Pita Sandwiches, Simple Berry Trifle

Served for Staff Luncheon March 2012

Pita Sandwiches
I loved it when my mom would make these when I was a kid.  Simple and oh, so yummy, with that cream cheese/guacamole combo!

whole-grain pita bread
cold cuts (black forest ham and oven roasted turkey)
guacamole*
nuefchatel cheese
alfalfa sprouts
mustard

Cut pita circles in half.  Open the pocket and on the inside, spread guacamole on one side and nuefchatel cheese on the other.  Fill the pocket with a few slices of turkey and or ham, some mustard, and alfalfa sprouts. 

*I whip some up using mashed avocados with a squeeze of lime juice, lemon pepper, lawry's seasoning salt, tomato chunks and salt to taste

Served with kettle cooked potato chips.

Simple Berry Trifle
I did these individually, but you can assemble the whole thing in a trifle bowl.  It can be made ahead of time--just save the whipped cream and kiwi for the last minute.

Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Pound cake, cubed
Vanilla pudding
Whipped cream
Kiwis

Layer in individual dessert dishes:
Pound cake, pudding, berries.  Repeat.  Garnish with whipped cream and kiwi slices.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza, Chocolate Mousse cups with Raspberries and Cream

Served for Staff Luncheon April 2012

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Makes 2 pizzas

One recipe pizza crust (see below)
olive oil
1 recipe Alfredo sauce
Jim's Garlic Seasoning
two grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (more or less to taste)
mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 green onions, tops only, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with baking stone(s) inside.  Let heat for 30 minutes.

Shape pizza crust.  Sprinkle cornmeal on parchment paper and place shaped crust on top.  Brush edges of crust with olive oil.

Spread crust with Alfredo sauce and sprinkle with garlic seasoning.  Lay mushrooms and chicken slices all over pizza, then mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle green onions over all.

Using a pizza peel (or unrimmed cookie sheet, or the bottom of a rimmed sheet) slide pizza with parchment onto hot stone in the oven.  Bake 8-12 minutes, until cheese is bubbly, and edges are golden. The heavier your toppings, the longer it takes to bake. When I cook two pizzas at once, I switch racks half-way through.

Pizza Crust: see this previous post


Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 TBSP butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup Parmesan or other Italian cheeses, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

In small saucepan, heat butter over medium-low heat until melted.  Add garlic and stir 30 seconds.  Add cream and bring to a simmer.  Simmer a few minutes over low heat until thickened.  Add cheese and stir until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chocolate Mousse Cups with Raspberries and Cream
serves 8

8 Oreos, pulsed to crumbs in food processor or magic bullet
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 cup high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
Raspberries, rinsed and dried
Ready-whip (for garnish)

In medium saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with 1/3 cup of the whipping cream.  Stir until smooth.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, whip remaining  cream until stiff peaks form.  Stir 1/2 cup whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture, then stir all the chocolate mixture into the rest of the whipped cream, until thoroughly combined.

Spread 1 TBSP of cookie crumbs in the bottom of each of 8 ramekins.  Top with equal portions of chocolate cream.  Refrigerate until firm.  Just before serving, make a ring of raspberries on the chocolate around the edge of each ramekin.  Spray Ready-whip in the center of the raspberries.

I served this meal with Sarah's Salad from The Lion House Cookbook. 

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, Best Buttermilk Biscuits

Served for Staff Luncheon January 2012

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

8 cups water
2 TBSP dried onion flakes
3 cubes chicken bullion
1 bay leaf
1-2 chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large potato, diced
1/8 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 can chicken broth

2 cups egg noodles

2 TBSP butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cream

salt and pepper to taste

Boil water in a large pot.  Add chicken breasts, onion, bullion, and bay leaf.  Boil over medium heat until chicken is cooked through.  Remove and shred chicken, and set aside.

Add garlic, carrots, celery, potato and thyme to pot.  Cook until veggies are almost tender.  Add can of chicken broth and return to boil.  Add noodles and cook until desired tenderness.

Meanwhile, melt 2 TBSP butter in separate sauce-pan.  Add 1/4 cup flour.  Whisk together, adding 1/2 cup milk slowly, until smooth.  Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to cook and stir until thickened. 

