Here is a great recipe for a gourmet sandwich.  Of course, you must like eggplant.  I’ve been eating this unusual vegetable since I was a kid. Eggplant parmasian was one of my family’s favorite meals.

Here is my recipe:

1 large eggplant

1 large red pepper

1 red onion sliced

1 whole bulb of garlic

Olive oil

Mayonnaise

Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon of butter

Fresh Italian bread or sour dough rolls

Slice your eggplant and red onion in about ¼ inch pieces and place it a bowl and marinate with balsamic vinegar.  Let it marinate for about ½ hour or longer, while you are getting all the other parts of your sandwich ready.

First, slice off the top of your bulb of garlic and put it in a roasting pan. Then cut your red pepper in half and lay open side down in your pan. Pour some olive oil over the garlic top and the pepper. Broil until the red peppers becomes a little black and charred, this doesn’t take long, so watch closely. Take the peppers out and lower the heat to about 350 degrees and leave the garlic in the oven until it becomes soft.  This usually takes a little longer in the oven.

When you’re done broiling the garlic and red pepper use the same pan and broil the eggplant and sliced onions.  Watch carefully and don’t let it get too charred. Let the bulb of garlic cool before you take each clove in your fingers and squeeze until the clove pops out, and then mash them in a small bowl.  You’re almost finished!

Slice your sandwich rolls and spread both sides with butter.  Broil your rolls until they start to become toasted. Then take the smashed garlic and spread over both sides of the rolls.  Add a little mayo and your eggplant, roasted pepper and onion and you now have a gourmet sandwich you can brag about.

Here is a recipe I came up with a few nights ago.  It’s a real easy way to make ravioli using Won Ton Wrappers!  Try it and let me know what you think?

If you have ever made homemade ravioli, you know it’s quite a chore! First you must make the dough and then roll it paper thin. This is not easy if you don’t have a pasta maker. Even with a pasta maker it can be very messy and time consuming. Since, I love great ravioli and find it difficult to find quality ravioli in any west coast supermarket, I decided to make my own from scratch.

Don’t worry, I’ll show you a fast way of making your pasta dough. Go out to your local grocery store and buy some Won Ton Wrappers! They work great!

I have tried many different ways of making these delicious morsels of stuffed pasta squares. You can get real creative in choosing your fillings for your ravioli. I’ve tried pumpkin and various combination’s of meats and cheeses, but my most recent creation is my favorite. Here is my recipe for “Portabella Mushroom Ravioli with a Creamy Basil Garlic Sauce.

Ingredients:

1 package of Chinese won ton wrappers

32 oz or Ricotta cheese

1-2 tablespoons black pepper

¼ cup of chopped parsley

¼ cup of mixed Parmesan and Romano cheese

¼ cup of mozzarella cheese

2 large portabella mushrooms

¼ cup of sherry wine

2 cloves of fresh garlic minced

1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil

1 egg

First slice your mushrooms and sauté in the butter and olive oil. Turn up the heat a little and add the sherry until it evaporates. Place all the mushrooms in a food processor.

Put all the other ingredients, accept the won ton wrappers, into a food processor and pulse until chopped and blended. Your won ton wrappers should be at room temperature before you start.

When you’re ready, take two won ton wrappers and wet the ends with water. Put a spoon full of the mixture in the center. Place the second wrapper on top and press close with your fingers. Use a fork or a pie crust edge roller to seal the edges.

Boil the ravioli for 5 minutes or until the ravioli all float to the top. Top with your sauce

Creamy Garlic Basil Sauce

1-2 large cooked (boiled) peeled potatoes

1 -2 cups of milk or half and half

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

Black pepper to taste

Grated nutmeg to taste

A hand-full of some chopped parsley

½ cup of grated Romano (Asiago, Parmesan) cheese

1-2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil

Combine ½ the milk and the two potatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk if you need it. Saute the garlic in the olive oil and butter. Add all the other ingredients accept the Romano Cheese and stir until the sauce thickens. About 10 minutes. Add more milk if your sauce evaporates too fast. Add all the cheese right before you serve and stir into the hot creamy mixture

I hope you love it!

