Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

I made this dish for a ladies’ pot luck luncheon I attended. Roasting the vegetables enhances the flavors, and it’s so easy to just throw in the oven while you prepare the rest. The feta is a nice complimentary flavor against the roasted veggies, and the pignolis offer a subtle crunchy texture. This is a great dish for a crowd or even a picnic, since it’s best served at room temperature.

Source: Orzo with Roasted Vegetables, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, peeled and ¾-inch diced

1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced

1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced

1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

⅓ cup good olive oil

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:

⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

⅓ cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)

¼ cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted

¾ pound good feta, ½-inch diced (not crumbled)

15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

Pumpkin and Corn Fritters

These fritters were not only delicious but also surprisingly easy to make. I made these fritters for our pumpkin-themed tailgate. One shortcut I took was using frozen corn kernels rather than cutting corn from the cob. Using the frozen corn, I only had to thaw it in a colander while I prepared the batter. When it’s time to fry, use a candy thermometer to help you keep the temperature just right. I used a small cookie scoop to drop the batter into the hot oil, and it only took minutes for the fritters to puff up and brown to a beautiful golden color.

The flavor was spot-on perfect! The fritters are tasty enough to eat plain, or you can dress them up with maple syrup and powdered sugar. Either way, they won’t last long!

Source: Pumpkin and Corn Fritters, Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup fresh corn kernels cut from the cob

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon white pepper

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

½ cup cake flour, sifted

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Cane syrup or maple syrup, for drizzling

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions

Heat an 8-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the oil and butter to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the corn to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Season the corn with ¼ teaspoon salt and the white pepper. Continue to cook the corn, stirring often, for an additional 5 minutes. Remove corn from pan and set aside on a plate to cool. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and whisk to combine. When the corn is cooled, fold it into the pumpkin base. Gently stir the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and baking soda into the pumpkin base. Stir just until the ingredients are combined, so as not to over-mix. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

In a large 6-quart pot, heat the vegetable oil to 325 degrees F. Remove the fritter batter from the refrigerator and carefully spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of the fritter batter into the hot oil to fry. Cook no more than 6 at a time, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning when necessary, until the fritters are a golden brown. Remove the fritters from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Transfer to an aluminum foil pie pan and place in oven until all of the fritters have been made.

To serve, pile the fritters onto a serving plate and drizzle with syrup. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve while hot.

Sliders

For our 4th of July cookout, we’re having sliders! For our mini burgers, we bought ground beef and ground lamb fresh from our local farmer’s market and set up a burger bar so that our guests can fix their sliders the way they like. We served these with grilled corn on the cob and herb butter. Happy Independence Day!

For beef sliders:
Source: Sliders, Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
2 pounds premium ground beef (80 percent lean and 20 percent fat)
1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
3 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces cheese (like Gruyere, Swiss, or Colby)
12 small slider buns or Brioche buns
4 ounces baby arugula
3 medium tomatoes, sliced in ⅛-inch-thick rounds
2 small red onions, sliced in ⅛-inch-thick rounds
Ketchup, for serving

Directions
Build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill.

Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the mustard, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with a fork to combine, taking care not to compress the ingredients. Shape the meat into 12 (2-inch) patties of equal size and thickness.

When the grill is medium-hot, brush the grill grate with oil to keep the sliders from sticking. Place the sliders on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the sliders over with a spatula and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, until medium-rare, or cook longer if you prefer the sliders more well done. For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, place ½-ounce cheese on the top of each burger and close the grill lid. Remove the sliders to a platter and cover with foil.

Slice the buns in half crosswise and toast the halves cut side down on the grill.

Divide the baby arugula among the 12 bottom buns, top each with a slider, and finish with a slice of tomato and red onion. Cover with the top of the bun and serve hot with ketchup.

For lamb sliders:
Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 slider buns or pita pockets
1 medium tomato, sliced in ⅛-inch-thick rounds
1 small red onion, sliced in ⅛-inch-thick rounds
Feta cheese (optional)
Tzatziki sauce (optional)

Directions
Build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill.

