Blizzard Pizza!

Well, not really. So far, only about 4 inches. We were supposed to get 8 - 10 inches. But at least I got to leave work early and had time to make this favorite recipe.

1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Cup luke-warm water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 Cups flour
grated mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce
pizza toppings

Add yeast and sugar to water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in food processor (if you have one), add olive oil, salt and flour and mix. When the yeast mixture is bubbly, add all at once to the flour mixture. Dough should pull away from the edges as it mixes. If it does not add more water 1/4 Cup at a time until dough forms a ball.

Place in an olive oil-greased bowl and let rise until double.

Punch down and form into pizza. Top with a thin layer of mozzarella and then the sauce.

Add toppings (mushrooms, pepperoni, olives, onions, etc.). Finish with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 425 oven for 30 minutes until bubbly.

Frangelica Bread Pudding

When it's cold outside and you don't want to go anywhere. You just want to curl up with a good book and some comfort food.

2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 1/4 Cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 Cups 1-inch day-old bread, cubed
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup raisins
1/2 Cup Frangelica liqueur

Combine egs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir in bread cubes. Mix in brown sugar and raisins. Pour into 2 quart casserole and pat cubes down. Pour Frangelica over all. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or till knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Six servings.

Decanting Wine

I recently bought a wine decanter, but I didn't know how to use it so I did a little research. Here is what I found...

Young Red Wines
Young full-bodied (and inexpensive) red wines can benefit from decanting. When the wine comes in contact with oxygen, the aromas in the wine are released and harsh tannins are softened. Use a wide-body decanter to provide more surface area for the wine and oxygen to mix.

Splash the wine into the decanter. The more it splashes into the decanter, the more it comes in contact with oxygen. Let the wine settle and rest for a short time (ten to fifteen minutes).

Aged Wine
Old wines will contain sediment due to the aging process. Old wines with sediment are decanted to leave the sediment in the bottle.

Stand the bottle upright for several hours to allow the sediment to settle at the bottom. Use a lamp or candle to light the neck of the bottle. Hold the bottle of wine so that the area just below the neck of the wine bottle can be seen through the light while pouring. Pour the wine slowly into the decanter. Stop pouring when sediment appears in the neck of the bottle.

My First Test
Since I don't own any aged wines, the wine I decanted was a full-bodied Cabernet. My first test was a Brutocao 2005 Cabernet Savignon. The retail was about $13. I liked the decanted wine better. The decanting made the initial taste much smoother but the finish was sitll strong.

Bruschetta Alla Romana

I created this blog so that we could share our favorite recipes, tips and tricks for everything. But mostly for food and drink. Since we all love the Bruschetta Alla Romana from our fav local Italian spot, the name sounded right. Post your favorites!