Corn roasted in it's husks

Try something different with your fresh corn!
Thoroughly soak your corn husks for a couple hours.
Grill in it's husks on the grill.
It adds an extra wonderful taste.
Eat as normal or cut ears off husks for use in salads.

One special pizza night!

This recipe is a standard for us. We have done it so many times, we have been able to modify the original dough recipe so that we can make it healthier and out of wheat flour. The dough is made in a bread machine, and if using wheat add about 3 or 4 tablespoons more water to make the dough work. It's family pizza night so the toppings are yours to decide!!! This pizza night was extra special too - because it was the first time that Puckstopper was almost entirely in charge of the process!

Pizza Dough
(enough to make 2 large pies)
Ingredients:
1.5 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups bread flour
10 oz. Luke warm water (yes his cousins name is Luke and he gave us this recipe)
1.5 teaspoon salt
2 T olive oil
corn meal

Toppings
Yours to decide

Process:
1. Put ingredients, in order, into bread maker and start on dough setting.
2. Remove dough from machine and split into three or four balls.
3. Roll out balls and toss on a well floured surface, here is what we use to get the rolled dough on the pizza paddle.






















4. Coat your paddle thoroughly in corn meal.

















5. Once it is ready, roll the edge of the dough back just a bit, and wiggle the paddle underneath it.



































6. Gently spread some oil out on your dough and then a couple of blobs of sauce on top.








































7. Go on... spread it around.






















8. Now add your toppings. This here is a picture of my pizza.
Yes, my beloved boys are hand tearing fresh basil to go on top of my caramelized onions.

















and the tween Puckstopper made sure he had to add a little bling into this photo essay.






















9. Now gently, in one fluid motion slide your pizza onto the hot pizza stone that has already been preheated in an oven, as hot as it goes.
What no picture?
Can you imagine why?
My beloved Puckstopper was using MY PIE as his test run for that fateful slide.
Many a pizza have met their death at one such moment.
Me? I was lucky.
Puckstopper was stellar.

10. Remove from oven, cool, cut and eat!

Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinagrette

 

This is the BEST recipe for hot and humid summer nights. SP was on his way home from work yesterday, asked my dinner plans, and when I said "too hot" he brilliantly picked up what we needed from the store. He even opted to keep it chill and omit the grill - keeping it vegetarian!

Refreshing to say the least...

Ingredients
SALAD:

Chicken breasts grilled (if preferred marinate them in lemon juice and cilantro first) and chopped

1 avocado chopped

2 heads romaine chopped

3 tomatoes chopped

4 ears corn, grilled and then kernels cut off ears.

I cup or less shredded cheese
DRESSING:
Ingredients
8 tablespoons oil.
6 tablespoons Lime juice
1 or 2 cloves garlic
Half a bunch of fresh cilantro
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar (if dressing is too sour add more)
1 teaspoon salt

1 raw egg - optional to those who fear them.

Process

1. In a blender or vat with an immersion blender, combine the dressing ingredients. Taste. Adjust ingredients or seasons to your liking. I like mine on the limey/sour side, but you may want it creamier.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss. Chicken and corn may be hot when put in salad. Toss with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.
   

Cucumber Sandwiches

Meet my favorite summer sandwich. HiHo loved making cucumber sandwiches. My kids ask for them by name. Friends want me to fax them and there is none other can compare. My making of these sandwiches has been compared to OCD and has rendered other people incapable of making sandwiches. They are so good, SP at them while mowing the lawn.

Meet the cast of characters - a simple line up.

Ingredients











1/4 to 1/2 a red onion, minced
White Bread, preferably Pepperidge Farm
Hellmann's Mayo
one cucumber (yea there's 4 in the picture but you only need one)
lemon pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Process
1. Mince your onion

















2. Fork your cucumber - yes you take a fork and drag it down the skin, cutting slits into the skin and therefore softening it and beautifying it for your future slicing.
Yes and because HiHo taught me how.

























3. Slice your cucumber thinly.
















4. Lay out your bread into an assembly line.

















5. Spread mayonnaise, salt, pepper and lemon pepper on slices of bread.


















6. Sprinkle a layer of red onion down, and then cover it with a layer of cucumbers.















7. Close your sandwich and press.















8. Cut into different shapes, and arrange on a plate.