This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Lime Marinated Shrimp

Can't really recommend this one. It tastes really good, sure. But so much of the food ends up dumped out that it feels super wasteful. But still, if you want to make it, here's the recipe:

# Lime Marinated Shrimp

Celebrity Chefs Across America

1.0 whole shallot (minced)
2.0 cloves garlic (minced)
2.0 whole serrano chiles (stemmed) (seeded) (finely chopped)
4.0 whole scallions (thinly sliced)
0.5 cup cilantro (chopped)
0.5 cup parsley (chopped)
2.0 tbsp honey
0.5 cup water
0.25 teaspoon pepper
1.0 cup lime juice
0.25 tsp salt
0.5 cup olive oil
1.0 pound shrimp (peeled) (deveined)

1 - Place shrimp in a small bowl and refrigerate.
2 - Combine shallot, garlic, chiles, scallions, cilantro, parsley, honey, water and pepper in a medium mixing bowl.
3 - In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and salt.
4 - Slowly whisk the olive oil into the lime juice/salt mixture.
5 - Add the lime mixture to the other ingredients.
6 - Pour marinade over shrimp and refrigerate for 1 hour before grilling.
7 - Light the grill.
8 - Remove the shrimp from the refridgerator and drain for five minutes before grilling.
9 - Thread 5 to 6 shrimp on wooden or metal kebab sticks.
10 - Make sure the grill is clean and hot.
11 - Place shrimp on the grill and cook approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
12 - Serve immediately.

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

This Week's Bread: School Cafeteria Yeast Rolls (Third Try's the Charm)

I finally nailed down what I was getting wrong and it was a lot:

Scaling down to 15g carbs per roll was too small, and left me with yeast pebbles.

I've been activating my yeast in 95 degree water. That's great for instant yeast, but I'm using Active Dry Yeast. I didn't realize there was a difference and that it needed to be activated at 105 degrees. And boy did it activate. Hopefully this will translate to my constantly dense struan bread.

Finally, I let the yeast rise in a warm oven each time and oh, boy, did it rise.

But finally, school cafeteria rolls like I remember!

# School Cafeteria Yeast Rolls

Plain Chicken
24 rolls

2.5 Tbsp yeast
0.75 cup warm water
6.5 cups bread flour
11.0 Tbsp instant non-fat dry milk powder
6.5 Tbsp sugar
1.0 Tbsp salt
6.5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1.25 cups water

1 - In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Set aside.
2 - In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, and dry milk powder.
3 - Add vegetable oil and water. Mix on low for 3 minutes.
4 - Add yeast mixture and knead on medium speed for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5 - Loosely cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 45 minutes.
6 - Punch dough down.
7 - Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
8 - Divide the dough into balls and place in the prepared baking dish.
9 - Loosely cover the dish and let the dough rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 30 minutes.
10 - Preheat oven to 400ºF.
11 - Bake rolls for 15 to 20 minutes.
12 - Brush baked rolls with melted butter and enjoy!

#thisweeksmeals #baking #cooking

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Honey Glazed Spareribs

This recipe is supposed to be from the Basque region, but I had to make a few substituions, so I don't know if that counts anymore. Try finding sherry vinegar and piment d'espolette out here in the valley....

Still good though. :9

# Honey-Glazed Spareribs

The Basque Kitchen
6.0 servings

4.0 pounds pork spareribs
kosher salt
0.75 cup honey
1.0 tsp smoked paprika (or piment d'espolette)
2.0 tsp rice wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
3.0 cloves garlic (minced)
1.0 tbsp black peppercorns (crushed)
1.0 tbsp corriander seed (crushed)

1 - Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F
2 - Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and lay the rack of ribs on top.
3 - Season both sides of the meat with salt.
4 - To prepare the glaze, combine the honey, smoked paprika, rice vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and corriander seeds in a small bowl. Mix together well.
5 - Slather the glaze over both sides of the meat and place the ribs into the oven to cook for 45 minutes, basting continuously.
6 - Turn the slab over and increase the heat to 425 degrees F.
7 - Cook for another 30 minutes, basting once or twice more, until the meat is cooked through and the glaze is dark brown.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Chicken Fried Steak.

My cream gravy never looks as white as I'd like. But it all tastes like heaven. ::swoon:: I got the crust to stick to the steaks better this time. Instead of frying at 325, I fried at 350, and one at a time, instead of two.

# Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy

The Austin Cookbook
6.0 servings

1.0 whole egg
1.0 cup buttermilk
1.0 tbsp salt
1.0 tbsp black pepper
1.0 cup flour (steak)
0.25 cup flour (gravy)
1.0 cup saltines (crushed)
18.0 oz cube steaks
2.0 cups whole milk
vegetable oil

1 - Whisk egg, buttermilk, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.
2 - Combine the steak flour and cracker meal in a shallow bowl.
3 - Once at a time, double bread the steaks: dip each steak in the flour mixturep atting it onto the sides, then submerge the steak in the egg mixture, then dip it into the flour again.
4 - Pour 1/2 inch (12 mm) oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
5 - Fry the steaks; you may have to work in batches so as not to crowd the pan.
6 - Cook the steaks until the batter is golden, about 3 minutes per side.
7 - Set the steaks on paper towels to drain and rest for about 5 minutes.
8 - While the steaks rest, make the gravy: Pour all but about 1/4 cup (60 ml) oil out of the frying pan.
9 - Reduce the heat to medium and add the gravy flour to the skillet, using a whisk to combine it with any leftover grease and drippings from the steaks.
10 - Addthe milk and cook, stirring, until the mixture is smooth and thickens to a gravy consistency.
11 - Season with salt and pepper and serve over the steaks.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Bread: "School Cafeteria" Yeast Rolls.

Again, dryer than I like. I'm beginning to think that yeast rolls simply don't scale down well.

I might try again next weekend, and just make a full batch of yeast rolls to see if they come out right, but at the same time, while they make 24 rolls, that's FIFTY ONE Jenn-sized rolls if I want to keep my blood sugar under control. That's NINE WEEKS of bread to freeze.

I've always told myself that I'm not going to deny myself food I like, just cut it down to a portion I can have that keeps my sugar under control. I'm going to tryu scaling them down to 37g of carbs instead of 15g whic will result in larger rolls, but is at the top limit of what I can safely have.

Or I may just simply need to shelve the idea of home made Jenn-safe yeast rolls as something I can make, and just buy them and cut them down to size.

The following recipe makes 24 regular sized rolls.

# School Cafeteria Yeast Rolls

Plain Chicken

2.5 Tbsp yeast
0.75 cup warm water
6.5 cups bread flour
11.0 Tbsp instant non-fat dry milk powder
6.5 Tbsp sugar
1.0 Tbsp salt
6.5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1.25 cups water

1 - In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Set aside.
2 - In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, and dry milk powder.
3 - Add vegetable oil and water. Mix on low for 3 minutes.
4 - Add yeast mixture and knead on medium speed for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5 - Loosely cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 45 minutes.
6 - Punch dough down.
7 - Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
8 - Divide the dough into balls and place in the prepared baking dish.
9 - Loosely cover the dish and let the dough rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 30 minutes.
10 - Preheat oven to 400ºF.
11 - Bake rolls for 18 to 20 minutes.
12 - Brush baked rolls with melted butter.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking #baking

This Week's Bread: Yeast Rolls (from Threagill's)

Oh, I shouldn't have fretted. These are GOOD. Still a little dryer than I'd prefer, but not nearly as much as the Luby's one and once you've melted a pat of butter on them, they're great. Still trying to find one where the bread is moister without butter, but as usual Threadgill's does not dissapoint.

ALSO: given that I make really tiny bread rolls to fit my 15g carbs rule for bread (the recipe makes 24 regular rolls), I got a muffin pan, and THESE ARE ADORABLE.

# Yeast Rolls

Threadgill's: The Cook Book

6.0 cups flour
1.0 tbsp baking powder
1.5 tsp salt
1.0 cup sugar
1.5 tsp sugar
0.25 oz dry yeast
1.875 cups warm water
1.25 cup vegetable oil
1.0 large egg
1.0 large egg yolk

