Best Homemade Pizza — EVER!

I’ve been searching Pinterest for easy bread machine pizza dough and I think I may have found it (click here for link). I’ve modified it a bit, adding 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1.25 cups bread flour, and 0.75 cups whole wheat flour. I leave it in my bread machine for the full amount of time during the ‘dough’ setting.

When the dough is done in the bread machine, divide in two equal parts. Roll out as thin as you can get it (aprox 0.25″ thick). Bake at 400 degrees on pizza stone for 10 mins.

Now you have your base crust for your pizza toppings!

This particular pizza-masterpiece has (in this order) Catelli pasta sauce, grated parmesan cheese, fried onions & mushrooms, pepperoni, jalapenos, dried cranberries, mozzerella and marble cheese. The fried onions with mushrooms gives an especially rich flavour. I never knew I liked fried mushrooms so much! Bake your piled high pizza for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

I have been making a few extra pizzas for my freezer, to pull out whenever I need a quick lunch or supper. Just freeze it after you pile it high with toppings (crust baked, but toppings unbaked). I think it’s even better after it’s been frozen… The flavours have time to blend and intensify!!

Bake frozen pizza at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, as soon as the cheese is melted and bubbly in the centre! Oh so good!

Peanut Butter Cups — Homemade

… Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Sometimes I get a craving for those Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Now I figured out how to make them at home! At first, I wasn’t overly impressed, but after eating another one the next day, I was hooked. At least when I make these homemade ones, I know I’m not getting too many weird ingredients.

Ingredients
1 cup bulk melting milk chocolate bits (Save-on-Foods) (you could probably experiment w dark chocolate or white chocolate)
1 cup organic peanut butter (peanut butter only, no other addititives)
1/2 cup icing sugar (optional)
1 tbsp canola oil for greasing muffin tins

Directions
1. Put the milk chocolate bits into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals and keep checking until they are melted. I only had to nuke my chocolate for 45 seconds.

2. Use canola oil and grease muffin tins, just at the bottom and up sides about half way.

3. Use tablespoon to smear melted chocolate into greased muffin tin. I only needed one heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate. Use spoon to draw the melted chocolate up the sides about one third of the way.

4. Wait for chocolate to solidify. My apartment was cold so it only took 5 minutes to solidify.

5. Mix icing sugar with peanut butter. Put 1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter into the solidified base of chocolate muffin tin.

6. Spoon on enough melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter to completely cover. Spread the chocolate around, being careful not to mix into the peanut butter too much.

7. Put in fridge. Wait 2 hours to completely solidify.

8. After completely solidified, the peanut butter cups will easily pop out of the muffin tins!

Enjoy and try not to eat them all at once ;p

Can be stored in the fridge. Keep at room temperature until ready to eat — I couldn’t wait that long…

Nitrite/Nitrate-Free Meats

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

I’ve recently been seeing Nitrate/Nitrite-free meats around. There is research suggesting a link to it and cancer. No harm in trying to avoid it, but that means no more sausages, bacon or lunch meat. It’s always been my quest to find nitrite/nitrate-free sausages and bacon. Well, luckily there’s Whole Foods! Their meat dept makes nitrite/nitrate-free sausages and bacon.

I recently tried the Maple Sugared Breakfast Sausages. Made by Whole Foods in-house. No nitrites, no nitrates. I am sad to announce that it was SUPER salty. I have read that often salt gets substituted for lack of nitrites/nitrates. But it had a strong maple, sugary aroma, which was nice.
$3.90 for 6 sausage links (not too small, but not super large either).

The Bulk Dry Rub Bacon Smoked was NICE! I’d buy that again. There is also talk that the saturated fat is worse for you than the nitrites/nitrates, but all in moderation, I guess. It wasn’t cheap, six strips of bacon for $4.52 CDN. But it’s a treat and would make me eat less. Nice, thick cut too! Would make fantastic bacon bits

Posted by Mar.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a grain-like crop. Not a true cereal grain, but closer to the family of beets, spinach or tumbleweed. It’s is cooked like rice (I use chicken stock with ratio of 1: 1.25 more water than quinoa). And boil until it absorbs all the water (aprox 15 min). It’s so good. Today I tossed it cold into my salad. Here’s the recipe:

