Quinoa, Zucchini and Basil Stuffed Tomatoes

I bought a basket of tomatoes the other day, but when I got home I found that the majority of them were extremely ripe. As in, I'd never be able to use them up in my salads in time. So I needed a recipe to use several of them up at once. I debated on a pazanella, but I didn't have the bread on hand and really wanted to come up with something healthier. Then I thought about baked stuffed tomatoes...perfect! We've really been enjoying lighter meals lately, and especially those that have the flavors we associate with warmer weather.

This was so flavorful with the fresh basil and zucchini, and the quinoa kept it from being too heavy, as some of the grains I considered would've been. But even though it was light in taste, it was a fulfilling enough to be a meal for me when served with a big salad. Sage and Beckett had theirs as a side along with some grilled chicken breasts. Everyone was happy. But I was the happiest of all, because I claimed the fourth one to take for lunch the next day.

Quinoa, Zucchini and Basil Stuffed Tomatoes

4 medium sized tomatoes

1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed

2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 tsp olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 medium zucchini, in small dice (about 1 cup)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced fresh basil (I think using fresh is the key in this recipe)

2 tbsp shredded part-skim mozzarella

2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan, divided

1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the top of each tomato and scoop out the insides, leaving about a 1/4 inch thick wall. Discard the seeds and core, and coarsely chop the flesh and set aside. Place the hollowed out tomatoes upside down on a paper towel lined plate.

Place rinsed quinoa and stock in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Uncover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until becoming soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in reserved tomato flesh and basil. After a minute or two, remove from heat.

Fluff quinoa and add to pan, along with mozzarella, 1 tbsp of the parmesan and the parsley. Mix well and taste. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Spoon mixture into each tomato, using the back of the spoon to pack it down. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over top of the stuffed tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes.

Grilled Pizza with Carmelized Spring Onion, Tomato and Feta

Earlier in the week, I was all set to make pizza for dinner, only to discover just before starting that I was out of the instant yeast I use in my favorite dough recipe. I didn't have the time to use regular yeast, so we wound up having something else. But pizza must have been on my mind, because when I came across large spring onions this weekend, I just kept seeing them caramelized on top of a pizza.

For the past two months, we've made all of our pizzas on the grill. Sage declared tonight we are never going back to making them in the oven. Barring a hurricane, I agree completely-the crust just comes out so perfect. It's a very good thing we live in Florida and can grill year round.

This was a tasty combination of toppings. Ideally, I would've prefered goat cheese, but since Sage favors feta, that's what I most often have on hand. He agreed goat cheese would've given it a little extra tang, but it was still delicous with reduced fat feta. Regardless of which you chose, or even if you go the route of traditional pizza toppings, I highly suggest cooking your next pizza on the grill. Like us, you won't want to ever go back to making them in the oven.

Grilled Pizza with Caramelized Spring Onion, Tomato and Feta
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 large spring onion, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 ball of pizza dough (recipe follows)
1/2 cup marinara sauce (I used a zesty homemade one, but store-bought would be fine)
1 medium vine-ripe tomato, sliced thin
1 1/2 oz feta or goat cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup part skim shredded mozzarella

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add seperated onion slices to pan, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently until onions began to caramelize and turn golden brown, reducing heat if neccessary. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Brush top of dough with olive oil. Lay parchment or wax paper on top and flip over. Brush other side with oil.

Place dough on grate of a pre-heated grill, paper side up. Peel paper off and grill over medium direct heat for about 5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board or platter, with the grill marks facing up.

Spread sauce over crust. Layer with tomato slices, feta, mozzarella and caramelized onions. Return to grill. Reduce heat and grill for an additional 10 minutes, or until crust is crisp and cheeses are melted.

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough, adapted from about.com

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 packet Rapid-Rise yeast

1 1 1/2 cups warm water (120 degrees)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and yeast, using the paddle attachment.

Meanwhile, add olive oil, honey and salt to measuring cup of warm water. (Tip: if you measure the honey after measuring out the oil, the honey will glide right out of the measuring spoon.) Stir to disolve salt.

With the motor running at lowest speed, slowly pour water into flour. Mix until dough comes together. Change to dough hook attachment, and kneed dough at medium speed for about 2 minues or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Pour ball off of hook, spray bottom of bowl with cooking spray and return place ball of dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Allow to rise for 20-30 minutes. (Can left up to an hour.)

Divide unto 2 balls. Freeze or refrigerate one ball for for another use. If not using the grill, roll out dough and place on pizza pan. Bake at at 400 degrees, untopped for 8 minutes. Top and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crust is crisp and cheese is melted.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I know that BBQ Chicken Pizza is nothing new, but we've never had it before. Until not too long ago, I just didn't think chicken belonged on a pizza. (This pizza was one that helped change my mind.) Then there's the fact that in our house we're not really big on BBQ sauce. But I've had an unopened bottle hanging around for quite a while- since serving BBQ pork sandwiches at a casual party many months ago- and I thought it was time to use it, plus I had some homemade pizza dough in the freezer and wanted to try something different.

My version of this pizza is a little different than most I've seen out there. Typically, they have a layer of BBQ sauce instead of red sauce. Sage wasn't keen on this idea, so I went for a thin layer of store bought red sauce (He recently came home with 3 jars - they were on sale- so we already had it laying around) and then used shredded chicken coated in the BBQ sauce. Chopped red onion is often used to top this kind of pizza, but Sage isn't a fan of it when cooked. However, I didn't want to skip onions altogether because I love them, so I used yellow instead. Lightly sauteed, along with bell pepper, they were a wonderful addition to this pizza. For non BBQ sauce fans, we absolutely loved this pizza!

1 breast of chicken
about 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays, original flavor)
1/2 tbsp lite butter
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1 ball of pizza dough
2 tbsp marinara or jarred pasta sauce
1/3 cup shredded mozarella
1/2 cup shredded fontina (or gouda)

In a small to medium saucepan, cover chicken breast completely with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Poach chicken until just no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes. Remove to cutting board to cool, and drain and rinse saucepan. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred using 2 forks and return to pan. Add just enough BBQ sauce to coat (without being too wet) and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes or until ready to use.

Meanwhile, add butter to skillet over medium heat. When melted, add onion and peppers, and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft but not browning. Set aside.

Roll out pizza crust and transfer to baking sheet. Bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and spread red sauce evenly over top. Sprinkle with mozarella.

Next, top with desired amount of shredded chicken. (I piled it on, but since I had used a very large breast, I did not use it all.) Reserve any extra chicken for another use. To pizza, add green peppers and onions, and finish with a layer of shredded fontina. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Saturday afternoon I was in a bit of a funk for no particular reason. Which was odd, because the weather was fabulous and actually fall-like, we were getting together in the evening with some of our best friends and I went grocery shopping, which to me is never a chore, but a fun activity. I knew the best way to improve my mood was to spend some time in my kitchen, and of course I was right. Almost instantly I was feeling better.

I was craving some kind of comfort food and eggplant parmesan sounded perfect. Despite it being a favorite dish of mine, I'd never actually tried making it at home before, but I was pretty sure I could do it without following a recipe. I was very happy with how it came out.

I rarely use store bought sauce ever since a friend showed me a few years back how easy it is to make your own. I always make it a little different, depending on what I have on hand. This was the first time I actually wrote down what I used or measured out ingredients, and I'm glad I did because this one was definitely worth sharing. You could use another marinara recipe or even jarred sauce, but I believe the sauce was certainly a big part of why my first attempt at eggplant parm was such a success.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan (3 servings)
1 small to medium eggplant (1 lb.) unpeeled and cut into 1/2 in. rounds
kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian style dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp shredded parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
cooking spray
2 1/2 cups of chunky marinara (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt and press eggplant by placing a layer of eggplant in collander. Top with salt. Repeat with all of the eggplant. Cover and weigh down, for an hour. One at a time, rinse salt off of slices and blot dry with paper towels. (This entire process can be omitted to save time, if desired.)

Prepare two shallow bowls for dredging, one with eggs, the other with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Dip an eggplant slice into the egg and allow excess to drip off. Dredge into breadcrumb and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese mixture. Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with all eggplant pieces. Bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake for 15 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 400. Spread about 1/2 cup of marinara in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish. Place a layer of eggplant over sauce. Top with another cup of sauce and sprinkle with half of the cheeses. Repeat with remaning eggplant, sauce and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Chunky Marinara (makes 4 1/2 cups)
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregeno
1 tsp parsley
1 (15 oz.) can diced or whole tomatoes, pureed (or 1 can of of crushed tomatoes)
1 (15 oz.) can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup dry red wine (I used a Cabernet)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add basil, oregano and parsley. Cook for another few minutes.

