You’re just One Click away from the perfect pizza - whether the complex pairings of seafood and seasonings in Ron’s Seafood Pesto Pizza or the couldn’t-be-simpler Easy Cheesy Pizza with its pourable crust of eggs and cheese. To kick this off, let’s start with two perfect crusts:
• The Perfect Pizza Crust Version 1
• The Perfect Pizza Crust Version 2
Followed by some some great pizzas!
• René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza
Until we meet again ... Happy New Year, Dollinks!
This is the place to find all your shortbread faves with a single click! Check out:
• Melt-in-Your-Mouth Shortbread
• Jean Bethune’s Scottish Shortbread
• Chocolate-Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Happy holiday baking!
My longtime friend Linda Walkem Hall is a remarkable cook. Many of her dishes originate with the organic vegetables and herbs she raises in her lakeside garden. Linda’s Pork-Free Turkey Stuffing is always popular. PS: (Stuffing prepared and served outside the bird is termed Dressing)
Linda’s Pork-Free Turkey Stuffing:
Avocado oil (as needed for volume of onion and herbs used)
1 onion, coarsely diced
Sage, fresh or dried and plenty of it
Rosemary (ditto)
Oregano (also ditto)
Coarse ground sea salt, to taste
Coarsely ground pepper, to taste
Plain croutons (commercial or homemade), as needed
One day before roasting turkey, heat medium skillet with avocado oil. Add onion with sage, rosemary, and oregano (see Herb Note). Sautée lightly and season to taste. Transfer to covered container and refrigerate, allowing flavors blend overnight.
(Linda buys her croutons; if you prefer homemade, reduce the seasoning for the herbs and prepare Nicole’s Special Croutons.
When ready to roast turkey, warm onion and herbs in skillet, tossing lightly with croutons. In Linda’s words: “Jam it into the turkey’s tummy” (the body cavity), roasting as recipe directs.
Herb Note: The flavor of dried herbs is more concentrated than fresh. Use fewer dried herbs than fresh ones, proportionate to the other ingredients in this recipe.
For more turkey recipes, see One Click: Turkey.
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| Linda’s Pork-Free Turkey Stuffing - Photo by Linda Walkem Hall |
These instructions apply to turkey, poultry, and meats - but mostly to turkey!
Never wrestle with a heavy turkey; the turkey will always win. Invest in a good-quality lifter to transfer the turkey from pan to platter. Put that platter on a damp tea towel: Turkeys are slippery. The distance from platter to shatter can be short.
I don’t use precise measurements to make gravy: Everything depends on the weight of the turkey, how much fat you add, and how much juice and fat the bird releases. Once the turkey’s done, remove it from the roasting pan with the lifter you raced out to buy when you started to read this recipe.
A reliable gauge to a turkey’s “doneness” is its wiggly leg; if you aren’t sure, use a meat thermometer. Or (the belt-and-suspenders method), use both.
Tent the turkey lightly with foil and allow to rest (10 min. for most meats; 20 min. for a sizable turkey) before carving. Don’t wash the roasting pan!
Heat the drippings in that same roasting pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in just enough all-purpose flour to absorb most of the fat in the pan. Whisking quickly, thoroughly combine the fat and and all-purpose flour, adding extra flour as needed. Continuing to whisk, let bubble about 1 min. over medium-low heat.
Gradually add homemade or commercial broth (see One Click: How to Make Stock), as well as the cooking water from potatoes or other non-cruciferous (look it up, Dollinks) vegetables on the menu. The term non-cruciferous is important: No one wants a fart-fest at the dinner table.
Whisk, whisk, whisk until gravy reaches desired thickness. Gravy thickens on standing, so don’t be too heavy-handed with the flour. If floating fat remains on the surface, add a little more flour and liquid or simply skim off the fat.
Season to taste (and do taste it!) with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and any herb or combination of herbs, to taste. You may want to add a splash of red wine (for meats) or white (for poultry) to flavor your gravy, or sliced mushrooms, or a spoonful of Dijon-style mustard.
You may also want to “cheat” by adding a gravy browning agent or a poultry-flavored concentrate, at this point. There are plenty of brands available: All produce attractive, nicely colored gravy.
