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Category: Main Dish
Back in August, I posted ‘Cheater, cheater… pizza eater!‘ on how to make a custom pizza quickly using Papa Murphy’s $5 Fave pizza. Today, this is the real deal – pizza from scratch. Yep, you read that correctly… homemade pizza dough for one. I apologize to my Chicago friends in advance as this recipe is more like a New York style pizza, but I will get to a Chicago style pizza eventually! This recipe takes a bit of planning to allow the dough to rise, but overall was simple to make when using a food processor. Since it takes time to make, let’s get cracking! Save Print Homemade Pizza Dough Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 24 hours…
Feeling like something spicy? Feeling like something incredibly satisfying? How about robust flavors? Well, if all this sounds great to you, may I suggest tonight’s meal – Drunken Noodles! I made this recipe with chicken, Thai basil, cilantro, fish sauce, ginger, shallot, scallions, cabbage, carrot and a host of other supporting ingredients. Yes, I used a chicken breast (of course) but thinly sliced beef, prawns, etc work equally well. The challenge of this dish is in the preparation. Have everything ready to go before you start because once you get started, it comes together quickly. I’m hungry, so let’s dive in! Save Print Drunken Noodles Cuisine: Thai Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40…
Prepare to have your taste buds engaged! This recipe for Swedish Meatballs produces a wonderfully flavorful meal that is well worth the effort. This recipe can be made with just ground beef, but it comes alive with a mix of beef and lamb (or beef, lamb and pork!). The addition of nutmeg and allspice with a slight hint of cinnamon really warms up the flavors and deepens the creamy gravy augmented with sour cream. Are you intrigued now? If so, let’s get to it! Save Print Swedish Meatballs Ingredients For the meatballs: 12 oz ground beef (or 8 oz ground beef and 4 oz ground lamb or pork) ½ onion, finely diced or grated ½ tsp allspice ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp summer savory ¼…
Lunch… today I decided to make a quick lunch and share the results with you. It is a simple meal of pancetta, shaved brussel sprouts, and tortellini fried in butter and the pancetta renderings. The only seasonings… a little salt (very little since we are using panceta, a type of Italian bacon), freshly cracked black pepper, and minced garlic. Simple, but quite delicious. And need I mention fast! Tortellini with Pancetta and Brussel Sprouts Ingredients: 4 slices of pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch squares 4 – 5 brussel sprouts, shaved (cut into a chiffonade) 6 oz fresh cheese tortellini 2 tsp butter 1 small clove garlic, minced salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste shredded Italian cheese (optional) Preparation: Begin by cooking the pasta per…
It is now soup season and this one is tasty… and easy! This recipe has become one of my favorite ways to enjoy cauliflower. The simplicity of the recipe belies the wonderful depth of flavor this soup has. Since most of the cooking happens in the oven, you gain some time to finish other tasks if desired. Also, this soup can be tweaked to suit your tastes, but I am delivering my ‘go to’ recipe here. Ready, set, let’s cook! Coriander Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Prosciutto Bark Ingredients: 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ground coriander salt fresh cracked pepper 3 slices prosciutto 3/4 cup vegetable broth (or chicken stock if desired) 1/2…
Here is another recipe I used to cook for the family when the girls were little. It is a great recipe to put together quickly, then eat later after the chops have cooked in the gravy for a bit. Even the gravy has a super simple shortcut, which I will provide in the Notes below. I paired this dish with White Rice and Sauteed Garlic Green Beans as a complete meal. Season each side of the pork loin chops with salt and pepper. Add the onion and garlic powder to the flour and stir to incorporate. Flour each side of the chops and shake off the excess. Save the flour for a later step. Heat a medium frying pan or skillet over medium medium high heat. Add the…
One of simplest meals to make is a stir fry… I said it before and I’m sure I will say it again. The reasons are simple enough too; you can create any number of flavor combinations using the same basic ingredients. As a matter of fact, I previously posted a recipe for Garlic Chicken Stir Fry. Tonight, I used cashews, sliced garlic and oyster sauce to create another variation. Garlic Cashew Chicken Stir Fry with Oyster Sauce Ingredients: 1 chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch cubes 1/2 onion, sliced radially 1 carrot, sliced 1 stalk celery, sliced 1 1/2 cups broccoli flowerets (approximately 1 small crown of broccoli), cut into bite size pieces 1/2 red pepper, sliced 3 garlic cloves, thinly…
I am going old school tonight with the proverbial Sunday chicken dinner… except I opted to twist this meal a little. In reality, it does not take a lot of effort, but it does take a little bit of time. Shall we get started making some Smoked Chicken Noodle Soup? Smoked Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients: 1/2 whole fryer chicken 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1/2 onion, divided (1 part large sections, the other diced) 2 carrots (one halved lengthwise, one diced) 3 stalks celery (2 halved lengthwise, 1 diced) 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp dry thyme leaves 2 tsp dry rosemary, crushed 2 tsp sage 1 bay leaf black pepper kosher salt 5 cups of water 2 cups egg noodles 1/2 cup white wine…
Tonight’s dinner is a big hit with family and friends, but sometimes I just want to enjoy this meal by myself. It does take a bit more planning and preparation than most of my recipes, but the results are worth the effort. Basically, rouladen is a German dish of thin beef steak slathered with stone ground mustard and wrapped around bacon, onions, carrot, and pickle, then seared and braised until tender. The braising liquid is the base for a flavorful gravy – perfect over spaetzle or potatoes as an accompaniment. Don’t be afraid of this recipe as your effort will be well rewarded. Save Print Beef Rouladen Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 2 hours 20 mins Total time: 2 hours…
Here is a fast and tasty pasta dish that will satisfy completely. It is a simple Italian based red sauce with lots of flavor – and completely open to your own interpretations. Some options are to add red wine, substitute vodka and cream for the tomato sauce, adding oregano, roasted red peppers, or red pepper flakes. Of course, the Italian sausage used will also impact the flavor! Are you ready? Great, then let’s get cooking! Sausage and Mushroom Sauce with Penne Ingredients: 6 oz of Italian sausage 5 – 6 oz penna pasta (cook per the instructions and drain well) 1/2 onion, diced 1 large garlic clove, minced 8 oz tomato sauce 4 oz mushrooms, diced (fresh or canned) 2 tbsp tomato paste 1/2…