Trina's Recipes

Herb Salts

2018-06-21T23:01:00.002-05:00

A few years ago, we took out the bushes next to our front door and replaced them with an herb garden. I love that when a recipe calls for a fresh herb, I can can pop outside in my bare feet and cut off whatever I need.

I do sometimes end up with more herbs than I need, so I've taken to experimenting with dehydrating and making herb salts. .

I found these recipes on a vegan blog a few years ago. The other evening when I tried to search for them again, I couldn't find the blog! Luckily, I found a printed copy with my cookbooks. I should note that the amount of salt in these recipes is half of the original. My family has given me feedback that the salts were "too salty."

In all of these recipes, use Kosher or sea salt, not iodized or table salt.

Rosemary Citrus and Parsley Salt

2 tbsp minced parsley
1 tsp rosemary (leaves only)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
1 tbsp kosher or sea salt

Fresh Herb Salt

1/4 cup dill
1/4 cup flat or curly leaf parsley
2 tsp thyme leaves
1.5 tbsps kosher or sea salt

Lovely Herb Salt

1/4 cup curly or flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp dill
2 tbsp sage leaves
2 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp rosemary (leaves only)
1.5 tbsps kosher or sea salt

Green Onion and Garlic Salt (I've never actually made this one!)

2 tbsp sliced green onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/8 cup kosher or sea salt

For all the salts:

Use a sharp knife or mandolin to finely mince the herbs and zest.

Mix the herbs and zest together and continue to mince until the herbs be indistinguishable from one another. Pour half the salt over the herbs and continue to chop until the salt is worked in. Add the remaining salt and continue to chop until you have a homogeneous mixture.

To dry the salt, you have several options. If you have a dehydrator, spread the mixture on one of the solid plastic trays. If you have a dehydrate feature on your oven, spread the mixture on a baking sheet. Don't have either one? A dinner plate on your counter overnight will do. Either way, dehydrate or dry your salt until there is no moisture left.

Store the dried salt in a sealed container. It should keep for about a year.

45 Second "Ice Cream"

2014-10-06T23:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight, my son wanted to watch something on YouTube; something I didn't want him too. So, we checked out Jamie Oliver's FoodTube and stumbled upon his recipe for 45 second "Ice Cream" (Watch the original here.)

The kids were so excited about the idea of making ice cream! I was excited it was easy, fast and healthy.

A touch of honey
1 part (by weight) frozen fruit
1 part (be weight) yogurt

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor bowl. Pulse until you've got "ice cream."

I used 12 ounces of frozen blackberries and 12 ounces of vanilla yogurt - note, these are both by weight. I added a little bit too much honey. This is one of those cases where you want to start with a little - you can always add more.

The color was so vibrant! A feast for the eyes and mouth.

Rhubarb Syrup

2014-05-28T21:54:00.001-05:00

Last year, I bought the book Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. I LOVE it. I highly recommend you buy it.

The following is Marisa's Rhubarb Syrup recipe. If you buy the book, you'll also learn about strawberry syrup, cranberry syrup and blueberry lemon syrup. I'm hoping to try those next :)

While the recipe is designed to can, I just refrigerated mine.

Makes 4 half-pint jars.

1.5 lbs of rhubarb, coarsely chopped
2.5 cups of sugar

Combine the chopped rhubarb with 3 cups water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is soft enough to be easily mashed with a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes.

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the rhubarb and its juice through the strainer. Let the mixture drip through without pressing on it - if you do, the syrup will be cloudy.

Discard the rhubarb and return the strained juice to the pot. Add the sugar, and bring to a boil, skimming any foam as it forms.

Remove the pot from the heat, and pour the hot syrup into prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Green Soup

2013-07-24T23:39:00.000-05:00

It's really Broccoli Cheese Soup. Our three-year old Alex, can't say broccoli cheese soup. He can say, "Green Soup."

The original recipe came from America's Test Kitchen (a TV program that's likely on your local PBS station - I highly recommend watching it.) It flips the idea of a cheese soup on it's head. The soup isn't just green, it tastes like broccoli. Yum!

2 tbsp. butter
2 lbs. broccoli chopped into 1-inch pieces. This can include both the florets and stems, though you may need to peel tougher stems. (I GUESS you can use up to one lb frozen broccoli, but then the fresh better have been picked today...)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
1 1/2 tsps. dry mustard power
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3-4 cups water
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups chicken broth
2 oz baby spinach (about 2 cups loosely packed)
3 oz shredded "orange" cheese (preferably a nice sharp cheddar, but a Colby works too)
1.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not the powdery bottled variety)

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium high heat. Add the broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard powder and cayenne. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until the scent makes you inhale deeply and smile :)

Add one cup of water and the baking soda. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook the mixture for 20 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking. At the end, the result should look like a mushy mess. If there are any hard bits, cook a little longer.