When thickened, and noodles are tender, add thickening to soup pot.  Stir together. Stir in 1/4 cup cream.  Check seasonings, adjusting as needed.  If thicker soup is desired, mix chicken broth with cornstarch and add slowly to soup while stirring until desired consistency is reached.




Best Buttermilk Biscuits
These are one of our FAVORITES! Can't believe I haven't posted this one yet.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
additional flour as needed
2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Grate butter over mixture on large holes of box grater.  Toss flour and butter together with your hands until combined. 

Add buttermilk and stir just until moistened, and dough starts to come into a ball. 

Remove dough to floured counter and knead 3 or 4 times, adding additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press dough into 3/4 inch rectangle.  Sprinkle additional flour on top of the dough.  Fold over onto itself in three layers (fold it like a letter).  Repeat this pressing/folding process three times.  (This creates layers in your biscuit.)

Press dough into 1/2 inch thickness and cut into biscuit shapes (or eight squares from your rectangle.)  Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake 13-15 minutes, until lightly browned.  Brush with melted butter. 

Served with Spinach Salad and chocolate dipped strawberries. 

Beef Stew, Homemade Sandwich Bread, Chocolate House Cookies

Beef Stew

We don't have this often, but it's a hit when we do!

Dredge 1 lb stew meat (fat removed, cut in bite sized-chunks) in 1/2 cup whole wheat flour with salt and pepper.

Melt 1/4 cup shortening in large soup pan over medium high heat.  Add meat, and brown.

Add 6 cups water, 3 beef bullion cubes, and 1 TBSP dried onion flakes (or a whole onion, quartered.)

Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours, until meat is tender. 

Add vegetables: 2 potatoes, peeled and diced, 2 carrots sliced, 1 celery rib sliced, 1 clove garlic minced.  Cook until vegetables are tender.  Thicken with flour mixed with water to desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade Sandwich Bread 

This is our favorite for French Toast; also great for toast or sandwiches.  

4 1/2 cups water
6 TBSP sugar (a heaping 1/3 cup)
2 TBSP salt
1/4 cup shortening
4 packages instant yeast (4 scant TBSP)
2 cups quick oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
about 10 cups bread flour (I don't really measure. . .just add it until the dough is right!)

Combine in Bosch: water, sugar, salt, shortening, quick oats, wheat flour, and 2 cups bread flour.  Mix until smooth.  Stop mixing to add 3 cups bread flour and yeast.  Mix until smooth.  Add flour by half-cupfuls until dough cleans sides and bottom of your mixer bowl.  Dough should not feel too sticky.  Knead 6 minutes in Bosch.

Put the lid on loosely, and let it rise about 1 1/2 hours (it will overflow your mixer.)

Mix down, and shape dough into four loaves.  Place in greased 9x5 loafpans.  Raise until an inch above the pan (about another hour.)

Set oven rack low in the oven so tops of bread will be in the middle of the oven.  Preheat oven to 425 (I do 400 because I have dark pans).  Bake 25 minutes, until golden all over.  Remove from pans to rack to cool. 

Chocolate House Cookies

Every year, Andy's office receives a house made out of chocolate (like a gingerbread house, but all chocolate) at Christmas time.  It is from "Baum's House of Chocolates".  This is the best chocolate!  After the kids all pick at it as much as I'll let them, I chop it up and use the chocolate pieces for these cookies--a favorite! 

1 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/14 cups brown sugar
1 TBSP vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup quick oats
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups of chocolate house (or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup dark chocolate chopped small, 1 cup milk chocolate)

Heat oven to 350.  Beat butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Beat.  Stir in oats.  Sift flour, soda and salt together and add.  Mix.  Stir in chocolate.  Dough will be stiff.  Can add chopped pecans if desired.

Using cookie scoop, place 12 balls on parchment covered cookie sheet.  Bake 11 minutes, or until lightly browning on edges (centers are still soft.)  Cool 3 minutes on pan, then remove to wire rack.

*If the cookies come out thinner than your liking, add flour to the dough 2 TBSP at a time.

Served with green salad.