1 - Combine flour, baking powder salt, and 1/4 of the sugar in the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook and mix on low speed for 1 minute.
2 - Combine yeast and remaining sugar in a small bowl and cover with the warm water. Set aside for a few minutes until the yeast begins to look foamy on top.
3 - Whisk together 3/4 of the oil with the egg and egg yolk and add to the yeast and water
4 - Add the liquid to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
5 - Turn the mixer off scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes, adding a little flour if necessary to form a ball of dough.
6 - When dough is smooth and elastic, add remaining oil and knead only to incorporate it into the dough ball.
7 - Remove the dough to a well-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight until the dough has doubled in bulk.
8 - When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and divide it into the designated number of rolls and place in well-oiled muffin tins.
9 - Cover loosely and allow to double in size again.
10 - During the rising time, preheat oven to 350°.
11 - Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until crispy and golden.
12 - Cool for about 10 minutes and turn out of pans.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking #baking

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Keema Curry

Oooh, this is a nice take on the Carne Picada I make. In fact, next time I make this, I'm adding some potatoes, as that would make this absolutely perfect for an Indian flavored version of Carne Picada.

# Keema Curry

Personal Trainer: Cooking

1.875 pound ground beef
1.5 large onions
2.0 pieces ginger root
6.0 cloves garlic
6.0 oz green peas (frozen)
3.0 tbsps cooking oil
1.25 cups tomato puree
1.0 tbsp salt
3.75 cups water
1.5 tsps turmeric powder
1.0 tbsp corriander
2.0 tbsps cumin
0.75 tsp chili powder

1 - First, peel the onion.
2 - Finely chop the peeled onion.
3 - Next, peel the ginger.
4 - Finely chop the peeled ginger.
5 - Now peel the garlic.
6 - Finely chop the peeled garlic.
7 - Heat the cooking oil in the frying pan over low heat.
8 - Sauté the onion gently over low heat until golden brown.
9 - Add the ground beef, ginger and garlic, then increase to moderate heat.
10 - Brown the ground beef, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it's broken up and no lumps remain.
11 - Add the tomato purée and the green peas.
12 - Pour in the water and stir well.
13 - Next, add the turmeric.
14 - Add the coriander.
15 - No add the ground cumin and salt.
16 - Add the chili powder and mix well.
17 - Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage

After a week of regrettable food, and a week of birthday indulgence, it's time to (1) get back on the diet and (2) eat something tasty.

This delivered. :9

# Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage

America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking

4.0 oz hot italian sausage
1.0 cup roasted red peppers (jarred)
6.0 cloves garlic
1.5 pounds broccoli
2.0 oz pecorino romano
0.5 cup water (brocolli)
1.0 pound orecchiette
1.0 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
0.5 tsp salt (brocolli)
1.0 tbsp salt (pasta)
4.0 quarts water (pasta)
0.5 cup pasta water (measurement)

1 - Squeeze the meat out of the casings and discard the casings.
2 - Rinse the roasted peppers and then cut then into thin strips.
3 - Use the side of a chef's knife to gently crush the clove. The skin should slip right off.
4 - Once the garlic has been peeled, we like to use a garlic press to mince it. A garlic press ensures that the pieces will be very fine.
5 - Place the head of the broccoli upside down on a cutting board and cut off the florets.
6 - Slice the larger florets into 1-inch pieces by slicing them through the stem.
7 - Square the stalks by cutting away the tough outer 1/8th inch from each side.
8 - Slice the trimmed stalks into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
9 - Grate the cheese on a rasp grater. The small sharp holes work well on hard cheese.
10 - Bring the water for the pasta to a boil in a large pot for the pasta.
11 - Cook the sausage in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces until browned, about 5 minutes.
12 - Stir in the roasted red peppers and the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
13 - Stir in the broccoli, salt for the broccoli and water.
14 - Increase the heat to high, cover the skillet and cook until the broccoli begins to turn bright green, about 2 minutes.
15 - Uncover and keep cooking, stirring frequently until the liquid's evaporated and the broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes longer.
16 - When the water is boiling, stir in the pasta water salt and the orecchiette. Cook, stirring often, until almost tender but a little firm.
17 - Reserve the amount of pasta water listed, then drain the orecchiette and return it to the pot.
18 - Stir in the sausage and brocolli mix, Pecorino Romano, and olive oil, and toss to coat. Add reseved water to loosen the sauce.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

Hylian Tomato Pizza redux.

#tearsofthekingdom #thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

The recipe says this was from 1978, and it certainly looks like a 1978 Sunday Night Family Dinner. It's actually pretty decent if a tiny bit bland. Definitely needs salt and pepper (the recipe didn't have any, and I didn't add any thinking the Velveeta would be salty enough), and maybe a dash of hot sauce to spice it up.