Add broth and 2 cups of water. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and stir in spinach. Cook the spinach until wilted, about a minute or two.

Now, you have two choices.

IF YOU HAVE AN IMMERSION BLENDER:

Use your immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until smooth. Stir in the cheese, a handful at a time.

IF YOU HAVE A BLENDER:

Ladle about half of the hot soup into your blender, add about half of the cheese, and whizz until smooth. Repeat with the other half of the soup and the other half of the cheese. Return the soup to the pot and stir.

Now is the best part :) Top with more shredded parmesan, croutons, pieces of toast or hearty rye crackers. Enjoy!

Steak Soup

2013-03-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a rural area, where purchasing an entire section of a cow was common. Now that I have a family of my own, we occasionally do the same.

When you purchase an entire section, you end up with cuts of meat that you might not normally purchase at the grocery store. Round steak is one of those cuts. I have several packages in my freezer and didn't really know what to do with them - enter my brilliant intern who waxed poetic about her mom's soup. This isn't her mom's recipe, she left before I could get it from her, but I think this one is flavorful.

2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs boneless beef round steak, cut into cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
4 cups beef broth
2 cups water
4 sprigs fresh parsley (or a dried equivalent)
2 tsbp chopped celery leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold)
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced celery

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in the steak and onions. Cook and stir until the meat and onions are browned (10 minutes?) Drain away excess fat and return meat to pan.

While the beef is cooking, mix together flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the browned meat and stir to coat.

In a large soup pot, pour in the beef broth and water. Stir in the parsley, celery leaves, bay leaf and marjoram. Stir in beef mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 45 minutes.

Mix in the potatoes, carrots and celery. Bring the soup back to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender - 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot.

Rice Noodle Soup

2013-03-13T22:30:00.001-05:00

There are times when I crave this soup. I think it's the cilantro, or maybe it's the tender shrimp... You'll notice when you read the recipe, it's not terribly precise. Soup rarely is.

8 oz package thin rice noodles (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb medium shrimp, cleaned and shelled (save the shells!) You can also use uncooked cubed chicken.
1/2 lb baby bok choy, broccoli or celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms (canned work ok)
2 tbsp fish sauce (I sometimes don't have it and omit it)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (I usually only have dried)

Cook noodles according to package directions (usually boil water, let the noodles stand in the heated water off heat then rinse them with cold water.) Divide the noodles between 4 bowls.

Meanwhile, if you saved the shells from the shrimp, put the shells into the chicken stock and microwave it for one minute. (If you didn't, that's ok.) Remove the shells.

Add the chicken stock and one cup of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to heat to medium, add the shrimp, vegetables and mushrooms and cook until the shrimp are cooked through (opaque) and vegetables are tender. Stir in the fish sauce and cilantro. Remove from heat.

Fill each bowl of noodles with hot soup, taking care to evenly distribute all the ingredients (no hogging shrimp!)

Guacamole

2013-01-08T22:35:00.000-06:00

My husband loves guacamole. I hate it. I've tried it; I really I have. I just don't like it.
Interestingly, I apparently make a good Guac (a testament to the love I have for my husband) and have received a number of requests for the recipe.

1 jalapeno chile, top removed then quartered. Remove the seeds and membranes if you like. I don't.
1 medium onion, quartered
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 or 2 cloves of garlic (sent through a garlic press)
4 tbsp dried cilantro
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
4 ripe avocados
1/2 tsp of salt

You'll need a food processor. Toss in the jalapeno and onion. Pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until creamy. Add a little more juice if needed. Taste. Adjust as necessary.

BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese

2012-11-30T22:12:00.000-06:00

My husband came home from Noodles &Company, telling me we could make this dish that he'd had there at home. I thought it sounded awful. He promised to make it for me, and that it would be hearty, creamy, tangy, decadent and delicious. He was right.

To start, make pork as you would for Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Then, make Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. In a pinch, you could use a box version, but it won't be as good.

Put a large dollop of the macaroni and cheese on your plate. Add a medium size dollop of pulled pork. Then drizzle with a fair amount of bbq sauce. I prefer a sweet variety, my husband prefers a smokey version. Both are good.

