It doesn't get any better than this

I love my mom's (aka The New Joy of Cooking's) macaroni and cheese and did not think this classic could be improved upon. That was, until I wanted to make it and didn't have any cheddar on hand and decided to get creative. Who knew that a little cooking sherry, shallots, and some gouda could make an already incredible dish divine?! I literally could have licked the bowl (and just may have) after making the cheese sauce - it's really that good. The only thing that could have possibly made this dish any better would have been the addition of lump crab meat, which would have been perfect with the sherry and shallot flavors. If you decide to try it, let me know what you think.

Smoked Gouda Mac n' Cheese
8 oz macaroni noodles, cooked according to package directions
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 C finely chopped shallot
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 C dry cooking sherry
2/3 C milk
1 C freshly grated smoked gouda
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°.

Melt butter over medium heat in a cast iron skillet or large frying pan. Add shallots and cook until golden in color, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle fllour into skillet to begin making a roux. The flour should pull the butter and shallot together into a clumpy mass (add more butter if needed to pull mixture together). Add sherry and stir for about 1 minute. Add milk and stir well. Stir in gouda, one handful at a time, stirring until each addition has melted. Repeat with parmesan. Stir in mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Stir cooked pasta into cheese mixture and stir to incorporate. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish and top with additional grated gouda and parmesan, if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn broiler on high and continue to cook until top is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Herb Grilled Chicken

Have I mentioned that Stonewall Kitchen, Harvest, Celebrating the Bounty of the Seasons, cookbook is one of my absolute favorite places to find recipes? If not, I apologize for holding out on you! Everything, and I mean everything, I've made from this cookbook has been absolutely fabulous. I love that the cookbook takes into account seasonal items and combines them in the most delicious ways. I also appreciate that most of the ingredients are items I usually have on hand or can easily get from my own garden or local farmer's market. The chicken recipe I've listed below and the corn fritters I've posted here are two of the recipes I've made and truly enjoyed. I also highly recommend the Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops on Creamy Basil Risotto, Pumpkin Soup with Fried Sage Leaves, Swiss Chard Tart with Potato Crust, Parmesan Potato Gratin, Flourless Chocolate Cake with Orange Chocolate Ganache, and the Peach and Mango Muffins - seriously, there isn't a recipe I haven't liked from this book!

Grilled Marinated Chicken with Herbs
One 3 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or substitute chicken breasts)
1/2 C dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Dash of Tabasco, or other hot pepper sauce (I use Cholula)

Put the chicken in a plastic bag or bowl and add the wine, garlic, soay sauce, thyme, basil and hot pepper sauce. Coat the pieces well on all sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat charcoal or gas grill until red-hot, about 350° to 400°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes.


Place chicken pieces on the hot grill, cover, and cook for 8 minutes. Brush with the cooked marinade. Gently flip the chicken over and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the juices run clear, and not pink, when pierced with a small, sharp knife. The cooking time will depend on the heat of the grill. Continue basting the chicken every five minutes. The chicken can also be broiled. Place the chicken on the broiler pan or oven proof skilet and broil on high for about 8 minutes on each side, brushing with marinade once or twice. Remove and serve hot or at room temperature.


Serve with Cilantro-Cashew Pesto.


2/3 C fresh cilantro
1/2 C salted cashews
1 small clove garlic
1/2 C olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste


in a food processor, puree cilantro, cashews, and garlic. Slowly add the oil and blend until almost smooth. Season with pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The pesto will keep for at least a day or two. Serve at room temperature.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

I made this delicious cake twice over the summer and thought I'd posted the recipe, but alas I had not. It's very dense, like a pound cake, and full of lemony goodness. I paired it with a sauce made of fresh blueberries, but it is just as good all on it's own. It also makes a tasty breakfast treat when paired with a cup of Joe.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

1 C softened butter

2 C white sugar
½ C ricotta cheese
½ C milk
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
4 lg eggs
3 C all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting


Preheat oven to 350° F.

Butter and flour a spring form pan.

