peanut butter and something with sesame flavor that was dark in color.  But what?

At Publix (the coolest supermarket in the universe, IMHO), I browsed the “Ethnic Foods,” aisle – the Chinese section in particular.  Soy sauce…terayaki sauce…chili sauce…fish sauce…AHA!  There is was, and I don’t know why I’d never seen it before.  Sesame Garlic sauce by “Iron Chef.”  Who knew that was a brand (then again, of course it is).  I read the ingredients and they sounded like exactly like what I’d need to make the famous, yet elusive sauce.  I picked up 2 bottles and headed home.

I already had angel hair pasta (a nice, big, 16-oz box from Mueller) and Jif creamy peanut butter in the pantry.  Seemed like I was set.  I put on my white lab coat and got busy (not really ;-) ).  I figured about 2/3 cup of peanut butter was right.  A full cup would be too much.  I started light, but ended up pouring about half the bottle of sesame garlic sauce in.  Then, I added a few tablespoons of HOT water until the consistency was thick, but not gummy.  Meanwhile, I cooked the angel hair in salted water with a little olive oil (this only takes about 4 minutes, so don’t get distracted!) after breaking it in half.  I drained the pasta and ran cold water over it to stop the cooking process and cool it off.  That’s why the sauce can’t be too gummy…you’re gonna try to evenly distribute it in the cold noodles without making mush out of everything.

Two tablespoons worked well for me to get the stuff properly mixed.  I don’t recommend using forks.  The pasta is delicate while still a bit warm and you don’t want to shred it.  Once mixed, I covered it with plastic wrap and put the whole bowl in the freezer for about 45 minutes.  Serve it in the bowl with bean sprouts and slivers of cucumber on the side or piled for guests to put on top.  I didn’t have any cucumbers when I made this for the second time last night, so we’ve just got the sprouts in this picture.

I also made Pad Thai using noodles and sauce from a box.  The shrimp goes with the Pad Thai, but since my stepson is allergic, I served them on the side.  It was certainly a noodle-intensive meal, but the hot dish with lime and cilantro flavors complimented the cold dish with peanut and sesame flavors perfectly!

Once again, the pictures are clickable to view full size.  I’d love to know if you make this.  I know if you do, you’ll be back here thanking me.  This stuff is heavenly!  If you want my Pad Thai receipe, just say so in the comments and that will be my next cuisine post, though I mostly follow box directions and enhance, enhance, enhance.


Your Daily Bread

Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” 3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

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