In short, it is high garden season at present, which means practically every spare moment I have is spent doing something outside. It's looking awesome, growing well, feeling great, and I'm planning a post on my birthday/1 year closing anniversary on our house that will highlight all the hard work we've been doing. Brian and I, also, are spending a lot of spare time on our relationship. An investment we both feel is necessary, smart, and worthwhile, but it takes a lot of time and energy.
So, that's it on personal anecdotes today. Not quite the witty banter you're used to, but hopefully you understand. Now onto the food!
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| Potato and Rosemary Pizza (recipe below) |
Potato and Rosemary Pizza
Yield: 1 large pizza (4 to 6 people)
1/2 recipe my pizza dough with those instructions exactly
1 head roasted garlic
a drizzle of olive oil
sea salt and pepper
2 red-skinned potatoes, sliced thin
1 large sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
1/2 large sweet onion. sliced thin
a dash of sugar
2 T butter
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated
To roast the garlic: slice the very top off the head of garlic, exposing the cloves slightly. Set it on a square of foil and drizzle with olive oil and season well with sea salt and pepper. Wrap it tightly in the foil and roast for 45 minutes in a 375 oven. Cool enough to squeeze the cloves out directly onto the crust. Spread around with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.
To prepare the potatoes and onions: in a large skillet, melt the 2 T butter with a little more olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a dash of sugar. Cover and leave it alone for 10 to 15 minutes. Come back and stir it all around, replace the cover, and leave it alone for another 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat this process until your onions are a rich golden brown color. (I have an electric stovetop, so it took about 45 minutes total). When onions are done, add the thinly sliced potatoes and replace the lid. Cook just until potatoes are no longer crunchy but still have a bit of substance to them - we're not making a mashed potato pizza here!
To assemble the pizza: Layer the par-cooked potatoes in an even circular pattern onto the roasted garlic crust, then scoop out all the caramelized onions from the pan onto the potatoes. Chop the rosemary and sprinkle it well all around, then top with the two cheeses. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the top bubbles.
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| Hawaiian Pizza (recipe below) |
Hawaiian Pizza
Yield: 1 large pizza (4 to 6 people)
Pizza Sauce:
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 C plus 2 T water
1/3 C olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
a few pinches sea salt
a good shy teaspoon of black pepper
1 1/2 T dried italian seasoning blend
a dash or two of sugar
1/2 recipe my pizza dough with those instructions exactly
1/2 recipe pizza sauce (freeze the remaining sauce for a later use)
1 1/2 C diced leftover cooked ham (ours was our Easter ham)
1 C crushed pineapple with a little of the juice left
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced and caramelized (see recipe above for caramelizing onions instructions)
1 large sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
1 C shredded mozzarella
1 C shredded swiss or monterey jack cheese
Make the pizza sauce and set aside.
Onto the par-baked pizza crust, spread the sauce in a thick layer. Top with the cooked ham, then the pineapple, then the caramzlied onion, top with both kinds of cheeses, then finish with the rosemary. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the top is bubbly good.
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| Crockpot Refried Bean and Cheese Enchilada (recipe below) |
Refried Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
Yield: about 16 very large enchiladas (I made two pans for two people, but the other could have frozen)
For the beans:
1 recipe crockpot refried beans (this time I used all pinto since black bean salsa was a garnish)
add a good squeeze or two of siracha
add 1 good beer in place of that amount of water
salt generously
add 1/2 t cumin instead of 1/8
For the red sauce (adapted from this blogger with much thanks)
2 C ketchup*
1/4 C chili powder
1/2 t chipotle chili powder
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 t ground oregano (if using whole leave, add another 1/2 t)
1 t cumin
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
*(yes ketchup - it adds a mild sweet undertone to the spice of the sauce. If you don't like ketchup, use tomato puree and mix in 1 T flour into your heating oil so that it thickens).
Heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot, then add the chili powder and chipotle chili powder and smoke for 15 to 30 seconds. Pour in the ketchup and the remaining spices. Simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside.
For the enchiladas:
the "refried" beans
12 ounces each shredded sharp cheddar and shredded colby jack cheese
the red sauce
1 C sour cream
burrito-sized flour tortillas (you can make smaller enchiladas by using soft-taco-sized tortillas, or even the traditional corn tortillas. I simply just had burritos on hand and wanted to use them).
my black bean corn salsa as garnish
In a large baking dish, layer a little of the red sauce on the bottom of the pan, just enough to cover it in a thin layer. To assemble an enchilada, place about 1/3 C of beans in the center of the bottom half of the tortilla, and top with a handful each of the sharp cheddar and colby jack cheese. Roll the tortilla in half, fold in the two sides, and gently drag the roll back to tighten it before folding it over. Place it seam side down into the sauce. Repeat until you have no more beans left and the pan is full (you may squish them together in the pan - that makes for softer enchilada sides).
To finish, spread the remaining cheese (or more if you ran out) on the top of the enchiladas. With the remaining red sauce, combine the 1 C sour cream. Pour it over the enchiladas, cover the pan with foil, and bake 20 minutes at 350. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes. Serve garnished with the corn salsa, if desired.
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