Easy Pizza

Pizza is pretty easy to make, and I generally like the results when I make it as home just as well or better than ordering a pizza. Definitely tastier than frozen pizzas.

It is also an excellent way to use up bits of leftover veggies, meats, and cheeses. For this pie I used a bit of leftover salami, a leftover sausage, a few tomatoes, some garlice and cheese.

Preheat oven to 425. Don't be afraid to use a ready made crust if you're short on time:


If using fresh tomatos, slice them and drain on paper towels (otherwise they'll make your pizza soggy)


Slice leftover meat (salami, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, roast beef, turkey, roast pork .... ) into little bits. Fresh garlic is wonderful on this as well - just make thin slices.

I used pizza sauce from a jar this time around. If you have a jar of spaghetti sauce at the back of your fridge, use that. If you have a little can of tomato paste, mix it with equal part water or red wine, and mix in Italian herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder)

Put meat directly on crust. (by warming the meat UNDER the sauce, it doesn't get too dry) Add garlic (if using). Cover with sauce and bake about ten minutes:

Meanwhile, prepare the cheese. I used a mixture of asiago, cheddar (on the left), and slices of fresh mozzarella (on the right)

Add cheese and any other toppings (in this case tomato) and return to oven:

Bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted:

Freezing summer's goodness

Did you buy a little more corn than you can eat this week? Or maybe your coworkers are bringing in the fruits from their tomato vines? "Put it up" for winter!

Corn: to prepare sweet corn for the freezer: use a serrated knife to saw down the edges of a corn cob (stand the corn on end). Gather the golden nuggets into a air tight container (Tupperware, freezer proof canning jar, etc). The kernels will be wonderful for soup later - especially a crab-corn chowder!



Tomatoes: If the skins don't care to come off, score the bottom with an "x":

Plunge them into boiling water for just one minute. Pull them out with a slotted spoon, and wait five minutes so you don't burn your fingers. But then it will be easy to peel away the peel.

Some tomatoes don't seem to require blanching (the minute in boiling water)

Don't look now! Naked tomato!!

Chop the tomato and pack tightly in a plastic container (leave head room for expansion). Obviously you won't be able to use the thawed tomatoes for a perfect summer burger in the dead of winter, but they are healthy addition to stew or soup in February.

Fried Red and Yellow Tomatoes

Still enjoying a plethora of juicy, fragrant tomatoes. The type one just dreams about in February. I've heard of fried green tomatoes, but never fried ripe tomatoes - so I decided to give it a try.




First:


Rinse and slice tomatoes into nice thick slices. Layer slices on paper towels to drain excess moisture. Pat the top dry as well.






Second:

beat together one egg with a splash of water.





Third:

Preheat a pan to medium-high. I used olive oil as my fat - enough to coat the whole bottom of the pan with a thin layer.

(sorry no picture - messing with hot oil never helps me remember to pick up my camera)

Fourth:

mix together bread crumbs (I prefer panko), a couple tablespoons of flour, salt, pepper and possibly other seasoning (I added a bit of ancho chili powder).




(on a side note, my friend Sarah told me you can put leftover bread into a blender to make bread crumbs - so obvious but yet it never occured to me!)



Fifth:

Dip a slice of tomato in the egg mixture, then dip both sides in the crumb mixture, and into the frying pan. Repeat with other slices until pan is full. Wait about five minutes and fry other side.


It turned out pretty well. Because fresh tomatoes are softer, you'll need a spatula (not just tongs) to get the tomatoes out of the pan. I served with a piece of steak. The red and yellow color added visual interest to the plate.

Nachos!

Sometimes you just crave melted cheese. Without paying take-out prices.

Preheat oven to 450. Layer on pan:




Corn tortilla chips, preferably not very salty




taco meat (leftover from the taco salad. shredded chicken, leftover or canned would be an alternate protein)



black beans



shredded cheddar



Bake for 3-5 minutes. Watch them!!



