Shannon's Cookbook

The other day my mom and I were discussing her pizza dough and what she does or doesn't put in it. I was surprised to find out that all she uses is flour, water and yeast. No salt, so sugar and no oil. I guess I always thought she used those ingredients for some reason. Well, I am going to give that simple recipe a try here, in making the base for submarine club sandwiches. These turned out perfect, just like Big Al's, the restaurant that inspired them. Homemade Sub Buns 3 cups flour, plus extra for kneading 1 cup warm water, plus extra as needed 1 package active dry yeast olive oil for bowl Add flour to bowl of stand mixer and make a well. Add water and yeast. With dough hook, mix dough til it comes together into a ball, adding more water as needed. Meanwhile, oil a large bowl lightly. Add dough and roll til covered with oil. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm place til doubled, about 1 hour. Remove from bowl and knead a few times on a light...

When M. posted this recipe, I just couldn't resist making it. I love cooking with yogurt, as yogurt adds great tangy flavor but also tenderizes the meat or chicken at the same time. And it works well here, the chicken just melts in your mouth. This is my variation on M.'s recipe: 3-4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts fresh juice from 1 lemon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Spray a 9 x 13" baking pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and sprinkle all over with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Let sit 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine in a medium bowl: 1/4 cup plain yogurt 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip) 2 T Dijon mustard 1 t Worcestershire sauce 1/2 t each: garlic and onion powders 1/4 t cayenne pepper pinch dried thyme Combine and pour over chicken. Spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or til chicken is browned and cooked through. Serve chicken with sauce over sauteed spinach or your favorite side dish. For M.'s o...

One of my favorite cookie bars of all! 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed Milk 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 1/3 cups flaked sweetened coconut 1 cup chopped walnuts Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 13x9" baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Combine vanilla wafer crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a spatula. Bake 25 minutes or til lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars.

On Matt's last trip to Vegas, he brought home a kitchen full of authentic Mexican items, including almost a dozen Molcajetes, or salsa holders. I planned a dinner around those holders. Some day soon, when it isn't quite so hot outside, we'll do a whole fiesta to include the other items. They ranged from a tamales pot, trays, toys (although I don't know what we'll do with those things), tortilla presses (I better find a good recipe first), pots and pans, tortilla steamers and a few other items. The recipe for my Adobo seasoning can be found here: Adobo Seasoning Tacos 1 lb lean ground beef 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 T Ancho Mexican chili powder 1 t oregano 1 t Adobo seasoning (I used homemade) water as needed (I think I used about 1 1/2 cups all told) flour tortillas lettuce, shredded shredded Mexican blend cheese Add beef and seasonings to the slow cooker. Cook on high 4 hours, keeping an eye on the water level, adding however much as you lik...

All the talk about potato salad yesterday made me hungry for it so I whipped up a big batch. It'll make a great lunch today. Just add some extra black pepper and I'm good to go. The potato salad was really simple; it was hot yesterday and I didn't feel like doing too much chopping and fussing with it. Measurements are approximate. Potato Salad 6 potatoes, peeled, cooked and diced 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup mayo 1/4 cup dill pickle relish 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped salt and pepper to taste In a large bowl with a tight fitting cover, toss potatoes with remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

If you're looking for a dirty rice recipe using chicken livers, you won't find it here. I substituted bacon. This household doesn't do the liver thing. Shrimp 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 cup your favorite Cajun marinade (I used a prepared) Preheat grill over medium high heat. Marinade shrimp 1 hour. Drain well and discard marinade. Skewer shrimp and grill a few minutes per side or til shrimp are cooked. Serve shrimp with dirty rice. Dirty Rice olive oil 6 slices lean or center cut bacon 1 small onion, minced 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced Cajun seasoning to taste 1 cup chicken broth 1 bay leaf 3 cups cooked white rice In a large frying pan, heat a little oil over medium heat. Saute bacon til fat starts to render. Stir in onion, bell pepper and celery and cook til softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook a few seconds. Add seasoning. Add the broth and bay leaf an...