Thomas Lorenzo Reynolds

Keep an eye out, I'm still trying to perfect my pizza dough.

But for the basic dough, you want:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup of luke-warm water
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of sugar

1. dissolve the yeast in the 1 cup of luke-warm water
2. in a large bowl combine everything else
3. add the yeast mixture until you have a stiff dough. I like to add it in slowly, sometimes its too much water, sometimes not enough
4. cover dough and allow to rise until about twice the original size
5. preheat oven to 350
6. now the fun part of forming the dough: liberal on the flour, and use your own technique til you get some shape that resembles a pizza dough
7. make your pizza with any topping you want.
8. cook for about 20 minutes, or until its as cooked as you want it too.

I can tell you that the amount of dough this yields is more than one 12" pan pie unless you like it deep.

I do enjoy fish, but only filleted. The problem is, I have little to no clue how to do it myself. I always spend extra buying filleted pieces. I hope that this weekend I can try this one out:

What to do with the leftovers of a delicious Easter dinner? Well, try making a Ham, Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 cups ham, diced
• 1/4 cup cream or half and half (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chives or dill, chopped

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, potatoes and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Using a blender or food processor, working in batches, process until smooth.
3. Stir in diced ham and cream. Season to taste with salt. Garnish with parsley, chives or dill.

Sometimes you forget about the simple foods that are so enjoyable until someone brings it up to you. This time it was stuffed shells reminded to me by someone I went to elementary school with.

Italian Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

• 1 box jumbo shells (27 in a box)
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• 2 pkgs. chopped spinach
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb. ricotta cheese
• 1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp. onion salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Boil shells in water until tender, but not completely done.
2. Fry and crumble sausage in pan. Drain and set aside.
3. Thaw spinach and press between paper towels to remove excess water.
4. Place spinach in a colander.

   
   (incase you don't know what one is)

5. In a large bowl add cheeses, nutmeg, garlic and onion salt.
6. Beat the two eggs until frothy and pour into the cheese mixture. Mix well.
7. Stir in the spinach.
8. Stuff the cheese and spinach mixture into the shells.

And as in the recipe for Gorgonzola Cream Sauce, the sauce will be the make or break for the shells.

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 (16 oz.) can whole tomatoes
• 1/2 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Crumbled, cooked sausage

Directions:

1. Let this mixture simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Stir sauce and pour over the stuffed shells.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

When you bake the shells, try adding more cheese ontop of the shells like a Chicken Parmigiana. Also, try using more cheeses, Asiago, Ricotta, Cottage. Try experimenting with what you're putting in the shells. Once you get the basic recipe down, there is a lot of room for new variations.