Pizza

We take pizza for granted, like it’s always been part of the maritime menu. Not so. I can remember the very first taste of pizza. Mom wasn’t one for buying boxed food. She made everything from scratch but when kraft put out the boxed pizza mix the temptation must have been too much. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t be accepted at school or something with all those modern kids eating pizza. Don’t know. Even though she bought it I was elected to make it. I took all four packages neatly out of the box. Read the directions and started the task. I will never understand how anyone is suppose to cover a regular size cookie sheet with such a small amount of dough. Let’s just say I had a holy pizza. Then came the sauce. It was really quite tasty. The directions said we could add our own toppings if we wanted to. I thought that where this was my first try I would stick to what came with the package. Then came the spices and cheese. Can you believe I had never seen parmesan cheese before. Never. All new to me. Well I baked it and we ate it, my mom and dad and my brother. Then we wondered what was so great about this flat cardboard like disk. Somehow we became addicted to it. Making it many times and adding our own toppings. Again it wasn’t until I was dating Jamie that I had introduction to real pizza. He was a city boy and familiar with the pizza culture.
When it came to cooking something new I was very willing to try. Pizza was no exception. I made bread. So I could certainly make the dough. You could buy pizza sauce separate. So I did. I know now what real parmasen cheese looks like and smells like. It is delicious but I usually coat my pizza’s with mozzerella cheese. It’s really quite easy. Here is a recipe idea to share.
Pizza dough:
2 cups luke warm water
2 tsp yeast
1 tbs sugar
Mix together and set for 5 minutes.
Then add 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 tsp salt.
Then add flour 1 cup at a time until kneading consistancy. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Preheat oven to lowest setting 170 degrees then turn off oven. Place dough back in greased bowel and grease top of dough and then place in warmed oven for 20-30 minutes.
In the meantime prepare toppings to what ever you desire.
These are our favorite toppings:
Sauce Small can of well drained pineapple chunks.
Cooked ham chopped.
Precooked bacon fat removed.
Onions
red peppers
mushrooms
Mozzerella cheese (grated)
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 20- 25 minutes.
I like to put the cheese on over the sauce first and then add other ingredients. Tastes great. Know you will enjoy making this with your family.
Little ones in particular like to help in preparation. It brings joy to ones heart to see little hands at work. Enjoy.

Burgundy Meatball Stew

In my home it was always busy with family and friends. I come from a large family 5 brothers and 2 sisters. I however felt as though I was the only child. You see there was six years between me and the rest of the kids. Didn’t really get to know them all that well. But they were always around and they seemed to all click. They all seemed to have so much in common. How I wished many times I could fit into their thoughts and feelings about things of life. Maybe we would be closer now.
Every weekend someone would come to visit and stay just for supper or maybe even over night. It was great just the same. I was always more than willing to help mom in the kitchen. Even though my siblings got along they never seemed to see the need in the kitchen before and even after supper when it was time to clean up. They just seemed to slip away undetected. Guess who was always available? Doing dishes was not my favourite part of entertaining and it still isn’t.
Mealtimes have always been an important part of our family because of the way I was brought up and the way my husband was as well. It surprises me how many families today who do not eat together. How do they get to know one another. At our table it was always a buzz of daily events. Our kids looked forward to mealtime in order to express themselves and be part of satisfying meal. Everyone of our children had some part to play at mealtime. These kids always enjoyed being in the kitchen from a very early age. Our oldest was just 2 when I recall him helping make cookies, bread and all kinds of other treats. He just loved it. Jason is a fine cook in his own right. He is very comfortable in his own kitchen and in others as well. Him and his wife love to entertain and share his culinary skills with others. This is what is so important is the sharing good food and yes perhaps a glass of good red wine as well. These things are what create memories for ourselves and others. With so much violence and negativity in the world around us why not take time to share a good meal with friends and family. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or fancy just tasty and simple. You don’t want to have to be in the kitchen constantly preparing. You want to enjoy the company around you. Have them help, it won’t hurt them. More than likely they will enjoy that part as well. Remember to keep it simple Jesus himself said to a friend of his “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things. A few things, though, are needed, or just one.” Here is a recipe that is great for entertaining with friends or family. It is simple and very tasty. I know you will enjoy it .
Burgundy Meatball Stew
2 lb ground beef
1 cup fine soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 can (14 oz/398 ml) tomato sauce
1 can (10 oz/284 ml beef bouillon
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
16 very small white onions (or 8 larger, halved)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
4 carrots, cut in 1- inch chunks
1/2 small mushrooms (optional)
chopped fresh parsley
Combine beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper and thyme; shape into 1-1/2 inch meatballs.
Put on lined baking pan and broil for about 6 - 8 minutes on each side. Be careful to keep an eye on them so as not to over cook.
Put in large baking dish along with rest of the ingredients. Cover and bake at 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Carrots can be stubborn. During last 15 minutes of baking, thicken sauce with 2 tbsp flour mixed into 1/2 cup cold water.
Stew may be kept hot in 200 degree oven for about 1 hour. Add more water if needed. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Makes 6-8 servings.
I served this meal to some special guests one time. They were over whelmed by the aroma that the wine gives. The comment made was “What is that special ingredient” They were referring to the wine. Little did they know the special ingredient really was love.

