Czech Foods Recipes

I broke out my mini springform pan again, this time for a savory recipe!  Personal Deep-Dish Pizzas! As it is a pizza, you can put any fillings you want in it.  What follows are some filling suggestions and then a general recipe. Filling suggestions: Chicken + Crispy Bacon + BBQ Sauce + Mozzarella Fresh Basil + Fresh Tomatoes + Tomato Sauce +  Pepperoni + Mozzarella + Parmesan Shavings (top) Pepperoni + Spicy Sausage + Tomato Sauce + Mozzarella Chorizo Sausage + Peppers + Tomato Sauce + Mozzarella You will need: 1 packet quick rise-dry yeast 1 cup water 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp crushed sea salt 2 1/2 cups flour Yield: 2 6-inch deep dish pizzas 1. Combine dry ingredients: salt, sugar, flour, and yeast in a medium bowl. 2. Heat water to 130 F, immediately add water (once heated) and olive oil.  Stir until thick. 3. Turn dough onto floured surface, kneading for 5 minutes. 4. Return dough to bowl and cover with kitchen towel, let sit for 5 minutes.  Now...

Cooler weather and football games kicking into full gear made the weekend dinner menu an easy one. Our Sunday evening meal consisted of a large pot of homemade chili. The responsibility of preparing chili in our home is alternated between my wife and me.  As most of my Sunday was consumed with yard work, chili production fell into her hands for the day. While we both stick to similar recipes, my wife goes down a milder path that produces a tasty batch yet without the influence of chili or jalapeno peppers. In preparing our meal, I added my own last minute heat by chopping up some jalapeno peppers picked straight out of my garden. I diced these peppers fine and put them in a side dish that served my own personal chili topping. To say these peppers were hot would be an understatement.  The level of heat or scoville units of a jalapeno can be misleading. I have tried some jalapenos that were mild as a cubanelle or poblano on one extreme, and then had some be as fiery as a cayenne...

It is unfortunate that most of my garden produce is coming to a halt as the growing season is ending. The tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and zucchini have run their course with only the broccoli and peppers remaining.  On that note, there were four robust size peppers that were recently picked along with a few jalapenos. As we did not plan on using these peppers anytime soon, I decided it would be best prepare them for freezer storage for later use.  In prior years, we keep a bag of frozen peppers available for soups, stews, pizzas, and chili. Even if they aren’t home grown, it is good to stock up on them when they go on sale at the store during peak season. Since these peppers are going into cooked dishes, they require a blanching process which is very simple. Blanching is an extreme hot water/cold water shock to the food that allows for flavor and appearance to remain preserved when the item is store in frozen state. I have done blanching with not only peppers, but also broccoli ...

Okay, so there is a part 2. Because I have no self control. I've actually seen comedians mocking this on multiple TV shows. The Buffalo Crunch Donut by Tim Horton's is described as yeast-based doughnut drenched in buffalo-style chicken wing sauce and covered in kettle chips. There is also a lovely pool of buffalo sauce in the middle with two lonely tortilla chips floating around. I have to respect what they were going for, but I really can't imagine this actually tasting good...  Oh Taco Bell, I have been putting Doritos in my tex mex for years .... Late to the party with this one.   Another disgustingly delicious food item I've actually tried. Yeah. I ate that. It happened. Damn you Pizza Hut! I almost caved in and got The Cheesecake Factory's fried mac n cheese balls the last time I was in America, but perhaps, wisely, thought better of it. I mean, you can't eat that for lunch AND get cheesecake for dessert. Right? (photo from chubbyheart.com ) It would, of c...