Buffa's Birthday Pizza with Sweet Onions

Happy Birthday Buffa!
This pizza pie is for you (even though we ate all of it). It has simple ingredients that come together for a pizza party in your mouth. The sauce here is caramelized onions, spread all over the top. The dough recipe is a new one, but it came out great. You can half it and make two thin crusts, but I used all of it for one and it was doughy and fluffy.... Enjoy.

The toppings you'll need:
- Caramelize 2 onions in a pan- 20-30 minutes, deglaze with a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
- Cook 6 slices of bacon, then chop
- Goat cheese
- Fresh mozarella/bocconcini, sliced
- Chopped, fresh parsley
- Handful of fresh arugula
- Olive oil, salt, pepper.

For the dough:
- In the morning prep your dough.
- In a large bowl, put 1 and 1/2 cup warm to hot water. Sprinkle with 1 tsp pizza yeast and a tbsp olive oil, and a dash of sea salt. Wait 5 minutes until foamy.
- Next add 1 cup all purpose flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Let sit for 5 minutes and add another 2 cups of flour. Now you judge, maybe you need more... but keep using your spoon to stir/mix, until it doesn't stick to the bowl anymore. No kneading needed!
- Allow dough to rest in an oiled bowl for the day.
- Two hours before dinner, punch it down, and roll it out on a floured surface.
- Place it on a long baking tray and brush with good olive oil.
- Slide it in the oven and let it rise again- two hours.

Assemble and bake!
- Preheat oven to 450. Nice and hot.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove add all toppings except arugula and parsley. - Be sure to spread your onions on like you would a sauce.
- Bake for another 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the pizza and top with arugula and parsley.
- Drizzle olive oil on top, cut and serve!



Moo-frickin' licious.

Lemon and Cranberry Cake with Pina Colada Frosting

This cake is a nice twist on lemon loaf. It's quite similar, actually, but the cranberries and frosting give it a little more zing. Enjoy.

You can also use a whisk for this, so no need to clean all sorts of electric equipment.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, whisk together 5 tbsps salted, softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar, a drop of pure vanilla extract, zest of a lemon. Add 3 small eggs to this and mix well.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp each baking soda and baking powder and 1/3 cup fresh cranberries.

In a measuring cup, put 1/4 cup milk and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice.

Now, mix together ingredients in 3 batches, milk/flour alternating.

Pour in loaf dish and bake for 40minutes.

Remove and brush loaf with mixture of 1-1 tbsp sugar and lemon juice, on all sides.

For the icing:

Mix together 1 cup icing sugar, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, spritz of lemon, 3 tbsps unsalted butter, a sprinkle of vanilla extract and a few drops of yellow food color.

You can judge the consistency and add more amounts of each, depending how you like it.

Spread on cake once it has cooled.

Moolicious!!!

Filet Mignon with Herbed Egg Noodles and Asparagus

Here's my favorite Valentine's day dinner. It really takes about 15 minutes to come together, so you have more time to snuggle and share a romantic dessert ;)

1. Allow two nice filet mignons to sit at room temperature, season with sea salt and pepper.

2. Prep your pots. One large pot with water for pasta and asparagus and a frying pan with oil for your shrimp and use the same pot for your mignons.

3. Clean and chop the ends off your asparagus, set aside.

4. Chop 3 nice cloves of garlic.

5. Prep a large serving bowl for the shrimp-pasta. In the bowl, put a couple tbsps olive oil, dry parsley, basil, oregano, a dash of red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice and some of the chopped garlic, and a few pats of butter.

6. Heat up water and your frying pan, cook garlic and shrimp in the oil and put in large bowl, then in the same pan, heat up oil and put filets in, 2 mins on each side, if you like it rare.

7. Cook asparagus and noodles together. I used a package of fettuccine egg noodles...they take about 6 minutes. Put noodles over the shrimp and mix. Add Romano cheese. Done.

8. Assemble your plates and eat!!!!!

Moolicious!

Comfy Chicken Pot Tartlets

Here is a healthy, romantic spin on chicken pot pie...for you and your lover to enjoy on Valentine's Day. Skip the cream and use a can of evaporated milk...yum.

