Peach and Prosciutto Pizza

I have recently acquired a lot of free time, so much free time that I decided I would dabble a little in the kitchen. I visited the beautiful Carter's Mountain over the weekend which means I picked TOO many peaches. I thought if I picked my own ingredients it would make the whole cooking thing a little more interesting.


Better Homes and Gardens' August issue had an article titled "50 Ways to Eat a Peach". I started the cooking lesson by making peach mojitos since everyone knows cooking is a little easier with a tasty drink. The mojitos were a disappointment, they were just way too bland. Next I tried my luck making peach salsa and it was way too hot (maybe I shouldn't have used two jalapenos...hey, I'm learning). After feeling like Goldilocks looking for the perfect porridge, I began my final attempt with peaches and worked on a pizza.


The ingredients:
Store bought pizza crust
Peaches
Mozzarella
Prosciutto
Garlic
Oil
Balsamic Vinegar


BHG had this idea in their magazine, but I couldn't find the cheese they listed or fresh arugula, so I went with my own ingredients and still followed their general idea. You can read all about eating peaches at this link: www.bhg.com


Follow cooking directions on pizza crust for baking temperatures. Roll out the pizza crust and cover with olive oil. I also spread some garlic on the crust because pizza isn't pizza without garlic. Place thin slices of peaches on the crust. I used only one peach. Cover with cheese. Lay thin pieces of prosciutto on top of cheese and then cover with more cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is crispy.


Finally- something delicious! I thought the pizza was the perfect balance of sweet and salty without one flavor being overwhelmed by the other. The best part is that this dish is such a simple, easy, and quick recipe to finish. I am a beginner and I was able to complete all of the steps without a problem.
If you are trying to teach a 12 year old how to cook or playing in the kitchen with your four year old this is perfect. If you are an adult cooking, this would be a great appetizer for a summer cookout.


(Click here for printable recipe)

Bacon and Spinach Risotto

Healthy recipes are something that I always keep an eye out for, and ergo, CookingLight.com has always been a resource I’ve utilized. When I found a risotto there for 405 calories, with spinach, wine, onions, and Asiago cheese, I was intrigued. Not only did this sound awesome, but my husband would eat it. Why? Another main ingredient was bacon.

The original recipe and the one that I created differed slightly. I learned that Madiera can be substituted for Marsala, but unfortunately neither was in my wine cabinet. I found out other substitutions were sherry (again, not on hand), and a grape juice/brandy combination (creative, but again, not in the house). My version used a dry cabernet sauvignon. I also substituted a yellow onion for the shallots.

Ingredients:

· 4 cups Chicken Stock

· 6 bacon slices, chopped

· 1 cup chopped shallots (I used a yellow onion)

· 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

· 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

· 4 garlic cloves, minced (I used garlic powder)

· 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

· 1/3 cup Madeira wine (see above)

· 4 cups baby spinach

· 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Asiago cheese

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Like a good cook, you should be thoroughly familiar with your ingredients before you get started. This is a great time to nibble on some Asiago cheese and taste test your wine, just to make sure all is up to par. After necessary ingredients have been proven acceptable, bring the chicken stock to a simmer (not a boil). This should be kept hot (not boiling) through the rest of the cooking time. While the chicken stick is warming, cook bacon until crisp. When finished, remove bacon from the pan but leave the juices (Yes, this is a Cooking Light instruction! Should we be wary?). Add onions, olive oil, garlic powder, and thyme (if it’s in your spice cabinet. I thought it was in mine, but apparently was out) until onions are tender. Add rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, stirring constantly until the liquid is nearly absorbed (about 1 minute). Add in 1 cup of simmering stock, stirring until liquid is nearly absorbed (about 4 minutes). Add in remaining stock (a half cup at a time), stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed before adding more of the stock. Stir in spinach when almost all of the liquid is absorbed by the rice, and cook for one minute. Remove from heat. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, salt, and pepper.

