Prosciutto Mushroom & Jalapeno Pan Pizza

Just love making pizza at home, even the worst one is usually twice as good as take out :)
Finally , after being stuck on pita pizzas for about 2 years , so easy , so quick, and the price was right at 6 loaves for $1 ...   However my real passion is for from scratch pizza , there is something rewarding about making everything yourself.

So I bought myself some pizza yeast , and dove back into it .

Ingredients : Makes (1) 12 x17 Pan Pizza

Crust - 2 cups of flour - 6 Tbsp EVOO - 1 1/3 Cup Hot Water- 4.5 Tsp Pizza Yeast - 1.5 Tsp Sea Salt - 1 Tsp Dehydrated Garlic & Basil - 1 Tbsp Sugar  ( In large bowl , mix dry ingredients well, add the wet and using two wooden spoons , mix and knead for about 6 minutes , spread out using your fingers into an oiled baking tray )
Pizza - 3 Tbsp Sauce , I used my Spicy Smoky Sweet Ketchup ( SSS )
- Two Cups of grated cheese ( I blended mozzarella and 5yr old cheddar )
One Red Onion , Slivered
6 Cremini Mushrooms , Sliced
1 Jalapeno, Sliced
10 Slices of Prosciutto Salami, cut into thirds



 

After pressing the dough into the pan , cover lightly with whatever sauce your using .
Preheat Oven to 415F

Sprinkle 1/3 the cheese
Start adding the toppings , keeping in mind the proscuitto needs to be on top to get crispy .

 

Once the toppings are on , its time for the rest of the cheese :)



Straight into the preheated oven for about 12 minutes , reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking for 8 more minutes .  ( I should note , this is for a slightly well done pizza ) You can skip the last step and just bake for 15 minutes if you prefer a normal doneness ( Is that a word ??? Hahaha ) 

 

That is it , remove from the oven , and grab a plastic or wooden spoon to avoid scratching your pan .

 

You can stop admiring your handy work now , and slice and serve !

 

MmmmMmmm Good !

 

That's it ... this should feed 4 people for dinner , and is ready in just under 30 minutes :)
Topping options are endless , This was a particularly good combination for just 5 toppings .

Peace, Love and Good Food :)
Rich

Mashed Potato Skillet Pizza

The Original Dish :)

Mexican Sausages from the butcher , Local Yukon Spuds & Cremini Mushrooms , Onion & Garlic from my garden , and some flash frozen peas ...  Oh can't forget the butter either !  Hahaha

I don't know about you , but i LOVE Bangers n Mash  :) Its more of a cool weather meal for me , as all that boiling water really heats up the kitchen .  So , earlier this week I made myself some ( See above )

I must say, it was delicious ! Such Simple, Good Food :)  As always tho , I made way more than I could eat in one sitting ...  Then I had a thought. On how to recreate the leftovers into something different , and tasty !





Ingredients :
1 Sausage ( Preferably from a butcher )
 2 Cups Garlic mashed Potatoes ( Or whatever is your fancy )
2 Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 Red Onion , Sliced
1/2 Jalapeno , Sliced
1/2 cup Mozzarella , small cubes
2 thin slices 5 yr old cheddar , diced

You will need an oven safe pan for this , I choose my 8" cast iron skillet ...

Preheat oven to 350F , pan can be preheated too if you like. 
Drizzle the pan with a bit of EVOO
Use a fork to smush the mashed potato in the pan
Start adding the toppings, Sausage, Onion, Jalapeno , Mushrooms ...

Into the oven for 20 minutes

Side note : This recipe qualifies for Gluten Free

 

Sprinkle the cheeses over the top , return to the oven for 20 minutes



Its didnt have quite enough colour for me , so I cranked it up to 400F and popped it back  in for a few more minutes ...  

 

And this was what I was rewarded with ...  Creamy Garlicky Goodness , topped with all my favourite flavours :) Yummy !!

 

No need for plates , just grab a tray ( as the pan is HOT! ) and a fork , and enjoy !


