Refrigerator Pizza

This is my new favourite pizza!  It tastes great.  Just look in your refrigerator and see what you have lying around. 
 Make your pizza crust dough and bake the crust ahead of time (or use store bought).  Then preheat the oven, and pizza stone if using, to 500° (260 C) while you prepare the toppings.

The ingredient prep is easy.  Clean the vegetables (listed below), then slice the mushrooms, red onion and red pepper into thin strips.  Chop the spinach coarsely.  Rip the basil leaves. Mince the garlic.  Set aside.

If your cheese isn’t already grated or crumbled, now is the time to grate it.  Set the cheese back into the refrigerator while you gently sauté the vegetables.

For pizza topping, sauté these vegetables in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil while the crust bakes:
8 button mushrooms
One red pepper
¾ of a raw red onion
3 cups of raw spinach
cherry tomatoes

For additional flavoring, I added these during pizza assembly:
Feta cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
Grated mozzarella cheese

For my finishing touches, I complimented the pizza with some aromatics and a garnish:
1 bunch of basil leaves, torn, not cut
4 minced garlic cloves
Garlic Olive oil
4 thinly sliced green onions that I used as a colorful garnish (optional)

To begin, drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil over the pre-cooked crust.
Here’s the quick 1-2-3 for Pizza Assembly:

1. For the first layer of flavor, sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the drizzle of olive oil.
2. Next spread those colorful sautéed vegetables, one by one, over the pizza.  Their order doesn’t matter.  Once the vegetables are arranged, sprinkle the basil and garlic olive oil over the top.
3. To finish off the pizza and to prevent the topping from burning, crumble the feta cheese over everything and then end with the mozzarella cheese.

Place the pizza in the 500° (260 C) oven on the preheated pizza stone. If you don’t own a pizza stone, a pizza pan works just fine and doesn’t require preheating.  If you don’t have a pizza pan, use a cookie sheet.  It cooks fairly quickly, so watch it and remove when it starts to brown.

Apple and cheddar cheese melts

Um, how have I never thought of this before? I got the idea from here.  What an easy way to give a simple grilled cheese sandwich a twist. 

All you do is butter one side of two slices of bread.  Put a slice of cheddar cheese, a few thin slices of granny smith apples, another slice of cheese in between the bread slices (buttered sides out).  Then, fry it in small frying pan! Voila! It was great!

Chocolate Souffle

Found this recipe here. It was really good! And it happens to be gluten free!  I stupidly didn't use enough chocolate, and you know what? I think it was perfect!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 100 grams 70% dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 large eggs, separated

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Butter and sugar four ramekins, as desired. Beat egg whites with the sugar at medium speed, until they just hold stiff peaks. Add vanilla.
2. Mix chocolate and heavy cream and microwave for 30 seconds. Let sit for another 30 seconds and stir until combined (if chocolate is not fully melted, microwave for an additional 15 seconds). Allow to cool for a minute and then stir in the egg yolks.
3. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Fill 4 ramekins almost to the top. Bake approximately 12-12 minutes, or until the soufflés are puffed and just set. Serve.

Lemon-Herb Slow Cooked Chicken

I just made this and it was fantastic! I'm loving my new slow cooker!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds, giblets removed
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 head garlic, peeled, trimmed, cloves left whole
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 medium lemon, juiced and zest removed
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (about 3/4-ounce)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 potatoes, thickly sliced
• Fresh basil, rosemary or lemon slices, garnish, optional

What you do:

1. Rinse chicken and place in large bowl. Set aside.
2. Place onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, basil and rosemary in bowl, stirring to combine. Pour half of basil-rosemary mixture over chicken, coating chicken inside and out. Place quartered onion and bay leaf inside chicken cavity. Tie legs together at end of drumsticks if desired and place in large slow cooker (crock pot), about six-quart size.
3. Toss potatoes and quartered lemon in remaining half of basil-rosemary mixture. Add to slow cooker with chicken. Cover and cook 4 to 6 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low heat. Chicken is done when temperature reaches 180°F on meat thermometer. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving dish and garnish if desired with fresh basil, rosemary or lemon zest. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

sugar cookies

just made these: http://annies-eats.com/2010/06/23/sugar-saucers/
They were AWESOME! will definitely make again

Orange Chicken

I made this yummy orange chicken dish and it was surprisingly really good!  Next time I will use less cayenne pepper because it was a bit too spicy for my taste.  I didn't have a thermometer for the oil, so I heated it for 5 minutes on high heat before adding the chicken and that was perfect.  I used 2 large chicken breasts and it was plenty for two people.  I will definitely be making again!  OR, I will be making the chicken the same way, but with sweet and sour sauce from here or here.

For the marinade and sauce:
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
6 tbsp. white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar (dark or light)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ lbs. boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water
8 thin strips orange peel (optional)

For the coating and frying:
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 ½ cups each peanut and canola oil

To make the marinade and sauce, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper in a large saucepan; whisk to blend well.

Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and transfer it to a large zipper lock plastic bag.  Add the chicken pieces to the bag, pressing out the excess air and sealing well.  Refrigerate and let marinate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.  Place the saucepan with the remaining mixture on the stove and heat over medium-high heat.  Bring to a simmer.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add the mixture to the saucepan with the sauce.  Continue simmering until the sauce is thick and translucent, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the strips of orange peel, if using.

To prepare the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate and whisk until frothy.  In a second pie plate combine the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne pepper; whisk to blend.  Drain the chicken of the marinade in a colander or large strainer; pat dry with paper towels.  Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat.  Transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly, shaking off the excess.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in a 11- or 12-inch round Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan until the oil reaches 350˚ F.  Carefully place half of the chicken pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through cooking.  Remove from the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  Return the oil to 350˚ F and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Reheat the sauce if necessary and toss with the cooked chicken pieces.  Serve over rice, if desired.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This version is better than my cajun chicken pasta.  It's really yummy! I modified it a bit, but here is where I got the recipe: http://anediblesymphony.blogspot.com/2010/05/boston-and-rees-cajun-chicken-pasta.html

Ingredients:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb spaghetti pasta
3+ tsp Cajun Spice seasoning (I just kept adding and tasting as I went along)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 green capsicum, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 brown onion, sliced
3 tsp minced garlic
4 small tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 T cornstarch mixed with a bit of warm water
1 tsp cayenne pepper / chili powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Chopped parsley for garnish

What you do:
1. Sprinkle 2 tsp of the cajun spice mix over the chicken pieces, then toss to coat. Heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan and brown the chicken over high heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.  You can also start cooking your pasta now too. 

2. Add the remaining oil and butter into the same pan, then sauté the capsicums, onion, and garlic with more cajun seasoning, along with some salt. Do this over high heat because you want the veggies to really caramelize and start to get dark (flavor!).

3. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 secs. Pour in the chicken stock and wine now, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the sticky bits incorporated into the sauce. Cook for 5-10 mins.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the cream. Keep whisking the saucing, and sprinkling in the spices per your taste. A dash more salt, lots of black pepper, and some chili powder too. 

5. Add the chicken back, and continue to stir the sauce until the whole thing reaches a consistency you like - I just wait for the sauce to be able to coat the back of my wooden spoon.  I added in the corn starch mixture to thicken everything up.  

6. Cook your pasta per the instructions on the box. Drain it and add it directly into the pan with the sauce. Turn off the heat, then toss the pasta, coating it completely with that awesome sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.