Home-made Pizza dough

* Since today is a holiday we aren't doing meatless but we will tomorrow. Follow along and make the dough today( it takes about 30 mins) chill in the refrigerator over night and make greek pizza with me tomorrow and later in the week calzones.

Making pizza dough is economical, fun and healthful since you control the ingredients. This dough yields enough to make two pizzas or as I am doing one pizza and 4 large calzones.

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 ¼ cups cold water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
26.1 ounces ( about 5 ½ cups) unbleached bread flour, divided
Cooking spray

1 Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 mins. Combine 1 ¼ c. cold water, oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

2 Lightly spoon 24.9 oz. flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, yeast mixture, and cold water mixture in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low 8 mins or until dough begins to form. Let rest 2 mins. Mix on low 6 mins or until dough is smooth.

3 Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 mins); add remaining flour ( about ¼ cup) a tsp. at a time to prevent dough from sticking to hands ( it will still feel sticky).

4 Divide dough in half, and place each portion in a large zip top bag coated with cooking spray. Seal and chill over night or up to 2 days. Let stand at room temp. for 1 hour before using.
You can freeze dough in freezer safe zip top plastic bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Acapulco chicken

--This is a spicy chicken dish that can be served over rice or by itself--
*Serves 2-4*

INGREDIENTS:
3or4 - boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1tbsp - chili powder
Salt & Pepper
1tbsp - olive oil
1cup - green pepper; chopped
1/2cup - onion; chopped
2 - jalapenos; seeded and minced
1 large OR 2 regular - tomatoes; cut into chunks
10 drops - hot sauce

STEP 1:
Get your rice started according to package directions. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with 1/2tbsp of chili powder and cook Chicken until no longer pink, remove and keep warm. *While chicken is cooking go ahead and cut up your pepper, onion, tomatoes and jalapenos*

STEP 2:
In the same skillet cook green pepper and onion until soft.


STEP 3:
Add jalapeno and tomato, hot sauce and remaining 1/2tbsp of chili powder. Cook for about 2 minutes


STEP 4:
Cut chicken into 1" bite size chunks and add back to the skillet. Heat for about 5 minutes.


ENJOY!


:)) Courtney

A Saturday Sandwich:Smoked Turkey and Chipotle Cream Wraps

Quick and easy, perfect for a weekend lunch.

½ c. mayonnaise
1 scallion finely chopped
1/3 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Salt
Four 10” flour tortillas
1 pnd. Deli sliced smoked turkey
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
( I added cheese and bacon to ours)
*I didn’t have fresh mint leaves and used romaine instead of spinach leaves. Any variation will work, it’s all about the sauce!

1 In small bowl combine the mayo, scallion, mint, chipotle, and lime juice; season with salt.

2 Heat a skillet cook tortillas one at a time 15 seconds each side. Transfer to plate cover with damp paper towel.
3 Spread each tortilla with 2 tablespoons of chile cream and top with one quarter of turkey, spinach and red pepper, then roll up. Eat as is or refrigerate up to 4 hours.

Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Mexica-Style Chicken

Simple Mexican flavored casserole that your family will love.

Serves 8
2 10-ounce cans reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
¾ c. chopped green pepper
½ c. chopped onion
1 ½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. black pepper
12 6” corn tortillas, cut into thin, bite size strips
3 cups cubed cooked chicken (about a pound)
1 8 ounce pkg. (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
Tomato slices (optional)
Slice green onions (optional)

1 Combine soup, tomatoes with chiles, sweet pepper, onion, chili powder, and black pepper; set aside

2 To assemble, sprinkle about one third of tortilla strips over the bottom of an un greased baking dish. Layer half of the chicken over tortilla strips; spoon half of soup mixture on top. Sprinkle half of the cheese and another third of the strips over the soup mixture. Layer with remaining soup, chicken, cheese, and tortilla strips.




3 Bake uncovered @ 350 for 45 mins or until bubbly. Remove from oven; let stand 10mins before serving. If desired, top with sliced tomatoes and green onions.


Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Turkey Muffletta

This sandwich is great for parties it can serve 4-10 depending on how big you cut the pieces. It is one of my personal favorites and probably one of the recipes that I get asked for the most!

INGREDIENTS:
1 - loaf of Italian bread (focaccia would work as well)
1/3cup - olive oil
3tbsp - balsamic vinegar
1tsp - dried basil
1 - garlic clove; minced
1/4tsp - red pepper flakes
1pkg - turkey breasts
6oz - provolone cheese slices (this is about 8-10 slices)
1/2cup - diced green olives
1 - large tomato; sliced

STEP 1:
Cut bread in half long ways and hollow out about a 1" shell from both halves. If your bread isn't all that thick just hollow out a decent sized shell, it doesn't have to be perfect.


STEP 2:
In a small bowl mix, oil, vinegar, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Brush evenly on both halves of the bread




STEP 3:
Layer turkey, cheese, tomato and olives and REPEAT! Until you are all out of ingredients. Wrap the entire sandwich in plastic wrap and refridgerate for about 30 minutes.


SLICE AND SERVE!



ENJOY!
Courtney

Pork Carnitas & Pinto beans

This recipe is great for crowds or you can ask your butcher to cut it in half and only get 1.5 pounds for a large family. I put some green Tabasco and lime juice on ours and they were delish!
Serves 10 with left over’s
1 3lb. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2’’ chunks, trimmed of excess fat
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 lg. onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic

1 Sprinkle pork with salt, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Place in a slow cooker along with onion and garlic.

2 Cover and cook on low until meat is tender and falling apart about 6 hours.

3 Shred pork and serve hot.

* I made REAL Mexican “pinto” beans with this to make those get one pound of beans, check for rocks, soak over night. Replace water and boil on low for 2-3 hours.


Happy cooking, Chaeli

Cinnamon Griddle Cakes

A simple substitute to cinnamon rolls!--If you have ever made cinnamon rolls from scratch you know how long the process is. This recipe takes 20 minutes and they taste just like cinnamon rolls! Icing included :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups - All purpose flour
3 tbsp - sugar
4 tsp - baking powder
1 tbsp - ground cinnamon
2 - eggs; beaten
1 cup - milk
2 tbsp - corn syrup
1/4 cup - butter; melted
1 tbsp - vanilla extract
ICING:
2 cup - confectioners sugar
2 tsp - vanilla extract
1-3 tbsp - milk

STEP 1:
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside


STEP 2:
In a seperate bowl whisk eggs, milk, corn syrup, butter and 1Tbsp of vanilla extract. Be sure to stir consistantly when adding the butter, otherwise it will cook your eggs :( ADD TO DRY MIXTURE


STEP 3:
Heat a skillet or griddle on low-medium heat. pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake and brown each side *WHILE THEY ARE COOKING DO STEP 4*


STEP 4:
Mix confectioners sugar, 2tsp vanilla extract and enough milk to make the icing thin enough to drizzle. I had to use about 3 1/2Tbsp. Just add it one TBSP at a time until you think its just right! Drizzle over warm cakes and serve hot!



ENJOY!
:)) Courtney

Short- Cut Sweet and Sour Chicken

Easy 20-25 min. meal, my kind of cookin'!
Serves 4
1 c. long grain white rice
18 oz. frozen chicken nuggets
½ c. apricot preserves
2 tbs. low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs. cider vinegar
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tbs. canola oil
4 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
½ pd. Snow peas
1 chili pepper (such as Serrano or jalapeño), seeded and sliced
½ cup roasted cashews or peanuts
2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 Cook the rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook the chicken according to package directions.

2 In a small bowl, make the sauce; Whisk together the preserves, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger; set aside.


3 Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the celery and cook, tossing for 2 mins. Add the snow peas and chili pepper and cook tossing until vegetables are tender, 1-2 mins.

4 Add the chicken, sauce, and cashews and toss to coat. Serve over rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

Happy cooking,
Chaeli

Rocky Road Brownies

--ANOTHER diet buster! You can thank me later :))-- My boyfriend (unlike me) doesn't have a sweet tooth and very rarely will eat any, but he was all over these and volunteered to "taste test" them for me :)--


INGREDIENTS:
1 box - Betty Crocker Triple chocolate brownie mix
1 7oz jar - marshmallow creme
1/2 cup - peanut butter
1 tbsp - milk (I ended up needing 2)
30 mini - chocolate covered peanut butter cups (reeses) OR 14-16 regular sized ones if you can't find minis like me
1/2 cup - salted peanuts; roughly chopped
1-2oz - semi sweet bakers chocolate OR 1/2 cup - semi sweet chocolate chips


STEP 1:
Prepare and bake brownies according to package and let cool COMPLETELY

STEP 2:
Using your mixer- beat peanut butter, marshmallow and 1tbsp of milk and mix until creamy. I had to use another 1tbsp of milk because it was still to sticky and wouldn't have spread well at all. 2tbsp did the trick!

STEP 3:
Spread the marshmallow mixture over COMPLETELY cooled brownies


STEP 4:

(I couldn't find the mini ones so I opted for these, there are a total of 16)
Unwrap and chop chocolate candies into somewhat large chunks and sprinkle ontop of marshmallow layer. Do the same with the peanuts



STEP 5:
Melt about 2oz of the bakers chocolate OR chocolate chips according to package directions and drizzle over top. I use a fork for the drizzling


ENJOY!


:)) Courtney

Meatless Monday: Baked pasta with summer veggies

Baked pasta with summer veggies

Mmm pasta! You can feel good about eating this pasta, it’s loaded with fresh veggies…Meatless Monday!!
Serves 8

Cooking spray
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper , sliced
1 zucchini, sliced ( you can substitute with carrots or eggplant)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. ziti or penne pasta ( I used rigatoni)
1 c. part skim ricotta
¾ c. parmesan cheese, plus ½ c. for topping
Pinch of nutmeg
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp. oregano
½ pd. Mozzarella, cubed
½ c. bread crumbs

1 Pre heat oven to 425. Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place a large pot of salted water over med-high heat.

2 Toss onion, garlic, red pepper , and zucchini in a large bowl with olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place veggies on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.

3 While vegetables are roasting, add pasta to the water and boil about 2 minutes short of package directions. Drain.

4 In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, ¼ c. parmesan, and the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss pasta mixture with the ricotta mixture, vegetables, tomatoes, oregano, and mozzarella. Pour into baking dish.

5 Sprinkle top with the remaining parmesan and bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and bubbling; about 20 minutes. Serve.


Happy cooking,
Chaeli