Food @ GregsHead.net

One thing we love around here is PIZZA! And, since I became fairly proficient with a few bread recipes, I figured I could probably do the same with pizza dough, right?

I found a good basic crust recipe in a cookbook we picked up along the way, and I had a recipe from my sister-in-law… both were similar, and both were pretty good. But the crust was rather bland. So, I got creative and added a few pizza-ish herbs! Thus was born my Garlic-Basil Pizza Dough!

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (~110ºF)
2 packets of yeast (3 1/2 tsp)
4 Tbps Olive Oil (I use mild)
2 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
5-6 Cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, then add the rest of the ingredients. I generally do five cups of flour first, and then mix in the final cup (or less) till the dough is the perfect consistency. Put a little olive oil in the base of your mixing bowl, cover, and let the dough rise for around an hour in a warm place. I preheat the oven on the lowest temperature while making the dough, then turn it off and let it rise inside the oven.

This amount makes enough dough for two large cookie-sheet pizzas.

Enjoy!

Sometimes, simpler is better. Most of the recipes I use tend to end up there. It’s really strange, but for some reason, the recipes with fewer ingredients are the ones that taste the best!

This Greek Salad Dressing recipe is one such case! Was just used again last night with Chicken Souvlaki, and was more than well-received. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it, too!

(Recipe can be reduced, if desired)

Greek Dressing

21 oz Olive Oil (I use mild)
6 oz Vinegar (I use white)
4 tsp Oregano
3 tsp Garlic
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Combine ingredients in a dressing shaker, shake vigorously, and enjoy! You can enjoy right away, but if you let the dressing sit for a while it will allow the flavors to combine deliciously!

These cookies are fairly quick and easy, and are a delicious treat! (I know this because they don’t last much longer than it takes to cool them off! They are a hit in the Campbell home!)

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350ºF. (Recipe says 375ºF, but I have found 350ºF to work better with my oven.)

Mix the first six ingredients together until smooth and then add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Optional extra ingredients include chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. (And whatever else you might want to throw in!)

The recipe says to chill, but I’ve never found that to be necessary. Roll teaspoon size balls of dough and place on a cookie sheet. Press down to about 1/4″ thick with a fork (making crisscross marks by turning the for 90º) or with any sort of styled press for even more fun-looking cookies! Sprinkle each cookie with white sugar and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until cookies look dry and you can see a slight browning around the bottom edge.

Let them cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet, and then remove to a baking rack to cool more thoroughly.

Recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.

One of the things I remember about visits to my Grandma’s house as a kid is her homemade ice cream. She had a little ice cream maker and would make us homemade ice cream on most visits to her house. It was fantastic. I’m still trying to perfect my versions these days, but below is a simple recipe for vanilla ice cream that has worked for me. Remember to get lots of ice and good rock salt for the ice cream maker. (One book I read said 20 lbs of ice for 1 gallon of ice cream! Wow!)

Ingredients:
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 cups milk
1 quart heavy cream
2 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until mixture is stiff. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Pour into 1-gal freezer can and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Then enjoy!

(Note: it’s a good idea to plan to “ripen” the ice cream a bit in your regular freezer. Cover the lid and let it freeze for about 4 hours before it’s officially set. Of course, have any amount you’d like before you put it away to finish freezing! It’s too hard to wait!)

This weekend we had some friends over to eat. We call it the Food Fest and host it every year in July. Showcasing some of our favorite foods in ridiculous quantities, just for fun! This year we decided to have a very specific theme: Garbage Plates!

The original “Garbage Plate” is from a local eatery named after it’s owner, Nick Tahou’s. It features most of the foods you can find at any local diner, all piled up together on a plate, served with a couple slices of fresh bread. It’s fantastic!

I got the recipe through a friend, and thought I’d share it here as well (with my modifications…) It made for a great summer party meal! (And is just ridiculously filling!!) Note: I did triple the ingredients below (except for the onion) for a party of about 20 people, half kids.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Special Sauce Ingredients:

1 – medium onion, chopped
1 – tbsp garlic, minced
1 – tbsp. oil
1 – lb. triple-ground beef
1 1/2 – cup water
1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
1 – tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 – tsp. cayenne pepper
1 – tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 – tsp. paprika
1/2 – tsp. ground cumin
1/2 – tsp. allspice
1/4 – tsp. cinnamon
1/2 – tsp. powdered cloves
1 – tsp. salt (to taste)

Mix beef with water and oil and dissolve as much as possible, for finer texture. Begin heating on medium-high heat while adding all of the ingredients, stirring frequently. (Don’t want to burn!) Cook for 10 minutes or so, still stirring, then reduce heat and let simmer for at least 30 more minutes. (The longer the better, but keep the sauce moist… may need to add water here and there. The consistency should be thin, but not too watery.)

The Garbage Plate:
Hamburger patties, or hot dogs (preferably Zweigle’s … another Rochester favorite)
Baked beans
Macaroni Salad
Home Fries (and/or french fries)
Diced Onion
Mustard

Grill up your favorite meat, and when it’s ready here’s the order for piling up the delicious food on your plate: (Large paper plates worked well for us.) First, add about 1 cup each of Mac salad, baked beans (COLD, not hot), and either home fries or french fries (your choice… some of our guests had both!) Next, add the meat. Two pieces. Next cover the plate with a ladle-full of the special sauce from above. Add some diced onion and crisscross the plate with mustard. Serve with two slices of fresh bread.

And just try to finish it! :-)