Dinner in 30 minutes or less

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Homemade thin crust pizza

This is almost easier than calling in an order and waiting for the pizza delivery guy. Sometimes I use part whole wheat flour—it depends on how healthy I’m feeling. Use whatever toppings you love, and don’t forget things like minced fresh garlic, chopped spinach or broccoli.

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza

For the dough:

  • 1 c. warm water
  • 2-1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3 c. flour
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Dissolve the yeast in the water, add the oil, and mix in the flour a bit at a time, and then knead in just enough to make a smooth and elastic dough. The kneading should take you about 10 minutes. I do mine in the Kitchenaid mixer, with the dough hook,  for 7 or 8 minutes.
  3. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Grease two 12-inch round pizza pans, sprinkle with some corn meal (if you like) and shake off the excess.
  5. Divide the dough in half, roll out each piece and place into the prepared pizza pan.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes or until brown.

To prepare the pizzas:

  • 1 12 oz can tomato sauce
  • oregano
  • basil
  • garlic powder
  • red pepper flakes (if you want your pizza a little spicey)
  • 1 lb. grated mozzarella cheese
  • 2 c. sliced vegetables such as sweet onion, green pepper, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes
  • 1 package sliced pepperoni (if you want some meat), or
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage, crumbled

For each pizza, spread about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce over the hot pizza crust. Sprinkle with herbs, top with vegetables and then the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is slightly browned.

Also, this makes a wonderful kids’ activity to get little children involved with cooking. They can make their own mini pizzas and put on their own toppings.

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Peppered Cauliflower with Cabbage and Swiss Chard

It pays to be inventive when you have a few different leftover vegetables. That’s what I did tonight and I created something sweet and delicious. Forget about the leg of lamb at tonight’s table, for me the highlight of the meal was this cauliflower dish.

Peppered Cauliflower with Cabbage and Swiss Chard

  • 1/2 head cauliflower, broken into tiny florets
  • 1/3 head cabbage, chopped
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks colored Swiss chard, chopped (green chard is okay, but this dish benefits from a little color)
  • 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • coarsely ground pepper
  • salt

The trick to this dish is to make all of the ingredients the same size, so that everything cooks at the same rate. For the cauliflower, use a knife to cut off the tiniest little florets. Save the rest of the cauliflower for a stir fry or soup.

Heat the oil, add all the vegetables and cook until the cauliflower is just a bit tender. Grind on a lot of pepper and sprinkle with salt, coarse kosher salt if you have it.

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Elegant eating in under 30 minutes: Linguine with Artichokes, Chicken and Pine Nuts

This is the dish to make when you’re hungry for something complex and grown-up. It’s quick to prepare and tastes like it came from an upscale pasta restaurant. Make a point of keeping a can of artichoke hearts in the pantry and some pine nuts tucked away in your freezer; the rest of the ingredients are standard.

Linguine with Artichokes, Chicken and Pine Nuts (serves 4)

1. Put up a pot of water to boil.
2. Start the chicken:

  • 2 split chicken breast pieces, cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • juice from 1 whole lemon
  • 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, halved
  • 1 c. chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil, add the chicken with a sprinkle of salt. Add the garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, turning the pieces to brown all sides. Squeeze on the juice of the lemon, add the artichoke hearts and parsley, cover and heat over a low heat until the chicken is cooked through, for 8-10 more minutes.

3. Boil the linguine according the package directions, drain and toss with:

  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 clove crushed garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • fresh ground pepper

4. Toast the pine nuts while the pasta is cooking:

  • 3/4 c. pine nuts

Place the pine nuts in a small pan over a very low heat. Stir occasionally. When browned, remove from heat and set aside in a (not plastic) bowl.

5. Serve it up. Cover the pasta with the chicken mixture, top with pine nuts and sprinkle with:

  • Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh ground pepper
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Raspberry Vinaigrette

This is the time of year that I try to use up the berries that have been stored in my freezer all winter. Most of them go towards jam, but I keep some on hand to use in muffins and pancakes. Since berry-picking season is approaching, it’s time to clear out the freezer. Tonight, to dress up some cold green beans, I blended up some raspberry vinaigrette.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup frozen, or fresh, raspberries
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1/4 red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 c. cilantro
  • 2-3 Tbs. sugar
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/2-1 tsp. salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Keep out 1/4 cup of the chopped cilantro. Blend together all the rest of the ingredients, then stir in the 1/4 cup of reserved cilantro. Store in the refrigerator.