Then add:

tomatoes (I used multi-colored cherry tomatoes from my last CSA box)




sliced peppers, hot or not:


then salsa (GREAT way to use up the last of jars in your fridge) and sour cream:

Taco Salad

I happen to have lots of wonderful tomatoes on hand this week. I also found 80/20 ground beef at the grocery store at a really good price. It was already on sale for 2.69 pound, but then this package also had a $2 off coupon .... so I paid under $5 for two and a half pounds of ground beef. So what better to make with tomatoes, corn and ground beef than a taco salad?

ground beef (I used a 2.5 pound package, but had lots leftover)

2 large tomatoes

2 large onions (I used Vidalia)

1 bell pepper

2 ears corn

salad greens

tortilla chips

taco seasoning (in a packet or from a jar)

2 limes

cilantro

garlic

Brown the beef in a pan. Using a spoon, drain off the fat. Mix the taco mix with about 1/2 cup of water and stir into the beef. I also added a few cubes each of garlic and cilantro. Dried cilantro would work just as well. Roll two limes on the counter before juicing them over the beef:

Peel the two onions. Cut off the ends, cut them in half, and then slice into half moons. These go into another pan (following a splash of oil):

Stir frequently. Remove the browned onions to a bowl.

Turn the heat back up on the pan. Cut the kernels off the two ears of corn (a light sawing motion with a serrated knife seems to work well). Throw them in the hot pan just long enough to warm and give a touch of color:

Meanwhile wash your salad greens. Wash and cut the tomatoes and bell pepper.

Have another veggie you want to add? By all means chop it up! Jalapenos, olives, shredded carrot, cucumber, zucchini, canned beans ... all would be lovely additions to the party. I used guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheddar and salsa as toppings. If you happy to have a cherry tomato, it makes a great "cherry" for your fiesta sundae.

Open Faced Turkey Meatball Sandwiches with Fresh Tomatoes and Peppers

Someone asked me recently if I could do a meal in twenty or thirty minutes. So I decided to set the timer and see if I could!

Ingredients:
1 onion
2 bell peppers
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen turkey meatballs
3 large tomatoes
handful of fresh basil
salt, pepper
oregano, garlic, thyme
2 rolls, or 4 slices of toast

First I set the timer:

Then I started the pot on the stove, and added some olive oil.

I peeled an onion, chopped it in half, and sliced the halves into slices:

Into the pot went the slices.

Then I roughly sliced the bell peppers:

Meanwhile, the meatballs went into a bowl and into the microwave. (just to warm - these were fully cooked ones. I think these came from Aldi. Other stores carry similar products)

Stir the onion and peppers, and season with salt and pepper.

Then chop the tomatoes:

Add the tomatoes to the pot, along with about 2 teaspoons of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and a few cloves of garlic (or the frozen or dried equivilant).

I cut the meatballs in half. Then add them to the pot.

Add some chopped basil (or dried).

Scoop mixture over an opened roll. Top with some shredded cheese.

Weeknight Pork Ribs

I wanted ribs. But my sister was out of town. This might seem an irrelevant fact, but the past two summers when I wanted ribs I bribed her with appetizers and beer in exchange for her slow smoking the ribs in my side yard.

In the past I've had fairly good results from slow roasting ribs, say at 250, for six hours in my oven. They turn out very tender, but it isn't QUITE enough. And who wants six hours of oven heat added to the general warmth of a summer day?

So I decided to try a two prong approach. First I rubbed the ribs with a Penzeys spice rub, and cooked them on low in the crockpot for about six hours. My other crockpot has a setting where it cooks on low for six hours and then switches to warm - so I could set that before I left for work in the morning. But that crockpot is currently in a box.

I then removed them from the heat and just finished them on the grill for about twenty minutes. Only in the last five minutes did I add barbeque sauce - from a bottle, but with a generous addition of freshly grated ginger for extra punch. I have to say they turned out VERY good. Only 93.2% as good as long smoked ribs, but I would certainly do them this way again.

I served them with sweet corn, just warmed on the top rack of the grill and sliced tomatoes.

Hearty Breakfast Burritos

I made breakfast burritos for the first time last weekend. I believe I can honestly say it was the first time I was trying to recreate a fast food dish - McDonald's breakfast burritos. (or at least something similar.

First, brown one roll of hot sausage:



Shred, grate or dice an onion and some potatoes, and start them cooking in a separate pan. Season with salt and pepper. Chop a pepper and add to the mix:

Break and mix some eggs. I think I used 8 jumbo, but this ended up being a huge batch.

I used my Tupperware quick shake to mix the eggs. A bowl and fork would also suffice.

Combine sausage with potato mixture (my sausage did not give off much fat, but if it did make sure to drain and discard the grease) . Add the egg mixture, and "scramble" until eggs are cooked.

I had guacamole in my freezer, so I spread some on tortillas:

Then fill with mixture and roll up. Serve with your favorite salsa: