I make my own pizzas. I'll just type it as I remember it and in the order I prepare it. I bought a book by Jamie Oliver from his trip around Italy and I've really enjoyed making some of the recipes he had in there although I usually change them a bit. I'm not so fond of rabbit or pigs.

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Sauce

• extra virgin olive oil
• clove of garlic minced or sliced
• a bunch of fresh basil washed and leaves taken off stems (bunch = a fair bit lol)
• 400 g of roma italian tomatoes (the egg shaped low acidic ones I use) or a tin/can of diced tomatoes
• pinch of sea salt
• ground black pepper

I cook the garlic in the oil but don't overcook the garlic then add the tomatoes and the basil and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Turn it right down to simmer and let simmer for an hour or so, doesn't really matter. Just cook till it reduces and thickens up. While it's cooking I use a fork from time to time to mush it up. Could use a processor I guess, but a fork works.

OK, so while that's on the stove and making the house smell amazing, it's time to prepare the dough for the bases.

Pizza dough.

I usually halve this quantity if I'm only wanting to make a few pizzas. It's a lot of flour and dough. I usually buy a special bread mix which comes with the flour and the yeast ready in a box rather than use regular flour.

• 800g / 1 3/4 lb strong white bread flour
• 200g / 7oz fine ground semolina (or if you don't want semolina, you need to add that quantity back in with more strong white flour)
• 1 level tablespoon of sea salt
• 2 x 7 oz sachets of dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon of caster sugar (I usually just use regular old raw sugar)
• approx 650mls or just over 1 pint of lukewarm water

Put the flours and salt in a large bowl. Don't attempt to make this by putting the flour on the kitchen bench because the dam walls will burst and you'll have flours and yeast all over the kitchen. Believe me!

Put the yeast and sugar in a bowl or jug with the lukewarm water. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes.

Then pour into a well in centre of the flour in the bowl. Mix in the flour from the sides into the liquid in the centre. It doesn't take long. I use my floured hands. Once it's all combined in a big lump, flour the board on the bench or use the bench and then knead for about 10 mins. There's an art to kneading and the more you make these the better and faster it gets.

Let it sit in a covered bowl until you're ready to make it. I usually leave it while the tomatoes cook.

OK, what's next. Don't forget you need to preheat the oven before cooking.
Preheat oven to 250C or 500F or Gas mark 9.

When oven is hot and you're ready to rock and roll, then take a lump of the dough and roll it out on the bench. I use a little semolina flour to do this because I like the taste and texture it leaves on the cooked pizza.

I use a special pizza base for the oven which has dozens of holes in the bottom of it. It tends to allow the base to cook nicely rather than go soggy in the middle.

Spread the tomato mixture over the dough on the pizza tray and then top with whatever you like. I mix them up a bit and don't forget to put more of the fresh basil leaves on the top when you're ready to put in the oven. (That's if you like basil).

Cook for about 7 or 10 minutes but that depends on whether you've made tiny little ones or great big ones.

Enjoy. Oh, If I've forgotten something I'll add it tomorrow LOL

bumping up in case anyone wants to share some special Thanksgiving feast recipes

Go to the store and get either some very green eating bananas, or some very brown and black plantain bananas

Make up some cornmeal batter, use an egg and some milk and put a very little sugar in too

Slice up whatever kind of bananas you have and get a frying pan full of some pretty hot oil going

Dip the banana slices in the batter and drop them in the oil. Fry them until they are golden brown all the way around and then take them out and let them cool. Not too cool though....they are best warm!

Now, before you even consider eating one, dip the fried and warm slices in some powdered sugar, you don't need much sugar at all just a dusting is just fine.

My favorite breakfast growing up, fried bananas, a fresh picked pumelo or tangerine, a fresh picked mango, a big ol guava pie, oh yeah, and a great big glassful of "cafe cubano".

Since I typed this recipe up in another thread, I thought I might as well put it here too.

It's a really easy recipe and it's not real sweet. Everybody always asked me for the recipe when I made it, so I think it is pretty good.

Boston Brown Bread

1-1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups raisins
1 Tbsp. shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Boil raisins and water for 3 min. Let cool. Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg, molasses and vanilla. Then add dry ingredients. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Use 3 - 17 oz cans or
4 - 15 oz. cans or loaf pans (I think I meant the small tin loaf pans)

Happy Baking!

With all those beautiful main courses, and those lovely desserts, I thought you'd like a wee drop of my favourite tipple to have with coffee, so you can wash them all down!

IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

1 Cup Irish Whisky
3 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Chocolate topping
1 Tin Sweetened Condensed Milk
300 ml (1/2 pint) cream

Beat all ingredients together
Bottle and store in refrigerator

Enjoy!

