Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza

Posted on March 7, 2014 by The Food Lover

It’s almost Friday Night! Usually Friday Night means Pizza Night for many families. If you want to order pizza from your local pizza delivery restaurant, that works. I prefer to make my favorite Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza. It’s super tasty and will pop out of my oven piping hot! Save the lukewarm delivery pizzas for another time.

Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza slices with drizzle of olive oil (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Whole Foods Market carries the best pepperoni around. It’s at the deli counter and not pre-sliced. The ladies behind the deli counter will slice the pepperoni very thinly for me. My husband and I don’t eat a lot of pepperoni or other cured meats, so this pepperoni is a treat for us.

As I’ve mentioned in other pizza posts, I like to make my own pizza dough and pizza sauce. You can substitute store bought pizza dough and sauce, or use your own recipe. Pizza is all about what you like.

Start with a nice pizza dough. I make dough with my Vitamix and use their recipe with a bit more salt and sugar added.

Pizza dough’s rising for the Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Roll out your pizza dough to the size of your pizza pan using some additional flour so the dough doesn’t stick. I alternate from round pizza pans to rectangular pizza pans for larger pizzas. Smaller individual pizzas are a great choice for a family with varied pizza topping tastes. That way, everyone can create their own unique pizza. Place the dough on your greased pizza pan.

Roll out the pizza dough to fit the pan, and brush on some olive oil (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Brush the dough with a light coating of olive oil. For this pizza, place a few provolone cheese slices around the pizza dough.

Place a few slices of provolone on the pizza dough (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Cover the dough with a light coating of pizza sauce. You can use your favorite pizza sauce, or try my roasted tomato sauce with your favorite Italian herbs. I used my roasted tomato sauce for this pizza. Use just enough sauce so your pizza will cook nicely but won’t be soupy. I like a thicker pizza sauce and sometimes just use chunks of roasted tomato instead of sauce.

Cover the provolone slices with the pizza sauce (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses over the pizza sauce. Try to keep the toppings light or your pizza will be soggy in the middle.

Top the sauce with some shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Add some thinly sliced pepperoni to the pizza.

Add thinly sliced pepperoni to the pizza (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Finish with another covering of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Cover the pepperoni with more mozzarella (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven. Your oven temperature may vary from mine, so periodically use a spatula to pry up and look at the bottom of the pizza dough so it doesn’t burn.

Hot from the oven: Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Cut into slices, sprinkle with a bit of shredded parmesan cheese, and maybe some hot pepper flakes, and serve!

Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza Slices (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza

Ingredients:

1 fresh pizza dough
some flour for rolling out dough so it doesn’t stick to board
1/4 c olive oil
10 – 12 slices provolone cheese
1 c pizza sauce
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese, divided
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
12 – 15 large but thin slices pepperoni
Additional shredded parmesan cheese for serving

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prepare your pizza dough. When ready, roll out your pizza dough on a pastry or cutting board to the size of your pizza pan. Use a bit of flour to aid in rolling out the pizza dough so it doesn’t stick to your pastry board.
3. Grease the pizza pan with some cooking spray and move the dough to the pan. Press the dough with your fingers in order to add a raised edge to hold the pizza toppings in place.
4. Brush the pizza dough with a light coating of olive oil.
5. Arrange the provolone cheese slices on the dough.
6. Spread the pizza sauce over the provolone cheese slices.
7. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan over the pizza sauce.
8. Arrange the pepperoni slices over the cheeses.
9. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses over the pepperoni.
10. Bake the pizza for 10 – 15 minutes until bubbly, checking for doneness often. Your crust should be a nice deep golden brown color. An underdone crust will be doughy so be sure to bake the pizza long enough. If the crust is done but the topping isn’t quite cooked, you can broil the pizza for a few minutes.
11. Remove pizza from the oven and let sit for a minute or two before slicing into pieces.
12. Sprinkle each pizza slice with some additional shredded parmesan and serve!

Serves 4 – 6 hungry pizza eaters. Offer with a mixed green salad to round out the meal.

Variations: Lots of variations — you can add other toppings to this pizza if you like. Add some sliced mushrooms, black olives, bell pepper, onion, sausage or whatever suits your fancy. I like it just with the provolone and pepperoni. You can use smaller pepperoni pieces, it’s up to you. Sometimes I chop the pepperoni and add it to the pizza sauce for a different flavor and texture.

