Grilled Pizza

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/07/cooking-class-bbq-grilled-pizza.html

Pizza Sauce
Recipe from OurBestBItes.com

Pizza Sauce

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
6 oz. water (just use the empty tomato paste can)
3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning*
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey (I usually use sugar because it's easier and hey, I think we've established here that if there's an easy road or a hard road, I usually take the easy road...)
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and allow to stand until ready to use. Covers two average-sized pizza; freezes extremely well.

*Garlic Bread Seasoning:

combine the following ingredients

1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsley

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.

Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.


When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Breadsticks & Pizza Dough
Recipe from OurBestBites.com

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour


In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Garlic Bread Seasoning
Recipe from OurBestBites.com

1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsley

Combine ingredients in a jar (preferably one with a sprinkle top) and shake. Sprinkle on top of breadsticks or combine 1 1/2 Tbsp. seasoning with 1/2 c. of softened real butter and spread on a loaf of French bread (cut in 1/2 lengthwise). Wrap in foil and bake at 375 until butter's melted. If you want, you could also pop it open-faced under the broiler for a few minutes so it gets brownish and crispy.

Ribs

(From Kate Jones, 2009)

1 rack babyback ribs (about 2-2.5 pounds; 1 rack feeds two adults; another rack of ribs will work with the marinade if your crockpot can fit them)
3 c. pineapple juice
1 ½ c. brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. mustard powder
1/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
Your favorite barbecue sauce

Using a sharp knife or a pair of kitchen shears, cut each rack into about 4 portions (it ends up being about 3-4 rib bones each).

Place in crockpot. Mix pineapple juice, brown sugar, mustard powder, ketchup, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, cloves, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Pour over ribs and cover.

This step can be done the night before. Set to low for 6-7 hours. You can poke 'em occasionally to make sure they all get exposed to the braising liquid and that they're not getting too tender (like totally falling off the bone; these babies still have to make it onto the grill!)

Remove ribs from liquid and heat grill to medium. Place ribs on the grill, brush one side with barbecue sauce, and close the lid for 3-4 minutes. Carefully turn the ribs, brush other side with sauce, close the lid, and wait another 3-4 minutes. Repeat.

Serve!

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice

(From Food and Family, Fall 2009, pg. 52)
Jeni's variation

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup plus 1 T. chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (yields three cups cooked rice)
1/2 pound (8 oz.) Velveeta, cut into cubes
1 stalk fresh broccoli, chopped
Salt and Pepper OR Montreal Steak Seasoning

Cook rice according to package directions (optional: substitue chicken broth for water when cooking and add a pinch of salt).

When rice is finished, lightly season chicken with salt and pepper OR Montreal Steak Seasoning and cook in a large pot or skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Stir in broth and bring to a boil.

Add broccoli and cheese. Turn down heat and stir constantly until cheese is melted.

Remove from heat and add cooked rice. Mix lightly and serve.

Pork Carnitas (Tacos al Pastor)

(From Everyday Food, Issue 62, Page 136)

Serves 4
half the portions for 2 people

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
course salt and ground pepper
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup milk
8 corn tortillas, warmed on skillet
Fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced onion, diced avocado, and lime wedges for serving

Place pork in slow cooker. Slice one onion, thickly, and place on top of pork. Add enough water to cover pork about 3/4 of the way. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours or until pork is tender. When pork is finished, drain well and discard onions and water. Shred with a fork.

At this point, you can store the shredded pork in fridge and continue with recipe a day or so later.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork, garlic, orange juice, and milk (whole milk is best, but others will work). Stir occasionally until liquid is evaporated and meat is browned 8-12 minutes.

Warm tortillas on a dry skillet set on Medium heat until soft and warm OR until slightly crispy but still bendable (that's how I like it).

Serve carnitas in tortillas with cilantro, onion, avocado, and fresh lime juice. Don't ruin it by drowning them in salsa and sour cream...

Linguine with Spring Vegetables

(From Everyday Food, Issue 60, Page 68)
Jeni's variation

Serves 4

course salt, ground pepper
1/2 pound of linguine
1/2 bunch asparagus (tough ends removed, cut into 1 inch lengths)
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1/2 cup sugar snap peas, stem ends trimmed then halved
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 T. butter

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta 4 minutes SHORT of al dente. Add asparagus, zucchini, and snap peas. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water; drain pasta mixture and set aside.

In the same pot, bring cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Toss in pasta mixture and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce (it will thicken as it stands). Season with fresh ground pepper and serve.

Janna's Meatballs

From Janna Mangum

1 lb. sausage
1 lb. hamburger
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
pinch of salt
pinch of garlic powder

Form meatball ingredients (above) and brown.

1 cup ketchup
1/4 t. celery seed
1 T. vinegar
1/2 cup water
4 T. brown sugar

Mix sauce ingredients and simmer meatballs in sauce.

Serving suggestion: serve over white rice

Pizza Dough

In a bread machine on the "dough" setting:

7/8 to 1 cup warm water
2 T. butter
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 t. yeast

Crawfish Etouffee

1 stick of butter (1/4 lb)
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T. Creole seasoning (I use Zatarain's)
1 pound crawfish tails (frozen seafood section, already peeled, etc.)
3/4 cup water

Melt butter over medium heat. Add pepper, onion, celery, seasoning, crawfish, and water to pot. Bring to a boil. Cover with lid, simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes with lid still on. Serve over rice.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup whole milk
8 oz. sour cream
1 box Stove Top stuffing for chicken
1 can chicken broth

Brown chicken in 1 T. of butter. Season with Montreal Steak Seasoning to taste.
Cook Stove Top according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for the water.
Mix sour cream, milk, and soup together. Add cooked chicken to soup mixture and place in bottom of casserole dish. Top with stuffing and bake 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Meatloaf

(From Lexi Majoue)

Loaf:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1 large onion, chopped
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
little less than half the sauce (below)

Sauce:
4 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
6 T. vinegar
6 T. brown sugar
4 t. mustard
4 t. Worcestershire sauce

Form loaf, pour sauce over and bake (350 for 1 hr. 15 min.), basting often (every 15 minutes).

Chili (Jeni's variation)

(From Lexi Majoue)

1-2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cans light red kidney beans, DO NOT DRAIN
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
2 cans Rotel
Salt, pepper, and Chili powder to taste

Brown beef and onions. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until well cooked over medium heat. Best if cooked the day before and reheated before serving (lets the flavors blend). Or, brown meat and onions then combine all ingredients in slow cooker and simmer 10 hours on low.

Chicken Spaghetti

(From Diane Hayes)

1 lb. chicken breasts, bone-in
8 oz. thin spaghetti, or any other pasta
1 lb. Velveeta
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 can Rotel

Boil chicken, reserving chicken water. Shred chicken.
Cook pasta in chicken water. Drain water to 1/2 inch above pasta.
Reduce heat to medium and add soups and cheese to pasta and water.
Stir until melted. Add Rotel and shredded chicken. Serve.

Laurie's Chicken Pot Pie (Jeni's Variation)

(From Laurie Busch)

1/4 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit sized pieces
2 cups frozen, mixed veggies
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. velveeta, cut up
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
Montreal Steak seasoning

Preheat oven to 400. Heat dressing in large skillet. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Stir in veggies, soup and velveeta. Sprinkle with desired amount of steak seasoning. Spoon into a 9" square, greased dish. Unfold pastry, place over mixture, tuck in edges. Press onto top of dish to seal. Brush with egg, cut slits to vent.

Place on baking sheet; Bake 30 minutes; Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Beef with Broccoli

(From Ikuko Patten)

1 lb. sirloin steak, cut against the grain into 1/8 inch slices
3-4 cups fresh broccoli (or frozen)
1/2 onion, sliced
Soy Sauce (dark Chinese is preferable)
Sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp. fresh ginger root, minced or grated (I've also used the tubed stuff in the produce section)
Cornstarch
Vegetable oil
Sesame oil
Garlic salt

Combine 2 T. soy sauce, 1 T. cornstarch, 1 T. sugar, 1 T. veggie oil, 1 t. sesame oil, 2 grated cloves of garlic, and 1 t. grated ginger root. Add beef slices and marinate 15 minutes.

