A Hotdog, A Soda, and A Couple Snickerdoodles

A lot of blog readers ask me how I have time to make dinner and also post about it. Not all dinners are that difficult to make as evidenced by last night feast. Always one of my favorites and No Thank You Boy is a big fan of this menu. When I lived in Chicago, the hotdog of choice was a Vienna hotdog. Here in NJ, it is a Nathan's hotdog. I did commit a sin and put ketchup on my hotdog but, I'm not in the Windy City anymore.


So is it a soda or pop? Back in the Midwest it is a soda. Used the ginger ale to wash done the snickerdoodles all dressed up for my favorite holiday -- the 4th of July. The key to a great cookie is to under cook it slightly. At least I made one item on the menu.

4th of July Snickerdoodles

adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

1 cup butter
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 3 tsp of cinnamon
festive 4th of July sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Beat butter with mixer for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 of the flour, 2 cups of sugar, the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat to thoroughly combine. Beat in remaining flour. chill for about 1.2 hour.

Shape into 1 inch balls. dip bottom half of ball in cinnamon sugar and top half in sprinkles. Bake on parchment paper lined sheet for about 10 minutes. Remove from sheet pan and cool.

Deep Dish Pizza

Deep Dish Pizza

I'm talking about the kind you can only get in Chicago. Thick and gooey with loads of cheese and calories. After a weekend trip with my college roommates to Chicago, I thought it was only fitting to have a tribute to the best pizza in the country. We went to Bacino's and had a great pizza filled with mushrooms and spinach. I will give you my version which I think is pretty darn authentic. The key is a deep dish pizza pan. I have had my pan for about 15 years and it is good and seasoned. It gets better with each use. The recipe I use is an adaption of the one that came with the pan. It includes Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, onions, and melted butter.

Deep Dish Pizza

4 1/2 cups flour
1 TB salt
1 TB sugar
1 egg
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup dehydrated onions
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 package active fast-acting dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and let sit for about 5 minutes in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, melted butter, onions, and cheese and mix for about 7 - 9 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour.

Putting it all together....

about 2 cups chunky marinara sauce
risen pizza dough
cornmeal
1 pound grated mozzarella cheese
any fillings you want -- pepperoni, sausage, vegetables, etc.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Divide dough in half. Roll out 1 piece of dough to a circle slightly larger than the pan. My deep dish is about 16 inches across. Sprinkle a little cornmeal in the bottom of the pan and lay rolled out dough in it. Spread about 3/4 of the cheese over the dough and any other fillings you want. It is best to precook and vegetables because it cooks out the water and keeps your pizza from being soggy.

Roll out the remaining dough the same as the first piece and lay it over the cheese and fillings. Roll the edges of the dough together to keep the filling from spilling out. Spread about 1+ cup of the sauce over the top of the pizza and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until nice and golden brown. Let your masterpiece cool for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Serve with the remaining marinara sauce.

My Eggplant Stuffed with Three Cheeses and Sausage

Eggplant Rollatini was wicked good. I used non-fat ricotta cheese in the recipe so I felt like it was pretty healthy. The kids weren't up for eggplant. I stuffed some large pasta shells for them instead. No Thank You Boy wasn't too thrilled with the dinner choice. He just ate the pasta without the stuffed part. I served a wedge of iceberg lettuce with Gorgonzola Buttermilk Dressing. It is one of my childhood favorites. My Middle Child thought the wedge idea was ridiculous. She will not be a fan of that in the future. Dessert was a hit with everyone. A Mississippi Mud Cake from a cookbook that was a present for my last birthday. I ate half of the cake.

Eggplant Rollatini


serves 6

1 large eggplant (about 2 pounds), slice thinly lengthwise
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 box (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
about 3 cups marinara sauce*
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place slices of eggplant on large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast eggplant for about 15 minutes until slightly brown. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat. Add sausage to pan and cook until browned, about 10 – 12 minutes. Place sausage in a large bowl and add spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella.

Place the eggplant slices on a work surface and place a heaping tablespoon on the thin end of each slice and roll up. Place about a 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and place eggplant rollatinis on top. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

*Marinara Sauce


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes
8 - 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until transparent, about 8 - 10 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or crush with your hands. Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and simmer sauce for about 20 - 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
 
Iceberg Wedges with Gorgonzola Buttermilk Dressing

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce cut in 4 wedges
3 - 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Combine cheese, garlic and sour cream and mash. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Serve over lettuce wedges.

Mojito Chicken

As a budding personal chef, I am always testing new recipes out on my family. Each night during dinner, I require a critique of the meal. I haven't made anyone fill out a feedback questionnaire...yet.

Yesterday afternoon, I prepared Mojito Chicken. I made it earlier in the day so I could cool and package it just like I do for my clients. I like to know exactly what they are getting. The Husband especially likes this because he always has something ready to heat and eat in the refrigerator.

The entree was easy to prepare and ready in about 20 minutes. Lightly dust chicken breasts with seasoned flour. Saute in pan. Make mojito sauce in pan. I really did not know what to expect with the recipe. When I initially tasted the sauce, I thought it was a little sweet. I cooled off the entree, packaged it, and stuck it in the refrigerator.

As dinner time rolled around, I heated the chicken in the microwave on 70% power for a minute or two. The Mojito Chicken was served with some wild rice and broccoli. Now the chicken tasted really good. It had time to soak up some of the sauce as it sat in the refrigerator for a few hours. Thumbs up recipe. Even No Thank You Boy liked the sweet and slightly spicy sauce.

This morning, The Husband took his Tupperware with Mojito Chicken and broccoli to work. I got a call at 1 p.m. and it was The Husband saying that the chicken was even better than last night. Some things get better with age.

Mojito Chicken

serves 4

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon gingerroot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup rum
2 tablespoons sugar
lime zest and slices for garnish

In a resealable bag, combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken one piece at a time and shake to coat. Heat oil and butter in a large pan. Brown chicken on both sides for about 10 minutes total. Transfer to plate and keep warm. In same pan, add gingerroot, garlic, red pepper flakes, lime juice, rum,  and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with lime zest and slices.

Pineapple and Lime Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Vegetables

I have come to the realization that my posts are not as frequent as I would like them. I am now shooting for once a week. Hopefully I will get back in the swing of posting and get more recipes online. 

I tried a new recipe on Wednesday night which was a marinated pork tenderloin that I grilled. The marinating process began too late in the day so the finished product was tasty but would have benefited from a longer soak. I also served it with a plate of grilled eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, vidalia onions, and red peppers that were drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with truffle salt. The truffle salt was an excellent purchase. $23 for a 3.5 oz jar but worth ever penny. You can just eat it by the spoonful. A little Trader Joe's Wild Rice and a glass of Pinot Grigio and the dinner was complete. The Husband is not such a fan of all the grilled vegetables so I made him a salad (a photo is posted below) with mixed greens, the grilled onions, crumbled blue cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. I grilled up 2 tenderloins so one is left for barbecue pork sandwiches.

Two meals for the price of one.



Pineapple and Lime Marinated Pork Tenderloin

serves 6
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total weight
1 cup pineapple juice
juice of 2 limes
juice of l lemon
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
shake of red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Mix marinade ingredients together and pour over tenderloins in a ziploc bag. Marinate for at least 6 hours or up to 12 hours for best flavor. Remove pork from marinade and grill by indirect method for about 12 minutes per pound. The internal temperature of the pork should be about 145 - 150 degrees. Remove from grill and cover with foil for 10 minutes. Slice and serve. Great reheated the next day. Microwave at 70 percent power for 1 minute.