Get your own Vitamix at Amazon!

www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2014)

Nutella Napoleons

Posted on March 4, 2014 by The Food Lover

Super simple Nutella Napoleon dessert! Baked puff pastry and Nutella topped with toasted sliced Almonds, powdered sugar, and garnished with mini-Chocolate Chips! (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Who doesn’t love Nutella? Nutella is a chocolatey hazelnut spread that’s popular all over the world. As long as you love Nutella and want to find yet another option for using it in your cooking, I think you’ll love my Nutella Napoleons.

Nutella! (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Earlier in the day, I’d thawed some puff pastry to use in a dinner entree. Having three baked slices of puff pastry leftover from dinner, I was thinking about what I could make with it for dessert. The usual strawberries and whipped cream napoleon was a great thought, except that I didn’t have any fresh berries.

A jar of Nutella was sitting on the counter. What about Nutella as a “filling” in between the puff pastry layers? And what about some toasted sliced almonds? And a dusting of powdered sugar. And a few little mini-chocolate chips for garnish? And that’s exactly what happened!

Easy Nutella Napoleon – Puff Pastry, Nutella, Toasted Sliced Almonds. Sprinkling of Powdered Sugar and mini-Chocolate Chips. (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Hope you enjoy this simple dessert. There are a lot of short “steps” but they’re pretty easy.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Nutella Napoleons

Ingredients:

1 Puff Pastry Sheet, thawed (read directions on package, so you only thaw enough to handle the puff pastry — it can get too soft and then will stick together.
1 jar Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread
1/2 c toasted slivered almonds
Powdered sugar and mini-chocolate chips to garnish

Method:

1. Thaw the puff pastry sheet according to the manufacturer’s directions. Ensure that the pastry is not sticky or overly thawed or it will be hard to work with.
2. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry or roll it out to a 10″ x 18 sheet. Use a small amount of additional flour so your fingers or a rolling pin won’t stick to the pastry dough.
3. Cut the puff pastry sheet into twelve 3 x 5 rectangular slices.
4. Bake the puff pastry until golden brown according to the manufacturer’s directions. Set aside to cool. When the pastry has cooled, get ready to assemble the napoleons.
5. For each napoleon, place a slice of baked puff pastry on a serving plate.
6. With a butter knife, smear some Nutella on the golden brown top of the slice of puff pastry.
7. Top with another piece of baked puff pastry. Smear Nutella on the golden brown top of the second piece of puff pastry.
8. Add a top piece of baked puff pastry.
11. Top the napoleon with some toasted sliced almonds.
12. Using a fine mesh strainer, finely dust some powdered sugar on top of the napoleon.
13. Sprinkle a few mini-chocolate chips around and on top of the napoleon.
14. Repeat for the rest of the napoleons.
15. Serve!!

Serves 4 as a dessert course.

Variations: Use regular-sized chocolate chips for garnish. Add some sliced strawberries or whole raspberries on top of the Nutella filling inside the napoleon and garnish with whole berries.

www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2014)

Prosciutto Brie Scrambled Eggs

Posted on February 28, 2014 by The Food Lover

What’s your favorite breakfast? Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, so I have a slew of favorite dishes. Weekdays are rushed so a quick breakfast is in order. On the weekends, I usually make something special. My Prosciutto Brie Scrambled Eggs are an elegant and simple dish for an early breakfast or a later brunch.

Crispy Prosciutto and Melty Brie enhance your Scrambled Egg breakfast! (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

One of my favorite brie cheeses is from Trader Joe’s. It’s a goat brie and sooo tasty. You can try this brie, or another one.

Trader Joe’s Goat Brie Cheese (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Chop and fry some prosciutto until crispy and set aside. Whisk together some eggs in a bowl until light and frothy. Melt some butter in a non-stick pan. Pour the egg mixture into the non-stick pan. Stir the eggs gently until soft curds form. Add some brie cubes and stir until the brie melts. Add the crispy prosciutto to the eggs and brie, and warm through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with toast, biscuits, or muffins.

Proscuitto Brie Scrambled Eggs with a side of Wheat Toast (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

This dish could be part of your brunch buffet bar for a special Sunday celebration.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Prosciutto Brie Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 slices prosciutto, chopped
12 eggs
2 T butter
3/4 c brie cubes (rind removed)
salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a non-stick skillet, fry the prosciutto until it is crispy. Drain, remove to a bowl, and set aside.
2. Whisk together the eggs until frothy.
3. In the same non-stick skillet, melt the butter.
4. When the butter has melted, cook the eggs. Use a spatula to gently move the eggs around inside the pan.
5. When the eggs are mostly set into curds, add the brie cubes.
6. Lightly stir the eggs and brie cubes until the brie has melted.
7. Add the crispy prosciutto to the eggs, stir, and warm through.
8. Plate and serve!

