Veggie Pizza

This veggie pizza recipe is a family favorite. My Grandma Hutch used to make it as well as my Mom. I love the flavor combinations in this easy appetizer - a flaky crust with a creamy base topped with fresh chopped veggies. I made it for the first time myself in December when I got together with some of my best girlfriends. It makes a nice big batch and is perfect for any get together.

Veggie Pizza
Recipe from my Mom 
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 rolls of crescent rolls
1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dill (we didn't have this, boo)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Fresh chopped veggies of your choice to equal about 3/4 cup total (I use broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, black olives, red and green peppers) 
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese 

Directions

Pat crescent rolls flat into a jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile mix together the softened cream cheese, mayo and spices. 

Spread evenly onto cooled crust and sprinkle on chopped veggies. Top with shredded cheese. Refrigerate for at least two hours or until ready to serve. 

Olive Tapenade

I had never looked for, nor purchased, nor touched an anchovy before this recipe. In fact, anchovies completely weird me out. Just the thought of them make my stomach a little queasy. But this blog is called Ashley's Cooking Adventures and Alton Brown's Tapenade recipe calls for anchovies, so gosh darn it I had to conquer my fears. 

They are a little hairier and slimier than I expected and for all the build up around these little guys, I only needed one in my recipe. One. So now I have a can of anchovies in my fridge.  Every day, every single time I open the fridge I have to look at them because I can't be wasteful and just throw them out but I also can't think of another use for them (besides pizza, blech!). Do you cook with anchovies and if so, what do you use them for? 

This tapenade is worth the anchovy efforts. It's tangy, salty, and on a piece of bread it will make you think you're in Southern France (even if you're on a small island in the East China Sea). 

Olive Tapenade
From Alton Brown
Makes about 1 cup
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 pound pitted mixed olives (since I don't have access to a variety olives I just used Kalamata)
1 anchovy fillet, rinsed
1 small clove of garlic
2 fresh basil leaves (I used my frozen fresh basil)
1/2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil


Directions
Throughly rinse the olives in cool water. Place all ingredients together in the bowl of a food processor. 

Pulse to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides. Pulse again until mixture becomes a coarse paste, about 1 minute total. 

Transfer to a bowl and serve with sliced bread or crackers. 

Layered Greek Dip

I love when people share a new recipe with me and when Aunt Becky shares a recipe with me I know it's going to be good - she gave me the recipe for Pasta Florentine, which is an absolute favorite of mine. So when she told me she had a recipe for a Layered Greek Dip I needed to try, I was very excited. This dip is just bursting with yummy greek flavors: hummus, feta, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers. It makes a huge batch, perfect for parties or get togethers. Thanks Aunt Becky for another great recipe!

Layered Greek Dip
Makes about 2 1/2 cups (16 servings)
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups prepared original hummus
1 cup chopped cucumbers
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes - get rid of extra juice
1/2 cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup sliced green onions
Pita chips or multi-grain tortilla chips

Directions
In a medium bowl beat cream cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and garlic with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined.

Spread the cream cheese mixture into a deep 9 inch pie pan or shallow serving dish. Evenly spread the hummus  on top of the cream cheese. 

Top the hummus with the remaining ingredients, in order. Cover and refrigerate for 2 - 24 hours. Serve with pita chips or multi-grain tortilla chips.

Chicken with Olives

I've been eying this recipe from Pioneer Woman for several months now and finally decided to make it this week. Olives are one of my favorite things. I eat them out of the jar just about every day, but prefer them in Bloody Maryies! :) This recipe was pretty simple because you cooked it all in one pot. The olives are the best part of this dish. I recommend using different pieces of chicken because I used only drumsticks and it wasn't a good ratio of meat to everything else and cutting apart a chicken leg over pasta isn't an easy or particularly sexy way to eat!

Pioneer Woman's Chicken and Olives
Serves 6
Printable Version


Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 pieces of chicken
1 whole medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole green bell peppers, seeded and chopped into large pieces (I used a combination of peppers from Trader Joe's)
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, completely drained and juice squeezed out, chopped
1 cup white wine (or low sodium chicken broth)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cups heavy cream (I used fat free half & half)
1 cup whole green olives (I used a combination of olives from the olive bar at my grocery store)
12 ounces of pasta of your choice, cooked to al dente and drained (I used angel hair)
Fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese for garnishing


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch Oven melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, garlic, and peppers to the pot. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

 Add tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in wine and stir. Add the chicken back to the pot and cover with the lid. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and take lid off. Add green olives and cream (drizzle evenly over the top). Put on the lid and shake the pan to "stir" in the cream.

Return to the oven for 15 -20 minutes to thicken the sauce. Remove from oven and keep lid on until ready to serve.



Place pasta into serving bowls. Arrange chicken pieces on top of the pasta then pour the sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan if desired. 