This recipe was really good, and we'll be having it again. I'll fully admit though that I'm not going to do it in the bacon grease again. Every bite was baconly delicious, but I felt my arteries clogging by the last bite. Cooking Light, I don't believe you on this one.

Happy cooking!

-KSP


(Click here for printable recipe)

Butter Chicken aka Chicken Makhani

I don’t normally cook (or eat, for that matter) Indian food. It’s not that I have anything against it. I think it’s more that most of the recipes seem to have a bunch of ingredients that aren’t already in my cupboard. And since my cup(board) runneth over with ingredients as it is, I don’t want to add to the problem. But this recipe, from Tasty Kitchen caught my eye because I already had most of it on hand and they all seem like pretty normal ingredients. So I thought I’d give it a try.

And OMG.

You guys, this was excellent. So flavorful. So intriguing. So lick-the-plate worthy. The sauce was so delicious I was literally eating it with a spoon (I actually think I might try making this as a soup sometime.) I suggest you make it immediately.

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

5 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoons Black Pepper

½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander

¼ teaspoons Cumin

¼ teaspoons Cardamom

1 whole Lime, Juiced

1 whole Onion, Diced

¼ cups Butter

1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce

1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 ½ cups Whipping Cream

1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste

Rice

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and combine with garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, cardamom and lime juice. I actually didn’t have any cardamom, and I’ve heard it can be expensive. However, they say it’s a taste that cannot be replaced by any other spice, so I think I’m going to get some for the next time I make this. This time, I used about 1/8^th of a teaspoon of ginger as a substitute. Marinate this mixture overnight. Or make it in the morning for an evening meal, as I did.

Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion until it’s soft. Add the chicken and cook about ten minutes, then add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Steve and I don’t even like tomatoes, but they were really good in this recipe, so if you aren’t a fan, just bite the bullet and add them! Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, keeping the lid on (and keeping tomato splashes off your stovetop!) Remove from heat and add the cream and cilantro. Serve over rice.

This was somewhat spicy (like everything I make) but you can dial back the cayenne if you like. And the original recipe called for a full pint of cream, but I put in less and it was fine. After trying this, I think I may attempt more Indian recipes. And if they are all this good, I’m probably going to move to India. Just saying.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Chicken Parmesan

One of my favorite go-to dishes when I was little, and visiting an Italian restaurant, was Chicken Parmesan. Perhaps because it's fried or perhaps because it's smothered in tomato sauce and cheese. Either way it's so yummy and comforting. To this day it's still one of my go-to dishes when visiting Olive Garden or Carrabas. One day, I thought I would try making it myself. However, I went with a cooking light version that while is very good it isn't the make-your-mouth-water because you know you are eating something so very bad for you. So, off I went in the vast expanse of the internet searching for that so-not-good-for-you Chicken Parmesan recipe. I found it on where else but the Food Network's website. It's really rather simple to make and boy is it good. I think I even prefer this version to most restaurant's. Seriously, give it a go and you won't be disappointed.


A couple notes:
I don't believe I've tried the Quick Marinara but I'm sure it's tasty. I just use one of my favorite jars of spaghetti sauce. I cut the recipe in half since I usually only cook for myself these days. Also, I use Italian Bread crumbs but I still add the thyme and oregano. I don't use fresh mozzarella but just the shredded packaged version. And, I serve mine with spagetti.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 cups bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
Vegetable oil, for frying
Olive oil, as needed
7 cups Quick Marinara Sauce, recipe follows
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced


Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour about a half cup of your tomato sauce into a baking dish and spread around. First thing you do is place each chicken in plastic wrap and pound them until they're thin...about 1/3 inch. In a large bowl, I stir together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, bread crumbs, oregano, thyme, and dash of black pepper.

Next, I placed the flour on a large plate. And, in another bowl, I whisk the egg and milk together. Place some oil in a skillet (enough to coat the chicken but not cover the chicken in oil...about a 1/3 of an inch of oil) turn to about medium-high heat. Normally, I put a little bit of water on my fingers and fling it into the oil pan to see if it sizzles. Perhaps not the best way to test the oil but it works for me. Otherwise if you have a thermometer make sure it's around 400 degrees.

