Pretzel Dogs

As I described to the boy working at my local grocery store's checkout line, this week is "epic dinner week" in our household. You are seeing the results of Day 1.

I tried taking a shortcut on the pretzel dough, which was a total disaster. My bread machine came with a recipe for pretzel dough, but it turned out extremely dry and looked like a science experiment gone horribly wrong.

I went back to the drawing board and used a more traditional dough recipe as suggested in the blog What Megan's Making. Thanks to my stand mixer, it was a lot less work than I anticipated and the dough came out perfectly.

I recommend making these the day you are planning on eating them, although the dough could be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge in a Ziploc bag.


Ingredients (this can easily be made vegetarian)

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 - 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour (all-purpose flour would work if you don't have bread flour)
• package of 10 all-beef franks (regular sized, not the longer bun-length style) (for vegetarian alternative, use vegetarian hot dogs!)

• vegetable oil spray (not needed if you have a Silpat baking mat)
• water
• 2/3 cup baking soda OR 2 Tbsp malt diastatic powder
• 1 egg white, whisked until bubbly/foamy
• more kosher salt, for topping

Directions (if using stand mixer)

1. Set up your stand mixer with the dough hook.
2. In the bowl for your stand mixer, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 3-5 minutes until mixture begins to foam.
3. Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix on medium speed, adding the 4th cup of flour slowly and letting the flour incorporate into the mixture. If needed, add the final 1/2 cup of flour. You are looking for the dough to be a little sticky but not wet and gooey. Another indication that you have a good ratio of flour to moisture is that the dough has collected around the dough hook in a cohesive ball. 
4. Place dough in a new, clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour.

Once dough has risen...

1. Place a large stockpot of water, about 2/3 full, on the stove. Add baking soda (or, if using, malt diastatic powder) to water and bring to a boil.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Prepare cookie sheet by either spraying with vegetable oil OR placing a Silpat baking mat on the cookie sheet.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pretzel dough until it is a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 10 thin strips. (If you have extra dough, you can use them to make regular pretzels)
5. Wrap each strip around a hot dog, pinching at both beginning and end to seal them. I like them with the ends showing, but you can completely encase the hot dog with dough if you desire.
6. Once water is boiling, turn down to medium heat. Drop 5 of the pretzel dogs in and let them cook for about 30 seconds - they should be floating.
7. Remove pretzel dogs with slotted spoon and place on baking sheet. Repeat with the final 5 pretzel dogs.
8. Brush each one with egg white and sprinkle salt on top.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes (checking frequently starting at the 12 minute mark) until golden brown. Remove and let cool about 10 minutes.
10. Enjoy with mustard, cheese sauce, or any other desired toppings.

Texas Caviar

I brought this recipe to a recent 6th grade event where a coworker and I did a workshop on healthy snacks. This is simple for kids to make - most of the ingredients just need to be rinsed. They may need some help chopping the pepper and celery, to get the pieces small enough.

This recipe is versatile because it can be scooped up with tortilla chips, or served as a side dish with your meal.

Thanks to my friend Steph who suggested this recipe! (And yes, this is the Stephanie of Fruit Pizza fame!)

Main Ingredients

·      15 oz can black eyed peas, rinsed

·      15 oz can black beans, rinsed

·      15 oz can corn, rinsed

·      1 green pepper, diced

·      1 stalk celery, diced

Dressing Ingredients

·      3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

·      1/4 cup olive oil

·      1 cup sugar

Directions

1.    Combine main ingredients in a large bowl.

2.    In a separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Whisk until sugar has dissolved.

3.    Pour dressing over main ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. Let sit for at least four hours, but hopefully overnight. Drain well.

4.    When ready, serve with tortilla chips or as a side dish.

Double Cheese Mini Pizzas

Happy new year, friends! We've finally finished moving into our new home and I'm welcoming the new year with some fun snacks.

These mini pizzas are a good base because they can be jazzed up with a number of toppings. I anticipate us trying some with caramelized onions, finely chopped pepperoni, or even pesto.

You'll find two variations of the recipe: one in the traditional style, and one where the bread is toasted and cold mozzarella cheese is applied afterward. Both are delicious, although the cold variation does preserve the wonderful texture of cold mozzarella.