Add all of the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour. If not using the sauce is not being used right then, refrigerate or freeze.

Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Carmelized Onions & Goat Cheese

Contrary to what this lousy photo would lead you to believe, this was an absolutely fantastic pizza. I actually shot this picture of the one remaining slice the next day, since the sun had set by the time we ate and the pictures came out dark. This one isn't much better, but I loved this pizza and wanted to share it anyways.

I probably should be calling this Carmelized Onion-Goat Cheese Pizza with Sausage and Mushrooms, because the onions and cheese are definitely the primary flavors, which is fine with me! Sage (who's favorite pizza toppings are mushrooms and sausage) wasn't quite as thrilled- because as he puts it: he likes goat cheese, he does not love goat cheese. So of course, he liked this, but did not love it. Beckett however really enjoyed it. I have to admit, it makes me happy to see my child eating a pizza with carmelized onions and goat cheese on a homemade whole wheat crust. When I was a kid, we either had delivery from somewhere like Dominoes or Dinos, or probably more often, those frozen Totino's Party Pizzas, which I remember was like eating like a cardboard frisbee. Hopefully, my kid will never had to eat one of those, or if he does at a friend's house, he will think they are dreadful compared to Mom's homemade ones.

2 tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1 pizza dough ball (I used half of this recipe and froze the other half)
1/2 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese (I used an Italian blend)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 link turkey sweet Italian sausage
2 oz. goat cheese

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for 25-30 minutes or until beginning to carmelize. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface, and transfer to pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven, top with thin layer of tomato paste, shredded cheese and mushrooms.

Open casing of sausage at one end, and carefully pinch the ground meat in very small pieces evenly over other toppings. (If you prefer to have the sausage in slices, it will need to be fully cook it first.) Top with onions and crumbled goat cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.

Chicken Parmesan

Whenever I go out to restaraunts, I try to avoid eating chicken, because I can have that any time at home. Because of that, I doubt I've ever ordered Chicken Parmesan anywhere. Sure, I've had before, but it's never stuck out in my head as anything that incredible, yet other people seem to love it.

I was browsing through some blogs the other day, and came across Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan on Good Things Catered. And for some reason it just appealed to me. It reminded me of another version I'd seen recently on the blog A Year in the Kitchen. So I compared the two and decided on the A Year in the Kitchen version, as I prefered her cooking method, but to I wanted to include some ingredients from the other recipe. We decided to have our close friends, Sumer and Michael, over for dinner, and I knew this would be a great choice. Sage made this one, and it was quick and easy. It's a great dish for company too, because while its in the oven, you can quickly clean up the kitchen, throw together a salad and cook your pasta, or you can even opt to make it ahead of time and keep warm in the oven.

This was absolutely delicious, which isn't something you'll hear me say very often about a piece of chicken. I even got excited about getting to eat the leftovers (Just as tasty, BTW.) You could serve this over any kind of pasta, but I had some whole wheat egg noodles I wanted to give a try. Usually we buy the Yoke-free ones, but the whole wheat were great- they taste the closest to regular white noodles of any whole wheat ones I've ever had. Our chicken breasts were very large, so we only used 3, and halved them, and it was more than enough for 4 people, but this makes enough to dredge several more breasts to serve more people.

adapted from A Year in the Kitchen (with influence by Good Things Catered)

3-5 chicken breasts

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 cup olive oil (or more if needed)

2 1/2 cups zesty marinara

1 3/4 cups mozzarella (or 1 1/2 cups mozzarella & 1/4 cup parmesan)

cooked pasta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut each breasts into half.

Set out 3 shallow bowls, one with flour, one with egg and milk, and one with mixed breadcrumbs and seasonings. Dip chicken in flour, tap off excess, wash in egg, then press into breadcrumbs.

Heat larget skillet and add oil. Working in batches, place chicken into hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Take chicken out, and drain on paper towels. Add extra oil if necessary. Proceed with remaining chicken.

Add half the marinara to a baking dish. Place chicken on top of sauce in a single layer. Cover with remaining marinara and cheese, bake for 20 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Serve over pasta. (If you're not eating chicken right away, lower oven to 250 degrees, cover with foil, and serve when ready.)

Artichoke Caprese Pasta Salad

I find it amusing that the dinner we had on the first night of Fall would be something appropriate for a summer cookout- burgers and a cold pasta salad. But then again, it is still 90 degrees here. Actually, this isn't wasn't what I was going to make, but I had a ball of fresh mozzarella in the cheese drawer, just waiting to be used.

For as long we've been together, Sage's favorite salad to order at restaurants is Insalata Caprese. Being the pasta salad lover I am, I decided to put a spin on it and add orzo, which we both really like. I also included artichokes, just because I think (almost) every pasta salad is better with them. This was a lovely, refreshing side dish. I kind of felt it was missing something- Sage disagreed- but I believe it just hadn't chilled long enough for the flavors to intensify to their full potential. But as with most pasta salads, after a night in the fridge, it was wonderful.

We enjoyed this with turkey burgers, and I have to share a delicious addition I discovered. I roasted a head of garlic and added it to the ground turkey with fresh chopped parsley, breadcrumbs and an egg. The burgers were so flavorful, we even skipped topping them with cheese. We tried the Arnold Sandwich Thins for the first time and I highly recommend them. They're a great substitute for a big bun.

2/3 cup uncooked orzo
6-8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed (I used 6 but should've used the whole 8 oz.)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
10 basil leaves, chopped or torn
1 (14 oz.) can of artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped*
2 tbsp olive oil
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to box. Drain and rinse with cold water. Once cool, transfer to serving dish. Add remaining ingredients, toss, and chill for at least a few hours or overnight.

*As I often do for pasta salads, I removed the tougher rubbery part of the artichokes, which reduces the amount by half. If you are using the whole thing, you might only want to use about half of the can.

Week 1: NE Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills- Buffalo Chicken Pizza

For this first week of football, the Patriots were playing one of the Monday Night games. To say Sage is obsessed with football and the New England Patriots, is an understatement. I wanted to do something special for dinner, and I thought about a New England themed dinner. But all that came to mind was seafood, and recently I've developed an odd aversion to it.

So I was still trying to come up with something and recalled a co-worker I used to have. For fun, every week during football season he'd cook a themed dinner for his family. Depending on who was the opposing team their favorite team was playing, he'd create a dinner traditional to that area or one that had the team's location in the title of the food. I thought that would be cute to attempt for this season. The Pats were playing the Buffalo Bills, so I decided on a Buffalo Chicken Pizza- something I'd already been planning on making this week.

I looked through a few recipes but most had a layer of blue cheese salad dressing instead of a red sauce. I wanted to top mine with blue cheese crumbles, so I just came up with a simple recipe of my own. This was one of my favorite pizzas I've ever made. The crust was amazing and all the toppings were perfectly balanced. It looked like a lot of blue cheese, but it wasn't overwelming at all. I'm a veggie person, so I was worried that it would be just too much chicken and cheese, but when I asked Sage what vegetables I should use, he shrugged and said "Celery?" So we went without, and I didn't miss them. I made two small pizzas and they had a party appetizer feel. Perfect for eating while watching the game.

I needed a quick rising pizza dough, because that was the only type of yeast I had, and it was my favorite so far. I found this Honey Wheat Pizza Dough at About.com. For the flour I used 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour and the rest all-purpose and followed all the rest of the recipe perfectly. I used only half of it for two 6-7 inch pizzas, and saved the rest for another use.

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce, divided (I used Frank's Red Hot)
pizza dough ball or premade crusts
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded mozarella
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill chicken (I used our George Foreman.) Dice and put in a small bowl. Mix with three tablespoons of the cayenne pepper sauce. Set aside.
3. Divide pizza dough onto two balls and roll out each on a floured surface. Transfer to baking sheet (I use the backside of mine.)
4. Mix tomato paste with remaining tablespoon of sauce. Spread half of tomato paste mixture on one pizza crust, top with half of mozarella, half of diced chicken, and finish with blue cheese crumbles. Repeat for other pizza.
5. Cook according to pizza dough or premade crust instructions. (I cooked mine for 14 minutes.)

My guys this year for the first Patriot game of the regular season

First Patriots game of the season, September 2008

Beckett's first Super Bowl, February 2008, less than two weeks old.

Sun-dried Tomato, Goat Cheese and Chicken Sausage Calzone

To use up the other half of the pizza dough I made the other night, I wanted to try making a calzone. Not surprisingly, my inspiration for this came from A Year in the Kitchen. (Yes, I realize I cite this blog for a lot of the recipes I've been trying out, but with well over 700 posts of food I really love, its hard not to!) She had a calzone with ricotta, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Oddly enough, I had all of these things on hand. It sounded wonderful!

I did choose to substitute chicken sausage for the chicken, just because I thought it would be really good. I was right; Sage loved this. I think his words were: This is flippin' delicious! In fact, he said he liked it even better than the pizza the other night. It was toddler approved as well. I did use half the amount of goat cheese since I was also having some on our salad and a little less ricotta and tomatoes because I thought my dough ball seemed a little small. Since the sausage is fully cooked, I didn't bother browning it first. This was easy to make and oh so good! I will be experimenting with my own calzone fillings in the future!

adapted from Chicken Bada Bing Calzone, A Year in the Kitchen

1/2 batch of pizza dough (I used this one)

2 chicken sausage, diced (I used sun-dried tomato)

1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
8 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Marinara for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine goat cheese, ricotta and mozzarella in a bowl. Fold in tomatoes, spices, and diced sausage.

3. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface. (I don't have a rolling pin, so I just used my fingers to gently push it into a round shape.) Place on a pizza pan or baking sheet, spread ricotta mixture over half, fold the other half over. Crimp edges to seal. Brush with olive oil and place in the oven.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Serve with marinara for dipping.

Chicken Sausage, Red Pepper and Mushroom Pizza

I told myself the next time I made a pizza I would make the crust myself. I've never worked with yeast before, but it was really pretty easy. There are many variations of a basic pizza crust, so I decided to go with one of the many dough recipes from from my favorite blog, A Year in the Kitchen.

Usually when make our pizzas, we tend to use toppings such as artichoke hearts, banana peppers, sun dried tomatoes and/or whatever fresh veggies we have on hand. But on the rare occasions we order out from our favorite NY style pizza shop, we prefer to keep it simple. Sage's favorite is sausage and mushroom. I don't like pork sausage so we only have it put on half. Since he is an all around great guy and an amazing husband and father, I decided that this week I am going to cook meals that are favorites of his.

For this pizza I planned on using an Italian-style chicken sausage, but the store was out, so I used a sundried tomato which was awesome! I chose to add bell peppers because I love how they go with sausage, and for the sauce I tried something new. Typically we use a few spoonfuls of jarred pasta sauce and then it goes to the back of the fridge. I make my own sauces for pasta, so I rarely get around to using any more of it. Unfortunately I've tossed out countless nearly-full jars of sauce. On the same blog, I read a tip about using tomato paste instead. I love tomato paste and never have a problem using it up in time. Sage looked at me like I was crazy when he saw me spreading it on, but he admitted afterwards he loved what it brought to the pizza (a richer tomato flavor and a tanginess.) But he also thought I was silly for making homemade pizza dough- and he loved that too!

1/2 recipe of pizza dough (or premade crust)
about 3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 red pepper, sliced
2 chicken sausages, sliced (I used sundried tomato)
2/3 cup part-skim mozzarella, divided
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp Italian Seasoning, Pizza Seasoning or your own blend of spices (I used 1/4 tsp each of fennel seeds, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and oregano)

Whole-Wheat pizza dough (from A Year in the Kitchen)
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tbsp. organic brown sugar (or honey)
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1. Add water, yeast and sugar to a stand mixer's bowl bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, yeast will bubble. Turn mixer on low, using the dough hook and add in the flours. If the dough is too sticky, add another 1/4 c. all purpose flour. Let it knead for 5 minutes.
2. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 1 hour. Punch down, cover, and proof for another 30 minutes.
3. Divide in half, wrap half the dough and refrigerate.

To prepare pizza:
1. Preheat oven to 425, preheating pan as well.
2. Either roll out or using fingers, press gently into desired shape on a floured surface. Place on preheated inverted baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat skillet on medium. Spray with cooking spray and add peppers and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from heat.
4. Spread thin layer of tomato paste on parbaked crust. Top with 1/3 mozarella cheese. Layer peppers, sausage and mushoroms evenly. Add remaining cheese and spinkle with seasonings.
5. Bake for 10, or until crust is golden brown and crisp, and cheese is melted.

Sausage and Peppers Pasta

I love pasta. I love casseroles. I love the combo of sausage and peppers. I love cheese. So when I saw this recipe on the blog A Year in the Kitchen, I knew I had to make it. It was the easiest thing I've made all week, and by far the most delicious. But then again, its right up my alley- anytime I can eat my dinner out of a bowl and have that all-in-one meal be covered in cheese, I'm a happy girl.

I did make minor changes. Most notable, is that I scaled it back. I am trying to make smaller portions of our meals, so that we are not stuck with leftovers we feel obligated to eat. This made enough for the two of us to each have two bowls (yes, it was that good,) a toddler serving, and a lunch sized portion left over. Other than that, I left out the ricotta cheese (didn't have and don't think it was missed,) used a different chicken sausage (hers was with a mozzarella and garlic, mine was Sweet Italian with Red and Green Peppers) and subbed canned tomatoes and paste for tomato sauce, just because I like the chunks.

Its such a simple recipe, you don't expect it to be so delicious. After making a few much more complicated and just so-so meals this week, this was perfect. And its one of those great meals, you can adapt to what you have one hand, throw it together, and have dinner in under a half an hour.

adapted from Sausage and Peppers Baked Pasta from A Year in the Kitchen

1/3 of a 14 lb. box of whole grain rotini or other short cut pasta (about 1 2/3 cup, uncooked)
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 14.5 oz. can diced Italian tomatoes, partially drained

1/2 of a 6 oz. can of tomato paste
4 links of Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, sliced

1/2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/4 c. shredded parmesan

1. Preheat the broiler. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute onions and peppers, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in spices, tomatoes and paste, and sausage. Mix well. Cook for 10 minutes. Add drained pasta into skillet. Stir, pour into casserole dish and top with cheeses.
4. Boil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I have always put my pasta dishes (where everything is pre-cooked) in at about 350 for 15-20 minutes. I never thought of just broiling it. Not only did it take only a few minutes, but I loved how the cheese got all toasty instead of just melted. Yum!

Polenta Lasagna with Vegetable Bolognese

The only time I remember having polenta, it was fried and covered in a mushroom sauce. It wasn't anything I was crazy about, yet I knew I would really like polenta served another way, so I bought a tube of it, having no idea what I was going to make.

I went back to my fave blog, A Year in the Kitchen, and found her lasagna made with polenta instead of noodles. I would never normally attempt lasagna, since Sage thinks his mom's is the best in the world, but I knew this would be different. I went ahead with the bolognese, and followed the recipe as closely as I could, only making minor changes when necessary, due to what I had on hand.

It's rather time consuming, and halfway through I was thinking I should've made a simple sauce and just tossed sliced veggies into the layers...but once we had it, I was so pleased I'd taken the time to make this delicious sauce. This was so good!!! I did cook up a turkey Italian sausage, which I put on half of the lasagna for Sage. All three of us loved this dish. Maybe next time I'll attempt making the polenta from sctratch!

Polenta Lasagna with Vegetable Bolognese

Ashlee Wetherington, A Year In the Kitchen

One tube Polenta, sliced into 1/2 in. thick rounds (to make from scratch*)

Ricotta Mixture:
1 cup ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
1 egg
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I used a Italian blend that also included parmesan)
salt and pepper
chopped fresh oregano and parsley (I used 1/4 tsp. dried parsley)

Bolognese:
1 tbsp. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, chunked
1 yellow bell pepper, chunked (I used 1/2 red pepper)
1 small zucchini, chunked (omitted, didn't have)
4 oz. cremini mushrooms (I used 8oz. baby bellas)
1 carrot, peeled, chunked (I used 8 baby carrots)
2 celery stalks, chunked
1 large yellow onion, chunked
3 garlic cloves, smashed (I used 2 tbsp, minced)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. tomato paste (I used 1/2 can- I love tomato paste!)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 15 oz. can tomato puree
2 tbsp. chopped fresh italian herbs (I subbed 1 tsp. Italian seasonings and 1 tsp. dried basil)
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
Crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1 tsp.)

