Easy and Quick Pizza Crust

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 35 Min

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.

We brush minced garlic directly onto the crust, then top with low-fat Italian cheese blend, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Penne Arrabiata

Made this pasta dish yesterday, and loved it - it's even good without the meat (and I never say that!) or you can sub in grilled chicken/shrimp to avoid breading. It would also go well with extra veggies, esp. zucchini. I use much less penne b/c I like a saucy pasta - as it is, it's not too saucy:

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use 1 tablespoon, b/c I love the kick!)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 (12 ounce) package dried penne pasta
1 egg
2 cups bread crumbs (I use panko for extra crunchiness)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound thin chicken breast tenders

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and add the basil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Stir the garlic powder, salt and pepper into the bread crumbs. Dip chicken cutlets into the egg, then press into the bread crumbs until completely coated.
Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken until the coating is a nice dark brown color.
Stir the cooked penne into the sauce, simmer for a few more minutes to soak up the flavor, then serve.

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

FYI - I'm going to post this last recipe, since I'm not sure anyone's even reading this anymore! If you are, let me know and I'll keep posting recipes!

This salad was a huge hit at a bbq we just had:

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or red pepper)
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, ketchup, chili garlic sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Serves 6

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Just to prove that there wasn't THAT much butter in the butter cookies ;)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour (or use all-purpose and take out 1 Tbsp for each cup - so remove 3 T)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch tube pan.
Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light. Stir in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the flour and the eggs alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Thighs Athenian

I'm giving the whole recipe, but I made this with pilaf and thought that the potato mixture really wasn't necessary - and that's what requires most of the effort in this dish! The fam loooved these :)

Estimated Times
Preparation Time 25 mins.
Cooking Time 35 mins.
Standing Time 30 mins
Serves: 4 (2 thighs each)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 fresh chicken thighs

2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, oregano and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken thighs to bowl; turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile cover potatoes with water in a saucepan and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender; drain. In a blender or food processor, combine potatoes, oil, crushed garlic and vinegar. Blend until smooth; add yogurt and mix well; keep warm.

Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Coat saucepan with remaining oil; sauté chicken thighs over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes on each side; reduce heat and add marinade.

Cover and cook, turning often, until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Serve potato mixture with chicken.

Greek Penne Chicken and Pasta

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot with boiling salted water cook penne pasta until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat melt butter, add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add chopped chicken and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium- low. Drain and chop artichoke hearts and add them with their juice, diced tomatoes, feta cheese, fresh parsley, lemon juice, dried oregano, and drained penne pasta to the large skillet. Cook until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Season with salt and ground black pepper. Serve warm.