Ingredients

• fresh Italian bread
• pasta sauce
• fresh mozzarella, sliced (a 4 oz package will make one cookie sheet's worth of snacks)
• Parmesan cheese
• dried parsley

Directions - Hot Variation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut Italian bread in half lengthwise, then slice into medium-thick pieces. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Spoon a small amount of pasta sauce and spread evenly on the bread.
4. Top each piece with a slice of mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Finish with a pinch of parsley.
5. Bake at 450 degrees until cheese gets nice and gooey, about 5 minutes.

Directions - Cold Variation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut Italian bread in half lengthwise, then slice into medium-thick pieces. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Spoon a small amount of pasta sauce and spread evenly on the bread.
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 3-4 minutes, until sauce begins to dry out.
5. Remove from oven. top with slice of cold mozzarella, sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and a pinch of parsley.

Fresh Tomato and Red Onion Salad

Do yourself a big favor. Go to the nearest farmers' market or roadside stand and buy the most beautiful tomato you can find. Slice it up, drizzle some oil and vinegar on top, and sit down. Stop everything else you're doing right now and let yourself enjoy the flavor. It is summertime: the perfect time for tomatoes.

Sure, you can buy beefsteak or vine ripe tomatoes from the store, but you would be doing a huge disservice to your palate. Talk to the farmers - ask about their favorites. The tomato I bought today was absolutely gorgeous. It was a deep red, bordering on purple, with a crown of green. The farmer told me that it was the perfect time to eat them. He said, "You will never taste a better tomato in your life." In a world of over-exaggerated statements, this one was 100% accurate.

I love the simplicity of this salad, as well as its flexible nature. Feel free to try it with different tomatoes, different vinegars, additions, or even caramelizing the onions to create a sweet / salty combination.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into wedges (room temperature is best)
• sliver of red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• drizzle of olive oil
• drizzle of balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Arrange tomatoes on a plate. Sprinkle onion around them.
2. Dress with a drizzle each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3. Top with freshly ground black pepper.
4. Enjoy!

Goat Cheese and Grape Crostini

Looking through my recipe binder, I found a picture of crostini topped with grapes. There was no recipe with it, but I couldn't resist giving them a try. I made a big batch for appetizers at a dinner party and they had disappeared by the time dinner was ready.

My favorite part about this recipe is the combination of hot and cold. Your teeth sink into a warm piece of toasted bread topped with soft melted cheese, but the grapes are still cool with a different kind of crunch. I also like the balance of sweet and salty. If you're not a fan of goat cheese, you might consider making these with another spreadable soft cheese, like brie. Or if you are feeling adventurous, you could try one of the soft cheeses on this list.


Ingredients

• most of 1 baguette or French loaf, sliced into rounds
• 8 oz. soft goat cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
• red seedless grapes, halved

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Smear each baguette round with goat cheese, then place on large cookie sheet with sides. 
3. Sprinkle crostini with pepper, then parsley.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-12 minutes, until goat cheese is softened and bread is barely toasted.
5. Remove from oven. As crostini are cooling, top each round with a few grape halves.

Marinated White Beans with Tomatoes

While preparing for a recent picnic, I decided to mix up some marinated beans. After seeing this recipe on Budget Bytes, I had been thinking about a cold bean mixture to enjoy during the hot days of summer. I adapted her idea with a few tips from Jamie Oliver's salad video to create this great snack, crostini topper, or side dish.

Ingredients for Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp high quality mustard (ex: stone ground or Dijon mustard)
• small handful fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Other Ingredients

• one or two 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (for a dish with lighter dressing, use 2 cans of beans)
• 1 small vine ripe tomato, diced

Directions

1. In a small lidded container, combine dressing ingredients and shake well.
2. In a separate bowl or container, combine beans and tomatoes. Pour dressing over top and stir until coated. 
3. Let mixture sit at least fifteen minutes before serving atop toasted baguette slices or as a side dish.

Onion and Pineapple Quesadillas

The other day I had a few friends over for a quesadilla party. Few of them had ever experienced pineapple in this Mexican dish. To be honest, I hadn't considered it an option either until I stumbled upon the Pioneer Woman's quesadilla recipe.

These are great as snacks, appetizers, or a meal. Enjoy them as written or mix and match your favorite ingredients: grilled chicken, mushrooms, and green peppers are all great options to consider.

