Margarita Pizza

1 Premade thin and crispy pizza crust - like the 'Your Mama's Favorite' or 'Boboli' brand
Extra virgin olive oil
1 - 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes - completely drained
12 disks natural whole milk mozzarella cheese - 2" diameter and 1/4" thick
Ground black pepper
More extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Basil - chopped
Kosher salt

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil the entire surface of the pizza crust (I just squirt a little oil on and rub it over the crust with my hands. Spread the well drained tomatoes over the crust leaving 1/2" uncovered at the outer edge. Arrange cheese disks on the pizza. Grind the pepper lightly over the entire pizza. Bake directly on the middle rack in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and on to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with basil and salt to taste. Drizzle lightly with more extra virgin olive oil.

~Note: This should be served immediately while the cheese is nice and gooey. This is a delicious pizza, but you should eat it right away because it's not so great as leftovers.

Serves 4 as a main dish. Or 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Garlic Noodles

I really need to make this again and take a prettier picture. Anyhoo...This is a really quick easy side dish. It looks a lot better when I make it with bow tie pasta. My whole family likes it and it goes with just about anything.

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 Cloves of garlic - minced or sliced (you decide).
1 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 Tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 Tsp salt
2 Cups pasta cooked per the package directions and drained. (I really like the Barilla Plus pasta in the yellow box. It tastes great and it's good for you).
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

* Heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and saute slowly until soft, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and cooked pasta. Cook for one minute more. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro or parsley. Sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 4

Healthy Tortilla Chips

1 17.5 oz package of Mission Multi-Grain Tortillas
Pam Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Kosher salt (if you have it) regular salt will work fine. I'm just kind of a chunky salt fiend.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pizza cutter; cut the tortillas into eighths. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it). Remove from oven when the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

Makes 80 chips

Easy Blender Salsa

2 Seeded jalapenos - quartered
2 Medium garlic cloves peeled and sliced in half
1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/2 Medium yellow onion - small diced
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro - torn into small pieces

*Place the jalapenos, garlic, salt, cumin and canned tomatoes in the blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into serving dish and stir in onion and cilantro.

~Note: You can use garden fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Just blanch 5 big tomatoes for about 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water, slip the skins off and use in place of the canned tomatoes.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups salsa

Fried Egg with Feta & Dill

1 Tbsp butter
1 Egg
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp fresh or dry chopped dill
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese

*In a small skillet; melt butter over medium heat. Carefully crack egg into pan. Cook for about half a minute until the white starts to set. Sprinkle egg with salt, pepper & dill. Add the water to the pan and cover the pan with a lid or foil. This will steam cook your egg to perfection. It is ok to peek after a minute. Just cook it until the egg is as done as you like. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle cooked egg with the feta cheese.

~This is good with whole grain toast lightly sprinkled with olive oil and a pinch of salt, then rubbed with garlic.

Penne Pasta with Sausage and Peppers

Nothing makes me happier than cooking a hearty tomato and sausage pasta sauce. I like cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put some in the food.

1 lb Ground hot Italian sausage
1/2 Yellow onion - diced
2 Bell peppers - very small dice (I use a mix of yellow, red and orange. But use whatever you have).
4 Big cloves of garlic - minced
1/4 Tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tsp dry basil
3/4 Cup dry red wine (Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon work great).
1 - 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (juice and all).
1 - 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 Cup of tomato juice (or a 5.5 oz can).
Salt and pepper to taste
5 Big handfuls of penne pasta (I really like the Barilla Plus pasta in the yellow box. It tastes great and it's good for you). Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
1/4 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese

*In a very large skillet; cook sausage while breaking it up with a spatula. When sausage is almost done but still just barely pink, add the onions and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and basil. Cook for a few more minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Cook this mixture for a couple of minutes to reduce the wine by about half. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato juice. bring to a low simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cooked pasta and garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Serve with garlic bread and green salad.

Serves 6

Garlic Bread

I think this is the only way to make garlic bread. The olive oil and rubbed garlic gives such great bold flavor.

1 Loaf of white or wheat french bread - cut in 1/2 inch thick slices
Extra virgin olive oil
2 big cloves of garlic - peeled
Salt
Dry or fresh finely chopped parsley

*Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Lay sliced bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Toast the bread in 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it! I'm sort of famous for burning the bread and setting the smoke alarm off. When the bread is toasty brown at the edges, remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. When the bread is cool enough to handle; rub the surface of each slice with peeled garlic clove. Sprinkle bread with parsley and serve.

~Note: If you put the olive oil in a little condiment squeeze bottle it makes the drizzling much easier (see picture).

Serves 6-8

Cooking Blog - Introduction

I made a cookbook for my daughter in law Kristin as a bridal shower gift. The title of that cookbook and the title of this blog are identical. The name comes from the well known fact that I generally burn the garlic bread and set off the fire alarm. I hope this is not the only mistake of mine she learns from.