Making Basic Pizza with Kitchen Paddles

I started doing a lot of research for an article on Pizza. I have been doing some reading on the different styles of pizza and their history. Of coarse I will share with you how to create a pizza of each style at home. I have made some incredible sauce and have found some great toppings, but my crust has just been good, but I am on a quest to make a GREAT crust from the thinnest St. Louis style cracker crust to the the thick and hearty Chicago Deep dish. For today's demonstration were are making a very easy and basic Pepperoni Pizza

During my quest I have come across a great tool that every serious pizza maker needs - The Kitchen Paddles. The Kitchen Paddles have taken the concept of the traditional pizza peel and made it more functional with their revolutionary new design.

"The peel apart Kitchen Paddles use a natural side by side motion to place your pizza, bread or other baked creations with toppings intact, exactly where you want it on the cooking surface. During baking you can use the paddles with an easy shuffle motion to rotate your pizza, etc. in place for evenly baked results. Removing your pizza, etc. masterpiece is made so easy by picking it up with the tapered edges and using that natural side by side motion.

Together, while paddles are interlocked, they have a total area spanning 12×20 inches, from side to side, tip to handle, respectively – with a total working area of about 12×12 inches. Apart, each paddle measures a convenient size of 6×20 inches for specialized tasks and easy storage."

Aside from being a great tool for your kitchen the Kitchen Paddles have a couple other great features. One, they are made from bamboo. Bamboo is a great substitute for traditional hardwoods, since bamboo grows 1000’s of times faster than hard wood trees, using it helps contribute towards saving the environment. Number two, Pizza For All LLC. donates 50 cents from every sale of the Kitchen Paddle to Action Against Hunger to help fight world hunger.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon of dry active yeast
1 teaspoon of white sugar
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 cup of luke warm water
1/2 cup of cold water
3-1/4 cups of flour
1/4 lb of Peperoni
3 cups of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup of Pizza Sauce

EQUIPMENT
1 set of Kitchen Paddles
1 pizza stone
1 kitchen aid stand up mixture with mixing paddle and dough hook
Roll of Saran wrap
Measuring cups and spoons


PROCESS
Dissolve yeast into 1/2 cup of luke warm water. After a few minutes pour yeast mixture, sugar, olive oil and cold water into your mixing bowl. First use mixing paddle attachment and mix on low and slowly add a 1/4 cup of four at a time until you have a batter. Then change to the dough hook attachment and continue to add flour slowly. Continue to mix until a ball is formed. Add an additional 1/4 of four if needed.
Once your dough is formed, take off of the hook and form a nice round ball with your dough, then place in a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with Saran wrap and place in refrigerator for 24 hours to slowly rise.

After 24 hours has past, preheat your oven to 425 degrees with your pizza stone in the oven on the middle rack. Then place you Kitchen Paddles on the counter and sprinkle with flour. You enough dough to make 2 medium pizzas on the paddles so divide your dough and half. Then take half your dough and sprinkle with flour and form your crust on the paddle. Once you have formed one nice round thin crust on your paddles, evenly spread a 1/2 cup of sauce on to the crust. Then place you pepperoni on top of the sauce. Finally spread 1-1/2 cup of cheese over the top of your pizza. Then pick up your Kitchen Paddles with your pizza on it and slowly separate your paddles as you slide you pizza of the paddles on to the stone. NOTE: make sure you flour your paddles so the pizza slides off nice and easy. Then close oven and turn on light. Watch you pizza, when your crust starts to crisp and your cheese bubbles it is done. Take your pizza paddles and reverse them, so the part that interlocks is facing out and the tapper part is facing in. Slide you paddles under your pizza and pick up and take out of the oven and place on cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve!
Remember you have enough dough for two pizzas, so repeat the process and make another pizza

You can get your own Kitchen Paddles at
The Kitchen Paddles website

Lawhorn's Bubba Slider

As I talked about before, I recently got a bottle of Lawhorns Signatute Seasoning, and have been doing some experimenting with it. Lawhorns has a great flavor and goes great with about anything, so I thought I would jazz up my sliders with a little Lawhorn's and Baby Bubba's! Let me tell you these sliders topped with a little Baby Bubba's Sweet BubbaQ Sauce really hit the spot!