Combine first 9 ingredients and gently mix together with a fork to combine. Shape the meat into 6 (2-inch) patties of equal size and thickness.

When the grill is medium-hot, brush the grill grate with oil to keep the sliders from sticking. Place the sliders on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the sliders to a platter and cover with foil.

Slice the buns in half crosswise and toast the halves cut side down on the grill.

Divide the baby arugula among the 12 bottom buns, top each with a slider, and finish with a slice of tomato, red onion, and feta. Cover with the top of the bun and serve hot with tzatziki sauce.

Beer-Simmered Grilled Brats

These beer-simmered brats are perfect for the tailgate and can be entirely prepared on the grill pretty quickly. We used an aluminum grill pan to poach the sausages in the beer mix and transferred directly to the grill rack to finish cooking. The brats were so tasty!

Source: Beer-Simmered Grilled Sausages, How to Grill

Ingredients
3 pounds uncooked bratwurst or sweet or hot Italian sausages
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cups beer
1 cup water
About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mustard, for serving

Directions
Prick each sausage a half-dozen times with a needle, toothpick, or fork. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of a sauté pan just large enough to hold all the sausages. Place the sausages on top and add beer and water to cover. Place the pan over medium heat and gradually bring the liquid to a simmer, not a rapid boil. Poach the sausages until half-cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a rack on a baking sheet to drain or drain in a colander.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high.

When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Lightly brush the sausages on all sides with oil and place on the hot grate. Grill until the casings are crisp and nicely browned and the sausages are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. You may want to rotate the sausages 90 degrees after 2 minutes on each side to create an attractive crosshatch of grill marks. Should flare-ups arise, move the sausages to a different section of the grill. Use a slender metal skewer to test for doneness. Insert it into the center of one of the sausages: It should come out hot to the touch.

Transfer the sausages to plates or a platter and let rest for 3 minutes. Serve with plenty of mustard.

Hot and Smoky Baked Beans

I know this ingredient list is a little long, but this recipe couldn’t be easier. After cooking the bacon, it’s really just a matter of mixing together the remaining ingredients, pouring into a baking dish, and baking until beautifully browned and bubbly!

Source: Hot and Smoky Baked Beans, Bon Appétit, July 1999

Ingredients
6 bacon slices
1 ½ cups chopped onion
1 ¼ cups purchased barbecue sauce
¾ cup dark beer
¼ cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 to 6 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
6 15- to 16-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
Chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Transfer 2 ½ tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet to large bowl. Finely chop bacon; add to bowl. Add onion and next 7 ingredients to bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in 4 to 6 teaspoons chipotle chilies, depending on spiciness desired. Stir in beans. Transfer bean mixture to 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Bake uncovered until liquid bubbles and thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Cheddar Ale Dip

I made this dip as an appetizer for our “beer” themed tailgate. Super easy to prepare and tasty, we served with corn chips. This dip is great for preparing ahead of time and for travel. It should be served at room temperature.

Adapted from: Cheddar Ale Spread, Culinary Concoctions By Peabody

Ingredients
8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup beer (anything but a light beer)

1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced

Directions

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, cream and salt in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Stir in the parsley by hand until just dispersed.

Beer and Cheddar Risotto

I’m always game for risotto, and this one was a great dish for our “beer” themed tailgate. Creamy, cheesy, and rich in flavor—this was wonderful! If you want a vegetarian version, just substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Source: Beer and Cheddar Risotto, Cooking This and That

Ingredients

½ small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice

12-ounce bottle of beer (preferably not light beer)
6 cups chicken broth

5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

⅓ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Pour chicken broth into medium saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat just until butter is melted. Add onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant.

Add rice and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque, adding more olive oil as necessary to coat the rice.

Pour in beer, turn heat up to high until it starts to simmer.

Turn heat back to medium-low and add the chicken broth ½ cup at a time, stirring until liquid dissolves. You may not need to use all of the chicken broth—risotto should be creamy and just slightly al dente. This should take 30 minutes or more.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and cayenne pepper.

