Cast Iron Pan Pizza

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love pizza. I have been making homemade pizza for 38 years, yes 38 years and longer if you consider the Kraft boxed kits I made in my childhood.  I have had many disasters along the way, still all edible haha. I found this recipe in Cooks Illustrated cooking magazine after I broke my foot last year and happily spent a lot of time with my nose in cook books. Once I got back up on my feet I thought I would give it a try. Happy to report it is delicious and one of the easiest, most home-cook friendly pizzas you can make at home. One minute of dough kneading, no rolling or stretching. And because it is baked in a pan, there is no tricky transferring of the pizza dough to a hot pizza stone. No big mess in your oven when you over shoot and pizza toppings and cheese splatter all oven, not to mention the smoke filling your oven and kitchen.  It is now my favourite homemade pizza and equals any restaurant style pizza and much cheaper. The dough is made and given time to rest in fridge to allow for gluten development. I will make this dough leading up to the weekend so we can enjoy on whatever day on the weekend that works for us. I have two cast iron pans. I will double recipe and make 4 pizzas when we have company. Slide the pizza out of pan and load up the next with toppings and bake. No need to rest and rise in pan as it raised and rested in the cake pan. Trust me, you will love this pizza.

Beef Dip Sandwich

I love beef dip but more times than not the jus or dip is often bland and tasteless. This recipe I adapted from the Pioneer Woman has a very flavourful jus. After the roast is fully cooked and removed from the pan, onions and garlic are added and cooked on the stove top in the pan drippings. Then a packet of french onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and beef broth are added to the pan. The mixture simmers on the stove top for about an hour. The liquid is strained and the onions are saved to serve over the beef in the sandwich. The end result is a very tasty dip that knocks his recipe out of the park.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

 It took me a long time to be a fan of quinoa. I think the first time I had quinoa it was served without anything added to it, so it was quite boring. Since then I have experimented with several salads and this one is definitely a winner. I found this recipe in a cookbook called "Yum and Yummer' by Greta Podleski. It is fresh, flavourful and satisfying. I often make a double recipe on Sunday and my family packs it for lunches all week.  This recipe is  also great as a side dish with grilled meats/fish. In the above picture I used a mix of red and white quinoa.

Quick Salsa

I have been wanting to post this recipe for several years now but one of the essential ingredients called Rotel, which is a combination of finely chopped tomatoes and green chilies was only available in the USA. Whenever I would go south of the border I would always bring home a good supply of Rotel. I now see it on the shelves in the grocery stores. I usually shop at Superstore and they have it there consistently. Rotel is also good in chili for that extra little pizzaz! I love eating the salsa with hint of lime taco chips. This makes a big recipe, but don't worry it is so good you will have no problem gobbling it up.

Pork Chops and Cream of Mushroom Soup

This is a old recipe that I have been eating since my childhood. I have been wanting to post this recipe for many years but my husband Darcy usually makes this dish for supper when I am at work so I never had any pictures. I have had a few bad versions of this dish over the years and there are a few important points to remember.  Firstly, you have to brown the meat. If you don't the end product will look very pale and unappetizing to say the least. Don't dilute the soup down with milk or water. Your are baking the chops not boiling them!  If you want to add more pork chops, simply add more soup. You can use bone in pork chops or pork loin chops. The cooking time varies on the size of the chops so keep an eye on it while cooking. I usually serve the chops with rice. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Banana Bread

This is a very moist and tasty bread. I found this recipe last year in a "Taste of Home" magazine and I really liked the recipe but forgot all about it until this month. It is a nice change from regular banana bread.

Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

I used to think that any soup that had pureed carrots in it would be similar to eating baby food. I was so wrong and I encourage you to try this easy and delicious soup. I found the recipe in the "Best of Bridge" cookbook and decided to go out on a limb and try it. This soup is perfect on a cold Fall day.  I served this soup with homemade foccacia bread and my family all gave it great reviews.