Bread Making

No I don’t mean money. I mean the buttery mouth watering freshly baked kind. Why is it so many people today don’t make fresh bread? My mom had a batch of this delightful basic on the go every day.
I can see still to this day my mother’s hands firmly kneading a mountain of this stuff. She had beautiful hands. They did they’re share of work. Even so they were soft and gentle. I have always envied her hands with long fingers and strong nails. Not me. Short, nailess breed I have. It was because of my mother’s bread that I married the man I have today. Jim loved her bread. Especially the double loaf kind. You know the kind you pry apart to have two loaves. The inside part was his favorite. He would come to my home on Friday night and leave Sunday. I’m sure just for my mom’s bread.
First thing he would do would be to cut a large slice off and smother it with butter and cheese whiz.
Then he would put this under the broiler to toast on top. This was a special treat that a good friend of mine showed me how to make when were kids. He still will do this ritual when ever I make bread now and it always makes me think of Cheryl.
This recipe is as close as it gets to my mom’s. Hope you will try it and enjoy it as my family has over the years. In my home the dinner table wasn’t complete unless there was a plate stacked high with mom’s homemade white bread. It was so good and I know with all my heart it was made with love.

Mom’s Homemade White Bread
Place 1 tablespoon of yeast in 1/2 cup of luke warm water. Let stand for a few minutes to activate.
Put 4 cups of luke warm water in large mixing bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of oil (I use Olive Oil but mom probably used crisco), and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Stir well and then add yeast mixture. I use a whisk.
Then add 2 cups of flour still using the whisk. Then add another cup of flour and if you can still whisk do so.
If not by now I have changed over to a wooden spoon. Add another cup at a time until difficult to stir but still somewhat sticky.
By now I will continue on by kneading in the bowl until all bread dough is released from the sides of the bowl by adding small amounts of flour until dough is manageable. Then turn out onto a floured board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes.
Placed dough in greased bowl and grease top of bread ( This helps in the rising of the bread). Cover and leave for 1 -3 hrs. The bread takes on more flavour the longer you leave it to rise.
Then punch down dough and divide into 4 sections. At this point take each section and knead in hands to form smooth loaves. Place in greased pans and again grease tops of loaves.
Mom would divide each 4 sections in half and put 2 sections in each loaf. ( double loaves) Let rise in warm place again for 1 -2 hrs. Cook in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

There is nothing quite like the smell of bread baking in your own oven. Enjoy and remember to always cook with love.

My Mother's Kitchen

As a child one of the greatest thrills was walking through the back door into my mother’s kitchen after school. The warm sweet smell of freshly baked cookies took away all the upsets that school time had brought. I was one of those shy, awkward kids who fell all the time, tripping over a hair that had landed in my path. Some how those cookies and my mother’s smile and hug changed all of that. Perhaps some of you , I mean those who dare to peek into my blog have similar experiences of life and cooking. That must be why I love to cook for my family and want to share some special times and recipes with you.
My mother’s sugar cookies were the best. Unfortunately I have only a few treasured recipes to share . For you see she was able to whip wonderful treats out of the air. Much like her mother before her. Unlike me who has broken this wonder tradition of culinary imagination. In my search for her sugar cookie recipe I have found one that is close. Hope you will enjoy these cookies as much as my family does. But always remember to make them with love.
Recipe #1:
Traditional Sugar Cookie
3/4 cup shortening (part butter or margarine, softened)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Mix thoroughly shortening,sugar,eggs and flavoring. Blend in flour,baking powder and salt. Cover; chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes or until very light brown. My husband likes them a little under baked than over.
Makes about 3 doz.