This is the original recipe, which is far larger than my scaled down dish. The recipe says "Feeds 18-20!."

# Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Fredericksburg Home Kitchen Cook Book

0.25 pound butter
1.0 cup onion (chopped)
1.0 cup celery (chopped)
1.0 clove garlic (minced)
4.0 ounces mushrooms (canned)
4.0 tbsp flour
4.0 cups chicken stock
2.0 pounds Velveeta (grated)
2.5 cups tomatoes (stewed)
2.5 cups peas (drained)
4.0 ounces pimentos (canned)
5.0 pounds chicken thighs (cooked) (diced)
16.0 ounces spaghetti (boiled) (drained)

1 - Saute at medium high heat the onion, celery, garlic and mushrooms until soft and slightly brown.
2 - Add flour and stir until well blended.
3 - Add chicken stock slowly and stir until thickened.
4 - Add cheese, tomatoes. pimiento and peas, stir until cheese melts.
5 - Add chicken and spaghetti and mix well with other ingredients.
6 - Place in greased casseroles and refrigerate overnight.
7 - Put in cold oven and bake at 375 degrees F. for 35 minutes.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Bread: Luby's (sorta) Yeast Rolls

Finally! Some proper yeast rolls. Still not 100% what I got in school but I think that's because they buttered the tops before baking.

Also, they came out perfectly moist. I tried something different this time by mixing the dough ONLY until it all came together instead of until it was firm. I think I've been over working my bread doughs. When I try the struan bread again, I'll try mixing the dough until it JUST comes together. Might get a bigger rise doing that.

Not quite Luby's yeast rolls cause I didn't do the little mushroom cloverleaf ball thing, but THEY'RE STILL SO GOOD.

# Luby's Dinner Rolls

Luby's Recipes & Memories

1.3333333333333333 cups warm water
2.0 tbsp active dry yeast
0.5 cup sugar
3.0 whole eggs
4.0 tbsp butter (melted)
0.3333333333333333 cup nonfat dry milk
1.0 tsp salt
5.0 cups all-purpose flour
vegetable oil (as needed)

1 - In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend water, yeast and sugar. Set aside 5 minutes to allow yeast
mixture to become frothy.
2 - Add eggs and butter.
3 - Using the dough hook of the electric mixer, beat on medium speed until blended.
4 - Add dry milk and salt. Mix well.
5 - Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl.
6 - Leaving dough in bowl, lightly grease top of dough ball with oil.
7 - Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8 - Lightly grease a muffin pan.
9 - Punch dough down and divide it evenly into the number of portions you want.
10 - Gently roll each piece into a ball and place one ball into each muffin cup.
11 - Let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until rolls have doubled in size.
12 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
13 - Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking #baking

This Week's Meals (Bonus!): Teaberry Ice Cream!

The wonderful wintergreen flavor of Pepto-Bismol in an ice cream. ❤

# Homemade Teaberry Ice Cream

A Coalcracker in the Kitchen

1.5 cups milk
1.5 cups heavy cream
4.0 large egg yolks
0.6666666666666666 cup granulated sugar
1.0 teaspoon teaberry extract
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
3.0 drops red food coloring
0.0625 tsp salt
4.0 cups ice cubes
1.0 drop blue food coloring

1 - Place ice cubes into a large metal bowl and fill about a third of the way with cold water. Put bowl in fridge.
2 - Place a mesh strainer over a glass bowl nearby.
3 - Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until it just begins to bubble; do not boil.
4 - Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow.
5 - Once the milk and cream are ready, remove from heat.
6 - Stir in the salt, extracts and food colorings.
7 - Temper the eggs by taking about 1/3 of the warmed milk mixture and slowly stream it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
8 - Slowly pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan while stirring then return to the heat on low and stir with a spatula scraping down the sides of the pan as well.
9 - Cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 170 degrees F.
10 - Pour the cooked custard into the strainer you set up over the glass bowl, then put the bowl into the ice water.
11 - Stir the custard until it cools.
12 - Once cool, cover the bowl with the custard with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
13 - Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your maker.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal:

I actually got all my meals AND a bread made today. Gonna pay for it tomorrow, I think, but, it got done.

