I’m constantly trying to find new ways to invent pizza. I will put toppings, cheese and sauce on just about anything and call it pizza, because I love it so much. Last night was Pizza Panini’s. I went vegetarian but the guys added pepperoni on theirs. It was so delicious when the cheese started to melt and combined all the flavors in between. Continue reading
Pesto can be made from many herb choices. I have a small herb garden of basil, chives, parsley, thyme, sage and rosemary, but not enough to make pesto. I always have spinach on hand and when I make pesto I start with a spinach base and add whatever herbs I want to enhance the flavor. This time I’ve added some basil leaves. Pesto adds flavor to pizza, soup, sandwiches or pasta. I use pesto in many recipes so I thought it deserved it’s own post. Continue reading
If you like a tender pork chop that isn’t dry, try brining. All it takes is a zip lock bag filled with water, salt and sugar. You can add fresh herbs, maybe citrus such as lemon, lime or orange, or garlic and onion, whatever you like, just throw it into the bag along with the pork chops. The longer they brine, the more juicy and tender they will be. I was in a simple mood so I made 4 chops covered in water with 1 T Sugar and 1 T Salt. I would have liked them to soak longer, but 4 hours was all I had. I wanted a sauce to go along with the pork and searched the pantry to see what fruit jam I had. I found the raspberry jam and knew I had something I could work with.
Flank Steak on the grill is oh so delicious. Whether you make a rub or a marinade, it always tastes good and is very easy to make. I happen to love Steak Fajitas with Monterey Jack cheese, roasted corn salsa, guacamole, and grilled onions & red pepper, however you can use whatever you like for toppings.
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For all the okra lovers, this will be a treat. Okra Gumbo is a side dish that my Mom made every summer. It reminds me of my childhood, Mom in the kitchen frying okra and the wonderful smell of bacon and tomato. I’ve never found any recipe that is quite like Mom’s, and believe me I’ve looked. I’ll have to cook this from memory, I don’t think the recipe is written anywhere and I don’t ever want to forget it. It’s just that good!
The fruit egg roll idea came as a result of picking up an extra package of egg roll wrappers. I had just made Shrimp Egg Rolls and thought that the recipe would make a few more than one package. As it turns out, I only used one package and was left wondering what to do with the extra’s. I had been in the mood for pie and thought, what if I make up some pie filling and roll it up in an egg roll wrapper. I wanted it to be simple, but as it turned out I just couldn’t make up my mind. . .
From time to time I make egg rolls. I found a recipe in the June 2010 issue of Cooking light (Pan Fried Egg Rolls) that sounded so tasty and easy that I just had to try it. It was by far the best egg rolls I had ever made, but I found that the filling inside was not enough to make a dozen egg rolls as the recipe suggested. So I have added some ingredients and tweaked it a bit and I think it now works out to a full dozen. This is my version of Shrimp Egg Rolls.
I may be proud of my Salsa more than any other recipe. It’s evolved over the years and tastes different based on the tomatoes I have on hand. Fresh garden tomatoes are the best of course, but there’s only a short period of time when I have them on hand. So on those occasions when I have a craving and no fresh tomatoes I have to go with canned tomatoes. I’ve found that the fire roasted tomatoes have a slightly smokey flavor and are a bit thicker which makes a better consistency.
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I’ve re-discovered pork. Truth is, I really didn’t know how to make it and it would turn out dry and tasteless. Once I found out how to use a rub to seal in the juices and follow up with a glaze, pork is now a family favorite. I wanted to try orange with chipotle to see how those two flavors would go together. No more wondering, it turned out better than I expected.
Nothing beats a pizza made out of homemade bread right out of the oven. I love making bread and I make it the old fashioned way, by hand. Don’t have one of those fancy stand mixers with a dough hook to knead the dough. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish to make flatbreads including the time it takes to raise the dough. I started thinking it would be fun to make individual pizzas so that everyone could top them with their favorite toppings. Before I learned to make flatbreads I would buy Pita Bread at the store. I’ve since found out they’re really easy to make, taste better and I can make up to 8 flatbreads at a time. There are many things I can do with flatbread but I’ll get into that another time. . . but for now lets get started on the Greek Pizza.
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An Inspired Cook 