Tuna Patties

Tuna patties are a classic dish from my childhood that I rediscovered lately only to realize that it is in fact a really tasty simple meal to whip up. My parents used to make it for us all the time, and now I really understand the beauty of it.

Sometimes my body craves the protein from tuna, and while I'm not against opening up a can and eating it just like that, sometimes I want something that resembles and actual meal. 

I highly suggest eating this with some Kraft mac and cheese. The two mix really well together.


Tuna Patties
Serves two


1 5oz can of tuna (I prefer in oil)
1/4 cup bread crumbs1 egg
Salt and Pepper


Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

When the pan is warm, pour the tuna mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Cook on that side for 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned.

Very carefully flip over the patty and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes or until cooked through. Slice and Serve

Breakfast Flatbread Pizza

After I whipped up a batch of Yogurt Flatbreads, I couldn't wait to try out a breakfast pizza. I never can resist the idea of eggs with amazing runny yokes on top of cheesy, bready goodness.

And seriously, it was amazing. I was delightfully full after practically swallowing it whole, and it was less than 500 calories. In my mind, you really can't beat that.

Breakfast Flatbread Pizza
Serves two


1 batch of Yogurt Flatbreads or 2 of your favorite flatbreads
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 slices of deli ham, pulled into pieces
2 eggs


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Lay the two flatbreads out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle top with cheese and ham and crack an egg in the middle of each flatbread.

Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow to sit for a minute or two before digging in.

Note: If the egg is too runny, microwave the whole flatbread for 15-20 seconds or until it reaches the level of cooked that you like.

  

Yogurt Flatbread

I've only recently begun my successful venture into the world of bread making. I mean, I've been trying to make bread for ages, but only within the last year have I actually managed to make something worth eating.

I don't have a Kitchen Aid mixer, which it seems everyone else on the planet expects someone attempting bread making to own. Hell, as you can see from the picture above, my kitchen counter isn't even entirely flat, it's tiled, and I'm not entirely sure my Ikea table could withstand the pressure, so even hand kneading is challenging, but these yogurt flatbreads from CookRepublic make it more than worth the effort.

They are so ridiculously versatile, I'm thinking these might become a common fixture in my kitchen. I made a delicious lunch of one of them by making a Breakfast Flatbread Pizza, and damn, it hit the spot.

The original recipe makes four flatbreads but I halved it down to two. For the full version, check out the original site or double the ingredients.

Yogurt Flatbread
(recipe from CookRepublic)  
Makes two  



1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
pinch of salt
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil


Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl. Mix until it begins to come together, then knead until it forms a smooth ball.

Oil the bowl with the olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and proof for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.* 

Once the dough is doubled in size, knead in the olive oil covering the dough and any left in the bowl. Once the dough is smooth again, set back in the bowl and cover for another 30 minutes.

When the 30 minutes is up, divide the dough in two equal pieces and press, stretch and roll them flat until they are about 8 inches around.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and cook the dough rounds, 2-3 minutes on each side or until it begins to brown. 
 

*As a side note, this is a step I always have trouble with. The dough never seemed to rise as much as it should, but here's a trick. If your kitchen is chilly, rest a wire cooling rack over a 9x13 cake pan. Rest the bowl with the dough in it on top of the cooling rack and pour a cup or two of boiling water into the cake pan. Cover it all with a tea towel to keep in the warmth and voila! A warm place for your dough to rise!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Yet another creamy food. Big surprise, huh.

If you've never made soup from scratch, I highly recommend it. There's something remarkably satisfying about stirring a pot on the stove for a while and turning milk and broth into creamy awesomeness.

A bowl of this with a little bread on the side, you've got yourself a tasty lunch.


Broccoli Cheddar Soup
serves two 
(adapted from food.com)


2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of broccoli, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar
salt and pepper


In a saucepan, whisk the butter and flour over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the milk, cream, and broth and simmer for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Stir in the broccoli and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cheddar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Easy Calzones for Two

I kept seeing this calzone tutorial popping up all over the place so I decided to give it a try. I mean who could resist the pictures? 

The problem is when it comes to pizza, me and my leading man can never flipping agree, mostly because we are completely picky in ways that rarely intersect. The circle graph of our agreeable pizza toppings would really only overlap at mozzarella cheese. I mean, I'm not even a huge fan of marinara.

So for a long time, I thought those gorgeous pictures of laced top calzones were out of my reach. And then, one magical day, I had the admittedly simple idea that brought about these babies: why not cut a piece of store bought pizza dough in half?

I know, I know. It's so obvious. But seriously, it's deliciousness made me feel like a genius. And we each got our own little calzone. Okay, little is an understatement. I was stuffed. But it was so good I didn't mind eating it all.

Since this one gets a little complicated, I've got some image tutorials to follow.

I started with a Pillsbury pizza crust. It came in the same kind of canisters that Crescent rolls come in. I stretched it out flat on a big piece of parchment paper laid out on the counter and sliced it in two.

In the center of each rectangular piece of pizza dough, I spread out all the toppings. Mine was Alfredo sauce, mozzarella and goat cheese. The other was marinara, mozzarella and ham.

With all the toppings laid out in a line down the center, I cut little strips down each side, making sure to keep about 1/2 inch away from the sauce and toppings. It it seems too short, that's okay. It'll stretch.

Now the fun part. Cross the strips across the toppings, first from one side, then from the other, tucking edges under the next strip. When you get to the end, fold the edges under the calzone.

Pinch the end shut a bit and repeat with the other calzone. 

I took a big circular pizza pan, the kind I cook frozen pizzas on and slid the parchment paper with the calzones on top of it onto the pan. A cookie sheet would work fine too, just be aware of the placement of your calzones and how they will fit on the pan.

  

Then bake and enjoy!

Easy Calzones for Two

(Inspired by this)  

1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust or any pizza dough yielding one pizza

Whatever pizza toppings your little heart desires

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay a piece of parchment paper down on the counter. Spread out the pizza dough and slice it in half.

In the center of each rectangle of pizza dough, lay out the desired toppings, being sure to stay in the middle of the dough.

Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the edges into strips, being sure to give the filling about 1/2 inch on each side.

Taking strips from alternating sides, stretch across the filling and tuck under the next set of strips. At the end, tuck the last strip edges underneath the calzone. 

Once both calzones are wrapped up, slide the parchment paper with the calzones on top onto a baking sheet. Pop in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.