Enjoy. Indulge. Luxuriate. Nap.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

2012-10-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

I have a serious love affair with Taste of Home and Reiman Publications. This recipe comes from their The Taste of Home Cookbook. I brought this dish to my daughter's Kindergarten potluck. It was a hit.

Double this recipe to main it a main dish; triple it for a potluck.

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
4 TBSP butter
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (you can use a mix of varieties - even work in Parmesan)
2 ounces processed cheese (like Velveeta) cubed

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth (you're making a roux.) Cook for a minute or two, then gradually add milk.

Bring the sauce to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until visibly thickened. Reduce heat, then gradually add cheeses and stir until melted.

Add macaroni to a greased casserole dish. Pour sauce over and stir to combine.

Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Basil Pesto

2012-07-02T22:44:00.002-05:00

I have learned to love pesto. Nutty, zesty, creamy. If purchased from a store, pesto can be quite pricey, but when you grow the basil yourself, it becomes much more affordable. I've grown basil from seed indoors, but most frequently I purchase a plant. Sometimes I put that plant in a pot indoors, sometimes I put it in a pot on the deck, sometimes I plant it in my garden. All work. All produce abundant amounts of basil.

8 cups of fresh basil (2 cups packed)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, I've even used pecans)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put the basil, cheese, nuts, garlic salt and lemon juice in a food processor with 1/4 to 1/3 of the olive oil. Turn the food processor on and allow it to run for a few seconds. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the rest of the olive oil. Process until smooth.

Now comes the best part. Mix little bits with hot pasta, spread it on crusty bread, bagels, smear it on a sandwich, dot it over chicken - whatever you enjoy! Save any leftovers in the fridge.

Yummy Vinaigrette

2012-04-28T19:27:00.000-05:00

When I went to my mom's for Easter, she asked me to make a spinach salad with this dressing. She'd recently gotten the recipe from my aunt Mary Beth. This dressing is my new go-to. Forget the bottled stuff! It's not too sweet, it's not too sour, it's just right.

1/3 cup sugar (or Splenda)
1/2 cup oil (I like canola)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds (the original recipe called for 2)
1 tbsp poppy seeds (the original recipe called for 2)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp minced onion

Toss it all into an container with a tight fitting lid, and shake until it's well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Shake again just before serving. I like this dressing over spinach, romaine, or as a last resort, iceberg lettuce.

I make this recipe in jam jars, salsa jars, whatever jar I've most recently emptied.

Pecan Pie

2011-11-18T16:12:00.001-06:00

I'm a Midwestern gal. My family did not eat pecan pie on Thanksgiving or any other time of the year, but I learned to love it when I worked at Willems's restaurant. Sticky, sweet, crunchy and creamy, I now am in charge of bringing the pies to my in-laws each Thanksgiving.

The first time I made pecan pie, I called my Aunt Mary Jo. She's the best cook in my dad's family, and fairly adventurous (I mean, she'd MADE a pecan pie...) When I called and asked for her recipe, her answer surprised me: "Do you have a bottle of Karo syrup?"

I did. The recipe was on the side of the bottle. This is that recipe. Simple and straightforward. Considering my semi-southern father-in-law likes it, I think it's good.

3 eggs, slightly beaten.
1 cup Karo Syrup (I say use light or dark)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecan (well, maybe a little more. I like pecans.)
1 9-inch unbaked or frozen deep dish pie crust

Combine first five ingredients until well-blended. Stir in pecans. Pour in pie crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean.

One final note: My semi-southern mother-in-law taught me how to properly pronounce "pecan" by telling me pee cans are what truckers use. (Bet you'll say it properly from now on.)

My enchiladas

2011-10-16T22:56:00.001-05:00

Enchiladas are not something I ate growing up, but my kids LOVE them! We usually use a mild prepared variety of sauce from the grocery store, but one night I promised enchiladas and we had no sauce. I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker Cookbook, used the same technique I usually do and was surprised at how similar the finished product was to the rich, creamy not too-spicy concoction we were used to. Oh! And I know exactly what's in them.

I like this recipe so much, I'm working on a recipe to can the sauce in bulk. (More on that when I get it right.)

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, diced (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese + a handful
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
2 whole green chilies, chopped (I use the canned ones)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (13-15 ounces) tomato sauce
About 8 flour tortillas

Part 1: Brown the meat and onions.

Brown the ground beef and onions and drain.