Use the vinaigrette as a sauce to pour over steamed green beans, or as a marinade.

To use as a marinade for green beans:

Steam the green beans until just tender and not too soft, then immediately cool under running water. Put the beans in a ziplock bag with about 2 Tbs. of the marinade. Refrigerate for an hour or more. Serve cold.

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Pasta Salad with Sausage and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Not only was it much too hot to cook, I really didn’t know what to make for dinner! My brilliant son, Max, reminded me that it’s pasta night so I forced myself to think up something to make out of the dish of unappealing, cold, leftover, plain bow tie pasta. Combining the bow ties with a few other leftovers led to tonight’s main course, Pasta Salad with Sausage and Sun Dried Tomatoes.

To the bow tie pasta, I stirred in some thinly sliced, browned chicken sausage (okay, a little stove-top cooking was necessary), tossed in some chopped parsley and chopped sun dried tomatoes, and seasoned with some salt and lots of ground pepper. We’ll have this, served cold, with a side of cantaloupe and some cold green beans with raspberry vinaigrette.

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Three summer salads: Chicken salad, Fish salad, Egg salad

Trying something new with traditional favorites such as egg salad, chicken salad and tuna salad takes a little courage; a willingness to experiment with spices, herbs and textures. Wanting to please all the palates in our family, Molly and I concocted these tonight:

Curried Egg Salad

Mix together chopped hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, chopped parsley and curry powder. Use more or less mayo and curry, plus salt, to taste.

Chicken Salad

Combine shredded chicken with mayonnaise, cilantro, toasted pecans or almonds, sliced tart apple, and sliced celery. Season with seasoned salt, to taste.

Fish Salad

Combine equal parts canned or fresh flaked salmon with canned tuna. Add in mayonnaise, chopped green onions or a small quantity of chopped sweet onion, dill weed, and salt, to taste.

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Welcoming summer weather with a platter full of Chef’s Salad

Ninety degree weather descended upon us today, forcing me to quickly dust off our favorite hot weather, no-cook supper ideas. A chef’s salad, served up beautifully on our Thanksgiving turkey platter, made a great presentation and a fun dinner with something for everyone. Start with a bed of mixed organic greens and top with your family’s favorite deli meats, cheeses, hard boiled eggs, cold cooked shrimp, and plenty of raw vegetables. (Sorry, but this is so not Kosher.)

We had ours with Macey’s favorite Thousand Island dressing, and a bowl of fresh, sliced cantaloupe.

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A Simple Stir Fry for Two

For adults only tonight.

Something unusual happened tonight. The rest of the family had already eaten or was out of the house, and I wound up making dinner for just me and Doug. Dinner for two adults! I was free to prepare something that we would enjoy, without going through the list of food “dislikes” which looks roughly like this:

  • Molly loves mushrooms but the boys hate them so if I use them I have to cut them large so the boys can pick them out.
  • Joe and Max love potatoes but Molly doesn’t care for them.
  • Macey won’t eat spicy food.
  • Max loves raw broccoli but not cooked.
  • Molly likes cooked broccoli but not raw.
  • One of the kids likes asparagus but I’m not sure who.

You get the idea.

But tonight, with the absolute freedom to create a meal for just me and Doug, I happily used the gorgeous purpley asparagus, half a box of mushrooms, plenty of sliced onions, and just enough of some left over steak to add a bit of salty chew, and created a simple grown-up stir fry for two.

Asparagus-Mushroom Stir Fry (with steak, tofu or chicken)

Saute 1/2 onion, sliced, in 2 Tbs. olive oil. Stir in 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces, and 1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, a dash of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Heat for about 5 minutes and then stir in about 1/2 cut of thinly sliced cooked steak (or chicken or tofu). Cook just until the meat is heated, and serve.

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Orange Peel Fruit Bowls

Blackberries, strawberries and oranges served in an orange peel.

Today I saw a picture of a Waldorf salad served in a hollowed out apple and was inspired to create mini fruit arrangements for dinner. I’ve made large center piece fruit arrangements many times, but never individual ones. These were quick and simple to make, beautiful, and gave our Thursday night supper a festive feel.