Homemade Pizza

Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, we had great pizza anytime you wanted. It was always from local restaurants, no chain pizza shops ever lasted very long. When I first moved out, to Ottawa, I remember the desperation my roommate and I (also from the Soo) felt when we were craving good pizza. It always took awhile, but eventually I would find a good pizza restaurant, only in time to move to the next city. In Ottawa, it was Fida's. I don't know if that place is still around, but on most days if you went to pick it up it was 50% off, awesome for University students, and damn good pizza too! When I moved to Montreal I ended up working at one of the best pizza places (and I'm not being biased) - Amelio's - where you have to try the Blanche (or four cheese).

Vancouver has been hit or miss with pizza. We'll find a decent pizza joint, but consistency is hard to come by. Incendio's is definitely on our list, however we find more and more that we prefer to make pizza at home. I used to use the recipe found here , and thought it was the bomb. It is great if you are making pizza and are tight on time. However, my sister recently introduced to me the beauty of a pizza dough that you let rise. You can either let this one rise for an hour and cook right away, or overnight. This dough is the bomb!

Pizza Dough (from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book)

- 3 cups all-purpose flour (approx)

- 2 tsp quick-rising (instant) dry yeast

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 1/4 cup hot water

- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

In bowl, combine 2 3/4 cups of the flour, yeast and salt. With wooden spoon, gradually stir in water and oil until ragged dough forms, using hands if necessary.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead, adding as much of the remaining flour, 1 tbsp at a time, as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. You can use a stand-mixer for this, cutting the kneading time in half. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over; cover with plastic wrap.

If you want to have the pizza today, let rise in warm draft free place until doubled, about 1 hour. If you want to have the pizza tomorrow or another time, let rise in refrigerator for 1 day. You can freeze in large resealable freezer bag for up to 1 month; let thaw and rise in refrigerator overnight.

When you are ready to make your pizza, roll the dough out to fit whatever size pan you are planning on using. I used a cookie sheet for mine. Grease the pan lightly, then place the pizza dough on it. It should feel quite flexible. Crimp the edges to create a bit of a crust. Top and then bake in bottom third of 450 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

While I love the quickness of the other pizza dough, I would really recommend trying this one if you have the time. It is so good, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. I topped mine with artichoke hearts, tomatoes, green olives, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and feta and mozzarella cheeses. So yummy!!!!

Chicken in Phyllo Pastry

The first time I made this recipe was in University, when I was having some new friends over for dinner. I can't remember for the life of me why I decided on this particular dish, but when at dinner the girls were asking where I bought the chicken bundles from, I knew I had found a new favourite. Since that day back in 2001 I have made this numerous times for many different people. I've privately dubbed it my best 'dish to impress'. That is, if I'm cooking for people for the first time, I know this dish will is a crowd pleaser. So when I was visiting my sister in Toronto and she told me we were having some of her friends for dinner, who were looking forward to having me cook for them (I think she may have talked me up a bit) I thought, why not pull out ole faithful. It was a hit!

Chicken in Phyllo

- 8 Phyllo Pastry Sheets, thawed overnight in refrigerator

- 1/4 cup (or more) butter, melted

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

- 1 bunch of fresh spinach leaves, stems removed

- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

- 1 large red pepper, cut in strips

- 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

One of the biggest things with making this dish, is the prep. After years of prepping this, my best advice is to have everything ready in an assembly line type operation. Phyllo is not difficult to work with, as long as you take care of it. What I mean by that is to cover the phyllo you are not using with a damp cloth. This helps it to not dry out and crack, making your life much easier. Once you have each of the items prepped and set out, it's time to get started.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on counter and fold in half. Brush melted butter along edges. Place chicken breast half in the middle, near the bottom of phyllo. Layer spinach, a sprinkling of basil, red pepper strips and some feta cheese. Roll chicken and phyllo over once. Fold edges toward the middle and continue rolling until you've formed a nice little bundle.

Place on cookie sheet, brush with butter. Now the next key is to cover this with another damp cloth, covering each bundle as you work. Once this is completed, you can either cook right away, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake in middle rack of 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes.

This dish is from The Best of Bridge, one of the best cookbooks you should have. It is great served with the Chickpea Couscous.

Chicken and Brie Panini

The panini press is a fantastic thing. Luckily for us our panini press is part of our indoor grill. If you're in the market to purchase an indoor grill, I would highly recommend you get one that comes with a panini press. The options are endless when you can whip up a quick grilled sandwich, such as the one we had for dinner last week.

Grilled Chicken and Brie Panini

- loaf of crusty bread (if you're unsure, ask at the bakery what would work well in a press)

- boneless, skinless chicken breast

- 1 pear, sliced

- Brie cheese, sliced

- Sweet jam (I used a maple and walnut spread)

Cook chicken however you please. I simply rubbed some olive oil, salt and pepper on mine and baked in 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

Slice bread in good sized sandwich portions, and then cut in half. Spread bottom half with sweet jam. Layer pears, chicken and brie, top with other piece of bread. Place in panini press and cook until cheese is nice and melted.

A trick we've picked up from watching panini's made at cafe's is to use parchment paper on both sides of the grill, so you don't end up with a sticky gooey cheesy mess to clean up.

Chickpea Couscous

After watching that first episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I wanted to make something healthy and wholesome for dinner. Looking through the cupboards and fridge, I realized I had enough to make a variation of a couscous dish from the Best of Bridge that I've made numerous times before.

Chickpea Couscous

- 1/2 red onion, chopped

- 1 large red pepper, chopped

- 1 clove garlic, chopped

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 1 cup frozen green peas

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 2 tomatoes, chopped

- 2 cups liquid (ideally broth, I used water)

- 1 cup couscous

- can of artichoke hearts, chopped

- 3 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

- juice of half a lemon

In saucepan with tight fitting lid, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion and red pepper until they begin to soften, about 2-5 minutes.. Stir in cayenne pepper, paprika and garlic. Cook one minute. Add carrots, chickpea's, green peas, tomatoes and liquid. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add couscous, cover and simmer for one minute more. Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts, parsley and lemon.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

I just finished watching the first episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. It can be found here on CTV's media player.

I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver and some of the stuff that he has done in England to help people understand and care more about their food. I'm anxious to see how he does with the North American version of this show. It seems to be a bit of a mix between meeting up with families, going to community groups, and of course helping out the school system. It really does blow my mind that kids are being fed such horrible food on a daily basis. For adults to be eating this stuff is one thing, but kids are not given a fighting chance when they are having pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries and white bread as their staple diet. This is the kind of thing that makes me so passionate about bringing food and cooking back to the house, and bringing people together around the kitchen table.

I was lucky growing up in a family where having dinner together meant something, and helping out in the kitchen was an every day occurrence, and not just for special occasions. I try every day to remember how lucky we are to live in a city and a country where we can access good healthy food, and where we have the time (and it doesn't take a lot of time) to make healthy meals every day. I'm not saying that I'm perfect, and by no means is that the case. I love going out to eat, and when I'm at the movies, you'll find me with some popcorn. Rather, it's a matter of making the right choices, and not seeing meal time as an inconvenience, but rather a time to come together and sit down for a few minutes, uninterrupted. When I was growing up, and the phone rang at dinner time, you didn't get up from the table to take the call. Whoever answered the phone took a message, because dinner time was family time (plus who wants their food to get cold!).

I guess that first episode of that show got me kind of riled up. Change is a difficult thing to provoke, and Jamie Oliver has his work cut out for him. I admit that I shed a tear or two watching it, and thinking of all those kids who are already so unhealthy at such a young age. But, at the same time there's a feeling of hope, that a real food revolution is upon us. We will move away from the fast food coma we as a nation (Canada is just as bad as the US) have been in, and start to appreciate home cooked food again.

I'm doing my part everyday, and I hope you are too!

Broccoli and Asparagus Soup

I saved the stalks from the broccoli I used for last night's casserole so I could make some soup for dinner tonight. On the way home I picked up some asparagus and had enough stuff at home to put something together quickly. There's really not a lot to the soup, so it's easy enough to make after work.

Broccoli and Asparagus Soup

- 4 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped

- 4 cups of chopped asparagus spears

- 1 onion, chopped

- 4-5 cups of liquid (I used part veggie stock, part

water)

- 1 1/2 - 2 cups of milk

In medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp butter and a tbsp of olive oil, saute onion for 5 minutes, until softened. Lower heat if needed. Add broccoli and asparagus, season with a bit of sea salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add veggie stock and water. Simmer, uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes.

Transfer soup to a large bowl. Blend soup in batches, returning to saucepan. Over medium-low heat, stir in milk, simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Of course, this soup begs to be enjoyed with a grilled cheese sandwich. Pick up some fresh bread for the sandwiches, it makes a huge difference!

Sunday Night Dinner - Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

We spent the weekend in Whistler for my staff post-Games celebration. It was a lot of fun, lots to celebrate, and skiing was phenomenal. Arriving back, I was exhausted and just wanted some comfort food for dinner, and something that would be very easy to make so I could have a nap. Remembering a casserole we used to have as kids, I thought I would try my hand at it. I had asked my mom for the recipe a few years ago, and luckily had saved the email! My sister's and I loved this dish, until one of my sister's went downstairs while my mom was preparing it and saw that it included cream of mushroom soup. So funny how kids will love something until they know what's in it. This recipe originally comes from my godmother, and has been adapted because I didn't read the entire recipe before I started (again, I was really tired and do not recommend that).

Mom's Chicken and Broccoli Recipe

- 4 - 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

- 4 - 6 cups chopped broccoli florets

- 3 cups (approx) shredded cheddar cheese

- 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

- 1/2 cup of vegetable broth

- 2 tbsp melted butter

- 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

In greased casserole dish, place broccoli florets. Cut chicken into a bit larger than bite size pieces. In cast iron pan, cook chicken on medium until no longer pink inside, about 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Place on top of broccoli.

Cover with shredded cheese. In bowl, mix mushroom soup with vegetable broth, pour over entire dish. Top with mixture of melted butter and bread crumbs. Bake in 350 oven for 35 minutes.

I served this over rice, and it was really good, and I have a feeling it will taste even better for lunch tomorrow.