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Wow, I sure need to discipline myself to keep up with my blog. It has been several months since I have written in my blog.  My weight loss program was a success!  I have taken off 25 pounds and have brought my cholesterol down to acceptable ranges.  However, my next challenge is to keep the weight off!  After watching Rush Limbaugh and Oprah gain all their weight back, I know it won’t be easy.

One thing I know for sure.  I can’t give up cooking or eating the foods that I love.  My plan is a simple one.  I step up my exercise program on the days that I make pizza or pasta. I burn off 500 calories on those days and have an extra piece of pizza.  So far it is working!

It’s getting a bit chilly out and that’s when I start making lots of soups.  One of my favorites is Clam Chowder. Many of my recipes have a story behind them.  Here is my Clam Chowder story:

The best clam chowder I ever tasted was at a small restaurant in Sacramento. It was so tasty, I asked the chef for the recipe.  Of course, he didn’t give it to me, but I was determined to make this mouth watering chowder. Could I create this wonderful recipe by taste, “I asked myself?”

The first few attempts to make this recipe were mediocre at best.  There was one ingredient that provided a wonderful flavor to this seafood chowder that I wasn’t familiar with.  After purchasing every herb and spice that I did not have, I discovered the secret herb.

The aromatic herb was called Tarragon. Its aroma is similar to anise. The French use this flavorsome herb as one of the main ingredients for their famous Béarnaise sauce. Once I added this herb to my clam chowder, I had recreated the best clam chowder that I ever had.

Here’s the recipe:

First you make a fish stock.  I usually buy a whole fish, any kind will do, and after cleaning and filleting it, I throw it in a pot of boiling water. Add carrots, thyme, celery salt and pepper and prepare a day or two before you need it. I won’t be given you many exact measurements, because your challenge is to figure out how much of each ingredient to use in your own great clam chowder.

Ingredients:

Half and Half

Chicken Stock

2 tablespoons flour to make rue

Butter

Sherry
Tarragon

Thyme

Salt and pepper

Carrots chopped small

Celery chopped small

Onions chopped small

1-2 Cans Clams and juice

Red Potatoes

First, peel and quarter several potatoes and boil in fish stock until stock is reduced and potatoes are done.  Take potatoes out of stock and put in blender.  Add some fish stock to the blender and blend until smooth. Put aside until rue is complete.

Make the rue:

Sauté your onions in butter and add carrots and celery, then add clams and sauté. Add 2 table of flour and stir to start making a rue. Add sherry and stir.

Add your clam juice, half and half and some chicken stock. Also, add some tarragon to taste. Your chowder will start to thicken. Add your blended potatoes and simmer until done.  Be sure to add enough salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy your creation!

Recently, I found out that I had high Cholesterol, not a surprise since, I come from the gene pool of good old Italian folks, all with high cholesterol.  I thought this might be a problem for a guy that loves to cook pizza and Italian food.  So, I set out to lose some weight.  It was much easier than I expected. I took off 15 pounds by keeping my calories under 1200 per day and exercising daily, and it only took 6 weeks!

I thought I was doing good, I only had about 10-15 more pounds to lose before I reached my weight loss goal.  Then my weight loss stalled. I wasn’t losing anymore weight.  My weight has stayed the same for weeks!  What was I doing wrong?  When I found out that I wasn’t eating enough food, I was shocked.

Here is what I discovered.  My normal calorie range is between 1500-1850 and because I was eating less than 1200 calories per day my body thought I was starving.  My body began protecting me by conserving my calories in my fat! (Thanks, but no thanks)  Is that weird ?  I never thought that I would have to eat more to lose weight, but that’s exactly what I have to do.  I guess I will have an extra slice of pizza or maybe two.

