Ravioli Lasagna Mash Up

Ravioli Lasagna Mash Up

This recipe is basically a marriage of two rich and delicious classic Italian dishes; ravioli and lasagna.  How can you go wrong.  I like this dish because it's a bit less work than traditional homemade lasagna.  Another benefit we found is that we find this dish reheats better than lasagna.  There are a number of recipes out there for "Ravioli Lasagna"; I read several and did my own thing.  I decided to use a combination of lean ground turkey and rich Italian sausage.  Since ground turkey is not as flavorful, I added a lot of herbs and spices to the turkey.  I also added a lot of herbs and spices to the creamy ricotta mixture.  This is a flexible recipe. You can leave out the Italian sausage, you can leave out the onion, you can leave out the crushed red pepper flakes.  Of course, feel free to use your favorite jarred tomato sauce.  I would like this with a spinach and cheese ravioli.  You could leave out the ground turkey and Italian sausage and use a meat filled ravioli or leave out the meat all together for a vegetarian dish.  Make it your own and enjoy!

Here is how I made my version of Ravioli Lasagna.

RAVIOLI LASAGNA MASH UP

INGREDIENTS

Meat Sauce:

1 pound lean ground turkey (I use Jennie-O brand)
1/3 to 1/2 pound ground hot Italian sausage (I use Johnsonville brand which is made from pork)
1/2 of a medium sized sweet onion, small dice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
several grinds of black pepper
24 ounce jar marinara (I use Barilla brand "Tomato & Basil)

Ricotta Mixture:

15 ounce tub of part skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of salt
several grinds of black pepper

1 1/2 pounds mini-frozen cheese ravioli (I used Kroger brand); DO NOT THAW
3/4 to 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large skillet, cook and crumble the ground Italian sausage, until no pink remains.  Drain well on paper towels to wick away grease. Set aside.

Carefully clean out the skillet with a paper towel to remove excess grease.  Return the skillet to the stove top and add in the ground turkey, diced onion, and the spices called for in the "Meat Sauce".  Cook and crumble the mixture, stirring and chopping, until no pink remains.  Add in the sauce.  Add about 2 tablespoons of water to the pasta jar, replace the lid, and shake to get the sauce off the inside of the jar.  Add the watery sauce mixture into the meat sauce.  Cook over medium heat for a few minutes to warm through.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the ingredients listed under "Ricotta Mixture". Stir well with a fork to combine.

Next, assemble the dish:  Spoon about 1/3 or less of the Meat Sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan; spread around.  Top with 1/2 of the frozen ravioli in a single layer, 1/2 of the Ricotta Mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce.  Repeat the layers (1/2 the frozen ravioli, 1/2 the Ricotta Mixture, 1/3 the Meat Sauce).  Spread the sauce around to cover the ravioli.  Sprinkle top with grated mozzarella cheese. 

Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven (350 degrees F) for 40 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil.  Continue to bake in the oven for 10 additional minutes. 

Enjoy!

Above: Before popping into the oven.
Below:  Most of the ingredients all assembled (onion and parmesan cheese not pictured... whoops!)

 

Shredded Cuban Pork (Slow Cooker)

Hmmmmm, what is THAT?

Here, let me zoom out a bit for you...

Hey, that kind of looks like a fancy grilled cheese sandwich!?!

Yep, it kind of IS a really fancy grilled cheese sandwich but it's so much more...

Shredded Cuban Pork (you can see the citrus zest in there... so much flavor!)

I make this really flavorful pork in my slow cooker (Crock Pot) and then shred it.  I keep making this intending to eat it myself; I think it would be great on top of a baked sweet potato.  I still haven't gotten around to trying that; I keep making these sandwiches for the guys. 

There is a sandwich called a "Cuban" that originated in Florida.  The sandwich is typically made with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread.  This is my version.

Cuban Shredded Pork (Slow Cooker)

1 pork tenderloin or boneless pork loin filet (1 3/4 to 2 pounds)

1 lime for zest and juice

1 orange for zest and juice

2 medium to large sized garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. 

Place the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, in a small bowl; stir to mix.  Place the pork on a cutting board and trim away any fat and/or silver skin using a sharp knife.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over pork, covering all sides.  Place the seasoned pork in the slow cooker.