Beat the flour and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the ricotta, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs, mix until combined. With mixer running, gradually add the flour and mix until incorporated.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool cake on a wire rack. Once cooled, lightly dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

Corn Fritters with Herb Butter

Although I'd never had corn fritters before, something about the 6 leftover ears of corn in my refrigerator made them sound appetizing. As usual, Stonewall Kitchen, Harvest, Celebrating the Bounty of the Seasons, proved to have the perfect recipe. The softness of the cake is nicely paired with the semi-firm texture of the corn. You shouldn't skip over the herb butter! It is simply sublime and makes these savory fritters melt in your mouth!

Corn Fritters with Herb Butter
 1 1/2 C fresh corn kernels, cut off the cob
1 large egg, whisked
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 C half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for frying
Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying
1/2 C Herb Butter

Put the corn kernels in a large bowl. Add the egg, mix well. Stir in the flour, baking powder, half-and-half, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, and chives. Add 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and beat well. The batter will be chunky, but should be uniform.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the remaining melted butter (about 1 1/2 tsp to start) and 1 1/2 tsp of the oil and allow them to get hot, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add heaping tablespoons of the corn batter to the pan and cook the fritters for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, gently flip the fritters and cook another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side, or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter and oil to the pan as needed. Serve hot with the herb butter.

Herb Butter
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 C minced fresh herbs (I used sage, rosemary, and thyme)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the butter in a medium-sized bowl and stir with a wood spoon to soften it. Stir in the herbs, salt, and pepper, making sure the herbs are fully incorporated into the butter. Put the butter in the middle of a sheet of plastic wrap and cover with one side of the plastic. Roll the butter into a long log or fat cigar shape, wrap it completely, and place in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Serve the rolled-up log or cut off slices as needed.

Marvelous Margaritas!

My dad makes the best, and I mean THE BEST margaritas! These are the kind of margaritas I dream of all winter and savor during family summer vacations. Recently dad shared his recipe with me, which I came to find out is actually from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. After making a batch this past weekend, I decided I ought to share it here on The Simple Gourmand.

Dad’s tip: Cheap white tequila works best. My tip: Depending on how many margaritas you want to drink, cheap tequila may not be a good idea :)

Margaritas
1/2 C fresh squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 C white tequila
1 C triple sec
3 C ice

Mix ingredients in the blender, or serve on the rocks. Enjoy!

Summer Squash Torte

Coming up with new and exciting dishes for your garden's summer bounty can be tricky. That's why I've come to rely on a few tried and true recipes that I never seem to get tired of. This recipe in particular has become a staple this summer. It's relatively easy and requires few ingredients. You can play with the herbs and cheese to tailor it to your particular liking or the ingredients you have on hand.

Summer Squash Torte

3/4 C fresh chives

3/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

2 medium red potatoes, sliced paper thin

2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced about 1/4 inch thick 

1 C freshly crated parmasan cheese, plus extra for topping 

2 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put chives, oil, and salt and pepper in a blender and puree.

Mix parmasan, flour, rosemary, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Coat a pie pan with cooking spray. Arrange 1/3 of the potato slices around the bottom of the pan. Drizzle  1/3 of the chive puree over the potatoes, top with 1/3 of the flour mixture. Arrange 1/3 of the squash on top of the potato layer. Drizzle 1/3 of the chive puree over the squash, top with 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat these layers two more times, ending with squash on top. Grate parmasan cheese over the top of the squash. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

These Ain't Your Mama's Lima Beans

When I was a kid I hated lima beans. Everytime we had them, which was rare suggesting my mother didn't like them either, they were dry and tasteless. I can still remember them crumbling in my mouth requiring an extra gulp of cold milk to wash them down - yuck! So, when my boyfriend suggested we buy lima beans at the farmer's market this weekend I was less than excited about the idea; however, I figured it was worth trying them again. Afterall these beans were fresh, not frozen like the ones from my childhood memory, and we all know fresh tastes best. So, I agreed to give it a go. After doing a bit of research, this is the recipe we came up with. Much to my surprise these beans are good, really good, like I might eat the entire batch in one day good.