It took me a long time to find a good web site to help me track my calories and help me with my weight loss goals. This is a free site and is a wonderful source for all kinds of information.  I highly recommend it to anyong trying to eat healthy and lose weight.  It’s called Sparkpeople.

If you love making pizza like I do, you’ll love your Bread Machine.  This little invention not only makes great bread quickly, but you can make enough pizza dough in 1 hour to feed a football team.  Here is how I do it.

The full dough cycle is too long and not necessary.  When making pizza dough you want your dough to rise slowly.  This develops very tasty pizza crust with lots of character.  I put my Bread Machine on its dough setting and add all my ingredients.

Here is my pizza dough recipe:

3 cups of flour
1 tbl salt
1 tsp yeast
1 1/12 cups of warm water
2 tbl of olive oil

Try my Bruschetta Recipe:

3 cups of flour
1 tbl salt
1 tsp. of dried minced garlic
1 tbl of dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp yeast
1 1/12 cups of warm water
2 tbl of olive oil

After 10 or 15 minutes you should see a bouncing ball of dough in your Bread Machine.  If it is too gooey add more flour.  Then take the dough ball out of your bread maker and place it in an oiled sprayed freezer bag.  Place it in the refrigerator until your ready to make pizza.  Check it after a few hours.  If it rises too much punch it down.

When you refrigerate your dough it slows down the yeast production and gives you a nice slow rise.  When you’re ready to make pizza, (2-4 days) take your dough out and let it rise again at room temperature.  This will make a pizza crust that everyone will love.

For more recipes and pizza making techniques check out my website at: perfecthomemadepizza.com

I can’t wait to try some of the exciting recipes in Bobby Flay’s cookbook.  Flay’s book “Bold American Cooking”, was his first cookbook and the recipes in it make my mouth water.  His style of cooking, Spicy South Western, with a splash of his own style and techniques is exactly how I love to cook.  Pinapple Tomatillo salsa, corn relish,chipotle sauce,,,,,,,,,,hmmm can’t wait to try some.  Bobby Flay is one of the chefs on the Food Network Channel and you can find him competing on the Iron chef program.

Mexican pizza is one of my families favorite pizzas.  It’s simple to make and if you have a taste for spicy flavors with a little heat, this pizza is for you.

My kids have loved Mexican food since the day they were born!  I guess I shouldn’t have filled those empty baby jars with refried beans.  Just kidding…  In our house there is always leftover salsa or hot sauce around.  Since I’m the main cook, I’m always searching for new recipes to make.  One day, I came across some left over salsa in the refrigerator, but I was in the mood for pizza.  Walaa…the birth of my Mexican Pizza.

My Mexican salsa is easy to make and very tasty.  The recipe was shared with me from an inmate in prison.  No, I wasn’t in prison, but I was the Correctional Officer in charge of watching the Hispanic prisoners cooking in the kitchen. This guy whipped together a batch of salsa for his amigos that the Chefs on the Food Network channel would be proud of.

Here is the salsa recipe with a touch of fresh ingredients and a little of my own touch:

Mexican Pizza Sauce:

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 small can of tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 small jalapeño pepper

2-3 cloves of fresh garlic finely chopped

¼ cup of fresh chopped cilantro

¼ small onion chopped

¼ tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp Chile powder

Use a small blender or food processor and process the jalapeno, garlic, onion, just until nicely chopped.  Add all the other ingredients and give a few quick bursts of chopping.  Refrigerate until you are ready to make the pizza

For The Pizza:

Fresh pizza dough enough for 1-2 pizzas

16 oz of whole milk mozzarella or your favorite cheese

Grated Romano and Asiago cheese as much as you like

1-2 links of spicy chorizo (Mexican pork sausage)

Cooking:

Preheat your oven to its highest temperature.  For a home oven that is usually 550 degrees

Remove the casing from the sausage and sauté until cooked. Grate all of the mozzarella. Spread a little olive oil on your pizza pan and then spread out your pizza dough on it.