# Spaghetti Peperoncino

Personal Trainer: Cooking
13.0 servings

1.3125 pounds spaghetti
12.0 cloves garlic
6.0 whole red chili peppers
salt
3.0 tbsps olive oil (for finishing)
3.0 tsp parsley
0.6666666666666666 cups olive oil

1 - First, peel the garlic.
2 - Use a wooden spoon to crush the garlic.
3 - Remove the seeds from the red chilies.
4 - Pour the olive oil into the frying pan.
5 - Add the crushed garlic, and place the pan over moderate heat, tilting it slightly.
6 - When the garlic starts to steam and small bubbles appear, reduce to low heat.
7 - Gently sauté the garlic until it turns a golden brown.
8 - Tear the red chilies into small pieces, add them to the frying pan, and turn off the heat.
9 - Stir in the finely chopped Italian parsley and take the frying pan off the stove.
10 - Fill the saucepan with plenty of water and bring it to a boil.
11 - Add salt to the water, adding just under two teaspoons of salt for every quart of water you're boiling.
12 - Add the dried spaghetti, leaning it against the sides of the pan. Reduce to moderate heat.
13 - Keep the water at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Refer to the cooking time given on the packaging of the spaghetti.
14 - Transfer 3/4 cups of the pasta water listed to the small bowl.
15 - To see if the spaghetti is ready, cut a piece with your thumbnail. If it's a little firm in the center, it's ready.
16 - Turn off the heat and use the sieve to drain off the water from the spaghetti.
17 - Put the frying pan with the garlic and chili in it back on the stove.
18 - Add a third of the pasta water you saved to the frying pan and heat over moderate heat.
19 - Move the pan back and forth a little on the stove so the oil and water mix fully.
20 - Add the rest of the cooking water you saved, half at a time. Mix it in while moving the pan back and forth.
21 - Add the spaghetti to the drying pan and stir it in briskly with the other ingredients.
22 - Season by stirring in salt to taste and turn off the heat.
23 - Drizzle some of the extra-virgn olive oil over the spaghetti.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Bread: Yeah it's the struan bread again. It's cheap and simple and good.

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

This Week's Meals (3/3): Hylian Tomato Pizza

This came out better than I expected, which is great, cause once they came out, I completely destroyed them because I forgot to flour my pizza pan, and they cooked directly into the pan. Oops. Made for a nice casserole.

Thankfully, I didn't do that with the second pizza. :9

Some changes between my first attempt and rewriting the recipe. I put everything on the pizza BEFORE adding the mozzarella, so the mozzarella could bind the ingredients better. That doesn't look like the Zelda picture, but mades for a pizza that holds together better. Also, there was FAR too much tomato in my original recipe, and were far too large. Smaller ones will fit onto the slices a bit better.

# Hylian Tomato Pizza

Personal Trainer: Cooking
1.0 pizza

1.0 cup bread flour
0.5 tbsp dry yeast
0.5 tsp sugar
0.25 tsp salt
0.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
7.0 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (diced into 1/4 inch cubes)
1.0 oz black olives (sliced)
0.5 whole bell pepper (sliced into rings)
0.75 cup water
0.5 medium tomato (sliced into 8 wedges per 1/2 tomato)
0.5 cup tomato sauce

1 - Put the warm water into a bow! and add the dry yeast.
2 - Stir in the sugar
3 - Leave the yeast and sugar in a warm place for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
4 - Put the bread flour in a mixing bow and add the activated yeast mixture.
5 - Add the salt and olive oil.
6 - Mix together well using your hands.
7 - Knead the dough until it starts to stick together.
8 - Knead the dough on a cutting board. pressing with the palms of your hands as you push the dough away from you.
9 - Rotate the dough 45 degrees and fold it over. Continue to knead a you did before.
10 - Knead the dough until the surface of the dough is smooth and moist.
11 - Dust a deep dish with flour.
12 - Gather the dough into single lump then cut into the number of pizzas you'd like to make. Roll each portion of the dough into a ball.
13 - Wait a few moments before transferring the balls of dough to the deep dish.
14 - Cover the dish with a dry dish towel and leave it in warm place for approximately 50 minutes.
15 - Preheat an oven to 475F.
16 - Remove the dough from the deep dish and press down to release any air that has built up.
17 - Dust the dough and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough balls into flat round pizza crusts.
18 - Spread tomato sauce over the pizza crust, about 1/2 cup per pizza.
19 - Layer eight tomato wedges in a spiral pattern over each pizza crust.
20 - Scatter an equal amount of black olives over each pizza crust, about 1 ounce per pizza.
21 - Scatter an equal amount of bell pepper rings over the pizza crust.
22 - Scatter an equal amount of mozzarella completely over each pizza crust., about 7 ounces per pizza.
23 - Put the pizzas in the preheated 475F oven and bake until they are crisp and golden.

