Steak, mushroom and cheese flatbread pizza - oh Y.U.M.!

Here's a recipe that is not only (COET (cook once eat twice), but fun to make, and even funner to eat (all mesy and goey and yummy!) One of the reason its a COET, is, if you can behave and not wolf down the whole thing in one sitting (if you're single and are not sharing with the dog that is...) then you might have some left for dinner. But even if you DO eat it all, its cool! I bought a large steak, and included in this recipe, you prep the steak for the pizza, but also for tonight's (or even tomorrow's) dinner! (I mean, everything is out, and "dirty" anyways right? so why not?

I've added the "step by step" pictures at the bottom (I've not figured out how to do this all fancy schmancy yet).

I'll be posting a link shortly on how to easily and tear-free-ly chop onions in 2 minutes flat.

There are 2 warnings for this baby.

First, if you put (like me) a LOT of mushrooms, your flat bread will be a little (but not too much) soggy (the juices get absorbed by the bread (excuse me while I drool!) you can actually see the juices in the pics above.

2nd, I put in the recipe that the garlic on the flat bread is optional, actually, its not. Seriously! It packs such a punch of flavor, that I say, try it, you'll like it.

Lastly, the mushrooms and tomato in this recipe can easily be switched up for your faves, but this IS a shroom and steak pie, so, lets get cooking with Cyn shall we? ^_^

flat bread steak and shroom and cheese pizza
(COET! Cook once eat twice)

I would say, this feeds 2-3 people at most. It really depends on the size of your flat bread, and also how many pieces you eat. I had (blush) 4 of the squares, no problem, but then I eat ah, larger portions ^_^.

 What you need...

• flat bread (found in bread/deli section) (Costco has AWESOME deals on these.) Due to shrooms (and steak) "sweating", I don't recommend raw dough. (I will try this with my own homemade dough, and bake it first (like a flat bread) and will post results. WHEN I get to it!1-2 cups mozza cheese
• 200 g mushrooms (8 med-large ones)
• (steak, I bought a 1-lb boneless blade steak - its what was on special)
• 150g steak, sliced thin and small
• 300g steak, sliced thin and in 2 inch pieces (this is for dinner)
• 1 small tomato, sliced and chopped
• 1 small onion coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil (times 3, so 6 tbsps in all)
• 2 tbsp garlic minced (optional- not actually, its not. you HAVE to try this!)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (sodium reduced)

marinades for steak mix

• 2 tbsp oil (not taken from above measures)
• 1.5 tbsp sodium reduced soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
• pinch salt and pepper
• tiny squirt of hot pepper sauce (optional - try it. mmmmm.)

prep work. I do all my prep work, including marinades, before I get going. It makes life MUCH easier!

• slice 150g steak  thinly and in small pieces(freeze partially to make your life MUCH easier! the only problem with this is, you need to let it come back to room temperature before working with it. So, just be forewarned.)
• slice 300g steak in thin 1.5-2" pieces
• mince/chop onion
• slice mushrooms thin or thick so long as you are consistent.
• slice and dice tomato. (I have a "slap chop" no I don't use it.)

• in small bowl, put 1.5 tsp of steak marinade, add 150g of steak, mix well.
• in another small bowl, put the 300g steak, and rest of marinade.
• Important, do NOT stick the beef in the fridge! You'll be cooking it in about 10 minutes!)

• heat wok/pan.
• add 2tbsp of oil ONLY when its nice and hot.
• add garlic and soy sauce, stir fry til garlic is lightly brown (2-3 minutes)
• add shrooms, and stir fry well, for about 4-5 minutes. If you're using a wok,
• the shrooms will get a nice crispy edge. YUM!

remove from heat, put in a bowl.

