Pizza

 Okay, this recipe is actually for the dough, but I think you are smart enough to figure out how to get it to pizza form. This recipe is our family favorite, and we consider ourselves pizza connoisseurs. The hotter you can get your oven the better it will turn out. When my family had the pizzaria we could cook a pizza in less than 6 minutes because the oven got so hot, don't be afraid of that! Crank that baby up! Also, if you can get a stone for your BBQ, that works AWESOME!

Ingredients:
1 envelope dried yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 c lukewarm water
1 3/4 c bread flour (high gluten)
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil
Directions:
Stir yeast and sugar into warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until "bloomed". In food processor or mixer with a dough hook add flour and salt. Slowly pour in water mixture and mix until dough forms a ball. Dough will be sticky. Remove from bowl and knead on a floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky. Divide into 2 balls and place on oiled cookie sheet turning to oil the balls. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at least one hour. Form pizza's using a small amount of flour and place onto a board covered with corn meal. Top with sauce and   ingredients and gently slide onto a pre-heated baking stone in a very hot oven (450-500) baking until crust is brown and crispy, approx 10-15 minutes.

Pasta with Garlic-basil Cream Sauce

This recipe if from Cooks Illustrated, if you have never picked up a copy of this little magazine before then do it this month. This magazine is a gem. I love it! They have so many great ideas and tips about different products - plus totally simple recipes.  Also, this sauce doesn't save well. So use it immediately - don't try cooking ahead of time or saving the leftovers. Also, with a recipe like this, where the pasta is the star, it is usually a good idea to splurge a little and buy the fresh pasta from the grocery store rather than the dried kind from the shelves.

1 C. packed fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 C. half-and-half
1 C. low-sodium chicken broth
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. minced fresh basil
1 lb linguine or spaghetti
freshly grated Parmesan

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil for the pasta. When boiling add in 1 T. salt and the pasta, cook, stirring often until al dente. Drain - reserving 1/2 c. pasta water. Return to pot
While waiting for the water to boil: Blend the basil, half-and-half, broth, and cornstarch together in a blender until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and 1/4t. salt and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Briefly re-blend the half-and-half mixture to redistribute the cornstarch, then stir into saucepan and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in minced basil and salt & pepper.
Add the sauce to the pasta using pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Tonight I am not going to be home, so I have to make a dinner that my husband can figure out. I am going to get everything made ahead of time and then he just has to cook the noodles, and heat up the sauce and meatballs.

Traditional Tomato Sauce (you should have some leftover from last week)

2 slices white sandwich bread, stale

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound ground beef chuck

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 medium onion, grated (about 1/4 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large egg, beaten

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil, divided

Serving suggestions: 1 pound cooked spaghetti or linguine

Pulse the bread in a food processor. In a small bowl toss the bread crumbs with 1/3 c. cold milk to rehydrate. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, meats, Parmesan, parsley, salt, onion, garlic, and egg and mix until combined. Season the meat mixture with pepper.
Using your hands, gently form the meat mixture into 18 slightly larger than golf ball-sized balls. (Packing the meat mixture too tightly together will result in tough meatballs). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Drain the oil and wipe out the skillet, return to the heat, and repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs.
Drain and wipe out the skillet again. Return all the meatballs to the skillet and pour in the marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, swirling the pan occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through about 15 minutes. The cheese in the meatballs will start to melt when the meatballs are ready. Serve immediately.

Chicken Parmesan

Hello delicious. This recipe tastes like a million bucks - and it tastes like you slaved in the kitchen for hours (because you did!) and it is worth it! If you like chicken Parmesan then give this a try when you are feeling especially ambitious. Make sure that you have made your Traditional Italian Tomato Sauce before hand.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 C. milk
4 C. flour
6 large eggs, beaten
6 c. unseasoned, dried bread crumbs
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 T. unsalted butter (not margarine)
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
2 C. traditional Italian tomato sauce
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, slices into 1.8" thick medallions

