Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

Soft, golden crust.
Cheesy goodness.
A sweet and savory combination.

It's food made for a party, a breakup, a night out on the town, and finals week.
Especially for finals week. Those two words makes me sick.
Yep, it's finals time here.
Bleck.

Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy my pizza, thank you very much.

Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

1 pizza crust (preferably in dough form...I used a gluten-free one*)
Olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil
6 ounces sliced provolone or Mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced
2 ounces chopped walnuts
2 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or green onions)


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place pizza crust dough on a pizza pan or stone. Spread some olive oil, garlic powder, and dried basil over the crust (to taste), all the way to the edges. Cover the crust with provolone cheese. Top cheese with spinach leaves. Place Bosc pear slices onto the spinach. Sprinkle with walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese.
Bake pizza in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.
Remove from heat. Top with chives and slice to serve.
*If using a gluten-free crust, pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes (until puffy), lay on the toppings, and then bake for another 6-8 minutes. If your crust is sticky, place parchment paper between the crust and the pan.

Creamy Tortellini Spinach Bacon Bake

Have you ever had that experience where someone gives you a recipe and proceeds to tell you: "You have to try this!" or "This is the best thing ever!"

That happens to me all too often.

Usually I respond by smiling and saying: "I am sure it is...of course I will make it!"

All the while I am thinking: "Yeah right, like this is the best thing ever. I am not going to make this stupid dish of yours..."

Was that a little too harsh?

Sorry, but it's the truth.

1 out of 10 times I will make something that you recommend.

I often think that "mine" will be better than "yours"...

And let's be honest, it often is.

Just kidding.

But today is different.

Because today I must confess that I folded.

Yep, I made that "This is the best thing ever!" dish.

My curiosity got the best of me.

And you know what?

I am here to tell you that this dish got my stamp of approval.

[insert applause here]

Congrats Aleisha, you did it.

What is that?

Tortellini?

Spinach?

Bacon?

All of the above?

It's like a match made in pasta heaven.

Fry up some bacon.

Make a cream sauce.

Possibly add in some lemon.

Throw in a bit of spinach.

And always, ALWAYS have a snack on the side!

I decided to snack on vegan coconut chocolate pudding...recipe to come soon!

Toss it all together in a pan.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Creamy Tortellini Spinach Bacon Bake

• 12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (usually in the dry pasta aisle)
• 5-6 strips bacon
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add more if you like it spicy)
• 1 small lemon
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
2. Place bacon in a skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels to drain.  Crumble when cooled. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.
3. While sauce is heating, zest your lemon (a fine-holed cheese grater works well).  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice to sauce.  Continue to stir until thickened (about 2-3 minutes).  Remove from heat.
4. Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve a small handful of the cooked/crumbled and set aside.  Add rest of bacon to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add in sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 (or 9×9) sprayed baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and remaining crumbled bacon.
5. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6

Kudos to Our Best Bites. Love you guys.

 

Yes, I am a nerd who doesn't have enough counter space, so I prepare dishes on top of my dryer. Judge me all you want.

Nom noms.

Eggs Benedict with Spinach Pesto

Making eggs benedict is like being part of a symphony. Every ingredient is like an instrument. Each plays an important part and must be in precise orchestration. If you miss one step or get off beat, the entire performance could end up in shambles.

For one, you have to have eggs poached perfectly with warm, runny yolks, hot buttered toasted English muffins, and a creamy, golden Hollandaise sauce. And even more difficult--each must be completed all about the same time.

When I order Eggs Benedict at a restaurant, I can't help but feel like royalty as I eat them.

Eggs benedict is definitely for a special occasion. And only those who have made them will fully appreciate them.

So if you're looking for a way to show someone how much you care for them, make them Eggs Benedict.

Poaching the eggs is by far the most difficult part, in my opinion. But that doesn't mean they are impossible to make. Actually with the right tools, they can be rather simple.

