All Hail The Power of the Pizza!

Those of you who have been following me for any length of time know that every Thursday in our house is pizza night.  We rotate between homemade, frozen and our favorite take out joints.  This is something that simply happened.  A very long time ago, about 10 years ago, to be precise, Rick and I were in the early stages of our relationship.  You see, pizza night was born out of the television schedule.  Thursday nights were for Survivor in the fall and winter and Big Brother in the summer.  Reality T.V. is something that Rick told me he "Loathed", when I first met him, but that is another story for another time.  Needless to say he no longer loathes some of it.  On Thursday nights we would order, buy or make pizza.  My girls were very young and this just became a tradition.  In fact it has woven it's way into our family life so much so, that Rick has decided that if we do not have pizza on any given Thursday, that a hole will be torn in the space time continuum and the earth may just be thrown off it's axis.  This in turn could set in motion a course of events that would eventually wipe out mankind.  So we eat pizza on Thursday nights.  Just to be safe.  I have yet to point out that for the last eleven Thanksgivings we have been safe.  I don't know if he realizes that or not.  Best to just let sleeping dogs lie.

 

In any case, pizza is something that most people enjoy.  It is so simple in its construction that you really can go anywhere with it.  In our house we have many favorites from the simple cheese pizza which must always be served a la Kevin McAllister to Rick's favorite, pepperoni, my favorite sausage, Molly's favorite Hawaiian or anything in between.  We love pizza.  Pizza is good food.  It is cheap and it is nutritious and it can be made even more nutritious by making it at home and adding more great stuff to it.  We have had very bad pizza and we have had very good pizza.  But in the end pizza is comfort food and no matter how you slice it, it's just plain good!

Sometimes it helps to start with a theme or a basic idea when building a pizza.  We usually go with the basic cheese and pepperoni for regular pizza nights.  However we have been known to jazz things up from time to time.  Here is a list of some of the pizzas I have made over the years:

I am currently working on sharing how to make your own, homemade frozen pizza.  There are a couple of tricks to it, but it is a really simple process.  I know you are going to love it.  So be sure to stay tuned to the channel for that!

If you are looking for inspiration to make an out of the box pizza, all you have to do is look to your favorite sandwich or meal and think of how you would turn that into a pizza.   The truth is, you can make a pizza out of anything you like.   In the end, you are the only one who has to love it!  So go make some pizza and enjoy every bite!

Till next time, I'll see ya!

K.I.S.S. and Get Ready for Valentine's Day!

This post is a collaboration with Williams-Sonoma, but all words and opinions are my own.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and this is the perfect time to think about how you want to surprise your sweetheart with something for that special day.

While flowers are a lovely gesture, they are really expensive and with the economy being what it is, they can be off the table for some people.  Jewelry is always a welcomed option for the ladies in your life, but again, can be expensive.  I don't know many people who have the extra money to plunk down on a diamond heart for the February holiday.  What to do?  Food is always a wonderful option! We all have to eat like it or not (who doesn't like it?)  Whether you plan to cook a meal for your sweetheart or make something even more creative,  the folks over at Williams Sonoma have compiled some great ideas and resources to help plan your Valentine's Day.

There are lots of ways to show your loved one that you care.  You don't have to spend a ton of money, but you do want to make sure that whatever you do, you do it with quality and care.  Think about what you want to make and do it as simply as possible.  Remember, if you have never made a recipe before, you might want to give it a try before you make it for your wife or fiance'.  Just to make sure you know what you are doing.  The evening can quickly become a disappointment, mostly for yourself, if you don't have confidence that what you have chosen to make is going to be a smash!

The best advice I can give you is this;  K.I.S.S. (fitting no?).  Most of us know this little gem as Keep It Super Simple.  Maybe not how you remember it, but a bit nicer and still imparts the same message.  Keeping things simple is the key to being successful at anything!  In this case, planning a simple, yet romantic meal for your special someone can be easy with a bit of planning and a little finesse.    