(some people wash the wok at this point. I didn't bother, adds flavor, and I hate doing dishes so...) ^_^

• put wok back on, let it re-heat up, and add another 2 tbsp oil.
• add 150g steak, stir fry quickly, and lightly. The trick here is NO overcooking, (this is the pizza steak, so it'll finish cooking in oven). when its still a tiny bit pink, dump it in a bowl. 
• put wok back on, add rest of oil when its nice and hot, and the 200g steak, stir fry quickly, and to desired doneness (I like my meat med-rare). Again, the wok will impart a nice crispy texture to the meat. YUM! After you've put the pizza in the oven, take the leftover beef, and put in a container. You can use this with anything, (I will be making stir fried hong kong style noodles - and I'll post the recipe too!) Sub, sandwhich, even in a thick beef soup! its all good! Oh, and you can freeze it too! (like, for ... another pie? ^_^)
•  Preheat oven to 350.
• Take flatbread out of bag - mine smelled weird, until I realized I'd grabbed a cheese flat bread (for a minute there I was looking for my uncle's old socks! or worse, Dewey's paw prints (my dog has cheetos feet)
• sprinkle a little bit of olive oil on it, don't soak it (you may wish to put a paper towel underneath as these things as I learned, have little pinprick holes in them!)
• spread the 2 tbsp garlic evenly over pizza. (honestly, after eating some, I'd put more... not more than 3 though)
• put a fine layer of cheese on there
• slap the beef on top, taking care to drain it with a spoon, if its juicy
• (don't throw out that juice!) spread it out evenly.
• add the mushrooms/garlic mixture, again, draining, (mushrooms ARE watery after all ;) I did not use the whole lot of my shroom mix, so I dumped it, and the rest of the beef juice in with the 2nd batch of steak :)add rest of cheese.
• add the tomato, spreading it out evenly
• if you like, add parmesan cheese (LOTS of it.) 
• Open oven door. Please be careful NOT to burn yourself (like I did today!) and take pizza, minus paper towel, and put it directly on the grill (also make sure your grill is clean - its the same grill you use for toasts - uh, I use a large toaster oven) :) (this would work in a regular oven too) 
• bake for 20-25 minutes, until browned lightly, and bubbly. 
• take out with tongs, and slice, and serve... enjoy!

This was, so far, the BEST pizza I ever made. I even shared with Dewman! BUT if you do choose to share with your furkids, please remember, this has garlic in it, and some puppies react badly to it. (just like some dogs react badly to ham, or chocolate). Some say its poison for them (yet its in most dog food (shrugs). I threw him the crusts, and he caught them on the fly. :)

If you DO make this please leave a comment, and tell me how you liked it, or what you changed in it.

God Bless, Cynthia

Piccies... (pictures)


Steak Marinade, yeah looks yummy (not!)



Slice steak thin, and fairly small, this is a pizza, NOT a sub ;)

Stir fry onions, garlic until fairly soft (I'd say brown, but its kinda hard with soy sauce in there)

SHROOMS!

Stir  fry pizza beef (the 150g) until med-rare

Cook until nice and browned.

See? like this. you want steak, not shoe soles. :)

Zee flatbread de pizza!

Add a LITTLE bit of olive oil.

Then LOTS of garlic.

Add fine layer of cheese

drool... add the meat

Then the shrooms

Pile on the cheese BUT, keep away from the edges... (well, not too too close to the edge.)

This is what I had leftover of the shroom mix

Add tomates!

with Parmersan on top (fresh if you can afford it!)

Evidently, I can't right now. ugh. it truly is NOT the same

Stick it in the pre-heated oven (do not burn fingers!) I cook my flatbreads directly on the grill.

Wanna piece of this?

This is the 300g of beef, plus the leftover shrooms. Goin' in the fridge for tomorrow's noodle fest!

What the flat bread looks like, kinda (well the packaging) and the size

(giggle) look at those juices! It soaks up in the flat bread, and oh, its delish!

This is the only hot sauce I will use. :)



Final product? Sure smells good in here, we need scratch and sniff monitors or something!

Pasta Arrabiata Sauce, and Bake too!