This recipe is part of my Creative Leftover series , any feedback would be greatly appreciated .

Peace , Love and Good Food !
Rich

Tartan Tavern - Rich's Restaurant Review

I've been going to the Tartan , for a very long time ...  years before I was able to order myself a pint , My parents used to take me there for a pub dinner ( On the rare occasion that we ate away from home )
So I figured they should be one of the first reviews I did , and in fact this was the first one ... I just typed up the other two ahead of this one .

The Tartan , is the Tartan ... It is an original , not quite an English or Scottish pub , and not quite Canadian either, its in its own little world .  

Several years ago, I gave up on eating here .. the food was geared to the college kids that fill the place every Friday and Saturday night , the food wasn't horrible , but it certainly wasn't something to brag or blog about !  Then they had a menu rewrite , a good  burger , a proper English curry , Liver n Bacon ..  The had my attention , and I was willing to try again.   This was probably 2 years ago , and for a while I was a regular again , then life and some new restaurants in town I slowly stopped popping in.

Until I decided I wanted to try my hand at reviews ... So off I went with memories of tasty homeburgers and curries .


 

Guinness ! Love it
They have a good mix of Canadian and British Beers on tap 

I was not 100 % sure what I was going to order , and decided to ask the waitress what was the most popular these days ,,, It was still the burger .  Easy choice , I opted for the mushroom cheese burger with fries , and a shared bowl of onion rings .

I should mention , when they rewrote the menu , I LOVED their burgers !  Was nice to be able to go out and get a real burger, something that just was not available . ( It is now, future post will show you that ) So my expectations were rather high ... I was happy to see they still had a homemade patty , fresh lettuce , onion and tomato :) Even the fries looked crispy , but sadly thats were my excitement ended .   Canned mushrooms , what I thought were frozen fries  ....  I actually had to ask , turns out they were fresh cut , but tasted JUST like frozen to me .  What should have been the star of the show , had lots of good beefy taste , I will give them that ... but the texture was awful , way to soft both the burger and the bun fell apart while I was eating .  

Tasty , but obviously frozen ones :( and I have an issue with those silly little plastic sauce cups
Not impressed . 

Gillian had the Fish and Chips ... good portion size , but more plastic containers and so so fries . 

See, it sure looks good  ! I will try it again ... someday 

Taste : Good All round
Texture : Blah .. burger fell apart , too soft , fries had frozen texture
Value : Not too Bad
Service : Always Good
Overall : Okay , I will return , I know they can do better

Cleaning out the crisper, 8 egg Beef n Veggie Frittata :)

I love Frittatas :) They can range from simple two or three ingredients .. to a massive clean out the fridge version , like this one I'm about to show you .  

Ingredients :) 

8 Eggs , preferable free range ( Feeds about 6 ) 
1 red pepper 
1 jalapeno 
1 large onion 
1 handful cremini mushrooms 
2 green thai chili peppers 
3 cloves of garlic 
1 handful grated mozzarella 
1 handful grated 5 yr old cheddar ( or use your favourite )  
1 crown of broccoli 
1 tomato
1 handful of asparagus 
1 knob of butter 
1 left over home burger or 8 oz of ground beef ( or leave it out for a veggie version )  

 Red & Jalapeno & Thai Peppers, cremini mushrooms , butter onion & garlic , for now :) 

After a couple minutes , add the hamburger to the pan 

When the veggies are halfway cooked , add in the rest of them asparagus , broccoli , tomato ( make sure they are all chopped to bite size :)  and a sprinkle of the cheeses on top for good measure .  

I used a large measuring cups to lightly whisk the 8 eggs together with a good pinch of the cheeses ..   pour over the entire pan , trying to keep it relatively even .  

