Home-made Pizza Margherita

Ingrediants:
2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 tsps of dry yeast
1 cup of water
Salt
Sugar
Cumin Seeds
Sliced Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Vegetable Oil
Preparations:
Pizza Dough: It's super easy, TRUST ME! Take 2 cups of flour, add 2 tbsps of vegetables oil, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of cumin seeds slightly crushed. Mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Heat a cup of water in the microwave until it is warm. Take 5 tbsps of water and dissolve 1 tsp of sugar in the water. Add the yeast to the water and let it bloom. Add this water to the flour and mix. Add more warm water as needed to bring the dough together. The dough should feel very soft and rubbery (easily stretchable). If you feel like it's too watery, simple add more flour to fix it. Coat the dough with some vegetable oil and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 4-6 hrs in a warm place. It should double in size. It's good to make the dough in the morning before you go to work, so you can make pizza when you get home.
Pizza Sauce: You can certainly use store bought pizza sauce but I have a quick and cheap recipe. Take 1 cup of your favorite store-bought pasta sauce and add 1 tsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Heat over medium heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and cool. Easy pizza sauce.
Pizza Pie: Once the Dough rises, you can make your pizza. Oil the pizza pan with some vegetable oil so the pizza doesn't stick. Take the pizza dough and deflate it. Make the pizza into a round piece to work with on your pizza pan. Using the tips of your fingers, roll out the dough to your pizza pan size. Use some flour to keep your hands from sticking. Once the dough is rolled out, place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 mins. You want to cook the pizza crust first before you add anything so you have a crispy crust. Remove after twently minutes and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Layer your pizza with pizza sauce, tomatoes, and cheese on top of the pizza. Cook the pizza for an additional 20 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted. Few minutes before removing the pizza from the oven, sprinkle some chopped basil. You can add any other toppings you like to your pizza, but i just love tomato and basil on my pizza. Slice and enjoy with a side salad. Enjoy!!!

Caprese Salad On Bread

Ingrediants:
Loaf of French Bread
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic Clove
Cherry Tomoatoes
Mozzarella Balls
Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper
Preparations:
Cut the French bread into thick slices. Place on a baking sheet pan and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Toast the bread in the oven at 400 degrees until toasted (2-3 min per side).
Take the bread out, rub the fresh garlic all over the bread while its hot, and set aside to cool for a few minutes. In the meantime, slice the cherry tomatoes in half and chop the fresh basil.
Once the bread is a little cool. Place some sliced tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and sprinkles some fresh basil top of the bread slices. Season with some salt and pepper. Drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil on top to finish the appetizer. It's a great everyday snack and such an easy appetizer for dinner parties. Enjoy!!!

Fresh Basil Chicken Pasta

Ingrediants:
Penne Pasta
Tomatoes
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Basil
Fresh Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Boneless Skinless Chicken Cutlets
Preparations:
First, make the basil marinade. Take a couple of handfuls of fresh basil leaves, few cloves of peeled garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and olive oil. Blend these ingredients together. Put enough olive oil so it becomes saucy. Set aside half of the marinade for the pasta in the refrigerator.
Place your chicken cutlets in resealable plastic bag and add the rest of the marinade to the chicken. Marinade the chicken for 2-4hrs in the refrigerator. After 4hrs, remove the chicken and cook the cutlets in a pan until cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, boil some penne pasta in salted water until cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the pan, and use the same pan to make the pasta sauce. Add 1-2 tsp of olive oil and heat it on medium heat. Stir in some chopped tomatoes. Then add the reserved basil marinade made earlier to the pan with the tomatoes. Heat through. Then add the pasta and stir well.
Serve the basil marinaded chicken over the basil pasta. You can shave some parmesan cheese over the top (optional). Enjoy with some bread and you have a gourmet meal in minutes. Enjoy!!!