A Simple Crowd-Pleaser

This pizza has become a favorite of the family's. It is delicious! But also a littler rich. In order to lighten it up, use half and half or even milk, and thicken it with a roux. My daughter has successfully used skim milk. Just double the amount of butter and flour and simply follow the directions.

P.S. You can grill your own chicken or buy it already cooked.

Enjoy!

-Michele

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Serves 4

Ingredients
3/4 lb chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter (use 4 if using milk)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon flour, plus more to roll out dough
1 cup heavy cream (or half and half or milk)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 16 oz ball of store bought pizza dough (or you can make your own)
2 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375. If using a pizza stone, place in oven to preheat while preparing sauce. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in grill pan and cook until no longer pink. Set on cutting board to cool. Dice.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add garlic and red pepper and cook a few minutes until garlic is fragrant, but not browned. Add flour and cook, stirring, for a minute. Whisk in cream, reduce heat to low, and simmer until thickened. (When I use milk, I wait a minute before reducing the heat. It may also take an extra couple of minutes to thicken.) Add Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Flour a work surface and roll out the dough until about 13 inches in diameter. (We make it into a rectangle since that is the shape of our pizza stone and most baking sheets.) Place on a baking sheet, or onto the preheated pizza stone. Spoon the sauce onto the dough and spread. Top with spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and mozzarella. Brush the crust with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake about 25 minutes, until golden.

Recipe adapted from The Neelys

It's Sinfully Delicious

Over the past few years, it has become common practice for my friends and family to give me something related to cooking and baking for every major holiday and celebration. The compilation of all of my gifts for the last 5 years is divided something like 95 percent cooking things, 5 percent other. Though this may not be some people's first option for gifts, I couldn't be happier. There is honestly very little that my kitchen lacks and since this is my passion, I am tickled. Though I do still need a nice dutch oven...


I recently graduated with my bachelor's degree. Naturally, I received a multitude of wonderful presents. Among them was a set of cookbooks given to me by my boss of 4 years. All are written by the Diva of Desserts, Rose Levy Beranbaum. The first recipe that caught my eye was a Brownie Tart with Ganache Puddles. For me, the title alone was enough to induce drooling. And let me tell you, the finished product does not disappoint. 


All things considered, this dessert is not for the faint-hearted. If you are a mere "liker" of chocolate, steer clear of this dish. This brownie is extremely rich. Although the original recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, I used semisweet because I was afraid it would be too much. Plus, I was serving it to other people and not everyone is as devoted to chocolate as I am. Next time, I'm going for the bittersweet. After all, when I eat something chocolate, I want to feel like I'm drowning in melted chocolatey goodness :)


I hope you love it as much as I do!

Brownie Tart with Ganache Puddles
Serves 8 (but it can probably be stretched to serve 10 or 12. Seriously, it's really rich)


Ingredients


1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (I left these out...not a huge nut fan)
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used about 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips)
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup flour
Pinch of salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 1/3 cup of chocolate chips)
1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature


Directions
Preheat the oven to 325. Grease the bottom of a tart pan with a removable bottom, line with parchment, and grease the parchment as well.


Place the pecans (if you use them) on a cookie sheet. Toast them, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until slightly browned. Cool. 


Melt the butter and 3 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Beat the cocoa, then the sugar, into the chocolate and butter mixture until fully incorporated. If doing by hand, use a whisk. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Beat in the cream cheese until only small pieces remain. Add the flour and salt and mix until just moistened. Add the nuts if using. 


Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet to catch any leaking. Spread the batter in the pan and smooth the top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the side comes out clean. 


While the brownie is in the oven, make the ganache by melting the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally. Add the cream and stir until it is smooth and dark. If the cream was too cold and the mixture is not smooth, place back over the water and stir until uniform. 


When the brownie  is removed from the oven, poke holes at 1-inch intervals all across the tart, poking all the way to the bottom. Using a small spoon or a plastic baggy with a hole cut in one corner (I used a pastry bag), fill the holes with ganache until slightly rounded on top. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. The puddles will sink as the tart cools, and you can add more ganache to even it out. (Don't do like I did and pour the rest of the ganache into your mouth. You'll need it once the tart cools. Oops!)


Recipe from The Pie and Pastry Bible. 


Enjoy!


-Andrea

Easy Italian

If you like pesto, I have a great recipe for fresh pesto that can be used on toasted crusty bread to make bruschetta or even on pasta to make a delicious and easy meal. It also freezes extremely well. Buying a basil plant is a cheaper alternative to buying packaged basil. The plant will yield many cups of basil over time and it is quite easy to grow indoors or out. Just make sure it gets plenty of water if you keep it outdoors in the heat. And I personally find it very satisfying to pick it fresh myself!

Fresh Pesto

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

4 cups fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and oil and pulse until it forms a paste. Add the cheese and salt and pepper, to taste, and pulse until smooth. 

Recipe adapted from Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar

To make pesto pasta, cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and reserve some of the pasta water. Top with pesto. Use the reserved water to thin out the pesto until a sauce forms. 

To make our family's bruschetta, slice a baguette into one-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 until lightly toasted. You can flip the bread over halfway through to make sure both sides brown. Remove from the oven and spread with pesto. Top with fresh chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan. Put back in the oven until the cheese melts. Serve hot. 

I know my family really enjoys both the pasta and bruschetta made with this pesto. I hope yours will too!

-Michele

Sometimes its worth spending the time...

Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day. For people with jobs, kids, and all manner of other responsibilities, tackling everything with the same amount of energy simply isn’t possible. Often times when this happens, cooking is the thing that gets pushed aside. My mom will be the first person to admit that she didn’t used to spend a lot of time cooking meals. But when raising four children and holding a job, dealing with pets, and covering all other responsibilities that came with keeping a house over our heads, time was scarce. As we grew up and moved out of the house, she began to have more time to experiment with different recipes. Now, she’s cooking up something new and delicious every time I go home.

Lately, I’ve been finding that even though I may have the time to put together extravagant meals, I really don’t have the energy. Most nights, I’ll come home and my sister and I will throw together something quick: rice, pasta, chicken. Some days though, I just really feel like creating a fancy meal. The next time I do however, I will be making these amazing lasagna rolls.

My mom made them as a Father’s Day treat for my step-dad, and needless to say, the whole family loved them. They were fairly time intensive, but that being said, most of the cooking process does not require active participation.

When searching for recipes, don’t necessarily be put off by meals with long cooking times. This one, for example, lists its cooking time as 3.5 hours. But really, the amount of time you’ll actually spend cooking it is maybe 30 minutes. Some of the best recipes for busy people have really extensive cooking times because you can prepare part or all of the meal, and let it cook for several hours. Not only does this allow you to accomplish things while the meal is cooking, but it makes your house smell delicious!

So make these lasagna rolls! They make a really nice presentation when guests come over too. They look super fancy. And the flavor is amazing. You can top with any jar of marinara sauce, but my mom likes to make this one. It’s simple and delicious.

So good luck! And buon appetito!

Short Rib Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients

Ribs:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 (4-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary

2 cups red wine, such as pinot noir

2 cups beef broth

Filling:

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups Parmesan, grated (6 ounces)

1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)

1 (10-ounce) packet frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed of excess liquid

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

12 lasagna noodles (about 10 ounces)

Butter, for greasing baking dish

1 (25-ounce) jar marinara sauce

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Olive oil, for drizzling

 

Ribs: In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Season the ribs with the salt and pepper. Add them to the pan and cook each side about 4 minutes, until browned. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add onions, garlic, and rosemary to the pot and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Increase the heat to high and add the wine. With a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits on the bottom.  Add the beef broth and put the ribs back in the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the ribs and set aside until they are cool enough to touch, about 20 minutes. Discard cooking liquid and bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into 2 inch pieces. You should get about 2 1/4 cups of meat.

Filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low. Add cheeses and whisk until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and add spinach, basil, and garlic. Place the shredded meat in a medium bowl and add the cream mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper. Mix until combined. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay 4 noodles flat on a dry work surface. Spread 1/4 to 1/3 cup (depending on how large you want them) of the filling mixture evenly along each noodle. Roll and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all the noodles and filling to make 12 lasagna rolls. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil, and bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. 


Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis