Parmesan Breadsticks

We had pizza for dinner tonight. 

And I wanted some breadsticks to go along with it. 

Parmesan Breadsticks 

Puff pastry

Softened butter, 1 tablespoon

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, for an egg wash

I took some puff pastry out of the freezer and left in on the counter to thaw for a few hours. 

I pre-heated my oven to 425 degrees. 

I lightly floured a cutting board. 

I lightly floured a rolling pin. 

I rolled out the puff pastry until it covered my entire cutting board. 

So easy!

I then took some softened butter (which is always out on my kitchen counter) and, using my fingers, spread a thin layer over the rolled out puff pastry. 

I then grated some Parmesan cheese onto the dough. 

Then sprinkled on some kosher salt and black pepper.

I then cut the dough into 8 strips. 

Fold each strip over, encasing all of the cheesy, buttery goodness. 

Transfer to a parchment (or Silpat!) lined baking sheet. 

Crack 1 egg and add a teaspoon of water. 

Lightly beat and brush onto breadsticks. 

Grate more Parmesan cheese over them. 

So cheesy!

Bake for 10 minutes. 

Look at these!

So light!

So airy!

So crisp!

So cheesy!

Serve with that pizza you picked up from your local wherever (my hubs got this cheesy beauty from Casey's General Store) and get some marinara sauce from the fridge or pantry to dip these beautiful breadsticks in!

Sandwich Time

I am not a regular sandwich eater.

If I have a sandwich it has to be something special.

Special and delicious.

Here's a recipe for a deliciously special chicken sandwich with Caesar dressing.

Chicken Sandwich on Ciabatta Bread with Caesar Dressing:

Ingredients needed:

Chicken breasts or tenders

Ciabatta bread (or whatever fancy bread you like today)

Romaine lettuce leaves

Cheese: Sharp Cheddar, Colby or Shaved Parmesan

Optional: Bacon, Prosciutto, Tomatoes, Onions

Homemade Caesar Dressing

Caesar Dressing:

Ina Garten 2006

     1 garlic clove

     2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley

     1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste

     1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

     1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

     1/2 cup mayonnaise

Assemble all of your dressing ingredients.  Anchovy paste can be found in a tube in either the produce section or tuna/canned fish section of your grocery store and it lasts a long time stored in the refrigerator.   

Cook the chicken breasts or tenders (I used organic tenders) in a 350 degree oven

for 20-30 minutes.

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and salt and pepper before putting into oven.  

 

 When chicken is done cooking, cut into large pieces for your sandwich. 

While the chicken is cooking, start working on the dressing.

In a food processor (I used my Cuisinart mini chopper), finely chop the garlic clove and 2 tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley.     

After that gets chopped up, add the 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Then add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.

Sorry for the glaringly white photo! 

Process everything until you have a smooth dressing.

Refrigerate it while you are waiting for the chicken to finish in the oven.

Also remember to refrigerate any leftover dressing.

You can use it on veggies, as a dip, or on another sandwich tomorrow!

This is a delicious picture, if I do say so myself! 

Now, get the bread ready.

Along with any other toppings you have...tear up the lettuce, slice the tomatoes and onions.

Get the cheese out and slice that up. 

Using bacon or prosciutto?

Get it ready NOW!

Give both slices of bread a good schmear of dressing.

Now, build your sandwich!

Then take a snapshot and send it to everyone because you are now in love with your sandwich and the delectable Caesar Dressing you made!

Easy Cheesy Pretzels

I started making these pretzels when I was a kid. 

I had this cookbook for kids, I think it was a Betty Crocker cookbook, and this is one of the recipes that stuck.  I don't have the book anymore, but did some years ago write it down on another piece of paper. 

I still love making these pretzels. 

They are hearty and cheesy, the kids loving helping and rolling them out.  

I must try very hard to not eat all of them as soon as they come out of the oven. 

Sometimes my will to do this is horribly short. 

Enjoy!

Cheesy Pretzels:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour into a large bowl -  

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup (or more!) shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons softened butter

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

                                      

Mix well with a fork.

Plop out dough onto a floured work surface, don't forget to flour your hands a bit, and smooth into a ball.

Knead dough 10 times.

Smooth into a flat rectangle, 1/2 inch thick.   

Cut dough into strips.

You should get ten strips out of this, but if not don't fret.  Work with what you get!  

Roll each strip into a long log and transfer to a well greased baking sheet or a Silpat covered baking sheet.  

                                     

Twist each long log into a pretzel shape, pinching the ends into the dough.

Beat one egg with a splash of water. 

Brush pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle them with coarse or kosher salt. 

Every time I see my pastry brush and cringe that it's so old and ugly.

Why I don't spend $3 to get a new one is beyond me.

Sorry...carry on...

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Oh.  My.  Word.

I want to eat this picture...

Easy Cheesy Pretzels. 

Bake some up this weekend!

Formaggio Manicotti

Cheese Manicotti.  I love it.  It's easy and delicious and filling.  I like to garlic it up! 

Throw in some bread and a salad and WHAM...dinner is served!

Cheese Manicotti:

Call it Formaggio Manicotti if you are feeling fancy!