Because this gravy may contain bits of poultry (or meat) and the occasional flour lump, strain and reheat it before transferring it to your gravy boat. Stirring the flour into cold broth before adding it to hot gravy may slightly reduce the number of lumps, but the best gravies are strained and smooth. Substitute cornstarch for flour at your peril: The result is often a far thinner, less “substantial” gravy, suitable for anaemic folks who want a pale drizzle, but not for those with heartier expectations.
I’ve had cornstarch-thickened gravy in chi-chi dining rooms, and found it disappointing. If you’re going to have gravy, for goodness sake, have gravy! You don’t do this everyday, so enjoy the splurge!
Note: I like to make lots of gravy. Leftover gravy is a superbly reliable addition to homemade soups, stews, and dishes such as turkey pies. For more turkey recipes, see One Click: Turkey.
This terrific appy comes from my dear friend Nancy, of Surprise, Arizona, whose mother once made them. Nancy used to eat the leftovers straight from the fridge. When I recently tried these Crisps, we ate them hot, but the next day ... Straight from the fridge! Eating them as fast as we did, we didn’t pause for a photo!
Cauliflower Crisps:
1 medium cauliflower, rinsed. dried, exterior leaves removed
2 c. (500 mL) Bisquick commercial biscuit mix
2 large eggs
1 c. (250 mL) milk
1/3 c. (80 mL) shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder, to taste
Parsley leaves, fresh or dried, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying in skillet
Trim cauliflower into 1-1/2 in. (3.5 mm) florets. Cook until “al dente,” about 2 min. Immediately chill in cold water. Pat dry with paper towel; set aside.
In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients, mixing until smooth. Heat skillet on medium, Dip cauliflower into batter until well coated, frying 8-to-10 pieces at a time until golden on each side. Briefly rest on paper towel to absorb excess fat. Serve at once. Yields 3 or 4 portions.
Note: Don’t add liquid to the batter until moments before you’re ready to dip the florets. Nancy prefers to cut each floret in half before dipping it.
I, on the other hand, found the slightly larger pieces worked well, while still hand-holdable. Nancy’s method uses more of the delicious batter; I had some left over ... in other words, wasted.
The depth of oil in the skillet will affect your cooking time. I used about 2 in. (5 mm) of oil in my skillet, with the heat at medium-high. Nancy uses less oil, sautéeing the battered florets, rather than deep-fat frying them. This is a matter of personal preference. Although I used more oil than Nancy does, I strained the used oil, and refrigerating it in a clean jar, so that none was wasted. Sauté or deep-fry a test piece before proceeding.
I tore this recipe from a page in an old magazine. After all, who doesn’t like scalloped potatoes? To my amazement and delight, they were the best scalloped potatoes I’ve had in years - and definitely, the easiest to prepare.
Perfect exactly as is, I won’t even pretend to modify this recipe. Sadly, I can’t give credit where credit is due because I have no idea who came up with this little gem. I’ve numbered the steps because - while this recipe is super-easy, it’s also easy to get confused with this may layers in any dish.
Mushroom and Cheese Scalloped Potatoes:
One 10 fl. oz. (284 mL) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 c. (250 mL) light cream
1 c. (250 ml) shredded sharp cheddar
1/8-to-1/4 tsp. (1.2-to-2.5 mL) pepper
6 c. (1.5 L) potatoes, thinly sliced and peeled
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. (60 mL) dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp. (30 mL) grated (commercial “shaker-style”) Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.
Step 1: Add soup, cream, cheese, and pepper to bowl, mixing well.
Step 2: Place half potatoes in spray-greased 2 qt. (2 L) casserole dish.
Step 3: Top with all of onions.
Step 4: Spoon half of remaining soup mixture over onions.
Step 5: Top with remaining potatoes and soup mixture.
And now … Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 40-to-45 min., or until potatoes are soft when pricked at center of casserole with a sharp paring knife.
PS: I took a photo of this delish dish, but frankly, it looked like up-chuck. Anything looks better with parsley. Unfortunately, I had none. My kitchen advice:
Step 1: Make this wonderful recipe.
Step 2: Buy parsley.
When Canadian chef Shelley Adams invented this recipe some 20 years ago, she probably had no idea what a runaway sensation it would be! Named after a back-country North American ski bowl, this delicious combination of ultra-nutritious foods is the single best salad/main dish I’ve ever had. No one pays me to say stuff like this … I’m completely sincere. If your local grocer doesn’t stock nutritional yeast flakes, you’ll find them in the bulk foods section of a health foods store, or online.