Using a fine grater (such as a Microplane grater), zest the lime and the orange and sprinkle the zest over the pork in the slow cooker.  Cut the lime and the orange in half and squeeze all of the juice from the lime and juice into the slow cooker.  Finely grate the garlic cloves and sprinkle over the pork as well.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on the LOW setting for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the pork shreds easily with two forks.  Reserve about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker and pour it over the shredded pork.  The pork seems to soak it up for even more flavor.

To make into a sandwich, you are basically building a fancy grilled cheese sandwich.  Butter (or use margarine) two slices of bread (I used Russian Rye from Oroweat) and build the sandwich in the following order:

• 1 slice of bread, buttered side down
• 1 or 1 1/2 slices of Swiss cheese (I use Sargento Ultra Thin Swiss cheese)
• shredded pork
• pickle slices (dill pickles are great but they guys in this house like Famous Dave's "Devil's Spit" pickles)
• another 1 or 1 1/2 slices of Swiss cheese
• slice of bread, buttered side up

Cook sandwich in a skillet, just like you would a grilled cheese sandwich, until both sides are nicely browned.  Alternatively, you can grill the sandwich in a panini pan.

Cuban sandwiches are traditionally made with dill pickles.  The guys here asked that I used the pickles you see above.  Initially when you try these pickles, they taste like sweet bread and butter pickles.  But LOOK OUT! These pickles pack a punch.  I tried a few on an empty stomach before I had dinner.  Mistake.  BIG mistake!  They are very hot and spicy.  I love the name of these pickles and also the artwork on the jar. 

Ancho-Chile Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Cilantro-Lime Quinoa and Fresh Pico de Gallo

I made up this nice plate for myself and snapped this photo with my iPhone as I sat down to eat my meal.  Just after I took this photo, I dropped my iPhone into my plate of food.  Doh!  Don't do that, but do try this recipe.  It's good!

Ancho-Chile Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Cilantro-Lime Quinoa and Fresh Pico de Gallo

We are trying to eat healthier and focus on lean protein with fresh fruits and vegetables, and we are trying to stay away from the carbs we love so much: bread, pasta, tortillas, etc.  For some recipe inspiration, I flipped through a magazine from 2014.  

I found a pork tenderloin recipe; I knew my husband would NOT go for the Pineapple-Papaya Salsa, so I made Fresh Pico de Gallo instead.  I also made up some Cilantro Lime Quinoa.  When I try a new recipe, I always wonder if it's going to be a flop, but my husband really LOVED this recipe.  He ate all the leftovers so we got 5 servings out of this recipe.

You can see the spice rub in the photo above.  I had all the ingredients on hand which is always nice. I thought I had purchased a PLAIN pork tenderloin but when I was opening up my packaged tenderloin, I saw it was called "original" (looks like it was pre-seasoned).  I did rinse my pork tenderloin under cold running water to remove some of the "goo" from the packaging and patted the tenderloin dry with paper towels before coating it with the spice rub.

Ancho-Chile Crusted Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (I used Hormel brand: 1.5 pounds, the label read "original")

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over pork tenderloin (see notes above); coat the entire tenderloin with the spice mixture.  Place tenderloin in a gallon sized zip close bag and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place pork loin in a baking dish (I used a 13" x 9" x 2" glass Pyrex dish).  Bake for about 35 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit.  I was in a hurry to get this on the table so I cooked this at 425 degrees.  The original recipe calls for cooking the pork tenderloin on the outdoor grill. 

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

1/2 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1 cup water

pinch of kosher salt

a few tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro leaves

the finely grated zest of 1 lime

the juice of half a lime

Bring the water and the pinch of salt to a boil.  Add in quinoa, cover with a lid, reduce to low; simmer for 17 to 20 minutes, without removing the lid on the pot.  When done, add in the cilantro, lime, zest, and lime juice from 1/2 a lime; fluff and stir with a fork.

Fresh Pico de Gallo

4 or 5 fresh Roma tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, finely diced

1 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced (use less if you don't like spicy)

1 fresh clove of garlic, finely minced

the juice of half a lime

1/2 of a small onion, I used a sweet Vidalia onion, finely diced

a few tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

a few pinches of granulated sugar to offset the spice/heat

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl; toss with a fork to combine.

