Nothing better than homemade pizza, except cooking with your kid!

I was recently asked to help with a food column in a local parenting magazine named BG Parent.  I was quite excited to be asked to do this since a major passion of mine is cooking.  I really wanted to create a column that was easy to make, gourmet enough to impress anyone, and the most important item, involve your kids!  I decided on a homemade pizza....By homemade I do not mean sauce out of a jar or the pre-made pizza dough.  Homemade pizza is really easy to make, when you find the right combination of ingredients.  I read and read, and after many attempts at failing I think I have made the perfect New York style pizza, and I hope you agree!

Here are the ingredients needed for the pizza dough:

5 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
2 teaspoons salt (or 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 to 2 cups room-temperature water

Kosher Salt, Yeast and Sugar

All dry ingredients

Water and Olive Oil

Here is the skinny on how to make the dough.  This is one part where the kids will have a blast!

Dough after kneading

Dough before kneading

Combine all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and grab a wooden spoon or I guess you could mix it in an electric mixer.  Most kids love mixing, so they will enjoy this part!  It will become pretty hard for them to mix, so you will want to help them stir.  Once it is all combine and your mixture is dough like you will want to let it rest for 5-10 minutes.  After you have cleaned up your mess of flour and such you will want to pick the stirring back up for 3-5 minutes, adding more flour or water if necessary.  To have the perfect dough you want the dough to be wetter and stickier than bread dough, but dry enough the it holds together and pulls away from the side of the bowl.  I then take the mixture out of the bowl and knead it by hand for 5-10 minutes, and kids are great at helping here too!

Dough Divided and in Ziploc Bags

Once you have completed kneading divide the dough into 4 even portions, and form into a ball.  This recipe makes enough for 4 pizza's!  I place the dough into 4 zip lock bags that have a light coating of olive oil that helps keep it from sticking to the sides of the bag.  The dough I plan to use that day I place in the fridge, and freeze the other.

The dough takes the longest to complete, but it is totally worth having homemade pasta dough!  My sauce is a piece of cake to make.  This is a very traditional New York style sauce recipe that I have added my twist to.

Ingredients for Sauce:

1 28oz can of Redgold Whole Peeled Tomatoes
2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
2 teaspoons of Red Wine Vinegar (yes, vinegar!)

Dry Ingredients

Whole Tomatoes

How to make the sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth, that is basically it!  I like to heat my sauce for an hour to help it reduce a bit, and allow the flavors to cohesively mesh together.

Tomatoes and Dry Ingredients

Red Wine Vinegar ready to go in!

I like to have fresh shredded cheeses on my pizza, so I generally get a block of low moisture mozzarella cheese and shred it.  I do not suggest getting fresh mozzarella cheese as it has too much water in it.  When you cook your pizza it will get too soggy.  I also have a special ingredient that you do not see much on pizza, but trust me, it works really well!  Are you ready for it?  Sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese...Odd I know...I buy a small block of it and shred it as well...I use it lightly when I top the pizza, but the flavor goes a long way!

Once you get all of the prep work out of the way comes the really fun part, assembling the pie!  My daughter really loves to help spread the sauce and help top the pizza.  She actually snacks more on the cheese, but she does help too!

Vermont Cheddar on bottom
and mozzarella on top.

Before topping the pizza go to the oven and turn it on 525 degrees...If you have a pizza stone (highly recommended) be sure to allow it to pre-heat with the over.  Be sure to properly season the pizza stone a couple times before using it.
 

My daughter adding cheese

For the dough I place it on a flat hard surface and lightly flour the bottom and top of the dough.  I try to work it by hand to form the shape of a pizza and usually rely on the help of my rolling pin.  Once it is close to the desired shape of my pizza I coat my pizza peel with corn meal, and place my pizza shaped dough on the peel.  Corn meal will help the completed pizza transfer from your peel or baking sheet to the pizza stone.



Once you have the dough in the desired shape I just simply add enough sauce to cover the pizza and then start topping with your favorite toppings.  My daughter just like cheese, so you can see her making her pizza.

Completed Cheese Pizza

When you have completed topping your pizza place your creation into the hot oven on a pizza stone.  The cooking will not take long at all!  Maybe 5-7 minutes tops!  Continue to watch the pizza to make sure it does not burn on you.  Once it is done remove it from the pizza stone and enjoy!

Pizza for mommy and me!
(sausage, mixed olives, pepperoni)

Here are a couple photos of the completed pizza's we made.  The both turned out fantastic!  The dough was crisp on the bottom, chewy in the middle and the sauce was perfect!

I hope you all enjoy the pizza's and especially enjoy the time with your kids! 

"Boca Cordon Bleu," Tiffany

Hey there friends!