INGREDIENT
1-1/2 lbs of ground beef I used 85%
1 cup of cornflake crumbs
1 egg
1 Tablespoon of Lawhorn's Signature Seasonin
1 Tablespoon of yellow mustard
12 split top dinner rolls
1 jar of Baby Bubba's Sweet BubbaQ Sauce

PROCESS
Combine ground beef, cornflake crumbs, egg, Lawhorns and mustard in a large mixing bowl.
Then mix with a wooden spoon or like I did use your hands!
Once the ingredients are well mixed - form 12 small patties and cook on a hot griddle or frying pan -Cook until well done but still juicy
Place a patty on a bun and top with Baby Bubba's

The enjoy the awesome flavor!

Christmas Coffee Fudge

So this year I have taken on a lot of new projects, and it seems like there is not enough hours in the day. So I made the decision this Christmas season I wasn't making a bunch of different Christmas candy. I was only making a few batches of peanut butter fudge which is my wife's favorite. Well as expected, I changed my mind, and while at the store last night I got a bunch of supplies to make a several different Christmas Candy's!

Many different things caused me to change my mind, one of which was a new creation jingling in my mind. I have been thinking about making a dark chocolate mocha fudge. So last night I as the Christmas spirit was consuming me, I got into the kitchen and went to work. I will admit I think I may have created an instant Christmas classic!

INGREDIENTS

3 - Cups of Sugar

1 - Cup of Evaporated Milk

1 - Stick of Butter

1 - Tablespoon of Eight O'Clock French Vanilla Coffee Grounds

1 - 12 oz Bag of Hersey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips

1 - Cup of Small Marshmallows

1 - Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

1 - teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

PROCESS

Combine the Hersey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips, Brown Sugar, Vanilla and Marshmallows in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the Sugar, Evaporated Milk, Butter and Eight O'Clock French Vanilla Coffee Grounds in a sauce pan. Place on stove top and slowly raise heat until butter is melted and ingredients are incorporated. Then turn to high heat and bring to a rolling boil. One boil is achieved boil for 7 minutes and make sure to stir often.

After 7 minutes pour the hot mixture into the mixing bowl over the top of the other ingredients. You must do this immediately while the contains are still extremely hot.

Then mix with an electric mixer on high.
Once you have a smooth mixture, pour into a greased 9x12 glass casserole dish and spread smooth with a plastic spatula.

Allow to cool then cut into 1" squares and EAT!

Merry Christmas!

Chef Dad Christmas Jingle

The 12 Chef Dad Days of Christmas



On the first day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me




On the second day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me





On the third day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me







On the fourth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me





On the fifth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me





On the sixth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me


On the seventh day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Seven Walkerswood Jamacian Jerk Sauce
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me


On the eighth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Eight Cups of Eight O'Clock Coffee
Seven Walkerswood Jamacian Jerk Sauce
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me

On the ninth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Nine Lousiania Fish Products
Eight Cups of Eight O'Clock Coffee
Seven Walkerswood Jamacian Jerk Sauce
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me

On the tenth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Ten Bottles Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning
Nine Lousiania Fish Products
Eight Cups of Eight O'Clock Coffee
Seven Walkerswood Jamacian Jerk Sauce
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me

On the eleventh day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Eleven Bottles of Olade
Ten Shaker Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning
Nine Lousiania Fish Products
Eight Cups of Eight O'Clock Coffee
Seven Walkerswood Jamacian Jerk Sauce
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me

On the twelfth day of Christmas
Chef Dad sent to me:
Twelve Chrystals Hot Sauce
Eleven Bottles of Olade
Ten Shaker Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning
Nine Lousiania Fish Products
Eight Cups of Eight O'Clock Coffee
Seven Walkerswood Jamacian Jerk Sauce
Six Pack of Lucky Bucket
Five bbqfans.com Steak Brands
Four Ogallala Cream Cans
Three Pizza Paddles
Two Jars of Baby Bubba's Bbq Sauce
and a LaCaja China Roasting Box just for me

Now I am going to have a cup of Tiesta Tea and dream about summer!


Merry Christmas To All!

and To All A GoodNight!

Ogallala Cream Can Supper

Earlier this week I was surfing the Internet looking for unique cooking items, when I ran across the Ogallala Cream Can Supper Company. Long Story - Short - mine got here on Friday! After checking out their website and talking to the guys in Ogallala Nebraska, I had to have one. I got is the 2-1/2 gallon can that feeds 8-10 people, but their is a family size on and 2 other larger ones that feed large groups.

