Pizza Night

Easy Pizza Dough
Marja Himmist

1 c warm water
1 package yeast (or 1 T yeast)
1/4 t salt
1 T sugar
3 T oil
1 1/2 c flour (approximate)

Dissolve yeast in warm water; add salt, sugar and oil. Stir in flour until sticky. Continue to stir in enough flour until dough can be handled. Knead dough on a floured board until it is no longer sticky. Cover with a bowl for 5 minutes to rest. Prepare toppings while the dough rests.

Roll out dough on a floured board or counter to the desired size and transfer to a greased pizza pan. Add your favorite toppings. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.


Stuffed Crust Pizza

Karen Tolliver

5 string cheeses cut lengthwise in half

pizza dough

Roll pizza dough out 2 inches larger than you want your pizza (i.e. if you want a 14 inch pizza roll out your dough to 16 inches). Place string cheese around the pizza, about an inch or two from the edge of the dough. Fold the dough over the string cheese. Press the dough so it seals completely.

**Tip** When you roll out your dough, if you let it sit for 5 min covered then it will keep it's shape when you move the dough.

Pizza Stone

Make sure that you follow the instructions for seasoning your stone. The pizza will stick the first few times. Use cornmeal or lots of oil to help the pizza not stick (I found that corn meal worked the best, it just was not fun eating the pizza because it made it nice and crunchy).

The benefits of the stone is that it helps to have even cooking, and it has a crunchier crust. You can use the stone for anything. I have heard of people baking cookies on it, or even rolls or biscuits. I have also had roommates leave their stone in the oven because it helps with even cooking for all things.

Make sure when cleaning your stone do not use soap. The stone is porous so if you use soap your food will taste like soap after that. All you need to do is scrape off the food, and then wash with water. You can cut right on the stone. It will get messy looking, but that's ok.


Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza
Carolann Wedlund

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe (recipe follows)
4 Pieces Garlic Naan Bread
16 oz fresh Mozzarella Cheese, shredded or sliced
1-2 Shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup Cilantro, minced
1 Red Bell pepper or Tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take Naan bread and cover with sauce and chicken from Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe. Place shallots and red bell pepper or tomato over chicken and then cover with desired amount of Mozzarella cheese. Place "pizza" on a non stick sheet tray and bake in oven for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and the naan starts to brown around the edges. Sprinkle on Cilantro after pizza is out of the oven.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I usually make the following recipe for dinner and then use left overs for pizza, if you wish to only use it for the pizza you make want to half the recipe.

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
• 3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows (or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger and 3 cloves garlic put through a garlic press or finely minced)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, poked with a fork, and cut into large bite-sized chunks

Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows (or 6 cloves garlic and 2-inch thumb ginger minced)
• 2 serrano peppers, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 8 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 to 2 cups water
• Oil, for grilling
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Minced fresh cilantro, for garnish
• Cooked rice, naan, or crusty piece of bread, for serving

Directions

For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

For the sauce: When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and serrano peppers. Saute until lightly browned around the edges. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and the paprika and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on how much liquid the tomatoes give off.

Meanwhile, fire up your grill. When it is nice and hot, lightly brush it with oil. Place the chicken on the grill, shaking off some of the excess marinade. Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce).

Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender, and process until smooth. Pour back into the skillet and bring back up to a boil. Add the chicken and fenugreek leaves, if using. Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and stir through. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice, with naan, or a crusty piece of bread!

Ginger-Garlic Paste:

• 1/2 cup cloves garlic, whole
• 1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.

Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. It's a delicious addition to marinades, pasta sauces, stir fry sauces, slow-cooker recipes, gravy etc. We always had a jar of this stuff in our fridge growing up.

April Theme: Pizza!

April's Test Kitchen will be held on Wednesday, April 13th at 7pm.We will be learning about everyone's favorite "go to" meal, Pizza!There will be demonstrations on how to make your own pizza dough,how to make "Health conscious" pizza, how to make stuffed crust pizza,and how to use a pizza stone.Bring your favorite pizza to share or just come and Enjoy!

Soup and Salad Night

Basic Chicken and Broth
Teri Topham

(can be used for chicken noodle so
up, chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice soup, etc.)

3 to 3 ½ lb. chicken, cup up (chicken necks, backs and giblets can be used)

8 cups cold water

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 stalks celery, cut up

2 medium carrots, cut up

1 onion, cut in quarters

1 sprig parsley

Remove any excess fat from chicken. Place chicken, giblets (except liver) and neck in stock pot. Add remaining ingredients; heat to boiling. Skim foam; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of chicken are done, about 45 minutes.

Remove chicken from broth; cool chicken just until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Strain broth through cheesecloth-lined sieve. (I just use a colander. Your broth would be much more beautiful if you use the cheese-cloth, but I don’t have the patience!) Remove chicken from bones and skin; cut up chicken. Discard bones, skin and vegetables. Skim fat from broth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate broth and chicken in separate containers up to 24 hours, or freeze for future use.

About 6 cups broth; 110 calories, and about 3 cups cooked chicken; 715 calories.

Chicken and Leek Soup

2 ½ to 3 lb. chicken, cut up

1 medium carrot, sliced (about ½ cup)

1 medium stalk celery, sliced (about ½ cup)

1 bay leaf

½ cup uncooked barley

4 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon (dry)

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ cups sliced leeks

Heat all ingredients except leeks to boiling in stock pot; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add leeks. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of chicken are done, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth; cool chicken slightly. Remove chicken from bones and skin; cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Skim fat from broth; remove bay leaf. Add chicken to broth; heat until hot, about 5

minutes. 7 servings (about 1 cup each); 195 calories per serving.