Sweet Vidalia Onion Pork with Peppers

Sweet Vidalia Onion Pork with Peppers

My husband retired from his job December 31, 2014.  I am not sure if his retirement has anything to do with it or not, but for some reason we both got the idea that we should take some time to use the up the food we have in the refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards, and stop buying more groceries until we use up some older things.  Sure, we've been going to the store and buying fresh things such as milk, eggs, and vegetables, but we have been doing a really good job cleaning out the freezer especially.  We had three center-cut organic pork chops in the freezer and I decided the slice them into strips and I was about to marinate them in bottled Wish Bone Zesty Italian Vinaigrette, when my husband suggested using the Lite Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing we both like. I sauted the marinated strips of pork with bell pepper and onion.  We are having this over quinoa and a little salty Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top. This meal is ridiculously easy and quick; perfect for a week night.  We just made this for the first time last week and my husband already requested it again he liked it so much. 

 

Sweet Vidalia Onion Pork with Peppers

1 to 1 1/2 pounds thick cut, center cut pork chops, sliced into thin strips
about 1/4 cup Ken's Steakhouse Lite Vidalia Onion Dressing
1 medium sized Vidalia (sweet) onion, finely sliced
1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow)
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Cut the pork into thin strips.  Place in a bowl and toss to coat with salad dressing.
2.  Finely slice the onion and bell pepper.
3.  Generously spray a large skillet with Pam Non-stick Cooking Spray. Heat over medium high heat.
4.  Add the pork strips to the pan and brown on one side.  When the pork strips brown, turn over to cook on the other side. Right away, add in the peppers and onions.  Add in a bit of salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.  Toss the ingredients in the pan as all the ingredients cook and cook until pork is cooked through and veggies are still tender crisp.  Total cooking time is about 5 minutes.

Serve over cooked quinoa if desired.  I make up 1 cup of quinoa according to the package directions. While the quinoa cooks, I make some seasoned olive oil [In a small bowl, combine about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and a few pinches of dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes].  I drizzle the seasoned oil over the cooked quinoa and stir it in with a fork to combine.

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copy Cat Recipe)

Copy Cat Recipe: Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I am getting closer.

I keep trying to make Zuppa Toscana like you get at The Olive Garden Restaurant:  spicy sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth.  

This is my closest effort yet!  I regret I cooked the kale at the end just a tad too long. I could have cut the kale more finely and I also used a little too much kale. But aside from these few things, I am on the right track.  I used Lacinato kale (also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale). 

Slow Cooker Recipe for Zuppa Toscana

1/2 pound Johnsville brand Hot Italian sausage, cooked, crumbled, drained on paper towels

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

3 to 4 small cloves garlic, finely diced

32 ounce carton chicken broth

1 large russet potato, skin on, finely sliced (see photo below)

2 tablespoons Hormel brand fully cooked bacon crumbles

1 cup kale (measure loosely), chopped in to small bite sized pieces

1 cup whole milk

crushed red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook, crumble and drain the sausage in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage to the slow cooker (Crock Pot) along with the onion, garlic, chicken broth, potato, and bacon.  Cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 hours (until potatoes are desired tenderness).  Add kale to top of soup and cover the Crock Pot with the lid; no need to stir it in as the steam will turn the kale a beautiful green). After kale turns bright green (it will just take a few minutes), add in 1 cup whole milk, a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes, about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.  Taste to see if there is enough salt and pepper.  Enjoy!

Above:  Here is a photo from The Olive Garden website. When I saw this photo, I knew I overcooked my kale and added a bit too much kale.   

I am also adding a photo of the sliced potatoes to show you how I sliced them up.  I like that Olive Garden keeps the skins on and slices the potatoes like this. Don't worry if your potatoes are varying thickness; some will break up in the soup and others will be a bit more firm.  It's all good!

Make Ahead Pizza Casserole

Make Ahead Pizza Casserole

I don't make a lot of make-ahead casserole dishes but this one looked good. I am so glad I tried it.  It was so simple to throw together on Saturday and so nice to have dinner nearly on the table when I got home from work on Sunday.  I just asked my husband to preheat the oven, stir the casserole, and pop it in the oven about an hour before I got home from work.  This dish is VERY similar to the Skillet Lasagna I've made dozens of times, but of course the casserole is baked in the oven.  As we had this for dinner, I was thinking of ways this might be made a little more healthful.  Whole grain pasta and turkey Italian sausage perhaps.  One could also add diced bell peppers when cooking up the sausage.  Just like pizza, you can add or subtract ingredients based upon your preferences.  I would have loved olives in this casserole but family doesn't like them.  Bummer!