Meatless Muffalettas

Thank goodness for Tasty Kitchen! Toward the end of January I was running out of ideas for vegetarian meals to make at home, so I turned to Tasty Kitchen for inspiration. I was so happy when came across these Meatless Muffalettas from Three Many Cooks because I've been wanting to make Muffalettas at home anyway! Muffalettas are an Italian sandwich that originated in New Orleans. The traditional Muffaletta is layered with Italian salami, ham, and provolone cheese, then topped with olive salad. This vegetarian take on the Muffaletta replaces the meat with marinated veggies but still incorporates the olive salad and cheeses. It was over the top delicious! My husband, who loves meat sandwiches, was a huge fan of this sandwich. The olive salad really makes this sandwich. I ate it two days in a row and the second day added banana peppers because they are my favorite sandwich topping. I think next time I make it I will use sliced cheese instead of cutting a block of cheese into chunks, but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!

Meatless Muffalettas

From Three Many Cooks on TK

Makes 4 sandwiches

Printable Version

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup capers

1 cup drained black olives

1 cup drained pimento stuffed olives

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped celery hearts

4 whole Portuguese rolls, split (I used ciabatta bread)

4 slices each of mozzarella, provolone, and pepper jack cheese

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 jar (14 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped

Directions

Mince garlic in a food processor. Add in capers and pulse to chop. Add olives, vinegar, and oregano. 

Pulse to chop again. Scoop into a medium sized bowl and stir in olive oil and celery. (This salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several weeks.)

When ready to make sandwiches, spread 2 tablespoons of the olive salad on the cut side of each half roll.

Divide cheese evenly between bread. 

On the bottom half of each sandwich arrange artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and onion slices. 

Place sandwich halves together. Halve crosswise on the diagonal and serve. 

Baked Spaghetti Pizza

Hubby and I are sticking to cooking vegetarian for the month of January but let me tell you, I was running out of ideas! I asked my Aunt Chris, who is a fabulous home chef, if she had any good recipes for vegetarian dishes and she suggested Spaghetti Pizza. My Mom is actually the one who had the recipe and I faintly remember eating it as a kid, but not very often since my Dad is a diabetic and needs to limit his carbs. This dish is so much fun! The "crust" is baked spaghetti and then you top your spaghetti with tomato sauce and whatever toppings you like. Since we're going veggie, I added in a variety of fresh mushrooms, black olives, diced tomatoes, and sliced white onions. But any of your favorite pizza toppings works great -- green peppers, pepperoni, sausage, etc. This is a dish that kids would love and also be able to help you make! I served this with quick and easy cheesy garlic bread, which I will post next. 

Baked Spaghetti Pizza
From My Momma
Printable Version

Ingredients
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
Toppings of your choice for the "pizza"part (mushrooms, olives, diced tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pepperoni, sausage, etc.) Note: if you use  meat make sure it's cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 jar of pizza sauce or Ragu sauce


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together eggs and milk. Toss with the cooked spaghetti. Spread the mixture in a greased 9X13 baking dish. Top with sauce, toppings, and then cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown on edges. Let stand for5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with a spatula. 

Antipasti Platter

Last week I invited my husband's coworkers over for a little dinner party and decided to go with an Italian theme. I knew right away what my main course and dessert would be but I had a hard time deciding on an appetizer. I needed it to be large enough to feed 8 people but quick and easy since I knew I would be busy focusing on the main dish (my friend Mary's decadent Fettuccini Alfredo, which I will post next). I wound up finding this post on Tasty Kitchen. The title is "Anatomy of an Antipasti Platter, or How to Set the Bar Impossibly Low." While I wasn't purposely intending to "set the bar low" (after all a girl with a cooking blog does have expectations to live up to!) I was looking for a fun, easy, and delicious Italian appetizer and I found it. It doesn't get much easier than this, but people just dive into it! How could they not with so many yummy marinated, cheesy goodness laid out so beautifully? The great thing about buying so many different ingredients is that people can pick and choose, layer, and stack, grab and gobble, and you will have enough to replenish the platter once with some bits and pieces left over. 

Antipasti Platter
**This technically isn't a "recipe" but is more of preparation instructions! 


Printable Version


Ingredients
1/2 pound thinly sliced proscuitto
1 pound marinated olives (mix it up with Kalamatas, Green Olives, Stuffed Olives, whatever you like!)
1/2 pound thinly sliced salami
1/2 pound cubed Provolone
1 jar marinated Artichoke Hearts, cut into quarters
1 jar Pepperoncini Peppers
1 tub fresh Mozzarella Balls (I couldn't find "balls" so used slices instead)
1 jar roasted red peppers, thinly sliced 

You could also use pickles, small cubes of cantaloupe, roasted garlic cloves, sundried tomatoes...basically you have license to go crazy with this one!


Directions
Arrange on a large platter with the ingredients in rows. Serve with fresh bread and olive oil and let people go to town!