Ingredients (makes 3-4 quesadillas)

• butter (divided use)
• flour tortillas
• shredded cheese (Mexican blend and Colby-Jack blend are both good options)
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• pineapple, cut into small pieces (I used canned pineapple rings)
• salsa or sour cream for serving

Directions

1. In a small frying pan over medium heat, melt a pat of butter. 
2. Cook onions and jalapeños until done.
3. Heat a large frying pan or flat griddle to medium.
4. While pan is heating up, assemble quesadillas as follows: fold one tortilla in half. Open it and sprinkle the half generously with cheese, onion/pepper mixture, pineapple, then a little more cheese. Fold it closed.
5. Coat the hot griddle with butter. Place assembled quesadilla on pan and cook until browned. Flip and cook other side until browned.
6. Remove from heat, cut into wedges, and serve with salsa or sour cream.

Traditional Hummus

Hummus is one of my go-to party foods, and has also become a staple for my lunches when I've gotten sick of PB&J's. I make a big batch, then bring some in a container along with crackers or tortilla chips for a lunch I can eat all at once or snack on throughout the day.

Tahini, one of the ingredients, is like peanut butter, but made from sesame seeds rather than peanuts. It's a strange ingredient - and I rarely use my tahini for anything but hummus - but it is truly necessary if you want the creamy consistency for which hummus is well known. You can find it in many grocery stores near the peanut butter.

If my garlic hummus was too strong for your taste, you will undoubtedly enjoy this recipe, which has a much more mellow flavor.



Ingredients

• one 28 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• one 15 oz can chickpeas, mostly drained
• two drizzles of olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• spoonful tahini (sesame butter)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper (1-2 tsp, to taste)
• juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Combine both cans of chickpeas (including the small amount of liquid from the smaller can of chickpeas), olive oil, garlic, tahini, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
2. Add black pepper and half the lemon juice. Pulse to mix well. Taste test and add more lemon juice to your liking.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

These meatballs were a total experiment. Besides preparing them in a different kitchen, I've never made meatballs by measuring anything other than the beef and eggs. These were spiced very plainly and that's something I would change in the future: perhaps grated ginger in the meat would add a nice flavor to the mix.

My other challenge was that the sauce in this recipe didn't become, well, saucy. I always struggle with thickening sauces and this one was no different. It turned out kind of thin but still packed a great flavor. If you are good at thickening sauces, you may want to work a little more with some cornstarch to thicken this one before the last step.

This is adapted from a recipe by the Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients for Meatballs

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• a few shakes each of salt and pepper
• flour
• olive oil for frying

Ingredients for Sauce

• 3 cups beef broth
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 bell peppers (one green, one red),  cut into large chunks
  
• 1 fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper. 
2. Form meat into golf ball sized meatballs.
3. Pour some flour into a small bowl. Roll each meatball in flour.
4. Heat large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a generous amount of olive oil.
5. Fry meatballs (in two batches).
6. While meatballs are cooking, whisk broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
7. Once all meatballs are done, set them aside in another bowl. Pour oil / fat out.
8. Return hot frying pan to stovetop over high heat. Add peppers and cook for about one minute.
9. Add pineapple and cook for another minute.
10. Pour sauce into frying pan. Let boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add meatballs and serve immediately over rice (as a main dish) OR place meatballs in a crockpot (I used a 5-qt. crockpot) and pour pepper-pineapple-sauce mixture over top. Set heat to warm and enjoy throughout the evening as an appetizer.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños

It can be easy to fall into a routine at Thanksgiving - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, pumpkin pie.. why not spice up your holiday? Yes, literally. Live on the edge! Consider these bad boys for a fun appetizer.

I was browsing some of my favorite blogs and came across a stuffed jalapeño recipe on The Way the Cookie Crumbles. While her peppers were wrapped in prosciutto which gave them an added texture, I was hoping to focus on flavors. With the help of my awesome friend Jen, we did an experiment with several different flavor combinations and came up with the beauties you see here. I have always enjoyed cream cheese and jelly together and was glad to see it worked out in this form. We liked the combination of spicy, creamy, and sweet.

Some of the intensity does get baked out of the peppers, but they are spicy to work with in their raw state. You can throw on a pair of rubber gloves while you're slicing and seeding to keep your hands protected.


Ingredients
(This recipe is listed as gluten-free since most cream cheeses are naturally gluten-free. However, please check the label if you are unsure.)