 Start your night with a romantic appetizer of a shared shrimp cocktail.  Move on to bacon wrapped filet mignon that are the star of the show and super simple to create for your main course.  Then, finish off with a molten chocolate cake, delicious and decadent.  All of these dishes are simple, yet will knock the socks off of anyone you choose to share them with.  The best part of this type of romantic meal is the fact that you have made it yourself!  Cooking for someone is, after all,  the ultimate expression of love, in my opinion.

You can find the recipes for the bacon wrapped filet mignon as well as the molten chocolate cake on the Williams-Sonoma website here: 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/menu/valentines-day-dinner-for-two.html

If making a whole meal is not your preference, you can always make a sweet treat for your honey.  Below are a few suggestions for Valentine's day, I've come up with that you might consider.  The most important thing to remember is being together, in the moment and making a beautiful memory is priceless.  Here is hoping you have a priceless Valentine's day, sealed with a K.I.S.S.

Hazelnut Mousse!  Quick and Easy and Impressive!

Fun Valentine Krispy Treats!  Super Fun for the Kids!

Valentine Chocolate Orange Meringue Kisses

Check out other Ideas on my website:

http;//www.noreenskitchen.com

Salad Days: A Promise To Try and Eat More Salads All Year Long

This post is a collaboration with Williams-Sonoma, but all words and opinions are my own.

When I was growing up we would sometimes have salad with dinner.  It was usually as an accompaniment to a grilled steak or chicken and during the summer  months when it was much too hot, in Tucson, Arizona to be thinking about turning on the oven.  My mom would often put me in charge of tossing the dinner salad together and it always had the same ingredients; iceberg lettuce, tomato wedges and sliced cucumbers.  Onions were left on the side because my brother would not come withing 10 feet of them and my dad did not care for them on his salad.  Break out the bottled dressing and salad was served.  I never really liked salad much when I was a kid.  

When I was in college, pasta salads became very popular (yes, I know that I am dating myself).  Cooked, cold pasta mixed with chunks of Mozzarella cheese, cubes of pepperoni and chopped onions, sliced black olives and sometimes some peppers thrown in for good measure.  Pour on some bottled dressing and voila'! Salad as a meal!   Who doesn't love a good pasta salad?  I haven't had one like this in quite a while.  Kind of makes me want one, come to think of it.  

All of this reminiscing is great, a walk down salad memory lane, if you will, but salad can be and is so much more than just a wedge of iceberg lettuce drowned in blue cheese dressing and a couple of cherry tomatoes tossed on the plate for show.  Yes salad is whatever you want it to be and I think we sometimes forget that we can make almost anything into a salad.

Traditionally, salads are cold but they can be served warm or hot as well.  They can be just greens dressed with a simply vinaigrette made with lemon and olive oil, or they can be full of everything but greens and lettuce.  I personally love a chopped salad sans lettuce.  Sometimes I just think lettuce gets in the way of all that other earthy goodness.  How about throwing some cubed bread for a Panzanella or Tuscan bread salad?  What about using cooked rice, Quinoa, couscous or Millet as a base for a dinner salad?  The possibilities are endless!

There is really no good reason not to be eating more salad.  I, for one, have promised myself that I will serve more salads, hot, cold and everything in between to my family this coming year.  It is my hope that we can love this new path and use it as an opportunity to explore new combinations of ingredients that we can enjoy together at our supper table.  My girls love salad!  My oldest, Molly loves it however she can get it, with lots of greens or with none at all, with grilled chicken or steak, Caesar or Asian style, you name it, she loves it and actually craves salad.  Not bad for a 15 year old right?  My youngest is a bit more finicky but I'm working on her.  Right now she will only eat salad that is made with fresh baby spinach and hard cooked eggs, she only eats the tomatoes on the side and she likes it with ranch dressing.  Like I said, I'm working on her!  As for myself and my husband, we both love them as well, but I just don't think about them being a meal as often as I should.  

So off I go to try and make salad a bigger part of our lives.  I hope you will consider this as well. We can make our lives a bit easier with salad and we can make our bodies a little healthier with them as well.  The good folks at Williams-Sonoma have devised a wonderful chart along with recipes that provide a seemingly endless variety of salad recipes for us to work through.  Have a look and see what you like and start eating salad tonight!

