Being lazy

Pizza Crust (from Pizza Margherita recipe)
Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook Copyright 2005

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 envelope ( 2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
14 ounces (about 2 ¾ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

I've been making the pizza crust recipes (regular and whole wheat) from my bread machine manual but a few weeks ago I started making this recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, which I checked out of the library. This recipe really tested the limits of my bread machine. Since it's a dual machine, each pan only makes a 1 pound loaf. This dough rises to the very top of the machine, just a fraction of an inch below the lid.

This recipe was actually part of Martha's Pizza Margherita recipe but I only made the crust and used my own choice of toppings. I was going to copy the entire recipe proper but I was too tired last night and since I didn't really make the recipe, I didn't see the point. This book is widely available for anyone who's interested in the entire recipe. The proper recipe I believe has two rises but I just threw this all in my bread machine (in the order that I use with the other bread machine recipes) and let her rip. It only has one rise but I was pleased with the results. More bread-y than the other recipes, which are chewier than this. It's not that one was better than the other, it's just nice to have a change every now and then since I make pizza every Friday.

I really like this cookbook. The recipes seem so much more attractive to me than those in the other Martha cookbooks I own. I only own two others - this was a library book. I do have to amend what I said about her muffin recipe earlier this week. We actually polished them off pretty quickly. I threw them in the fridge and they were rather dense but strangely addicting, to be honest. I may just make them again.

Question of the Day: Do you sometimes change your opinion about a recipe, after a bit of time has passed after making it?

A bit of a disappointment

Cod Steaks (Tilapia Filets) Sicilian-Style
Prevention’s Ultimate Quick and Healthy Cookbook Copyright 1998

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced fennel
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 ¼ teaspoons grated orange zest
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 can (16 ounces) crushed tomatoes I used organic diced tomatoes
½ cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons golden raisins
1 ¼ pounds cod steaks I used tilapia filets
chopped fresh parsley , for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large, heavy no-stick skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions, fennel, garlic, thyme, salt and black pepper, and sauté, reducing the heat slightly if necessary to keep the vegetables from sticking, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender and lightly browned.
3. Stir in the honey and orange zest and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and simmer for 30 seconds, or until the vinegar is nearly evaporated and the vegetables are glazed.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, orange juice and raisins, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
5. Place the cod steaks in a 9x9-inch nonreactive baking dish. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
6. Transfer the fish and sauce to 4 plates. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 240 calories, 5.9 g fat, 54 mg chol, 418 mg sodium, 2.3 g fiber, 87 mg calcium, 2 mg iron

I've had some frozen tilapia filets in my freezer for quite a while but it hasn't been easy finding a recipe for them in any of my cookbooks. I knew it could be substituted for other mild white fishes so I finally decided to go ahead and substitute it for cod in this recipes.

There are many tilapia critics who believe tilapia is a tasteless fish and I became one of those critics last night. The topping on this fish was delicious but it did absoutely nothing for the fish itself. I actually ate very little of the tilapia but I ate all of the topping. I fed some of the tilapia to my cat and even he didn't seem all that thrilled with it. I didn't consider this a total failure since the topping was so good but I was very disappointed in the fish. This was my first time cooking with fresh fennel and I was surprised by how mild it was after it was cooked. It wasn't very licorice-y at all after it's been sautéed.

All I needed to buy to make this was the fennel so at least I didn't spend a fortune on ingredients. I also got to use the lonely orange in my produce bin that I bought a couple of weeks ago but I was never able to remember why I bought it.

I really like this cookbook, even though the two recipes I've made from it so far haven't been stand-outs. In both cases I chose the recipes based on using up ingredients I had on hand, not because they were the most exciting recipes in the book, so I haven't given up hope.

Question of the Day: How much fish do you eat?

Caper-less Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata
The Ugly Binder, from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty Magazine Sept 2004

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup egg substitute I used real eggs
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup dry white wine or chicken broth, divided I used wine
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup minced fresh parsley I used dried
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter

Flatten chicken to ¼-inch thickness. In a shallow dish, combine the egg substitute, 2 tablespoons wine or broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic and hot pepper sauce. In another shallow dish, combine flour, Parmesan cheese, parsley and salt. Coat chicken with flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, then coat again with flour mixture.

