My third most commonly prepared meal last year was a tie: tacos and pizza. Anyone who has been around us much knows that
we love Mexican food and eat it at least once a week. Tacos are a family favorite. It has always been a family project to prepare. Sheila usually cooks up the ground meat (which at our house means venison) and seasons it with salt, chili powder, garlic and cumin,;while I fry up the taco shells (we do NOT like the boxed kind of shells!). Chop some tomatoes and onions, open a can of black olives, and make up some
guacamole salad, queso or fresh salsa to serve with tortilla chips and you have a
happy group of diners!
Pizza is about my favorite food of
all time. I could eat it even when
pregnant and nothing else sounded good.
I always like to make more than needed, because I love eating it leftover, for
lunch or breakfast. I have used the same
basic recipe for 35 years…experimenting with the cooking process occasionally. I have used a pizza stone many times in the past, but I've found that a pizza pan with holes in it works best for me (and is easier!). Here is my crust recipe:
Pizza Crust
1 pkg. dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup bread flour (you can substitute some white whole wheat flour for some of the flour, depending on your preferences)
In large mixing bowl, mix yeast and warm water. Let set until bubbly. Add olive oil, salt and a cup of the flour and mix well. Continue mixing while adding flour until you have a dough that holds together and isn't too sticky. Knead by machine for 3 minutes (or by hand for 7 minutes). Place in lightly greased bowl, turn dough over to grease the top, and cover. Let rise in warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Divide dough in half. Roll out half of dough on lightly floured surface into a large circle. Continue rolling or toss until circle fits pizza pan (I use a 14" or 16" pan). Spray pan with cooking spray. Fit crust in pan, coat with pizza sauce, top with grated Italian style (or mozzarella) cheese, and then add your choice of toppings. Repeat with 2nd half of dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly.
This recipe can easily be divided in half, or you can bake the extra crust for about 5-10 minutes (until it can be handled without pan) and then freeze.
Pizza Sauce
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
8 oz. can tomato sauce (I like to use the garlic flavored - I LOVE garlic)
1 tsp. dried basil
I place the garlic and onion in the (microwaveable) cup in which I measured the olive oil (there will still be a little oil coating the bottom of the cup). Microwave on high for about 45 seconds, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add tomato sauce and basil and stir. Microwave on high for 1 minute. I like to make this up after mixing my dough, so the flavors can mingle while the dough rises.
Enjoy!
Pr 31:14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. (I like to think preparing different ethnic dishes falls into this instruction!)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I love chicken!
 |
| The girls wanted to add a doll head to it! |
The second most prepared meal on my list was
Sittin’ Up Chicken. This is a favorite
for Sunday dinner! I discovered the “chimney cooker” several
years ago and fell in love with this method of preparing chicken. (I am currently on my second cooker. They are difficult to find, but worth the
effort!)
I season the chicken in the
morning before getting dressed for church, place it in the oven on low (along
with baking potatoes), and come home later to a tender, moist, tasty meal. As an added bonus, the leftover meat is perfect
for using later in the week as the basis of another dish. I love being able to get two delicious meals
from a $5 chicken!
Sittin’ Up Chicken
1 whole chicken (I like to use the largest
fryer I can find.)
Seasonings- about 2-3 Tablespoons total: I use a mixture of Creole seasoning (yes, I
DO use this a lot…very tasty!), garlic powder, salt, pepper, herbs de Provence,
and rosemary. (You can experiment with
different herbs and spices to please your own palate.)
Liquid:
This can be broth, any juice, wine, Dr. Pepper…be adventurous!
Equipment needed: a chimney roaster (Here are a few links showing different
types: )
Cooking time varies according to the size
of your bird and the temperature of the oven.
Since we are gone for about 3 hours on Sunday mornings, I like to cook
mine at 290 degrees for about 4 hours.
The skin is nicely browned and crisp, and the meat is moist and
tender…it literally falls apart. This
cooking temperature and time will also give you wonderfully tender baked
potatoes. Heat up some green veggies
and/or throw together a salad, heat up some dinner rolls, and you have a feast!
I usually have a good 2 cups or so of
leftover meat, which is perfect for most any chicken dish: enchiladas, soup, fantasy crepes (recipe will
be added at later date), chicken & dressing, etc.
Ge 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Monday, January 28, 2013
And the winner is....FISH!
The menu item that I prepared the most
times last year was Pan Seared Tilapia (14
times). Fish is
a good low-fat and nutritious option.
I buy a large bag of frozen fillets which will last my family 2-3 months and costs less than $10. I discovered tilapia several years ago...such an economical and mild tasting fish...we love it! This recipe is great for those busy nights when I don’t have a lot
of time to spend cooking. It only takes
about 15 minutes from start to table. I
like to pair it with some kind of starchy food:
couscous, macaroni and cheese, or legumes. The meal is rounded out by adding a veggie or salad...light, tasty and quick/easy!
Pan Seared Tilapia
tilapia fillets, thawed
Creole or Greek seasoning
cornmeal
olive oil
chopped pecans or sliced almonds, optional
Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a (preferably non-stick) skillet. Sprinkle tilapia with your choice of Creole or Greek seasoning. (No additional salt is necessary...it is in the seasoning.) Then sprinkle lightly with cornmeal and place in hot oil. Cook until lightly browned, then turn and cook until done (fish will flake). Remove from pan, add nuts to pan (if desired), and sautee about a minute. Top fish with nuts and serve.
Lu 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Meal Planning
Well, it has been a LONG
time since I last posted on here. I have decided to take a little side trip for
the next few weeks exploring a common household chore.
What is the one job that all
homemakers have to deal with the most? I
believe it is meal preparation. Feeding
a family 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and trying to keep it interesting and
delicious, requires a lot of effort and organization. I decided to spend a few weeks dealing with
this subject, since it is so elemental and vital to caring for a
family.
I have been tracking my menus for the past few
years, trying not to repeat the same meal plans all the time. This week I decided to collect my data for
last year and try to use it to improve my success in this area. I figured out how many times I fixed each
entrée, what that averaged out over the course of the year, and then rated the
meals according to our favorites (1-5 stars).
This allowed me to see what I was preparing the most compared to what we
liked the best to see what meals I should make more or less often. I plan to share my findings, along with some
recipes, over the next several posts.
I invite those of you who are interested to join me. We will discuss meal plans, recipes and handy tips. I encourage you to make comments, suggestions or ask questions. Hopefully we can all make our meals more varied and yummy along the way!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)