Lima Bean Succotash

2 C shelled fresh lima beans (about a pint)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp diced onion

2 Tbsp diced shallot (about 1/4 of a large shallot)

3 strips bacon*

1 C peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh tomato (about 1 large slicing tomato)

2 C corn kernels, freshly cut from the cob (about 2 medium ears)

1 tsp butter

Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the beans, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain the beans, refill the pot with fresh water** and bring to a boil. Add the beans and boil for 3 minutes longer. Drain and set aside.

Add oil to a cast iron skillet set to medium heat. Once oil is warm, add the onion, shallot, and bacon. Once the onion softens and becomes translucent add the tomato and corn, heat through. Add the lima beans, butter, salt, and pepper; heat through. Serve immediately.

* Note: I used pre-cooked bacon. If you use uncooked bacon you may need to cut down on the amount of olive oil you use.

** Note: Raw lima beans contain plycosides that create poisonous hydrocyanic acid in the human digestive system; the poison is destroyed by boiling the beans. You should discard the first pot of water to get rid of any plycosides that may have been released during the cooking.

Congratulations Kacie!

Congratulations Kacie! You are the winner of the CSN $50 gift certificate. You have 48 hours to claim your prize or another winner will be selected.

Thank you to everyone who participated and to CSN for providing The Simple Gourmand followers with this great opportunity. Check back regularly for more recipes and new giveaways.

The generous folks from CSN stores have offered another great giveaway for my readers – a $50 gift certificate for use on any of the CSN sites. This is an incredible offer since the CSN family has over 200 stores to meet a variety of your shopping needs. Just browsing through some of their sites I found items for every room in your home. From cooking (e.g. kitchen gadgets, appliances) and gardening supplies (e.g. tools) to bedroom (e.g. headboards, dressers, night stands) and office furniture (e.g. desks, bookshelves). You name it, they’ve got it! Many of the items are on sale and most of them come with free shipping. It doesn’t get much better than that!

So what are you waiting for? Enter the giveaway and get shopping!

How to enter:

• First entry, visit CSN Stores and tell me one product you found that you would love to have. This is mandatory before other entries will be counted.
• Become a follower of my blog
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• Post this giveaway link on your Facebook page (1 per day)

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry and a valid email address. Open to U.S. and Canada only. Winner will be chosen by random integer selection. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen. Contest will close on Friday, July 16, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST. Good Luck!!!

Best French Bread, Ever!

We had a nice break in the hot temps here this weekend so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a bike ride to the farmers market. Although the closest market is small it offers a great selection of fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, and baked goods. They even have treats for dogs, which Coleman has benefitted from on a few occasions. So after our visit yesterday, we rode home with a bag full of corn, lima beans, andouille sausage, and gouda. Although I was excited about the loot, I wasn't much in the mood for making a big meal yesterday. Instead I decided to bake some bread to go with the gouda. Now, you might say, "I thought you weren't up for spending a lot of time in the kitchen" - which was true, but since I used the bread machine for kneading the dough I didn't really have to do much. Sure, I had to be home to punch down the dough a few times, but it was raining so I wasn't missing out of anything by sticking around the house. In the end, I was extremely pleased with how well this bread turned out - I couldn't stop eating it!

 Ingredients
1 1/4 C warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 C bread flour
2 tsp active dry yeast

Pour water into bread machine pan, then add salt and flour. Make a small well in the center of the flour, be careful not to reach the water level, and put the yeast in the well. Select the dough setting and press start. When the dough setting ends, set a timer and allow the dough to rise for another hour in the bread machine (do not set the bread machine on any cycle). After one hour, punch the bread down, and let it rise in the bread machine for another hour.

Turn dough out of the pan onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a smooth round ball and flatten it with your hands. Place the dough ball into a large bowl that is lined with a clean kitchen towel that has been dusted with flour. Place bowl in a warm dry place and let dough rise, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450°. Turn dough out of bowl onto a lightly oiled baking pan. Slash the top of the dough in a # pattern. Place a small pan with 2 cups of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven. Place the bread on the top rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let bread sit for one hour before slicing.

Zucchini Fritters

The garden is producing veggies by the armful and this most frequently means zucchini and squash. I've been trying to find new recipes in which to use these wonderful fresh veggies and will start sharing them with you here on the The Simple Gourmand.

