Homemade Pizza by Guest Chef Amy

Homemade Pizza
(makes 2 large thin pizzas)
1 ½ c hot tap water
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. yeast
3 ½ to 3 ¾ cups flour
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella, shredded
Pizza toppings (green pepper, onion, pepperoni, sausage, ham, mushrooms, banana peppers, etc.)
Mix water, sugar, salt, baking powder and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes, then add flour. Knead for 3 minutes (adding a bit more flour if too sticky). Cut dough in half to make two dough balls. (You can put one of the dough balls in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for future use if only making one pizza.) Roll out the dough ball into a circle on a well floured surface with a greased rolling pin until about ¼ inch thick and about 12 – 14 inches wide. Place on a greased cookie sheet. (You can roll in the edge of the crust ½ inch all the way around if desired.) Poke dough randomly with a fork. You can top right away, or let rise for 45 minutes for a fluffier crust. Top as desired. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

If you are feeling really ambitious, here’s a recipe to make your own pizza sauce. I sometimes make this in large batches ahead of time and freeze in 1 cup portions until ready to use. (1 cup of sauce should cover one pizza.)

Pizza Sauce (this is supposed to be similar to Papa John’s sauce)
1 (10 ¾ oz) can tomato puree
¼ cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp oregano
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Combine ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

White Chicken Chili by Guest Chef Amy

Good news - Amy has almost 2 weeks worth of recipes to share! Here's the first.

White Chicken Chili

Serves 6

2 large chicken breasts
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp cumin
Garlic (to taste)
1 can white kidney beans (undrained)
1 can garbanzo beans (undrained)
1 can white corn (undrained)
1 small can chopped green chilies (undrained)
1 cup chicken broth from can
Salsa
Shredded Monterey jack cheese
Sour cream
Hot pepper sauce
Tortilla chips
Boil chicken for 1 hour. Shred with fork. Combine chicken, onion, cumin, garlic, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, white corn, green chilies and chicken broth in large pot. Cook on low for 1 to 3 hours. Serve with remaining ingredients as toppings.

Introducing Guest Chef Amy!

Introducing Guest Chef Amy - This lady is awesome! Check out her bio, and see the recipes she'll be featured for this week!
Location: Louisville, KY
Occupation: SAHM of three kids (and one on the way!)
Favorite cuisine: Italian or Cajun… or mexican… or Steak house… or… okay, I like it all!
Cooking preference: baking, especially trying new cookie recipes
Cooking handicap: husband who is a picky eater!
Most used recipe site: allrecipes.com (other than Tasty Sensations, of course!)
Cooking motto: I love scrumptious foods. I don’t mind the effort of elaborate cooking if it’s worth it in the end!
Recipes For Week:
Best Blueberry muffins
Choc chip brownie cookies
Creamy bean soup with taquito dippers
Asian marinated steak
Sausage and tomato rigatoni
Breakfast shortcake
Nutter Butter Cookies (her husband's all time favorite cookie)

Becky's Recipes

If you haven't seen Becky's recipes - you must. I just tried this one. Yum!

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies by Guest Chef Kim

2/3 CUP BUTTER
2/3 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
½ CUP PACKED BROWN SUGAR
1 LARGE EGG
½ TEASPOON SALT
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
1 ½ CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
8 OUNCES OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS
1 ½ CUP SWEETENED FLAKED COCONUT
3 ½ OUNCES MACADAMIA NUTS, CHOPPED COARSELY (ABOUT ¾ CUP)

Heat over to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two 17x14-inch cookie sheets. In mixer, beat butter, sugars, egg, salt, and vanilla at medium speed until fluffy. Reduce mix to low speed, add flour, increase mixer speed gradually and beat just until blended. Stir in chocolate, coconut, and nuts. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 17 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned and tops look dry. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to completely cool. Makes 26 cookies.