I found this recipe on the Better Crocker Website:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/make-ahead-pizza-casserole



Ingredients



1 lb mild Italian pork sausage (I used 1.25 lb. Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage)
2 cups water (I added an extra 1/8 cup water since my pizza sauce jar was only 14 ounces)
1 can (15 oz) pizza sauce (I used Di Napoli Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce, 14 oz.)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with sweet onion, undrained (I used fire roasted diced tomatoes)
4 cups uncooked rotini pasta (10 oz)
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (I left this out but it would be great in this dish!)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese blend (6 oz)
(I added a bit of garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried Italian herbs, too!)

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink; drain.

2. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, mix water, pizza sauce and tomatoes. Stir in cooked sausage, uncooked pasta and olives (pasta should be completely covered with sauce). Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

3. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350°F. Stir casserole; cover with foil and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until bubbly.

4. Uncover baking dish; stir mixture. Sprinkle with cheese; bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings (1 1/3 cups each)

This sauce was a good choice.  Good stuff!

Leftovers for work.  Love that!

Crock Pot 3-Bean Chili with Pork

I found this picture on the Internet... sorry, chili all gone. No photo. 



Picture a steaming bowl of hearty chili with some sharp grated cheese on top.   Got it? Okay. 

I made a version of this a Crock Pot 3-Beah Chili awhile back. I would have sworn I wrote it down but I was wrong.  It was back to the drawing board this time around and it turned out good… maybe even better than the original version.  Hubby smelled it brewing in the kitchen and said he wanted to give it a try.  He was suspicious of the little cubes of meat in the chili and, not being a fan of chicken very much, he inquired, “Uhhh, is this chicken?” 

Nope.  It’s pork.

I made a pork loin roast in the crock pot a few weeks ago and the roast was too big for the recipe. I cut about a third of the roast off and froze it in the freezer.  When I was getting ready to make this pot of chili, I let the roast thaw in the refrigerator for a day or so.  When I went to use the roast, it was still partially frozen… which actually made it very easy to cut up into cubes.   I cut the roast into ¾ inch slabs, then ¾ inch slices, and then ¾ inch cubes.  Cutting the bits of roast so small resulted in the chili being ready in about  4 or 4 ½ hours.



CROCK POT 3-BEAN CHILI WITH PORK

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1 1/2 pounds uncooked pork loin roast, cut into bite sized cubes (about 3/4 inch)
1 1/2 cups beer (12 ounces) - I used Coors Lite
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
1 can Rotel Original diced tomatoes with green chiles (10 ounce)
1 diced yellow onion
1 diced red bell pepper
1 can pinto beans, rinsed/drained (15 ounce)
1 can black beans, rinsed/drained (15 ounce)
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed/drained (15 ounce)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon each ground coriander, garlic powder, and dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Throw all ingredients in crock pot (slow cooker). Give it a good stir. Cook on low for 4 to 4 ½ hours.  If desired, garnish with shredded sharp cheddar cheese or your favorite  chili toppings. Enjoy!

 

Pizza Dough from the Pioneer Woman and Parmesan-Dijon Chicken/Pork from Betty Crocker

I tried a new pizza crust this weekend.  It is so easy and so good that I made it twice.  I am using one batch of dough for two pizzas.  This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman. I love her TV show and I love her blog.  Well, I love her recipes too.  I tossed out my Bread Machine (AKA: my pizza crust dough maker) recently due to a broken part so I've been trying to find a recipe I can make with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. This recipe calls for the paddle attachment as opposed to the dough hook. I think the paddle did a better job mixing the ingredients as compared to the dough hook.  I still found I had to stop the mixer, pull the dough away from the paddle, and mix again a few times to feel as if I was really mixing the sticky dough.  Otherwise it kind of felt like I was just spinning the dough around on the paddle inside the bowl.  The first time I used the crust, I let it sit on the counter top for a few hours in an oiled, covered bowl. The dough was super soft and very easy to stretch into shape.  The second time I used the dough it had been refrigerated overnight but I let it come up to room temperature by resting it on the counter top (in a gallon sized plastic zip closed bag) for several hours before using. The refrigerated dough was a little tougher to work with (it wanted to spring back as opposed to staying stretched out into shape).  Something mysterious happens to dough. I am sure some scientist could explain it to me... something to do with the gluten I imagine.   