About half way up the veggies is what I aim for :) 

Add the rest of the cheeses , and a few cracks of black pepper , give it a minute of the pan , then into a preheated 350F oven 

 After Twenty minutes or so ... it should be set .... 

  and slide right out of the pan :)   

Slice, serve and enjoy !   We had this with a nice Caesar salad :)  

That's it , Simple Good Food !   Took just over 30 minutes from start to finish , and can be served as a meal on it own ... or enjoyed with salads, chips , toast ... just about anything really !  Enjoy

Peace , Love and Happy Eating 

Sausage n Mushroom Frittata

I love making frittata's !  They are such a simple and easy way to use up leftovers, you can make a personal sized one  or  a quick meal for 4 or 6 people .   As for ingredients the options are endless..  for me ,  Cheese and Eggs are the only must have .. well maybe garlic too!   

This season, we have a new vendor at the Farmers Market , CrosswindFarms :) A local goat farm , that specializes in goat cheeses ..  and even sell some of the meat.  I ended up with some of their sausages... and what better way to use up the extras than to make a frittata! ! 

You will need an oven safe frying pan for this dish :)

Start off by prepping your veggies ..  Mushrooms, Onions,  Peppers, Broccoli, Grape Tomatoes ..  

Start off with the mushrooms and onions, a nice pat of butter will help out here , just long enough to get some colour on them . 

Finish chopping everything while that is happening . Bite sized is best . The Goats sausage was very good, nice texture and very meaty !
Throw whatever you like for seasoning in with the veggies, I went with chili powder and basil  :) 

Less Words, More Food 16

Okay , so Im WAY behind on posting again ... only 2 months this time , and not 6 ! Hahahaha
I think I need to come up with a new way to share with you all here...  maybe more frequent, smaller posts ?  Anyways...  enough talking! This is Less Words, More Food time :)

Mmmm Cheese on Toast :)  

After two months of eating only veggies from my pantry , this was a welcome change ! 

Three of my favourite things.. Butter, Mushrooms and Peppers :) 

Mustard chili steak.. ready for stir fry !  

Mmm fresh veggies!!  

Chili Mustard Steak, and Mixed Vegetable Stir fry :) 

That didnt take too long ...  maybe we just need more rainy days to keep me inside ?

and just because its Earth Day ...  

 Happy Earth Day everyone ! 

Be Good to the Planet ! Its the Only one we have :))
Rich

Eating Local,even in Winter

While working in the fields of a local organic farm last summer,  I had a lot of time to think ... One of the many bonuses to working outside with your hands :)  During harvest season life was great , fresh local veggies everyday , just picked 10 minutes before heading home :)   But what about winter ?  When I can't just simple pick something fresh, either from the field or from the grocery store.   I decided this year , I was going to challenge myself to continue to eat local thru the worst two months for fresh, local food here.  January and February ...   So i started stocking up ,  between a few farms and my own garden I managed to pack away a few hundred pounds of veggies...  lots to see me thru the two months I promised myself.    Quick numbers are 150 lbs of potatoes , 75lbs of acorn and butternut squash, 100lbs of tomatoes, jarred and frozen as a garden sauce,  50lbs of red peppers mostly all roasted and frozen , along with onion and garlic ( quick flavour adders ) ,100lbs of onions and 50 head of garlic .   I did have ambitions to put away more, but simply ran out of time and freezer space ...  It didnt help that the 20lbs of carrots went bad on me lol ..   Looks like I wont have a huge variety to choose from , but it should be fun , and best of all LOCAL :))  I'm already thinking ahead to next year ...   more frozen soups or puree's for sure , and more root vegetables carrots, parsnips, turnips etc...  More variety in canning , not just tomatoes :)

Four weeks in ,  Im really craving a nice big Caesar salad lol .... but its been fun,  Here are a few of my creations so far :)

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus :) 

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus, garden tomato sauce, red onions, garlic ,  ground beef , and roasted red peppers...  all local :)) Making  homemade hamburger helper :)   

Mushroom Beef and Ale Soup

Well, I for one am glad that I have finished the 10 recipes with 5 ingredients, as much fun as that was ... I do enjoy just a few more ingredients to a meal.   I have a couple of questions though... did you like the recipe format I used ? compared to my normal method of just showing you what went into the dish ?   Please leave a comment below , thanks.  
Soup , is always a great choice ... its good any season of the year , for lunch , dinner, even breakfast !!   I love a good soup,  my only problem with making them .. is that I tend to turn them into stews!!  So I was determined the other day to create one , that not only was healthy and tasted great , but that actually resembled a soup!!