First, let's talk fritters. To be honest, I had never made them before embarking on this venture, but who doesn't love fried veggies? The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it with either zucchini or squash. You can also alter the herbs to your liking. I used oregano because it is taking over my garden and needs some taming - well, that, and I thought it would be a nice with the zucchini and parmesan. It turned out well, but you could also try mint, basil, or thyme in place of, or in addition to, the oregano.

Zucchini Fritters

2 C grated zucchini

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 C freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 C toasted bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Place grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt, let stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze excess water from zucchini and transfer zucchini to a medium sized bowl. Mix in the next 6 ingredients.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking, place tablespoon sized dollops of the zucchini mixture in the oil. Be careful not to over crowd the pan; you likely will  need to do two batches. Fry until fritters begin to brown and then turn to brown the other side. Remove fritters from oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with sour cream.

Happy 4th of July!

To round out the series of posts about 4th of July barbeque dishes I thought I'd share this awesome corn on the cob recipe I made yesterday. Of course, I had to make some changes from the original recipes because I didn't have all of the herbs called for, so I substituted with herbs from my garden. I found the original recipe in the July issue of Food & Wine, which, in case you haven't checked it out already, is a fabulous magazine! I'll post the recipe with my changes below, but you can find the original here.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Roasted Garlic and Herbs
1 head of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 C chopped fresh rosemary
Salt & freshly ground pepper
4 large ears of corn, in husks

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut off the top of the head of garlic. Stand it cut side up on foil and drizzle with oil. Wrap in foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until very soft. Squeeze garlic into a bowl. Stir in lemon zest, butter, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.

Light grill. Carefully peel back the corn husks, keeping them attached. Discard the silk. Spread the herbed garlic butter all over the corn. Fold the husks back over the corn and wrap the corn in foil. Grill the corn packet over moderate heat for 15 minutes, turning about every 3 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to grill the ears over moderate heat for another 5 minutes, turning until the husks are nicely charred. Serve immediately.

Mom's Summer Salsa

Here's another recipe for the holiday weekend. My mom used to make this salsa with fresh veggies from our garden. It was always the perfect treat after spending the day playing in the sun and sand at the beach. This recipe is super easy to make and keeps for several days. Serve it with tortilla chips or as a side to your favorite meat dish.

Summer Salsa

2-3 cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 very large, or 2-3 small tomatoes, diced

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

1 can sliced black olives

1 can green chilis

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp white vinegar

Seasoned salt & garlic salt to taste

Mix the veggies together with 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Season with salts, mix, and chill.

Farm Fresh Beans with Bacon Balsamic Vinaigrette

Continuing in the vein of barbeque fare, I thought I'd share a recipe I made this weekend. We spent Saturday morning at the farmer's market and came home with some tasty treats, including an assortment of green and yellow beans. I didn't want to take away from the natural taste of the beans, but thought I'd add a little sweetness. The result was delish! After eating the leftovers on Sunday, I found that this dish is good both warm and cold, which makes it perfect for a backyard barbeque!

Farm Fresh Beans with Bacon Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 lb. green and yellow beans, washed & ends trimmed

6 slices precooked bacon, diced (I used precooked because it is leaner, but you can use uncooked bacon)

Olive oil*

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

2 tsp sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook diced bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add green beans and oil for sauteing. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar. Add to the beans and cover. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cool and serve later.

*If using uncooked bacon, olive oil may not be necessary. I added it because most of the fat had already been cooked out of the bacon so there wasn't much in the pan for sauteing the green beans.

Perfect Potato Salad

The Fourth of July is upon us so I've decided to post some of my favorite Independence Day fare. If you're like me, you'll have at least one barbecue invitation for the holiday weekend and will likely need to take a dish to share. One of my family's favorite sides is this potato salad. It's super easy and very tasty. I don't care for the mustard/mayonnaise version of potato salad so this recipe is just to my liking. I can't take credit for it though, it was passed on to me from one of my grandmother's dearest friends, Jane Trask. They have both since passed on, but I think of them fondly each time I make it. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and friends have over the years.