• 8 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• about 4 oz. cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese (half package)
• grape jelly

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place jalapeno halves on cookie sheet. Spread cream cheese into each the "cup" of each pepper.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, removing when cream cheese has browned.
4. Top each with a small blob of jelly.
5. Place on a nice tray to serve or eat hot off the cookie sheet.  :)

Cooked Tomato Salsa

This is the second part of my mini-series on using fresh tomatoes before they go bad. I was reading one of my favorite food blogs, La Fuji Mama, and one of her recent posts was what she calls "Tomato Salsa #95". Depending on the ripeness and type of the tomatoes, the strength of the onion, and the other additions you include, the amount of seasonings will be quite flexible. You'll see that with the recipe below: I started with La Fuji Mama's recipe as a base, then altered it to create a salsa that was spicy enough for my liking.

Cinnamon and cloves were quite a surprise to me when I read the ingredient list, as well as the lack of any type of hot peppers, jalapeno or otherwise. My directions reflect my test of a close match to the original recipe, then additions for spicing it up a little.

See the comments below about seasoning with the green and regular Tabasco sauces.

Ingredients (makes 2-3 cups)

• drizzle of olive oil
• 3 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• green pepper Tabasco sauce
• regular (red) Tabasco sauce

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add tomatoes and onion. Cook until tomatoes begin to change color and liquid bubbles, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Quickly drain tomato mixture in mesh strainer, then pour into food processor bowl. There will be some juices left.
4. Add lime juice, vinegar, salt, oregano, cinnamon, and cloves. 
5. Process using the Pulse button, very quickly, just long enough to chop tomatoes into smaller pieces. (This should take no more than 3 seconds.)
6. Put entire mixture in Tupperware or other container, and place in fridge for at least one hour.
7. Once salsa is cold, season using green and red Tabasco sauces. (I did 15-20 drops of green Tabasco, and around 10 drops regular Tabasco sauce.)

Comments

I found it necessary to drain the liquid from the tomatoes before processing them, and was glad I did. The final salsa was still watery but draining improved the consistency a lot.

Judging spiciness was difficult to when the salsa was still hot; all I could taste was the warm tomato flavor. After refrigerating it, it was a million times easier to see what flavors were needed. Green Tabasco sauce is a bit milder than the red, but still has a nice bite to it, so we seasoned with that first. The regular (red) Tabasco sauce was added at the end for that "bite" for which it is known.

I was also pleased that the cinnamon and cloves were successful in the final product. I could taste them but they also helped the spiciness of the Tabasco to stand out more.

Peach Mango Crostini

The other day, Dan the Man and I headed to the store for inspiration. We decided to purchase whatever produce looked good to us and would figure out something to make with it.

The result: a snack dinner involving fresh fruit and cheese. It was too hot to eat a heavy meal so I was pleased with the outcome: a cute topping (each ingredient was chopped into small cubes) and a bright taste that I really enjoyed as a summer snack.

You can refer back to my post on Brie, Pear, and Brown Sugar Crostini for a clarification on bruschetta vs. crostini if you'd like a refresher on your Italian vocabulary.

Any fresh bread will work for this. My favorite for crostini is baguette, but good French bread will do (that's what you see in the picture), as will the wider Italian bread in a pinch.

Ingredients

• 1 peach, chopped into small pieces
• 1 mango, chopped into small piece
• 5-7 fresh mint leaves, chopped finely (fresh basil would also work)
• 8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, chopped into small pieces
• loaf of baguette, French, or Italian bread, sliced into desired size pieces

Directions

1. Mix peach, mango, mint, and mozzarella in a bowl. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
2. Spoon onto bread slices.
3. Optional: Place crostini on cookie sheet and broil for 1-2 minutes, just enough for mozzarella to melt.

Comments

The peach flavor stood out more than the mango did; you could add another mango if you wanted it to be the dominant flavor. I would also recommend cutting each bread slice in half if you want the crostini to literally be bite-sized, which would make them a little neater to eat.

We ate this primarily as is (fresh), but also tried a few warmed and the mozzarella was delicious. The heat also made the peach flavor sweeter. I'd definitely recommend these warmed!

Brie, Pear, and Brown Sugar Crostini

My roommate from college and I were obsessed with crostini - little snacks with a baguette slice as the base. The only requirements for toppings were taste related - something sweet paired with something salty. We called them "towers" and maybe someday we'll have a cookbook of our tower inventions! For Valentine's Day we had two different trays of crostini as appetizers and this recipe is one of them. It is comprised of two sweets (the pear and brown sugar) and one salty (a slice of soft Brie cheese).