Easy Poached Eggs

• fresh eggs
• water
• 1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar (rice vinegar works well)

Equipment:

• shallow saucepan with cover
• slotted spoon

1. Fill your saucepan 2/3 full with water. Bring water to almost boiling. (If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling.) At this point, you can add one or two teaspoons of vinegar to the water, if you want. The vinegar will help the egg whites to coagulate more easily. (Thank you Alton Brown for teaching me this word.)
2. Make sure to only work with your eggs one by one. Crack an egg into a small cup, then place the cup near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water. With a spoon, gently nudge the egg whites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together.
3. You can either turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked. Or you can leave the stove on (water simmering slightly), cover the pan, and watch carefully--the egg will cook faster this way. But BEWARE...you must watch the egg CAREFULLY, because a few seconds in human time is minutes in egg poaching time. Every second counts.
4. Lift the eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.
5. Want to know a cool trick I figured out a couple of years ago? Poach your eggs in a mason jar lid (ring included). Oil the lid, place it in the pan of hot water, drop the egg over the mason jar lid, let it settle in the ring, and then turn off the heat and cover. And voila! Perfectly shaped poached eggs in just a few minutes!

Note: Fresh eggs will be easier to poach than older eggs. This is because they don't spread out as much. Vinegar is optional, but it will help the eggs hold together. However, if you don't like the taste, omit.

Hollandaise sauce may seem intimidating, but if you make it in a blender, it is actually rather easy and has a wonderful consistency.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 dash Tabasco (or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and hot

1. In the container of a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce. Cover, and blend for about 5 seconds.
2. Set the blender on high speed, and pour the hot butter into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream. It should thicken almost immediately.
3. Pour sauce into a glass bowl or serving pitcher. 
4. Keep the sauce warm until serving by placing the serving container in a pan of hot water.

Pesto sauce is usually made with fresh basil leaves, but when you don't have fresh basil on hand, or you are just too poor to afford it (like me), then spinach works almost just as well.

Spinach Pesto

• 4 cups washed, torn spinach leaves, stems removed, well packed
• 3 garlic cloves, halved
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I like the flavor of extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (omit if you want it dairy-free)
• 1/8-1 teaspoon salt (the amount will vary if you add the Parmesan cheese or not)

1. Place a few spinach leaves, garlic, pine nuts, basil and a little oil in blender or food processor. Cover and puree until leaves begin to look crushed. 
2. Continue adding spinach leaves with small amounts of oil to blender. Use a rubber spatula to help to combine pureed mixture, and to scrape off the sides of the food processor/blender. 
3. Add Parmesan cheese and salt. Cover and process until spinach pesto mixture is smooth.

To assemble:

• 8 pieces of cooked bacon or 4 pieces of Canadian bacon or smoked salmon (whatever floats your boat)
• 4 slices of tomato
• 8 slices of avocado
• 4 poached eggs
• 2 English muffins, sliced
• Butter
• Spinach Pesto

1. As soon as all the eggs are in the poaching water, begin toasting your English muffins. (You can gently remove the eggs from the poaching water and set them in a bowl, if your muffins are not toasted in time.)
2. After the muffins are toasted, butter one side of an English muffin. Slather with spinach pesto. Top with two slices of bacon or 1 slice of Canadian bacon or a piece of smoked salmon. Lay a tomato slice and 2 slices of avocado over that. Put a poached egg on top of the avocado, and then pour some hollandaise sauce over.
3. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, if desired. 
4. Repeat with additional ingredients.
5. Serve at once.

Eggs Benedict were made to be eaten with a fork and a knife.
Makes you feel like royalty, ya know?

