Sun-dried tomato and spinach white pizza

1 thin pizza crust
1 1/2 cups cooked, chopped spinach
3/4 cup sour cream (creme fraiche in France)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup shredded mozzarella
sun-dried tomatoes

In a bowl, mix spinach, cream and garlic.

Make and bake pizza crust. After flipping, spread spinach mix on top evenly. Top with mozzarella and tomatoes.

Bake 10 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Slice and serve!

'Sun' dried tomatoes

I decided to try making my own sun-dried tomatoes after seeing how much a jar costs at the store - and the fact that the store variety are packed in oil. Why add fat to such a great flavor?

The instructions I used recommended plum tomatoes, but I just went for the least expensive pile and picked out the darkest red ones. My selection of 8 medium-sized tomatoes (about $2) dried down to about 1 cup in the end. A jar of that size is about $4.50 here, so not a bad deal. Plus - no oil!

On the downside, it is time-consuming. Preparing them takes a minute or two, but they need to dry for 6-8 hours.



Instructions:

Wash and dry your tomatoes.

Slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds.

Place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 200 degrees, flipping every hour or so, until the texture of soft raisins.

The slices on the outside may dry first. Just pull them out and let the others keep drying.

Store in airtight container in the fridge.

Citrus spice banana bread

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in banana, orange juice and zest.

In a second bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry to wet and stir until just mixed.

Pour into paper-lined muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Baked chicken fingers

A healthy alternative to fried chicken fingers

1 lb chicken bosoms, cut into strips

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 pinches paprika

1 Tbsp oil

Grease a baking sheet with oil.

In a bowl, mix flour, salt and paprika. Dip the strips into egg first, then into flour mixture. Lay the strips on the baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned.

Citron sorbet

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1-2 Tbsp lemon zest

Heat sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring until fully dissolved. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. Cool completely. Pour into Tupperware container and put in freezer. Once it begins to freeze, break up ice crystals with a fork and stir to smooth out texture. Repeat once an hour until frozen.

Tip: If you don't have a zester, use a sharp veggie peeler, and then dice w/ sharp knife instead.

Carrot pancakes

Healthy and slightly sweet, these orange pancakes are great for a weekend brunch.
Use your favorite pancake recipe, or the one below. Once the batter has been mixed, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked, pureed carrots and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook as usual and serve with maple syrup.

1 1/2 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter. Mix until smooth, then add carrots and cinnamon.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Mood-altering paprikash

I made this the other night after a long day. It looked burned, unappetizing and I was frustrated and hungry. I wanted to toss it in the trash and make PBJs instead, but the voice of reason (Jonathan) seemed to think it would be okay. Actually, it was awesome!! A definite comfort food with a kick. Perfect for a weeknight.

4 chicken legs
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1-2 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
salt

In a bowl mix the onions, garlic, butter, water and paprika. Place chicken legs in a baking dish and cover with onion mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees, stirring occasionally, until internal temperature of chicken reaches 175 degrees and juices run clear.

Remove the chicken legs and set aside. Pour the onion mixture into a frying pan, scrapping the dish to get all the yummy chicken bits. Add cream and milk. Heat slowly, not allowing it to boil.

Once the chicken has cooled a bit, pull meat from bone and add to sauce.

Serve over hot egg noodles.

Pizza margherita

Another specialty from my Italian pizzeria days in high school.

1 batch thin crust pizza dough
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
2-3 handfuls of shredded mozzarella
6-8 basil leaves, sliced

Spread the dough out on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake for 10-25 minutes in preheated oven at 425 degrees or until golden. Remove from oven and gently work a long spatula up under the dough, then flip it.

Top with sauce and cheese. Bake until cheese bubbles and browns.

Remove from oven and top with basil. Brush crust with olive oil.

Definitely the best pizza crust!

This originated in Cooking Light, but I've tweaked it repeatedly to come up with my ideal crust. This recipe makes one deep dish, two hand-tossed or three thin-crust pizzas. You can make the dough on the weekend, then freeze it after the first rise to use later in the week.

2 cups very warm water (about 120 degrees is best)
3 tsp honey
3 tsp yeast
1/2 cup wheat germ
5 cups flour (or less)
1 1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve honey in water, then add yeast. Stir once, then let sit until foam covers the water's surface.

Add wheat germ and stir. Add 2 cups flour and mix well. If you have a mixer with kneading hook, start using it now. If not, mix with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Keep adding flour until dough begins to pull from edges of bowl. Let dough rest 20 minutes.

Add salt, then flour 1/2 cup at a time until you can handle it easily with floured hands.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise about an hour, until doubled in size, or when it doesn't spring back when you poke it gently.

Divide the dough into halves for hand-tossed pizzas and thirds for thin-crust. (If freezing, see below *.) Begin pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees.

Spread the dough out on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake for 10-25 minutes at 425 degrees or until golden. Remove from oven and gently work a long spatula up under the dough, then flip it.

Top with sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake until cheese bubbles and browns.

Remove from oven and brush crust with olive oil. Voila!


* If you plan on freezing the dough, punch out all the air from the dough ball. Dust with flour, then wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and put it in the freezer.

To thaw, pull it out from the freezer and put in fridge the morning before you want to make pizza. When you get home from work, pull it out of the fridge and let rise at room temperature.

Coffee ice cream (no maker!)

2 cups milk
2 cups light cream (or not so light, if you're in the mood)
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 cups whole coffee beans
1 tsp freshly ground coffee

In a large saucepan, mix all ingredients but the ground coffee. Heat til steaming, but not boiling. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into a large, flat container with a lid and refrigerate overnight.



Using a slotted spoon, remove coffee beans. Stir in ground coffee. Place container in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, pull it out and mix with hand mixer to incorporate air and break up ice crystals. For best results, do this until it reaches desired consistency.

Let freeze one to four hours to 'ripen'. Scoop and serve with sauce caramel!

Coco-ban-berry smoothie

Dee-lish!

2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 handfuls of strawberries, washed, de-stemmed and cut in half
1 cup yogurt (pineapple is good)
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup milk

Spread fruit out on a cookie sheet and freeze. Also freeze yogurt and coconut milk.

Once frozen, put fruit, yogurt, coconut milk, and 1 cup milk (to taste) in a blender. Blend and serve!

Red pepper and goat cheese aperos

1 prepared pastry crust, unrolled on parchment paper (pate feuilletee in France)
3 rounds fresh goat cheese (chevre)
roasted red peppers
2-3 Tbsps basil pesto
1 clove garlic, crushed

Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry dough into squares about 1x1 inch. Slide parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let cool completely.

Mix together goat cheese, pesto and garlic. Spread over pastry squares and top with roasted red pepper.

Chill 30 minutes, then serve to hungry guests!

Coconut curry 'en papillote'

2 boneless, skinless chicken bosoms
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
2/4 cup coconut milk
2-3 Tbsps hot curry paste

Cut two pieces of foil, about a foot long. Place half of peppers, onions, and zucchini in the center of each. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a bowl mix together curry and coconut milk. Pour over chicken. Fold to seal foil tightly.

Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Let sit five minutes before opening. Serve over rice or couscous with lime juice and cilantro.

Hummus dip

1 large can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/6 cup water
2 Tbsp tahini (or peanut butter as a poor-man' substitute)
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of paprika
Juice of one lime

Dump. Blend. Puree. Dip.

Caramel pecan rolls

This recipe only has four ingredients!
1 recipe donut dough (follow instructions through first rise)
1 recipe sauce caramel
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans

Okay, maybe more than three actual ingredients. But considering I had a round of donut dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer and keep sauce caramel on hand in the fridge, it was very simple to make these up on Friday night and bake them for Saturday breakfast. (And we all know that calories don't count for weekend breakfasts!)

After the first rise (or once thawed from freezer) roll dough into a long rectangle about 1 cm thick.

Warm the sauce caramel slowly. Gently spread 2/3 of sauce over dough.

Place the raisins in a mug and cover with water. Microwave on high one minute, then drain. Sprinkle over caramel, followed by chopped nuts.

Roll the dough into a long cylinder (think paper towel tube, not t.p. roll). Using a sharp knife, cut the dough at one inch intervals. Place rolls side-by-side in a non-stick pan.

(Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, if desired.)

Let rolls rise an hour. Pour remaining caramel on top. bake at 350 degrees in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly and rolls a golden - don't overbake!

Dive in.





Part of this complete breakfast!