Part 2: Make the sauce

Heat bell pepper, water, chili power, oregano, cumin, chillies, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. If you prefer a smooth sauce (vs. slightly chunky) remove from heat and puree in a blender or in the pot with an immersion blender. Don't mind the chunks? Skip the blending.

Part 3: Make the filling

Combine the ground beef mixture, sour cream, cheese, parsley, pepper and 1 cup sauce. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each tortilla and roll.

Part 4: Bring it all together

Place the filled tortillas into a greased 9 x 13 (ish) baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over all, and sprinkle with an extra handful (or two) of cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Cheat Chicken Soup (aka, my daughter is sick and I have neither time nor a can!)

2011-10-10T22:06:00.001-05:00

To me, homemade chicken soup is something that should take time. Probably something that should only be made on a weekend, when I have that much time.

(Am I the only person whose ideas about soup means they are only eating canned soup?)

Tonight, my little girl wasn't feeling well. I offered her soup, thinking there was a can in the pantry. *sigh.* No can. Now what? Well, I had my trusty chicken soup base, a chicken breast, noodles and veggies. That's soup - right?

So I tried it. And it worked! Better than the canned stuff even - though, not as good as mom's.

10 cups chicken stock or soup base*
1 large (or two medium) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 stalk celery, including leaves, chopped
1 bag (12-16 oz) frozen soup vegetables**
1 1/2 cups dried pasta (your favorite variety, I had elbow macaroni - and if you don't like THIS many noodles, use less.)

Begin by adding the cubed chicken breast and celery to the stock. Bring to a boil. Add the soup vegetables, bring back to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until it's tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

* I always keep a soup base mix in a my pantry. It's a cross between a powder and a paste. You can certainly use boullion cubes or canned or refrigerated chicken stock. Feel free to use a low-sodium version as well. I found it fascinating that my full-salt mix had less salt than the "healthy" canned soup.

** I just happened to have an actual bag of "soup vegetables" in the freezer. (99 cents on sale - score!) You could really use any bag of frozen veggies that includes veggies you like in soup.

Cabbage and bacon

2011-10-03T22:06:00.001-05:00

Cabbage seems like such an "old" vegetable to me. I grow it to make egg rolls and always have extra that I'm not sure what to do with. Enter a quick web search, and I found an "old" recipe. One that some of the seniors in my life assure me, their mothers made them. Depending on how long you cook the cabbage, it's a bit crunchy and yet soft with a burst of acid (in a good way.)

I have to admit, I like the recipe so much, I've taken to (gasp!) buying cabbage at the grocery store.

Half head of cabbage

3-5 slices of bacon

1/2 of a medium onion

vinegar

salt

pepper

Core and slice the cabbage into wedges no more than an inch wide. Dice the onion. Slice the bacon into slightly larger than bite size pieces. Add the bacon to a large saute pan over medium to medium-high heat. Let the bacon render (cook down) for a minute or two and add the onions. When the bacon just starts to turn brown, add the cabbage. Then, stir every few minutes for about 15-20 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, stir well. Just before serving, add a splash of vinegar and stir.

I prefer to serve with vinegar on the side.

Snickers Salad

2011-09-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

Mmmm... creamy, sweet with bursts of tartness. So simple, yet so yummy.

2 small containers (or one large) whipped topping.
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 granny smith apples
3 Snickers candy bars

Gently combine whipped topping and pudding mix.
Chop apples and candy bars into small pieces. Fold apples and candy bars into topping.
Eat!

Grown up grilled garlic toast

2011-08-18T21:02:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite places at the grocery store is the day-old bread rack. For just a dollar, I can find clear signals about what I should have for dinner tonight.

In the summertime, if wide French Bread loaves are on the rack, they're mine and they're on my grill in this somewhat sophisticated manner. It's garlic toast with cheese, so my kids eat it, but it's also smoky and and ever so slightly sharp from the Parmesan.

12 oz of French Bread (NOT baguettes) cut into 1-inch slices
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
3 tsp garlic powder (divided)
1 tsp parsley
1 stick of butter, melted
1.5 cups shredded "orange" cheese (cheddar, colby, etc)

In a medium bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder well. Add the parsley, stirring again. Add the shredded cheese. Use your hands to mix it all together. Set aside.

Add 1 tsp of garlic powder to the melted butter and stir well. Brush both sides of each piece of bread with the melted garlic butter.

Exit the kitchen and head to the grill.

Make sure your grill grates are hot, heating them using a low flame (a grill temp of about 200 degrees). Toast the first side until just golden brown. Flip. Turn the burners off. Top with cheese. Close the grill cover. Wait until cheese is melty.

