Another Pizza...

1 batch your preferred pizza dough (I would use a thick crust)
1/2 tube gimmee lean sausage style
2 c mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
sliced red onion
chopped basil

Prepare your pizza dough. As it is on it's second rise (or ~20 away from being ready to bake), saute the gimmee lean until it begins to brown (I threw in some crushed red pepper for heat). Add the mushrooms and cook until they are starting to soften. When your dough is shaped and ready to go, coat it with a thin layer of olive oil, then spread as much minced garlic on top as you want. Then sprinkle the cheese, mushroom mixture, basil, and onion slices. Finish with grated parmesan. Bake according to your dough recipie, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese melted!

Pasta with Kale, Olives, Walnuts, Garlic

This is courtesy of Mindy, and the internet.

1 bunch Kale
1/2 c chopped olives
1/2 c chopped walnuts
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp butter
splash balsamic vinegar
parmesan cheese (grated)

Put the pasta water on to boil. Blanch or steam the kale (steaming took about 2-3 mins.), and saute the garlic, olives and walnuts in butter for 2-3 minutes. Add the kale, pasta, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking for 2 minutes. Serve with parmesan.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

(from Epicurious.com)

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned chunky peanut butter (about 9 ounces)
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk chocolate chips (how ever many you prefer)

preheat oven to 350.
Beat peanut butter, sugar, butter and honey until creamy. Add vanilla and egg, and beat until well blended. Add dry ingredients in two batches. Stir in Chocolate chips. Refridgorate (I forgot this step and all was well).

Roll dough into ~1 tbsp. balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake until puffed and slightly brown, but still soft (between 6-10 minutes). Cool on sheet for ~5 min. then transfer to a wire rack.

FETA PARSLEY PASTA

Easy, easy,easy
bunch parsley, chopped
several cloves garlic chopped
4 oz feta crumled
pasta

cook your pasta, sautee the garlic in olive oil with s&p, wilt parsley, add feta, toss with pasta

Leek and Potato Frittata

This was really easy and good too! (even as leftovers)
6 eggs
10 fingerling potatoes
one leek
parmesan
crusty bread
greens
Manchego!

simply slice the leek finely and sautee in a bit of butter, add the peeled and thinly sliced potatoes, cook until tender. meanwhile beat the eggs, then add them to the pan. cook until they begin to solidify, then ~carefully~ invert the frittata onto a plate or find another manner in which to flip it and cook the other side, only for a minute or two.
Let it cool, briefly. slice it into wedges, grate a bit of parmesan on top, season with s&p. serve with the bread, the manchego, the greens. really quite good!

Pizza with Roasted Delicata Squash, Apples, Sage Walnut Pesto, and Smoked Mozzarella

Sounds long and complicated, and it kind of is, but totally worth it.
Start with your favorite pizza dough

Make the Pesto:
1 cup parsley
3-4 tablespoons fresh sage
3 garlic cloves
process these, then add
1/2 cup olive oul
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
(makes enough for two pizzas (smallish))

Roast the squash (1 small delicata per pizza)
Peel the squash, take out the seeds, and slice into crescents. Coat with oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in a 400 degree oven until tender (~20 min)

Saute the onion, apple (1/2-1 onion per pizza, 1 apple per pizza)
Slice the onion and saute until soft, add the sliced apple and cook a bit longer (depends on your taste!)

Roll out your dough, spread on the pesto, place the squash and apples and onion, sprinkle with the smoked mozzarella. Then bake @500 for 7-10 minutes!!!

baked polenta

1 batch polenta, made and solidifyed
a few cups of your favorite red pasta sauce
a few cups of grated mozzarella cheese
some parmesan

slice the polenta to a thickness of 1/2 to 1 inch. layer to cover the bottom of a baking dish. cover with sauce, and cheese. place a second layer of polenta and cover with sauce and cheese, bake in a 350 oven until melted, bubbly and soft. serve.