Bruschetta vs. crostini?
Some people interchange the two but it is important to know the difference, especially if you are searching the internet for a certain recipe. Bruschetta is a very specific type of crostini (just as a square is a type of parallelogram - sorry, I'm a math geek!) that is comprised of a tiny toast topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes and onions. This word is often misused to describe what is actually crostini. The word crostini is Italian for tiny toasts, so the baguette could have any topping and still be a crostini.

Ingredients (per cookie sheet)

• 1/2 loaf baguette or other long, thin bread, sliced at a diagonal
  
• 1 wedge Brie cheese, cut into small thin chunks
  
• 1 pear, sliced very thinly
• brown sugar
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet with sides. (The bread can be touching.)
3. Top each slice with a piece of Brie, then a pear, and finally a sprinkle of brown sugar.
4. Bake until brown sugar melts, about 5-7 minutes but sometimes longer.
   

Comments
These were heavenly and disappeared pretty fast! Sometimes they are good as a light dinner if you're feeling like snack-type foods for your meal.

If you dislike brie (I'm not sure it's possible but I've heard that some people feel this way), try finding another soft cheese that is salty but still has a pretty mellow flavor.

Jalapeno Lime Ginger Shrimp

Does having ancestors from a Mediterranean country destine me for a life of obsession with oceanic life? I'd like to think so. When I was younger I was completely in love with dolphins and orcas. Now that I live nowhere near a great body of water I have moved on to smaller types of ocean life, preferably ones I can eat. Nori (Japanese seaweed used in sushi) is one. Shrimp is another.

When cooking with seafood, I like to stick to simple flavors that will highlight the flavor of the fish. That's why this recipe on Worth the Whisk caught my eye. She intended her chili lime shrimp recipe as an appetizer, but I altered its contents for a couple reasons: it sounded really good as a meal(!), and where I live, I don't have access to a lot of exotic peppers.

A note about buying shrimp: the number matters more than the size description. My recipe below suggests a pound of 16-20 count shrimp. The measuring system means in that one pound, there will be between 16-20 shrimp. A 51-60 count shrimp means you get more shrimp in a pound, but they will be much smaller. If you are looking for what some would describe as "colossal" shrimp, you would want a number like U12 or U10 (meaning fewer than 10 shrimp per pound). There is a great article about purchasing and cooking shrimp here. This article suggests that one pound of raw shrimp still in its shells (which is what my recipe used) is equivalent to about a half pound of shrimp once is has been shelled and cooked.

Also, something I didn't realize for a long time: unlike most meats, raw shrimp starts out grey and becomes pink when cooked. This fact can make an important difference in your cooking time!


Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb 16-20 ct. shrimp, shelled but tails left intact (purchased raw, with shells on)
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• half a jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and pepper minced
• juice of one lime
• handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, but recommended)

Directions

1. Heat a frying pan to medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic. Cook for one minute.
2. Add shrimp and cook for two to three minutes.
   
3. When shrimp is pink on one side, stir/flip shrimp. Add ginger and jalapeno.
4. When shrimp is fully cooked, turn off heat. Add lime juice.
5. Plate immediately and serve with cilantro on side.

Comments

Dan and I had this dish with a side of rice. It was the perfect amount for two dinners. Just as importantly, it was a very easy and very enjoyable meal!

We forgot the cilantro until halfway through our meal. It made a big difference in the flavors of the meal. Since the ginger and jalapeno can be strong flavors, the cilantro was nice to cool the mouth a little. It certainly wasn't unbearable without the cilantro though.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

During college, my friend and I loved to visit a local bistro for their Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Bisque. We were slightly appalled to find out it came prepackaged, and were determined to someday recreate it in our own kitchens. While this version doesn’t involve gouda, it is very creamy and surprisingly filling. It also provides another use for the Roasted Red Peppers in my previous entry.

Most creamy soups require pureeing of some sort. I use an immersion blender (sometimes called a stick blender) so I can puree right in the stockpot. This makes cleanup a lot easier, but if you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender will work too. Directions for both pureeing methods are listed.

As I’m sure you might guess, there is a reason why I recommend removing the bay leaves before blending the soup. My first try with this recipe involved a house full of very gracious guests who were constantly picking the crunchy bay leaf pieces out of their soup, since the leaves had been chopped up by the hand blender. Since bay leaves are used in cooking for flavor only - they do not become tender during cooking like most herbs - please be nice to your guests and follow step number four!