Glory Bowl:
To Prepare the Salad:
2 tbsp. (3o mL) canola oil
2 c. (500 mL) cubed extra-firm tofu
8 c. (2 L) hot brown rice (see Note)
2 c. (500 mL) grated carrots, peeled, raw
2 c. (500 mL) grated beets, peeled, raw
2 c. (500 mL) packed baby spinach leaves, washed, stemmed, uncooked
2 c. (500 mL) slivered almonds, toasted
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Ready to serve: Glory Bowl |
In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté tofu, stirring frequently until brown and crispy, about 10 min. Drain on paper towel. Divide rice among 8 bowls; drizzle each with 1 tbsp. (15 mL) dressing. Top each bowl with tofu, carrots, beets, spinach and almonds, drizzling each serving with an additional 3 tbsp. (45 mL) dressing.
Note: If you need to, see How to Cook Rice, with reference to the section on brown rice.
To Prepare the Dressing:
1/2 c. (125 c.) nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 c. (0.333 mL) tamari or light soy sauce
1/3 c. (0.333 mL) apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. (0.333 mL) water
2 tbsp. (30 mL) tahini
2 medium-sized cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1-1/2 c. (375 mL) canola oil
In blender, purée nutritional yeast flakes, tamari or light soy sauce, vinegar, water, tahini and garlic. With motor running on low, add oil in slow, steady stream. Blend until smooth. Serves 8 grown-ups or 12 intelligent, nutritionally aware children.
(Tip: You can make this excellent dressing in advance. Covered and refrigerated, it keeps up to a week.)
Librarian extraordinaire Nathan has been researching, again! And what he’s found will interest lasagna lovers everywhere. Although I’ve been busy in my kitchen, I’ve also been busy with a large project that’s eating up the hours, weeks, and months.
With a brain the size of a pea pod, I can’t blog and chew gum at the same time.
Nathan to the rescue with yet another Margo Oliver lasagna recipe a blog reader requested. Says Nathan: “Always happy to do digging for things like this. We don’t get as many fun reference inquiries as we used to anymore …”
So remember your local library and librarians as an excellent source for those old recipes you’re seeking. This oldie but goodie dates to 1967:
What day izzit? What month? What year?
I’ve been on a working sabbatical from this blog for a couple of months and (considering I’ve been very, very bad and have taken several sabbaticals from the sabbatical), it looks like I’ll be a while longer. Patience, Grasshopper!
I’ve also been naughty and done a little scribbling on my second blog, but am about to take a break from that, too: https://whatsonnicolepartonsmind.blogspot.com
A reader recently left a comment asking if I could find “Margo Oliver’s Lasagna” recipe. I searched my cookbooks: Nothing. I looked online: Plenty of mentions, but I didn’t want to create (or give an existing) password to unfamiliar sites. I canvassed friends: No luck.
Being the easily distracted kind, I phoned my local library, leaving a pretty big ask on voice mail. Please find me Margo Oliver’s Lasagna recipe: Can’t find it online; can’t go to the library because of COVID; and oh, by the way, don’t have a library card. So give me 40 lashes with a wet lasagna noodle, already!
Three days later, a Librarian-From-Heaven named Nathan sent me an email. Not only had he found one Oliver lasagna recipe, but three. This was terrific news. Margo Oliver was Canada’s Betty Crocker - famous. (As well as being the easily distracted kind, I’m the more-or-less illiterate kind, and am never quite sure the URLs I post will actually link to sites. Why my own does, I have no idea. So if you can, try this link to read about the late Oliver’s life, career, and many excellent cookbooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margo_Oliver
To sum up: When Darling Nathan delivered in spades, I said a quiet prayer for librarians everywhere, and thought I’d print these recipes for my anonymous reader. I sure as H-E-Double Hockey Sticks hope s/he sees this reply because I’ve taken a sabbatical from my blogging sabbatical to reprint these recipes.
As well as being the easily distracted kind, and the more-or-less illiterate kind, I’m the time-stretched kind, so am sending you the screen shots Dear Heart Nathan sent me. Don’t kvetch ... You know perfectly well how to use a magnifying glass. Because these recipes are Margo Oliver’s, you can bet your patootie they’ll be good.
Back to my sabbatical!
https://nicoleparton.blogspot.com/2021/01/wip-honey-wip.html
xox Nicole