Yaaz Bazaar — Excellent value food

Yaaz Bazaar is a Persian corner market in North Vancouver. They are located at 19th and Lonsdale and we always noticed the popularity of the cafeteria side of the store. The portions are huge and very good (this dish had 4-5 cups of rice!). We shared the stewed lamb shank with rice (Ghabali Polo). $10.99 CDN. The lamb was stewed to perfection. The rice was amazing. Super long grained rice, fragrant and delicately flavoured, I think with saffron? I’m not sure, it was subtle. Golden yellow, had lovely shredded carrots cooked on top, as well as raisins, dried cranberries and almond slivers throughout. Tiny bits of this green, crunchy nut was also in it (pistachios?). Delicious with the lamb and lovely texture with all the other ingredients.

Coffee Bun Bakery & Cafe (North Vancouver)

This place is located just outside the seabus at Lonsdale Quay. It’s got great identity, cute little sign with a cute golden brown bun attached to it. It intrigued me. Super fresh baked, hot bun. Crunchy warm topping and oh-so-soft inside bun. Who could resist a fresh out of the oven bun?

It was so fresh and hot that I kinda burned myself trying to take it out of the paper bag to share with Geoff… Did I say “share”?!!

Colombe’s Pizza

I must say this is the most unique topping on pizza I’ve ever used. The crust is quite good. Kinda fool proof. My friend Dave Colombe has a cookbook out and the dough recipe’s from in there. I don’t even follow the recipe perfectly and the dough is light, thin and crispy. I’m super impressed.

Topping: leftover prime rib, red onions, sliced tomatoes, orange peppers, oregano, marble cheese, sweet potatoes, and sliced green olives stuffed with provolone.

I can’t wait to eat the other pizza that I’m trying to save for tomorrow’s lunch (posted by Mar).

Thai Green Curry Rub

Did you know that you can use Thai green curry paste as a chicken rub? I had no idea until a friend bought me a big tub of paste (Aroy-D) and told me about it!! It’s amazing! Just wash your chicken pieces, salt and pepper them. Rub the green curry paste all over on both sides and bake in a casserole dish at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I also shut my oven off after 45 minutes, then left chicken in there for an additional 15 minutes and the chicken went super tender. Almost fall-off-the-bone tender!

Thai Green Curry paste as chicken rub on free run chicken thighs (bone in). Delish!!

Thick & Creamy Yogurt

If you like super thick yogurt (almost sour cream consistency), this one is awesome. I first tried the Black Cherry flavour and it reminded me of ice cream. It’s not super sweet, but super creamy.

Liberte Mediterranee (greek style thick yogurt)

Available at Whole Foods and IGA. I recently discovered coconut flavour (has bits of shredded coconut in it) as well as hazelnut (which I haven’t tried yet). Aprox $4.50 at Whole Foods (sometimes on sale for $3.69) (Cdn) 500 g.

Memphis Blues Dry Rub

Well, the BBQ weather is here and time to fire up the grill!! I found this in Memphis Blues cookbook by George Siu and Park Heffelfinger. Lots of fantastic recipes in this book. You must pick one up for summertime cooking!

From the cookbook:

A dry rub is a mix of herbs and spices rubbed on a cut of meat before it’s barbecued. Some people rub the night before and refrigerate, while others rub just before they put the meat in the pit. The choice is yours.

Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)

From SmittenKitchen.com

My friend made these and posted in her Facebook. They look so incredibly delicious, I’m scared to make them for fear I will eat them all…

Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)
Adapted from David Lebovitz, who adapted it from Marcy Goldman who is the genius that first applied this to matzo.

Nature’s Path Flax Plus Cereal

This cereal, I found at Costco for $7.99, giant box. Probably twice as much as the size that’s sold in the regular supermarket ($8 at supermarket). It’s all organic, has tons of raisins, and I don’t usually like cereal, I love this stuff and eat it when I’m rushed for breakfast! Yummm!!