You'll need:

- 12 small tart shells

- 4-5 large boneless skinless chicken thighs

- some cornstarch ...maybe a tbsp

- 1 sliced shallot and one minced clove of garlic

- 1 medium diced carrot

- 5-6 sliced mushrooms

-1/4 cup peas

- herbs/spices....dash of thyme, dry basil, dry parsley, cayanne pepper, salt and pepper

-1 can evaporated milk.

1. Bake tarts at 425 for about 12 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

2. In a large pot, heat up some oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until well done and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

3. Drain some of the fat, next saute the shallot and garlic and diced carrot for about 6 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.

4.Sprinkle in cornstarch and let it absorb into the oil and veggies, then add a splash of water and your can of milk. Let it thicken.

5. When chicken has cooled, chop it in bite sized pieces and add to the pot with the herbs/spices.

6. Remove from heat, add frozen peas.

7. When mixture has cooled, spoon it in tarts, top with some Romano cheese and bake for 15 minutes or so.

Cool and enjoy!

Moolicious!

Pumpkin 'n Quinoa Oatmeal Cookies

I wanted to try quinoa in a healthy cookie but I didn't have all of the ingredients. I needed a mashed banana and some apple sauce but I didn't have any...but ah ha, I did have canned pumpkin purée, so that's what I used and they turned out amazing...oh and über healthy.

In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups oats, 1 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 3/4 cups brown sugar and 1/4 cup finely shredded coconut and a pinch of salt and a handful of chocolate chips.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 eggs, a tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup canola oil and about 1/2 cup pumpkin.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the dry with the wet, form into equal mounds, push down slightly with your palm, form with about 2 tbsps for each and bake for about 15 minutes. Lucky for Moo, I had some left over pumpkin to make some pumpkin pie tartlets.

Moolicious!!!

Sweet Potato 'n Stuff Soup

Since the New Year started, we have been fueling up on veggies.

Here is an awesome soup recipe that you don't have to feel guilty about.

So, you heat up some oil in a large soup pot and add one minced onion, a small carrot and your spices...a dash of cumin, turmeric, cayenne, coriander, salt and pepper.
Next, sauté barley, split peas and wild rice (totaling 1 cup combined) for a few minutes. Next add about 4-5 cups water/chicken broth combo. Allow barley blend to cook and add 1 large sweet potato, cut green beans and red pepper and a handful of small pasta noodles if you wish.
Allow to simmer for about 15more minutes and before serving, wilt in some fresh spinach, a few fresh tarragon sprigs and some chives.

Moolicious!!!!

Mashed Potato Plouxie-Pie

Stefanie inspired me to make mashed potatoes and this Shepherd's Pie was the end result. It is not a huge serving, so think of a smaller baking dish (square?) instead of a lasagna dish. If you want to feed a family, just double up.
When I think meat and potatoes, I think Polish...so, I put my own spin on this old classic. It must be in my genes. You can serve this with a side of dill pickles....enjoy.

For the meat layer:

Heat up some olive oil in a pan, fry up a small onion and garlic for a few minutes and add a package of lean ground beef. As it is cooking, season with a sprinkle of cumin, cayenne pepper, fennel, salt and pepper. When done, place in a medium baking dish, then top with a handful of frozen corn and peas (Stefanie is not a fan of peas...so you can leave these out)

For the potatoes- the star of the show:

Peal and chop about 5-6 smallish potatoes evenly and place in a pot with water and a tbsp of sea salt. Boil until tender...drain.

In the hot pot, put a tbsp butter, and a tbsp jarred or fresh horseradish, a splash of milk, add the potatoes and about 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, mash and mix. Are you thinking pierogie????

Finally, taste and see whether you need salt, pepper etc and mix in a handful chopped chives.

Assemble. Add the potatoes to the meat and spread evenly, top with a dash of paprika and cayenne and top with a bit more cheddar cheese. The beauty of all this is that you can prep in the morning and bake off for supper time.

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for about 30 minutes.

Moolicious!

Tabboul-eh?

Tabboul - eh! This has become a Canadian favorite because of those middle Eastern take out restos that are sprouting up everywhere. This is my take on it based on recipes that I have tried. I have left out fresh mint for this, but you can add it if you wish.

For the dressing:
In a small bowl, add the juice of 2 lemons, about a tbsp olive oil, a few dashes of cumin, about a tsp minced shallot and garlic, cracked pepper, sea salt, a pinch of sugar and a drop or two of water. Whisk and set aside.