Simple yet delicious -

1 pound Jimmy Dean sausage, extra spicy
1 jar cheez whiz
1 bag tortilla chips

Brown sausage in pan. Do NOT drain grease. Nuke cheese until it can flow out of the jar. Pour cheese in with sausage. Allow to heat to a good simmer.

Dip chips into mixture and enjoy.

It's a guy thing...

Tom

My gosh Tom; how are your arteries? If you can eat that and still have good cholesterol then I am so envious. Sounds good though.

Well, I've said this before. I don't like to cook. I am a good cook though since it is my 'duty' to prepare our food. (yuk!).

I try all kinds of stuff, but know what I'd really like??

I'd like simple ideas for meals which don't require so much prep or clean up.

I'd like to do healthier eating, but just more like 'noshing', not dining.

IF it were just me...I'd pick all day. I can eat an entire pint of blueberries or raspberries. Yum.

I'd like to have more veggies (fresh) with dips too.

(I hate to clean the veggies though). I try to clean veggies in the living room (with protective towels around) so I can watch the telly or something to take me away from the banality of the job.

Okay, this is nuts, but I just don't enjoy preparation and the clean up is so monotonous.

Am I alone in this?!

Tootsie

This is the best macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted and it's easy to make:

3/4 lb. ellbow macaroni noodles
3 large eggs
3 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 & 1/4 Cup Milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Butter your baking dish (8X12 or 9X13)

Cook macaroni noodles.

Drain noodles (don't rinse!!) and transfer to a large bowl. Add two cups of the shredded cheese and stir until cheese has melted.

In another large bowl scramble the three eggs and add the sour cream. Mix until all the lumps are gone. Add the milk and the 1/2 stick butter (cut up into small pieces). Stir this mixture into the macaroni , mix well and transfer into buttered baking dish.

Top with remaining cheese and bake for 35 minutes.

Let stand about 10 minutes before eating.

More or less cheese can be used according to taste. I use Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp - it seems to melt the best and have the best flavor.

This recipe is for those of us who ....AHEM!!!! don't eat butter, chocolate, cake, icing, (ALL THE GOOD STUFF).

This is a very easy side dish, not fattening (at least not the way I make it). and you get your serving of vegetables. And you get a neat side dish.

You can also make this in variable ways to suit ANYONE's tastes.

All you do is take whatever veggies you prefer. For this one I'll use the one's I always make.

I take (all fresh now). Broccoli, zucchini and carrots.

I grate them using either a food processor, or a hand grater. I have a V SLICER and i can grate my veggies into little bits.

In a bowl, put all the ground up veggies (you can also make them look like little slivers (depends on the attachment you use to cut up the veggies).

Take one onion and chop it fine and add to veggie mixture. You can also add some chopped garlic.

So put all veggies in a big bowl. Add egg whites (or egg beaters), or eggs. I use the equivalent of two eggs.

Pour the egg mixture into the veggies. Add one half of unsalted breadcrumbs (we use un-salted) but any kind will do.

Add two teaspoons of seltzer (the carbonation will make the fritters puff up).

You can add salt and pepper to taste if you prefer.

Mix up the mixture, (adding more or less of the breadcrumbs so you get a nice handful that's easy to mold).

Now here's the fun part. You can shape this fritters into any shape you like.

Alan likes the shape of croquettes. I can shape them into croquettes, or into flat patties.

Once you make a batch of these, (now this is where you can make them the regular way (heat up oil in a frying pan), or non-fattening way (spray the frying pan with PAM or any non-stick coating.

Once the pan is nice and hot, place the croquettes or flat patties, in the hot pan, letting one side cook so thoroughly that it doesn't fall apart when you flip them. When one side is done and nicely browned, flip over and cook the other side. Cook on low (after they are browned) if they are croquettes, cook for 10 minutes, (you'll see how they look and you'll know when they are done).

Let's say you make 8 patties or croquettes. Use half one night and the other half the other night. But these are so good that if you have a lot of people, they'll gobble them up.

Now here's where it gets really interesting.

You can serve these with sour cream (absolutely divine).
You can serve these with apple sauce (also absolutely divine).

Or you can serve these like I make them for Alan.

I drizzle honey over the croquettes and add Splenda. Alan has taste buds problem since he used the fentanyl pain patch, and he can't taste sweet so I have to sweeten things extra for him.

Well, you should have seen his face the first time I made these with the honey and the splenda.

He said. "this is the most delicious thing I ever ate, WHAT IS THIS??

I simply said 'Brocolli, zuchini, and carrots".

Now you can use diced up red and yellow peppers which will add color.

Use your imagination.

This is a good side dish to get kids to eat their vegetables.

I can only imagine what serving it with Sour Cream would taste like.

Oh my god, MAYBE SOME DAY!!!

So enjoy!!