This recipe is adapted from one I found in a Penzey’s Spices catalog, submitted by Mike Gallacher.

Ingredients

• 6 roasted red peppers, skins removed
• 3 Tbsp fat (I used 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter)
• ½ large onion, minced
• 2 generous pinches of dried whole thyme, about 1 Tbsp (less if you use ground thyme, perhaps 1 ½ tsp)
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Heat the fat (butter/olive oil) over medium heat in a stockpot.
2. Add the onion and all spices (including salt and pepper) and cook until onion is translucent.
3. Add the broth and bring to a gentle boil. (I let the broth simmer on low until my peppers were done roasting and I had peeled the skins off, then brought the broth to a boil.)
4. Turn heat to low. Remove ALL FOUR bay leaves.
5. Add red peppers and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Or, you can transfer the soup a few cups at a time to a regular blender to puree and return to stockpot.
6. Add the milk and simmer until soup is heated throughout.

Comments

This is one of my favorite soups – it makes quite a bit, so we let the leftovers cool and freeze a few servings of it for those days when we don’t feel much like cooking. It heats back up quite well over medium heat. However, it isn’t a soup that can really stand alone as a meal; since its flavor is very strong, a coffee mug or small bowl’s worth will be plenty. It would be nice served with cheese and crackers.

Mini Pizzas - and Happy New Year!

After receiving protests from the Bee Balm Gal for my lack of posting, I realized it has been three weeks since my last post! Please accept my apologies - and enjoy this fun recipe.

Now that we've survived the holiday Bermuda Triangle - Hanukkah, Christmas, and Festivus - it is time to make space in your fridge by using some of those leftovers. My recommendation: mini pizzas. Pizzas are always a good tool for using up the last of the green pepper / chicken / cherry tomatoes, and since so many people are in the mood for appetizers or other smaller-than-normal sized foods, I thought mini pizzas would fit in perfectly. We had them for New Year's Day lunch at my husband's family's house. This recipe makes about 5-6 small (8-inch or so) pizzas.

In this recipe I stretch and bake the crust for a couple minutes before dressing the pizzas - I found that it made the bottom crust sturdier and better able to withstand the saturation of sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Ingredients

• a batch of Basic Pizza Dough that has risen and been punched down
  
• flour (for dusting)
• 14 oz. jar of pizza sauce (we like the flavor of Ragu's pizza sauce)
• 3- or 4-cup bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
• desired toppings (we used pepperoni, diced chicken, and sliced cherry tomatoes)
• basil
• oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
   
2. Cut dough into 5 or 6 equal sized pieces.
3. Stretch them into approximately 8-inch rounds and place on a floured cookie sheet or other flat pan.
4. Bake the dough, plain, for 2-3 minutes until just risen.
5. Remove from oven and dress with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings.
6. Sprinkle with basil and oregano.
7. Put back in oven for another 5-6 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Comments
These could be made even smaller if desired, but cut into quarters they make a nice snack for people to share. It can also be fun to let people decorate their own pizzas.

Garlic Hummus

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip, made with chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), tahini, and often the addition of a flavor. Tahini is like peanut butter, but made out of sesame seeds rather than peanuts, and is often found right next to peanut butter in the grocery store. While a little on the pricey side, it does a perfect job in this recipe of keeping the hummus a proper consistency. This recipe is based on one found at About.com, where you can also find hummus recipes that don't require tahini.

Thanks to my mother, who bought me my food processor! In this recipe, there really is no replacement for a good food processor, which works the ingredients together to produce a light, fluffy texture.


Ingredients

• 2 cans of chickpeas / garbanzo beans - 19 oz. each
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup liquid drained from chickpeas
  
• 4-8 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with a knife (depending on how hot/spicy you want the hummus)
  
• 3 Tbsp tahini (sesame butter)
• 8-10 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. If too thick, add a little olive oil, lemon juice, or chickpea liquid to smooth it out.
3. Add salt and pepper to your liking.

Comments
Being Italian, I find great joy in a very garlicky things, so I used 8 very large cloves of garlic in my hummus. It is very hot, so if you are not a lover of strong garlic flavor, start with 3-4 cloves. You can also omit the garlic completely, which will make a nice plain hummus. The consistency was perfect and we put it in a dish with a garnish of flat leaf parsley.

Some suggestions for dipping implements: crackers (such as Wheat Thins), pita pockets cut into small pieces (or made into chips), or vegetables such as carrots and celery.