Cooking 101 #33/52 Faux Deep Dish Pizza

Faux deep dish pizza

Ok, this was an experiment based on a dish I saw on an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on The Food Network.  One of the meals was a deep dish pizza that was made in a bowl.  They started by lining the bowl with cheese, added sauce and fillings, then topped the bowl with a crust.  Bake it until the crust is a golden brown and tip it over on a plate to serve.

So, I started by making a batch of the sauce from the lasagna recipe I made a while back.  Took a few baking dishes, lined them with a variety of cheeses (provologne in one, Sargento italian cheese mix in another, both in a third).  Topped each with the sauce from the lasagna recipe (with some diced black olives added).  Topped the bowls with some Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust (see my last post about cheating, get over it).  Tossed it in the oven per the crust recipe and tipped them out onto plates.

The flavor was great.  the crust could definitely be improved upon, but it was more than passable.  The cheese was nice and gooey.  It would be nice to have some bowls that would be better shaped, some had handles, they weren't round, and there wasn't enough crust to make it further than the edge of any bowl.  Sort of prevented it from being actual deep dish.  But this is definitely worth doing again.  The sauce simply made this dish delicious!

Cooking 101 #32/52 French Onion Pot Roast

French Onion Pot Roast

Ahhh, summer.  Temps over 90 for days on end and humidity to match.  I'm looking for meals that won't heat the house much at all.  No steaming pots on the stove, no over at 400 degrees.  Pretty much leaves slow cookers or grilling.  In my search for interesting meals I stumbled across this recipe.  I had planned on making a roast, so why not?

I guess using canned French Onion soup was a bit of a cheat, but I'm not a chef, just a dad trying to pick up some of the basics of cooking.  Cheating is quite alright with me.

This was a good solid meal and it was easy to prepare.  I'd honestly like to kick the flavor up a bit if I make this one again, but no one was complaining about the results as they were.

Cooking 101 #31/52 Garlic and Chili Rubbed Steaks w/ grilled veggies in balsamic garlic vinagrette

Garlic and Chili Rubbed Steaks with grilled veggies in balsamic garlic vinagrette

Summer.   Grilling weather.  Found this recipe as a way to dress up some steaks and it was absolutely delicious. Not extremely spicy, but the rub gives it great flavor and color.  Simple to make as well.  All around winner here.

The veggies (red potatoes and carrots) were marinated in Good Seasons garlic dressing mix (using 3/4 balsamic vinegar and 1/4 apple cider vinegar).  Tossed in the microwave for a few minutes to partially cook and soften them, then tossed them on the grill for browning and flavor.  Michelle and I both liked the results.

Cooking 101 #30/52 Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter Crepes w/ whipped cream

Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter crepes with whipped cream

I was in the mood for something different for breakfast.  Decided to make some crepes.  Rather than just rolling up each crepe I basically built a layer cake out of them.  Two layers each of peanut butter and Nutella, one of caramelized bananas.  Elvis would be proud.

Cooking 101 #29/52 Chicken Fajitas w/ Spanish Rice

Chicken Fajitas with Spanish Rice

Chicken fajitas, one of my favorites.  We often use D.L. Jardines marinade or a recipe that Michelle has come up with that emulates the commercial marinade.  I wanted this to be something different so I went with something heavy on the lime.  I loved it.  It had a much fresher and crisp flavor than our usual.  Michelle was not as crazy about it, she thought it was too heavy on the lime.  So, if you like lime, give it a go.  If strong lime flavors aren't your thing... skip this one.

The Spanish rice I made by simply adding some salsa to a normal rice recipe.  I loved it, much better than the recipes we've tried before.  Get out your favorite salsa, toss some into the rice as it's cooking, see what you think!

Cooking 101 #28/52 Brownie Cupcakes w/ peanut butter icing

Brownie cupcakes with peanut butter icing.  That says it all.

Cooking 101 #27/52 Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Summer is here.  Grilling season.  So of course I had to find something else to make.  Stumbled across this recipe on the Food Network site and it sounded like a good fit for a summer meal.  And was it ever.  This made some of the best tacos I've had in quite some time.  I modified the recipe a bit, only using the chipotle peppers.  It was still nicely spiced.  I've had quite a few compliments on this one and a request for the recipe.  Added some lettuce, shredded cheese, and black beans over corn tortillas.  Give this one a shot if you are in the mood for Mexican!