Lighten Up! {Recipes: Lightened Up Alfredo Sauce and Pizza Crust}

 

As much as I love traditional Alfredo sauce, it can be very heavy and rich. This lightened up version of Alfredo sauce is a recipe I have been making for years, but only recently started using it on homemade pizzas. Inspired by the white pizza from one of our local pizzerias, I came up with my own version. This is one of the best pizzas I have ever made!

Lightened Up Alfredo Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds, overcooking can lead to a bitter garlic taste). Whisk in flour and continue to cook another minute. Slowly whisk in broth and milk; simmer, stir occasionally, until sauce has thickened. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and continue to simmer until cheese is melted; check seasoning and adjust accordingly. 

Serves 4

Serving suggestions:

1. Lightened Up Fettuccine Alfredo. Add 12 ounces of pasta, cooked according to package directions, to sauce; serve immediately. Cooked chicken, cut into strips, can be added as well for Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. 

2. White sauce for pizza.

Use in place of a tomato sauce on pizza. For pizza pictured, the sourdough pizza crust was used from https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-pizza-crust-recipe with 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic added, then topped with vegetarian Italian sausage on 1/3 for my vegetarian daughter, regular Italian sausage on the rest (both were precooked and crumbled), 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped red onion, mushroom slices, grape tomato halves, and a sprinkling of finely grated Parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper and Italian seasoning. The following recipe for pizza crust from this site would work as well. 

Pizza Crust

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups flour. divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional

1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic, optional

Instructions:

1. Mix warm water and yeast and let sit 5 minutes until yeast proofs. 
2. Add 1-1/4 cups flour with proofed yeast and mix well in mixer with dough attachment or hook.
3 Add remaining 1-1/4 cups flour and salt (also the Italian seasoning and dried minced garlic, if using) knead until smooth. Form dough into a ball and place in a large mixing greased with olive oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for about 90 minutes or until puffed up. 
4. Using a pizza peel or a large pan with no rim (I use a cookie sheet that has no rim on one side and it works well), place parchment paper cut into approximately a 16" round onto the peel; brush with one tablespoon of olive oil.  Alternatively, a rectangular baking sheet can be used. To prepare the baking sheet, coat bottom with one tablespoon of olive oil.

5. Place dough in the center of the prepared pizza peel or baking sheet. Press dough out with your fingertips toward the edge of the parchment  or baking sheet to form a nice round or rectangular pizza crust. If dough shrinks back too much while trying to shape, cover and let rest for 15 minute and try again. Brush the top of the dough with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with tea towel and let rest while oven heats up. 

6. Preheat oven to 450°F. for 15-30 minutes with pizza stone or steel in the oven, if using. 
7. Top pizza with sauce and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and add the rest of the toppings using. Bake another 10-15 minutes, or until toppings are nicely browned. Keep a careful eye on the crust, the oven is very hot, so the dough can burn quickly. 

Enjoy!

Keep It Simple {Recipe: Easy Eton Mess for Two}

It's strawberry season and lately the strawberries I've been purchasing are so good! So, I wanted to make a simple dessert that highlighted the flavor of the strawberries and I wanted it to be lighter than strawberry shortcake. The first dessert to pop in my head to accomplish this is Eton Mess. This is a simple version of the classic British dessert to serve 2, but can easily be adjusted to serve more. 

Easy Eton Mess for Two

For Meringue Cookies:

1 egg white, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/3 cup superfine sugar (regular granulated sugar will work)

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 225ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer* and beat egg white and cream of tartar on high until frothy. Slowly add sugar, about one tablespoon at a time, with the mixer running; add pinch of salt and vanilla. Continue to beat until glossy and stiff peaks are formed. Drop by tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn oven off. Without opening the oven door, leave in the oven for an additional hour. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool dry place or in the freezer for a couple of months. 

Yields 6-8 cookies. 

*Note: a regular mixer can be used, although it is just easier to add the sugar slowly using a stand mixer.

Because the meringue cookies will be crumbled, there is no need to make them look pretty. 

For Eton mess:

4-6 meringue cookies

1 pint strawberries

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon superfine or regular granulated sugar, depending on sweetness of strawberries and taste.

1 container whipped topping, thawed*

Crumble or chop meringue cookies into small pieces; set aside. Chop strawberries, place in a medium mixing bowl and stir in sugar until dissolved.  In two dessert cups, layer ingredients starting with whipped topping, then meringue cookie crumbles, and top with strawberry mixture; repeat. 