Ingredients Required :  

1L of beef broth , or stock ( this is the last of my store bought , gone forever from my kitchen now) 

1lb of a variety of mushrooms   I had white , portabello, shitake and oyster 

2 cups of cooked ground beef 

2 onions 

3 cloves of garlic 

1/2 can of your favourite ale. ( This is a local craft brew , very good !! ) 

A couple of pats of butter 

Salt n Pepper to taste

Here is what you will need 

Simply slice everything up , bite sized for the mushrooms and a medium dice for the onion 

Add it right into the soup pot ,  butter in first then all the onions, mushrooms and garlic together . Season with your favourite herbs,  I went with basil , thyme and oregano/:) Med/High heat .  

Once the Mushrooms and onions have softened just a bit , add the beef in .  Give it all a good stir. 

Once the beef is in the pot for about a minute , pour in the liter of stock, and half the can of ale ...  stir , reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to blend all the flavours.

Vegetarian Eggplant Curry - #10w5 - 4 Good Food, Cheap 1

From being behind a week on posting , I'm actually now a week ahead of myself. The next 6 posts have all been photographed, I just need to write them out .  ( The hardest part for me ) So that brings us to today's recipe,  Vegetarian Curry , a first for me.   Not the curry part ,Ive made loads of those over the years in all sorts of different styles, just never without meat .  Also , Ive never used Indian Eggplant before , so this dish was a little interesting for me.This is one of those quick and easy meals, it can be ready in under 45 minutes , with only a few minutes prep.  and for the people like me that are on a budget , this one is really cheap,  total cost about $5 for enough for 4 bowls full.    

You will need for this recipe. 

1 Can of Chick Peas - Or 3 cups of dried ones soaked over night, and boiled $1.00

1 Jar of Whole Roma Tomatoes - Homemade if possible $ 0.50

5 Indian Eggplants ( Baby Eggplants ) $2.50

6 or 8 Mushrooms - Again , I only seemed to have white on hand. $1.00 

3 Tablespoons of your favourite curry powder.$ 0.25

The stars of the show,  Chick Peas, Indian Egg Plant, White Mushrooms, Madras Curry , My home canned garlic/basil tomatoes :)  

First thing I did was to chop the ends off the egg plants , quarter them, a light spray of olive oil so they don't stick, and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
Second things is to get the chick peas boiling, while you get started on the mushrooms. 

Rinse the mushrooms, I like to remove the stems ( save them in a freezer bag, for future uses stocks, or mushroom paste ) then quarter,  a quick pan fry before adding the other ingredients will get some colour on them.  

Beef & Mushroom Frittata 10 with 5 recipe # 3

I was off to a slow start with this challenge, but have been picking up speed nicely since getting the first one done  and out of the way.  Ive already eaten and photographed #4 :) and have the next few already planned out.
So on, to today's photo recipe ... and post number Three.  Frittata's are one of my favourite meals, I usually have them on the weekend when I'm clearing out my fridge.. but they can make a nice easy dinner too.   This one was a little special for me , as I actually collected the eggs myself , just a few hours before making this.  Which reminds me , I should do a follow up post on egg collecting .  :) This is a medium sized one, good for 2 for dinner or 4 for lunch .  

You will need :


1/2 pound of ground beef - This was my favourite:  local, free range and grass fed .
4 large eggs - Preferably free range farm eggs
2 med/large onions
6 cremini mushrooms
1 red bell pepper

The assembled ingredients. I should point out that this is actually a pound of ground beef,  I only used half of it for the frittata , the rest was saved for another dish.  

All sliced , you can slice them how you like , but bite sized is best