A while back, a friend of mine sent me this awesomer recipe for pasta sauce. Those who know me know that Cynthia eats her pasta with: butter, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of tomato juice (if the migraines have been kept at bay!) NO SAUCE NEVER! NUH-UH! but this stuff! its... oh sooooo good! I've made this often, I'm made and given it as a get well soon dish, as a you GOTTA TRY THIS dish, and as a I love you my friend dish. Whichever way you make it, for whatever reason, you'll love it!

This recipe takes very little time, it freezes well, and it feeds well too! Best of all, you can add stuff, or omit stuff, or change it up! This has to be the easiest pasta sauce EVER! So here we GO!

The first picture is the pasta arrabiata bake. It was yummy! The second picture was the sauce when it was done and ready to package. YUM! More pics at the bottom for your drooling enjoyment.

Pasta Arrabbiata


Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Makes: 8 servings (about 1-1/2 cups each )

Ingredients: (please see notes at the bottom)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (you really CAN get away with 1/4 cup)

5 cloves garlic, minced (about 2-1/2 teaspoons)

1 can (29 ounces) crushed tomatoes (I used the ones with Italian spices in it)

1 can (28 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound dry penne pasta, uncooked

1 cup (4 ounces) freshly shredded parmigiano-reggiano, divided (if you're like me, this will NOT be enough cheese ok? ^_^)

1/4 cup thickly sliced fresh basil

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat 1 minute. Add garlic, cook 3 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, stir in red pepper, oregano and salt.

Stove top version:
2. Cook pasta in large saucepan according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return pasta and the reserved cooking water to the same saucepan: stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Set aside.

3. Stir basil into prepared sauce. Add 2 cups of the sauce to pasta mixture; mix lightly. Spoon onto serving platter; top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Baked version: see pictures below for "quantities"
2. Cook pasta al dente, drain thoroughly.
3. In baking dish (I used an 8X8" non-stick cake pan), cover bottom lightly with sauce, add a handful of cheese, add noodles to about 1/2-1/4 inch from edge of pan. Another handful of cheese. Pour sauce evenly over top, (this is really to your preference. I put about 1.5 cups). Add more cheese (I love cheese...) and parmesan.
4. Bake at 350 celcius for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly.
5. Serve immediately, but its also awesome reheated.

ENJOY!!

Note: you can use less oil, if you wish. I don’t put oregano in mine, as I’m allergic to it. And I usually omit the salt, the rest is salty enough. I do add about ½ tsp of parmesan with the final spices. And I use dried basil, instead of fresh (cheaper ;) Lastly, I always use regular mozza, and parmesan (fresh whenever possible), never tried it with the other cheeses.

You can use any pasta shape you want. I have to be careful with the TYPE of pasta as some gives me heartburn. If you look at the ingredients of a pasta bag, you'll see one of 2 or 3 things. 1> durum wheat and iron/minerals and all that jazz. THIS is the pasta I cannot eat. 2> Durum wheat or 3> Durum Wheat and Aqua. Take a look next time you're buying pasta, without the added "stuff", the pasta tastes different, its a little sweeter (not much really), does NOT cause heartburn or indigestion (ever wonder why your hubby/wife can't eat pasta?) and I find, safer (in the sense that, I want to decide how much minerals etc., to add to my diet, its pretty much in everything else really :|

Also, I've used penne, rottini, spirals, spaghetti, and rottini or spirals I find are best. Why? (they can really hang on to all that gooooey cheese! lol!)

OAMC- what in the world you ask?

Food for real people (also known as food p0rn! ^_^
Welcome, get your taste buds bubbling, your bib wrapped (to catch the drool) and the spatulas out cuz we are going for a ride! On this page, you'll find recipes I've recently (or not so recently) tried, (aka, tried and true and edible and makeable by anyone!) along with pics (and the actual recipes and tips). I warmly welcome comments and tips, and changes too, if you have any. If there is a recipe you'd like ME to try, why not message me or email me. I hope this page fills up big time! So far, we have a few of them... I'm new at these page things, so bear with me k? ^_^ Enjoy, and remember, all good things in moderation (except cheese and tiramisu!)

