Homemade Pizza

When I was little and visited my Nonna, she always had homemade pizza.   However, it wasn't pizza like you and I think of..............it was ANCHOVY pizza! 

My Nonna and Nonnu...........and who is that cute kid?  ME!

 

I have fond memories of that pizza but I won't eat anchovies today................so I decided to figure out if my fond memories were because I liked them or because of my family.

Today's quest:  anchovy pizza

The recipe for the pizza dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons of active yeast
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Put the warm water in the bowl of your mixer.  Attach a dough hook.  Add the yeast and let it activate.  You will know if the yeast is good because it will start to "bubble."  Add the salt and 3 cups of the flour.

Turn the mixer on speed 2.  Slowly add flour.  Stop adding flour when the dough forms on the dough hook.  Put the dough in a oiled bowl and set in a warm place for 2 hours.  Cover the bowl with a towel.  This will allow the dough to rise.

The recipe for the pizza sauce is as follows:

1 small can of tomato paste
1 small can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon parsley

Let that simmer while the dough is rising.

For me the key to a great pizza is the cheese!  We are lucky in St. Louis, MO because we have provel cheese.  If you have ever had Imo's pizza, that is the cheese they use.  It is the best pizza cheese ever!

For this pizza, I used a mixture of mozzarella and provel cheese.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and you are ready to roll it out.  Put some corn meal on your pizza pan so that the dough doesn't stick.



This big pizza is for a pepperoni pizza.  The little dough in the back is for my anchovy experiment!



Put the dough in the oven 400 degrees and let it start to cook........by doing this you are making sure your dough will be cooked!

After 5 minutes, remove the dough.  Add your sauce, cheese and whatever topping you want.

Bake your pizza in the oven at 400 until the cheese starts to brown.

The back up pizza in case we don't like anchovies!

 

 

I told Jonah about how my Nonna made anchovy pizza and made him try it...........

 

 

 

OK, the truth is.........he refused to try it.  He posed for me but wouldn't put it in his mouth.  And, guess what, after I tried it, I understand!

 

I don't like anchovy pizza!  Good thing I made a pepperoni too!

 

Mangia!



Applesauce!

This past weekend my husband and I were fortunate enough to spend time with our grandchildren.  The weather was beautiful so we decided to go apple picking.  My son Jonah, who is 13, was thrilled.........SARCASM.

Uncle Jonah was really excited to ride with Jossalyn...........NOT!

 

 

 

I am embarrassed to tell you how many apples we bought!  Needless to say, I needed to do some cooking!

Jossalyn, my granddaughter, and I decided to try homemade applesauce.  It was super easy and it was a great opportunity to share my love of cooking with one of the many loves of my life!

Here are the ingredients:

8-10 apples - can use a variety
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

The above recipe will make 1 quart jar and 1 pint jar.

To begin, we washed and peeled our apples.

Then we let the apples cook about 30 minutes.  I put a little water in the bottom of the pan to make sure the apples didn't burn or stick to the bottom.

When the apples were soft, I drained them and put them in my food processor.  I left a little of the skin on.  Once the apples were in the food processor, you couldn't tell.

After the apples were smooth, we added 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar.  Before you add the sugar, taste the applesauce.  Some apples are sweet and some are tart.  You will need to adjust the amount of sugar you add, depending on how you like it.

Once the applesauce is the consistency you like, add it to a hot, sterilized mason jar.

Jossalyn is putting her applesauce in the jar we are sending home with her!

 

 

Once the jars are full, wipe the rims off and slide a knife or long piece of plastic (sold with canning supplies) down the sides of the jars.  This will help eliminate air pockets that have formed.  You will need to put the jars of applesauce in a hot water bath and boil for 20 minutes.

 

After you take the jars out, the lids will seal as they cool.  You know the jars have sealed when you hear the lid "pop" down.  Also, you will not be able to press down - there will be no give and take on the lid.

 

If the lid didn't seal, simple refrigerate that jar and use it first!

 

Enjoy!

The Best Chili I Ever Had!

I was so fortunate to have a wonderful 1st Mother-In-Law.  My first husband's mother, Gloria Marz is a wonderful woman and I miss her very much.  When I was married to Pat, Mom Marz and I would have great talks and drink a lot of coffee!  She is a whiz at gin rummy.  She is also a really good cook!

Mom Marz and Jonah! April, 1999

 

 

Mom Marz makes the best chili I ever had.  Here are the ingredients:

 

 

2 pounds ground beef

2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 chili brick

1 can tomato sauce

2 cans water

2-3 cans of Chili Hot Beans

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 3 dashes of Tobasco sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

 

 

 

 

Begin by dicing the onion and sauteing the onion until translucent.  Add the garlic and ground beef.  Mom Marz likes to use course ground beef for chili.  The beef looks like little ropes.  If you can't find it, use regular ground beef (80/20).

 

When the beef is brown, add the chili brick.  Chili brick is a strange ingredient, I know, but it makes this chili.  It just isn't the same without it.  My favorite chili brick is made by Edmonds, but you can use any brand.

 

Add the tomato sauce, water, and all spices.  Let that cook for 45 minutes or longer.

 

 

 

 

After the chili has had an opportunity to cook, add the beans.  Cook for an additional 15 minutes and serve.

 

I love to eat this over spaghetti noodles - chili mac!

 

Jonah is so lucky to have two wonderful grandmothers.  I consider myself a lucky woman for knowing her!  Mom Marz is a wise woman, always helpful and honest to the core.  She is also a lot of fun!

