Sunday, August 23, 2009

Olive Cheese Bread



I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I made it at a family dinner and everyone loved it....even the people that don't like olives.

Ingredients
1 6oz can whole black olives
1 6 oz jar green olives
2 green onions
3/4 lb montery jack
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 stick butter
1 loaf french bread

Roughly chop olives. Slice & chop onions. Combine with softened butter, mayo & grated cheese. Mix thoroughly. Slice bread in half lengthwise, spread mixture over bread. Bake at 325F for 25 minutes or until thoroughly melted & starting to turn brown & bubbly. Cut in slices.

Make ahead: make cheese mixture up to 2 days ahead of time & store in fridge. Or spread mixture on bread & freeze loaf.

Potato, Broccoli & Cheese Soup



We had a lot of red potatoes & broccoli in our garden that needed to be eaten so I found this recipe. It came out pretty yummy.

Ingredients
2 cups chopped onion
2 tbs butter
2 1/2 lbs peeled & cubed potatoes
5 cups boiling water
4 cubes chicken bouillon (recommend organic so it doesn't have msg in it)
3 cups fresh broccoli, cooked & drained
salt & pepper to taste
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
In a large stock pot, saute onion in butter. Add potato, water & bouillon cubes. Cover, bring to a boil & reduce heat to medium. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Cook broccoli & add to soup. (I just threw the broccoli in with the potatoes.)
In a blender or food processor, puree half of the soup & return to pot. Season with salt & pepper. Add cheese & heat until cheese is melted.

Pizza Crust




Makes 2 pan or thin-crust pizzas (I froze the 2nd one for later)
From BHG

Ingredients
2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbs olive oil

Directions
In a large bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups of flour, the yeast and 1/4 tsp salt; add warm water & oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in more flour making the dough moderately stiff (6-8 mins). Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.

For Thin-Crust pizzas: Grease two 12 inch pizza pans or baking sheets. Sprinkle with cornmeal. roll each dough portion into a 13 inch circle. Transfer to pan. Build up edges to form crust. Do not let rise. Bake at 425F for 12 minutes. Spread sauch onto hot crust, top with meat, vegetables & cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes more or until bubbly.

For Pan pizzas: grease two 9x9x2 pans. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Pat dough onto bottoms and halfway up sides of pans. Cover & let rise in a warm place until nearly double (30-45 min) Bake at 375F for 20-25 min. Spread sauce on top, then meat, veggies & cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes longer.