Serves 4 as a breakfast or brunch entree. Offer with biscuits, toast, or muffins, butter, and your favorite jams and jellies. Add a few slices of sweet orange or melon on the side, or a small dish of fresh berries.

Variations: Serve the eggs over a bed of fresh arugula for a hearty brunch dish. Try other cheeses such as Monterey Jack, Havarti, cheddar, or goat cheese. Substitute bacon or regular ham for the prosciutto.

www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2014)

Italian Burgers

Posted on February 26, 2014 by The Food Lover

Sometimes you come upon a new favorite dish by having leftover ingredients from another one. This time, I had some leftover hamburger from a meatball recipe. The hamburger mixture contained some sweet onion, Italian seasoning, and shredded parmesan cheese. I had some leftover roasted tomato sauce from a previous meal. My Italian Burgers were born.

Juicy Italian Burger served with a mixed greens salad (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

My husband and I love to grill burgers outside in the summer. Our favorites include turkey burgers and buffalo burgers. This Italian burger can be made with virtually any ground meat. If you can’t grill outside, use a grill pan inside on your stove.

Start by making some of my Roasted Tomato Sauce. Keep it warm until the burgers are ready. If you don’t have time to make the sauce, you can use tomato ketchup instead.

Roasted Tomato Sauce to top the Italian Burger (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

For the burgers themselves, finely dice some sweet onion. Saute the onion in some olive oil until caramelized. Set aside in a large non-metallic bowl to cool.

Finely dice the onion (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

When the onions have cooled to room temperature, add some shredded parmesan and some Italian seasoning. I like the Simply Organic brand of Italian seasoning.

Simply Organic Italian Seasoning is a favorite to spice up my recipes (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Using your clean hands, lightly mix together the caramelized onion with the Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, and the ground meat. Form into patties. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Italian Burgers are formed and ready for the grill (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Grill the burgers until done to your liking.

Grill the Italian Burgers (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Toast some sandwich buns to a nice golden brown. I like to use whole wheat buns for this recipe.

Whole Wheat Buns are a healthier alternative to regular white flour buns (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Mix together some mayonnaise and minced garlic for a nice garlic aioli. Spread a little aioli on the toasted buns.

Garlic Aioli for the Italian Burgers (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

When the burgers are done, place each one on a toasted bun.

Italian Burgers ready for plating (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Top each burger with a slice of provolone cheese.

Provolone slices can be regular or smoky for the Italian Burgers (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Add some roasted tomato sauce.

Italian Burger is ready for roasted tomato sauce (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Place the bun top on the burger, and serve!

Italian Burger with Provolone and Roasted Tomato Sauce ready to serve! (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

This burger goes great with a mixed greens salad. You could also serve with
baked mozzarella sticks to dip into any leftover roasted tomato sauce.

Gooey cheesy Italian Burger (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Italian Burgers

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1/2 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2/3 lb ground meat (use beef, buffalo, turkey, pork, or chicken or a mixture of more than one meat)
1 T Italian seasoning
1/8 c shredded Parmesan
salt and pepper
2 hamburger buns, toasted
1/4 c garlic aioli (mix mayo with 1/4 t minced garlic)
1/2 c Roasted Tomato Sauce
2 slices provolone cheese

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and heat a gas or charcoal grill.
2. Saute the onion until it has softened and slightly caramelized.
3. Remove the onion from the pan and let cool in a non-metallic bowl.
4. When the onion has cooled to room temperature, mix in the ground meat, Italian seasoning, shredded Parmesan, salt and pepper.
5. Form meat mixture into two burger patties.
6. Grill burgers over medium high flame or hot coals for about 4 – 5 minutes on each side.
7. Spread the garlic aioli on the insides of the toasted burger buns.
8. Place a burger on each bottom bun and top burgers with a slice of provolone.
9. Divide the roasted tomato sauce amongst the two burgers and top with the bun tops.
10. Serve!

Makes 2 Italian Burgers. Serve with mixed greens on the side, or some fries or onion rings.

Variations: Use whatever ground meat that you prefer. Use ketchup instead of roasted tomato sauce. Use a different melty cheese such as Havarti on top of the burgers. Add some fresh spinach or arugula leaves to the burger. To lighten this recipe, omit the cheese and garlic aioli, use ground turkey or chicken, and serve the burger without the bun on a bed of greens.

Truffled Mashed Potatoes

Posted on February 20, 2014 by The Food Lover

Truffles are in season for a short time in the Fall. The delicate truffles are in high demand and can command extremely high prices. Truffle-infused oil offers a taste of truffles year-round. Just a few drops of truffle oil can take a boring dish to a rich sensation in seconds. My Truffled Mashed Potatoes are super easy to make and will bring a soft earthy elegance to your dinner plate.

Bacon-topped Meatloaf, Truffle-Mashed Yukon Golds, Garlicky Spinach & Mushrooms (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

A favorite local restaurant once offered an entree special of homemade fettucini with a butter sauce and shaved fresh white truffles. It was a very simple dish with just a few ingredients yet pretty pricey. And, in my opinion, quite worth the fee.

Fresh White Truffles (Photo Credit: winecountry.it)

Truffles enhance many dishes. Grilled meats, pastas, and salads can be taken up a notch with just a few shavings of fresh truffle. Truffle oil is easy to find and should be kept in your refrigerator when opened.

Other than mixing a few drops into mayonnaise as a decadent truffle aioli dipping sauce for French fries, my favorite way to use the truffle oil is to perfume mashed potatoes. Yukon Golds, to be exact. Just a little butter, cream, and truffle oil will take otherwise boring mashed potatoes to a new level.

White Truffle Oil (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Start out with some washed and peeled Yukon Gold potatoes. Quarter the potatoes. Put them in a pot that is large enough to hold the potatoes and for water to cover them by at least an inch. If in doubt, use a larger pot instead of a smaller one. That way, the water won’t bubble out of the pot and onto your stove burners. Add a pinch of salt.

Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender but not completely falling apart. Drain the potatoes. Mash them with a potato masher. Whisk in the butter and cream. Once the potatoes are a nice light and fluffy consistency, whisk in the truffle oil.

Whisk the truffle oil into the mashed potatoes (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Keep the truffled mashed potatoes warm until ready to serve. Offer as a side dish with a grilled steak or chicken breast. I love to spruce up a basic weeknight meatloaf meal with truffled mashed potatoes!

Grilled Filet Mignon Steak with Truffled Mashed Red Potatoes (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Truffled Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into quarters
1 stick butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c heavy cream (more or less depending on your favorite consistency of mashed potato)
1 T white truffle oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Put the washed, peeled, and quartered potatoes in a pot that is large enough to hold the potatoes with some room at the top.
2. Add water to the pot and cover the potatoes by at least an inch. Add a pinch of salt.
3. Heat the potatoes to boiling, and reduce heat. Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender but not completely falling apart, about 20 minutes or more. Drain the potatoes well and leave them in the pot.
4. Put the pot of drained potatoes back on the stove. Over high heat, try to evaporate all of the water, lightly stirring the potatoes as the water evaporates, but not browning the potatoes. This is my secret to fluffy (and not gummy) potatoes. Remove the pot from the heat.
5. In the pot, mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
6. Whisk in the butter and then the cream. Do not overmix, just whisk until combined. I use a whisk instead of a spoon to add some air to the potato mixture.
7. Once the potatoes are a nice light and fluffy consistency, whisk in the truffle oil.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Keep warm until ready to serve!

Serves 4 – 6 depending on serving size. Serve alongside your favorite meat or poultry. These truffled mashed potatoes go extremely well with a grilled steak.

Variations: Use red potatoes, russets, or any other favorite potato that’s good for mashing. Leave some skin on the potatoes for a “rustic” look. If you are watching your fat intake, cut back on the butter and cream and just use the truffle oil. Instead of truffle oil, and to increase the decadence (and cost) of this side dish, you can stir in minced fresh truffles.

Order some truffle oil for yourself! Amazon.com has some good brands and good deals:

Comfort Food! Truffled Mashed Potatoes served with Meatloaf and Green Peas (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

A Food Lover's Delight

It's all about food!

Friday Night Pepperoni and Provolone Pizza

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Nutella Napoleons

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Prosciutto Brie Scrambled Eggs

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Italian Burgers

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Truffled Mashed Potatoes

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