Amy's Pizza Pie (my version of deep dish pizza)

My kids love this and so I try to make it often. It is a very basic deep dish pizza with two crusts, but it always looks so nice out of the oven that I enjoy making it.

Amy's Pizza Pie

Amy's Favorite Pizza Dough

(you will want to divide the recipe 1/3 for top crust and 2/3 for bottom crust)

1 1/4 C warm water

2 T Olive Oil

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/4 C cornmeal

3 T whole wheat flour

3 C unbleached white flour

1 T yeast

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees F), add the rest of the ingredients and beat using the dough hook of a stand mixer until a nice dough ball is formed. If it is still sticky place flour on the counter and turn out the dough and knead until smooth.  Be careful not to knead in too much flour and make the dough too heavy. Let rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. Punch down and turn out and divide into two dough balls to roll out for pizzas.

• Option—Do you have a bread machine? Place the ingredients into your bread machine in the order the machine suggests, set for the dough cycle, when complete, turn out and divide into two balls which you will roll out for the pizzas.

--If you don't have one, you should look at investing in a Zojirushi bread machine...it is my second machine and I just love this machine. I make most of our bread and it is so nice to place ingredients in, go to work and come home to dough ready to go, or even a baked loaf!  www.zojirushi.com  They also make great rice cookers....this is a necessity in my kitchen too!

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  

Filling:
• 1 lb of Italian sausage, cooked and drained. (If using links, slice open the casing and crumble the sausage into skillet to cook through).
• Pepperoni, I use sandwich pepperoni, and about 20 slices or so, enough for one layer
• 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 of a large (the ones I am finding are softball size) red onion, very thinly sliced
• sliced black olives, one small can drained (3oz)
• 4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 grated parmesan cheese
• Tomato sauce. I prefer an organic tomato & basil pasta sauce or I often use the roasted tomato sauce you can find on this blog.

Egg wash:
• 1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp hot water

• 1/8 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Mix these together to sprinkle on top after egg wash

Use olive oil and grease a round 12-14 inch deep casserole dish. Roll out 2/3 of dough to fit in dish with some overhang. 

Place 2 C of mozzarella cheese on the bottom of the crust and then top with 1/3 C of grated parmesan cheese.  Next layer in pepperoni and sausage, then peppers, onion, and black olives.

At this point, you can add tomato sauce (16oz to 32oz depending on how much sauce you like...or leave it out of the pie. Heat the sauce and serve on top of the pizza.  This has become my favorite way to do this since it makes the leftovers easier to reheat and keeps them from being soggy!








The photo here shows sauce in the pie, but it your choice. Add the remaining 2 C of mozzarella.

Roll out the remaining 1/3 of dough recipe. Add the top crust.

and roll up the dough hanging over the edge with the top crust to seal the pie well.

Brush with the egg mixure and top with a dusting of garlic powder and kosher salt (go easy with this). With a sharp knife, make a few slits in the top of the dough for steam to escape.


Place in pre-heated 375 degree (F) oven for about 1 hour until golden and the filling is hot and cheese is melted. Let stand for 15- 20 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Garden Grill Sandwich

This sandwich is one I've been making for years.  It is inspired by a sandwich I used to order at Ohio University in Athens Ohio, at a "joint" called The Pub.  I was back recently and disappointed with the sandwich.  It was grilled back in my day...ahem, but today's version was just on toasted bread...OK, not the same. So, I think you'll be quite happy with this version of a garden grill sandwich that you will be happy to share with your family and friends.





Amy's Garden Grill

• 2 slices of seeded rye bread (or sourdough) for each sandwich
butter, softened
• cream cheese, a thick layer
• Colby cheese slices, 2 slices per sandwich
• thinly sliced cucumber (I prefer the English cucumber and you don't need to peel or seed)
• thinly slice tomatoes
• kosher salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• alfalfa  sprouts, optional (I highly recommend, but hit or miss if my grocery has any, so I use when I can find them)

NOTE: A wire rack for cooling is needed to keep sandwich from being soggy.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile butter one side of the bread slices.  For each sandwich you'll have one half spread with cream cheese and 2 slices of Colby on the other.  Spread a thick layer of cream cheese opposite the butter side and add the Colby to another slice, place the slices butter side down in the cast iron skillet and grill until golden and cheese are softened (you may want to cover skillet with a piece of foil to help cheese melt). Remove the grilled slices to the cooling rack. To the cream cheese side add a layer of cucumber, add salt and pepper, and then a layer of tomato, add sprouts if using, then top with Colby slice.  Cut in half and enjoy!  This if a favorite at our home, and we hope you enjoy it too!

Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

 I love chili recipes...and I think this is officially the best Vegetarian Chili I've come up with so far...  Of course I can never leave well enough alone so there will be more versions.  I made this one and wanted to share it with another family so I doubled the following recipe!  Yikes, it didn't quite fit into one crock pot!  So, I mixed in and then ladled half of it out into another pan, and then decided to put in another crockpot...which was the best idea because then I could deliver it in the crock pot.  So, when experimenting in the kitchen, sometimes it takes some adjustment!







Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

1 C of quinoa, rinsed

2 C of water

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium zucchini or 2 small yellow squash

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (keep the dice small so they cook quickly)

2 15-oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 15-oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can of tomato sauce

3 Tbsp of chili powder

1 Tbsp of ground cumin

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Optional toppings:

Sour cream or greek yogurt

avocado, cubed

shredded cheese

green onions chopped

black olives

baby spinach stirred in right before eating

In a saucepan place the quinoa and water and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, set aside.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil on medium heat add the onion and a pinch of salt, cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir in the garlic, jalapeno, carrots, celery peppers, squash and sweet potato, season well with salt and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

 Make sure you rinse your canned beans and drain well.

To the crock pot add the beans, cooked quinoa, tomatoes, sauce chili powder, cumin, and the sautéed vegetables. Stir to combine and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours or on low from 4-6 hours.

AND, this is what a double recipe looks like in a large oval corckpot!  Yikes, too full to cook...so ladled some out into a saucepan, then got smart and went to the basement for my spare crock pot!  So it cooks much better when not overflowing!  Yep, always trial and error in the kitchen...so get in there and have fun!

Picnic with Indian Inspiration!

 A couple of Indian dishes you can try at home! These are easy to make and are vegan for my friends that are looking for new options! I hope you'll give these recipes a try soon...


Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry

2 Tbsp of coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
Kosher Salt to taste
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes, approx 1 inch
1 1-inch length of fresh ginger root, chopped (I don't bother to peel it, there is no need to!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups of lentils (green or red)

In a kettle bring 3 1/2 Cups of water to boil.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat, add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes to soften onion, then add sweet potato, ginger, garlic, curry powder and bay leaf.  Sauté until fragrant, approx 1 minute.

Add the boiling water to the skillet and stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover (use a sheet of aluminum foil if you don't have a large enough lid for your skillet) and simmer until the lentils break down and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt to taste.








Coconut Curry with Potatoes, Green Beans & Spinach 

1/3 Cup of coconut oil or vegetable oil
2 1/2 C of puréed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
t tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp black mustard seeds (these are more pungent or earthier then yellow, but substitute yellow seeds if you can't find the black.  They are available online and at Indian grocercies).
1/2 Tbsp to 1 Tbsp of red chili flakes/crushed red pepper (adjust the level of spicy heat to your family's palette)
1 C of water
1 lb of potatoes, unpeeled and cut into cubes, aprrox 1/2 inch
1/2 lb of green beans, cut into 1 inch long pieces
2 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk (shake well before opening)
3 C of baby spinach

Place oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add tomato purée and "fry" for a minute. Add salt, turmeric, ground mustard seeds. Stir in and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is bubbling.

Stir in the water and add the potateos. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover  (use a sheet of aluminum foil if you don't have a large enough lid for your skillet),  and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, stir in the green beans. Cover again, and cook another 8-10minutes until the potatoes are softened.



Stir in the coconut milk, and increase the heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil turn of f the heat and stir in the spinach.

Cumin Basmati Rice

2 C of basmati rice, rinsed
3 1/2 C of water
2 Tbsp of coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds, toasted (place in a hot skillet until fragrant, approx 1 minute)

Cook rice according to the time on the package directions in a sauce pan OR...my favorite...
just place all in a rice cooker and press cook.


Garlic Naan 
(made easy in your bread machine--this one isn't vegan)

Place in the bread machine on the dough cycle:

1 C of warm water (not hot or you'll ruin your yeast)

3 Tbsp of milk
1 egg
1/4 C of white sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 1/2 C bread flour
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast

For grilling:
1/3 C of melted butter

When cycle is complete remove dough from machine and pinch off small golf ball size pieces of dough. Roll into a ball, cover with a towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Place a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Roll each dough ball into a thin circle. Brush one side with butter, place on grill and cook for about 2 minutes, brush the side facing up with butter and turn naan over, cook another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from grill and place on wire rack, repeat with remaining naan. Wrap in foil to keep warm and transport if picnicking.




Notes:
I like to buy rice in bulk, 10 lb bags, it keeps for a very long time and the price is so much better.

 I buy coconut oil because it has great health benefits...

I love my Zojirushi bread machine!

Use an old, or buy an inexpensive, coffee bean grinder for grinding your spices at home! They keep longer in their whole form, and to clean the grinder, just use some inexpensive white rice to grind between various spices so your cumin doesn't taste like cardamom (then you just toss the ground rice and it takes the scent and remaining remnants of spice with it. I compost so mine goes into my compost bucket). 

I love my rice cooker, and I cook all of my rice in it!  I have had this one for over 20 years! 

The food I prepared, I packed up and took to an area park. The Actors' Theatre of Columbus was in their season for Shakespeare in the Park and was performing Romeo & Juliet at the Columbus Commons.  I highly recommend finding local outdoor theatre for summer outings!

Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic Sauce

Wow, my dad is the best gardener and I have so many tomatoes this year, so I found a new way to use a lot of them and have them for baked pasta dishes all winter long! If using as a sauce over cooked pasta, I'd add cream to thicken it slightly, and you can add any kind of ground meat or meatballs that you like.

Tomatoes, any kind..roma or large, red or yellow. You need enough to fill a half sheet tray. (I line mine with foil).

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dried Thyme, 1/2 to 1 Tbsp

Dried Oregano, 1/4 to 1/2 Tbsp

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Garlic cloves, to taste...I use 5-8 depending on size

Fresh Basil

Place pan of tomatoes and garlic tossed in olive oil and generously seasoned with salt and pepper, and the thyme and oregano in a 425 degree oven for approx 45 minutes.  If using smaller cherry or romas, maybe a little less time, if using large tomatoes up to an hour or so.  You may want to pull out the garlic cloves after about 20 minutes and let cool.

Here are the roasted and ready tomatoes! The tomatoes will look deflated and you'll have plenty of liquid, and the smell will be amazing!  So remove from the oven and let cool.

Remove the garlic from their papery skins, and add to the food processor along with the cooled tomatoes, carefully transfer to a food processor fitted with the metal blade, then carefully pour the liquid into the food processor as well. 

Place the lid on the processor and pulse until broken down, then run on high for a few minutes to make sure all of the garlic and tomatoes are pureed smooth.  Taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

After blending well, I poured mine into a gallon freezer bag and will use the entire amount to make lasagna or another baked pasta.  

Basil compliments this roasted sauce with its bright flavor...

If using immediately, rough chop basil and add to the sauce.

If you are freezing, add fresh chopped basil to the sauce when it has been reheated just before using to add a fresh and bright flavor to the sauce.

Options...

Carmelize or roast yellow or red onions and add to this sauce when you puree it.
Roast green or yellow zuchinni to puree with the tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Ethan's Favorite Salad

My younger son loves this salad.  I make the main salad the same, and of course add or use any other vegetables that I have in the fridge that I'd like to use up! I think it is a really good salad to get little ones started eating salads—the spinach is a good starter green and this dressing seems to be a hit with kiddos.

Here are my "little ones!"  I wish they didn't have to grow up so fast!  But all in all, I've been a very lucky mother and wife that my two boys and husband are happy to try just about anything I cook. Very good taste testers, and the older boy is quite the honest critic!

Ethan's Spinach Salad

Ingredients

•                5-6 cups fresh spinach (baby preferably), rinsed, stemmed, and patted dry

•                1/2 C thinly sliced red onion

•                2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges

•                3-4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and thinly sliced

Dressing:

•                1/2 cup honey

•                1/4 cup Dijon mustard

•                1 cup vegetable oil (I like grapeseed oil)

•                2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

•                1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

•                1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional addition ideas: 

•                2 cups white button mushrooms or baby bellas, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced

•                carrots, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced

•                bell pepper-any color, sliced to your liking

•                sugar snap peas

•                4-6 green onions

•                radishes, sliced (breakfast radishes are milder for kids and are found at farmer's markets more often than the grocery)

•                chick peas

Salad:

Combine the spinach, tomatoes, egg, and onion (and any other veggies you are using) in a large mixing bowl and toss. Use enough of the dressing that follows to lightly coat the ingredients. (NOTE: keep some of the egg and tomato to garnish if you want a prettier presentation.)

For the dressing: 

Combine the honey and mustard in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream, whisking until blended and smooth. Add the lemon juice, white pepper, and salt and whisk to blend. (Makes about 1 cup of dressing, and I keep it in the refrigerator in a glass jar.  Just use enough to dress your salad).

Another of Ethan's favorite flavors is Hoisin Sauce.  So I made the following tonight to eat with the salad...

Ethan's Hoisin Pork Loin

Ingredients

•                2 small pork loins (CAN SUB CHICKEN BREASTS)

•                Jar of Hoisin Sauce from Asian section of grocery

•                equipment: get a good meat thermometer!

Directions:

Place pork on a baking sheet that has been coated with some grapeseed or olive oil. Generously coat the pork (or chicken breasts) with the hoisin sauce.  Bake at 375 until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let stand for 15-20 minutes before slicing. (For chicken bake until thermometer registers 17- degrees Fahrenheit.)

NOTE:  Using a thermometer and not overcooking meat is an amazing discovery!  Please give it a try!

Leftover Idea

I like to use any leftover meat to make an easy take on Hoisin Pork/Chicken.  I just stir fry some green cabbage, finely sliced onion, chopped garlic, grated carrots, and shiitake mushrooms...add it to chinese rice wrappers with another drizzle of the hoisin sauce (or in a pinch tortillas) with the leftover meat! Yum!

Sweet Potatoes Twice Baked Casserole

This is a recipe I love for hectic weeknights....so easy.  And so delicious....

Sweet Potatoes Twice Baked Casserole

Ingredients: 
•                2-4 sweet potatoes (depending on size)

•                diced pineapple, about a cup

•                red bell pepper, seeded and chopped in a small dice

•                4-6 green onions

•                1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

•                6-8 oz deli ham (I like boar's head black forest), sliced and chopped

•                1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

•                1/2 C Feta or shredded sharp cheddar

•                1 tsp kosher salt

•                1/2 tsp white pepper

•                grated parmesan for topping

Directions:

Bake the sweet potatoes at 350 degrees for about an hour or so until soft (or in the microwave until soft, just remember to pierce the potato a few times with a sharp knife before placing into the microwave.

Let potatoes cool enough to handle then remove the skins, and mash the sweet potates in a large bowl.  Add all of the ingredients through the feta or sharp cheddar and mix.  Place in a glass baking dish that has been greased with grapeseed oil or olive oil. Then place mixture in casserole dish and top with grated parmesan, bake at 350 or 375 for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve.

Serving Tip:

I like to serve this with a simple green salad or steamed broccoli.