Dev. He was all messy. No one really likes their picture taken while they are eating, but he is just so cute, I couldn't resist :)


Question of the Day:
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? 
I love oatmeal with bananas, dried figs, and cinnamon :)

THANKS for reading!
<3 Sarah

P is for Pasta

 

Many different cultures eat some sort of noodle-like food, varying from Greek itrion made up of flour and water to Israeli itrium, a kind of boiled dough.  But pasta is believed to have originated from China.  In China, noodles of wheat, millet or rice have been eaten for thousands of years.  However, we cannot deny the Italian claim to fame of inventing the pasta dish.  Italian pasta is made from durum wheat and water, formed into various shapes, and boiled in water.  

Pasta is often eaten hot with a tomato-based sauce, but not today.  Nope.  Today it is cold with a vinegar-based sauce.  I must admit that I HATE pasta salads.  Actually, I despise them.  They are called Macaroni Salads.  Do you know which ones I am talking about?  The pasta salads that are full of macaroni, mayonnaise, mustard, and celery.  The pasta salads that make you think of that hot summer day at the local social picnic, where the salad has been sitting out for hours and and the flies are a buzz around it.  Yes, those pasta salads.  Yuck.  Bleh.  Ick.  BUT this pasta salad is different.  It is fresh.  It is flavor-packed.  It is delicious.  Full of penne, spinach, olives, tomatoes, green onions, feta, and vinaigrette, this pasta salad will being a smile to your face :)

Italian Pasta Salad

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 cups black olives, drained and chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup marinated banana peppers, chopped
• 2 handfuls of spinach, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.  Drain and cool under cold water.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the envelope of dressing mix, herbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, olives, tomatoes, green onions, and peppers.  Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture.  Stir in the spinach.  Gently fold in the feta cheese.
4. Cover and refridgerate for at least one hour.
5. Serve cold.

*Feel free to add in any of your favorite dressing mixes.  Some options include: sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, raspberry vinaigrette, or Caesar dressing.

Yummo.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

 

 Pizza. There's just something about it that is so magical. The crispy yet soft crust, the melted stringy cheese, the sweet warm tomatoes. That first bite. The way the oozing sauce and cheese dribbles onto your chin. The sweet and savory flavors blending so perfectly in your mouth. It's all so enticing.

Okay, so I decided to refrigerate my dough for 24 hours before rising and baking. YES, 24 hours! Apparently it makes your pizza crust easier to work with, and gives it have a better texture and flavor. After trying it out, I concur with all of the above. It makes your pizza go from good to AMAZING. I will refrigerate my pizza dough from now on--and hey, maybe I will try it with other breads too.

This dough was incredibly pliable and absolutely perfect. I am telling you, refrigerating it is key.

I have a confession...I used to work at Papa Murphy's Pizza. You heard that right. Me (Sarah) was once an employee of the classic take'n'bake pizza franchise. I do not have many fond memories, but I did get to experiment with the dough and all the wonderful toppings. My favorite thing to do was to make the stuffed Chicago pizza with a braided crust. So here it is, the braided crust.

Creamy garlic Alfredo sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. Oh yes.

The final product. Now that some lovin' in the oven.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Olive oil, for the pizza crust
• Flour, for dusting

Toppings:

• 1 cup Alfredo sauce, jazzed up with some garlic and basil
• 1/2 teaspoon herbs, oregano, basil, thyme
• A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Parmesan, Monterrey Jack, provolone
• Spinach, green onions, tomatoes, grilled chicken (all chopped, of course)

1. Mix the sugar, olive oil, water, and yeast a bowl. Let this sit for about 5 minutes. Then stir in 1 cup of flour and salt. Add remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer's work bowl. Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed. (Or you can do this by hand. Yay.)
2. Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven from 450 to 500 degrees F. Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.
4. Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a towel and rest for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziplock bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. (This can be refrigerated for up to 6 days.)
6. Sprinkle the flour onto the countertop and roll out using a rolling pin, or toss in the air with your hands. Place the stretched dough onto a sprayed pan. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for another 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)
7. Brush the crust of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and top with the cheese. Lay down spinach, green onions, tomatoes, and chicken. Top off with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for a few minutes before slicing.
9. Devour.