KB9VBR Amateur Radio » Food and Drink

Independence Day Pizza

Michael Martens — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:52:44 +0000

Pizza Night is a long time Friday evening in our house. I have a few beers and make pizza from scratch. Anything goes for pizza toppings but the first pizza will usually have pepperoni on it, since that’s the kids favorite. The second pizza may have Italian sausage, ham, goat cheese, or anything else that is handy in the refrigerator.

This year the 4th of July fell on a Sunday. I was out of town on Friday, so we had Independence Day pizza on Sunday the 4th. The theme was Red, White and Blue, so the second pizza had roasted red peppers, caramelized white onions, and crumbled blue cheese. I also threw on the fresh basil and mushrooms. Everyone devoured the second pizza; it made a great finish for the weekend since the 4th ended up to be a rainy night.

Continue past the break for my pizza dough recipe.

Pizza Dough (makes 2 12 inch pizzas)

4 Cups Bread Flour
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tbsp Kosher Salt
2 1/4 tsp quick rise yeast
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cup Water

Add ingredients in order into a mixing bowl or food processor work bowl. Knead for 10 minutes with a stand mixer using the dough hook. If mixing in a food processor, pulse three times for 5 seconds each to incorporate ingredients and then continue processing for 30 seconds. Pour dough out of bowl onto a floured surface, knead briefly and transfer to an oiled bowl for rising. Allow to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. After rising, punch and divide the dough into two balls and let rise another 15 minutes.

New Year’s Day Brunch

Michael Martens — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:40:23 +0000

New Year’s day is usually a pretty relaxing holiday the family. The stress of the holidays is over so New Year’s is about relaxation and slowly getting back into the regular work/school grind. After getting up at a reasonble time, I put together our traditional New Year’s Day brunch. This year’s meal featured: Belgian waffles topped with Bananas Foster, Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, and mimosas.

Follow the links for the recipes, continue reading for the Mimosa recipe.

Mimosa
The mimosa is a champagne punch that got its start in France sometime in the 1920s. Making mimosas are easy and they are a great addition to any brunch menu.

Fill a fluted champagne glass with:
2 parts Orange Juice
3 parts Champagne or Sparkling wine

Some recipes call for ice, but don’t bother with it. Ice just dilutes the drink; using chilled juice and champagne is sufficient for a chilled drink.

Grasshopper Pie

Michael Martens — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:04:02 +0000

A holiday tradition with the Martens Family for as long as I can remember is Grasshopper Pie. We’ve eaten it at Christmas dinner since I was a small child. The minty taste and creamy goodness is a perfect end to a big Christmas feast. My Grandmother’s grasshopper pie recipe is nothing special, I think she got it off a bottle of Creme de Menthe many, many years ago. But it’s easy to make and will impress your holiday guests.

Recipe after the jump.

Martens Family Grasshopper Pie

16 Oreo Cookies (on the recipe card, my grandmother spells is oriole)
4 Tbsp melted butter

Crush the cookies and add the melted butter. Reserve 1 tablespoon for the topping. Press into a pie pan and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Let cool.

24 marshmallows
2/3 cup milk
1 jigger Creme de Menthe
1 jigger Creme de Cacao
8 ounces whipped topping

Melt the marshmallows and milk in a double boiler. Refrigerate until cool. Add the Creme de Menthe and Creme de Cacao. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle reserved cookie crumbles on top. Refrigerate at least 5 hours before serving.

Thanksgiving dinner on the cheap

Michael Martens — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:08:48 +0000

Food prices have shot up like crazy over the last six months. But does this mean that you have to skimp on Thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately the answer is a resounding NO. Epicurious shows you how to feed a party of ten on Thanksgiving day for $80.00. Of course your milage and costs may vary depending on what part of the country you are from. The prices in the article seem kind of New York City high; I know that in the upper midwest I could probably make the same dinner for about $50.00. With some careful shopping and watching your sales, you too can bring in an award winning Thanksgiving feast under budget.

Highly recommended is the Roast Turkey with Oranges, Bay Leaves, Red Onions and Pan Gravy. This dish has a flavor like no other. I’ve made it twice and have received rave reviews both times.