Pasta "Pizza"
For the "pizza":
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small green bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
2 cups cooked capellini (angel hair pasta) (see recipe below)
Tomato sauce, store-bought
1/4 pound whole-milk mozzarella, thinly sliced
10 thin slices pepperoni
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
In a non-stick skillet, measuring 10-inches across the bottom heat the oil over moderate heat until it is hot but not smoking, in it cook the bell pepper rings for 30 seconds on each side, or until they are crisp-tender, and transfer them with tongs to a plate.
To the skillet add the capellini, distributing it evenly and pressing it lightly with a lid that fits into the pan, touching the pasta directly, and cook it, over moderate heat for 25 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. Invert an oiled baking sheet over the skillet, invert the capellini crust onto the sheet, and slide it back into the skillet. Cook the capellini crust, covered, for 10 minutes more.
Spread tomato sauce over the crusty pasta, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and arrange the mozzarella on top. Arrange the bell pepper rings and the pepperoni on the mozzarella and cook the pizza, covered, over moderate heat for 3 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted. Slide the pizza onto a pizza pan or flat platter, garnish it with the basil, and with a pizza wheel or sharp knife cut it into wedges.
Capellini:
1 pound capellini (angel hair pasta)
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just al dente. Drain and toss with butter, salt, and pepper.
Yield: 4 servings
Stuffed Mushrooms
12-18 mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 Tablespoons butter
1 (3-oz) pkg cream cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup soft bread crumbs
Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Set the mushrooms aside to dry. Chop stems. Saute the chopped stems with butter, onion, pepper and celery. Then add cream cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Place a mound of stuffing on each mushroom. At this point you can either microwave them for 3-4 minutes, or, bake at 350 until mushrooms are tender, about 7-10 min.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 bacon strips
3 c. grated cheese
12 pieces sliced ham
3 (10 oz) cans of cream of chicken soup
3 (10 oz) cans of cream of mushroom soup
In a 9x13 pan, lay one strip of bacon down. Place two pieces of ham on bacon. Top that with 1/2 c of cheese and place chicken breast on top. Fold ends of bacon over the chicken and pinch ends together. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Mix both soups together and pour over chicken breasts, making sure the chicken is well covered. Bake at 400 for 1 hour 15 min, until chicken is cooked through.
Pork Egg Rolls
1/2 to 1lb pork loin, shredded.
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch.
Mix all ingredients together and let it sit to marinade 20 minutes - 24 hours. Stir fry over high heat. Remove from pan.
4c bean sprouts
1/2 c shredded carrots
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 pkg egg roll wrappers
Stir fry these ingredients and then add to pork mixture. Place 1-2 Tbsp filling in center of each egg roll wrapper. Roll egg roll up: bring bottom of wrapper up, then fold sides together, then continue rolling toward top. You can seal it if you wet the edge of the wrapper with a bit of water, but it's optional. Fry the egg rolls in an inch or two of oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with optional dipping sauce:
Egg Roll Dipping Sauce
1 T ketchup
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T chinese soy sauce (not japanese)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp hoisin sauce
Mix it all together and enjoy
And, last (for now) but certainly not least, my favorite:
Sushi rolls
1 pkg dried seaweed
4 oz raw seafood (salmon, tuna, or crab are my fave)
2 c sticky rice
sliced carrots
sliced cucumber
sliced celery
sliced spinach
soy sauce to taste
Place a thin layer of rice across 1/2 of a sheet of seaweed. Add desired seafood and/or veggies. Roll the seaweed up, starting with the side you covered and moving towards the empty side. Wet the outside 1/4 inch of seaweed with water so it sticks to itself when wrapped. You can eat it like a burrito, or cut it up into nice little pieces. You can either pour on enough soy sauce to taste on each bite, or put it on before your roll it up if you know how much you like.