Hungarian paprika chicken

Truth be told, I actually used halal turkey bosoms rather than chicken. But I think it would be great with chicken and Jonathan wants me to try it on pork.

Marinade:

2 Tbsp paprika (I used half sweet, half hot)
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp white vinegar
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together marinade and pour over 1 lb thinly sliced chicken strips. Let marinate at least 20 minutes then place chicken on lightly oiled tray. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degree for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of strips. No pink is good, over-cooked is not!

Serving suggestions:- as a stir-fry base by adding veggies and sauteeing
- spicy BBQ sandwich alternative (make separate batch of marinade to pour over sandwiches)
- pizza topping
- over salad with honey mustard dressing

Mocha brownie cake

Mix well:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, beaten

Combine in a second bowl:
1 cup cocoa
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vanilla pudding mix
1 Tbsp finely ground coffee
1 tsp baking powder

Add to egg mixture, stirring until just blended. Pour into nonstick 8x8 pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Pot of pesto pasta

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 roasted red peppers
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 cloves crushed garlic
3-4 heaping Tablespoons of basil pesto
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups cooked pasta

Saute the chicken and garlic in olive oil. When chicken is white all the way through, add mushrooms, red peppers and pesto. Heat well.

In a large bowl, mix pasta with sauce. All done!

Mighty beta-carotene muffins

Once before I tried looking for carrot muffin recipes. But I was re-inspired by the pile of carrots in the fridge. So I got creative.

In a large bowl, mix well:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest

Stir in:
2 cups cooked carrots, mashed well

In a separate bowl, mix:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
dash ground cloves

Stir the dry ingredients into wet. Stir until just mixed. Pour into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Nutritional information

Ricotta cheesecake

A light cheesecake, perfect with fruit topping!

Ricotta cheesecake is like New York cheesecake's cousin: similar, but not the same. It's much lighter in texture, and fortunately also much healthier.

3 eggs
3 Tablespoons flour
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Beat eggs, then add other ingredients, mixing well. Pour into a greased and floured pie dish, or into a prepared Graham cracker crust*. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set. Pie will rise, then fall as it cools. Let cool completely, then chill before serving.

Frenchie expat tip: To make a Graham cracker crust, use petit beurre cookies, butter and cinnamon!

Porto mushroom sauce

Cook over high heat until reduced by half:
1/2 cup porto wine
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Reduce heat to medium, then add:
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup light cream (15 percent)
2 tsp Worchestershire
1 tsp tomato sauce
1/2 tsp Dijon
1/8 tsp rosemary

Simmer until thickened. Serve over steak and mashed potatoes - yum!

Onion & potato Tarte Tatin

Tarte tatin is a traditional French open-faced tarte that can be sweet or savory.

1 prepared pastry crust
1 medium potato, sliced very thinly
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
butter
pinch of sugar
pinch of rosemary
salt and pepper

Butter an 8-inch baking dish well. Layer the sliced onions in the dish. Cover with sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with seasonings. Cut crust to fit the dish, then lay over potatoes. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

Heat balsamic vinegar and sugar and reduce to a syrup.

Remove tarte from oven and immediately invert onto a warmed plate. Drizzle with balsamic syrup and serve hot.

Little Red Hen Brownies

Our favorite brownie recipe, which Jonathan (a.k.a. the Little Red Hen) has perfected.



1/2 cup butter
8 oz dark choclate, chopped
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp freshly ground coffee
1/2 tsp salt

Slowly melt butter and chocolate together over low heat, stirring constantly. Let cool to room temperature.

Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well. Gently fold in flour, salt and coffee. Pour into non-stick 8x8 pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Cool completely before eating - trust me. They get better as they cool. :)


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Oatmeal yeast rolls

As great as this recipe is...I can't take credit. It came from here.

Pulled barbecue pork

Can be served on buns or over egg noodles. This recipe can also be done on the stove on very low heat, rather than in a crock pot. The coffee works as a tenderizer, but can’t be tasted in the end.

2 lb pork roast
1 Tbsp beef bouillon
1/2 c brewed coffee

Place roast in crock pot and add liquids. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Pull out pork, reserving broth.

Pour broth into a saucepan, then add:

1 small can tomato paste
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 T sugar
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp liquid smoke
dash cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Simmer sauce 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the pork with a fork. Add pork to sauce and simmer until thickened.