2-4 Eton Mess desserts can be made, depending on size of desserts desired. 

*Not an ad, just a fan.

Note: I use Truwhip topping because it can be refrozen after thawing. Fresh whipping cream is traditionally used, but I find for just 2 servings the rest of the whipped cream goes to waste. With the frozen whipped topping, I can thaw it, use what I need, then refreeze. Also, a bit of vanilla ice cream layered in is a delicious addition to this dessert. If using, start with ice cream, then whipped topping, meringue crumbles, and top with prepared strawberries. 

Enjoy!

Not Your Typical Kids' Summer Camp Meal! {Recipe: Garlic Herb Butter Steak and Potato Foil Packs}

These are not the summer camp foil packs I had as a kid! This is a fancier version this classic camping meal or a nice summer meal at home without heating the kitchen up too much. 

Garlic Herb Butter Steak and Potato Foil Packs

4-8 Yukon gold potatoes (about a pound, depending on size), parboiled*

2 pounds top sirloin steak, cut into 2 inch cubes

1 bunch asparagus, rinsed, trimmed, and cut into about 2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, yellow or red, sliced

2-3 cloves (depending on size) of garlic, mined 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter

Dried parsley, optional

Parboil potatoes (see below), cool to room temperature and place them in a large mixing bowl, along with the steak, asparagus, onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil, then toss it all together until everything is well coated with herbs, garlic, and oil.  Take 4-12"x15"pieces of foil and distribute the steak potato mix evenly among the pieces of foil, place a 1/2 tablespoon pat of butter on top of each one. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.  

Fold the foil tightly around the filling, starting with long sides brought together and folded over a few times, then fold in the end a few times. 

To grill: Preheat grill on high. Once grill is heated, place foil packs on grill and grill for 10 minutes. Flip the packs and cook another 8-10 minutes. Open one pack and test one of the steak pieces with an instant read thermometer. Temperature should be between 130ºF for medium rare to 140ºF for medium. 

The foil packs can be enjoyed as is, or after open them up, place them under a broiler for a few minutes to get a nice browning on the steak and potatoes. 

*Potatoes take a much longer time to cook than the rest of the ingredients, therefore it is best to parboil them. To do this, clean and cube potatoes into 1 inch pieces, place into a stockpot or large saucepan and cover with water to about an inch or so above the potatoes; add a pinch of salt and cover with a lid. Heat potatoes over high heat until water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium high and continue to boil 5-10 minutes. Test the potatoes doneness by inserting a fork or sharp knife. If they go in to the potato with only a slight resistance, the potatoes are done. Drain the potatoes and cool to room temperature. Below is a link to very good, step by step instructions for parboiling potatoes, other uses for them, and how to store them:

https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/uncategorized/parboil-potatoes/

Enjoy!

Old Hollywood Style {Recipe: Build Your Own Wedge Salad With Homemade Ranch Dressing}

Wedge salads are so simple to make, yet still seem elegant to serve. Maybe it's because I associate this salad with the old Hollywood restaurant, Musso & Frank Grill, it seems fancy to me. Recently I hosted a book club meeting and set up a "build your own" wedge salad bar-it worked out great and was so easy! This way everyone could top their salads however they wished. I served Homemade Ranch Dressing rather than bleu cheese, because I find not everyone cares for bleu cheese. 

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon dried chives

1 teaspoon dried parsley 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 dried dill 

2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined. Store dressing in a pint size jar in the fridge. 

Build Your Own Wedge Salad

For wedge salad, cut a whole head of iceberg lettuce in half, then in quarters (can be cut in eighths for a small wedge side salad). Trim off the remaining stem or solid core at the bottom of the wedges. Arrange the wedges on a platter and serve with tongs. 

To build the salad, place wedge on a plate with center edge facing up and spoon or pour dressing over it, then sprinkle whatever combination of topping you like! 

Suggested toppings for wedge salad:

Hard boiled egg, halved or crumbled

Bleu cheese crumbles

Bacon, chopped or crumbled

Grape tomato, halved

Red onion, chopped

Fresh chives, chopped

Crispy onions

Croutons, Trader Joe's Rosemary Croissant Croutons are our favorite. 

Fresh ground pepper

Enjoy!