Mrs. Trask's Potato Salad
3 lbs red new potatoes, sliced with skin on
1 C diced celery
1 C diced green onion, white and green parts
1/2 C Italian salad dressing
1/2 C Creamy Cucumber salad dressing
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C mayonnaise

Boil potato slices until just tender, but not falling apart. Drain and place in a large salad bowl. Pour Italian dressing over potatoes and allow them to cool. In the meantime, mix remaining ingredients together in a small to medium size mixing bowl. Once potatoes have cooled add mix and stir to coat. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.

May be made a day ahead. Serve cold.

Goulash

It was another one of those nights, I stood before the nearly empty fridge and pondered what to make for dinner. I wasn't interested in spending a lot of time cooking, nor did I want to take a trip to the grocer for ingredients. I knew I had some ground turkey in the freezer, so I took out the Google machine and set to work searching recipes. Thankfully the Food Network site has a section on ground turkey. I sorted through them, but wasn't particularly interested in making a burger (it was raining outside, so grilling was less than appealing) and finally came across a Rachel Ray recipe for Goulash. After consulting the fridge again, I added some additional veggies and seasonings. The end result was quite tasty, but way too much food for one person...good thing I like leftovers!

Goulash
1/2 lb macaroni pasta
1 lb ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 Tbsp butter
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded & chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 C chicken broth
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 C sour cream

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a cast iron skillet, or other deep skillet, over medium heat. Add butter, once melted, add meat and cook, breaking up, until browned. Add veggies and seasonings, cook another 10 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes and heat through. Add pasta and sour cream, cook until warmed through.

Garnish with sliced scallion and serve with garlic bread.

Sesame Tofu Stir Fry

Ingredients:

14 oz.block of firm organic tofu

1/4 C corn starch

vegetable oil

1/3 C sesame seeds, toasted

2 C brown rice

1 red pepper, cubed

1/4 medium red onion, sliced

1/2 8 oz package sugar snap peas

1 crown of broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 medium carrots, sliced

Sauce:

2/3 C Agave nectar

3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp finely minced ginger

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp Mirin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp red chili flakes, optional

Stir sauce ingredients together in a sauce pot, simmer sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Cook brown rice according to package directions.

Drain and press tofu so excess liquid is expelled. Cut tofu into 1 inch by 1 inch cubes and dust lightly with corn starch. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Fry tofu under golden brown, turning as necessary to cook all sides. Remove tofu and drain on a plate.

Add veggies to steamer basket of rice cooker or cook in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water.

Toss cooked veggies with tofu and sauce. Serve over brown rice.

Cheesecake

Almost everyone has a favorite cheesecake, whether it's from a restaurant or an old family recipe. This one is my favorite because I think the vanilla and almond extract ratio is perfect. It is best when made with full fat cream cheese, but is also good, albeit not quite as thick, when made with a combination of full and reduced fat varities. Either way, it's always a crowd pleaser!

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp butter

Filling Ingredients:
3 packages cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 C sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

To make crust: Put graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and add sugar. Melt butter and pour over graham cracker mix, stir to combine. Grease bottom and sides of a spring form pan. Pour crumbs into pan and press to the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set aside.

To make filling: Put cream cheese, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts in the bowl of mixer. Mix until mixture is smooth, without any lumps. Pour filling into spring form pan, covering the crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet and surround with 1/2 inch or so of water. Place sheet, with cake, in the center of the oven. Cook for 1 hour, or until set. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool on a wire rack. Chill cheesecake before serving.

Mediterranean Chicken Pizza

This pizza came out of laziness and a need to clean out some odds and ends from the refrigerator. The result was quite delicious, if I do say so myself!

Pizza Crust
3 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
1 C warm water
2 Tbsp yeast (use less if you don't like a strong yeast flavor)
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Toppings
Pizza sauce of your choosing
1 1/2 C shredded chicken
1 C low fat feta crumbles
1/4 large red onion sliced thinly
Sliced black olives, to your liking
1 C baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

To make crust: Pour warm water into the bowl of a mixer. Add the honey and salt and mix on low until well blended. Add the yeast and mix. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, then add 1 cup of flour and the olive oil and mix until well blended. Add the rest of the flour and mix well (you could add oregano or basil at this time, too). The dough should turn into a ball. If the dough does not ball up because it's too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If the dough is too sticky, more like batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time.

