Santa Fe Pinapple Salad

2 cups finely chopped pineapple

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn

1 chopped bell pepper

2 tbls chopped cilantro

1 tbls seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper

1/2 tsp grated lime peel

2 tbls lime juice

Combine all ingredients. Allow to chill. Serve with chips or spooned over tacos.

Red Potato Salad

Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

3 tbls lemon juice

black pepper to taste

1 cup celery, chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper, cut onto strips

1. Cook potatoes 15 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water and drain.

2. Combine all other ingredients and then mix in potatoes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

NOTE: I added 1/2 mayonnaise and that gave it a nice creamy flavour.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers

Halve 4 Bell Peppers

Place in boiling water for 3 minutes

Remove from heat, allow to cool

Cut off stem and innards

For Filling,

Mix together 10 or so ounces of goat cheese

desired amount of Monteray Jack Cheese

a little chopped basil

and a few chives

Stuff filling in bell peppers and grill for five to six minutes

This is so so yummy!! I served them for Fourth of July and they were a big hit!

Bryan's Bruschetta

Into the food processor....

3 garlic cloves

2 generous handfuls of fresh basil

CHOP!

Add..

15 ounce can diced tomatoes (mostly drained)

salt to taste (roughly 1/2 a teaspoon)

pepper to taste

small handgrab of sugar (it's not a science, it's an art)

Then,

Olive Oil (one slow rotation of the food processor)

*It should dampen things down and coat everything

Balsamic Vinegar (one FASTER rotation)

MIX

and taste....add whatever it may need and serve with crackers.

Gnocchi

Ingredients:

2 lbs - 2 oz. whole baking potatoes
1 beaten egg
2-1/4 cups flour
pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes whole with the skin in salted water until cooked.
2. Once cooked drain the potatoes and then peel them being careful not to burn yourself.
3. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a bowl.
4. Add the flour, egg and a good pinch of salt.
5. Mix until you have a nice pliable ball of dough.
6. Prepare a work area and dust it with flour.
7. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter.
8. Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long.
9. With a fork, holding the tines against the work surface, use your finger to press a piece of dough gently against the fork and roll it slightly then letting it fall to the table.
10. The result should be gnocchi with an indent on one side from your finger and a pattern on the other side from the fork.
11. Handle the gnocchi carefully so they don’t loose their shape. Place them on a lightly flour plates. Keep them apart so they don’t touch one another or they’ll stick together.
12. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and then add the gnocchi carefully a plate or two at a time. When they float to the surface they are ready just remove them with a slotted spoon and set them in a strainer to drain off the excess water.
13. Add more gnocchi to the water and serve the others right away.

SERVE WITH YOUR CHOICE OF SAUCE (picture is with a pink suace)

Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkin Lasagna

• 1/3 cups, Flour
• 1/4 cups, Parmesan cheese
• 6 tablespoons, Butter
• 1 count, Onions
• 2 1/2 cups, Milk
• 3 pounds, Spinach
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds, Mushrooms
• 1 1/2 tablespoons, Black pepper
• 1 pound, Mozzarella
• 1 pound, Lasagna noodles
• 2 pounds, Ricotta cheese
• 15 fluid ounces, Pumpkin
• 2 counts, Garlic cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Stir together pumpkin and ricotta cheese until smooth and well-mixed. Set aside.
3. Steam spinach over high heat about five minutes until wilted. Squeeze out water in batches and chop coarsely chop. Set aside.
4. In large saucepan over med. heat, melt 3 Tbsp. butter or olive oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 8 min. Add mushrooms and saute until soft. Add onion-mushroom mix to pumpkin-ricotta mix. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper and nutmeg. Stir to blend. Set aside.
5. Place empty saucepan back on stove and melt remaining butter/olive oil. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add flour and stir, cooking until dry, about 12 min. Add the milk and cook over med-high heat until it begins to thicken, about 5-8 min. Stir constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat when sauce is thick and creamy.
6. Grease pan, layer half of the noodles on the bottom. Spread half pumpkin mixture on top, then spinach, white sauce and half of the mozzarella. Repeat. Place Parmesan on top, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until hot and bubbly. Remove foil 10 minutes before taking pan out of oven to brown cheese on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Bryan's Pizza

Pizza Dough

Add 1 tsp instant yeast to 3/4 cup warm water (let sit for 15 minutes)

In another bowl, mix 2 Tbs sugar, 1 Tbs kosher salt, 1 Tbs Olive Oil

Add water and yeast combination

Then, mix in 2 cups bread flour

Stir mixture and then knead for 15 minutes

Place dough in large bowl and cover with a little olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap.

Keep in fridge overnight.

 

The next day, cut dough in half, mash to get air bubbles out, roll into two balls and cover with a tea towel for 30 minutes

Cover work surface with flour and form dough into 2 crusts

Brush crust with olive oil

Arrange desired toppings

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Cook for around 7 minutes or until brown

Let cool a little before eating. and then ENJOY! :)