Note that the recipes that freeze well will be noted as such... :)


OAMC- what in the world you ask?

I thought I'd get all fancy and prancy and dancy and "invent" this NEW thing. Turns out, someone outfacied, prancied AND dancied me long ago! OAMC stands for Once a month cooking! (duh Cyn!) ^_^ And you know what? it works. See, I was tired of paying good money, for frozen meals that 9/10 times, would make me sick, as I'd react to something in the ingredients. Lets face it, nowadays, who knows WHAT is in our pre-cooked pre-made foods? I have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), a pre-cursor to Crohns. NOT a happy thing, and so I need to watch what I eat. I know 75% of the stuff that "gets me goin'" and the rest is still hit and miss! All this to say, I also wanted to be able to just take something out of the freezer, and pop it in the oven, and go play on the puter or whatever. I thought about my mom-friends, and how maybe this would help them too, imagine cooking ONE day a month, and then having full meals ready to go, and you get that extra 1-2 hours, to spend with your (fur) or non-furry kids!


So far, I've made: (these are full complete meals, including potatoes/rice/veggies and of course, meat)

Shepherd's pie
Salisbury steak (uh, not too sure the success on that one, twas more like a flat meatloaf.)
Meatloaf
Meatballs, normal and giant sized
Pasta Arrabiata
My fave? the pasta. that thing is just amazing, and oh so versatile!

It takes me on average, 4-8 hours of prepping, cooking, packaging (includes cooling time) etc. Of course, if I had a normal food processor, it would save me a HUGE amount of time, but patience is a virtue, and money something that is in short supply. I can still use my arms, and sharpen my knife (skills) (pun intended!).

During the month of February, I made my first full batch of meals, it was Shepherd's pie and meatloaf. It rocked! Especially when, at the end of the month, I was slammed with the nastiest flu/sinus infection all rolled into one I've ever had! I wanted to die! I was so weak, and so not hungry... I would literally walk to the fridge (actually, shuffle would be a better word), open fridge door. close. open freezer. close. open fridge door. slam it shut, go back to bed. Then, one day, in my stupor, I saw SHEPHERD's PIE! If you cook it, you will eat it! It was like a dream. I took it out, popped it in the oven, praising whoever had made it (seriously! it was that bad lol), and somehow, managed NOT to burn the house down, and had piping hot filling FOOD, REAL FOOD! Oh my gosh, it was so good, well, whatever my tastebuds could taste. And my SPies are the large round foil containers, so I had a good 4 meals out of it. That perked me up. I went back to this miraculous freezer that contained prepared food, almost ready to make it an offering, and saw, MEATLOAF! woah! this was getting scary! So, popped it in the oven, went to nap, woke up to another piping hot meal. I was on a roll! Call me butter!

So, for March, I decided, you know what? Lets try this again. My only mistake was, doubling the batch of ground meat I cooked for the Spie, and meatloaf/meatballs. I used too much Celery Seeds, (I can't stand celery/celery seeds), and so it does not agree with me. I found takers, for about 15 full meals. :( BUT! the meatballs, oh my goodness, they were NOT hockey pucks! WOOHOO! they were moist, and tender, and I wanted to eat them all there and then! I had used celery seeds in my Feb. batch, but only 5 seeds (I'm totally serious). This time, since I had double the meat, I used more. Hard lesson to learn. Also, I will never EVER buy frozen corn from a certain store in a certain town again. It tasted... perfumy. (gross!)

I will post, shortly, how I go about doing my once a month cooking. I would strongly suggest you try this. And if you have kids, here's an idea! Gang up with a friend, stick the kids, dogs, and cats in the same room, duct tape room shut (just kidding), and with TWO people working it up, it'll take less time. Since I'm single, say I were to gang up with someone, I'd only need a little bit of the cooked food (if any!) and besides, you can chat and catch up on the news, while driving the fur and furless kids nuts with all the good smells!

I'll see you soon, I hope! (and please, I refuse to be too serious about anything. Laugh is short and sometimes miserable! Laugh it UP!)