Spinach Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS – SALAD

• 1 pound fresh baby spinach
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 6 slices bacon
• 1/2 pont cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 oz sliced mushrooms
• 3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• dried cranberries for garnish

INGREDIENTS-DRESSING

• 3 TBSP bacon grease
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 6 TBSP vinegar (cider, red wine, rice)
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon starting in a cold skillet.  Remove the cooked bacon and reserve 3 TBSP grease for the dressing.  Cut the cooled bacon crosswise into 1/4 inch strips

Combine the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake thoroughly

Pour onto the salad to combine

Puff Pastry Bites for B’s 40th

SPINACH BITES

• 1/2 package of TJ’s frozen spinach
• dried mustard
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ground nutmeg
• 1/4 c cream cheese
• medium handful walnuts, chopped
• 3 oz goat cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed (Pepperidge Farms)

1. Roll out puff pastry slightly into a square shape, then return to refrigerator to cool.
2. Sauté  the spinach and spices in olive oil.  Allow to cool.
3. While waiting for the spinach to cool, cut each sheet of puff pastry into 16 squares, about a third larger in width than the diameter of the wells of the muffin tin.
4. Place a puff pastry square into each well of the muffin tin.  Place the muffin tine back into the fridge while preparing he filling.
5. Squeeze out excess water from the spinach and place spinach into mixing bowl.
6. Stir in about cream cheese and goat cheese (about 2 big tablespoons each)
7. Stir in walnuts and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Once the seasoning is to your liking, stir in the egg.
9. Spoon about 1 tsp of filling into each well.  Fold the corners of the puff pastry over the top of the filling, making sure that there are vents.
10. Spray the tops with a little nonstick cooking spray to help brown the top.
11. Bake at 425 degrees until the puff pastry is golden brown.

PIGS IN A BLANKET

• TJs Beef hot dogs (1 package, 16 oz)
• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 egg beaten
• Sesame seeds (optional)

1. Roll out the puff pastry
2. Place hot dog at one of the puff pastry and roll to cover the entire surface of the hot dog.
3. Cut into 3/4 inch wide pieces
4. Place on parent lined baking sheet standing upright
5. Brush with egg and sprinkle sesame seeds
6. Bake at 425 till puffed and golden brown on the the top.

Pizza Dough and Topping Ideas

B has been working on making pizza dough from scratch. He has come a long way from wet sticky globs of goo to tight little balls of dough. In the past month we’ve also tried different toppings, primarily inspired by left over ingredients. We’ve made some very standard pizzas like spinach, basil, mozzarella, pepperoni and mushroom which we had tonight. Some more memorable pizzas include:

Sausage, mushroom, provolone, pecorino and caramelized onion – our favorite thus far. Can’t go wrong with pork!

Mashed potato, roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower, sautéed spinach, ricotta, pecorino – this one was screaming for some bacon, and my original plan was to add it, but I chickened out last minute. Still not accustomed to using it as an ingredient in my cooking yet. I know I’m crazy!

I would love to play around with figs and more roasted vegetables. Next pizza will be sausage, roasted bell pepper, basil for tomorrow night.

As for the dough, we tried a mix of white whole wheat flour and all purpose flour which actually produced a more flavorful crust in my opinion. To make the dough:

Mix 3 3/4 cup of flour (try using half whole wheat and half all purpose flour)
1 1/2 cup water (room temperature)
1 packet of dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt

Stir and combine a sticky ball is formed. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set at room temperature overnight.

Divide into 3 equal portions and form them into balls using generous amounts of flour to prevent sticking and for improved manageability.

Wrap 2 of the balls in plastic wrap and keep in fridge got later use. May be kept in the fridge for 3 days or frozen.

Form the remaining dough into a flat surface approximately 8-10 inches in diameter. If the dough starts to recoil, let dough rest for a bit to allow the gluten to relax.

Coat bottom with cornmeal

Transfer dough to pizza pan (ours is cast iron) and add toppings

Season with salt and pepper along with s good drizzle of olive oil if desired

Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes in middle rack until crust is golden brown and cheese melts

Let pizza rest in pan at room temperature for about 10 minutes to allow the cheese go set

Slice and enjoy!