Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Okay... not exactly the healthiest of meals I have prepared-- but definitely one that we will be made again just about as fast as I can!  I almost cried when I realized that the leftovers somehow did not make it to the fridge and had to be thrown out instead!  My husband and I both loved this recipe, and it made a TON of pizza!  Served with a nice fresh salad, you can definitely get a few meals out of this one!  Normally I like for my deep dish crust to be a little more buttery (if you've ever had Gino's, you know what I mean) but this is about as close as I have come to replicating authentic deep dish at home.  I'd love suggestions if someone has an idea for a different crust!

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza


1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
28 ounces petite diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Press the dough into the bottom and the sides of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Cover bottom of the pan with sliced pepperoni.  In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain and sprinkle over dough and pepperoni.  Top with all of the mozzarella cheese.  In the same large skillet, saute the mushrooms and onion in oil until the onion is tender.  Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and garlic powder.  Spoon over the Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners

Mushroom Pasta Primavera

I was really excited to find this recipe in the August/September 'Taste of Home' magazine because it gave me a chance to use some of the vegetables that are just now ripe enough to pick from my garden.  This is a great summer pasta dish-- light enough to enjoy on a hot day, inexpensive, and altogether pretty healthy!  It was also a great option for my milk allergy son as he was able to simply eat his without the Parmesan sprinkled on top.

My one bit of advice would be to have all of your vegetables chopped and ready before starting to cook them.  The magazine offers a great tip as well, which I learned from my mother years ago.  The recipe calls for peeled tomatoes.  In order to peel them easily, drop them into boiling water for about a minute, then immediately into ice cold water.  The skins will peel right off for you.  If you want to save a step, I really am not so sure that you need to peel them in the first place.  I think it would be just fine with the skins left on, and actually might allow the tomatoes to hold up a little better in the cooking process.

Mushroom Pasta Primavera


1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and minced
15 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pound cooked pasta (I used fettuccine)
Parmesan cheese to top

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in oil until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, peppers, water, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Stir occasionally.  Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until tender.  Serve over the cooked pasta.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Source: Slightly Adapted from "Taste of Home" magazine (August/September 2010)

Chicken, Mushrooms and Parmesan with Orzo

I have to admit... I've been feeling like a bit of a blog stalker lately! :)  I find that I get hooked on different sites and end up making recipe after recipe suggested by that blogger.  Don't worry-- I rotate around and will likely come to yours, next!  That's my fair warning!  Lately, I have been making quite a few recipes from Pam's site, For the Love of Cooking.  I was so excited to find this on a new site, Macaroni and Cheesecake, and was thrilled that I would break up my harassment of Pam in the meantime!  I had to laugh when I started  to read the post only to find that it was another of Pam's recipes.  I guess I haven't broken my pattern after all!  I do have to thank Macaroni and Cheesecake for bringing this one to my attention.  I'm not sure how I missed it and it might be one of my new favorites! 

(As a side note... this dish reheats really well making it a perfect choice for the meal sharing plan.)

Chicken, Mushrooms, and Parmesan with Orzo

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 pound of orzo, cooked per instructions (I actually used closer to a 1/2 pound)
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cook the orzo according to the box directions.  Add the chicken bouillon cubes to the water while cooking.  Drain the orzo thoroughly.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped onion, mushrooms, and thyme.  Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the chicken, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Sauté 7-8 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove skillet from the heat then add the cooked orzo, Parmesan and parsley to the chicken mixture and toss.  I served this with a garnish of freshly grated Parmesan and additional parsley.

Source: Macaroni and Cheesecake, originally posted on For the Love of Cooking

Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms and Snap Peas

This is, by far, one of my new favorite dinners! I found it right next to the BLT Pasta Salad (which I posted about earlier this month) in this month's Food Network Magazine. I seriously couldn't wait to make it. It was simple and quick to put together but had such a sophisticated flavor. Chicken breasts were not on sale when I did my shopping, so I bought a package of chicken tenderloins instead. I did pound them out a bit to make them a little thinner and wider and they worked perfectly. I actually think I would use these again next time, in place of the regular pieces as they also cooked up quickly and stayed very juicy. The recipe also calls for either button, cremini, or shiitake mushrooms. My grocery store had a package that combined 4 different types of mushrooms (if I remember correctly, it was button, baby portabella, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms) and it was the perfect addition to the recipe. The variety provided a nice variance of texture and created a really nice sauce. There wasn't much left over after this meal, but what was left reheated really well and made for a great lunch. I can't wait to make these again!

Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms and Snap Peas

4 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds) patted dry

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

All-purpose flour, for dredging

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 scallions, thinly sliced

8 ounces mushrooms (button, cremini, shiitake or a combination, quartered)

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups sugar snap peas, stemmed and halved lengthwise

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Dredge 2 chicken cutlets in flour, shake off any excess and place in the skillet. Cook until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes per side, and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the other 2 chicken cutlets. Cover the dish loosely with foil; place in the oven while you prepare the vegetables.

Add the butter to the hot skillet, then add the scallions and mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms brown, about 4 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce thickens slightly, 3 to 4 more minutes. Stir in the snap peas and heat through; season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken topped with the creamy vegetables.

Source: The Food Network Magaine

Braised Beef with Mushrooms and Cabernet Sauce

I have to say that for some reason, this is one cooking method that I have always been a bit intimidated by. Now that I have tried it, however, I feel a bit foolish for having waited so long! I've been looking for excuses to play with my new dutch oven (which I LOVE, by the way!) and when I looked at Brown Eyed Bakers photos from this recipe, I knew I would have to get this particular dish on our menu. The meat was so unbelievably tender it literally melted in our mouths! One change that I did make was to chop up the celery as well. Chelle (Brown Eyed Baker) stated that although the recipe didn't say to, she decided to serve the carrots on the side of her meat and mushrooms. The recipe calls for 2 stalks of celery, but I decided to chop those up as well to give the dish more of a stew consistency, serving the carrots as well. Overall, it made a pretty inexpensive meal and was a great comfort food. If you haven't tried braising meat before, this is a great dish to start with! Now that I am a fan, I'd love to hear about any other recipes anyone might have!

Braised Beef with Mushrooms and Cabernet Sauce

3 lbs. beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
3 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, trimmed and halved
6 garlic cloves
8 oz. white mushrooms, quartered
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh parsley sprigs
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 cup Cabernet savignon
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 275°. Dry beef thoroughly and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the meat so that the pieces are not touching and cook without moving them until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Use tongs and rotate pieces until all sides are browned (about another 2 minutes). Transfer the beef to a medium bowl, add another 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and repeat the previous steps with the other half of meat. Add the wine and de-glaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Add all of the beef back to the pot and stir in the chicken stock, filling only until meat is just covered by liquid. Stir in flour, dissolving completely. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Pile on mushrooms, add herb sprigs, and return to a boil. Cover and place in preheated oven and cook for 2 hours.

Remove from oven and drain all contents, reserving the liquid. Return the liquid to the pot and boil on medium high heat until thickened, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, remove beef and mushrooms from drained contents and place on serving platter. Once mixture has thickened, spoon about 1/3 cup of sauce over meat and serve remaining in a gravy dish on the side.

**I served mine over mashed potatoes.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker (originally from Good Things Catered)

Cream of Mushroom Soup

When I saw this soup posted on Annie's Eats, I knew that I would be making it in the very near future! I've always been a big fan of a good pot of soup, especially when it is so blistery cold outside! The day I made this, it was below zero outside and snow was blowing everywhere. A big steaming bowl of this soup was the perfect way to warm up! Until this point, I had only had cream of mushroom soup that came from a can (I'm ashamed to admit!). I was really anxious to try this recipe for homemade and it did not disappoint!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

8 ounces white button mushrooms

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided

kosher salt

black pepper

2 cups chopped leeks, white and green parts

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them gently with a slightly damp paper towel. Do not wash them. Separate the stems from the caps. Coarsely chop the stems. Slice the caps, cutting in half if necessary so that the pieces are bite-sized. Set aside.

To prepare the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped mushroom stems, onion, carrot, sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain through a mesh sieve, reserving the liquid but discarding the solids. You should have about 4.5 cups of liquid. If not, add some water to make up the difference.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook over low heat, 15-20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the heavy cream, milk and parsley. Adjust seasonings to taste and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Ina Garten