Pizza Crust from "The Pioneer Woman"

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST (MAKES TWO CRUSTS):
• 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

I used the crust to make two Buffalo Chicken Pizzas.  My entire family loves this pizza!  My husband grilled the chicken on our grill outdoors. We've finally had enough rain that the Sheriff could lift the fire ban (which restricted outdoor grilling).

Made some No Chop Chili for my husband for the week.

I tried another new recipe this week.  This recipe comes from Betty Crocker.  I signed up to get e-mails from this website and they have a lot of really good looking recipes.  I made a recipe called Parmesan-Dijon Chicken Monday night.   The recipe calls for six chicken breasts but I cut each breast into three smaller portions and reduced the cooking time a bit.  I ate some of the breaded pieces of chicken for lunch but also made some sandwiches with the breaded chicken (bun, lettuce, mayo).... MmmmMmmm GOOD!

As I was eating the sandwich, I kept thinking the recipe might work well with pork.  I used a pork tenderloin which was not quite 1 1/2 pounds and cut it into medallions.  The flavor is very good but I could not get the crust to crisp up. We had sandwiches with the breaded pork tenderloin and we all liked them.  We all agreed it would be better if the crust was more crunchy.   I might give this recipe a try again with the thin, boneless pork chops I see at the store.  The Parmesan-Dijon Chicken recipe can be found here if you'd like to give it a try.  It is great on chicken breasts.  I just need to do a bit more tweaking to make it work with pork.

How to make Gourmet Pizza at Home (Pizza Kits)

Gourmet Pizza at Home - This time... "Italian Sausage and Cheese Pizza"

 

 

Well, maybe calling it "gourmet" is a bit of a stretch, but this is DARN good pizza and I make it a home!  I've been making homemade pizza for nealy 20 years... since my sister gave me a bread machine for Christmas.  The bread machine had a "dough" setting and my sister also sent along a great bread book with a basic pizza crust recipe.  The old bread machine has come and gone.  My newer "Sunbeam" brand bread machine from WalMart (cost about $44.00 a few years back) also has a "dough" setting.  I was not happy with my homemade pizza for many years. I made the pizza on cookie sheets and I even tried a pizza stone but the crust was never what I hoped for.  I was about to throw out my pizza stone several months ago but, before I did, I went back to the drawing board.  The result was this recipe for two thin crust pizzas.  Pizza at home is a bit of work, so I do all of the work once and essentially make kits for two pizzas so we can have pizza two times in one week.  I am intending for this to be a post about how I make a good pizza at home...  more about technique than a specific recipe. 

 

For this recipe, I use a bread machine (to make the dough) and I use a pizza stone to bake the pizza.

 

If I only use my bread machine for pizza dough and if I only use my pizza stone to make pizza, both are worthwhile investments. The pizza is that good! 

 

Of course, lots of folks also use stand mixers with a dough hook to make pizza crust.  Do whatever you prefer for the pizza dough. This is more of a post about my technique using the pizza stone...

 

*****************

 

Bread Machine Pizza Crust (makes 2 large, thin pizza crusts)

 

1 cup warm water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons yeast (I use Fleishman's bread machine yeast; keep in in the fridge)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 

Place ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed.  I put the yeast on top of the flour and I put the salt, yeast, sugar, and oil, in the corners.  Set to "dough" setting and start (according to your bread machine's instructions.  My dough cycle takes 1 1/2 hours.

 

  *****************************

 

Toppings: Of course, you can use whatever toppings you like. We routinely make pizza with sausage and cheese.  (I have some other recipes; I'll post about them another day).  For sauce, I used jarred pasta sauce.  Our favorite is Bertolli Brand Tomato and Basil which comes in a 24 ounce jar.  I use a generous cup of sauce on each pizza so we nearly use 1 jar for two pizzas.  For sausage, we use 1 to 1 1/4 pound packages of Johnsonville brand Italian Sausage (hot, sweet, or mild... you can't go wrong; they are all good).  I also use pre-shredded mozarella cheese.  Additionally, I use dried Italian herbs, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.

 

One of the tricks to making pizza at home is allowing the dough to rest for at least 20 minutes.  When the dough is done kneading and resting/rising in the bread machine, I turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide the dough in half. 