Turkey Meatballs

I got this off of Gweneth Paltrow’s blog (goop.com). It’s her friend Julia’s recipe. I just made it and it is awesome. I didn’t follow it exactly but it turned out great nonetheless. Marlene

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Donna Hay)

Can’t have enough chocolate chip cookie recipes! This one is nice, it has a touch of coconut in it, and it isn’t too sweet. (Makes aprox 20-30  cookies, not enough if you ask me…) Marlene

Vietnamese Subs (home-made)

Well, if you can’t make it out to buy Vietnamese subs (Au Petit Cafe has my fave chicken sub), then you could make your own at home. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s not bad.

Nuts and Bolts

This is a savoury mix of nuts and cereal. I give this out in little bags at Christmas time. My nephew and niece have nut allergies, so you can make it without the nuts, just use extra pretzels or cereal. Marlene

Ingredients

Poached Eggs with Bacon and Toasted Pecan Pancakes

I am always on the hunt for delicious and (somewhat) healthy breakfasts. These pancakes include whole wheat flour in the recipe, so there’s the health part… The rest is just goooooood. This recipe is from Martha Stewart website. Serves 2. Marlene

• Ingredients

Easy Guacamole

The key to good guacamole is the avocados. Start with ripe avocados. I always buy them a few days ahead (bcs my supermarket’s avocados are always too green) and let them ripen in my apartment.

Ingredients

Easy steak

I am so surprised how easy it is to make a good fried steak at home. Here’s my fool-proof recipe. I like beef Tenderloin steak, but its supremo-expensive, so often I’ll buy Rib-Eye. Some of my friends like the chewier Strip Loin. Marlene

Ingredients

Pommes Frites (French Fries)

The trick to crispy (not greasy) fries is to double fry the potatoes! I found this recipe on rouxbe.com and it was delish. Marlene

Lemon Coriander Prawns

I’ve recently been introduced to Costco’s frozen prawns, already deveined and shelled, but tails left on. I wanted to find more recipes for making prawns. Here’s one I found on rouxbe.com — enjoy! Marlene

Chinese Pot Stickers

I love pot stickers! They are so yummy when pan fried to a golden crisp, but still moist inside. This recipe is similar to Gyoza King’s prawn, pork and chive gyozas. I like the home-ey taste of the homemade skins, nice to work with, very fresh, moist and thick, but it was a lot of work compared to store bought. These freeze well — freeze in single layer tray, then transfer to a freezer bag when frozen. Marlene

Ingredients:

Chewy Ginger Snaps

I just found these and loooove Capers’ chewy ginger snaps and wanted to find a recipe that would make them. Although I have not tested this recipe yet, it looks good and I have compared with a few online. Marlene

Ingredients

Algerian Lamb Shanks

Algerian Lamb Shanks
(Makes 5-6 servings)

4 lamb shanks
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper (1/4 tsp or more if you like)
1 c dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 c water + 1/2 c water
1/2 c orange juice
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

I used frozen lamb shanks and didn’t even have the patience to thaw it
out so I just steamed it in my pot with a bit of water until they
separated from each other (they were frozen and fused together). When
they separate from each other, put the meaty sides facing down in the
pot.

Mix the water, orange juice, vinegar, and all the spices together in a bowl.
Pour over the lamb shanks which are cooking in the pot. Boil on medium
for 45 minutes.
Turn down to low heat and add all the dried fruit and slivered
almonds. Add the remaining 1/2 c water. Continue on very low simmer
for 1.5 -2 hrs.

Remove the meat from bones and return to pot and reheat throughout.

Serve meat on a bed of couscous or brown rice with your favourite
glass of french red (Corbieres) or super fruity red (Chakana Malbec) or with sweet white (Gewurztraminer)!

You can also make this dish in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7-9 hrs.

Roger’s Slow Cooker Ribs

I work with Roger, wine & food enthusiast. He just told me this recipe works great in the slow cooker and you don’t have to pre-cook the pork ribs. Super easy too! (Marlene)

Ingredients
slab of pork ribs
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp apple cider
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or slightly less if using basalmic vinegar)

Instructions:
1. Bring all ingredients except the pork ribs in a saucepan and bring to almost boiling.

