Friday, November 2, 2012
Fun Site for great product reviews
So recently I discovered this great site called Influenster (www.influenster.com)! You can find reviews on numerous products, especially kitchen products! You can also review products you have used! As a part of it you can unlock badges which can lead to you getting something called a VoxBox where they send you actual products to try and review. My most recent VoxBox was for the new Palmolive® Fresh Infusions! I got all three scents to try and boy did they smell great and really clean my dishes! If you are like me and love to find and read reviews before purchasing things, then this is definitely the site for you! Check it out for yourself, it is totally free!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Pizzette
As a disclaimer this dish is in no way healthy! However, it is super delicious! It is fried dough with pizza sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients:
Fried dough:
3 cups bread flour (sifted) and a little extra for kneading
Dash of salt
1 tbsp fast raising yeast
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of water (110 degrees exactly)
1/2 tsp of sugar
Olive oil
Pizzette:
Fried dough
Pizza Sauce/Pasta Sauce
Fresh Basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella cheese sliced
If you are not blessed with a kitchen aid mixer, which I am not, here what you do to make the dough:
To make the dough you combine the sifted flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the mixture and add the yeast and sugar into it. Pour the 110 degree (you need this temp to activate the yeast) water into the yeast/sugar well. Add in the vegetable oil and stir vigorously. Side note: this is a great arm workout! Add in more water or oil depending on the texture you are getting from your dough. It should be a little sticky, but not too dry. Too dry add some water, too sticky add a little vegetable oil. Too moist add a little flour. I suggest mixing with a spoon initially and then your hands.
Once the texture is right, take the dough out of the bowl onto your floured surface and start kneading. Fold the dough into itself and put some muscle into it. You should do this about 5 to 10 mins.
Oil a medium sized mixing bowl with the olive oil (not too much, but just enough). Put your kneaded dough into and turn twice to coat in the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a clean dry kitchen towel and let raise for an hour. (Sorry this is a slow process). After an hour punch raised dough down, recover and let raise again for another 30 to 45 mins (I find 45 mins helps the dough to get fluffier). This can also be made a day or two ahead of time, just let it sit out of the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes prior to cooking so that it raises and warms again.
Fried dough:
Once the dough is done raising, break off baseball size pieces (or smaller) and flatten out on a floured surface. Once the dough is shaped and flattened, heat over medium heat a mixture of vegetable oil and olive oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle some flour into the oil to see if hot enough (it will make that frying sound and dissolve). Add in your dough and fry a few minutes per side. Dough will puff as it is cooked. Set on a wire rake to remove excess oil.
Pizzette:
Heat sauce in sauce pan. Grease a baking sheet or two. Take freshly fried dough and put on greased baking sheet. Add a piece of mozzarella, ladle on sauce and add one or two leaves of basil. Add some salt and pepper. Then place pan on top rack of oven with the broiler on high. Heat long enough for the cheese to melt.
I suggest eating these right out of the oven! Buon appetite!
Fried dough:
3 cups bread flour (sifted) and a little extra for kneading
Dash of salt
1 tbsp fast raising yeast
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of water (110 degrees exactly)
1/2 tsp of sugar
Olive oil
Pizzette:
Fried dough
Pizza Sauce/Pasta Sauce
Fresh Basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella cheese sliced
If you are not blessed with a kitchen aid mixer, which I am not, here what you do to make the dough:
To make the dough you combine the sifted flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the mixture and add the yeast and sugar into it. Pour the 110 degree (you need this temp to activate the yeast) water into the yeast/sugar well. Add in the vegetable oil and stir vigorously. Side note: this is a great arm workout! Add in more water or oil depending on the texture you are getting from your dough. It should be a little sticky, but not too dry. Too dry add some water, too sticky add a little vegetable oil. Too moist add a little flour. I suggest mixing with a spoon initially and then your hands.
Once the texture is right, take the dough out of the bowl onto your floured surface and start kneading. Fold the dough into itself and put some muscle into it. You should do this about 5 to 10 mins.
Oil a medium sized mixing bowl with the olive oil (not too much, but just enough). Put your kneaded dough into and turn twice to coat in the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a clean dry kitchen towel and let raise for an hour. (Sorry this is a slow process). After an hour punch raised dough down, recover and let raise again for another 30 to 45 mins (I find 45 mins helps the dough to get fluffier). This can also be made a day or two ahead of time, just let it sit out of the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes prior to cooking so that it raises and warms again.
Fried dough:
Once the dough is done raising, break off baseball size pieces (or smaller) and flatten out on a floured surface. Once the dough is shaped and flattened, heat over medium heat a mixture of vegetable oil and olive oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle some flour into the oil to see if hot enough (it will make that frying sound and dissolve). Add in your dough and fry a few minutes per side. Dough will puff as it is cooked. Set on a wire rake to remove excess oil.
Pizzette:
Heat sauce in sauce pan. Grease a baking sheet or two. Take freshly fried dough and put on greased baking sheet. Add a piece of mozzarella, ladle on sauce and add one or two leaves of basil. Add some salt and pepper. Then place pan on top rack of oven with the broiler on high. Heat long enough for the cheese to melt.
I suggest eating these right out of the oven! Buon appetite!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Mamma Mia Chicken
So my boyfriend and I had another Costco run and once again he put the giant package of chicken thighs in the cart. This left me with the challenge of trying to find a healthy way to cook them. My previous post with the breaded ranch chicken thighs is not the healthiest of ways, but very tasty. However, we really are trying to get in the best shape possible and eat cleaner. This recipe does not really have a name, it is just something that came to me one day. However, you can use this recipe with any chicken part (breasts, wings, legs, etc). I have done it with both chicken breasts and thighs.
Sidenote: I always trim the fat off of the chicken thighs even if you are not really suppose to.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz or larger can of whole peeled tomatoes, blend half of the can and reserve the other half
1 medium to large onion, sliced
1 to 2 packages of chicken thighs (or other parts of chicken)
1 bag of frozen green beans/peas/okra/etc (use whichever green vegetable you prefer)
3 cloves of garlic, cut
Parsley and basil
salt
pepper
Parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Clean your chicken, trim fat, etc. Blend one half of the whole peeled tomatoes in the blender to make a sauce. Pour both the blended tomatoes and the reserve whole peeled tomatoes in a baking dish. Cut the whole peeled tomatoes into chunks (any desired size will do). Add in your garlic and onions. Then stir in your green vegetables (pictured below is green beans), parsley, basil, and salt and pepper.
Add in your chicken thighs next and spoon some of the sauce over them. Bake in the oven for an hour to an hour and 15 mins. Chicken thighs/breasts should be 160 degrees internally when done. Sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano cheese and serve over rice or pasta. Enjoy!
Sidenote: I always trim the fat off of the chicken thighs even if you are not really suppose to.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz or larger can of whole peeled tomatoes, blend half of the can and reserve the other half
1 medium to large onion, sliced
1 to 2 packages of chicken thighs (or other parts of chicken)
1 bag of frozen green beans/peas/okra/etc (use whichever green vegetable you prefer)
3 cloves of garlic, cut
Parsley and basil
salt
pepper
Parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Clean your chicken, trim fat, etc. Blend one half of the whole peeled tomatoes in the blender to make a sauce. Pour both the blended tomatoes and the reserve whole peeled tomatoes in a baking dish. Cut the whole peeled tomatoes into chunks (any desired size will do). Add in your garlic and onions. Then stir in your green vegetables (pictured below is green beans), parsley, basil, and salt and pepper.
Add in your chicken thighs next and spoon some of the sauce over them. Bake in the oven for an hour to an hour and 15 mins. Chicken thighs/breasts should be 160 degrees internally when done. Sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano cheese and serve over rice or pasta. Enjoy!
 |
| Chicken prior to baking |
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Old Fashion Chili
Happy New Year! Sorry I have been MIA. We just had our first winter storm and its freezing, which puts me in the mood for some chili!
Ingredients:
1 can (28 oz) Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained (You can use 2 if you like)
1 or 2 cans Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 lbs Ground Beef
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cumin
Salt and Pepper
Brown ground beef in a large pot. After mostly brown and in chopped green pepper and onion. Make sure you have drained most of the beef juice before adding in the veggies. While that's cooking, rinse and drain your kidney beans. Also, add the can of whole peeled tomatoes into the blender and blend. Should be a little thick, but not watery.
Season your beef and veggie mixture with garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin to taste. My boyfriend is not a fan of cumin so I do not put too much in since it can be potent. Then add your drained beans and drained diced tomatoes and chilies. Stir together. Add in your blended tomatoes and stir. Season with more garlic and chili powder, and salt and pepper. Cover and let shimmer on low/medium heat for at least an hour. I usually keep mine cooking for 2 hours to ensure all flavors pop. But will be ready as soon as an hour. If you really like spice add in a little Cayenne pepper.
Serve with shredded Cheddar cheese and sour cream. Or with crackers! And Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 can (28 oz) Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained (You can use 2 if you like)
1 or 2 cans Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 lbs Ground Beef
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cumin
Salt and Pepper
Brown ground beef in a large pot. After mostly brown and in chopped green pepper and onion. Make sure you have drained most of the beef juice before adding in the veggies. While that's cooking, rinse and drain your kidney beans. Also, add the can of whole peeled tomatoes into the blender and blend. Should be a little thick, but not watery.
Season your beef and veggie mixture with garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin to taste. My boyfriend is not a fan of cumin so I do not put too much in since it can be potent. Then add your drained beans and drained diced tomatoes and chilies. Stir together. Add in your blended tomatoes and stir. Season with more garlic and chili powder, and salt and pepper. Cover and let shimmer on low/medium heat for at least an hour. I usually keep mine cooking for 2 hours to ensure all flavors pop. But will be ready as soon as an hour. If you really like spice add in a little Cayenne pepper.
Serve with shredded Cheddar cheese and sour cream. Or with crackers! And Enjoy!
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