 

If I am not making pizza right away, I dust each ball of dough with a little flour and place each ball into a gallon sized zip closure plastic bag.  The dough will continue to rise in the refrigerator so a big bag (or container) is necessary.  When I am ready to make the pizza, it's important to let the dough come up to room temperature.  I get the dough out of the fridge an hour or two before I want to make pizza. 

 

If I am making pizza right away, I let the dough rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes while I preheat the oven and prepare/assemble the other ingredients. Often I make one pizza right away and put the remaining dough in the refrigerator for use later in the week.

 

Ready to make pizza? Let's go!

1. Move your oven rack to the highest position available.
2. Place your pizza stone in the oven on the top rack.
3. Preheat your oven and pizza stone to 485 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Assemble all of you ingredients and have them ready; you want to work rather quickly once the dough hits the hot, hot, hot pizza stone. 
    



Here you can see I have my grated mozzarella cheese, jarred tomato sauce, seasonings (garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried Italian herbs), and also some cooked, crumbled pork Italian sausage, draining on some paper towel.  (Note: if your sauce has been refrigerated, warm it up for about a minute in the microwave).

I have my pizza crust rolled out into a sort of round shape about the size of my pizza stone. I used a little flour on my sheet pan and rolling pin to keep it from sticking. You can also put a little cornmeal under the dough.

Oh, here's a close up of those ingredients...

 

Once your pizza stone and oven are preheated to 485 degrees, put your smokin' hot pizza stone on the counter top every hot pad you own to protect your counter top.  Carefully put the dough on the pizza stone... shape the dough a little if you need to but it pretty much starts to cook the second you put the dough on the stone so you don't have a lot of time to mess with it.  Top the pizza with the sauce, ground sausage, cheese, and generously sprinkle garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried Italian herbs over the entire pizza.  If I am adding other ingredients such as finely sliced red onion or bell pepper, I put them on top of the cheese.   Quickly and carefully get this pie in the oven.

 



Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.  I like it a bit on the crispy side.  Just keep an eye on it after 10 minutes.  A lot can happen in 1 minute in an oven cranked up to 485 degrees.

Carefully slide the pizza back onto the sheet pan, slice, and enjoy!

 

 One pizza down; one to go.  Here I have a ball of dough and the remaining sauce, cheese, and cooked/crumbled sausage ready for pizza another day later in the week.

 I try to use up the dough within 2 or 3 days.

 

 

Cilantro-Lime Pork Rollups with Caramelized Onions

Recipe FLASHBACK!  No, I did not get a hair cut. This photo is five years old.  Today I was making my recipe for Cilantro-Lime Pork Rollups with Caramelized Onions and it occurred to me that it was five years ago this month that my mom and I were at the Pillsbury Bake-Off in Dallas, Texas.  We had a fantastic time.  I'll share a few photos with you while I take a walk down memory lane. 

All the recipes on display; my cooking was done. We had to make the recipe three times. Once for judges, once for photos and display, and one extra time just in case. It was exhilarating but exhausting!

The Pillsbury Doughboy and me.  You gotta love this guy!

When you stand close to the Pillsbury Doughboy you can hear a fan running.  Seriously, there is a fan inside that costume, presumably to keep the costume wearer cooler.  I would love to dress up as the Pillsbury Doughboy!

A frenzy of cooking on the ballroom floor.  One hundred little kitchens all lined up and no running water!  They have to run the air conditioners like crazy to get the ballroom very cold so the room is tolerable when 100 ovens get turned on during the contest.

Here's the 2008 Bake-Off Cookbook.

Here's my little 'ol recipe in the book.

I've started a little collection of Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbooks. It's fun to look at them to see how cooking and Pillsbury products have changed over the decades.  A lot of the products are no longer available. 

Here's what the recipe looks like as you make it. It's a lot of work but it's pretty darn tasty if I can say so myself.  

Sauteing the marinated pork.

All the ingredients are assembled...

Everybody gets a little schmear of refried beans...

... and some pork (I doubled the pork this time around)...

... and some caramelized onions... can you see them...?

 Here's a little close up so you can see those tasty onions...

Then some grated pepper jack cheese...

Some with colby jack cheese for my son (he's not a fan of pepper jack)...

Hey, why do my photos look kind of blue...

Oh, the sun is shining through the stained glass window over the island in the kitchen...

Sorry for the blue tinted food photos!

Ready to bake.  I put them in the refrigerator at this point and popped them

in the oven when we were wanting to have dinner.

If you would like to give this recipe a try, the recipe link is HERE!