In a large non-stick skillet, brown half the chicken breasts in 1 ½ tablespoons oil for 3-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. Drain drippings. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil. Remove chicken and keep warm.

In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the remaining wine or broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until reduced by a fourth. Drizzle over chicken.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 246 calories, 8 g fat, 79 mg chol, 398 mg sodium, 8 g carbs, trace fiber, 32 g protein.

What I liked about this recipe is that it didn't use capers, like many Chicken Piccata recipes. Not that I don't like capers but two weeks ago I bought a bottle of them and it never made it into the cupboard. The jar crashed onto the floor while I was putting my groceries away. Capers aren't cheap and it's going to be a while before I forget the sting of losing that bottle and recover enough emotionally to replace it.

This was really tasty. I didn't even need much sauce on it since the coating had so much flavor. It was kind of a PITA to make after work - pounding chicken, grating cheese, juicing lemons, mincing garlic, all while a cat and a 2-year old were vying for my attention. I don't multi-task very well.

Question of the Day: Are you an 'organized' cook or chaotic cook?

3 down, 362 to go

Elbows with Sausage and Mushrooms, Carbonara Style
365 Ways to Cook Pasta Copyright 1988

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped red or green bell pepper
2 cups diced (1/2-inch) trimmed mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 eggs
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley I used dried since my fresh parsley looked past it's prime

1. Brown sausage in medium skillet, about 8 minutes; transfer to a sieve to drain off the fat; reserve sausage.
2. Add olive oil to the skillet; heat over medium heat. Sauté the onion, red or green bell pepper and mushrooms in the oil, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Add the garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add the sausage; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
3. Beat the eggs and the cheese in a large serving bowl; set aside.
4. Cook the elbows in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, or firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.
5. Add the hot elbows, the sausage mixture, and the parsley to the beaten eggs. Stir slowly until blended and creamy. Serve with extra cheese to sprinkle on each serving.

This wasn't bad but it definitely was not as good as the Linguine Carbonara I made last month. I made this because I had everything on hand to make this dish but now that I look at that other recipe, I realize I could have made that too, if I had picked up a box of linguine.

My contributions to Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays have been weak, due to poor planning. But once again, even though this didn't look like a nutritional powerhouse to me, a little bit of research shows me that mushrooms are actually quite nutritious. They're rich is selenium and some B-vitamins. Red peppers, onions and garlic all have benefits too.

This is the third recipe I've tried from this cookbook. It's really is a nice little book. I'd love to get my hands on the chicken version someday.

Question of the Day: How often do you eat pasta?

So-so muffins from Martha

Cinnamon-Sugar Mini Muffins
Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2003 Copyright 2002

10 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a mini-muffin tin, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside. (I made half the amount of cinnamon sugar and it was still way too much.)
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining one teaspoon cinnamon; whisk to combine. In a small bowl , combine 6 tablespoons butter, remaining ½ cup sugar, buttermilk and egg; whisk to combine. Using a large rubber spatula, fold butter mixture into flour mixture; use no more than 10 strokes. The mixture should be lumpy. Lumpy? It was thicker than cookie dough!
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared cup and bake until tops are nicely golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool in pan 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
4. Dip tops of muffins in remaining melted 4 tablespoon melted butter, and dip in reserved cinnamon mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 2 dozen.

I wasn't thrilled with these. The batter was super thick. I went over the recipe several times and I don't think I messed up but it's always possible. These reminded me of a boxed coffee cake mix my mom used to buy and I would make, when I was young. Not bad but not overly moist or flavorful.

I have a couple of Martha Stewart cookbooks but her recipes just don't thrill me for some reason. Well, it's the idea of making the recipes that doesn't thrill me. I like looking through the books but I never get around to actually making anything. The recipes are either overly complicated or ridiculously simple. The exception is her baking book which I have checked out of the library right now. For some reason I really like the recipes in that one and I've been making her pizza dough recipe (which I'll be blogging about soon) from that book with great success.

Question of the Day: Are you a Martha Stewart fan?