"Jack of All, Master of None!"

Since I haven't really been cooking lately, and I'm still jobless, I might as well post what I have been doing and that is my Art.  I love Art and would have more of it in my house if I had the money.  These are just a couple of pieces that I recently finished. 

I saw a picture of a horned owl the other day and couldn't get it out of my head, so I decided to do a quick illustration.  The second one is a cartoon I doodled of my daughter when she started taking Karate. 
Hope you enjoy!

"I've got a Stress-fracture, in my Brain!"

On a boat in the Annapolis Harbour

   May is turning out to be a Crazy month, and it's only the 9th!  Last week, I was simultaneously looking for a place to live in Maryland, finishing/submitting the last papers of my college career, working on Steph's resume/cover letter, meeting our future Ward members (with whom I attempted to network a little), fielded stressed-out phone calls from Stephanie (who was home with 2 of the 3 kids and had to work all week) and balancing my never-ending battle between eating decent versus pigging-out while on a Working/Vacation!!!  Oy!

   We decided to opt for an apartment for a year because we might be able to put away enough money to simply buy a place next year.  Unfortunately, the only places big enough won't be available until mid-June and our lease is up at the end of May! So, it looks like we will be living out of a hotel for a couple weeks in June, which is not as much fun as it sounds.  Because of this, we will be sending the kids to live with their Aunt in Idaho for the month of June.  They're excited to play with their cousins, but I will miss them a lot and will be hurrying to pick them up and bring them to their new home!

My Dad was freezing for most of the Trip!

   Needless to say, I'm exhausted, but have too much to do to simply enjoy my Graduation week.  I spent the last day and a half sending out Steph's resume to dentists in the Annapolis/Baltimore area and have had a HUGE response, despite us not being there until June.  She has already had 3 email responses and 4 phone interviews in a 10 hour span!  She's a great worker and has always been sought after by employers.  I have to wait until my grades roll in before I can really actively seek employment, so I have to be patient, which I'm not!!  The rest of the month will be spent doing my least favorite activity, Packing!  Don't be surprised if my next post simply says, "I've had a Massive Stroke!"

"Hurry Up and Slow Down!" or "Let's Do the Time Warp Again!"

With our move to Maryland only 6 weeks away, and my college graduation only 2-1/2 weeks away, I haven't had a single moment to document the cooking that I have done over the past few weeks (and I did a lot!). Just over the Easter weekend, I catered a sit down 50th Birthday Party on Saturday Night and an Easter Dinner on Sunday Night, which my family got to take part in! I enjoyed it immensely, except for the stress that my "Death by Chocolate Cake" caused me (I could NOT get it to rise correctly!). Would do it again in a Heartbeat! I have one more gig scheduled before the move, and then it will be time to introduce Annapolis to my cooking! I'm caught in some sort of Time Warp, where time is moving both fast and slow!

I have to note that my wife's Birthday was on Easter, and she gracefully stepped aside to let the other parties go on. I love her so much, and am working on her Birthday dinner, albeit in shifts! I made Tacos on Sunday and I hope to be able to make her Carrot Cake on Thursday!

"Baby, you must be from Heaven, cause you got a bunch of Noodles on your Head!"

Capellini (or Angel Hair. Get it?) is by far my favorite pasta (but my worst pick-up line)! I like it mostly because I can eat a ton without getting too full! In my hay day, I would eat until I got cross-eyed and had to lay down on the floor, but lately, I have discovered a joy of eating that doesn't involve unbuttoning my pants shortly thereafter! This recipe is simply perfect for a good lunch and nice stroll!

Capellini Pomodoro - easily serves 4
1/2 lb of Angel Hair Pasta
4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 large Roma Tomatoes, diced
2 1/2 T Parmesan Cheese
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1-1/2 T Butter
2 T Fresh Basil


Boil and drain your pasta (I recommend just a little undercooked, while it will continue cooking for a couple of minutes) and then set aside. Heat a saute pan on medium high, add the oil and then bring back down to medium low. Toss in garlic and lightly brown (be careful not to overcook or burn).


Add in Tomatoes, Parmesan and Butter and stir on medium heat until tomatoes are almost ready. Turn heat to low and add in Basil. Cook for another minute or so.


Turn off heat. Toss pasta and sauce together in the pan until completely coated. Serve.


Ok. I cheated and used the same picture from my Balsamic Chicken post. I'm not really a photographer, I'm a cook!


Enjoy and make sure to leave comments or questions!

Marin-"Aid", not Marin-"Do Everything For You!!!

I love Marinades! I love the flavors that they can bring, but they can also bring out something ugly...A Lazy Cook! It's nice to be able to toss some meat in a sauce and forget about it and that's ok. The problem really arises when the food isn't tasted until it's served! Sure you can get lucky and everything will turn out just fine, but if you either do a test run (especially if you are serving for guests) or at the very least, cut a small section off, cook it, and taste it, you can usually avoid getting burned by too much salt, too little salt, etc.

This is one of my personal favorites, especially for chicken! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Balsamic Chicken
6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Fresh Black Pepper
3/4 t. Granulated Garlic
1/2 t. Onion Powder
1-1/2 T. Parmesan Cheese
1/2 t. Basil
1/2 t. Parsley
1/2 t. Thyme
1/4 t. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)


Rinse Chicken and set aside to dry. In a large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together and set aside.


With a very sharp knife, trim off excess fat, any stray bones or tendons from each breast. Pound out chicken until about 1/2 inch in thickness. (I like to place them in a gallon Ziploc bag to do this. It keeps the counter cleaner!)


Place Chicken in Marinade and make sure each piece is well coated. Cover and place in fridge for about 4 hours.


After 4 hours is up, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and heat Grill on High heat until almost smoking. Sear Chicken for about 2 minutes on each side and then place on cookie sheet. Continue cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 - 15 minutes. (The chicken will continue to cook and reach 17o degrees out of the oven.)


All done! I like to slice and serve with Capellini Pomodoro (recipe coming soon) and some Grilled Asparagus!


This is a relatively easy recipe, but if you have any questions please post them and I'll try and answer as quick as possible, and as always feel free to post any and all comments!

Mini-Post: Pizza Sauce

Pizza Sauce
28 oz. Crushed Tomatoes
6 oz. Tomato Paste
1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 T. Salt
3/4 T. Granulated Garlic
3/4 T. Onion Powder
1/2 T. Basil
1/2 T. Oregano
1/2 T. Marjoram
1/2 Green Bell Pepper


Over med-low heat, combine Crushed Tomatoes, Paste, and Oil until paste is completely incorporated.


Lower heat and stir in Herbs and Spices. Add Bell Pepper, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often.


Place in bowl and cool on counter for about 15 minutes. Cover and place in fridge until ready to use. Tip: Sauce needs to be at least room temperature or lower before putting on dough or else it may slightly cook dough and cause it to stick to pan.

My name is Randy...and I'm a Pizzaholic!

Please let me know how it goes and leave your vote for next week:
Balsamic Chicken or Steak Pizzaiola
I'll take votes until Wednesday!

My addiction to Pizza began in the womb. I can say this because my mother craved Pepperoni Pizza while pregnant with me, and as long as I can remember I have also craved Pizza! My first job was working at a Waterpark...slinging Pizzas! I have worked at many Pizza shops over the years, both good and bad, and just can't seem to get enough! However, there is a dark side to all this Pizza madness, and that is, I can't afford ordering from restaurants to feed my addiction and I just could never find a Homemade Pizza that was any good. Most of them are too thick, floury and just plain nasty! I had to try and do something or I was going to end up broke from buying Pizza, so at 19, I started working on my own dough. Let me know what you think!

Pizza Dough - Yields 2, 14" Pizza Rounds
5 C. Bread Flour
1 T. Sugar
1 T. Salt
1 T. Granulated Garlic (sometimes called Garlic Powder, but not as fine as true Powder)
3 t. Active Dry Yeast
2 T. Gluten Flour (I use Bob's Vital Gluten Flour that I find in the Health Section of the Supermarket)
1-1/2 C. Warm Water (about 105 degrees. I use a meat thermometer for this.)
5 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Steps:
Combine 4 C. of the Flour and all other dry ingredients in a Stand-up Mixer Bowl and mix well, this includes the yeast! I designed this recipe so that you don't have to activate it first. Make a well in the middle and pour in the water and 2 T. of the Oil. Mix together as good as possible by hand.


Knead on medium-low speed with dough hook for about 10 minutes. (At 5 minutes, you may want to push dough down as it will have climbed up the hook.) After 10 minutes the dough should be smooth and pliable. (You will have a good idea by 5 minutes how it is going and can adjust by adding either flour or water, one Tbsp at a time.)


Remove dough from bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rest for 5 minutes. While dough rests, use the rest of the oil to grease two mixing bowls. Split the dough in half, form into balls and then place them in the bowls making sure they are well covered in the oil.


Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 75 minutes to raise. After dough has a little less than doubled, remove from fridge. If you use a Pizza stone (which I recommend) place it in the oven, middle rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. While the oven is heating the dough will continue to rise a little. Dust counter with remaining flour and either roll out dough or stretch by hand.


Shake off excess flour and place on peel. (If using a pan, I would oil it slightly.) Add Sauce, Cheese and Toppings as desired. (I will give recipes later for various sauces and toppings that I like to use!)


Place in oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Slice and Eat!!

For me the best part about Pizza is how you can personalize it and include everyone! It's fun to split the dough into four and let the kids make their own! Fresh Pizza is a little time consuming, but totally rewarding and worth it, not to mention way cheaper!

Please let me know how it goes and leave your vote for next week:
Balsamic Chicken or Steak Pizzaiola
I'll take votes until Wednesday!