For the Israeli couscous and tomato. Cook 1/4 cup according to package instructions. *Look for the bigger ball kind of couscous! Once cooked, add to small salad bowl with a small diced tomato.

Parsley. The Italian flat leaf parsley is the bulk of this salad. When I saw this amazingly fresh bunch of parsley at the store, I thought TABBOULEH instantly. I had never seen it that fresh with the most amazingly green leaves. It's produce like this that gets me excited.
So, wash the whole bunch and allow to dry well, on paper towel.
Then pick off all the leaves and chop. Add to bowl.

Assembly could not be easier. Just top with the dressing mixture, stir well, and allow to sit for hours before eating... it only gets better with time.

Moolicious!

Citrus Delight

This is just what we need - a huge dose of Vitamin C during these Brrrr months....

Whether you have this salad in the afternoon, morning or night...it is a delight. We get Floridian citrus shipped to us every year from the States and sure, it is amazing on its' own, but when you want another way to enjoy it try this fresh salad with a slight Asian twist.

In your small salad bowl, whisk together a tsp olive oil, cracked pepper, a tiny spot of sesame oil and pinch of salt and whisk. Now, with a knife, peel all citrus (I used 3 small oranges, 2 grapefuits, 2 blood oranges and 1 meyer lemon) and slice wedges right into the bowl. Top with a sprinkle of chives, and black and white sesame seeds.

Yum, Moolicious!

Baked Chicken Tenders with Zesty Stir Fry

Another easy dish...Enjoy.


Veggies:

First, prep all veggies and set aside. I used a handful baby carrots, slice on an angle, celery, sliced on an angle, snow peas, broccoli, sliced shallot, garlic, ginger and green onion.

Sauce for the veggies:

Second, prep the sauce. in a small bowl, mix together 1 cup water with 1/4 cup soy sauce, a spunk of hot sauce, a tsp red chili flakes, salt pepper and 1.5 tsps corn starch, and a tsp brown sugar then whisk.

Set aside, until there are about 10minutes left on the rice and chicken. Then heat pot with sesame oil, canola oil and add garlic, shallot and ginger. Next add carrots and snow peas, sauté for about a minute and add celery and broccoli and a handful of corn niblets, followed by your sauce. Once the sauce bubbles and thickens, you're done! You want crunchy veg!

Rice idea:

For the rice, cook plain white rice according to your package instructions. In the water, add one kefir lime leaf, and a few tsps chicken stock powder, oil, salt and pepper.

Chicken:

For the chicken. Preheat oven to 400. Cut one large chicken breast into strips. Place in a bowl of beaten egg and olive oil, salt and pepper.

Prep a plate with a few handfuls Panko breadcrumbs, flour, garlic powder and black and white sesame seeds.

When oven is heated, coat the strips with the crumb mix and set on a baking tray. Bake for about 25 minutes, flipping half way. Serve with plum sauce.

Moolicious, in no time at all!

Never Skip a Beet Salad

So, the holidays are here and we are living in a two week period of breads and sweet cookies and cakes...and gravy boats. Here is a simple salad to keep you on track to eating well; a healthy beet salad with some of the most sugary of veggies! So go for it!

In a small salad bowl, mix together 1 tbsp olive oil, a sprinkle of white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, one sliced scallion, a few chopped fresh basil leaves and a squeeze of lemon.

Now drain one can of beets and add to bowl.

Chop up half a roasted red pepper and add to bowl.

Sprinkle in a few handfuls of corn niblets.

Stir and enjoy!

Moolicious!!

Roast Chicken with Pineapple Hash

Hiya!

Here's a great, fast recipe for a Sunday night supper or a quick, tasty meal during a busy work week. Your family will think you slaved.

For the chicken:

Sprinkle your whole chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder.

Place in a 325 oven for about 2 hours.

For the pineapple hash:

1. Clean and chop into big chunks: 3 carrots, 5 small-med sized potatoes, 1 celery stalk, 1 small bunch bok choy, 1 shallot, and about 1/3 of a pineapple.

2. Boil the carrot and potato for about 10 minutes, then drain.

3. Mix all veggies together with a tsp of brown sugar, olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of cumin, paprika and rosemary.

4. Bake on a tray while the chicken finishes roasting - for 30 minutes or so; until the pineapple gets golden brown.

Moolicious!