No Knead Pizza Dough and Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

 This is our go-to pizza recipe. The pizza dough rises overnight.

Jim Lahey's No Knead Pizza Dough

from Serious Eats

Mix the dough, wait a day and start stretching pies.

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend flour, yeast and salt. Add water  and stir with a wooden spoon or your hands. Mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it ot rise at room temperature until it has more than doubled, up to 18 hours. It will take longer in a chilly room and less time in a very warm room. Flour a work surface and scrape out the dough onto the flour. Divide into 4 parts and shape each part by folding each side into the center (4 folds into the center). Shape into a round and turn seam side down. Then shape into a neat circular mound.

At this point you can wrap each of the 4 parts in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth, for 2-3 hours before needed. 

(This is the recipe shared on Serious Eats. The rest of this recipe is my own addition....It is a mixture of another recipe from Serious Eats, mixed with my own process.)

Sometimes there is too much dough for what we need so I freeze it. Place in a sealed plastic bag and freeze. When ready to eat pizza, return to room temperature by leaving out on the kitchen counter, covered in a damp cloth, and allow to thaw and rise, 8 hours, maybe overnight, depending on your kitchen temperature.

To make the pizza...

Foolproof Pan Pizza

from Serious Eats

Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

I make this pizza dough recipe and then divide the dough into 2 parts (not 4, as the recipe says). I take one part and shape it into a round, as the recipe says. I spray a 10" cast iron skillet with olive oil and place the pizza dough round into the cast iron skillet, turning it over to coat the dough with oil. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a towl and let sit for 2-3 hours. This allows the dough to relax and stretch out and almost fill the pan. Using the tips for your fingers, work the dough to the edge of the cast iron skillet, popping any large air bubbles. 

When ready to make the pizza, I finish stretching the dough out to the edges and a little up the sides of the skillet. I like to spread melted butter on the edges of the crust, then sprinkle with garlic salt or parmesan cheese to create a delicious crust. Next comes the pizza sauce, I spread it almost to the pizza dough edge, leaving a small crust. Next comes the mozzerella cheese that I sprinkle over the entire pizza crust, out to the very edge of the crust and just a little up the side of the skillet, to create a crisp cheesy crust. Next comes the toppings of your choice... pepperoni, greek pizza toppings, veggie pizza.... I always end with another light topping of mozzerella.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, turning the skillet at the halfway point. The bottom crust should be golden. Leave in the oven until your desired shade of brown. Remove from the oven and take out of the skillet and place onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with a little parmesan. Cut into desired pieces. We cut it into 8 slices. We eat half of the pizza and refrigerate the remaining pizza to have later for a midnight snack.

(The other half of the pizza dough I leave in the bowl and cover again and let it rise overnight (even 2 days) to have pizza again another day. I love pizza!)

Oven Casserole Jambalaya

We were watching the tv show, Home Town, one evening and they made a jambalaya for a friend on the show. It made us so hungry that I ordered the Laurel Mercantile Company Cookbook Volume 1 to get the recipe. The  recipe is shared by Mallorie Rasberry.

Picture from banana-breads.com

Mal's Jambalaya

1 can beef broth

1can of original Rotel tomatoes (for spicier, buy the hot Rotel)

1 can tomaato sauce

1 can French onion soup

1 stick of butter, melted

2 cups Uncle Ben's uncooked long grain rice (any long grain rice will work)

1 onion, diced

1 heaping Tablespoon of minced garlic

1 package of Polaska sausage, (or any sausage of your choice), cut in bite size pieces

3 cooked, shredded chicken breasts

Season to taste (Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning)

1 can chicken broth (used for after the baking)

Dump everything, except the chicken broth, in a huge bowl and mix well. Empty bowl into a large casserole pan, cover with foil and place in a 375 degree oven. Cook for around an hour and a half, or until rice is cooked. If it's a little dry, pour sin ome of the chicken broth. Same is true when you are heating up leftovers.

Fresh Homemade Salsa

 This recipe was shared with us by a friend, Jackie Ann. Jay loves this salsa!

Picture from sugarspunrun.com

Fresh Homemade Salsa

1 medium onion, chopped

2 jalapenos, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 28oz. can of whole tomatoes

2 Tablespoons vnegar

1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

Put onion, jalapenos and garlic in a blender and chop up. Add the rest of the ingredients and use the blender on pulse to blend. Don't over blend because it will make it too runny. Just a quick blend until it is a consistency that you like.

Cincinnati Chil

 This is a recipe from my son, Scott Irvine, that he created from 3 difference recipes. We love it! 

Picture from carlsbadcravings.com

Cincinnati Chili

I'm getting hungry just typing out the recipe!

2 large onions

3 Tablespoons oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 lbs hamburger

4 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2- 8oz cans tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon molasses

3 cups beef stock

2 Tablespoons vinegar

3 Cups water

Salt and Pepper

Cook onions in oil over medium heat. Add garlic. Add hamburger. Cook until brown. Add spices and stir. Add tomato sauce, cocoa, molasses, broth, vinegar, water and salt and pepper to taste. Use hand blender and blend well until an even consistency. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours or until thickened. Will improve flavor if cooled and chilled overnight. Serve over spaghetti noodles. Top chili with extras. Serve with oyster crackers and hot sauce.

Traditional 3 Way Chili is served topped with lots of cheese.

5 Way Chili is served with red kidney beans, chopped onion, grated cheddar cheese, oyster crackers and chopped tomato.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

 

This is a recipe shared by Ben McMurry. It is one of his family favorite recipes.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cups flour

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

9" single pie crust, unbaked

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, flour, melted butter, salt, lemon juice and corn syrup. Mix throughly, then stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until set, and golden.

Butter Braised Slow Cooker Pork Roast

We had this pork roast last night for dinner and it was so delicious! I was surprised at how wonderful the cajun seasoning and thyme was with the pork. It's just right!

 

Butter Braised Slow Cooker Pork Roast

 

 

Ingredients

Pork Roast:

• 1 3-4 pound pork loin
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• Vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup real butter
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Gravy:

• Rendered stock from slow cooker
• 1 14.5-oz can chicken or beef broth (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Blot roast dry with paper towels then evenly coat with Cajun seasoning. If your loin has a fatty side, score the fat in a diamond pattern (if not, carry on…). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once pan is very hot, sear roast on all sides. Place roast in a crock pot (scored-side up if applicable). Take the skillet off the heat.
2. Add butter to warm skillet then stir with a wooden spoon to loosen up all the browned bits from searing the roast.
3. Add garlic, thyme and pepper flakes to butter then sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes.
4. Pour the seasoned butter over the top of the roast. Cover then cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 5-6 hours. Remove roast from crock pot then cover with foil to keep warm while we make the gravy (this also gives the roast the necessary time to rest before we cut it).
5. Pour all the juices from the crock pot into a small saucepan then heat over medium-high heat. Combine broth and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir well. Pour cornstarch slurry into pan, add salt and pepper to taste, then heat until mixture starts to boil, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute then remove from heat. You could also do this in the crock pot (set to high), it just takes a little longer for the gravy to thicken.
6. When ready to serve, slice roast then either place on a serving plate or return to the crock pot. Ladle a little gravy over the sliced pork to keep it moist then serve the remaining gravy as desired.

Notes

• I used McCormick Cajun seasoning in this recipe but most any seasoning blends would work well (Montreal Steak, creole seasoning or your own blend).
• You can use 2 tenderloins in this recipe if desired but reduce the cooking time to 2-3 hours on High or 4-6 hours on low.
• Do not add additional liquid to the crock pot with the roast.

Betty Crocker Pumpkin Pie

 This is our traditional pumpkin recipe from the 1972 Betty Crocker cookbook. We always make a 10" pie crust for a 9" pie. It just covers the pie plate better.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

9 Inch Pie

Pastry for 10-inch One Crust Pie

1 1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening (or 1/4 cup plus 3 Tablespoons lard)

3-4 Tablespoons cold water

Pie Filling

2 eggs

1 can (1 pound/2 cups) Pumpkin

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 2/3 cups evaporated milk

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pie crust.

Beat eggs, add in remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pie creust. (To prevent spills, place pie pan on a pulled out oven rack when filling with the pumpkin mixture.) Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center of pie comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve with whipped cream.

Scott's Chai Tea Latte

 Scott shared this recipe with us one cold Autumn day. It is so delicious!

8 oz water

2 teabags of Celestial Seasoning Bengal Spice Tea

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Heat the water to boiling, steep the teabags 10-15 minutes to a dark brown color, add the sweetened condensed milk. Mix well. Serve hot or warm or cold.