1 16 oz container of ricotta cheese

1 egg

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

your favorite jarred pasta sauce

salt

pepper

manicotti shells (for our family I usually make 6-7 shells)

loaf of Italian bread

unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine 3/4 of the ricotta cheese with 2 cloves of minced garlic, as much or as little shredded Parmesan as you would like (I like a lot, about 1 cup), and salt and pepper to taste. Break an egg either in a separate dish and beat lightly before adding to ricotta cheese bowl OR just throw the egg into the bowl with the ricotta cheese and beat it in there.  That's what I do. 

Garlic makes it taste better...mmmmmmm.... 

Okay, stir it all up until it's smooth.

Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and toss it into the fridge while you make the pasta.

Cook the manicotti shells as directed on the package, usually 7 minutes in boiling water.

When pasta is done cooking, transfer from boiling water individually with a slotted spoon onto a plate, allowing water to drain from inside tube.  It will be hot, be careful!  Allow to cool a bit. 

Now for the fun part!

Spoon two tablespoons of your favorite jarred pasta sauce onto the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.  This prevents the manicotti from sticking to the dish.

Cut a corner of the large Ziploc bag full of ricotta filling to make a piping bag.  

Carefully take a cooked manicotti shell and squeeze the filling in.  I usually work from both ends and meet in the middle.  

Lay the filled shells into the baking dish.  Proceed with the remaining shells and filling.

Spoon more jarred pasta sauce over the shells and shred some more Parmesan over that!   

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.  

While that's baking, take a loaf of store bought Italian bread and slice vertical slices through the bread, but not all the way through. 

Soften 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in microwave for about 20 seconds.

Mince 1 clove of garlic and add to softened butter, with a dash of salt, too.

Smear the garlic butter onto each sliced section of the Italian bread and over the top as well.

Bake it in the oven for the last 10 minutes of the manicotti's cooking time.

TA-DA! Fresh baked garlic bread... 

Watch out for sneaky kids who try to steal the bread before the rest of the meal is served... 

Enjoy your cheese manicotti!

It's molto buona!



Tostada Towers

This is the perfect "can't think of anything else to have tonight for dinner" recipe.

Quick, easy, should have all of these ingredients in the pantry or fridge...

Have at it!

Tostada Towers:

corn tostadas

leftover chicken

1 can black beans; drained, rinsed and patted dry

taco seasoning:

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

shredded cheddar cheese

tomatoes

salsa

sour cream

black olives

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cook the leftover chicken in a skillet over medium heat with the taco seasoning mix above sprinkled over it and 1/8-1/4 cup of water.  It will depend how much water you use by how much leftover chicken you have.  Cook the chicken until the water cooks down, about 5-8 minutes.  

On a foil lined baking sheet, place a tostado shell down and

add some of the shredded chicken to it.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Layer the first tostada with another corn tostada. 

Top this second layer with black beans and more shredded cheddar cheese.

Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, when the cheese is melty and the beans are warmed.

                                        

This tostada looks like it's saying "eat me now!"

So does the little black bean in the corner!

You can add diced tomatoes, sour cream, black olives, and salsa to the finished warmed product.

I had no sour cream when I made these.  Sad. 

                                      

Put them on a plate and devour!

Potato Gratin

This is seriously easy.  Seriously cheesy.  Seriously good!

Potato Gratin:

Tyler Florence 2003

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and sliced paper-thin

2 cups heavy cream

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 cup grated swiss cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

kosher salt 

fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Put mixture into a large casserole dish, flatten it out with your hands or a spatula.  

Bake for 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and gratin is bubbly.  

You may want to put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the gooey, wonderful cheese.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.       

I used Swiss Cheese from Indiana...Farm Oaks Farm Sweet Swiss.

Use a mandolin to get the potatoes paper thin. 

I bought this hand-held one for about $20 and it works great!

 

Big Bowl - stir it up!

Gooey, cheesy and just plain fantastical!

The World's Best Pizza

I am calling this recipe The World's Best Pizza because when I made this the other night, it was, by far, THE WORLD'S BEST PIZZA!  OMG, was it good.  I have made this dough before, but it was something about these few simple ingredients that made it go over the moon for me.  I'm drooling now thinking about it!

Don't be afraid to make your own dough.  It's satisfying and easy.  

Choose whatever toppings you like or simply have on hand.  

The World's Best Pizza:

The Crust:

Martha Stewart 2005

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for bowl

In a small bowl or measuring cup, sprinkle sugar and yeast over warm water.  Stir with a fork until yeast and sugar dissolve.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse flour and salt.  With processor running, add yeast mixture and oil through feed tube.  Pulse until mixture comes together, but is still slightly tacky.  This will happen very quickly!  Watch yourself!  Don't overwork it or dough will become tough.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead 4 times and form into a smooth ball.  Place the ball into a lightly oiled bowl, smooth side up.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, abut 40 minutes.

Punch dough down.  Fold dough back onto itself four or five times.  Replace plastic wrap and let dough rise again for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare a pizza stone by sprinkling it with cornmeal.

When dough is done with it's second rise, punch down and remove from bowl.  Form into a round and place on pizza stone. 

Pierce surface a few times with a fork.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.          

Enlist a few helpers and add your favorite toppings.  The night we made this we used-

Roma Tomatoes from our Garden

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Slice and enjoy The World's Best Pizza!