Check them out here:

Click Here to See Great Salad Ideas at Williams-Sonoma

Here are a couple of salad ideas that we love at our house:

Asian Chicken Salad

Ginger Sesame Dressing

Taco Salad with Homemade Chili

I hope you try these and I hope you love them!  I also hope you check out the link to Williams-Sonoma and get some great ideas for salad dinners at your house!

Happy Eating!

You can see lots more recipes and ideas on my website

http://www.noreenskitchen.com

Extolling the Virtues of Home Baked Bread

    What could smell better than fresh bread? What could taste better than fresh bread warm from the oven, dripping with fresh creamery butter? In my opinion, nothing falls into the category of homemade goodness better than bread. Bread is simple, it has few ingredients yet it remains a mystery to many. In our modern day world of fast convenience, we often reach for a cello wrapped loaf while running into the market to pick up a few things for dinner. We never really give it much thought. But I think we should.

    When you spend time baking your own bread, you realize exactly how simple bread really is. A perfect combination of just the right ingredients, just the right amount of time and just the right amount of tender loving care can produce a life sustaining staple for our families. I think we take bread for granted.

   Bread is there, it's always there, until it's not, and then we cry because we are out and trudge to the store to buy yet another plastic wrapped loaf of cardboard bread.  We use it for everything, sandwiches, toast, crumbs, casseroles, you name it, we use bread in many things, every day.  Who would think of eating a burger without a bun?  Who eats a PB& J without a nice slice of bread?  Probably not many, I'd venture to guess that even people who eat low on the "carb" chain still crave bread.  Bread is simple and it makes life easy.  A sandwich is a complete meal, eggs are not the same without a piece of toast and you can't have a good casserole without some bread crumbs on top!

    When was the last time you really thought about bread? Have you ever really thought about it? Come to think of it, until I started making my own every week, I didn't think much about it either. It was just easy to buy it. But when I started baking it myself, it was difficult to go back to the cello wrapped, excuse for bread that we all know and love. Don't get me wrong, a soft, fluffy loaf of Wonder bread is a beautiful thing, until you start to read the ingredients.

     Bread is comprised of few things, flour, water, yeast and salt will make a wonderful, no knead loaf of artisan style bread. Four ingredients can provide you with enough food to ensure that you and your family will eat that night. Add in a few more, like butter or oil, mashed potatoes, milk or milk powder a bit of sugar and you can produce a loaf that will rival anything you can buy at the market.

      There is something special about home baked bread. Have you ever had a neighbor bring you a warm loaf of cinnamon raisin bread? I haven't, but I have taken more than one to my neighbor. When I do, they treat me like I gave them the Publishers Clearing House big prize. They talk about it all the time, each time they see me they tell me that I should go into business.  I always thank them and I am always flattered. Going into business would certainly ruin my love for baking bread. It would make it work and work eventually turns to resentment and loathing. I never want to feel that way about baking bread.

    This recipe that I am sharing with you is one that I have been using for a number of years. It is simple, but has a couple of ingredients that may be a bit interesting to you. They amend the dough and make a perfect loaf. You may have these ingredients in your pantry already, and if you don't you will want to have them on hand once you make this bread. I promise you it is worth it. The preparation time is minimal and the rising time is no big deal. You simply go do something else while the bread is rising. In about 3 hours time you can have a couple of warm loaves of your own homemade bread cooling on your counter.

    I will warn you, though, If you make one loaf, you had better make two. It is my experience that the aroma of freshly baked bread is very popular and most people are not merely satisfied with the wafting scent of your home baked goodness. They will ultimately want to slice into that loaf, long before recommended.  In most cases, you will not be able to resist sampling your efforts either. What could be better than slicing off the heel of a warm loaf of bread and slathering it with butter? Not much, I tell you, not much.