 Trim the chicken of fatty pieces, and cut in half lengthwise - making 2 servings. using a meat tenderizer or a heavy skillet, pound the chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until flat, about 1/4 inch thick. Place the milk, four, eggs and bread crumbs in 4 separate shallow dishes. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Dip each breast in the following order: milk, flour (shake off excess), eggs, bread crumbs (pressing firmly into bread crumbs).
In a large skillet melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat until sizzling. Arrange the chicken breast in the pan without over crowding. cooking in batches. Reduce the heat and cook until golden brown n both sides and juices run clear, about 7 minutes per side (do not flip the chicken more than needed, this will cause the crust to break and fall off). Place the cooked chicken breasts on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet in a warm oven to keep warm while the other chicken is cooking.
When all the chicken is cooked, place 1/2 c. of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. add cooked breasts to the dish, cover with tomato sauce, place sliced mozzarella cheese on top of chicken and broil until cheese is melted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Serve over angel hair or linguine pasta.

Note: I do not recommend the "precious" brand mozzarella cheese. It has a very bitter flavor, which is very unfortunate. Mozzarella cheese should almost be sweet. I recommend getting it from the deli section  (not behind the counter, but over by the fancy cheeses) or even Costco sells fresh mozzarella that is delicious and it comes in a 2 pack.

Traditional Italian Tomato Sauce

This recipe is the best tomato sauce I have ever had. It does take some time and work, but you can double or triple the batch and freeze it and then you will have it at all times. 

4- 28oz cans tomato puree
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 C. dry red wine
1 T. dried oregano
8 leaves fresh basil
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and briefly saute, careful not to burn it. Add in the red pepper flakes and slowly add in half the tomato puree and the wine. Mix well. Add in the remaining tomatoes. Mix well. reduce heat to low and let simmer. Add the oregano Dan continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the basil, and season with salt & pepper to taste.

* I usually buy the red wine at the grocery store by the vinegars but more than once I bought an actual bottle of red wine and you can taste the difference. You can not taste the wine in the recipe, but you can taste the difference in quality ingredients.

Chicken Marsala

So - I must note: I despise mushrooms! Something about their rubbery, squeaky, fungi texture gives me the heebie-jeebies! However, don't try to make this recipe without them! It doesn't work - trust me I have tried it. I just quietly push my mushrooms to the side and hope my kids don't notice that Mom isn't eating her veggies!

3 Chicken Breasts
1 container sliced mushrooms (button or baby bella work well) DON'T get canned mushrooms! ick.
1 Shallot
2 T + 1 t. Olive Oil
1 t. butter (not margarine!)
1/2 C. Marsala Wine
1/2 C. Chicken Broth
Ground Thyme
Flour
Salt & Pepper

Trim the fat and weird parts off the chicken breasts. Slice the chicken down the middle length-wise, making 2 servings of chicken. Lightly pound the chicken until it is the same thickness throughout. (This works really well if you put the chicken breast in a gallon size Ziploc baggie, zip it up, then pound it out. No flying chicken pieces!!) Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt, pepper and thyme and then dredge in four.
Heat the 2 T. Olive Oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through (it is important to cook the chicken slowly in this step. If you cook on too high of heat the four on the outside will burn and the chicken will be raw on the inside). Continue in batches until all the chicken is cooked, placing the cooked chicken on a baking sheet in a warm oven.

* If you are wanting to serve this with pasta - now would be the time to start that! We love it with linguine.

Thinly slice the shallots and quickly rinse the mushrooms. In a saute pan heat the remaining 1 t. olive oil and the butter over medium-high heat (margarine has too much water in it - so it will pop and oil will explode all over the kitchen - so just use butter...please). When the butter is melted add in the shallots and cook until they are shiny. Add in the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms have darkened and soft. They should also, give up some juices.  Add in the wine and broth and cook for 2 minutes. The mushrooms should work as a natural thickener to the sauce but if it is not thick enough, you can drizzle in a little cornstarch mixture ( 1t. cornstarch & 1 t. cold water) until it is thickened. Add in the cooked chicken breasts and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve with pasta

Side note: If you are having a hard time finding Marsala Wine.... At any grocery store you can find it (usually on the top shelf) with the vinegars. It is sold in a small bottle (perfect for recipes) and is usually next to the red wine vinegars.