Here are 5 of my favorite things about the Ogallala Cream Can
1. It's easy - anyone can use this!
2. Everything was cooked perfect!
3. You can have a full home cooked meal in one pot
4. It took under an hour start to finish
5. Easy clean up

I will share with you how I did made it, but I will also include the link to their website so you can watch their 3 minute video!

GROCERY LIST
1- head of cabbage
4 - ears of corn
1 - pound of carrots
1 - stalk of celery
1 - pound of Yukon gold potatoes
3 - yellow zucchini
2 - bell peppers
1 - pound of yams
2 - small broccoli sprigs
2 - yellow onions
1 - ring of smoked beef sausage
1 - ring of smoked polish kielbasa
1 - pound of natural casing wieners
12 ounces of beer
12 ounces of water


CUTTING PREP WORK
Slice the cabbage into thick patties
Peel the yams and onion and cut into large chunks
Cut your corn in halves
Leave the skin on the Yukon Gold potatoes and cut into large chunks
Cut up all other veggies into large chunks
Cut natural casing wieners in half
Cut Sausage into 2" pieces

ORDER TO PUT IN TO POT
NOTE:*** You need to put something in the bottom of the pot to keep the food off of the bottom, I used 3 canning lid rings!
1 - the cabbage patties
2 - the corn
3 - mix all the rest of your veggies in
4 - top with your sausage
5 - pour 12 ounces of beer in the pot
6 - pour 12 ounces of water in the pot
This will fill this pot but make sure your steam vent at the top center of the pot is not blocked.

COOKING
Place pot on range burner
Turn burner on high
****NOTE: read and follow all safety instructions that come with this product****
Watch the vent - Once you see steam coming out the vent, set timer for 30 minutes
After it has cooked for 30 minutes remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes
Then carefully empty contents of the pot into a large serving dish
Remove the canning rings with tongs
Then Serve!

We had family over to share this meal and everyone from 6 to 60 years old LOVED IT!

NOTE: I did NOT use salt and pepper and any other seasoning during or after cooking!
NOTE: Other than a little butter on the corn we added nothing to our plates!

This cooker took all the natural flavors in the food and blended them perfectly with out the aid of any seasoning! This is a great healthy family meal with awesome taste! I really look forward to using this summer and next fall, when we can go to the Farmers Market and get really fresh veggies!

If you are looking for a great Christmas Gift this is a great idea, your avid cooks will appreciate what it can do and the people you know that can't cook - will be thrill to finally be able to make a great home cooked meal.

You still have time before Christmas - so give the guys at the Ogallala Cream Can Supper Company a jingle and get yours before Christmas!

For More information go to http://www.ogallalacreamcansupper.com/

Lawhorn's Lacaja Chicken Quarters

The other day I got some new seasoning from the great folks at Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning, so I decided to try it out first on some chicken quarters I got at the local Bag n' Save. But how was I going to prepare them, would I smoke them?, would I grill them? would I fry them? or should I roast them? Well I decided I wanted to use my awesome LaCaja China roasting box to make my first meal with Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning! Let me tell you this meal was so easy and so good. I am going to make this for my next family gathering! The chicken was hot and juicy with a nice golden skin, and the seasoning gave it a wonderful robust flavor.

Now I cooked four chicken quarters but I think you could fit at least 20 of them in your LaCaja China. Also just so you know it was about 10 degree out the night I cooked these, for real! 10 degrees and they came out great!

Here is how I cooked them
I generously seasoned all sides of the Chicken with Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning and let them rest for about 20 minutes while I got my roasting box fired up. After I got my charcoals nice and hot, I put the chicken face down on a grill with a small cookie sheet underneath. Then I closed the roaster for 35 minutes. Then I opened the box and flip the chicken over. Then I added more Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning. Then closed the box for 25 more minutes. After just an hour it was time to eat!
WOW What Flavor! My who family loved them! I can't wait to try Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning on other meats and veggies!

I can't stress how much I like both my LaCaja China Roasting Box and Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning. You will be seeing more dinner ideas with both!

If you want to learn more about these great items check them out on the web!

Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning
www.Lawhorns.net

LaCaja China Roasting Box
www.lacajachina.com

Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning

A couple weeks ago I was surfing the net looking for some new foods to try. I came across Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning, so I dropped them a line. Within 10 minutes I was chatting on the phone with Tim Lawhorn himself. After talking about everything from food to football to family, I knew these were great people, who put their heart and soul into their seasoning. A few days later my bottle of Lawhorn's Signature Seasoning arrived. It smelled great and it tasted great! Tonight I made my first meal with it, but before I write the blog, I wanted to share with you the Lawhorn's Seasoning Story. In a couple days I will post an article about the incredible Chicken I made tonight!

The Lawhorn's Story

*This passage was taken from their website*

"In 1971, 10 year old Tim Lawhorn went to work one Saturday morning at 5 AM with his grandmother Bunny to help her open up the restaurant for breakfast at 6 AM. He was fascinated by watching his grandma make everything from “scratch” for their local customers. His grandma would tell him from the beginning, “Don’t ever be afraid to season your food well. Cook it like YOU would like to eat it and people will come back for more”. From that point on, he went in with her as much as he could, on weekends, holidays and in the summer, learning every trick of the trade from his extremely talented grandmother. Little Tim got the “cooking bug” and it led him to pursue a culinary career spanning over 37 years now. After working in the family business into high school, Tim moved to Lafayette, Louisiana to go to college at the University of SW Louisiana. He quickly secured a cooking position at “The Landing,” a huge local Cajun and Creole style restaurant on the banks of the Vermillion River in downtown Lafayette. Tim had a real culinary epiphany in Louisiana being exposed to such an incredible variety of cooking methods, fresh ingredients, spices and seasonings-lots and lots of seasonings. Tim soaked up the local cuisine like a sponge, learning everything he could along the way like he had with Grandma Bunny. The cultural awakening Tim experienced while in Lafayette would leave a deep and lasting impression that would shape his culinary flair that lasts to this day.

After going to Denver one summer to visit family, Tim was astonished at the cutting-edge cuisines that were coming up everywhere in the Metro Denver area. The very young, professional population that was Denver was shaping the entire culture. The “culinary renaissance” was on. The allure of a big city with so much excitement everywhere he turned was too much for Tim to resist and he moved to Denver in late 1982. It was there that he discovered the American Culinary Federation after being invited to a local chapter meeting by a new friend and the rest, as they say, is history. Tim enrolled in the ACF apprenticeship program at the prestigious 5 star Brown Palace Hotel and The Denver Club, a private 5 star athletic club downtown where he worked both jobs full time. Tim spent virtually every waking moment preparing, cooking, and experimenting with gourmet foods and cuisines while working his way through the 3 year apprenticeship process. When he left the program at 23 years old, Tim worked as a Sous Chef for a national 4 star hotel chain in Denver as well as Executive Chef for Specialty Restaurants, a national multi-concept restaurant chain based out of California. His knowledge of food and love of the culinary arts continued to blossom and grow. Over the next few years, Tim participated in numerous culinary competitions bringing home a total of 14 medals in ACF-sanctioned events.

In 1986, fate struck Tim and changed his course forever. One August evening the phone rang. It was a call from his high school sweetheart, Heidi, with whom he had not spoken to in 7 years, wishing him a happy birthday. It was his breakup with her 7 years earlier, which drove him to leave Haines City to begin with; he had to get away from her memory and heal his broken heart. After the initial shock of just “out-of-the-blue” hearing from her after so long, they had a conversation was cordial and platonic. Tim said to her what he said too many young ladies back in those days, “Hey come on out someday, and I’ll teach you how to snow ski.” Not thinking anything else of the invite until she called 2 months later, once again, out of the clear blue sky, to say she had bought her tickets to come out the day after Christmas to learn to ski. To make a long story short, Tim sold everything he owned in Denver and moved back to Florida with nothing more than a suitcase in his hands when he landed in Tampa in mid-March of 1987. He was engaged to Heidi by the first week of April! Tim and Heidi were married by July of ’87. Needless to say, “The ski trip went well.”

Tim was offered the position of Executive Chef and Assistant Food & Beverage Director of the Innverary Hilton Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale soon after getting back to Florida. From April, until the wedding Tim lived alone down there and sunk himself into his work, putting in 12 to14 hour days turning the Food & Beverage operations around at The Hilton.

