What's for Dinner?

By Maureen DiMargio

An exciting collection of delicious dinner recipes that will spark your senses and arouse your taste buds. Much more than a cookbook, the fun and entertaining stories will make you laugh, and the valuable tips and easy to follow recipes will motivate you to create amazing meals for your family and friends. From simple Mondays to fancy Saturdays,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Aug 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885905053

Maureen DiMargio

Maureen DiMargio is a wife, mom, and grandmother. With an AA degree in applied science, she worked as a registered technician in the health care field for over 40 years. She retired in 2021. Maureen spends a lot of time in the kitchen of her Ohio home. She appreciates the change of the seasons and how they are reflect-ed in her cooking. Along with being a home chef, she values family, humor, and living la dolce vita-the sweet life.

Book preview

Preface

M

any of my dinner recipes come with a little story—you know me. Yep, I’ll give you the long version.

When I started to write this, I realized that my recipes were a little difficult. You know, like when you would ask your grandmother how she made something, and half of the ingredients were left out.

So let me walk you through and make you feel like you’re in my kitchen with me.

This was my kitchen on New Year’s Eve.

CHAPTER 1

For the Love of Pizza

T

here was a time when Victor #1 would politely say, Maybe we could just order a pizza today, after I told him I was making pizza. That was before I mastered the whole technique. Do you know how many doughs, sauces, methods etc. there are out there? It’s complicated and confusing. I once mentioned to a chef that I was just going to give up on that one. He said WHY; just keep trying.

And so I did.

Making pizza is so much fun, and you can make a whole crowd happy. I’m going to say it took years to get it right. And yes, I do take some shortcuts. So, now I’ll simply pass my perfected product along to you. Hope you enjoy!

What you need:

»A rectangular sheet pan. I purchased one from a pizza shop; therefore, it was used and well-seasoned. If this is not an option, just keep using the same one for your pizza over and over. You will be just wiping it off with paper towels between uses. I really wish I would use less paper towels.

»Olive oil, I use extra virgin—find a quality one you like

»Garlic salt

»Yellow cornmeal

»Pizza dough—OK, I’ve made my own, but find yourself a pizza shop or grocery store that carries a great one. I found mine by accident (in a pinch) and it’s so delicious and easy to work with. You can buy it and freeze it, too. You just take it out and refrigerate it overnight. I occasionally feel like making my own in the food processor or bread machine, but seriously not that often. Experiment if you like.

»Pizza sauce—OK, here we go. I would never use a bottled sauce for pasta (stay tuned), but I have found a jarred pizza sauce that everybody agrees on. It’s easy and consistent. This one converts to a measured 10 oz Mason jar when you soak the label off—a nice perk. Find one you like.

»Grated parmesan cheese

»Shredded mozzarella cheese

»Italian blend shredded cheese

»Red and green bell peppers, diced (optional—sometimes kids are funny about these)

»Thin sliced pepperoni—regular or the new wave cup shaped, (pepperoni is optional of course – but I find it to be so popular)

I didn’t give you amounts; you’re not an idiot.

What to do:

»Keep the dough at room temperature for at least one hour.

»Heat skillet with a little olive oil. I add a garlic clove cut in half in this skillet for a little bit to flavor the oil, and then take it out. I almost always do this when I’m cooking—just about everything. Sauté the peppers until it is slightly softened and fragrant, (don’t forget to enjoy the smell).

»Lower your oven rack (assuming it is in the middle position) one position down.

»Preheat oven to 500°F. This is not convection, regular oven. YES, it gets that high!

»Brush sheet pan with a little olive oil. Sprinkle sheet pan with a light dusting of cornmeal. Press out dough to almost fit the pan. It does not have to be perfect, and it does not need a high raised border.

»Brush dough with a little olive oil. Sprinkle just a smidgeon of garlic salt around the edges. Top with sauce, not too much, not too little. Next comes grated cheese. Next, spread peppers, evenly. Next, I add the remaining cheeses and finally the pepperoni.

»She’s ready! Throw her in.

»Put the oven light on and watch the show.

»Bake for 4 minutes, then take out and rotate the pan while setting on stove. Place the rack back to the middle and finish cooking for 8–10 minutes. Watch it bubble! You can take a wide wooden or silicone spatula to loosen bottom and check for nice browning. The top of the pizza will be bubbling and it will start to brown around the outskirts when done. Remove from oven and it will slide nicely with wide a spatula to a large wire rack.

»Let it cool slightly and cut with kitchen scissors. This is a wonderful trick my mother-in-law taught me. She was a great cook.

Manga!!! (OK, I’ll only say this once).

(And now Victor #1 doesn’t ask to order out very often)

Wait. . . I need to edit. I just made pizza today and I decided to grate the pepperoni. I took a good quality stick and just grated it like cheese. It came out great! As you can see on the next page, I tend to use less cheese with more peppers and fresh herbs when it’s just the two of us.

CHAPTER 2

Tips to Cook By

N

ow that you can make a perfect pizza, I want to keep you motivated. Never play down or apologize for a presented meal, (I’m still learning!!!). Examples of this are, I didn’t have the correct flour; I hope this bread is OK, I know this isn’t your thing but. . . , I overcooked it a little; I hope it’s alright! Nobody knows what you did or did not do. Don’t taint it with your words. You’ll usually be surprised with rave reviews. This is a learning skill I developed over the years with the help of Victor #1! Give credit where credit is