And Now a Detour From Pizza...

Not long ago I spent the day cooking Julia Child's recipe for pot roast from her very old cooking show, The French Chef, which I used to love watching religiously. I was inspired after soaking myself in the movie, Julie and Julia, seeing it for oh maybe the 5th time-- well, it is one of my favorite movies. Anyway, I started with a choice-cut angus chuck roast, marinated in red wine, brandy, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, whole cloves, and thyme (Whew! The list is long!). After about four hours, I took the roast out of its bath, dried it off, and browned it all over in pork fat from salt pork that I had reduced. When the roast was all browned-- a nice toasty color-- I discarded the fat and added the marinade back to the pot. After reducing the marinade by half, I then added four cups of beef broth (I didn't have any homemade so I used a high quality boxed one-- oh, Julia would kill me!), and brought it all up to a boil. I then let it simmer in the oven for about four hours until succulent. The house smelled so good and my tummy was growling by now. When the roast was finished cooking, I brought it out of the oven, took it out of the pot, put it on a carving board and tented the meat while I made the sauce. I reduced the cooking liquid until slightly thickened, then added a slurry of cornstarch mixed with a little port, and stirred it into the sauce until it had a velvety consistency. My husband David thought he was in pot roast heaven! I served cooked potatoes and carrots with the roast and drizzled the delicious sauce over it all. Bon Appetit! 

Another Attempt at Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Pizza!

 I'm determined to get this right! Someday soon, I hope... still at it, mixing different concoctions, trying different rising times, varying yeast and oil amounts, and deciding on how many dough rises.

This time I used cornmeal. I know, Lou says no cornmeal. But after more research, I decided to try it anyway, and actually it turned out a little better. Still, not the light, airy crust I want.

I will be back at it, soon!!

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza... fail

Well, I began by following the recipe very carefully because I really wanted this pizza to be just right-- like the pictures of Lou Malnati's pizza. But first I researched the dough recipe thoroughly and to my chagrin there must be a hundred different ways to make this remarkable dough! And everybody thinks their recipe is the right one-- I found out that's not so. I'm still searching... in the meantime, though, this is what I came up with on my first try. Looks ok but it was a fail. Boo Hoo.

The toppings were good; I used the original ones, mozzarella slices, raw Italian sausage next, canned tomatoes (with basil), and Parmesan cheese. But the crust was too thick, too oily, dense, and just did not taste good! So I'm trying again. Next time I will add cornmeal to the dough recipe (I know, everyone says no cornmeal!), and not so much oil. Wish me luck!

It's been a long time

Wow! I can't believe how time flies-- really flies. I haven't been here for a couple of years and I've been missing writing and posting food. But sometimes life does get in the way of doing other things; in my case, first of all, we moved! But before we could move we needed to get rid of stuff-- a lot of stuff! Downsize is the word. So, we took one year to go through everything we owned and had accumulated for the past 30 some years, and divvied it all up between boxes (lots of boxes): keep, sell, give away. This was very emotionally difficult-- so many memories, stories, pictures, and lots of tears. But we got through it and now we are settled in a new, small townhouse which we both love! Our forever home.

So, I was ready to begin my new life in our sweet home and nice neighborhood conveniently located to all our favorite shopping areas, when I fell. Fell hard. Broke my hip and had to have a total hip replacement. This was not fun. Do not try at home. I'm still recovering but I'm anxious and ready to begin anew with lots of cooking and also taking a Gordon Ramsay online cooking class. Lobster ravioli looks amazing! And that Beef Wellington... all I can say is Wow! And hope I can do it. But first, I'm back to developing the best pizza I can make! After not having an oven for 2 years, this is so satisfying, I just can't tell you. I will be back to thin crust pizzas, but for right now, I'm researching everything I can about the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Friday, I will try a copycat Lou Malnati recipe (why don't they just give us the real recipe? :) ). Let's see, no cornmeal, AP flour only, and corn oil, oh, and a very long rising time. I can do this.

More of Everything Grilled!

I love to grill food! It brings out the best flavors whether you are grilling meat, veggies or fruit. Plus you don't have much clean up--and that's always good. 

Grilled sirloin steak kebabs with red onions and colored bell peppers taste so good and smell yummy while cooking. Neighbors agreed!

Grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs with yellow onions. The thighs have all the flavor and they are very juicy--don't dry out like chicken breasts. I marinated them with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper. 

Sliced French baguette dipped in homemade garlic butter, then placed on the grill for a very short time. Crunchy good with a hint of smoky flavor. Yum!

Baby squashes, portabella mushrooms, red bell peppers, yellow onions, and caprese tomatoes slathered in olive oil and salt and pepper, then grilled in a vegetable grill pan (see the holes?) rounded out the "everything grilled" scrumptious dinner! Easy and delicious!

Dog Days of Summer! Everything Grilled!

These hot summer days inspire me to go outside and fire up the grill to cook some really tasty food that leaves the neighbors drooling!

These are double rib lamb chops that I stuffed with a marinara, ricotta, breadcrumb and fresh mint filling. Then I brushed them with a little olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and grilled them outdoors to perfection! The Caprese salad made with Buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes went well with the lamb.

This is a Mom's Takeout everything grilled meal. Succulent smoky-tasting rib-eye with rich melt-in-your mouth scallops, and grilled fresh veggies. Perfectly Paleo, too!

Another one of Mom's Takeout everything grilled meal. Fresh tuna with pineapple, jalapeno, onion salsa, and grilled baguette slices. Yum!

This is summertime perfection! Grilled chicken legs seasoned with salt, pepper, powdered garlic and paprika--that's all. I served them with grilled veggies, including portabella mushrooms, and a side of grilled garlic toasts. I had to grill extra chicken legs for Collin because he really loves these bad boys!

And last but not least, who can resist juicy, sweet watermelon to top a delicious grilled meal? Perfect.

More Refreshing Summertime Salads!

The weather here in the Springs is finally getting warmer--still lots of rain, though, and with plenty of green grass and beautiful flowers. And, I'm still hooked on discovering new ways to use those fresh vegetables and luscious salad greens.

Where I grew up in California there was a French restaurant that used to make this navy bean salad made with lots of fresh parsley, onions, lemon juice, celery and olive oil. It tastes so good and cool. 

This salad is made with various grains, corn, sprouts, green onions, cherry tomatoes, peas, and feta 
cheese tossed together with a vinegarette. Add hot slices of French bread and you have a whole meal!

Mmmmm, endive leaves are so yummy stuffed here with goat cheese, chopped dates and orange segments. Top them off with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper. Delicious as a side or appetizer.

This is a baby spinach salad with dates and almonds that I found in my cookbook Jerusalem. This Arabic salad seems to be the counterpart to the Italian panzanella. This one uses crunchy torn pitas sauteed in butter and olive oil along with almonds that are mixed with chile flakes and salt. So good!

Oh man, this was good! Definitely will make again. This is a grilled panzanella salad that I found in my magazine Cook's Country. Grilling the veggies and baguette slices first gave extraordinary flavor to this salad. Winner!