Cheesy Zucchini Flatbread

1 10-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
3/4 cup garlic-and-herb cheese spread (such as Alouette), divided
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1 small red onion
1 7- to 8-inch-long zucchini (yellow or green), cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds, divided
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; spray with nonstick spray. Unroll dough onto parchment. Spread half of herb cheese over 1 long half of dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Sprinkle with half of Parmesan and 2 tablespoons parsley. Using parchment as aid, fold plain half of dough over filled half (do not seal edges). Spread remaining herb cheese over top; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Remove enough outer layers of onion to yield 2-inch-diameter core; cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Arrange 1 row of zucchini down 1 long side of dough. Arrange onion rounds in row alongside zucchini. Arrange 1 more row of zucchini alongside onion. Brush vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake bread until puffed and deep brown at edges, about 24 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.

Asian Flank Steak

1/2 unpeeled Asian pear, halved, cored, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
2 pounds Flank Steak
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Puree first 7 ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Add beef; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Heat heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and salt and cook until seeds are deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool in skillet. Divide sesame mixture among 6 very small bowls and place 1 bowl on each of 6 plates.
Prepare barbecue (high heat). Using tongs, remove beef, 1 slice at a time, from marinade, allowing excess to drip back into bowl; place on grill. Cook to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Divide beef among plates alongside sesame salt.

Winter Squash Rolls

1 1/2 cups cubed winter squash
1 cup scalded milk
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small saucepan, cover squash cubes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture, shortening, squash and milk. Mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces and form into rounds. Place the rounds in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pear Upside-Down Cake

This is a variation of a Mark Bittman recipe. I changed the amount of flour because I think there is a misprint and I added the cranberries for decoration and the ginger and chocolate because they are my favorite flavors. If you use the cranberries, you may want to use a more substantial cake batter (add more flour) because they float. I have a different cake recipe that is thicker if you don't like to experiment. If you want the cranberry/pear flavor to be more prominent, leave off the chocolate. I couldn't figure out how to do it the other night, but definitely served warm with ice cream would be excellent. I also have variations for plums, apples, blackberries, pitted cherries, cranberries, pineapple, and green tomatoes.

8 TBL unsalted butter, melted and divided in 1/2
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped almonds
3-4 small ripe pears, peeled, cored, and halved (if using large you can cut them into 4 or 8 pieces)
a handful of cranberries
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBL finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz. dark chocolate
2 TBL cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a 9" round cake pan or cast-iron skillet with half of the butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar and almonds evenly over the bottom of the pan and spread the pears in the pan in a single layer. If using cranberries, place a cranberry in the core of each of the pear halves or slices.

Whisk the remaining melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, ginger, and sugar together until foamy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well incorporated.

Carefully spread the batter over the pears, using a spatula to make sure it's evenly distributed. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for just 5 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Put the serving plate on the top of the cake pan and flip the pan so that the serving plate is now on the bottom and the cake pan upside down and on top. The cake should fall out onto the serving plate. If the cake sticks, turn it right side up and run the knife along the edge again, then use a spatula to lift gently around the edge. Invert the cake again and tap on the bottom of the pan. If any of the fruit sticks to the pan, don't worry; simply use a knife to remove the pieces and fill in any gaps on the top of the cake. Serve warm with ice cream.

Pear & Feta Cheese Pizza

Pizza Dough

2 c. water

2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. rosemary

5½ c. flour +

1 T. yeast

Pear & Feta Cheese Pizza Toppings (For 1 pizza)

6 oz. sliced provolone cheese

2 pears, thinly sliced

2 oz. roasted pecans

2½ oz. feta cheese, crumbled

2 T. chopped fresh chives

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Place pizza dough ingredients in a large mixer and mix well. Let dough rise for 30-40 minutes. When dough is ready, knead it on a floured surface. Dough may need additional flour to make it workable. Roll dough into a pizza crust (there is enough dough for 2 or 3 crusts). Place dough on a greased pizza stone and brush topside of crust with olive oil. Let rise 5-10 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and add pizza toppings. Return to oven and bake another 10-12 minutes.

Ratatouille

1-2 large chicken breast

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 zucchini, sliced or chopped

1 yellow squash, sliced or chopped

2 large mushrooms, sliced 

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

salt to taste

basil to taste

2 T. parsley

1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

couscous

Cook chicken and cut into bite size pieces.  

Pour olive oil into large frying pan and add minced garlic and chopped onion.  Cook until onion is barely translucent.  Add zucchini, squash, mushrooms, green pepper, tomatoes, salt and basil.  Cook until veggies are tender and they begin to juice out.  Add chicken and stir until warm then remove from heat.  Stir in parsley and parmesan cheese and serve over couscous.

Four Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage

1 pound Italian Sausage
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz. Parmesan cheese, shredded
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1 large (26.5 oz) can Italian Sausage pasta sauce
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or whatever temperature the box of noodles says). Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of a cake pan. Cook the Italian sausage, drain, then add pasta sauce. Spread ricotta cheese on the six lasagna noodles, then place three in the cake pan. Cover with sausage/sauce mixture, then sprinkle layer of cheese (half of mozzarella, cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses--can be mixed together or separate). Repeat layers, noodles with Ricotta, sausage/sauce, then remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until noodles are soft, about 45 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 c peanut butter
1/2 c butter, room temperature
2 c powdered sugar
2-4 T cream
1 t vanilla extract

Combine peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl, mixing together until light and fluffy. Stop mixer before adding sugar.
Add sugar, 3 T cream, and vanilla. Start slowly and mix together, gradually increasing the speed. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add more cream if frosting is too thick.

Mascarpone Pavlovas

1 1/2 C. Strawberries, stemmed and quartered
3 C. Assorted Berries
3 Tbs. Orange Marmalade
1 Tbs. Water
1 C. Mascarpone Cheese
1/4 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Whipping Cream

Meringues
4 Egg Whites at room temp for 30 mins
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 C. Sugar
2 tsps. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla

Mint leaves for garnish(optional)

Preheat oven to 200 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.

For the meringues, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electic mixer at med-high speed to soft peaks. With the mixer running, add 1 C. of the sugar, a Tbs. at a time, and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Add the conrstarch and vanilla and beat 1 min. longer. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2in. plain tip. Pipe a 2 1/2-inch diamater ring or heart shape on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, and then pipe another on top of hte first to form a 2-level rim. Pipe more meringue inside the shape to make a thin, solid base. Repeat, forming 6 meringue shells total. Bake the meringues for 1 1/2 hrs (they will not color), then turn offf the oven and leave the meringues in the closed oven for 1 1/2 hrs longer.

Toss all the berries in a large bowl. Combine the marmalade and water in a small saucepan over med. heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced by about one quarter. Let cool, then pour the mixture over the berries and toss together gently with a rubber spatula to evenly coat the berries.

Just before serving, beat together the mascarpone cheese, cream and sugar with an electric mixer at med-high speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Spoon the cream into the cooled meringue shells and spread it evenly. Mound the berries decoratively on tip, with a drizzle of the berry juices as well. Garnish with the mint leaves and serve.

Cream Cheese Tarts

Tart Shells

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

4 tbsp. sugar

2 cup flour

Blend cream cheese, butter and sugar. Stir in flour just until blended. Chill about 1 hour to make dough easier to handle.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Shape dough into 48 one-inch balls and press into mini muffin cups. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until very light brown on edges. Remove from oven and let set in pan to finish cooking. When cool, remove from pan. This recipe makes a lot of tarts, but they are easy to make, and they disappear fast!

*I don't have a mini muffin cup pan so I used my regular cupcake pan.


Easy Fruit Tarts

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (about 20-25 seconds per side in microwave)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1 (3oz.) lemon jello
1 cup ice
Fruit of choice
Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Spoon or pipe cream into tart shells. Place fruit on top of cream. In large glass bowl, heat 3/4 cup water in microwave until boiling- about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Remove from microwave and slowly pour in jello powder. Stir until blended and return to microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir well until jello is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup ice and stir until ice is completely dissolved. Spoon gelatin over tarts. Chill in fridge for a little while. I chilled them for an hour, but it would probably be fine for a shorter time, the glaze sets up fast.