Stout Cupcakes

I was excited to make these cupcakes, the first recipe I’m trying from my new cookbook. The cake is a complex layering of flavors from the cinnamon, molasses, brown sugar, orange zest, and stout beer. I like buttercream frostings on my cupcakes, so I didn't use the stout glaze that goes with this recipe; instead, I made honey-cinnamon frosting, which was an excellent complement to the flavor of the cake.

Source: Stout Cupcakes, Honey-Cinnamon Frosting, Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Ingredients
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 ¼ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups unsulfured molasses
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) stout beer, such as Guinness, poured and settled
Honey-Cinnamon Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs, yolk, zest, and stout until combined. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks to cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

2 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.

Pearl Pasta with Grilled Summer Veggies

As a locavore, I love all the fresh summer vegetables and herbs we’re getting from the garden, the farmer’s markets, and our CSA share! This recipe was a great way to use them in a single dish, and it was super easy to prepare.

McHubby put the veggies on the grill while I worked on the Israeli couscous, the larger pearl-like variety of couscous. When the veggies were done, it was just a quick slice into bite-sized pieces, with grilled portobello mushrooms added to the mix. Toss the veggies with the couscous, add the fresh herbs, and enjoy!

Source: Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables, Bobby Flay

Ingredients
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise
2 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise
6 spears asparagus, trimmed
12 cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded
¼ cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Israeli couscous
3 cups vegetable stock, heated

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour ½ the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Preheat the grill. Remove the vegetables from the marinade and grill the vegetables until just cooked through. Cut the zucchini and peppers into ½-inch pieces, cut the tomatoes in half.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the couscous and toast until lightly golden brown. Cover the couscous with the hot stock and bring to a boil, cook until al dente and drain well. Place in a large serving bowl, add the grilled vegetables and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.

Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Herbs and Cheese

Our neighborhood had a community picnic yesterday, where neighbors were asked to bring a side dish to share. I decided to bring a vegetable side dish and thought this recipe would be perfect, since it could also be a finger food.

I doubled the recipe and used both zucchini and yellow squash from my CSA bag. To cut the zucchini and squash in thin and uniform slices, I used my mandoline. McHubby grilled the slices while I prepared the goat cheese mixture. Then we simply assembled and rolled. These were delicious and a big hit at the picnic.

Source: Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Herbs and Cheese, Ellie Krieger

Ingredients
3 zucchini (about ½ pound each), sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ ounces reduced-fat soft goat's cheese
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley leaves
½ teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
⅓ cup basil leaves

Directions
Discard the outermost slices of zucchini and brush the rest of the slices with the oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill or grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender.

In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, parsley leaves and lemon ju

ice, mashing with a fork.

Put ½ teaspoon of the cheese mixture about ½-inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and 1 small, or half of a large basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini slices.

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I’m not quite sure why I’ve never tried this recipe before (I even own this cookbook), so I was pleased to see that it was selected as the next Barefoot Bloggers selection, by Cat of Delta Whiskey. I used whole wheat fusilli pasta, and I omitted the olives—neither McHubby nor I like them. Instead, I substituted with an orange bell pepper and ¼ cup of toasted pignolis. I was also able to use fresh tomatoes from the farmer’s market (the ones in my garden aren’t quite ready yet) and fresh basil from my CSA basket. I was a little surprised at seeing only ½ pound of pasta to a full pound of mozzarella cheese in the list of ingredients, so I used half the amount of mozzarella.

What a wonderful pasta salad! The sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and capers in the dressing produce a combination of complementary flavors that blends well with the tomatoes and cheeses. I’ll happily make this dish again!

Source: Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients
½ pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
¾ cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Vegetable and Herb Coleslaw

We received a head of cabbage in our CSA basket this week, so I thought coleslaw would be nice as a side dish with our Fourth of July dinner on the patio. I’ve made Ina’s recipe as written before, so this time I used the entire head of white cabbage instead of splitting between white and red cabbages, and I had extra herbs in my fridge that I added to brighten up the flavor a bit. I also didn’t use all of the dressing. I don’t like too much mayonnaise in my coleslaw, and there was enough to coat the veggies with extra left.