Extra mozzarella for topping

1 Turkey Italian sausage (if desired,) casing removed, crumbled and browned

*If making polenta, prepare first.

To make bolognese:

1. Heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add oil.

2. Add vegetables (in small batches) to the food processor. Pulse until they are in a fine mince. Add to the pan with oil. Continue with all vegetables, season heavily with salt and pepper. Stir and cook until all moisture is cooked out and vegetables begin to brown, about 20-25 minutes. (Since I used double the mushrooms, mine took about 30 minutes to cook out the extra moisture.)

3. Add tomato paste and wine. Reduce. Add tomatoes and spices, stir and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings.

To prepare lasagna:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Add all ricotta mixture ingredients to a small bowl, stir to combine.

3. Add 1/3 of the bolognese to a baking dish, top with half the polenta rounds. Spread the ricotta over the polenta, top with another 1/3 of the sauce. (This is where I added the cooked sausage to half of the dish.) Add the rest of the polenta rounds, top with sauce and mozzarella cheese shreds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

4. Let sit 5-10 minutes to set, before serving.

Baked Penne with Spinach and Turkey Italian Sausage

One of my go-to dinners is a baked Italian-style casserole. Usually I make it with ground turkey and lots of peppers and mushrooms. Last night, I felt like mixing it up and using turkey Italian sausage and spinach. It was so good!

I asked Sage if he'd rather big pieces of sausage or for me to take the casings off and have the meat crumbled throughout. He said big pieces, but we both decided afterwards, we'd rather have had it the other way, since you didn't get the sausage in every bite. Plus it would be easier to cook. This makes a lot, but in my opinion, these types of dishes are even better the next day!

1/2 of a 14 oz box of multi-grain Penne (or Rotini or Ziti)

1 lb. (4 links) of Hot Italian Turkey Sausage

1 (10 oz.) pkg. of frozen spinach

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 small onion, chopped

1 (8 oz.) pkg. of sliced mushrooms

1 (15 oz) can of Italian style tomatoes, with juice

1/2 of a 6 oz. can of tomato paste

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella

Parmesan, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook pasta according to package dirrections.

3. In a large saute pan over medium high heat, brown sausages on all sides, adding just enough water to pan to keep sausages from sticking. Once browned, remove from pan. (Or remove from casings and cook until no longer pink.)

4. Meanwhile, remove spinach from package, and microwave in a bowl for 4 minutes or until no longer icy. Drain well.

5. To saute pan, add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze any stuck-on bits. Add garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Cut sausages into 1/2 inch pieces and return to pan. Rinse mushrooms and add to pan. Stir frequently until sausage pieces are no longer pink. Drain liquid from pan.

7. Reduce heat, and add spinach, canned tomatoes, paste, tomato sauce, and spices. Mix well.

8. In 9 x 13 glass baking dish, place drained pasta. Top with sausage mixture and stir gently to combine. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated throughout.

9. Serve with grated/shredded parmesan.

Black and White Pizza

I recently tried chicken on a pizza (due to a grocery miscommun-ication between Sage and I) and ever since then I've been wanting to try this Black & White Pizza (from allrecipes.com.)

Instead of a red sauce it uses a jarred alfredo. I LOVE white pizza; Sage does not. Because of this, and because I didn't want the extra calories- I was going to just use olive oil with some canned diced tomatoes. (Not exactly white, but healthier.) But Sage wanted to try it. All I had was a sundried tomato alfredo, which we knew might be wierd. Honestly, it wound up being the only thing that kept it from being amazing! We may try it with regular alfredo (the creaminess is good) but probably the way I was first going to do it. Either way, the black beans, jalapenos and chicken are so yummy on a pizza! I've made only a few changes in the original recipe.

1 Whole Wheat Baboli

olive oil

1 chicken breast

1/2 cup jarred alfredo

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/4 cup jarred sliced jalapenos

1 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 450. Lightly brush Baboli crust with olive oil.

2. Grill chicken, cooking until just before done. Slice into bite size pieces. (Or cook chicken in a saute pan with olive oil and the minced garlic.)

3. Spread alfredo sauce on pizza. Sprinkle very lightly with some of the cheese. Top evenly with onions and garlic, black beans, chicken, and jalapenos. Cover with remaining cheese and sprinkle with parsley.

4. Cook for 10-13.