2. In slow cooker, put in the raw pork ribs. Dump the sauce on top. Cover and turn slow cooker to LOW for 4-5 hrs.

3. Enjoy with rice.

Chicken Soup with a Kick

Feeling a bit under the weather? Or just wanting some comfort soup? The ginger slices give this soup a spicy kick! Here is something easy I whipped up (Marlene).

Ingredients
4 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 slices of gingerroot
8 cups of water
1 celery stick, diced
1/2 big onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pearl barley
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Cut some of the chicken meat off the bones and keep both. Put oil into hot pan and fry up the chicken and the bones and the slices of ginger. Fry for 5-7 minutes.

2. In a soup pot, put in the rest of the ingredients (except the chicken mixture and the pearl barley), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

3. Dump in all the chicken mixture and the pearl barley. Simmer at a slow boil for approx 15 minutes.

4. Take out all the chicken and bones. Scrape all the chicken meat off the bones and shred all the chicken meat– set this meat aside, discard the bones.

5. Continue slow cooking at low for 30-45 minutes, until the barley is cooked. When you are ready to serve, remove the slices of ginger and the bay leaf, return the chicken meat to the soup. Serve and enjoy!

Malaysian Chicken Satays

from www.rouxbe.com (okay, I haven’t kitchen tested this one yet, but it looks super easy if you have a food processor and looks really yummy!!!)

ingredients
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 4 large shallots
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2” piece ginger (approx. 2 tbsp)
• 1” piece young ginger or galangal (approx. 1 tbsp)
• 2 serrano peppers
• 2 thick stalks lemongrass (approx. 4 tbsp)
• 4 tbsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp. turmeric
• 4 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt (2 tsp. table salt)
• 3 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp. water
• 24 boneless skinless, chicken thighs (approx. 4 lbs)

To make the marinade, first toast the coriander and fennel seeds over medium heat. Then set aside and let cool. Once the spices have cooled, transfer them to a food processor and pulse, until roughly ground. Next roughly chop the shallots, garlic, ginger, young ginger (or galangal), serrano peppers and add to the food processor and blend everything together. Finely mince the lemongrass and chop the palm sugar, then add them to the food processor along with the salt, turmeric, oil and water. Blend until you get a nice thick paste. For the chicken, trim off any excess fat or gristle. Then cut each thigh into 2 inch strips, lengthwise. Add the chicken to the marinade and fold everything together. Allow to marinade for up to 4 hours. This is a good time to soak the skewers, but it’s even better to soak them overnight.

Step 2: Cooking the Satays
* 48 skewers (soaked in water)
The last step before cooking is to thread the chicken onto the skewers. Once done, set the skewers aside while you heat the grill or barbeque. Heat the grill to medium high and lightly grease with oil. Cook the chicken on the first side until the meat starts to cook and turns white around the edges. Then lightly brush the top side with a bit more oil and flip. This should take about 5-7 minutes per side. For a nice light meal, serve these delicious satays with Coconut Infused Pandan Rice and Cucumber Sunomono Salad.

Vij’s Mango Kulfi

From Vij’s Indian Cuisine Cookbook
——–
Ingredients

1 c. whipping cream
6 c. whole milk
1 Tbsp white rice flour
4 Tbsp sugar
0.75 c. Alphonse mango pulp (I made my own pulp using organic mangoes, need to add 2 more Tbsp sugar)
0.75 c chopped pistachios (I chopped and toasted raw pistachios bought from the bulk section, make sure not to burn your nuts, or the whole dish will taste burnt)

+++
“In India, kulfi, or Indian ice cream, is one of the most popular desserts. Street vendors sell it as popsicles, and five-star restaurants serve it as a fancy dessert… Once you have a good recipe for making kulfi, you can add almost any flavour. We add a bit of white rice flour to give the kulfi a slightly softer texture, and we find the rice flour also soaks in whatever flavour you choose to add. Since mango pulp is presweetened, remember that you may have to add more sugar if you choose another flavour of kulfi.

If you know that you’ll be making kulfi quite often, visit an Indian grocer and buy individual kulfi containers. They are cone-shaped tins with screw-on lids and they come in different sizes. Kulfi will keep frozen for up to 1 month in kulfi containers or up to 3 days in small ceramic bowls sealed tightly with plastic wrap. It is eaten frozen like ice cream, or served warm,which is how Vij’s wife likes it.”