Adapted from: Vegetable Coleslaw, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients
1 pound white cabbage (½ small head)
¾ pound red cabbage (½ small head)
5 carrots
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
2 cups good mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon lemon pepper

Directions
Fit a food processor with the thickest slicing blade. Cut the cabbages into small wedges and place horizontally into the feed tube. Process in batches. Next, fit the food processor with the grating blade. Cut the carrots in half and place in the feed tube so they are lying on their sides. Process in batches and mix in a bowl with the grated cabbages and fresh herbs.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, celery seeds, celery salt, salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Pour enough of the dressing over the grated vegetables to moisten them. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Favorite Baked Beans

These baked beans are the best! They couldn’t be any easier to make, either. It’s just a matter of mixing everything together in a bowl, pouring into a casserole dish, and baking for an hour. The bacon, molasses, crushed pineapple, and BBQ sauce create a perfect combination of sweet, tangy, and smoky flavors, and the French-fried onions add a crunchy topping.

This recipe can easily be made as vegetarian by using vegetarian baked beans and omitting the bacon. Use a bit of liquid smoke instead to impart the smoky flavor.

Source: Sue and Gloria’s Baked Beans, Sue Mittelman and Gloria Zucker

Ingredients
4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (6-ounce) can French-fried onions, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

McHubby and I love cooking homemade pizza on the grill in the summertime. We’ve even made them for tailgates! We prefer using whole wheat pizza dough and roll it out to a thin crust that crisps up on the grill. The best part about making pizza dough is that you can use them immediately or save them in the fridge or freezer for a quick and easy meal later. Just top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

In this recipe, I used honey instead of sugar. You can bake these in the oven, but if cooking on the grill, be sure to use indirect to avoid burning the crust.

Source: Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen, Kathleen Daelemans

Ingredients
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 packages dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ½ cups lukewarm water from the tap
½ teaspoon olive oil
Flour for the work surface
Sprinkling of cornmeal

Directions
Place flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. While mixer is running, gradually add water and knead on low speed until dough is firm and smooth, about ten minutes. Turn machine off.

Pour oil down inside of bowl. Turn on low once more for 15 seconds to coat inside of bowl and all surfaces of dough with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm spot until doubled in bulk, about two hours.

Preheat your oven to highest setting, 500° or 550°F. If using a pizza stone, place stone in oven on bottom rack, preheat oven one hour ahead. Punch dough down, cut in half. On generously floured work surface, place one half of dough.

By hand, form dough loosely into a ball, stretch into a circle. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into large circle until very thin. Don't worry if your circle isn't perfect and if you get a hole; just pinch edges back together.

To prevent dough from sticking to counter, turn dough over, add flour to dough, counter and rolling pin as needed. Sprinkle pizza peel or cookie sheet generously with cornmeal. Transfer dough to pizza peel or cookie sheet with no lip. Add toppings.

Slide dough onto pizza stone or place cookie sheet with pizza on bottom rack. Bake 10–12 minutes or until golden. To remove pizza from oven stone, slide cookie sheet under dough onto another cookie sheet, slice and serve immediately.

Roll out remaining dough and top with desired toppings or freeze in freezer bags.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo

I get rave reviews every time I make this recipe, especially from McHubby. The presentation of this dish is so appetizing with its plump, pink shrimp, chunks of cucumber and feta, and chopped herbs. The flavors of these ingredients complement each other very well. The cucumbers and onions add a nice crunch, while the dill and lemon juice wake up the flavor in this dish. This dish can be prepared in advance and also travels well. Serve it warm or cold.

Source: Roasted Shrimp and Orzo, Barefoot Contessa at Home

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients
Kosher salt
Good olive oil
¾ pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
½ cup small-diced red onion
¾ pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.