Roasted Garlic Onion Pizza

Ever noticed that the audience on the Rachael Ray show always claps for cheese during her cooking segment?  Doesn't matter if it's mozzarella, Parmesan reggiano, Romano, cheddar...they clap like they're watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for all kinds of dairy goodness.  

I've always found that a bit strange- does cheese really require applause?  Does Rachael need their unconditional support as she grinds, grates, slices, and smothers?  

Well...I was wrong.  Cheese deserves praises.  Especially when it's on top of this pizza.

So take a deep breath.  Sit down.  Relax.  

Maybe even grab a napkin. 

'Cause you're about to drool.

LEGEND...wait for it....DAIRY!

The secret to this pizza comes in a jar and it's not your mama's marinara.

Hello, lover.

Here's a loose recipe to follow if you want to recreate this masterpiece in your own kitchen. 

Roasted Garlic Onion Pizza

1 premade pizza dough- I used whole wheat dough from Portland Pie Co.    (found at Hannaford's)

~1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

6 1/4 inch slices of fresh mozzarella

~1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

cornmeal

Take dough out of refrigerator about a half hour before you plan to stretch it.  This makes it so much easier to work with.

Preheat the oven to 475.

Dust your baking sheet with a few tablespoons of cornmeal.  You want enough to cover the entire surface with a thin layer.  This prevents the pizza from sticking and provides some lovely texture.  If you have a pizza stone, you can skip this step.  I don't, so I just use my gnarliest baking sheet that I've had since college.

Stretch the dough into a rectangle. 

Spread the jam in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a half inch border.  Make sure the surface is evenly coated.

Layer on the mozzarella.  It won't cover the whole pizza, but it will melt and ooze over the pie while it bakes.

Sprinkle the Parmesan over the mozzarella.

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the pizza- make sure to put a bit on the crust.  You could use a pastry brush and gently paint the oil onto the crust, but who has time for that nonsense?

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Gaze at it's glory.  Let it cool, lest you be scorched  by molten cheese.

Devour.

Serve alongside a spinach salad to maintain your virtue. 

 

Bean a la King

When my sister and niece came to visit last May, I got a special introduction to baby likes and dislikes. Isabella could pretty much live without the yogurt melts, but that girl loves her beans. Loves them. And Gilligan really loved eating the beans that made their way to the floor.


Beans are such a cheap and easy way to incorporate protein into a meal, so I decided to re-create one of my all-time favorite recipes: Chicken A La King from the ever-peppy Rachael Ray.

This recipe can be made with or without wine. Depends on what kind of night you're having and what you've got in the pantry. We used this Sauvignon Blanc- it was tasty!

Cast of characters: canned biscuits, vegetable broth, one large white onion, button mushrooms, white kidney beans, frozen peas, nutritional yeast, and unpictured flour, salt, and pepper.


Start by baking your biscuits per the can's directions. Rachael recommends sprinkling them with cayenne or paprika and I agree.

Heat up one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Dice up the onion and slice the mushrooms. Add to the pan and saute until soft. Don't add any salt just yet.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the pan and stir to combine with mushrooms and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes so that you get rid of the raw flour taste.

Add either 1 cup of vegetable broth + 1/2 cup water OR 1 cup water + 1/2 cup white wine. Scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom and bring to a bubble. Cook 5-7 minutes or until sauce has thickened.


Stir in 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast. I know nutritional yeast looks like fish food, but it really adds a depth of flavor that vegetarian food sometimes lacks. Do not be afraid.

Add two cans of rinsed white kidney beans. Stir into the sauce gently, so you don't break up the beans too much.


Add in 1.5 cups of frozen peas (or more, if you love peas). Stir in and cook another 3-4 minutes or until peas are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the bean a la king over two split hot biscuits. I added a simple spinach salad on the side.

Frankly, I think this dish is even better than the original and a heck of a lot easier. Long live the king!

Bean a la King

1 can biscuits
cayenne or paprika for sprinkling, if desired
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 small white onion, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable broth + 1/2 cup water OR 1 cup water + 1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 cups frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle the biscuits with cayenne or paprika, if desired. Bake according to package directions.

Heat up olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add two tablespoons of flour to the pan and stir to combine. Cook 3-4 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth + water or water + wine to pan and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom. Bring to a bubble and cook 5-7 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Add the beans and stir gently. Add the nutritional yeast and stir.

Add the frozen peas and cook 3-4 minutes or until peas are warmed through.

Serve over split biscuits and enjoy!

Not so sloppy joes

I should start with a bit of an update. There's been a lot less crying around the Cupcakes household than I thought there would be.

Reason being...we didn't end up moving. Our house didn't sell and ultimately we're pretty happy about that. The other place was a steal and a great location, but it would have been more expensive and WAY less convenient.

We officially closed the book on this grand adventure on Friday and I've been celebrating by pulling all my crap out and making the house look I live in it again! Books stacked everywhere- check. Piles of mail- check. Dirty dishes in sink- check. Socks on the floor- check.

Ah- sweet relief. Keep this joint "company ready" 24/7 really blew.

And I just bought a new vacuum- a Hoover Sprint Quick Vac. Why I didn't buy this when I needed to keep the house super clean I don't know. Probably the same reason I let all the flowers we bought to "pretty" up the place die. My heart wasn't in it.

Now that I'm done tidying like June Cleaver, I have more time to blog. Hooray!

Enter- not so sloppy joes.

They're not so sloppy because I served them open faced. Feel free to get your hands dirty by putting those pieces o' toast together. Those beans will ooze all over you.

Exhibit A- sloppy.

Not So Sloppy Joes- vegetarian style

1 tbsp olive oil
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
28 oz. can of baked beans
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 squirts ketchup- roughly 2 tbsp
salt and pepper to taste
2 slices of bread per person, toasted
Cheddar cheese, for topping

Heat up the olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the bell pepper and onion and saute until just starting to brown- 5-8 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of salt to get those juice flowing. Add the garlic and stir well. Don't let the garlic burn. I'm serious, don't!

Add the chili powder and cumin to the pepper and onion mixture. Stir to combine. Dump in the baked beans and stir to combine and get all the good brown bits off the bottom. Add the mustard- stir extra well. You don't want to get a big bite of that- it will clear your sinuses. Squirt in the ketchup. Bring to a bubble and let cook about 2 minutes. Then reduce heat to low. Salt and pepper to taste. I probably added about 1/2-3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper.

Toast your bread. Arrange on a plate. Scoop on the sloppy joe and top with cheddar.


This whole meal came together in about 20 minutes- not too shabby for cafeteria food. As to whether these really taste like their Manwich counterparts, it's hard to say, although I think they're a close cousin. The husband never ate sloppy joes as a child and thus has only had my vegetarian renditions.

You be the judge!