 

Mom Marz and Guys giving Jonah a Christmas present - 2002

 

 

I hope that Jonah always remembers how lucky he is to have such strong, honest and ethical women in his life.  I hope that he remembers those qualities when he chooses his wife.

 

Enjoy!









Beef Spiedini

If you saw my earlier post on Chicken Spiedini, you had to know that this post was coming next!  This recipe is fantastic!

Here are the ingredients:

Beef (don't buy a cheap piece of meat - sirloin of eye of round would work), thin pieces
Olive Oil - 1 cup
White wine - 1 cup
Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
Parmesan Cheese - 1 cup
Butter - 1/2 stick, melted
Lemon juice - juice of 1 lemon

Take the beef and marinade it in the wine and oil.  Keep it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

After the beef has been in the marinade for at least 1 hour, remove it.  Put the beef in a plastic bag and pound into a thin piece.

Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese.  Dredge the beef in the breadcrumb mixture.  Roll the beef and broil for 3-5 minutes on each side.

In the meantime, melt the butter.  Slowly pour the lemon juice in the butter, whisking as you pour.

Pour the butter over the beef and serve.

Spiedini served with gnocchi and pesto!

 

 



Mangia!  This recipe is listed on Simple Living and Eating!

Gnocchi

  

This recipe is listed on Domestic Randomness

Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings.  They look like little pasta shapes but are a little denser than pasta.  My family is from southern Italy - Sicily to be exact.  My Nonna didn't cook gnocchi very often.

The first time I had gnocchi was at a Thanksgiving feast at my 1st Grandmother In Law's house.  She was a feisty little Italian lady (aren't we all!).  Her name was Angie Marz (nee Ventimiglia) - she was my son's Great Grandmother.

Angie Marz holding my little Jonah Bologna - 1999 

Here are the ingredients to make gnocchi:

2 large russet potatoes
1-1 1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

To begin with, bake your potatoes in the oven at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until soft.  Let them cool and then scoop out the potato.  Be sure not to include the skin in the potato pulp.  Take a fork and mash the potato - get rid of the chunks.  If you have a potato ricer, that would be a perfect tool to use.

When the potato is mashed, add the flour, egg, salt and olive oil. 

Knead the ingredients until it forms a dough.

Take a small chunk of the dough and roll it out, like a long snake.  Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces and place on a floured surface.

Cook the gnocchi in salted, boiling water.  When the dumplings float to the top (about 2 minutes), they are ready.  Drain the gnocchi and put your favorite sauce on them:  meat sauce, marinara, pesto, etc.

I put fresh pesto on the gnocchi.  It was FABULOUS! 

http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2012/09/pesto.html

Mangia!  This recipe is listed on Foodie Friends Friday!

Pesto

Italians love their Basil!  Every summer I grow a big pot in my garden.  It is so easy to grow.  The smell is nothing like you have every smelled before..........

Basil grows rapidly.  Before you know it, you have so much Basil and you don't know what to do with it.  That is your clue that it is time to make Pesto!

The ingredients for Pesto are:

2 cups Basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
Dash kosher salt
Dash pepper
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Put the Basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and garlic in a food processor.

Turn the food processor on low.  Slowly pour the olive oil in.

When you are finished, remove the mixture from the food processor.  Add the Parmesan cheese.

Pesto is great on fresh bread, pasta, and gnocchi.  Mangia!

Cold Flu Syrup Made With Natural Herbs

To start with, I will formally state that I am not a doctor and the information provided on this post is not meant to take the place of a doctor's advice. 

I have been suffering from extreme allergies for over a year now.  I've consulted an allergist and the only remaining course for me is allergy shots.  I do not want to do this!

Last month I did some research on natural remedies to help allergy sufferers.  In my research I discovered that elderberry has shown to be effective in reducing the severity of colds and flu.  I made an elderberry syrup, with local honey:  http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2012/08/elderberry-syrup-for-colds-and-flu.html.

This syrup has helped lessen the severity of my allergies, but not gotten rid of them.  So back to the books I went.

I my research I discovered that there are a few more natural remedies that help with allergies, cold and flu symptoms.  I decided to add some of these ingredients to the elderberry syrup I previously made.

The other ingredients I am adding include nettles and echinacea.

Nettles

Here is some information regarding the use of nettles in medicinal herbs:  http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_nettle.htm

         

Echinacea

Here is some information regarding the use of echinacea in medicinal herbs:  http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_echinacea.htm

Here are the ingredients I used for my syrup:

2 cups filtered or distilled water

2/3 cup dried elderberries

2 tablespoons dried nettles

2 tablespoons dried echinacea

1 small chunk of fresh ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 lemon

1 cup local, raw honey

Put the first 7 ingredients in a sauce pan.  Simmer for 2 hours, allowing the mixture to reduce by half.  Do not let all of the water evaporate - add some if needed.  When the mixture has reduced by half, take off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.



Drain the mixture, using a fine mesh strainer and some cheesecloth.  Press the berries to extract as much juice as you can.  Discard the solids or use in your compost pile.

When the mixture has cooled, add 1 cup honey.  Stir vigorously.  Refrigerate - it should keep for 1-2 months.  If you want to add to the shelf life, add 1/4 cup brandy.



Again, this syrup is not meant to replace your doctor's advice.  I'll let you know if these additional ingredients eliminate the rest of my allergies.  Wish me luck!