Cake in a Cup

2011-08-15T21:17:00.007-05:00

Hot chocolate? A latte? No! It's cake

My husband has more will power than anyone I know. It's August. His chocolate Easter bunny? Still in the cupboard.

When I make a dessert, he and the kids each eat one piece and the the rest goes into my mouth over the course of the next day or so. So good for my tummy, so bad for my thighs.

This recipe helps with that. No, it's not high culture, but it's light, delicately spongy and truly diet-friendly. Thanks to Mare at work for sharing it with me.

For the mix:
1 box Angel food cake mix
1 box cake mix, any flavor*

Mix the contents of both mixes together and store in an airtight container.

For the cake:
1/3 cup of the mix

My kids REALLY like this, though I do not condone stealing!

3 tbsps water

Add the mix and water to a coffee mug. Stir until well blended. Microwave on high for 1 minute (since microwaves and coffee cups vary, it make take a little longer)

Top with whipped cream, ice cream, frosting or nothing at all. The center will be hot, so if you're going to feed to the kiddos, let it cool a bit.

* The angel food mix lightens the flavor of the other cake mix, so consider using something like a devil's food for a chocolate.

Red Rhubarb Gelatin Salad

2011-06-09T22:49:00.001-05:00

I love this stuff. It's layers of salty crunch and sweet cream enveloping a tangy gelatin layer. This recipe is a conglomeration of two other recipes - one from The Joy of Rhubarb and the other I've already shared. It's a great way to use rhubarb and still get the decadence of the creamy and crunchy layers from the original raspberry version.

Gelatin layer:
6 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 6-ounce (large) package of cherry or strawberry gelatin (sugar free is fine too)
Optional: 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries (do not thaw)

Creamy layer:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz whipped topping
1 - 1/14 cups sugar (taste)

Pretzel layer:
3/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups hand-crushed pretzels

Coat a 9x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine rhubarb, sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently, until rhubarb is tender (8 min). Stir in dry gelatin. Pour hot mixture into prepared pan. Gently drop strawberries on top. Refrigerate until set.

Meanwhile, mix pretzels, melted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Spread into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir loose from the pan and let cool.

Combine cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar with hand mixer at medium speed. Spread mixture over set gelatin and chill again for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.

Just prior to serving, top with pretzels.

Rosemary Focaccia

2011-05-05T22:55:00.001-05:00

This recipe is one of the reasons I grow rosemary in the summertime. I love the process of baking bread, and specifically in this recipe, squishing the onions into the dough. The result is fragrant, crispy with a lovely Italian butter (olive oil) flavor.

2 medium onions, chopped finely
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsps active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 tsp salt
3 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons snipped fresh rosemary OR 2 tsps dried , crushed
Cornmeal
Coarse Salt

In a hot skillet, saute onions in 1/4 cup oil until tender; cool. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup of water water; let stand for 5 minutes. Bubbles should have formed on the top of the water. If not, your yeast is bad. Buy new yeast :)

To the yeast solution add 2 tablespoons oil, salt and remaining water. Add 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 7 minutes.) Add onions and half of the rosemary; knead 1 minute longer to incorporate onions and rosemary. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Punch down dough. Turned onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Pat each portion flat. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Grease two baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Stretch each portion of dough into a 10-inch circle on prepared pans (or a rectangle...) Cover and let rinse until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Brush with remaining oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and remaining rosemary. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Move over bald guy. Cleaning the microwave

2011-04-11T22:35:00.001-05:00

During grilling season, I really don't like turning on my stove. I'd rather use my microwave. I love it for reheating leftovers, but we have more of a hate relationship when it comes time for cleaning.

Enter a mug of water.

Fill a mug of water to the top. Nuke it for five to ten minutes. It'll release a lovely steam that loosens all the baked on junk. Then, easily clean most of it away. No special bald-guy sponge required.

Eric's Amazing Steak Marinade

2011-04-10T22:04:00.003-05:00

I don't grill. Well, I don't need to. I have a husband who is extremely skilled in grilling.

This is a marinade he's been using in recent weeks. It started as a recipe he pulled from the Internet and has grown and changed as he's been cooking us steaks.

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 medium sized steaks.

Combine all ingredients except steaks. (Don't obsess too much about measurements. Just don't go overboard on the soy sauce.) Mix well.

Marinade steaks in a bowl, container or resealable bag - whatever will help bring the steaks in as much contact as possible with the liquid for about 1 hour.

