Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend.  It was a very very cold weekend here and therefore was a great excuse to do some good old fashion baking as well spend some quality time with the family.

Contest Winners

Lets get the day started with our contest winners! After a very strong response to my giveaway post for 2 copies of the great book “FUNDAMENTALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY” we officially have our winners.   The random number generator popped out 147 and 161 which corresponds to:

VeganLisa                      Teeni

I just want to say Congratulations to Lisa and Teeni and thank you to everyone who participated. It was a lot of fun seeing all the comments, link backs as well as new subscribers. Stay tuned for another giveaway in February.

Homemade Turkey Pot Pie

After any turkey day, for as long as I can remember, we’ve always had a ton of left overs.  All kinds of leftovers in the form of vegetables, gravy, turkey etc.  Sometimes I have a craving for an old fashioned turkey pot pie to utilize some of those ingredients.

Below is a simple little recipe that tastes great on its own or with a quick and simple Caesar salad on the side.

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Yes you read the title right, Zesty made beer bread!  I had a few requests for this recipe so I thought that I would share it with you.  No yeast, No rising, simply dump in the ingredients - give it a mix and drop it in the pan. Can you really get any easier than that?

I was thinking about making this all day long at work. As soon as I got home, I ran in the house, dropped my stuff and got right to it.  Oh so simple, I could not wait to share.

This bread would be ideal to go along with a nice hearty stew or even along side a nice pasta dish.

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This past weekend was a special weekend as we attended a 65th birthday for my aunt. There was a lot of food preparation of course as the party was for about 50 people. I was asked to bring a pork roast, which in my mind I was more than happy to do that.

The weather is cooling down here so I decided to go with the oven method for this roast. When cooking large pieces of meat I usually always opt for the low and slow method. I added a dry rub the and let it sit for about 20 hours prior to roasting. This allows the rub to penetrate the meat and add even more flavor.

The recipe for the rub is:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 3/4 teaspoon ground savory
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt to taste

So as for the cooking technique…. it doesn’t get much simplier.  I add the meat to a roasting pan and preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  I like to let the meat rest for a few minutes on the counter and it does not tense up coming directly form the fridge and then into the oven.  I cover it and let it roast for about 20 mins per pound ( depending on the size of your cut)  I also like to remove the cover 3/4 through the cooking time to allow the rub to form a crust.  When cooking for a crowd or anyone for that matter I like to check the internal tempreature of the meat using a meat thermometer just to be safe.  As you all know, pork can be cooked with a hint of pink and also remember, the meat will continue cooking once you take it from the oven.  Once you do remove the meat from the oven, be sure you cover the pork with tin foil to allow the juices to stay inside.

Once covered for 15-20 minutes you are ready to slice and enjoy.

Well as we all know - great pizza starts off with a great crust/dough.  Below is a simple quick recipe I tend to use if I make it from scratch.  If I dont make it from scratch I usually purchase “pizza dough” from a bakery or grocery store.  Totally up to you - but I tend to go for homemade.

Ingredients

• 1 package dried yeast (1½ tsp - 8ml)

• 1/2 tsp sugar (3ml)

• 1½ cup lukewarm water (375ml)

• 3½ cups white flour (500 gm)1½ tsp salt (8ml)

• 1 large egg

• olive oil

Instructions

Sprinkle yeast and sugar into warm water and mix. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until mixture begins to bubble. Combine flour and salt in large bowl, make a well in the centre, pour in yeast mixture and beaten egg and gradually work in the flour to make a dough.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic - at least 5 minutes. Use only enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface.

Place in lightly oiled bowl, turn dough to coat with oil and cover with a clean cloth.

Allow to rise for 45 minutes, or until doubled in volume. Punch down and then use as directed in recipe. (Use rolling motion with fists to force-stretch dough to size of pizza pan)

Building the Pizza

I first started off with a simple tomato sauce,not too much we dont want the pizza dough to get wet and soggy. After that I always put a little cheese on there - for this pizza i went with some fresh parmesan cheese down, followed by some really good pepperoni, pineapple and mushrooms.

I then topped that with some mozzerella cheese and baked in my new fancy toaster oven until bubbly and brown. Once baked perfectly, I removed it from the oven and topped it with fresh tomatoes and some shredded parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.

I must say it was a very good pizza and of course the toppings are endless and definitely customizable to your tastes. Give it a try and let me know what you thought. I would love to hear other peoples tips and tricks to great pizza.