Turkey Italian Sausage Minestrone

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup Italian turkey sausage, cut into small pieces

1 can tomato paste

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 cup sliced celery

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup sliced carrots

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 can (14.5 oz.) chopped, canned tomatoes

5 cups chicken broth

1 can (15.5 oz.) white beans with liquid

1 can (16 oz.) red kidney beans, drained

2 cups zucchini cut into ½ inch pieces

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup cooked bowtie pasta (I use any kind I have)

pre-packed pesto

parmesean cheese

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan. Add sausage, cook until no longer pink. Add onions, celery, garlic, carrots and oregano. Cook until garlic is aromatic, about 5 minutes.

Pour into a 4-quart slow cooker. Add tomato paste, tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook on low setting for 6-7 hours, 4 hours on high setting.

Stir in beans, zucchini, spinach and cooked pasta. Cook on high setting for 8 minutes or until beans and pasta are warmed through and spinach has wilted.

Pour the soup into bowls. Top with a little pesto and fresh parmesean cheese.

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon butter

½ medium onion, finely chopped

¼ c. butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups half-and-half (I use whole milk)

2 cups chicken broth

½ pound fresh broccoli

1 cup carrots, julienned

salt and pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Saute onion in 1 T. butter. Set aside. Cook butter over medium heat until melted. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add the half-and-half, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the grated cheese and nutmeg. Serve.

Champion Garlic Sauce

Elizabeth Champion

2 eggs
1/3 cup vinegar
2-3 cloves of garlic
10 shakes of salt
6 shakes of pepper
1 cup olive oil

Mix first five ingredients in blender on high for one minute. Turn blender down to medium, remove lid plug, and drizzle oil into blender. Once oil is all in, return plug and blend on high for one minute. Stores in fridge for weeks but does lose it's garlic potency so will need to add garlic again when used later.

Uses
Toss with Romaine lettuce and croutons and top with fresh Parmesan cheese for a Caesar's salad.
Double garlic and saute shrimp in sauce instead of oil or butter.
Use as a pizza sauce instead of marinara.
Use sauce as topping for fish tacos.

Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary

Carolann Wedlund

Ingredients

• 2 lb Butternut Squash
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of freshrosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup creme fraiche
• Zest of one lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the squash in half through the stem and remove the seeds. Drizzle the cut edges with oil, season with salt and pepper, and put it, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast until very soft, about 1 hour. Remove the squash from the oven, turn the halves over and let them stand until cool enough to handle. Scoop the flesh from the shell, into a bowl and discard the shell.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, covered. Add the butternut squash flesh into the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes, covered.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches or with an immersion blender, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3 cup creme fraiche. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollopeach bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

6 Hour Beef Stew

3 lb lean beef cut into bite size chunks
5 Carrots in chunks
4 Potatoes in chunks
1 Yellow Onion in chunks
1/2 lb Mushrooms halved
1 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 bay leaves
1 can of Golden Mushroom
1 can of Cream of mushroom
1 can of cream of celery
1 can of water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix Together cans of soup, water, and Lipton onion soup mix in a separate bowl. Mix Everything together in a large dutch oven or pot (at least 6-8 Qts) and bake at 275 degrees for 6 hours.

Lemon & Fruit Salad

RaeDene Hodson

Whisk together

1 - 6 oz pkg lemon pudding (cook kind, not instant!)

3 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

When it is smooth and blended - whisk in 2 more cups water

Microwave on high for 8 minutes – stirring it every 2 minutes

After it has thickened and cooled, beat in

12 oz Cool Whip

Fold in

2 large cans pineapple chunks

2 cans mandarin oranges

Before serving, fold in 2 – 3 cut up bananas

Serve cold

Leek-Potato Soup
Carol Hansen

Mince the white part of:

3 medium leeks

1 medium-sized onion

Stir and saute them for 3 minutes in:

3 tBsp butter

Peel, slice very fine, and add:

4 medium-sized potatoes

Add:

4 cups chicken stock

Simmer the vegetables, covered, for 15 minutes or until tender. Put them through a sieve, food mill, or blender until smooth. You may want to leave a few lumps.

Add:

1-2 cups milk or cream

1/4 tsp mace

salt and white pepper to taste

CONFETTI TACO SALAD

Heidi Little

SHREDDED LETTUCE (ANY KIND)

CHOPPED TOMATOES

CHOPPED ONIONS

CHOPPED OLIVES

CHOPPED AVOCADOS

COOKED GROUND BEEF

ADD...CRUSHED DORITO CHIPS

TOSS WITH THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

EAT IMMEDIATELY AND ENJOY

White Chicken Chili
Wendy Hearn

28 ounces white beans (such as navy or Great Northern), rinsed and drained
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 ounces canned green chili peppers, drained and chopped
2 pounds cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
In a skillet, cook onions over moderate heat until softened.
In a large pot, melt butter over low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.
Stir in onions and gradually add broth, half-and-half, and milk, whisking constantly.
Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened.
Stir in pepper sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper.
Add beans, chilies, chicken, cheese, and corn and cook chili over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
Top with sour cream, additional cheese, or other toppings as desired.

makes 9 1-cup servings