Have You Ever Heard of Swirl Pizza? [Photographs: Hawk Krall] Alex's Pizzeria 400 Leverington Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19128-3312 (map); 215-483-6126 Pizza style: Thin-crust SwirlOven type: Gas The skinny: Super sweet sauce swirled on top of the cheese at this tiny neighborhood take-out spotPrice: $8.52 for a small, $9.50 for large. Swirl Pizza is a style found along the Schuylkill river towns just northwest of Philadelphia. Alex's is as bare bones as it gets. I watched the pizzamaker toss the dough by hand and stretch it out on a floured counter. Since there aren't any chairs and we didn't want to wait twenty minutes to get home, we plopped the box on the roof of the car and dug in right there on the street. An interesting thing about the spiral pattern of sauce is that your first bite might be all cheese, the next cheese and sauce, and no two mouthfuls are ever the same. Topping choices, like everything else at this place, are minimal. Have you ever had swirl pizza?
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos Make them with some sides for a fun dinner or for appetizers or snacks at a party. Whatever you make them for, this is totally “fun food”! And if you’re viewing this in a feed reader, come on over and check out our Daily Bite section that’s full of links to more fun food! Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos 1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese 1/4 C green salsa 1T fresh lime juice 1/2 t cumin 1 t chili powder 1/2 t onion powder 1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder 3 T chopped cilantro 2 T sliced green onions 2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!) Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
Cruft: Lasagna Cupcakes When Intelligentsia Coffee opened in Pasadena recently, I was intrigued the lasagna cupcakes they served. The cupcakes are made by Heirloom LA, a catering business. About the size of a muffin, a single lasagna cupcake was a delicious meal. After seeing how much my daughter enjoyed them (she ate my entire cupcake and I had to order a second one), I decided I had to try making them at home. After a bit of research, here is my method. The ingredients are fairly simple. Spray or wipe the cupcake tin with olive oil for prevent sticking and add a little flavor. Once you filled in the first layer, gently press another wrapper in, forming another cup. Once you've placed the second wrapper, repeat the filling as you see fit. A bit of Mozzarella cheese on top of it all. I baked them for 20 minutes at 375° F and then come out perfectly browned. If you remembered to use olive oil, they should slide out easily with top crispy and the wrapper moist and tender. The small cupcake size works well for us.
French Fries: The No-Guilt Version There’s nothing like a french fried potato. The taste, the texture, the dip-ability; it’s probably one of my favorite go-to comfort foods. However, I don’t need the fat of an actual deep fried potato, and I certainly do not favor processed french fries that come from the frozen food section of the grocery store. Enter: Healthy French Fries* Step 1: Peel your ‘taters. This isn’t necessary, though, but if you decide you want the skin on make sure you scrub-wash them first. Step 2: Cut them into strips. Step 3: Place potatoes in colander and rinse the starch off of them. Step 4: Pat down the potatoes. Step 5: Drizzle Olive Oil over potatoes. Step 6: Salt those babies up. Step 7: Mix them up so they all get coated with the olive oil and salt. Step 8: Arrange them, on a baking sheet, in a single layer Step 9: Add anything else you like. Step 10: Place the potatoes into your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Step 11: Flip and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes. And then, voila… Healthy French Fries Enjoy!
Party Food! Pizza in a Bite October 20th, 2008 by katie Getting together to watch a game? Or maybe watching a different sort of game? Pizza Bites 2 recipes pizza dough (or 2 cans refrigerated pizza dough)8 oz block mozzarella cheese4 oz thin sliced pepperoni2 tsp Italian seasoning (combine oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic)1/4 cup olive oil3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheesepizza or marinara saucePrepare pizza dough and roughly chop pepperoni. I used to use the refrigerated pizza doughs for this recipe, but I actually find the homemade dough far easier to work with. Basic Pizza Dough 1 pkg active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp loose yeast)1 cup warm water1 tbsp olive oil1 tsp salt2 3/4 cup flourCombine yeast and warm water, stir to dissolve.Add oil, salt, and flour. What’s for dinner this week? Don’t miss my other pizza creations: Pizza Bagels and Pizza Egg Rolls and Pizza Bread!
Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites On Fridays, I teach cooking classes to two kids in our neighborhood. They are pretty knowledgeable-so my job is easy:) I think it is fantastic that they want to learn how to cook at such a young age-they are in the 3rd and 4th grade. Since we don’t have any kiddos yet, I am glad I get to work with these kids. We have a great time in the kitchen. On Friday we made homemade soft pretzels,the traditional salty ones and cinnamon and sugar pretzels. For fun, we also made pretzel bites. everyone loved these. Is everyone ready for the big game? Buffalo Hot Wings-these are Josh’s all time favorite. My good friend Gaby, from What’s Gaby Cooking, made Pulled Pork Sliders for the big game. Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites Yield: A lot!
Garlic Potato Fries I’m never going to make garlic potato fries any other way. These garlic fries, win hands down as the best garlic french fries I’ve ever made. Plus they are baked – so I won’t feel too guilty if I make it every time I’m craving for some potato comfort. When I read that there is garlic infused oil involved, my heart skipped a beat (in a good way, not the way oil would otherwise treat your heart). I got down to making them immediately. I used extra virgin olive oil instead of vegetable oil because I just love the aroma that garlic and olive oil combine to impart. crispy golden baked fries These garlic fries are incredibly simple to make and are so full of flavour. crunchy potato skin Garlic Fries Adapted from: Lottie + Doof Ingredients: 8 garlic cloves, minced or grated 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 12 wedges 3 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour 1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Quesadillas | Kevin & Amanda's... What is it about bacon & avocado that I absolutely love?? And these quesadillas… with their buttery, crispy, heavenly tortilla shells… are seriously yum. Don’t let the green scare ya, avocados have a really delicious taste. I promise they’re not just thrown in to “healthify” this recipe! ;) Quesadillas are one of our favorite quick and easy weeknight meals. Let’s start with the bacon. Now take about a tbsp of the bacon drippings and add to a skillet over medium heat. Add bite-sized pieces of chicken in a single layer, season with salt & pepper, and cook for about 5 mins or until chicken is golden and cooked through, flipping just once during cooking. Remove the chicken & scallions to a plate and rinse out the skillet. Then add a little butter over medium heat… And when foamy, add a tortilla and swirl it around to get it nice and buttery. Now we can start layering with the good stuff. Bacon. Avocado. Do you know how to pick out a good avocado? A little cheese.. And pat down in place.
Crispy Potato Roast Recipe Hey Guys! So…it’s still really hot out…wtf! I’m totally ready for fall…forget this, “I just don’t want summer to end” BS…I’m OVER IT! Okay, I apologize for being aggressive right there, but man does this weather make me grumpy. There are a few things that get my mood up during weather like this: 1) My Dog (always) 2) Frequent Fro-Yo and Hawaiian Ice trips with the boyfriend 3) This Roasted Onion Dip. Remember when you were a kid and sleepovers were still the best thing ever? If you are willing to brave a hot kitchen for about an hour (woof, I know), this dip is totally worth it and a delicious treat to help keep you cool (once you’re sitting and enjoying it) and leave you feeling guilt-less afterwards! xx Jenny Roasted Onion Dip Serves 5 to 6 Ingredients: 2 large sweet onions, quartered 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 teaspoon cumin
My New Best Pizza Dough & Kayotic Kitchen As you must have noticed by now, we love pizza here! It’s okay to be a pizza fiend. No, really, it is. It’s by far our favorite junk food Friday meal. Since I usually top ours with not all too much cheese, my own pizza sauce and add loads of fresh veggies, I’m not quite sure just how junky it still is. I’ve tried lots of recipes over the years. What was even more depressing were all those times I couldn’t get the dough to rise no matter what I tried. Now, if you need me… I’ll be on the Stairmaster. Ingredients: 1 cup warm water 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp instant yeast 2 tbsp honey 3 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 tsp salt (2 tsp also works well) Directions: We’ll be needing yeast—I opted for instant yeast but feel free to use active dry yeast—salt and olive oil. You can either use your stand-mixer, food processor or hands for this. Add 2 tbsp honey. And add 1 cup warm water to it. I let the machine spin to combine it all. Add the oil and 1 cup of flour. Lightly oil a big bowl.