Basic Pizza Dough

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday!

 

 

Sorry there was no post last week. My husband wiped my pc and reinstallation took longer than planned. I am up and running now though!

Today’s recipe comes from Paula Deen and seems the perfect go to meal for those busy nights.

Add your link to your recipe or a favorite recipe that can be frozen. Thank you for participating!

Basic Pizza Dough

Servings: 2 (12-inch) pizzas

1 3/4 cups warm water
1 1/4 ounces package active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons olive oil

Measure out 1 3/4 cups warm water (it should be pleasantly warm on your wrist). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and allow it to activate, about 10 minutes.

Put the salt and 2 cups of the flour into a food processor. Pulse 5 times to blend. Pour in the yeast and water and pulse 5 times. Add the olive oil. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, pulsing and scraping the sides of the bowl until well blended. As soon as the mixture is combined, dump it out onto a well-floured board and knead for 15 turns. The dough will become smooth and elastic-like.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, until doubled in size, and then punch it down.

Divide it in half; each half will make 1 (12-inch) pizza. You can make 2 pizzas, or freeze half the dough for another time. Freeze the dough in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, remove the bag from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Roll the dough out while cold and then allow it to come to room temperature before adding toppings.

Rich Chicken Stew

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday. Today’s recipe is a lovely stew that can be served for dinner or prepared ahead for a later dinner. Please share a recipe and link it below.

If you have found this meme helpful feel free to share the posts through Twitter or other media. Thank you!

Rich Chicken Stew

This is delightful over egg noodles.

8 servings, generous 3/4 cup each
•1 pound mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean
•1/2 cup finely chopped shallots, (2 large)
•2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1/2 cup water, divided
•4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
•1 cup thinly sliced carrots, (1 large)
•1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
•2 bay leaves
•2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut in 2-inch chunks
•2 1/4-inch-thick lemon slices, (including peel), seeded
•1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
•2 tablespoons cornstarch
•1/4 cup whipping cream
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground pepper, to taste
•1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, rinsed under cold water to thaw
•1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1.Combine mushrooms, shallots, oil and 1/4 cup water in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring often, until mushrooms are juicy, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth, carrots, thyme and bay leaves; bring to a boil.

2.Place chicken in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and lay lemon slices on top. Turn heat to high. Carefully pour in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

3.With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a bowl; discard bay leaves and lemon slices. Skim fat and pour the juices into a large saucepan; add lemon zest. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes.

4.Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Add cream and lemon juice; stir until boiling. Return the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in peas and parsley.

Simmered Stew variation: Total: 1 1/2 hours In Step 1, use only 1 1/2 cups broth. In Step 2, add chicken, lemon slices and lemon zest to the Dutch oven. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until the chicken is very tender, about 45 minutes. Discard lemon slices and bay leaves. Omit Step 3. Continue with Step 4, cooking everything in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Tips & Notes

•Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4 up to adding the peas and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, if necessary, and reheat on the stovetop, in a microwave or in the oven; just before serving, stir in peas and parsley.

 

 

Freezer Food Friday- Quick, Creamy Lasagna

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday!

Today I have a recipe that could potentially be a meal one night and provide leftovers suitable for freezing.

I hope you are finding meals worthy of preparing for you family. Please share on your blog and link using Mr. Linky, below!

 

 

Quick, Creamy Lasagna

Salt
15 oven-ready (rippled-style, such as Ronzoni) lasagna noodles (from two 8-ounce boxes) *
4 cups Spinach-mushroom filling
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
12 ounces cream cheese, softened, divided
1/2 cup vegetable broth, divided
1 jar (25-26 ounces) good jarred marinara sauce or Simple Marinara
4 cups (1 pound) grated part-skim or whole-milk mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Dissolve 1 1/2 tablespoons salt in 2 quarts piping hot tap water in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Add noodles and soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, mix spinach-mushroom filling with basil, 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 cup broth. Mix remaining 4 ounces cream cheese with remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl; set aside.

To assemble, smear 1/4 cup marinara sauce over bottom of baking dish, then assemble 4 layers of each of the following: 3 lasagna noodles, a scant cup marinara, 1 scant cup filling mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella, 2 tablespoons parmesan. Top with remaining 3 noodles, cream cheese-broth mixture, remaining 1 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.

Spray one side of a large sheet of heavy-duty foil with vegetable-oil cooking spray. Cover baking dish with foil, oiled side down, and bake until bubbly throughout, 40 to 45 minutes. Leaving lasagna on same rack, turn oven to broil. Remove foil and broil until lasagna is spotty brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Serves 12.

Any leftover lasagna can be refrigerated for several days and reheated in the microwave. It can also be cut into individual portions and frozen. Assembled lasagnas can be frozen for a month or more; thaw before baking.