Spread your salsa over your pizza.  Sprinkle with a little oregano, and then grate a little of the Asiago and Roman cheese on it.  Spread all of your mozzarella cheese on your pizza and then sprinkle all of your chorizo on top.

Cook for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

Turn your left over white rice into the best fried rice you ever had!  Fried rice is one of my favorite Chinese dishes.  Shrimp, beef or chicken, I love them all.  When I go out for Chinese food, I always take all of the left over white rice back home for making fried rice that lasts me several days.

It’s simple to make, but you must have the right ingredients to make it taste like you bought it at your favorite Chinese restaurant.  Here’s what you need:

2 – 4 cups of cooked left over white rice

1 – 2 eggs

2 – 3 garlic cloves chopped

2 – 4 tablespoons of Kikkoman Soy Sauce

2 – 3 teaspoons of Sesame oil

1 – package of frozen peas (optional peas & carrots)

3 – tablespoons of Peanut oil or Olive oil ( I always use olive oil because it is healthier but peanut oil is preferred in Chinese cooking because of its high burning temperature.)

A hand full of chopped fresh shrimp, chicken or beef chopped

This first step took me a long time to learn, but it is the most important part of the entire recipe.  Beat your eggs as if you were going to make scramble eggs.

I use an old wok that I got at a garage sale but you can use any good frying pan.  Place 1 tablespoon of oil into your pan and heat the pan to high.  Before the oil starts to smoke throw in your eggs and beat until they are over cooked and start breaking apart into smaller pieces.  Remove your eggs from the wok and place them into a container for later.

Now add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and ½ the chopped garlic.  Everything should happen fast if you have your heat on high so be fast.  Throw your shrimp or meat in the wok and stir fry for a few minutes until cooked and then remove from the wok and place into the container with the eggs.

Now add the rest of the oil and 1-2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Add all the remaining chopped garlic and a handful of frozen green peas.  Stir fry for a minute then add the white rice and stir fry for another few minutes.  Add all the ingredients that you put aside in the container and start putting in soy sauce as you continue to stir fry.

Taste it as you go along and you may want to add more soy sauce or sesame oil.  Enjoy!

I spent two years in Japan and loved the way they served and presented fried rice to you in a restaurant.  Here is this presentation trick I learned while in Japan.  Get a nice shaped Chinese or Japanese soup bowl and pack down your fried rice in a bowl.  Place a flat serving dish on top of the bowl and now place your hand on top of the flat dish while turning the dish upside down.  Put into the microwave for a few minutes with the bowl still on the rice.  When you take the fried rice out of the microwave remove the bowl and you have a nice shaped mound of fried rice ready to be served.

Do you love pizza? I sure have a passion for eating and making pizza.  It all started years ago as a kid growing up on the east coast. I have become quite a connoisseur of this flavorful crusted pie with bubbly melted cheese and tomato sauce on it.

However, as an aging baby boomer with high Cholesterol and a fondness for Italian food, I can do without all the cheese.  Here is a recipe that is very easily made in a bread maker and it is just as yummy as the higher cholesterol cheese pizza that I love so dearly.

Bruschetta or Diet Pizza

3 cups of flour

1 tbl salt

1 tsp. of dried minced garlic

1 tbl of dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp yeast

1 1/12 cups of warm water

2 tbl of olive oil

Put all the ingredients into your bread maker.  All the liquids are always first. Make the dough in your bread maker and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Topping

Fresh Garlic minced

3-4 fresh sliced tomatoes

2-tbl olive oil

2 tbl of margarine or butter

Sprinkle of oregano

Grated asiago cheese on top

Sauté the garlic in olive oil and butter until lightly brown. Oil your pizza tin bottom and spread out your dough like a pizza. Brush the olive oil margarine mixture onto your flattened dough. Cover with sliced fresh tomatoes and sprinkle a little oregano on top and a little of the asiago cheese on top.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 500 degrees