While in Lauderdale Tim began experimenting with a few different seasoning formulas. He was trying to cut the hotels’ spice costs one evening, Tim came across an interesting combination of herbs and spices that when mixed together tasted phenomenal on a steak that he cooked. He continued to experiment and alter his new seasoning formula until he was sure that this blend was working well on all fronts. Soon after getting his special seasoning blend just right, Tim started using his seasoning on just about everything he cooked. He came to learn very quickly after “guinea pigging” the hotel staff and several banquets, this new seasoning tasted different on everything he put it on and everybody was raving about it!! His new concoction actually changed flavor characteristics and enhanced the natural flavors of whatever he cooked with it!! It tastes different on chicken than it does steak, or pork, or fish, vegetables, and the list goes on. It was a revolutionary concept in the kitchen; and his spice costs dropped dramatically, as designed.
Little did he know at the time that Lawhorn’s Signature Seasoning was born!

The Hilton closed down for major renovations in the late 80’s and Tim and his wife made the decision to move back to their hometown of Haines City to get out of the rat-race of South Florida, and start a family.

Over the next 15 years, Tim worked for large, upscale hotels, national and regional restaurant operations in Central Florida taking his culinary expertise and secret seasoning with him. By this time, Tim was selling his seasoning to friends and family all the time. He was urged by anyone who tried it to bring it to market. “This stuff is the bomb!” was the general reaction by one tasting it for the first time. He enjoyed 100% return business from his seasoning customers. By now, Tim had achieved upper-management status as a Food & Beverage Director and finally a multi-unit Director of Operations for a fine-dining chain of restaurants. He left his mark with all of them, bringing his unique flavor and style of cooking to the masses. His reputation in the kitchen was outstanding everywhere he went!
His family was growing with his career, and they had three great children along the way!

In early 2002, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself to Tim. The original building that housed his grandparents’ drugstore was available for lease with a restaurant already in it!! It only took about 30 seconds to decide that this was his dream come true.

Tim left his corporate job and bought the restaurant business. “Lawhorn’s Corner Café” was created from the ground up with every single detail overseen by Tim and Heidi. He created an eclectic menu from his vast culinary experience that had something for everybody. The “Signature Seasoning” was now mentioned and featured all over the menu. The daily specials were always “down-home” country meals that usually came straight out of Grandma Bunny’s old recipe box she to Tim before she passed away. This was the very food that Tim learned how to cook 37 years ago! Historic pictures of Haines City from the last 120 years adorn the walls making “Lawhorn’s Corner” a history lesson for anyone who walks through the doors. Lawhorn’s was once again the talk of the town!

In 2006 Tim met an executive from the Hormel meat company who asked to speak to him after dining on one of Tim’s steaks. The gentleman told Tim that this was the best steak he had eaten anywhere in the country and was curious as to how it was prepared. Tim simply replied, “The only thing I do to the meat prior to cooking, is season it with my seasoning blend that I make here at the restaurant and cook it to order.” The executive immediately urged Tim to bring this seasoning to market. “This stuff is great,” he said. “I’ve never tasted anything like it in my life!” With those words of encouragement coming from a meat expert of that caliber, Tim began the process of bringing his “baby” to market.

Lawhorn’s Signature Seasoning has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a cost-cutting vehicle. Restaurateur Tim Lawhorn now proudly oversees production and distribution personally, taking his revolutionary new seasonings the pubic so everyone can cook like a gourmet chef, no matter what their level of cooking experience.

You don’t have to be a Master Chef to cook like one! Try a bottle of Lawhorn’s Signature Seasonings at your family’s table tonight, just think of the history you’ll be TASTING!"

To learn more about Lawhorn's go to

www.lawhorns.net

JAVA-Q Ribs with Eight O'Clock Coffee!

JAVA-Q Ribs with Eight O'Clock Coffee!

Did a little experimenting this weekend and came up with a great bbq sauce, I call it Java-Q!

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 Cup - Brown Sugar

2-1/2 Cup - Ketchup

1 Cup - Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon - Salt

1 Tablespoon - Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon - Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon - Nutmeg
2 Tablespoon - Honey

1 Tablespoon - Paprika

1/2 Cup of strong black Hazelnut Eight O'Clock Coffee

PROCESS
Combine all ingredients in sauce pot. Then slowly stir and increase heat until the ingredients dissolved. Then bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.

Smoke Ribs for 2 hours, then remove from smoker and brush with your Java-Q sauce
Wrap in foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 deg

Remove from foil and brush with sauce and serve!