Kim's Quick Alfredo Sauce

My daughter's friend, Kim, made dinner for us the other night and shared her sauce recipe with me.  Something this rich and delicious makes a quick and perfect company dish.


Kim's Quick Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup butter
8oz cream cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups milk
8 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
1/8 tsp black pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add cream cheese and garlic powder, whisking until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper. Remove from heat and serve immediately over favorite cooked pasta.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I nab every chance I get to play around making different pizzas.  This one was a huge success with my teens.  It involved a tomato-based barbecue sauce, chicken, veggies, mozzarella cheese, and bacon.

Pizza Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups unbleached flour (I used 2 1/2 cups of unbleached bread flour)

Add yeast to warm water with a pinch of sugar until it bubbles. Add remaining ingredients with the first cup of flour and mix for at least a minute. Add more flour until the dough forms a smooth, soft ball, not too sticky, but not firm. Allow dough to rise until double. Stretch or roll dough to form a medium size pizza.  This dough is very soft, so if you use a pizza stone, you may want to pre-bake it for 5 minutes at 450ºF before adding toppings for easier handling as you transfer it to the stone.   If you bake it in a pan, there isn't a problem.  

Toppings:
Barbecue Sauce (your favorite homemade recipe or from a bottle)
8 baby carrots, finely diced
2 slices onion, finely diced
1/4 green pepper, finely diced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 strips extra-thick (good quality) bacon

In a large frying pan, cook chicken pieces until done (don't overcook).  Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Saute carrots, onion, and pepper in the same oil until tender. 


Preheat oven (and pizza stone, if you have one) to 450ºF.  Spread barbecue sauce over pizza dough.  Top with veggies.  Top with chicken.  Sprinkle with desired amount of mozzarella cheese.   Transfer to stone or pizza pan and cook until dough is done and cheese is melted (about 10 - 15 minutes).  In the meantime, cook the bacon strips in the frying pan.  Serve fresh, hot pizza with bacon sprinkled over the top.

Dave's Oyster Beef with Snow Peas

I haven't been doing as much experimenting in the kitchen lately (even though I always cook), so I'm sharing a few dishes that Dave and other of my family members cook.  This recipe is one that Dave brought into our marriage 23 years ago.  It's been a long time since he made it, and I'd forgotten how yummy it is.


Oyster Beef with Snow Peas

Sauce:
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry sherry

2 Tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch

Marinade:
1/2 lb beef tenderloin, sliced thinly and marinated for 1/2+ hours in the following:
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp peanut oil

Veggies:
1 cup snow peas
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can water chesnuts
2 green onions, sliced
6 slices fresh ginger root

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat wok (or large frying pan) and add 2 Tbsp peanut oil. Stir-fry meat until almost cooked through.  Remove from wok and set aside.  Do not overcook.

Add 2 more Tbsp oil to wok.  Stir-fry green onion and ginger until fragrant.  Add remaining veggies and cook until barely tender.  Return meat to wok and add sauce while stirring.  Heat through.  Be careful not to overcook. Serve on a bed of cooked Napa cabbage or rice.

Pumpkin Sauce with Garden Herbs and Veggies

Pumpkin isn't just for the winter holidays.  It combines beautifully with tomatoes for a light summer pasta sauce. 

1 cup finely diced veggies (such as onion, broccoli, carrots, etc.)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
1 cup fire roasted chopped tomatoes in juice
Chopped fresh basil, rosemary, lavender and anise leaves (to taste)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Goat Cheese

Cook the diced veggies in the wine until tender.  Add pumpkin and tomatoes in juice. Sprinkle in fresh herbs, salt and pepper.  Warm through and serve over pasta.  Top with crumbled goat cheese.