Ingredients

1 cup warm water 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 6 tablespoons butter, softened 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 cup instant potato flakes 1/4 cup dry milk powder 3 cups flour

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all ingredients in bowl of your mixer. Using the dough hooks, blend on low until ingredients  are combined. At this point you will check to see if you need more flour or more water. Add a little at  a time until the dough is no  longer sticky on your fingers.

Knead in the mixer for 5 minutes (

Remove dough from bowl and shape into a large round. Spray or oil the  bowl and return the dough  to the bowl. Spray or oil the top of the dough and  cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel.  Place the bowl in a warm  place until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove from bowl onto a clean surface  and simply press the  air out of it gently. Don't punch your dough, it is delicate  and while you may have been taught to  punch it, this does nothing for the  structure of the dough and does not really help to remove the air  as efficiently  as simply pressing those gasses out on the board.

Shape your dough into the desired loaf and place it in your favorite pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and place in a  warm spot until the dough is  double in size. This is a good time to preheat  your oven to 350 degrees in preparation of baking your  bread. My dough  usually takes between 30 to 45 minutes to double.

Remove the plastic wrap from your dough and place it in the preheated oven.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Place a piece of aluminum foil over the bread in the oven and continue to  bake for an additional 20  minutes. This will allow the inside of the bread to  finish baking without the top crust becoming too  dark.

Remove bread from oven and if you have baked it in a pan, immediately  remove it from the pan and  place it on a wire rack to cool. Allow bread to  cool for at least 30 minutes before attempting to slice.

ENJOY!

What's for Dinner? Easy Oven Shrimp Scampi

A Shrimp By Any Other Name Would Still Be As Delicious

I have vivid memories of being a child and going out for fancy dinners with my family.  Not all the time, but for special occasions.  It was on this special trips that my parents introduced my brother and I to a world of culinary delights.  It would be these dinners that would develop our likes and dislikes and help us to be adventurous eaters later in life.

You most likely have similar memories, perhaps not like the one I have described, but one of your own.  One that you refer to when you are seated in a special restaurant and are reading the menu, maybe you look for your favorite, whether it be Beef Wellington, Veal Oscar or Chicken Kiev.  It will bring you back to that place when you were a child, when the table was much larger and the napkins seemed more like a bed sheet.  When your mother would let you take a sip of her wine.  You were allowed to order Chocolate Mousse, Baked Alaska or Cherries Jubilee, for dessert.  The latter set aflame table side for maximum impact.  Truly a spectacle to behold!

For me, there are a couple dishes that take me back to that place, when the napkins were big and I had to make an effort to be on my best behavior.  Veal Oscar and Shrimp Scampi are my two favorites that I always search for on a high end menu.  The first is one that I reserve for an evening out, and it is getting more and more difficult to come by, but the scampi, is easy to make yourself and even though you cook at home, you can still achieve the same flavors and memories that you love. 

There is also no reason to kill your self while making this dish.  I mean this is simple and making it anything else would be criminal.  Simple ingredients yield maximum flavor and that is what you want.  This dish is even easy enough to prepare on a busy weeknight.  It literally takes minutes to cook and aside from the cleaning and shelling of the fresh shrimp, really takes little time.

So, relive a happy memory, go back to a simpler time and do it the easy way.  I invite you along for the trip, here is how you make shrimp scampi the oven style, no brainer, maximum flavor way!

OVEN SHRIMP SCAMPI

Here is what you will need to make this dish:

2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined

1 stick butter

4 cloves minced garlic

Juice of 2 lemons

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. sea salt

Prepared Angel Hair Pasta

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a baking pan place the stick of butter and place in oven until melted.  When butter is sizzly and melted remove from oven and add minced garlic and shrimp and toss to coat.  Return pan to oven and allow to cook for 5 to7 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque and no longer translucent.  Don’t let them cook for too long otherwise they will be chewy and tough and you don’t want that. 

When shrimp are cooked through remove from oven and add Salt, Old Bay, Paprika and Mrs. Dash along with the juice of 2 lemons, toss to combine and you are ready to serve of some angel hair pasta or rice, your choice.

I hope you try this and I hope you enjoy it!  As Always, Happy Eating!