Chicken Tetrazzini by Guest Chef Kim

8 OUNCES SPAGHETTI
8 OUNCES SLICED FRESH MUSHROOMS
4-6 SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS OR 8 BONELESS SKINLESS THIGHS (CUT IN BITE-SIZE PIECES)
1 TABLESPOON BUTTER
1 ½ TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE
3-4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER
6 TABLESPOONS FLOUR
½ TEASPOON PAPRIKA
1/8 TEASPOON NUTMEG
¾ TEASPOON SALT
½ TEASPOON PEPPER
1 CAN CHICKEN BROTH (14 ½ OUNCES)
1 CUP SKIM MILK
¾ CUP PARMESAN CHEESE
SPRINKLE PAPRIKA

Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir fry the mushrooms and the chicken pieces with the 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice until chicken is done, about 15-20 minutes. Toss with the cooked spaghetti. Set aside. Melt the 3-4 tablespoons of butter and stir in the flour and spices. Add broth and stir until the sauce thickens, then add the milk. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti. Mix. Place mixture into a 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and paprika and back at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Grilled Pork Chops with Mango Salsa by Guest Chef Kim

PORK CHOP MARINADE:

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 CUP HONEY
½ CUP SOY SAUCE
1 CUP CIDER VINEGAR
3 CLOVES GARLIC
1 TABLESPOON SESAME SEED OIL

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the pork chops overnight. Then grill. (This recipe is for about 6-8 pork chops.)

MANGO SALSA

2 RIPE MANGOS – CUT IN SMALL CUBES
½ MEDIUM RED ONION – CHOPPED
½ LARGE RED PEPPER – CHOPPED
½ CUP CHOPPEN CILANTRO
¼ JALAPENO CHOPPED (REMOVE SEEDS)
JUICE OF 1 LIME

Chill the salsa. Serve with grilled pork chops.

Butterfly Chicken by Guest Chef Kim

4-6 WHOLE BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS (depending on the thickness of breast. I usually pound the breasts with a meat mallet to thin the breast and end up getting two pieces of chicken out of each thick breast. You can determine how thick you want the meat.)
½ CUP FLOUR
½ TEASPOON SALT
¼ TEASPOON PEPPER
½-3/4 CUP BUTTER
LEMON JUICE
1 ½ POUNDS OF FRESH MUSHROOMS SLICED OR 2-3 JARS CANNED MUSHROOMS
3 CUPS WHIPPING CREAM
2 CUPS FRESH GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
MINCED FRESH PARSLEY OR DRIED PARSLEY

Pound chicken breasts between waxed paper or plastic wrap until thin like a cutlet. Dip chicken in flour that is seasoned with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour. Melt part of the butter in a large skillet. Saute’ chicken two to three minutes on each side. While sautéing drizzle 4-5 drops of lemon juice on each chicken piece. Add more butter as needed to the pan for sautéing the chicken pieces. Transfer the chicken to baking pans (9x13 or a little bigger). Give each piece of chicken some space between to let the cream and cheese run between the pieces. Set aside.

Saute’ the mushrooms in the same pan as the chicken was sautéed in. Add more butter if needed. Don’t burn the mushrooms. Spoon the mushrooms and drippings over the chicken. Pour the cream over the chicken. Sprinkle generous amounts of parmesan cheese on each chicken piece. Get the parmesan down in the cream. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Stuffed Shells by Guest Chef Kim

1 PACKAGE (12-OUNCE) JUMBO SHELLS
4 CUPS RICOTTA CHEESE
8 OUNCES SHREDDED MOZZARELLA CHEESE
½ CUP GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
2 EGGS
1 TABLESPOON CHOPPED PARSLEY
½ TEASPOON SALT
¼ TEASPOON PEPPER
1/8 TEASPOON NUTMEG
1 JAR SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Prepare pasta as directed on package, cooking 9 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water, drain, and arrange in single layer to fill. Meanwhile mix together cheeses, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Fill cookie shells with cheese mixture.

Cover bottom of a 9x13 pan with some sauce. Arrange filled shells in single layer in the pan. Pour remaining sauce over the shells and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Makes 6-8 servings.

