Ricotta Pizza with Fresh Small Roasted Tomatoes

• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 large tomato, preferably heirloom, cut into half-moons
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Combine ricotta and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and stir in egg. On a baking sheet, drizzle pizza dough with 2 tablespoons oil and stretch or roll into a 16-inch-long oval. Spread ricotta mixture on dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cherry tomatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake cherry tomatoes on bottom rack and pizza on top rack until tomatoes are soft and skins have burst, 15 minutes. Remove tomatoes and bake pizza until crust is deep golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Toss cherry tomatoes with sliced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Transfer pizza to a cutting board and top with tomato mixture and oregano.

Stuffed Portabella Burgers with Grilled Summer Veggies

These are seriously the best portabella burgers ever. Simply, seriously the best. Tangy, soft Farmer's Cheese is stuffed into a baby portabella mushroom cap, which is then dipped in egg and coated with panko, then grill-fried until crispy and splendid. Served with a fresh tomato slice, grilled zucchini, and basil mayonnaise, these burgers are seriously incredible. Make them now.

Ingredients:

2 baby portabella mushrooms
2 thick slices soft Farmer's cheese
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 small zucchini, sliced into ribbons
2 multigrain rolls
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 fresh tomato slices
4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
a bunch of fresh basil

Directions:

Before preparing your burgers, prepare your Basil Mayonnaise by pulsing the basil and mayonnaise in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

1. Wash the portabella mushrooms, then gently remove any portion of the stem remaining in the cap.

2. Gently press a thick slice of Farmer's Cheese into the bottom part of the mushroom cap.

3. In a medium, shallow bowl stir together the panko, flour, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a second bowl, whisk an egg until well beaten.

4. Dip the portabella (with that fabulous stuffed cheese) into the egg mixture, then into the panko breadcrumb mixture then back into the egg mixture, and back once again into the breadcrumb mixture.

5. Heat a grill pan to medium/medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil over the sliced zucchini and onions. Salt and pepper a bit to taste. Place the zucchini and onions into the heated grill pan. Cook until golden lines appear, flip and cook on the opposite side.

5. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top (the rounded, non-cheese) side of the mushroom. Place the portabella top-side-down into the heated grill pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the mushroom cap begins to soften.

6. Drizzle a bit more olive oil over the bottom (which will now be up on the grill pan). Flip the portabella over (now the cheese side will be down in the pan). Cook just until golden brown then remove from the pan.

7. Assemble burgers with portabella, sliced tomato, a stack of grilled zucchini and onions, and a heap of basil mayonnaise. Enjoy immediately.

Pairs beautifully with a side of sweet potato fries.

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
a dash of salt
3/4 cup milk
1 stick of melted butter
brown sugar
cinnamon
1 can diced peaches

Put 1 tsp of melted butter into each regular size muffin tin.

Combine the first 5 ingredients by hand… sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk.

Put 2 tbsp of batter into each regular size muffin tin… on top of the melted butter. 

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
a dash of salt
3/4 cup milk
1 stick of melted butter
brown sugar
cinnamon
1 can diced peaches

Put 1 tsp of melted butter into each regular size muffin tin.

Combine the first 5 ingredients by hand… sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk.

Put 2 tbsp of batter into each regular size muffin tin… on top of the melted butter. 

Brown Buttered Gnocchi with Broccoli, Pine Nuts & Cheese

• 2 (16-ounce) packages prepared gnocchi (such as Gia Russa)
• 5 cups chopped broccoli florets 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2  ounces shaved fresh pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

1. 1. Cook gnocchi in a large Dutch oven according to package directions. Add broccoli during last minute of cooking; cook 1 minute. Drain.
2. 2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and oil; cook 7 minutes or until butter browns. Add gnocchi mixture and pepper to pan; toss to coat. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups gnocchi mixture into each of 6 shallow bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts and about 2 teaspoons cheese., 

"Quick" No-Knead Bread

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 packet (1/4 oz.) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil, as needed

Directions

1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.
3. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
4. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack

Rotisserie Style Chicken made in Crockpot

I usually buy Rotisserie chickens for quick meals, but once I learned of this recipe from the Slow Cooker recipe book, I was hooked. Not only does it save money, but it’s delicious. First, rinse the chicken and remove the neck and giblets (you can also buy the chicken with these already removed). Then you prepare the rub, all you need is:

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3.5-4 lbs)

2 Tbsp Paprika

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional!)

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp garlic powder or 3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Place all of your ingredients in a small bowl and stir in water by the teaspoon until a paste forms. Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and place the chicken in, breast side up. 

Coat the chicken inside and out with the paste. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 3.5-4.5 hours. Make sure the thickest part of the thigh registers at 180 degrees. Wow, how simple is that?

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes

1 large box (5-ounce) of instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled (this will most likely call for 3 cups of milk, nothing else)

1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped (I used Dove chocolate peanut butter Promises)

2 cups heavy cream

3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your desired level of sweetness

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1 cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

8 ounces of whipped cream cheese, at room temperature

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to an separate bowl and stick in the fridge until ready to use. I did not even clean the bowl of my electric mixer and just began mixing the peanut butter mixture.

Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to the bowl and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides a few times until mixture is creamy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined, then mix in 2 tablespoons of milk. Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and add 1 cup of it to the peanut butter, folding it in until the mixture turns lighter in color and is mostly combined.

Grab your trifle dish and begin to layer your ingredients however you’d like. I did a layer of brownies, then peanut butter, then a handful of chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and so on. I repeated it until I got to the top, then piped the remaining whipped cream on top and sprinkled the candy on. You really can’t go wrong with layering – just use a long spoon to serve!