Thai-riffic Pizza

Another Rachael Ray recipe - Thai Chicken Pizza (Expresslane Meals). I tried to get pizza dough from the local pizza place but they would sell just the dough. Instead, I made pizza dough in the breadmaker. It definitely meant the recipe wasn't done in 30 minutes but it was worth it. Zeb found a great recipe online that includes olive oil and honey - so tasty! I usually use cornmeal on the baking stone to keep the crust from sticking. I was out of cornmeal so I used semolina flour instead - it worked even better. The pizza crust was baked with duck sauce, red pepper flakes, monterey jack cheese and sliced red bell pepper. While the pizza was cooking, I marinated chicken breast, which I flattened with a meat mallet, in tamari, vegetable oil, grill seasoning and peanut butter. I also marinated sliced cucumber in honey and cider vinegar. I sauteed the chicken and then sliced it into thin strips. Once the pizza came out, I loaded on the chicken, chopped scallions, bean sprouts, the drained cucumbers and peanuts. The thing was huge! Having spent so much effort (but little real time) putting the thing together, I couldn't face slicing it up so I turned the carving duties over to Zeb. My slice was a bit too tall and loaded to eat with my hands so I ended up eating the different parts separately. The chicken was a bit too salty. Next time, I think I'll lighten the amount of tamari and add more peanut butter. Still, even with the saltiness, it was a damn yummy pizza.

Easy Strawberry Empanadas

I don't do it often but tonight I made dessert - Easy Strawberry Empanadas (Intercourses cookbook). It's such a simple recipe but it's one of Zeb's favorites. The filling is just cream cheese, brown sugar and chopped strawberries. The crust is refrigerated crescent roll dough. When they come out of the oven, it's all about the hot creamy strawberry goodness.

Chicken, Corn and Black Bean Stoup

Tonight was a soup night - the weather threatened to turn into rain and it was actually cool (for Sacramento in the summer). I made Rachael Ray's Chicken, Corn and Black Bean Stoup from her 365 Meals: No Repeats cookbook. She does alot of cutsie things (like calling a cross between a stew and a soup, a stoup) but, damn, she comes up with some tasty dishes. This cookbook has been amazing. Of the 20 or so recipes I've tried, probably a third have been spectacular, one or two have been so-so/not good, and the rest have been welcome additions to the rotation. I've pulled out more than 150 (I can't remember the exact count) recipes to try. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

The stoup this evening was quite good - the chicken was sauteed with cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and chipotle chile in adobo sauce (which gave it a nice heat). Vegetables were thrown in next (onion, fresh corn, and red bell peppers). A little flour and chicken broth rounded out the base. Black beans were added before a simple simmer. Lime juice and parsley (the recipe called for cilantro but given Zeb's abhorrence of that herb, I substituted) finished it off.

This is one that I might taken into work as a leftover. I supremely dislike leftovers but this might be an exception. Soups are usually pretty good the second time around.

Welcome Back to Me!

Gotta love procrastination! I have a number of different assignments that should be getting done but I just can't help myself. Made an awesome dinner this evening which reminded me of my blog. Flank steak marinated in Moroccan spices (Sunset) and roasted potatoes w/ parmesan and oregano. The potatoes were supposed to be Greek-style Lemon Potatoes (Sunset) but somehow, I forgot the fresh oregano and feta. The replacement though was quite tasty. Sliced potatoes tossed with olive oil, dried oregano, parmesan, salt and pepper, baked at 450 degrees for 45 minutes with slight interruptions for stirring. The potatoes achieved a lovely crust that hid creamy starchy goodness inside. Not bad for winging it! Zeb raved about the flank steak - an underrated cut of meat in my mind. The marinade was a vinegar base with coriander, paprika, cinnamon and a few other spices mixed in. I didn't overcook the steak either (something I have done in the past). It's rare when I hit two recipes out of the park!