Pizza Night!

It is usual to make this nearly same exact pizza once a week. We enjoy using store made Shaw's or Stop & Shop pizza dough. At one point in time I was obsessed with making my own dough, but that was definitely before Andrew existed. Now it's a faint memory.

First: oven on 500 degrees, pizza stone in to preheat. Then the ingredients are prepped: Sliced and chopped onion, 1/4 of a sliced green pepper, sliced mushrooms (better to be lazy and buy them this way), grated low fat (green package) Dragone mozzarella (the best to be found at the supermarket, others are too salty) and sliced prepackaged pepperonis, arranged on 1 side of tripled up paper towels (then fold the other half over), microwaved for nearly a minute (our microwave is a dinosaur so surely yours will take probably more like 20 seconds). This removes excess fat and grease while concentrating their flavor. You don't want them totally crispy though (sometimes an accident).
Prep your pizza peel with a coating of corn meal (do not buy coarse).
Hopefully your dough is nearly room temp but not really cold. I put my dough package on the preheating oven while veggies and sauce are prepped. Put flour in the sticky dough bag and gently pull the dough off the plastic. Try to handle minimally, get get the flour down the sides of the bag to "release" the dough. At first make a disk then begin to let gravity do its work, all the while rotating and working on the thick parts to "gravity flop" them out.
Working with pizza dough is like any skill: at first you are intimidated but with practice you become comfortable enough to do it regularly.
I can handle distractions stretching it now but in my novice days it required so much concentration, I would make people leave the room!
I don't know if the day will ever come when I am spinning pizza dough over my head so don't let the pros intimidate you!
I do advocate hand stretching rather than using a rolling pin.
Dough gets tough if worked too much.
First spread sauce (duh) then top with cheese! If you don't allow sampling, you can get 3 pizzas from one $6 (better if you buy it on sale) Dragone block! Typically it's 2 pizzas from one block. I will sometimes supplement (lazily) with store bought shredded mozz. Explore the brands. Long ago I swore off some (Sargento, Shaw's...) Stop & Shop store brand is ok (by the way, they don't sell Dragone).

Andrew sampling the next topping: green peppers!
Feeling soooo bad since momma allowed a sample of *only* one olive! Andrew and myself love olives, the fave being unpitted Kalamatas. I only put them on 1/2 the pizza since Daddy is not an olive eater. (Hmmm, next will be 1/2 a pizza of anchovies! Don't tell Daddy!)
After slipping the pizza off the peel and into the oven onto the preheated stone (again, slightly a skill that at first requires focus) and baking for 8 minutes, use heavy duty pot holders to pull the stone out of the oven and place on the stove top. Allow to sit a minute (or longer for crispier crust) then slip onto a big cutting board (I like the wooden as opposed to plastic one which steams it). Let sit for a total of 8 minutes (same as cooking time so just reset the timer). Once cooled the proper time, you won't burn your mouth when you ravenously eat it!
Here, I placed the super hot stone in the sink and dusted the corn meal off with a pot holder then put the hot stone back in the oven and rinsed the sink out.
While the pizza cooled I dispensed the leftover sauce into freezer containers. Oh yeah, the sauce! Sometimes it's premade in the freezer (less time, just microwave 3 min to thaw), sometimes (every 3 pizzas) we need to make it from scratch.
Everyone (even Alex and I) have our unique seasoning techniques.
I like to use Penzey's Italian herb mix with a dash of garlic powder.
Our sauce base has been varying. We are suckers for a bargain and frequent (what Alex coined) the "dent bin" at Shaw's. Sure enough, many still useful but otherwise unsightly products (damaged in unboxing/sliced or dented cans/discountined merchandise) end up here.
Yesterday I scored! Funfetti mix and frosting for $1, a box of Swiffers for $1.50, you get the picture. Anyhow, we have 1 more dented Hunt's tomato sauce left. I won't buy it again. Too salty. (And I am a salt freak.) ..... I do enjoy Muir Glen (organic) products.
I have always loved our Kitchenaid pizza cutter. Nice and heavy and no damage (after years) of being dishwashed.
Of 8 slices, we (adults) eat 3 slices each. Andrew strips the toppings off his with maybe some crust. Sometimes it's 2 pieces. We were fortunate to have 1 slice leftover! Perfect reheated in the toaster oven :D.....

Toddler lunch!

Glad 1/2 cup semi-disposable plastic containers are the perfect size! Packed with tabbouleh, Sabra garlic hummus and blanched carrot sticks. Hummus is always a hit! Tabbouleh can be hit-or-miss. It was served with a spoon. The carrots were great for the hummus then the spoon came in handy once the carrots were gone (yes- all eaten up!).

Blanching carrots makes them far more toddler-friendly. Boil a pot of water and plop your carrots in for 3 minutes. Drain in the same pot, wit running cold water for nearly the same amount of time. Use a paper towel to dry a bit. I prefer using carrots with the greens on as opposed to baby carrots or others in a bag. Though more effort peeling and cutting, fresh is tastier and more vitamin packed. Most of the time I can't stand processed baby carrots since the flavor is "off". This is not to say that I don't occasionally buy them for convenience.

Joseph's flax, oat bran and whole wheat flour (boy, do I feel good saying that!) pita... Cut a round in half, stuff with shredded cheddar, toast, sliced in easy to handle wedges then packed in a paper towel lined container. The paper towel helps prevent excess moisture (without it they can get chewy). Also handy if you can reheat in toaster oven.

Day 2 of beef roast leftovers

We really enjoyed the infusion/flavor boost of carrots, onions and celery (mirepoix) in beef broth so I tried it again tonight. First I sauteed the mirepoix in a 1/2 TB oilive oil 1/2 TB butter mix. The mushrooms were sauteed separately, once the mirepoix was done (a tad of additional butter). After they were softened I put the mirepoix back in (no 'rooms) and 1/2 cup or so (unmeasured) of beef broth and a splash of sherry. This bottle has actually survived (with being drunk) for probably almost a year in our fridge. It's really delicious and drinkable but lends itself best to its distinct flavor in cooking. I highly recommend it (price tag: $13.99).
I put a sieve over a bowl and strained the awesome both from the chunky mirepoix whose flavor was now extracted. Added the mushrooms back in and a TB or so of sour cream. Beware if your sauce is near boiling the sour cream will coagulate. Though unattractive it's not a total failure. I did it by accident but rescued it by whisking a lot. Add your cold, thin sliced roast and turn off the heat. The hot sauce will warm the meat and the meat will cool off the hot sauce. Serve immediately over egg noodles, or in this case, plain white rice cooked in beef broth.
Meanwhile, blanched green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drained, added a spot of butter, a quick zest of lemon and a genorous sprinkle of dried Marjoram. I love green beans with Marjoram! I think this is the only time I use that herb. Put the lid on and toss to coat.
Plating: Must slice and dice before the tot gets it, to ensure (somewhat) uninterrupted eating.
Toddler taste test: approved! Though he ate a lot earlier (requested banana, chocolate milk, etc.) he ate most of the rice, some of the beans, a bit of meat (I forgot to cut it smaller) - so a mushroom and strip of meat was flung to the floor, followed by the obligatory "Uh oh!"...

Beef Au Jus

We made a delicious treat with the leftover beef for dinner! *This* was the inspiration for a blog.

Trader Joe's sells and awesome sourdough bread right now. It's perfect on the panini press or simply with bread and butter!
It's their Tuscan Pane "...wonderfully crusty and a soft, chewy texture. Satisfying and hearty, enjoy this bread dipped into your favorite soup, as a base for sandwiches or with a favorite cheese."
Au jus is French for "with its own juice." In America it describes a thin sauce for using with beef. It is not thick like many sauces or gravies. This sauce is sometimes served with (on) the food or placed in a small individual bowl on the side for dipping into. It is sometimes served in a gravy boat, as well.

They also happen to sell a nice mushroon brie (though any brie or cheese is surely good).

We topped the bread with sliced beef, then dabs of brie, then topped with sauteed rings of onion (from the au jus).
Toasted in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Poured the au jus over it- ate with a fork & knife- YUMMY!!!

Ingredients:

Drippings from beef roast (we only used a scant amount of juice that collected in the hunk of beef leftover container). 2 1/2 cups beef stock or brown stock (more like 3/4 cup of leftover low sodium Swanson beef stock, with a splash of sherry added) Salt and pepper to taste (beef is salty and peppered already so we didn't use) 2 1/2 ounces chopped onions (just scale down the amount of veggies)(2 big rings chopped) 1 ounce chopped carrots(2 carrots) 1 ounce chopped celery(1 stalk) Instructions: Drain off all but 1-2 ounces of the fat from the roasting pan being careful to retain any juices in the pan from your roast Add the onions, carrots and celery (we just sauteed in vegetable oil). Set the pan over medium high heat and cook until the vegetables are brown and their moisture has evaporated leaving only fat, vegetables and brown drippings and adjust heat so the mixture does not burn. Pour off excess fat(not necessary) Pour 2/3 cup of the stock into the roasting pan to deglaze it (didn't have one). Stir over heat until brown drippings are dissolved. Pour the deglazing liquid and vegetables into a sauce pan with the remaining stock Simmer until the vegetables are soft and the liquid is reduced by about 1/3. Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth (didn't break out the cheesecloth/unnecessary) into a clean sauce pan, skim the fat off and season to taste with salt and pepper Pour savory juices over your yummy cheesy beef toast and enjoy!

Slow Roast Beef

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. 

10/11/2022: Update from recipe below: important to stop cooking at 120 degrees. 

I now use an in-oven probe thermometer. Cook at 325. 

Took about two hours in the oven for a 4.5lb roast. Used the flat top grill (pancake grill) on the porch to sear the roast. This grill has just enough heat on the highest 400 degree setting to make it work. 

Cook's Illustrated Slow Roasted Beef

This is the Cook's Illustrated recipe for turning a less expensive, less tender piece of beef like an eye of round into a more tender meal. "We don't recommend cooking this roast past medium. Open the door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature. If the roast has not reached the desired temperature in the time specified in step 4, heat the oven to 225 for 5 minutes, then shut it off again, and continue to cook the roast to the desired temperature. For a smaller (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds) roast, reduce the amount of kosher salt to 3 teaspoonss( 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt) and black pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons. PREP TIME AND COOKING TIME ARE INDICATED WITHIN THE RECIPE. The Cook's recipe does give cooking times, but the temperature method is preferred. I have inserted the cooking times as per Cook's recipe.

Ingredients Bone less eye round roast 3 to 4 1/2 pounds 4 Teaspoons kosher salt or 2 table salt 2 teaspoons vegetable oil plus 1 Tablespoon 2 teaspoons black pepper

Steps Sprinkle all sides of meat with salt. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours. (Often we have decided to make it THAT day and it's alright if you don't salt it for that long.) Pat roast dry, rub with oil and sprinkle all sides with more salt and pepper. Sear all sides of roast in large pan on top of oven. To save our kitchen from all the smoke and stink, we seared it on the grill (in a cast iron skillet). Perfect idea! Place roast or rack set on cookie sheet in center of oven pre-heated to 225 degrees. and cook until meat probe inserted into center of roast registers 115 for rare or 125 degrees for medium rare. We love it rare!!! Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door until internal temperature reaches 130 for medium rare or 140 for medium. Transfer roast to carving board, rest 15 minutes and slice thinly as possible and serve.