Next, dredge a chicken breast in the flour and shake off excess. Then I dipped it into the egg mixture and finally dredge in the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and then I placed it in the skillet pan. I fry until it's a nice golden brown color and then place the chicken on a paper towel. I repeat the above steps with the next chicken. Once I complete the frying process I place both pieces of chicken in the prepared baking dish and pour spaghetti sauce over the chicken and then the cheese. Place in the 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. While the chicken is cooking, this would be a good time to start boiling your spaghetti noodles.


Quick Marinara Sauce:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
7 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree (about 2 (28-ounce cans), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

First you heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Next saute the onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then you add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. At this point feel free to add any fresh herbs you may have growing in your garden; basil, mint, etc. Pour into the baking dish or store in a tight container.

You can get the recipe here.


(Click here for printable recipe)

Chicken & Rice Casserole

So chicken and rice casserole doesn’t exactly get the mouth watering. Chicken and rice casserole isn’t one of those recipes you’re just “dying” to try. It’s never something you’d order at a gourmet restaurant. Nobody gets excited about chicken and rice casserole. Why I even bothered to bookmark this recipe, I don’t know. Maybe because it was so easy. And because I already had all the ingredients. In fact, that’s the only reason I actually decided to make it. I was too lazy to stop at the store, and I knew I had everything at home already.

But you know what? This casserole is frickin’ good. Yeah, frickin’. It was such a pleasant surprise. I had steeled myself for something bland and boring, but this recipe is full of flavor. The chicken breast got a little dry, but that was the only complaint I had, and that was probably just a length of cooking thing. Actually the original recipe called for chicken thighs, which were probably more juicy. One thing that really sets this recipe apart from other casseroles is that it doesn’t call for a can of condensed soup. Something about that makes it seem so much more healthy, although I’m not sure that’s the case.

Chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine

1 1/3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cream

1 cup raw white rice

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon each of Italian seasoning and poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika  

1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Lemon juice

We actually didn’t have mushrooms, so we made it without. I’m sure it would be very good with them, though, so I’m keeping them in here. You could also substitute other hardy veggies like broccoli if you were so inclined.

Heat olive oil in a pan to brown the chicken. Sprinkle a little salt on the bottom of the pan. Apparently, this keeps the chicken from sticking. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and then brown the chicken. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked, so you just want to get good color on it. About 2 minutes per side. Set aside the chicken and lower the heat to medium. Add more oil if necessary and add the onions, cooking about 3 minutes until they are clear. Then throw in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Put this onion/garlic mixture in a 9x13 casserole dish. Saute the mushrooms if you are adding them, just browning them lightly before putting them in the dish.

On medium heat, add the sherry or white wine to the pan and scrape off all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan to mix into the wine (apparently this is called “deglazing.”) I used white wine and enjoyed it. Not sure what sherry will taste like. Let this reduce down to about one tablespoon and then add the chicken stock. Remove from the heat and add the salt, cream, sour cream, stirring until it mixes. It wasn’t completely incorporated for us and it turned out fine. Put the raw rice in the casserole dish and then add the stock mixture. Mix in all the seasonings and stir everything so it’s evenly distributed.

Finally put the chicken on top of the rice in a single layer, cover it with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. If it’s liquidy (ours wasn’t) take off the foil and let it cook a few more minutes until the liquid is all soaked in.

So upon eating this, Steve and I both thought, "This is good. But it's missing something." Based on all the Top Chef we watched we decided that it needed some "acid." (I swear, they say that all the time!) So we sprinkled some lemon juice on top of the casserole and it was fantastic! In the future, we might try slicing some lemons and cooking them in the casserole, but the sprinkle method was so successful, I'm not sure we need to change it.

I know this seems pretty complicated, but it’s really not as hard as it sounds, and the casserole is definitely worth it. I feel like this is one of those recipes you could play around with as well—particularly the herbs. You could add Cajun seasoning instead of poultry seasoning to give it a little Nawlin’s feel. And the best part—it’s still good the next day. It's the perfect lunch to take to work. And when someone asks you what smells so good you can shock them by saying, “Just a plain old boring chicken and rice casserole.”

(Click here for printable recipe)

Lime Cumin Jalapeno Grilled Chicken

Like I've said before, I love to grill out in the summer. The other night I was searching for another grilled chicken marinade recipe, and I came across this Big Oven recipe that I had saved as one of my Internet Bookmarks. Since I had all the ingredients I decided to give this a go. Plus I love to utilize some of my vegetables growing in my garden. I cut this recipe in half since I'm cooking for just myself, and I must say it was very delicious. The chicken was moist and juicy. I did not use fresh sage, but about 1/2 tsp of dried sage. However, I probably did use about 3 tbsp of fresh lime juice. And, I used 2 of my jalapeno peppers from my garden. And, I marinade the chicken for about 2 hours. It was a very good grilled chicken recipe. You can get the recipe here. Enjoy!

3 tablespoon Lime Juice Fresh Squeezed Is Best
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Cumin Ground
1 Jalapeno Chile
1 Bay Leaf Fresh Is Best
2 Sage Leaves Fresh Is Best
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 dash Black Pepper Freshly Ground
4 large Chicken Breasts Skinless, Boneless

Preparation
Place all marinade ingredients in blender jar and blend to uniform mixture. Next make a diagonal slits with sharp knife about 1/8" deep and 1/2" apart on both sides of each breast. I placed the chicken in a ziplock bag to marinate for about an hour or two. If you can remember turn the chicken every half hour. Prepare your grill. Grill until inside of breasts are just done, check with fork or remove when internal temperature is 160F. I removed the breasts from the grill and let them stand for about five minutes before serving.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Spicy Shrimp and Pasta

The girls like to give me a hard time for making shrimp twice for our Iron Chef competitions, and winning both times (Iron Chef Citrus and Iron Chef Wine.) But I like to point out that I don’t get to vote on my own dish, so if I keep winning, it’s because they keep picking my food. Besides, did the Bulls stop playing Michael Jordan because he was the key to winning so often? No, they didn’t. And yes, I did just compare Michael Jordan to shrimp.

Anyway, the point is—people like shrimp. It’s one of those foods that can carry pretty much any flavor. It’s a little different from normal household fare, so you don’t get the boring feeling that chicken can give you. And it’s relatively healthy and light. Maybe not so much paired with a big ol’ pile of pasta, but hey, every little bit helps.

This is one of our favorite meals to make. It came from allrecipes.com in its original form, and is meant to be grilled on skewers. It was definitely fantastic prepared that way, and I recommend it, but Steve and I wanted to make it into a heartier meal, so we added the pasta. Slam dunk! (See how I kept the MJ metaphor going there? Yeah!)

2-3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Angel Hair pasta, cooked

Shredded parmesan cheese

This is the modified recipe. However, I almost never actually measure anything and it always turns out fine. Add more garlic if you want, or more lemon juice. Use less cayenne if you want something less spicy. At the same time that I’m mixing up this marinade, I make a second, slightly smaller batch that we throw in to coat the pasta.

Mix the first five ingredients together in a bowl. If you are buying frozen shrimp (which is what I do, and is probably a culinary no-no, but it’s just easier and cheaper for me) make sure you drain the shrimp before adding it to the marinade or else it will dilute the flavor. Once you add the shrimp, stir to coat, and let it sit for no more than 25 minutes. The lemon juice starts to cook the shrimp and it could end up tough and chewy.

We cook the shrimp in a large skillet, but they are excellent grilled on skewers as well. Make sure to keep an eye on them as they cook very quickly. Only about two minutes each side. As soon as the shrimp look opaque, add the cooked pasta to the pan and pour the second batch of marinade in as well. Cooking the pasta in the sauce helps it to soak up the flavors, more than if you just ladeled it on top. In fact, I’d recommend this step on any pasta you are making. Heat just about a minute, and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. It’s a great tasting, quick & easy meal for a weeknight. And in any food competition, it’ll probably have an unfair advantage.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Pimento Cheese

I was so excited to try this recipe and it did not disappoint. First, I love pimento cheese! Second, I got the recipe from NPR, which I just thought was interesting. Third, it gave me the opportunity to use my food processor for the first time. I tried the make the picture a little "artsy" since pimento cheese is not the most attractive food. And by artsy, I just mean the picture was purposely slanted.