Featuring Guest Chef Kim

Here's my next Guest Chef, Kim (and her lovely assistant Kira). Kim has lots of fun recipes to share...I've already made some of them and they were good! Stay tuned this week for her recipes which will include:

• Pork Chops with Mango Salsa
• Chicken Tetrazzini
• Stuffed Shells
• Butterfly Chicken
• Coconut Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies
  

Magical Morning Muffins

2 TBS packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey (use sugar if you must)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen blueberries, do not thaw
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, honey and egg with spoon. Stir in flours, baking powder and salt just until flours are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake about 18 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm with butter.

Allison's Sticky Toffee Pudding w/ Custard

(this is more like a cake than a pudding, and is one of THOSE desserts that you dream about afterward)
Unsalted butter for baking dish
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup chopped, pitted dates (about 4 oz.)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cups boiling water
8 tablespoons packed brown sugar (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Custard (see recipe below) or Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 broilerproof baking dish. Sift the 1 cup of flour and the baking powder into a bowl; set aside. Toss dates with 1 tablespoon flour in small bowl. Beat 4 tablespoons butter and ¾ cup sugar in large bowl until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, along with a little of the flour mixture; beat for 1 minute. Beat in remaining flour mixture. Add dates, baking soda, and vanilla to the boiling water, stirring to combine; add to batter, beating until well blended.

Pour batter into prepared dish; bake until set and well browned on top, 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack. Heat broiler. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in microwave on simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour over hot pudding. Place pudding in broiler, about 4 inches from heat; broil until topping is bubbling and becomes sticky, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately, top with custard or vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

Custard
¾ c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
¼ t. salt
2 c. milk

Combine above and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir a small amount into:

3 egg yolks – slightly beaten

Add egg yolks to the rest of the mixture when tempered and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add:

2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

Mix and chill. Serve atop sticky toffee pudding.

Garden Vegetable Bread

At Utah State, there was a bread place that I frequented...Hazel's. Mmmm, just the name brings back an aroma of fresh caramel nut bread, or the famous Marv 'N' Joe, a delightful open face sandwich that I've yet to duplicate perfectly at home. However, I used to order my Marv 'N' Joe on the savory, fresh veggie cheese bread. This recipe below is one that I concocted, and it tastes pretty darn close. I made mine in a bread machine, but you can certainly modify it to make it the old fashioned way.

1/2 cup warm buttermilk
3 tablespoons water (add 1-2 more TBS. to your bread machine in the mixture looks dry after mixing for a few minutes)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2/3 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup chopped red sweet pepper (I was out of red pepper, so left it out and added a little extra zucchini and it was fine)
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sugar (I would suggest using honey instead)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (ground in blender until slightly smooth)
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add ingredients according to bread machine - bake on regular bread cycle (mine finished about 12 minutes before the buzzer. No complaints for getting to enjoy a few minutes earlier! Serve warm with butter, or if you want to try one of my favorites:

Marv 'N' Joe:
1 thick slice of fresh, warm veggie cheese bread smothered in garlic butter. Top with 2 thin slices of vine tomato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, grated parmesan (not fresh). Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and top with a slice of provolone cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake by Guest Chef Marli

This one isn't really cooking but it's yummy. It's also Marli's last recipe as a guest chef! Thanks Marli!

Ingredients:
17 miniature ice cream sandwiches
1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1 Symphony candy bar (7 ounces), chopped

Directions:
Arrange 14 ice cream sandwiches in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cut remaining sandwiches in half lengthwise; fill in the spaces in the dish. Spread with caramel and whipped toppings. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Sprinkle with chopped candy bar. Cover and freeze for at least 45 minutes. Cut into squares. Yield: 15-18 servings.

Crab & Cream Cheese Wontons by Guest Chef Marli

8 oz. package of Cream Cheese softened
2-3 Green onions finely chopped (optional) If you don't like onions you can add onion powder.
6 oz. can crab meat drained
Package of 3x3 Wonton wraps

Thoroughly mix the crab, green onions and the cream cheese. Lay the wonton wrappers out and spoon 1 teaspoon or so of the crab mix onto the center of each. Wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with water and fold to enclose the crab and to form a triangle. Fold the corners from the base of the triangle together, and using a little water, pinch and stick them together. (I have also seen people use egg whites to stick the wonton edges together).

