Friday, May 21, 2010

Moe Hall Recipe #2-Pizza

Making pizza on Friday night reminds me of good family memories. Every Friday night I would make homemade pizza for dinner with my mom. It was my job to make the dough so that it would have enough time to rise before my parents got home from work. It is a tradition I would like to continue with my own family one day. Tonight being Friday night, I decided to make pizza for dinner. I used the other half of the dough that I made yesterday for the taco salad.

Growing up I would just make pepperoni pizza because it is my favorite. Today's versions are a little different since Jason and I are going on vacation tomorrow and I wanted to use some of the items in the fridge as toppings so that they would not go to waste. I created two different pizzas, Hawaiian and Tex-Mex.

Hawaiian
1. Tomato pizza sauce
2. Canadian Bacon
3. Diced Pineapple
4. Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Tex-Mex (with toppings leftover from last night's meal)
1. Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles (drain the can)
2. Black beans
3. Ground turkey
4. Diced green peppers
5. Shredded Mozzarella cheese

I turned the oven on to 350 degrees (f). I then took the dough from the fridge and split it in half. Last night I realized that I left my rolling pin in Williamsburg in my storage unit and needed to find something to roll out the dough. Luckily I had a lovely plastic cup that seemed to do the job (though not as nicely as I'd like). I sprayed a little Pam on the baking sheets and put each rolled out piece of dough on it's own tray. I spread the tomato pizza sauce on one of the pizzas and used the rotel tomatoes and chiles on the other one. I put the toppings on each of the pizzas and topped them off with the mozzarella cheese. The Hawaiian pizza took 15 minutes to cook and the Tex-Mex pizza took about 20 minutes. You will know they are done because the bottom of the pizza is a golden color.



Quick, easy, and delicious!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Moe Hall Recipe #1-Taco Salad

Since I am here in Shreveport with Jason I've decided to go on the road with him when his job requires it. We were in Alexandria, Louisiana Monday through Wednesday this week and it was ohhhhh so exciting. Anyways, it prohibited me from cooking and instead we ate at Cracker Barrel, no judgment, though they have the best breakfast so I can't hate on them that much. To make up for the missed time, I decided to make some Hall family recipes that I grew up eating but rarely make. Today I made taco salad with a homemade dough that I used to make with my mom, Moe :) We used this recipe to make homemade pizza every Friday night and taco salads every few weeks. Tomorrow I'll be making pizza since it is FRIDAY! Perhaps a future Brett family tradition?

Homemade Dough (for 4 people)
1 cup of warm water
1 packet of yeast
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil6. 2 cups of flour (sometimes 2 1/2 cups)

Dissolve the yeast in the cup of water, then mix in the sugar and the salt. Add the vegetable oil after the yeast, sugar, and salt are dissolved. Mix in the flour 1/2 cup at a time so that you do not add too much flour. If the dough is sticky add a little more flour. Let the dough rest and have a chance to rise by putting a towel over the bowl and place that in a warm corner. I always add hot water to a different bowl and place the other bowl with the dough in it, on top of the bowl of water. I let it sit for about 30 minutes, allowing enough time for the dough to double in size. Since it is just Jason and me eating, I took half of the dough, put it in a bag for tomorrow's recipe, and placed it in the fridge.


Split the remaining dough in half and roll out each half into a circle. Warm up a skillet to medium high and spray it with Pam or put a little vegetable oil in the pan. Once the pan has heated up, put the rolled out dough into the pan. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Repeat for the other half of the dough. The bread is now ready to be topped with your favorite beans, meat, and veggies!


I warmed up and chopped up a few of my favorite toppings for taco salad. I cooked ground turkey and put taco seasoning in it. I warmed up some black beans in the microwave. I also chopped up romaine lettuce, plum tomatoes, and an avocado. I topped off my salad with some shredded cheese, low fat sour cream, and salsa!

Tasty!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Quick, summer meal

My intention in starting this blog was to record my cooking adventures for the summer. But for now, ill just start with the quick, sort of unexciting meal I created tonight. I didn't use a recipe for any of the items, but, we enjoyed the simplicity of everything.

Tonight I made a summer salad with bbq chicken tenders, asparagus, and roasted garlic potatoes.

Summer Salad:
1. Mixed baby greens
2. Radishes
3. Strawberries
4. Alfalfa sprouts
5. Parmesan cheese
6. Raspberry walnut vinaigrette

Thinly slice the radishes and strawberries and add them to the mixed greens and alfalfa sprouts. I use a vegetable peeler to get nice curls of Parmesan cheese and add those to the salad. Add in the vinaigrette and toss together.

I've been making this salad for the past few weeks and I am really enjoy it. Using radishes instead of cucumbers is a nice change of pace. They provide the same crunch I desire from cucumbers but with a different taste. Also, I add enough alfalfa sprouts so that I can see them in the salad, but not enough so that they take over the taste. Both radishes and sprouts are affordable which my grad. school budget appreciates!


Roasted Garlic Potatoes:
1. Red Potatoes
2. Olive Oil
3. Salt (to taste)
4. Pepper (to taste)
5. Crushed fresh garlic (I use about three cloves for 4 cups of potatoes)

Dice up the potatoes; mix together with oil, garlic, salt, pepper; spread on a pan and roast on 400 degrees for about 30-35 mins.


We enjoyed our meal with a bottle of wine that I bought in Charlottesville last month on a vineyard tour. Though I must add, it was one of my least favorite tasting experiences in the Commonwealth.

Rivanna Sunset (Rose)
http://www.burnleywines.com/

Ah, I made it here safely!

I decided a few months ago to forgo getting an internship for the summer and to spend my days with my fiance in Louisiana. I thought it would be a perfect time to plan a wedding, start my master's project, hit up the gym, perfect my tan, and add new recipes to my recipe box. On Thursday I packed up my apartment in Williamsburg and started my two day trek to Shreveport, Louisiana. I took some pictures along the way (of course in a moving car, while driving) and I thought that I would start my blog off with some fun things I saw along the way! Enjoy :)

(The North Carolina State border welcome sign)


(I just passed a sign to Raleigh, Route 1, my old drive to NCSU! GO PACK!)


(Holden Rd, you know, like the Sandell's newest addition, HOLDEN READ!!!)


(The Carolina Panthers Stadium in Charlotte, NC)


(My pal Alden in front of her house in Charlotte... and by her house I mean the one her parents are selling and she is living in until they do!)


(My GARMIN informing me that I was 149 miles away from Atlanta and that i'd arrive at 12:44am, eck)


(Six Flags in Georgia... sad I couldn't stop)


(Alabama, what i saw while in your state was not so beautiful)



(I stopped once for gas, that's all i saw)


(The Mississippi River really excited me, I cant really explain why)


(Louisiana, finally!!!)