2 bags of shredded 8oz sharp cheddar cheese
1 bag of shredded 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese
2 kosher dill pickles
2 or 3 cloves of garlic (Beware!! I used 1 large garlic clove & 1 small one and it was some serious garlic for the recipe)
1 4-ounce jar of pimentos, drained

Cut all ingredients except the cheese & pimentos into large chunks. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse just long enough to roughly chop. Do not puree the ingredients, just make them pliable for the next step. I have a 9 cup Food Processor and it didn't all fit. I would recommend breaking up the recipe into two batches to run through the Food Processor.

Put in large bowl and mix with about 3 healthy tablespoons of mayonnaise.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Watermelon Daquiri

Last summer, I went thru a watermelon kick. Kroger's had some awesome sales on watermelon that I just kept eating it and eating it and eating it. So, I decided to make a drink where I could incorporate watermelon. I thought to myself that a daquiri would be a really refreshing drink, and I could freeze the left-over watermelon. So, I went searching online for some recipes and found one that called for watermelon, sugar, water, and fresh lime. However, when I tried that recipe it wasn't sweet enough for me. I thought to myself that it's probably because the sugar is going into a cold drink and thus doesn't dissolve. So, I decided to use my signature sugar syrup. Okay, not really signature. But, it's my go to for sweetning drinks. Once I incorporated the simple syrup into the watermelon daquiri it really made the drink. Enjoy on one of these record breaking hot days!

Ingredients:
1 cup watermelon (or more)
Juice from 1 lime
1/8 c to 1/4 c simple syrup (heat till sugar dissolves 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water)
1 jigger light Rum
glass of crushed ice

Puree in a blender until smooth. This makes about one big glass of daquiri.
Garnish with a lime wedge or watermelon slice.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Mystic Pizza

One of my favorite movies of Julia Robert’s is Mystic Pizza. The movie revolves around a family of sisters who own a pizza shop and go thru heartache, happiness, and sadness. The pizza in the movie is one of the stars as well. Thus, this particular recipe is called: Mystic Pizza. This recipe actually came out of the Cooking Light edition back in 1998. I remember trying it for the first time in our home in Brandermill. My mom made it for us and I just loved it. I brought this recipe back to life about 3 years ago, and have continued to make it since. It’s a very easy recipe and it really doesn’t take long to make. Trust me don’t be scared of creating your own dough. It’s really easy and if you use the Fast Rise yeast as opposed to the Active Rise yeast it will go even quicker. And, I’ve never added cornmeal to this recipe. What also makes this recipe fun is that you can choose any ingredient you want to top the pizza with, and you can experiment with the tomato sauce. I have stopped putting fennel, red pepper flakes, and I’ve never added fresh cilantro in the sauce. I use dried basil, oregano, and cilantro. I add a bit of sugar and salt to the tomato sauce as well as a clove of garlic and it’s really good. Though, their recipe is great, too.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package quick-rise yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons cornmeal
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Normally, I use rapid yeast, which makes this process so much easier. Basically, you put one pouch of yeast into a bowl, lightly spoon 1/4 cups flour and level it with a knife, pour in the sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, lightly pour in the olive oil, and then pour in the warm water. Stir quickly until it forms a soft dough.
Sometimes I add just a little bit of flour so it isn't too wet. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It says to knead until smooth and elastic which is about 10 minutes. I usually only do it for about 5 minutes and it turns out just fine. Again, I have to add some flour just to make sure it doesn't stick too much to my hands when kneading the dough. Next, place the dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray; turn to coat the top. I cover it with some plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm oven (85°) for about 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Take out the dough, and punch your fist into it. Then roll it out onto a floured surface. Then place onto your pizza pan. Crimp the edges if you like and let the dough stand for 10 minutes covererd. I usually skip that part, too.
Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; roll dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a baking sheet or 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough to form a rim. Let dough stand, covered, 10 minutes.

In a small sauce pan, I add a clove of garlic, a small can of tomato sauce, some salt, some oregano, cilantro, basil, and pepper, and I cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce is very warm. I skip the fennel seeds and I use dried herbs. Spread sauce over pizza crust; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden. Remove pizza to cutting board; cut into wedges.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Lattice-topped Blackberry Cobbler

We have a monthly dinner tradition with some of our neighbors. Each month, someone hosts, and every couple brings either the main course, an appetizer, or a dessert. Tonight, it was my turn for dessert, and you know how I can get carried away…

Somehow for a rather simple recipe, I still made of mess of my kitchen. How is there a white flour-like mess on my counter tops after the only powder-like ingredient I used was corn starch, and I only used 3 tablespoons. Kitchen messes continue to be a mystery.

Ingredients: 
2 Pie crusts (Pillsbury always works for me)
48 oz. blackberries (4, 12 oz. containers)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unroll one pie crust along the bottom of your pie pan. After rinsing blackberries, mix blackberries, sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a bowl. Pour this bowl’s contents into pie pan. Roll out the second pie crust on a cutting board, and slice it into 1 inch strips. Remember how you latticed construction paper in elementary school to make Easter baskets? Follow suit with these strips of dough, pressing together the edges. Dabbing this lattice with melted butter has a pretty browning effect. Bake for 15 minutes at 450, and then reduce heat to 375 for the remaining 40-45 minutes. Covering the edges of the pie with aluminum foil or a pie guard can prevent over-browning the outer crust.

I served it with a scoop of Turkey Hill vanilla ice cream on top. (I learned today by perusing the ice cream in the Kroger freezer that Turkey Hill was one of the few ice creams without corn starch and with all natural ingredients. They were not the only one to claim “natural ingredients” but they were the only one where I understood and could picture each and every ingredient on the list. Sorry to sound like a commercial, but I needed to share my discovery.)

In the end, it turned out pretty well. It was tasty, but it was an absolute mess. I think it needs more of a breadcrumb or something similar in the middle with the blackberries to hold it together in actual slices. I'll definitely try it again, though.

Happy cooking!

-KSP


(Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Melon: Thornton Melon Ball

I thought I would go for a drink in this particular Iron Chef. It's hard to win one of these with a Drink, but you never know. I found this particular recipe a year ago for Sara's bachelorette party. We did a drink contest, and I went with my Mojito recipe instead. This drink concept is from Rodney Dangerfield's movie Back to School. And, Guy Fieri posted the drink on Food Network's website.

I didn't win, but it's a really good drink.

Ingredients
Ice
1 part your favorite vodka
1 part melon liqueur (recommended: Midori or generic brand) 
Orange juice
Various melon balls (cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon - using all 3 is called "Triple-Lindy" and is definitely money)

This drink can be served straight up or on the rocks. To make this drink straight up: Place in a cocktail shaker; ice, vodka, melon liqueur, and a splash orange juice; shake vigorously and then strain into a large, chilled martini glass and garnish with melon balls. I made mine on the rocks. I just added ice to a glass and poured the vodka, melon liqueur, and enough orange juice to fill the glass. Then, I stirred and garnished with the melon balls. (Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Melon: Chicken Meatballs in a Barbecue Sauce and Watermelon Puree

Iron Chef strikes again, and this time, I decided it was time to up my game, both on my recipe and my presentation.

When I was a kid, my mother used to always wow friends and neighbors at Fourth of July barbecues with her watermelon bowls. These were not simple affairs. After gutting the melon of its fruit in perfect red balls, the rind was cleaned into a flawless bowl. Edges were curved or decorated with zig-zags. Sometimes, the melon would be more of a basket, with a wicker-like handle carved with an artist’s hand. My mother was a melon master, and maybe those genes were what led to my creation.  