Once the dough is balled up, place the ball on a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute. Place the dough in a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise.

After about 45 minutes the dough should have almost doubled in size; punch it down. Let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half. The dough is then ready to be rolled out (or frozen for later use, but bring it to room temperature before rolling it out). Roll the dough to fit the size of your pan, round or square. If you prefer thin crust, halve the dough ball and roll out two crusts. Once dough is rolled out, puncture it in a few places with a fork. This keeps it from bubbling up while cooking.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the crust briefly, for about 5 minutes.

To top pizza: Remove crust from oven and top with your favorite pizza sauce. Disperse chicken, feta, onion, and black olives around crust. Tear spinach into small pieces and disperse around pizza. Top with mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles and browns.

Spring Greens

Spring has sprung and I couldn't be more excited to welcome it! The lawn mower is tuned and the vegetable garden has been planted. My allergies are terrible, but that hasn't stopped me from getting out and enjoying the warm weather. Morning walks and afternoon runs have motivated me to get out of my winter (read: heavy) eating rut. So, I took my larger-than-I'd-like-it-to-be fanny to the farmer's market, Trader Joe's, and my local grocer to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies and started experimenting in the kitchen. Well, that is, if you believe salads count as experimentation.

Spinach, Beets, & Wheat Berry Salad

2 1/2 C chicken broth

1 C wheat berries

2 C baby spinach

4 small beets, sliced

1/4 C walnut pieces

2 stalks celery, diced

1/4 C blue cheese crumbles

Vinaigrette dressing to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add wheat berries, simmer for 50 minutes. Drain wheat berries and put in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients to wheat berries. Toss with vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette

1/4 C white wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp minced shallot

1/3 C EVOO
Lemon juice from 1/4 of a small lemon

Fresh ground salt and pepper

And the winner is....

Congratulations D_vs_D has won the Rachel Ray Bubble and Brown Covered Casserole! You have 48 hours to claim your prize, or another winner will be selected.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Stay tuned to The Simple Gourmand for more tasty recipes and new give away opportunities.

It’s that time of year when the weather is getting warmer, the ice cream truck is circling the block, and the smell of charcoal barbeques is in the air. What could make a girl happier?! How about a special giveaway? Well, I’ve got just that! The generous folks from the family of CSN stores have offered a special treat for my readers – the Rachel Ray Bubble and Brown 4.25 qt. Oval Covered Casserole. This dish is perfect for roasting your spring veggies, making a quick one-dish meal after spending a summer afternoon at the beach, or baking your favorite casserole on a cold winter’s night – it’s totally versatile!

The CSN family doesn’t just offer cooking supplies, they have over 200 stores to meet a variety of your shopping needs. Just browsing through some of their sites I found items for every room in your home. From home bars and outdoor living to bedding and office furniture. You name it, they’ve got it! Many of the items I saw were on sale and most of them come with free shipping. It doesn’t get much better than that!

So what are you waiting for? Enter the giveaway and get shopping!

How to enter:
First entry, visit CSN Stores and tell me one product you found that you would love to have. This is mandatory before other entries will be counted.

For extra entries:
Become a follower of my blog
Add me to your blog roll
Follow me publicly in google
Post this giveaway link on your Facebook page (1 per day)

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry and a valid email address. Open to U.S. and Canada only. Winner will be chosen by random integer selection. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen. Contest will close on April 15, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST. Good Luck!!!

Product Features:

Excite your dinner guests by bringing these vibrant, fun oval casserole to the table. Whether it be a baked chicken or cheesy pasta, food has never looked and tasted so fabulous.

Features:
• Multiple use stoneware
• Contemporary design
• Playful shape in a vibrant and fun color
• Use directly from oven to table
• Extra wide handle holes allow you to get a good grip from any angle
• Can be used for serving salads and slaws
• Glazed interior is nonporous

Specifications:
• Material: Stoneware
• Capacity: 4.25 Qt.
• Color: Green
• Freezer, microwave, and oven safe to 500°F
• Overall dimensions: 8" H x 13" W x 13" D

**I did not receive any compensation or products in exchange for this post**