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or heat 2" oil in a heavy-bottom pot to 350F. Fry the wontons in batches, for 4-5 mins, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

Chicken Cordon Bleu by Guest Chef Marli

4 whole boneless chicken breast
4 slices Swiss cheese
8 thin slices cooked ham
thyme or rosemary
salt and pepper

1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Cornflake crumbs

Place each chicken breast skin side down on wax paper and pound with meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Pour half of the melted butter into an 8x8 baking dish. Then sprinkle half of the Cornflake crumbs over the butter. Place two of the pounded chicken breasts on top of the cornflakes. (These two breasts should cover the entire bottom of the pan). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Thyme (if you prefer Rosemary then do that). Place the ham and cheese slices on top of the chicken (also covering the entire surface of the chicken, you may have to cut and piece the ham and cheese to make it fit perfectly). Place the other two pounded out chicken breasts on top of the ham and cheese. (If you like seasoning you can sprinkle more salt, pepper and thyme. This is similar to layering lasagna, each layer should completely cover the layer below it. Then pour the remaining butter and sprinkle the remaining cornflakes on top.

Bake uncovered at 400 for 40 minutes. (Cooking time may vary so be sure to check on it now and then.)

As a side note. This is the same recipe I use to make the jellyroll style of Chicken Cordon Bleu but if you don't feel like toothpicking them and rolling them in the butter and cornflakes this is an easy alternative (just do it casserole style).

This is the sauce to put on top.

SAUCE / Topping

1 Can Cream of Chicken
1/2 Cup of Sour Cream
1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Mix together in sauce pan and heat to boil. Serve over the top of the chicken. (Can also be put on rice, noodles, potatoes, whatever you choose as your side dish.)

Ebelskivers (Danish Pancakes) by Guest Chef Marli

Makes about 30
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pint fresh blueberries
Confectioner's sugar
Pure maple syrup
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the egg yolks and buttermilk and stir until well combined; the batter will be thick.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until stiff but not dry peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the batter using a rubber spatula until combined.
Put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each well of a filled pancake pan. Place over medium heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into each well and cook until the bottoms begin to brown, 2 minutes. Place 5 or 6 blueberries in the center of each pancake and top with 1 tablespoon batter. Using 2 wooden skewers or butter knives, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
Dust the pancakes with confectioner's sugar and serve with warm maple syrup.
The number of fillings and flavor combinations that you can incorporate into this recipe has no limit. Fill the pancakes with your favorite flavor of jam or preserves, chocolate chips, diced bananas, or diced apples that have been sautéed in a little bit of butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You could even try a teaspoon of peanut butter topped with a teaspoon of grape jelly for a "PB&J Pancake" for kids!
The batter can be altered as well. Fold in some toasted coconut flakes, your favorite spices, or finely chopped lightly toasted nuts. Substitute whole wheat or buckwheat flour for a portion of the regular flour.

Jambalaya by Guest Chef Marli

2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 Med. onion, chopped
1 Cup bell pepper, chopped
1 (1-lb.) pkg. Hillshire Little Smokies Sausages cut into slices
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Cup converted rice
2 Cups chicken broth
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbs. salsa or Green Tabasco
Cajun seasoning to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and sausage and cook 5 minutes or until vegatables are tender, stirring often. Stir in rice, chicken broth, salsa, tomatoes and seasoning. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes before fluffing with fork.

This is an easy yummy meal and depending on the salsa and seasoning you put in it it can have a good kick to it.

Featuring Guest Chef Marli!

This is my next guest chef, Marli, and her cute kitchen assistant, Hayden. Marli is superwoman and makes lots of great dishes! This week her recipes include:

• Jamabalaya
• Crab & Cream Cheese Wontons
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert
• Ebelskivers (Danish Pancakes)

Stay tuned for some amazing recipes this week!