Homemade Pizza Dough

I've been using this pizza recipe for years and always tell myself that today is the day I will post the recipe on my own blog, especially because I always make a few modifications from the original anyway. This is hands down my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe. 






MY FAVORITE HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH
Source: Janssen Bradshaw from Everyday Reading
Servings 2 14-inch pizzas
Prep time: 3 hours

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
3 cup all-purpose flour (can sub out half wheat flour or white wheat flour, but I never do)

Instructions
In a stand mixer, add water, honey, sugar, and yeast for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is frothy. Add in all remaining ingredients and let mix for 5 minutes (or 10 minutes if you're doing it by hand). Resist the urge to add more flour. 
Spray a bowl with cooking spray, scrape your dough into the bowl and cover. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Two to three hours before you're ready to make your pizza, take it out and let it come to room temperature and rise on the counter. (If you freeze half the dough, put it on the counter about 3-5 hours before you're ready to cook). *If I am in a hurry - I just let this raise for an hour on my counter and it still turns out great.* 

When ready to form crusts: 
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough and transfer to greased cookie sheet or baking sheet (Or pizza stone). Poke with fork several times around crust so it won't get puffy and par-bake in oven. You want it to be cooked through but not starting to brown. 

Remove from oven, flip over, add toppings, and return to oven to finish baking. 

Pizza crusts can be made ahead and even frozen for quick dinner prep. 

Meatballs

My Mom makes the BEST meatballs (Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Found here) but for whatever reason, they never quite turn out when I make them. I finally found this recipe and really liked the flavor and feel that they turned out really well. The recipe calls for beef and pork, but I only had ground beef on hand so that's what I used and it was still really flavorful. I also used Kraft parmesan cheese instead of grated parmesan and that worked, too. I would like to try it with the pork and grated parmesan, though, so I'm leaving the recipe with that included. The author says "This classic baked meatball recipe is easy to make, full of great flavor, and totally versatile. Pair it with your favorite Italian marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Swedish cream sauce…and beyond!"

Meatballs

Source: Adapted from Ali at Gimme Some Oven

prep time: 35 MINS
cook time: 10 MINS
total time: 45 MINS
yield: 24-30 MEATBALLS 1X


Ingredients:1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 eggs
1 cup (1 1/2 ounces) finely-grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh Italian herbs, or 2 T dried Italian herbs (I used a Garlic Italian Parmersan Spice, but regular Italian seasoning or basil and oregano would be great)
1/4 cup grated yellow onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS


Make the panade. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the panko and milk until combined. Set the mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Combine remaining ingredients. Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, fresh herbs, onion and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.
Chill (optional step). To make the meatballs easier to form, I recommend covering and chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. But if you’re pressed for time, you can skip this step.
Prep oven and baking sheet. Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Form the meatballs. Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)
Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F. Remove pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Serve. Serve meatballs immediately and enjoy!

Also from "Gimme Some Oven" 

WAYS TO SERVE MEATBALLS:

This baked meatballs recipe is incredibly versatile and can be served a number of ways! You could use it to make…

Spaghetti and meatballs: Pair the meatballs with a 1-pound package of spaghetti (cooked until al dente) and a batch of my favorite marinara sauce recipe to make Italian meatballs.

Swedish meatballs: Pair with your favorite Swedish cream sauce recipe to make Swedish meatballs.

Alfredo meatballs: Pair with a batch of my favorite Alfredo sauce recipe to make Alfredo meatballs.

BBQ meatballs: Pair with a batch of my favorite homemade BBQ sauce recipe to make BBQ meatballs.

Grape jelly meatballs: Pair with a grape jelly sauce (just simmer together 1.5 cups ketchup and 1 cup grape jelly) to make retro grape jelly meatballs.

Italian Zucchini-Vegetable Soup

Italian Zucchini-Vegetable Soup

Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/232096/slow-cooker-zucchini-soup/


Ingredients
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces celery
2 pounds zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped onion

1 tbs minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste


Instructions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Mix celery into cooked sausage; cook and stir until celery is softened, about 10 minutes.

Put sausage mixture into crock pot and using the remaining grease add garlic, onion, and pepper in the hot skillet until starting to get soft. Add to crock pot. Add some butter to skillet and sear zucchini slices, just until they get some color on the outside but before they get soft add them to the crock pot. 

Add tomatoes to the crock pot. 

Combine sausage mixture, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, salt, sugar, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and garlic powder in a slow cooker.

Cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.

Beef and Broccoli

Easy Beef and Broccoli
Source: Kelly Senyei, Just a Taste


Ingredients
▢3 Tablespoons cornstarch, divided
▢1 pound flank steak or sirloin steak, cut into thin 1-inch pieces
▢1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
▢3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
▢1 Tablespoon minced garlic
▢2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
▢2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
▢4 cups small broccoli florets
▢1/2 cup sliced white onions

Directions: 
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Add the beef to the bowl and toss to combine.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Set the sauce aside.
Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and once it is hot, add the beef and cook, stirring constantly until the beef is almost cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and once it is hot, add the broccoli florets and sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
Return the beef to the pan then add the prepared sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice or noodles.