Or maybe, I just got carried away…

My entry was Chicken Meatballs in a Barbecue Sauce and Watermelon Puree, and my watermelon bowl was formed with an artist-want-to-be’s hand into a hedgehog (toothpicks giving the creature its spikes).

Ingredients: 
5 pounds of ground chicken
5 eggs
2.5 cups of Panko breadcrumbs 
Roughly 3 cups of Carolina Treet barbecue sauce
Roughly 3 cups of pureed (seedless) watermelon.

Mix ground chicken, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs, and form into small balls. Brown balls in a skillet until cooked through (roughly 20 minutes). As meatballs are finished (this took me a few batches), place into crock pot to keep warm. Scoop out watermelon and puree in a blender. Mix pureed watermelon with barbeque sauce and pour over meatballs in crock pot. Stir to cover evenly. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Hedgehog watermelon bowl inspired by this website: http://www.watermelon.org/recipe_detail.asp?recipeDisp=360

This was my first time making meatballs, and apparently it was a success. I walked away with my first Iron Chef winning night.

Happy cooking!

-KSP


(Click here for printable recipe)

Cowboy Spice Rub

I’m not sure what makes this “cowboy spice,” exactly. I mean, if you think about it, the cowboys out there herding cattle across Texas probably don’t carry around a menagerie of spices in their saddle bags. Gotta think salt and pepper are pretty much it. But name aside, this spice rub is pretty delicious.

This makes more spice rub than you’ll need, but you’ll probably want to make it and save the rest for another meal. Apparently it’s pretty good on other meats too. I got this one from a blog called “Choosy Beggars.”

1.5 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chipotle chili powder

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1.5 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Pretty much the only change I would recommend to this is to cut back on the cinnamon a little. The next time I might add a little cayenne to it as well (which I add to almost any recipe, actually). Just mix up the spices, making sure they are uniformly mixed, and rub generously into whatever meat you want (we used pork tenderloin), then let it rest in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes. You could probably let it sit in the rub even longer for stronger flavor, but it worked for us pretty quickly. Then you simply cook it, and eat it! We broiled ours and served it with a nice arugula salad. But I think grilling would put a nice tasty caramelized char on it with that brown sugar. Or you could do it the cowboy way and throw it over an open campfire and eat it with your bare hands. Totally up to you.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Sausage Cheese Breakfast Casserole

My family is not a breakfast casserole family. I don’t know why. It’s not like we don’t enjoy them when someone else makes them. It just wasn’t something I ever had growing up. It might be because my mom makes a killer cinnamon bun. Or because we preferred those Entemann’s streudels. Whatever the reason, I decided it was time to put an end to our shunning of this great breakfast option. I found this recipe on my favorite site, epicurious, and made it for a recent party. It was very tasty warm, and good reheated the next day as well.

8 bread slices, cut into cubes

1 pound bulk pork sausage, crumbled and cooked

1/2 small white or yellow onion

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar

12 large eggs

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper

What I really like about this recipe is that it’s a great base to build from. You can add and change the ingredients to make it your own. For example, the recipe calls for white bread, but you could use any bread you like to change the flavor. Just make sure you cut the crusts off. I used sourdough and recommend it. I also chose to use Jimmy Dean’s Hot Sausage to spice things up a little bit. You could throw in peppers, broccoli, spinach, or anything else you like with your egg.

You definitely want to make this the night before so the bread has all night to soak up the egg mix. Start by greasing a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish and then spreading out the bread cubes. Sauté the onions with the sausage and add the mixture over the bread. Also, sprinkle some of your cheese over the sausage. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper. Here you could add other spices if you wish to change the flavor (cayenne, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, etc.). Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and bread, and then top with the rest of the cheese. Cover it and stick it in the fridge overnight, and in the morning when you wake up, pop it in the oven at 350 degrees. It’ll take about 45-50 minutes to puff up, and then you can dig in! It’ll be a family favorite in no time. 


(Click here for printable recipe)