Heat wok or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 T. veggie oil. Add 1 minced clove of garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add broccoli pieces and garlic salt (to taste) and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add sliced onion and stir fry until tender. Place veggies on platter and return wok or skillet to stove. Add 1 T. oil and one clove of minced garlic to wok. Drain beef and add to wok, reserving marinade. Stir fry until pink is gone (don't over-cook...beef will be tough). Layer beef over veggies on platter. Once again, return wok to stove.

Combine 1 T. soy sauce, 1 t. sugar, 1 t. cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water (or homemade beef stock, if available) with left over sauce from marinade. Pour into wok and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Add all contents from platter back to wok and heat through. Serve immediately over white rice.

Spicy Red Beans and Rice

(From Southern Living)

1 1/2 lbs. dried red kidney beans (or 3 cans if you don't want to soak)
5 slices of bacon, chopped
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 lb. salt pork, quartered
6 garlic cloves minced
5 celery ribs, sliced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth
1 t. salt
1 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 t. black pepper

Place kidney beans in a Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans and let soak 8 hours. Drain beans; rinse thoroughly and drain again.

Saute bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add smoked sausage and salt pork; saute 5 min. or until sausage is golden brown. Add garlic and next three ingredients; saute 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Stir in beans, broth, and next three ingredients. bring to a boil. Boil 15 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally, 3 hours or until beans are tender. Remove salt pork before serving (sometimes I can only find "sliced" salt pork...just bind with kitchen twine for easy removal). Serve over rice.

Note: If using canned beans, after the "15 minute boil", transfer to a crock pot and cook on low 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours to let flavors combine without over-cooking beans.

Crawfish Soup

(From Aimee Roberts)

2 cans of cream of potato soup
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 can of cream style corn
1 1/2 cans of evaporated milk
1 lb. crawfish tails (I buy the peeled and precooked in the frozen seafood section)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon Cajun seasonings (ex. Tony's, Emerils, Black and Redfish Seasoning, ect...)
salt and pepper to taste
angel hair pasta (optional)

*Saute the bell pepper and onion in the butter. Add all of the rest of the ingredients in a large pot (excluding pasta). Simmer on medium heat until hot. Serve and Enjoy!
***This soup tends to be thick. You can serve it over the pasta if desired.

Lasagna

(From LaBonne Cuisine, pg. 149)

Spaghetti sauce (recipe below)
1 package Lasagna noodles, boil to soften
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint cottage cheese
16 oz. mozzarella cheese
Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Mix egg and cottage cheese. Layer ingredients: little bit of sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauce, parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Bake, covered 15 minutes at 350.
Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

3-4 pound pork roast (Boston Butt)
2 onions
1 bottle BBQ sauce (your choice)
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 350. In roasting pan, layer one of the onions (sliced) and place meat on top. Add 2 cups of water to bottom of pan. Cover and cook 2-3 hours until roast pulls apart easily. Remove roast and shred. Discard onions, etc. from roasting pan.

In a slow cooker add shredded pork, one onion (chopped) and 3/4 of a bottle of BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours or low 5-6 hours. Serve on sesame seeded buns with pickles and remaining BBQ sauce.

Chicken and Dumplings

(From Mom)

1/2 onion
4 stalks of celery, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 chicken breasts, with bones
1 large can (49 oz) chicken broth
1 family sized can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can jumbo biscuits, cut into eighths

Boil chicken in broth until cooked through. Remove chicken and shred. Add soup, celery, onion, salt, and pepper to broth. Bring to a boil over medium to medium-high heat. Drop in biscuit pieces one at a time to boiling soup. Cook over medium 10 minutes, uncovered. Cover pot and cook additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken and serve.

Cuban Black Bean Stew with Rice

(From Everyday Food, September 2008, pg. 83)

1 1/2 C. long grain white rice
1 T. olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
2 cans (19 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) vegetable broth
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 t. dried oregano
course salt and ground pepper, to taste
Sprinkle of cumin, to taste
Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Prepare rice. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8-10 minutes.

Add beans, broth, vinegar, and oregano. Cook, mashing some beans with the back of a spoon, until slightly thickened, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Serve beans over rice and garnish.