Pizza Margherita

FOR DOUGH
* 1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
* 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
* 3/4 cup warm water, divided
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

FOR TOPPING
* 1 (14- to 15-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
* 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 basil leaves plus more for sprinkling
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 6 oz fresh mozarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

EQUIPMENT:
a pizza stone

Make dough:

Stir together yeast, 1 Tbsp flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Add 1 1/4 cups flour, remaining 1/2 cup water, salt, and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour (1/4 to 1/3 cup) for dough to begin to pull away from side of bowl. (Dough will be slightly wet.)

Knead on a floured surface, lightly reflouring when dough becomes too sticky, until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, and dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.

MAKE TOMATO SAUCE WHILE DOUGH RISES:

Pulse tomatoes with juice in a blender briefly to make a chunky purée.

Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant and pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add tomato purée, basil, sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and cool.

HEAT PIZZA STONE WHILE DOUGH RISES:

At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put stone on oven rack in lower third of electric oven (or on floor of gas oven) and preheat oven to 500°F.

SHAPE DOUGH:

Do not punch down. Dust dough with flour, then transfer to a parchment-lined pizza peel or large baking sheet. Pat out dough evenly with your fingers and stretch into a 14-inch round, reflouring fingers if necessary.

ASSEMBLE PIZZA:

Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1-inch border (there may be some sauce left over). Arrange cheese on top, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border.

Slide pizza on parchment onto pizza stone. Bake until dough is crisp and browned and cheese is golden and bubbling in spots, 13 to 16 minutes. Using peel or baking sheet, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with some basil leaves before slicing.

Tabbouleh

This is by far the BEST tabbouleh I have ever tasted. I was never a big fan, until a friend of mine recently made this for a BBQ. I went back for seconds. It's from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa), whose recipes never disappoint me!

3 cups boiling water
2 cups bulgar wheat (whole foods or dezavala market bulk section)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons) do not substitute bottled
olive oil
kosher salt (this will make a difference! don't use table salt)
freshly ground pepper
1 cup (1 bunch) green onions, minced, white and green parts
1 cup (2 bunches) chopped fresh mint
1 cup (1 bunch) chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cucumber, peeled, and medium diced
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (I used regular local tomatoes)

In a heat-proof bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat. Add the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 3 tsp kosher salt. Stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the bulgur to stand at room temperature for about an hour.

Add green onion, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to bulgur. Season to taste and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. The flavors will improve as it sits.

Pork Chop and Feta Skillet

1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, stir together rosemary, basil, garlic, and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip pork chops in lemon juice, and sprinkle both sides with herb mixture. Place pork chops in skillet, and sear both sides, about 7 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle feta on top of chops; cover skillet, and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.

Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu

this recipe is easy, quick, and yummy. the sauce is amazing. you could substitute cooking wine for the wine, but keep in mind that cooking wine is LOAD-ed with salt, so you may need to halve or eliminate the bouillon. i served mine with a sauteed mushroom wild rice pilaf and asparagus.

INGREDIENTS

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 6 slices Swiss cheese
* 6 slices ham
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 2 cups heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Outrageous Brownies

from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

These brownies are RICH! Only need a small amount to satisfy any chocolate cravings. I think they're best right out of the fridge.

Ingredients

* 1 pound unsalted butter
* 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
* 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
* 6 extra-large eggs
* 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
* 2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3 cups diced walnut pieces (I prefer mine without)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Golden Grahams Indoor S'Mores Treats

3/4 c. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. butter
1 pkg. milk chocolate morsels
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. Golden Graham cereal (9 c.)
3 c. miniature marshmallows

Grease 9 x 13 inch pan. Heat syrup, butter and morsels to boiling stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in bowl, toss until coated. Fold in marshmallows 1 cup at a time. Press into pan with buttered back of spoon. Let stand 1 hour. Cut into 2 inch squares. Store at room temperature.

Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Apricots and White Chocolate

from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
7 ounces dried apricots, preferably California, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oatmeal, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs, and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture gradually, beating until just combined. Stir in chocolate and apricots. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
2. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges but still soft in the center, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 1 week.