To guarantee bright green broccoli, blanch the florets in boiling water then drain and dry it very well before adding it to the pan. If you opt for this additional blanching step, reduce the cooking time of the broccoli to 2 minutes.
The sauce must come to a boil in order for the cornstarch to work as a thickening agent.

Giordanos Copycat Salad

David ate this salad (or similar) at a restaurant called Giordanos in Chicago. This is the best version of a copycat I could come up with - we both really liked it.  

Giordanos Copycat Salad (Salami BBQ)

Source: https://giordanos.com/ and David's memory

Ingredients:
Green leaf lettuce
Cooked chicken, chopped
Hard salami (1/8 lb)

1/2 cup BBQ sauce - 1/2 cup ranch

toppings:

Dried, roasted red peppers
red onions, sliced, 

corn

cucumber, diced

cherry tomato, halved

cheddar cheese, grated (or feta cheese)

Wash and chop lettuce. Chop and heat chicken. Slice salami into small sticks and fry in small frying pan until slightly crispy. Top salad with all toppings, and serve with BBQ Ranch dressing. 

Steak Tacos

I've not ever had great success making steak tacos, but this marinade gave the steak such a yummy flavor - we both loved it. The original recipe calls for blending the marinade together and cooking on the grill, but I just put the marinade in a gallon-sized bag, then sliced the steak and pan-fried it. It was simple, easy to clean, and delicious.



Easy Steak Tacos
Source: Spend With Pennies

Ingredients: 
▢1 ½ pounds flank steak
▢8 small corn tortillas or flour tortillas, warmed
▢toppings as desired

(favorite topping: sliced grape tomatoes)

Marinade

▢2 limes juiced
▢1 T frozen orange juice
▢2 tablespoons olive oil
▢2 cloves garlic minced
▢2 tablespoons soy sauce
▢¼ cup cilantro packed
▢1 teaspoon cumin

Directions: 

Place steak in gallon sized bag, add marinade ingredients, and squish together a little bit.  Marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Cook about 4-5 minutes per side (125 to 130°F for medium-rare).
Rest steak about 5-7 minutes before cutting. Cut steak into 1/2" slices across the grain and then cut into bite sized pieces. 

OR slice raw steak in strips. Heat butter in skillet and add steak. Cook until cripsy, remove from pan. Cook sliced grape tomatoes in same pan. 

Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings such as grilled grape tomatoes, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and cilantro.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was the easiest chicken cordon bleu recipe I've ever seen and it was DELICIOUS! From the website: "A midweek version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. All the flavor, all the crunch, much faster to make, and it's better for you because it's baked!" I used the quick-dredge method and seriously, I will never make chicken cordon bleu any other way.


When David and I were engaged, we decided that we wanted to hold our wedding luncheon at The Bluebird restaurant in Logan. We scheduled to go meet with the owner about booking a luncheon in their beautiful top-floor hall. I don't think we realized that we were also going to be able to taste the food that we could choose from, but it was delightful. One of our favorite memories from being engaged. We selected Chicken Cordon Bleu and mashed potatoes and it was the perfect wedding luncheon - we loved it so much. This past year we randomly saw some frozen chicken cordon bleu at Sams Club pretty close to our anniversary and we bought it and served it to the family for our anniversary dinner. We decided right then that we would always have chicken cordon bleu to celebrate our anniversary with our kids. I had counted on just buying it frozen, but when I came across this recipe I decided to give it a try (especially because the kids had liked it so much the first time) and it was a winner! I see lots of anniversary dinners in our future.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Source: Recipe Tin Eats

INGREDIENTS: 

BREADCRUMBS

Panko breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup for Super Easy or 1 cup for Quick Dredge
Oil spray

CHICKEN

2 small chicken breasts, around 6-7oz/180-210g each
Salt and pepper
4 slices swiss cheese (Note 1)
4 to 6 slices of ham, about 2.5oz/75g (Note 2)

METHOD 1: SUPER EASY

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

METHOD 2: QUICK DREDGE

1 egg
2 tsp plain flour

DIJON CREAM SAUCE (MAKES 1 CUP)

1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups milk (Note 3)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan).
Spread panko breadcrumbs on a baking tray and spray with oil. Bake for 3 minutes or until light golden. Remove and scrape into bowl straight away.
Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, as per the photo below.
Fold the cheese in half and place 2 pieces inside each pocket. Do the same with the ham. Close the pocket, seal with 2 toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

SUPER EASY METHODMix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread onto the top and sides of the chicken (not underside).
Sprinkle panko over the chicken, using your other hand to press the breadcrumbs onto the side of the chicken. Spray with oil.

QUICK DREDGE METHODWhisk egg and flour. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into the panko breadcrumbs. Transfer to tray, spray with oil.

BAKINGBake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove toothpicks, serve with the Dijon Cream Sauce.

DIJON CREAM SAUCEMelt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add half the milk and whisk until the flour mixture is blended in.
Add remaining milk, mustard and cheese. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. It will thicken as it cools.
Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.
Make Ahead: Use the Dredge Method and then refrigerate for up to 24 hours (probably ok longer, I just haven't tried) or freeze uncooked. Keep leftover breadcrumbs and touch up if required before baking. Thaw then cook per recipe.