Easy Peasy Pizza Dough

I felt so thrifty today. I made this pizza dough for a late lunch/early dinner. I didn’t have any pizza sauce but I did have a small can of tomato sauce — always have staple items in your pantry! — and added spices and herbs until I was satisfied with the flavor. Then I used some organic mozzarella that I ordered with my veggie bin as well as the BEST pepperoni ever — Applegate Farms. These slices are SO HUGE that I only needed 7 to cover an entire pizza! This crust does not have to be baked before you top it. I did let it rise, only because I was waiting for my husband to text me that he was on his way home from his Sunday sports league. I did have to add more water because the dough seemed dry — but then I had to add a tad more flour because it was too sticky. Sigh. It spread well and baked like a dream. Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-dough-i/

Happy Friday!

I have been unbelievably swamped at work (silly work, getting in the way of everything!) and therefore haven’t been cooking so much this week (poor boyfriend), preferring to eat sandwiches and salads for dinner all week.  I ran across this picture on the Internet and as both an amateur cook AND a science fiction nerd, it made me giggle.  I’ll be back soon with more yummies for the blog.  Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!!

Hahahahahaha

Brinin’ Away

I’ll be honest, I had never brined any cut of meat before. But, after having a delicious turkey on Thanksgiving that had been brined, I wanted to give it a try. I am NOTORIOUSLY awful at cooking pork chops. Too dry, too bland, too ick. Armed with my trusty new meat thermometer, though, I wanted to give chops another try.

I searched the internet for a brining recipe, hoping to add some flavor to pork. (Did you know it’s the other white meat? lol). I took a combination of different recipes, based on what I had in my pantry.

For 4 thin (about 1/2″ thick) chops I used:
1T dry mustard (NOT regular mustard! The powder found in the spice aisle.)
3/4 cup Kosher (NOT table) salt
Couple shakes out of the pepper canister
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups hot apple cider vinegar
1 tray of ice cubes

Mix the dry ingredients together in a nonreactive (glass or plastic) bowl.
Add in the HOT ACV.
Stir and stir and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
Let sit for 20 minutes.
Add in the ice and stir to melt.

Now here is where I ran into a problem. The brine needs to completely cover the meat. So, the bowl I used wasn’t big enough for that. Nor was the first casserole dish I used. I finally used a 9×13 pan and had to add water to the brine so that chops were submerged.

Cover the dish and put in the fridge for up to 2 hours. Rinse the meat under cool water then cook until done. (A meat thermometer is very handy when it comes to cooking pork to make sure it is completely done.) I put the cooked chops on a plate and covered with foil for about 10 minutes to let the meat rest. The chops were juicy and nicely cooked and even reheated well the next day.

Organic Veggie Delivery

Cath is fortunate, living in Indianapolis, to have access to an organic vegetable delivery service, Green Bean, and has been using it for the past several months.  She loves it!  You can either choose from a selection or allow them to send you a basket with items that were fresh in the markets that day.  The quality of the fresh fruit/veggies has been very good in her experience.

I’m super excited that we here in the Houston area are getting a similar service!  Greenling is going to start servicing the Houston area.  For $34.95 per week you can have a full tote sent to your front door full of organic fruit and vegetable goodness to last you all week!  I don’t know about you, but I’m sure I spend at least that much in fruit/veggies with my regular grocery shopping, and the product I bring home from the grocery stores are often bruised or over ripe, going bad before I can use it.  Greenling offers a guarantee against bad, old, bruised fruit/veggies.

Additionally, Greenling will also offer meats and dairy for additional charges.  All of these items are organic and grown locally.  In addition to getting healthier, better quality food delivered to your front door, you are supporting your local area farmers.  This is a win/win situation!

Do you have a service like this where you live?  Do you use it?  What do you like/dislike about the service?  Leave us a note in the comments!

Welcome to NYMK!

Welcome, welcome to Not Your Momma’s Kitchen!  The idea for this began to percolate in my head this year because I eat breakfast.  A lot.  All the time.  It’s good for breakfast.  It’s good for brunch.  It’s good for dinner.  Breakfast is a perfect meal!

I happen to suffer from a tragically low protein level in my body, and as such, I’m always trying to get as much protein in my meals as I can.  I don’t eat much red meat, or fish, or beans, which would be the best source of protein.  I do however love eggs.  I eat them almost every single day.  They are healthy and a great source of protein.  Eating them every day presents a problem for me though:  boredom.

Eggs are a fairly blank canvas.  By that I mean you can add any number of things to them to add flavor and change it up a bit.  This blog came about because I get really, REALLY creative with my daily eggs to change them up and make them a bit different.

I also enjoy baking and all other forms of cooking so I expect there will be a smattering of that in here as well.  So, if you are into cooking or eating, please add me to feed reader, and check back.  I love to cook and share my food with people ~ for all of you that live in my computer, this is about the best way I can think to share my food with you!

Enjoy!!!

(pee ess ~ I also paint my nails weekly, so a shot of those may show up from time to time as well!)