After an hour, transfer to the grill, cooking as desired.

Margherita Pizza

2011-04-02T21:23:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is opening day for the Twins. Tradition in our house dictates we have a floor picnic tomorrow during the game. Unfortunately, it's also on a Friday during Lent. No meat. *sigh*

So, despite it being out of season, we're going to do Margarita Pizza tomorrow.

Margarita is a not a traditional tomato-based American pizza, but instead a very sophisticated pizza with the clean flavors of olive oil and mozzarella cheese (use the good stuff...) and amazing bursts of basil throughout.

You either start with the World's Best Pizza Dough. (No really, it's the BEST) or One Hour Pizza Dough.

Then you'll need:

Olive Oil (a glug or two)
A pastry brush, grilling brush or, in a pinch, clean hands
Mozzarella cheese
A tomato or two roma tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
Several fresh basil leaves (yes, fresh. Ok, you can't substitute, but I don't recommend it.)

Preheat your oven appropriately for your dough.
Roll the dough out into whatever thickness you enjoy.
Brush the dough with the olive oil. How much? Just enough so that your finger can slide. Not so much that you have an oil slick.
Top with mozzarella. As much or little as you like on your pizza.
Top with thin slices of tomato and sprinkle with a chiffonade of basil.
Bake as your dough recipe suggests.

How to "chiffonade" basil:

The idea of a chiffonade is to cut really thin strips. If you've tried, cutting a leaf into thin strips is hard. So, take the basil leaves and roll one around the other (envision rolling tobacco.) Once you have a rolled group of leaves, take a small knife and slice off a little of the leaves at a time. In the end, you'll end up with really tiny strips that you can sprinkle over your pizza. YUM!

One hour pizza dough

2011-04-02T21:17:00.002-05:00

This isn't my favorite pizza dough recipe. But, my favorite recipe takes 2-3 hours. It's simply not practical for a weeknight. So, if my kids want homemade pizza on a weeknight, I use this one. I can go from yeast to eating pizza in about an hour.

1 package (2 1/2 tsps) active dry or instant yeast
1 cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
2 tbsps olive oil (I recently used an Italian herb infused olive oil. YUM)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
pizza toppings

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Wait for the yeast to proof (bubble. If it doesn't bubble, it's dead, you need new yeast.) After the yeast proofs, add oil, salt and 1 1/2 cups flour. Beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in enough of the rest of the flour to form a stiff dough. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with non-stick spray (if using a pizza stone, DO NOT spray.) Place dough on pan and push and roll out to your desired thickness. Pinch edges Poke all over with a fork to prevent bubbles.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until browned. Add toppings (let me recommend Margarita Pizza) Bake for 10-15 minutes more.

Garlic or Garlic Herb or just Herb Bubble Loaves

2011-03-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

Yeah, my family has purchased the garlic bread in the foil that you throw in the oven, wrapper and all. Yeah... this is SO WAY better. It does take time. It's not something that you can throw into an oven next to a frozen pizza when you get home from work. This is more of a Saturday work of art.

This recipe is a combination of two different recipes.

Bread:
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (or, instant yeast, in which case, the rising times will be thrown.)
1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 cups warm milk (again, 100 to 115 degrees)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp shortening
2 tsp salt
6 1/4 - 6 1/2 cups flour (I've subbed up to a cup of wheat flour)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Wait 5 minutes for yeast to proof (bubble.) If the yeast doesn't bubble, it's dead. Start over.

In the meantime, turn on your oven to warm. When it's preheated. Turn it off.

After the yeast proofs, add milk, shortening, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the rest of the flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic; about 6-8 minutes. (Ok, I admit it, I use my mixer to do this.)

Place in a greased bowl (one that can go into that warm oven, so metal is preferred.) Turn the dough once to grease top. Cover, and let rise in the warm oven until doubled (about an hour)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Punch the dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and divide into fourths. Divide each section into 12 pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball, dip in butter mixture of your choice (see below.) Place in two greased 9x5x3 loaf pans (note, I said place, not pack.) Pour any extra butter over the top. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Pull to eat.

Butter options:

Option 1: Garlic Butter
Mix 1/2 cup melted butter with 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes and 2 tsps garlic powder

Option 2: Garlic Herb Butter
Mix 1/2 melted butter with 8 minced garlic gloves, and 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano, thyme, and crushed rosemary.

Option 3: Herb Butter
Mix 1/2 cup melted butter with 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano, thyme and crushed rosemary