Pizza on the Grill

Continuing on our quest to find exciting ways to prepare the chicken sausages we get from Papa Franks/Pete's Place, hubby came up with the idea to make pizzas on the grill.

Can I just say, O.M.G.  I am not a big pizza fan.  Blasphemous, I know, right?  I don't eat many carbs anymore, and pizza weighs me down for what seems like days.  But these pizzas were fantastic!

We started with homemade dough.  We modified the Basic Pizza Dough recipe from Steven Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible.  Let me just say, if you want to learn how to grill just about anything, this is the grill book for you!  We've tried many recipes and techniques from The Barbecue Bible and they've all turned out great!

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

Prep
2-3 hours for making and raising dough

Ingredients
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons cornmeal (original recipe calls for fine 'white' cornmeal)
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (original recipe calls for whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for the bowl
3 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, more as needed

We mixed our dough in our mixer using the dough hook.  You can also mix by hand or in your food processor.

Place 1 cup of warm water in mixing bowl and add the yeast and sugar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves, then let the yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes.  Stir in the salt, cornmeal, flaxseed and olive oil.  Turn mixer on low and using dough hook, gradually stir in enough all-purpose flour to form dough ball.  Mix until smooth and elastic.  The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky.

Lightly oil a clean large bowl.  Place the dough in the bowl, brush the top with olive oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.  Punch down the dough.

Let the dough rise again until double in size, 40-50 minutes.  Punch the dough down.  The recipe makes enough dough for 2 - 9x13 pizza crusts.  We divided it into 3 equal sections so we could make individual pizzas.

The dough after we split into 3 sections.

Set up your grill for two-zone grilling.  In our case, our gas grill has 4 burners, the two on the left were on high, the two on the right were on low.

Stretch the dough on a cookie pan using olive oil. Using oil helps crisp the dough (as opposed to using flour).  Keep stretching until the dough is the thickness you prefer.

We like our crust on the thin side.

Grilling Instructions
Working with one rectangle of dough at a time and using both hands, gently lift the dough from the baking sheet.  Drape it on the grill grate over the hot (high heat) zone.  Within a minute or two, the underside of the dough will crisp, darken and harden and the top will puff slightly.  Using two tongs or a spatula, turn the dough over and move to the cool zone (low heat) of the grill.

Once you move to the cool zone, lightly brush with olive oil (or not) and begin putting your toppings on.

 Can you guess who's pizza this is?

Haley opted for regular pepperoni pizza.  And, yes, there are way more pepperonis under the cheese.  I just added the three on top of her pizza to be goofy.

This is MY pizza.  I used a very light roasted red pepper alfredo sauce and topped with mushrooms, green onions, yellow summer squash, the to-die-for spicy chicken sausage and mozzarella cheese.

We had grilled the sausage and veggies before we started the crusts.  These were the toppings for hubby's pizza... basil, sausage, mushrooms, yellow summer squash, tomatoes and red onions.  Everything was grilled except the basil.  He also added feta, goat and mozzarella cheese.

Jim decided to add a bit of pizza sauce after he'd assembled his pizza.


Once your toppings are loaded on, we grilled on cool zone (low heat) for about 15 minutes or so, until the cheese was melted and golden brown. Haley's cooked a bit faster because she had less toppings, so just ensure you watch it until it's cooked the way you like it!

This pizza rocked!  It's all about the crust!  It was flavorful, hearty, rustic and crisp.  And light.  It didn't weigh me down like normal pizza crust.

This isn't something to do if you're in a hurry, but it makes for a fun family event when you can all hang out and prepare it together.

We're thinking we might actually make a larger batch of dough, do the initial grilling and then freeze the grilled dough to use later.  That way, you can pull it out, defrost, toss on the grill to reheat and then add your toppings.

Yummy!  Yummy!  Yummy!

Til next time - find your joy!
Kelly

Grilled Tuna Salad

We have used our new grill every day since we assembled it on Sunday afternoon.  We christened her on Monday with two 1 1/4 inch thick rib eye steaks which Jim grilled to perfection then we thinly sliced and put on a bed of spring salad greens.  We grilled asparagus as a side.  It was heaven on a plate.  Unfortunately, I did not stop to take photos...I was too hungry.

Today we grilled Ahi Tuna.

 Each side was brushed with a dressing (recipe below) and seared.

 Sear on high for approximately 2-4 minutes on each side (for medium rare).

 Goat Cheese.

 Freshly chopped tomatoes.

 All placed on a bed of mixed greens.

 Topped with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

It was yummy.

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

ENJOY!

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

Homemade French Fries

We enjoy good homemade French fries every once in a while.  Today when Jim suggested we make them, I went online to find the secret to making them crispier.  I found a few different recipes, and settled on one from Emeril Lagasse.

His recipe was different in two ways.  First, he suggests soaking the potatoes in ice water for a minimum of 30 minutes and second, you double fry them.

Let's get started!

INGREDIENTS

·       4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 by 1/4-inch thick batons

·       2 quarts peanut oil

·       Sea salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Rinse cut potatoes in a large bowl with lots of cold running water until water becomes clear. Completely cover with water and ice. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.  Because we were hungry, we opted for the 30 minutes.   

Drain ice water from cut fries and wrap potato pieces in a clean dishcloth or tea towel and thoroughly pat dry.

In a 5-quart pot or Dutch oven fitted with a candy or deep-frying thermometer, (or in an electric deep fryer), heat oil over medium-low heat until the thermometer registers 325 degrees F. Make sure that you have at least 3 inches of space between the top of the oil and the top of the pan, as fries will bubble up when they are added.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add fries, a handful at a time, to the hot oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft and limp and begin to turn a blond color, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, carefully remove fries from the oil and set aside to drain on paper towels. Let rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours.  Again, we were hungry so we opted for closer to 10 minutes.

When ready to serve the French fries, reheat the oil to 350 degrees F. Transfer the blanched potatoes to the hot oil and fry again, stirring frequently, until golden brown and puffed, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to paper lined platter and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Serve immediately.

What can I say, they were yummy!  I will definitely soak them and do the double deep fry going forward.  Thanks Emeril!

'til next time, find your joy~

Kelly

It's What's For Dinner! Grilled Asparagus & Top Sirloin Steak

Tonight for dinner we grilled steak and asparagus.  It was heavenly!  It's been ages since I've cooked fresh asparagus.  I'll be doing it again soon while it's still in season.

In a platter, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  Salt and pepper.  Roll asparagus over and over until coated.  Grill until slightly tender, but still firm/crunchy.

This was so good!

Top Sirloin!  I drizzled each side of the steak with olive oil (just a little bit) and then rubbed in steak seasoning.

Steak seasoning (Sam's Club) and Asian Sesame dressing for my.....

...salad!  Steak, romanine lettuce, fresh mushrooms, green onions, crumbled feta cheese and All Seasons Asian Sesame dressing!

It's what's for dinner!

Enjoy!

Kelly

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Recipe from Cathy over at Noblepig.com.

I made these for Daughter #2 and 6 of her closest friends tonight as they worked on their team t-shirts for track.  They received a 'thumbs up' from the girls.  I thought they were pretty good even though I made them with whole wheat flour (we were out of regular).  I think they would be even better with white flour.  We will definitely try these again.

PEPPERONI PIZZA PUFFS

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 Tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Kelly~

Chicken Fajitas!

We made chicken fajitas for dinner tonight.  They were so very yummy!  Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

CHICKEN MARINADE INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 Tbsp southwestern chipotle seasoning (optional)
• 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
• table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), trimmed, pounded to ½-inch thickness (I did not do that this time)

VEGETABLES

• 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 1 large green bell pepper, quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS

In a gallon size ziploc bag, mix together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, southwestern chipotle seasoning, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Scoop out  ¼ cup marinade; set aside. Place the chicken in the marinade; refrigerate 15 minutes or longer.  (I marinaded for 2 hours.)

Brush both sides of the onion rounds and the peppers with some of marinade mixture; salt and pepper.  Preheat gas grill for 15 minutes; scrape the grill grate clean with a grill brush. Leave one burner on high heat while turning the remaining burner(s) down to medium.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the hotter side of the grill; discard the remaining marinade. Place the onions and peppers on the cooler side of the grill.

Cook the chicken until it’s well browned, 4 to 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it’s no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife. Cook the peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice as needed; cook the onions until tender and charred on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes.

 

Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and place them in a bowl with the onions. Add 1/2 of the remaining marinade to the vegetables and toss well to combine.

Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining reserved marinade in another bowl.

Serve with the warmed tortillas, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream and diced tomatoes.

Mine was a chicken fajita bowl (minus the tortilla) except it was on a plate!

Enjoy!

Kelly

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of my husband's favorite dishes from his childhood.  I modified his family recipe slightly to reduce the fat--couldn't really tell the difference.  This is a yummy dish and easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs beef (round steak)
1 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon dry dill
1 1/4 cup sour cream
1 package egg noodles

Boil egg noodles per package instructions.

Trim fat from beef. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Sear meat in hot skillet. Remove from pan when brown on all sides. Set aside.

In same skillet, melt butter/margarine. Sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.  I prefer fresh mushrooms, but I used them on my pizza yesterday!

Add flour, ketchup, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth.

Gradually add beef broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes.  Sauce will thicken.

Over low heat, add wine, dill and sour cream, stir until well combined. Add beef. Heat thoroughly.

Top cooked egg noodles with stroganoff.

Note:  I doubled the recipe in the pictures above.  Leftovers are required in our house!
Makes 4 servings

 
Yummy!

Kelly~

Savory Stuffed Meatloaf

Mmmm, meatloaf!  I grew up with meatloaf, albeit a very basic version.  My mom was a good cook but there wasn't much variety to our meals (very basic-- meat, potato and veggie), and the only seasonings I remember using were salt, pepper and Lawrys. There was a time when she made liver and onions...and I used to eat it and like it.  Eeeww...moving on...the topic is meatloaf!

A bit of meatloaf trivia... (from my trusted sources at Wikipedia)

• Meatloaf has European origins, dating back to the 5th century.
• It is a traditional German/Belgian/Dutch dish.
• It is cousin to the Italian meatball.
• American meatloaf has it's origins in scrapple a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since Colonial times.
• The American version is usually topped with ketchup.
• Happens to be Marvin O'Day's rocker name, and one of my all time favorites from the 80s.  Did I mention I met him once upon a time?  Did I mention I still listen to both Bat Out of Hell I & II?

Typically, when I make meatloaf, I toss in a variety of things I happen to have on hand, from peppers and mushrooms--ooh, I love mushrooms, they should be their own food group, but I digress--to oatmeal, eggs and hot sauce, with every type of seasoning you can imagine.  And I NEVER measure anything.  As long as it sticks together, we're good.

For today's post, however, I did measure everything and checked it twice so I could share the recipe.

I adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker's Hamburger Cookbook, circa 1977.  Yes, it's a magazine cookbook.  See, in 1977 it was $2.95.

MEAT MIXTURE INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (I use Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon)
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup oatmeal
2 Tbsp parsley
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)

Yes, I know not all the ingredients are pictured...and yes, the onions and spinach are for the stuffing mixture.

Combine all meat mixture ingredients.

Spread 2/3 of meat mixture in ungreased large (9x5) loaf pan.  Line the pan, pressing flat on the bottom and up the sides to within 3/4 inch of the top edge.

STUFFING INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup fresh leaf spinach
2 cups soft bread, cubed (I used whole wheat bread)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup cheddar/jack cheese, shredded

Melt butter in skillet. Add onion and spinach.  Cook and stir until onion is tender.  Remove from heat. 

Stir onions and spinach in with remaining stuffing ingredients.

Spoon stuffing mixture into the middle of the meat mixture.  Press firmly. 

Top with remaining meat mixture, covering stuffing completely.

Bake in 375 oven for 1 hour 10 minutes or until cooked through completely.  Drain off fat.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Delicious!

Next time, for a different variation, I think I'll stuff it with a layer of cheddar cheese, followed by sliced tomatoes, a layer of feta cheese and a layer of sliced mushrooms. Hey Trudy!  Remember those giant stuffed burgers we made on the grill when we were in high school?  Yeah, I'll make them like that.  :)

Makes 8 servings

Gute Meatloaf!! (English translation:  Good meatloaf!)

Kelly~