Crazy couple of days at work and at home..Still getting the house ready for the open house and getting ready for a weekend of working the National Corvette Homecoming for the National Corvette Museum's Collector Car Insurance.  Gotta pimp the services we have to offer!


This morning I had every intention of making a roast beef in the crock-pot and not blogging, but the roast decided to go tanning and get brown on me.....so my wife, Kelly, called and was wondering what she could get at the store for dinner....I emailed her my list of items....I had not had a Cordon Bleu in forever, and for some reason I was craving it.  My grandfather used to make these for us when my sister, brother and I were growing up.  I have great memories of going to his house and eating an awesome meal, and I would say he was my first inspiration in great food from the soul.  So today I started thinking about what makes a Chicken Cordon Bleu a great Cordon Bleu.....The obvious is the ham and cheese with the nice crunchy crust.....I do not remember my grandfather making a sauce, but after some research I came across a couple recipes for an interesting cream sauce, so I came up with my own...This recipe is below....Please let me know if you try it!  I was extremely happy with this meal and how it plated and most of all tasted!  


List of items needed for the chicken:


4 Chicken Breast
1 table spoon of paprika
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper
twine - 3 pieces per breast about 4 inches long
1/4 pound thinly sliced (shaved) boiled ham
4 thin slices of swiss cheese
1 cup Panko (or bread crumbs)


Here is how to make the Boca Cordon Bleu:


First, turn the oven to 350 degrees and then proceed beat the you know what out of the chicken breast with the flat side of the mallet.  My breasts when completed was about 1/4 inch thick.  To me it is easiest and less messy to place it inside of a large zipper bag (again, sponsors, maybe?)

I added some light salt and pepper on the inside of the breast.  I then placed 1 slice of swiss cheese torn in half in the middle of the chicken breasts.  Then simply just added 1/4th of the ham that I bought.

I then folded the outside of the chicken in on top of the ham and cheese and began to roll the chicken.  When you fold the outside of it in you are making a burrito out of the chicken.  This will help keep all of the goodness inside the bird when it cooks, and will not allow it to escape when you cut into it.

Once the chicken is rolled I took my twine and tied knots to help hold its shape while they are cooking.  I found that 3 pieces of knotted twin did the trick. You will then want to cut off all of the excess twine from the roll..Go ahead and lightly salt and pepper the outside now...

Take your panko and 1 table of paprika and place it on a plate.

Guess what is next............




NOPE!  I did not egg wash....I just put the breast into the panko/paprika.....

Place it on a pan and pop it in the over for about 30 minutes or till the chicken reaches 170 degrees internal temp......


About 10 minutes before the chicken is done you will want to make the sauce.  


List of items needed:


3 tablespoons of butter (yes, real butter)
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon of corn starch
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
chopped basil
pepper


Here is how to make this rocking sauce...


Heat the butter and the oil in a saucepan.

Add the chicken broth and the granulated bouillon to the melted butter and oil and let that simmer till it starts to reduce or thickens.

You will want to prepare on the side the 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream and the cornstarch by dissolving the  cornstarch in the cream.  Do not whip to hard or you will turn the cream into a starchy whipped cream...(not good)...

Once the chicken stock has reduced go ahead and SLOWLY add the cream into the hot chicken stock and continue to stir till it starts to thicken.  

I finished the sauce off with some fresh basil from my herb garden (thanks mom!) and some fresh ground pepper...

Now it is time to plate!!!  As a side I had a fresh herb salad, pre-made at the store, and tossed it in a olive oil and vinegar salad dressing from Newman's Own....Great stuff!

Anyway, that is it....it was pretty simple to make for such a great looking and tasting meal.  The creaminess of the sauce complements the chicken so well.  The salad was a great lite way to add to a heavier main dish.  


I hope you all enjoy!  Please post feedback, comments, or let me know if you made it!  

Grilled Chipotle-Lime Chicken

Hey hey friends!


What a great weekend!  I only wish it was a tad bit longer......Spent most of the weekend getting the house ready for an open house next weekend.  Pressure washed the house, porch, back deck (it looks new now!), and back porch.  It looks much better now!  I went to a car show called the Big Cruise at the National Corvette Museum to pass out information on the insurance I sell, NCM Insurance.  Went to Church today and cooked this afternoon.....Somewhat busy weekend without having too many obligations or travel, so that was nice!


Last week while thinking of food for the week I wanted to cook this Chipotle-Lime Grilled Chicken that I did recently when my dad, sister and their spouses came over.  The chicken was so good with a hint of smoky chili, some heat and great lime flavor, everyone was raving!  


This is a simple meal...5 ingredients for the chicken and they are just thrown together.  It is a piece of cake, and I am sure you all will enjoy it as much as my family did.

You can see I have some Olive Oil, Honey, Limes and Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, and some kosher salt.  Here is how the marinade works....


1/4 cup of Olive Oil
Zest & Juice of 2 limes
2 Chipotle peppers from the can diced or pulverized
1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce
Pinch of salt


Combine all the above ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together till everything is incorporated.  

Once everything is mixed take your chicken breasts (I used 4 breasts) and place them in a gallon Ziploc bag.

Take 1/2 of the marinade and dump into the Ziploc (or Hefty, or generic) (Looking for sponsors) and remove all of the air.  Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken...


The other 1/2 of the marinade add 2 tablespoons of honey to it and mix together.  We will coat the chicken right before it comes off the grill...

Place the chicken then into the fridge, and go power wash the house, back porch, and sidewalk...I let this rest in its whirlpool of flavors for 3-4 hours....


When you are ready to start making dinner get the grill ready...I used a Big Green Egg (my new love).  While the grill was heating up I decided to work on my side items.  Tonight we were going to have grilled corn on the cob and honey glazed carrots....Below is the skinny on how I made them....


First, the daunting task of de-silking and de-husking the corn and peeling the carrots....


For the corn I lightly coated them in Olive Oil since I was grilling them directly on the grates....

I then lightly sprinkled some of my Boca's Fanny Rub on them for an explosion of flavor.. (see below for the rub recipe)

Onto the carrots....These are a piece of cake...Simply take some honey and coat them before putting directly onto the grill...

Now the fun part!  GRILLING!!

The corn and the carrots are on the same rotation, turn every couple minutes till they are done.  The carrots should still have a little bite to them, and they are great!  The chicken I turn every 8 minutes till the juices run clear or they reach an internal temp of 170 degrees.  Once the chicken is done lather the honey marinade glaze that you reserved...

That is it!  Great food, not a lot of fuss, and actually somewhat healthy! (Tiffany and Deborah will like that!)

I hope you all enjoy this recipe....Let me know if you have any suggestions or if you make it at home.  Let me know if you like it or not...


Here is the Boca's Fanny Rub recipe (note: this makes a TON!):


2 cups paprika
3/4 cup lemon pepper
1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup celery salt
1/4 cup cumin1/4 cup white pepper
1/4 cup onion salt
1/4 cup granulated garlic
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup cayenne3/4 cup brown sugar

First post!

Well, I had this crazy idea while I was in the shower this afternoon.....Since I love food so much, and love posting my food photos on facebook, why not create a blog for food?  Well the blog turned into creating videos, with the target or the goal to be a Food Network Star.  This has been a dream of mine for years.  I have always loved the Food Network channel and watch it ALL the time.  I called my brother and threw the idea out to him and he suggested I take it one step further and create a YouTube channel, so I created the channel for you to follow me at!  http://www.YouTube.com/user/wannabefoodtvstar  The videos will eventually come with a great intro that I have floating in my head....I will keep you all posted on the progress of this.

As I mentioned I want to be on Food Network as a Celebrity Chef.  I aspire to be like Bobby Flay, Tyler Florance, Michael Chiarello, Alton Brown, etc.  I have a passion for food, and I love to share recipes, photos, etc.  

I hope that you all will find this blog to be informative and useful.  Please ask questions, post comments, etc.

BTW:  Here is my first food pic on here! (Crappy photo I know!)

Here is the recipe for the Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches (Megan, substitute chicken here).....

1 pork tenderloin

2 garlic cloves minced

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1 cup of Romaine Lettuce cut up

Couple sprigs of fresh dill

4 basil leaves sliced into strips

Balsamic Vinegar

1 Roma Tomato sliced thin

Fresh Ciabatta Rolls

Meat:

Lightly coat the outside of the tenderloin with the Olive Oil and rub in the garlic all over.  Sprinkle with the Kosher Salt and the fresh cracked pepper.  Place on the grill and turn every 7-8 minutes.  The internal temp should be no less than 170 degrees to be cooked!  Remove once cooked and let the rest for 10 minutes.  This will help get the juices redistributed.  Once it has rested slice into thin 1/4 inch slices.

Salad Topping:
Mix the green veggies in 1 table spoon of Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar and a little pinch of salt. Slice the tomato into thin slices, drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar and add a little cracked black pepper.

Ciabatta Bread:

Lightly coat with Olive Oil and place on the grill till slightly brown

Putting it together:

Simply take a handful of the salad and place it on the top bun and place a couple of the yummy marinated tomatoes on top of the salad.  Take 3 of the slices of pork tenderloin and put it on the bottom and enjoy!  

For those wondering I just have some kettle kooked chips as a side....The saltiness is a perfect compliment to the sandwich.....You could always put some fresh broccoli or asparagus there too I guess...