++++++++
Instructions

In a heavy pot, combine cream, milk and rice flour with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a slow boil on med-low heat, stirring regularly. Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring regularly and scraping the milk that sticks to the side of the pot back into the mixture. As it cooks, the mixture will begin to thicken. When it is cream-coloured and has the consistency of whipping cream, turn off the heat and stir in sugar. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Stir in mango pulp (and pistachios, if desired).

Pour 0.5 cup of the mango-kulfi mixture into each of the 8 ceramic bowls or containers, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

To serve, remove the kulfi from the freezer about 5 minutes before serving, just to soften it. Serve in the ceramic bowls, or if using the kulfi tins, place each one under warm running water for 30-45 seconds, then unscrew the lids and empty the kulfi into individual bowls — enjoy!!

Memphis Wou’s Ribs

Easiest tasty pork ribs, by Marlene. Ok, I am just about as lazy as cooks get. So I look for super easy, tasty recipes that impress without the stress Serves 4 big-eaters.

Ingredients:
• pork back ribs from Costco (approx $20 pkg) –
sliced into smaller portions (about 3 ribs per chunk)
• 1 bottle of Bull’s Eye Old Hickory BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup melted creamed honey (I used pasteurized)

Directions:
1. Fill large pot with water (1/4 full). Bring water to rolling boil, add ribs. It’s ok if water isn’t touching all the ribs, you’re actually kinda steaming the ribs (that keeps a lot of the flavour in). Bring water to a rollig boil again, then turn down to med-low, so it’s a slow boil for 1.5 hours.

2. Carefully remove the ribs into a large mixing bowl (the ribs should be falling off the bone at this point). Add 3/4 of the bottle of BBQ sauce & melted honey and coat all the pieces (reserve remaining 1/4 bottle for after the ribs are done). Chill in fridge for at least 3 hrs.

3. Transfer ribs to cookie sheet with parchment paper (easier for clean-up afterwards). Drizzle with remaining marinade before broiling (it is safe to use this marinade bcs all the ribs were fully cooked before marinading).

4. Position oven rack two down from the highest position, and crank the oven to broil setting.

5. Broil ribs in oven until reheated through, bubbly and slightly browned (flipping once during broil time–approx 20 minutes per side.)

6. You can brush on the 1/4 bottle saved BBQ sauce before transfering to heated serving platter. Enjoy these smokey, sticky, sweet, fall-off-the-bone ribs!

…And try not to think about how fattening they are

Oozing Olives

Parthenon (Greek deli & groceries)
3080 W. Broadway (and Balaclava) Wousie
————————————

All I have to say is: feta stuffed green olives! These are super decadent and oozing with taste overload! This Greek deli also has the best and biggest selection of olives: kalamata, giant green olives, or stuffed with cheeses. Also great baked goods: honey cookies, and of course baklava. The deli has free-range chicken wings (baked to perfection), excellent spinach pie, a huge selection of dips: black olive pesto, artichoke dip, tsatsiki, cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers and much, much more. They also sell some groceries and olive oil soap for only 85 cents (which supposedly lasts forever and super good for your skin!). Opa!

From Enron to Gelato

Brazza Gelato  
1846 Lonsdale Ave, North Van (near 19th St.)

———-

Ex-Enron employee returned to his roots in North Van and opened up this premium coffee and gelato shop. Lino Mastrangelo wanted to create a coffee-shop which served premium coffee, made by expert barristas (they make that latte art on the top of your coffee), and homemade gelato. They even have a gelato called “Enron Overload”, which has ginseng, guarana and is green to reflect the greed that led to the company’s undoing!

Best flavours: pistachio; sugarless chocolate — amazingly rich and fudgey! Wousie

Vacqueyras Bouvencourt 2003

Eleve et mis en bouteille a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 13.5% alc/vol
Broadway International Wine Shop sells for $13 for 375 ml

Kokoro Japanese, N. Van

1442 Lonsdale, North Vancouver / Tel: 604.988.3513

This little gem is location on Lonsdale Ave (near 15th Ave) in North Vancouver. We’ve seen it change ownership, but the sushi & rolls are still super fresh and they are large cuts! Marlene