#tearsofthekingdom #thisweeksmeals #cooking #hyliantomatopizza

This Week's Meals (3/3): Hylian Tomato Pizza

This came out better than I expected, which is great, cause once they came out, I completely destroyed them because I forgot to flour my pizza pan, and they cooked directly into the pan. Oops. Made for a nice casserole.

Thankfully, I didn't do that with the second pizza. :9

Some changes between my first attempt and rewriting the recipe. I put everything on the pizza BEFORE adding the mozzarella, so the mozzarella could bind the ingredients better. That doesn't look like the Zelda picture, but mades for a pizza that holds together better. Also, there was FAR too much tomato in my original recipe, and were far too large. Smaller ones will fit onto the slices a bit better.

# Hylian Tomato Pizza

Personal Trainer: Cooking
1.0 pizza

1.0 cup bread flour
0.5 tbsp dry yeast
0.5 tsp sugar
0.25 tsp salt
0.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
7.0 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (diced into 1/4 inch cubes)
1.0 oz black olives (sliced)
0.5 whole bell pepper (sliced into rings)
0.75 cup water
0.5 medium tomato (sliced into 8 wedges per 1/2 tomato)
0.5 cup tomato sauce

1 - Put the warm water into a bow! and add the dry yeast.
2 - Stir in the sugar
3 - Leave the yeast and sugar in a warm place for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
4 - Put the bread flour in a mixing bow and add the activated yeast mixture.
5 - Add the salt and olive oil.
6 - Mix together well using your hands.
7 - Knead the dough until it starts to stick together.
8 - Knead the dough on a cutting board. pressing with the palms of your hands as you push the dough away from you.
9 - Rotate the dough 45 degrees and fold it over. Continue to knead a you did before.
10 - Knead the dough until the surface of the dough is smooth and moist.
11 - Dust a deep dish with flour.
12 - Gather the dough into single lump then cut into the number of pizzas you'd like to make. Roll each portion of the dough into a ball.
13 - Wait a few moments before transferring the balls of dough to the deep dish.
14 - Cover the dish with a dry dish towel and leave it in warm place for approximately 50 minutes.
15 - Preheat an oven to 475F.
16 - Remove the dough from the deep dish and press down to release any air that has built up.
17 - Dust the dough and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough balls into flat round pizza crusts.
18 - Spread tomato sauce over the pizza crust, about 1/2 cup per pizza.
19 - Layer eight tomato wedges in a spiral pattern over each pizza crust.
20 - Scatter an equal amount of black olives over each pizza crust, about 1 ounce per pizza.
21 - Scatter an equal amount of bell pepper rings over the pizza crust.
22 - Scatter an equal amount of mozzarella completely over each pizza crust., about 7 ounces per pizza.
23 - Put the pizzas in the preheated 475F oven and bake until they are crisp and golden.

#tearsofthekingdom #thisweeksmeals #cooking #hyliantomatopizza

This Week's Meals (2/3): Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Thankfully, my parents sent me some ground chuck roast for the carne guisada, and Lissa and Crystal gave me some of their pork chops, so that opened up my budget to do a week of nice meals again this week. And these were the perfect way to respect the pork chops. :)

Remember when I couldn't cook?

# Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Cafe Delites
4.0 chops

4.0 whole pork chops
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1.0 teaspoon garlic powder
2.0 tablespoons olive oil
1.0 tablespoon unsalted butter
6.0 cloves garlic (minced)
0.25 cup honey
0.25 cup water
2.0 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 - Preheat oven broiler (or grill) on medium-high heat.
2 - Season chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder just before cooking.
3 - Heat oil in a pan or skillet over medium high heat until hot.
4 - Sear chops on both sides until golden and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes each side).
5 - Transfer to a plate; set aside.
6 - Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
7 - Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
8 - Add the honey, water and vinegar.
9 - Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thickens slightly (about 3-4 minutes), while stirring occasionally.
10 - Add pork back into the pan, baste generously with the sauce and broil/grill for 1-2 minutes, or until edges are slightly charred.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Meals (2/3): Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Thankfully, my parents sent me some ground chuck roast for the carne guisada, and Lissa and Crystal gave me some of their pork chops, so that opened up my budget to do a week of nice meals again this week. And these were the perfect way to respect the pork chops. :)

Remember when I couldn't cook?

# Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Cafe Delites
4.0 chops

4.0 whole pork chops
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1.0 teaspoon garlic powder
2.0 tablespoons olive oil
1.0 tablespoon unsalted butter
6.0 cloves garlic (minced)
0.25 cup honey
0.25 cup water
2.0 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 - Preheat oven broiler (or grill) on medium-high heat.
2 - Season chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder just before cooking.
3 - Heat oil in a pan or skillet over medium high heat until hot.
4 - Sear chops on both sides until golden and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes each side).
5 - Transfer to a plate; set aside.
6 - Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
7 - Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
8 - Add the honey, water and vinegar.
9 - Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thickens slightly (about 3-4 minutes), while stirring occasionally.
10 - Add pork back into the pan, baste generously with the sauce and broil/grill for 1-2 minutes, or until edges are slightly charred.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Meals (1/3): Carne Guisada.

Okay, I'm really glad I sat down and worked to measure this one out, cause it's the BEST carne guisada I've ever made, and now I've got foolproof (well, probably) instructions on how to make it, now....

# Carne Guisada

Ama

2.0 pounds beef chuck roast
0.5 whole bell pepper
0.5 whole white onion
6.75 ounces diced tomatoes
4.0 tsp pepper
Water (as needed)
1.0 tbsp vegetable oil
2.3333333333333335 tbsp salt
2.25 tsp garlic powder
2.25 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp cumin
0.3333333333333333 cup flour

1 - Cut the beef chuck roast into cubes of roughly 1/2 inch square. (You can substitute pre-cut stew meat here if you'd like).
2 - Dice the bell pepper and onion.
3 - Using a colander, drain the tomatoes.
4 - In a mixing bowl, coat the meat with the flour by hand mixing the pieces
5 - Add the oil to the large pan and heat it on medium high until the oil becomes runny.
6 - Add the meat to a large pan at medium high heat and stir fry it until the meat is greyish-pink.
7 - Add in the bell pepper, white onion and tomatoes, and continue stir-frying until the meat is lightly browned.
8 - Add in hot water so that the meat is nearly covered.
9 - Add the spices and stir to combine well.
10 - Set stove to high, and bring to a boil.
11 - Drop the heat to medium high. Allow to stew and reduce the gravy to half of the original amount of water, stirring occasionally, about 30 to 45 minutes.
12 - Once reduced, take off heat. The gravy will thicken as it cools.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Meals (1/3): Carne Guisada.

Okay, I'm really glad I sat down and worked to measure this one out, cause it's the BEST carne guisada I've ever made, and now I've got foolproof (well, probably) instructions on how to make it, now....

# Carne Guisada

Ama

2.0 pounds beef chuck roast
0.5 whole bell pepper
0.5 whole white onion
6.75 ounces diced tomatoes
4.0 tsp pepper
Water (as needed)
1.0 tbsp vegetable oil
2.3333333333333335 tbsp salt
2.25 tsp garlic powder
2.25 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp cumin
0.3333333333333333 cup flour

1 - Cut the beef chuck roast into cubes of roughly 1/2 inch square. (You can substitute pre-cut stew meat here if you'd like).
2 - Dice the bell pepper and onion.
3 - Using a colander, drain the tomatoes.
4 - In a mixing bowl, coat the meat with the flour by hand mixing the pieces
5 - Add the oil to the large pan and heat it on medium high until the oil becomes runny.
6 - Add the meat to a large pan at medium high heat and stir fry it until the meat is greyish-pink.
7 - Add in the bell pepper, white onion and tomatoes, and continue stir-frying until the meat is lightly browned.
8 - Add in hot water so that the meat is nearly covered.
9 - Add the spices and stir to combine well.
10 - Set stove to high, and bring to a boil.
11 - Drop the heat to medium high. Allow to stew and reduce the gravy to half of the original amount of water, stirring occasionally, about 30 to 45 minutes.
12 - Once reduced, take off heat. The gravy will thicken as it cools.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking