Thursday, December 23, 2010

Holiday Greetings!

   It is the day before Christmas Eve and K.C. is on his way from New Jersey, Amanda is working her last shift at Outback until after Christmas. I am so excited to have my children home and give them their Christmas presents! I still enjoy finding the perfect surprise gift for them, I still enjoy celebrating the Holiday with them. I think I enjoy the holiday just as much as when they were little.
   Karl is making up the toppings for the wood fired pizza we will have tonight! Tonight seemed like the perfect night to make pizza. We wanted something easy and pizza is so easy, we wanted something special and pizza in our brick oven is always a special treat. Karl is in charge of the whole deal tonight and he made a new pizza dough recipe that I will share with you. In fact Karl and my children will be making all the holiday meals this year! I think having this cast might be not so bad after all. I am thinking this could start a whole new tradition in our house!
    I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday! We have done so well with our Round Boy Ovens this year! It has been a exciting and successful year for us and we are looking forward to a web site that K.C. is working on with a web designer and maybe some new design features that Harry and Karl have planned. I hope everyone who owns a Round Boy Oven is enjoying some holiday brick oven meals! I would be so happy if you would share with me your favorite recipe for me to post for everyone. We will also be sharing on the web site the very creative designs our customers have used with their Round Boy ovens.  We appreciate and have enjoyed talking to all our customers and future customers this year. The best part has been the people we have met! So I hope Santa is good to you all and next year is healthy and happy!
Thanks for reading my Blog, Lisa
                    
From  the book PIZZA  GRILL IT, BAKE IT, LOVE IT! by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Olive Oil Pizza Dough

1/2 cup luke-warm water (105*f)
1 1/2 teas active dry yeast
1/2 teas sugar
1/2 teas salt
2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup olive oil

Stir warm water, yeast , sugar and salt in bowl. Set aside for 5 min. for yeast to foam. Add flour and olive oil to yeast mixture. Attach dough hook and stir at med. speed until combined. Continue beating at med. speed for 7 min.
Wipe a clean large bowl with olive oil and place the dough in bowl turning so all sides are coated. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm draft free place( I use the microwave) for about 2 hours or until doubles in size. Shape and make dough balls the size you need ( I like 10 oz.). Enjoy! 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Chef Karl and Pigs in a Blanket!

I have my foot in a cast since Monday and for a month more! I have Tarsal Tunnel in my right foot and having a cast and crutches is a learning experience like none other....
A few things I have learned.
I am clumsy!
Using crutches while two sheepdogs circle around me is dangerous (yes, I know I have a sheepdog and a little cockapoo but you try telling her she is not a sheepdog.)
I have a great husband who reminds me to be positive.
I have a great partner and co workers and they have kept our salon running during Christmas and have taken care of  my clients holiday hair needs without missing a beat.
I can enjoy the holiday season without shopping and taking advantage of all the bargains. ( I am a shopaholic and this may have cured me)
I love Christmas movies and Specials ( I have never had time to watch them in the past because I was too busy shopping and working to make money to shop)
I can knit a beautiful sweater when I am forced to sit on my butt! (pictures to follow)
I need practice at not being in control and a month in a cast should do it.
My husband Karl is really a good chef and will try anything in a brick oven because for him that is the way to cook!
So here is how  Karl made  "Pigs in the Blanketand they are done in our brick oven.
The Recipe
2 small or 1 large cabbage
11/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 lbs ground pork
1 cup of cooked rice 
2 eggs
1 onion diced
can of tomatoes ( we used our home canned tomatoes)
4 slices bacon
salt pepper and allspice
First boil water and Blanche the cabbage to soften the leaves. Removing the outer leaves as they soften.
mix together ground beef, ground pork, eggs, onion, rice and salt, pepper and allspice.


roll ground beef mixture up in the cabbage leaves. Layer in a oven safe pot ( we used a ceramic dutch oven) starting with tomatoes then "piggies" ending with Tomatoes. Top with 4 slices of uncooked bacon.
The oven: Bring brick oven to white hot  and let cool down to 400*. Place pot in oven, we did not use a door but kept a small fire going to keep oven temperature around 400*.  Karl turned the pot every 1/2 hour and he timed them for 2 hours.


They came out delicious with a slight smokey flavor. Karl has proven himself to be a great wood fired oven chef. This means I get a break from cooking! ( at least while the cast is on)
 Before putting in the oven 

 baking with a small fire

Perfect!
MMMMmm!
My sweater all done!



Friday, December 17, 2010

Wood Fired Thanksgiving Feast

For Information on RoundBoy Brick Ovens call Karl 570-885-3269 or Harry 570-885-3268
I wanted to try roasting a turkey in the brick oven all summer. We never got around to trying a turkey in the oven because we enjoy pizza and steak so much! Roasting a turkey on Thanksgiving when we have guest for dinner was a little scary. The solution was a turkey breast done in my Jenn Air and another breast done wood fired outside in our brick oven. Both took about the same time and both had the same preparation and seasoning. The breast was a honey brine fresh turkey breast from Wegmans. I used a seasoned rub. The results were told by the fact that the only leftover turkey was the Jenn Air roasted breast. The wood fired breast was amazing! I wish you could taste the difference yourself because I do not have he words to describe the flavor! I loved that it would free up my Jenn Air for other dishes. I loved that Karl and Amanda were in charge of the brick oven and it was one less thing for me to think about. I loved how great it tasted!
I am still amazed out how good everything comes out when we make it in the brick oven. We really enjoy this oven as a family. I am so happy that it brings my kids back home! Karl and I are not big vacationers and having something else we enjoy in our back yard for us is better then going away on vacation! 
Karl brought the oven up to white hot (bricks on top of oven inside turn white). He let the oven cool to 475* to 500* and kept a small fire going while roasting the turkey. He did not use a door on the oven. I coated the turkey with olive oil and used a seasoned salt rub. I placed the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and covered with foil. Karl turned the turkey every 1/2 hour. He removed the foil the last hour to let the turkey brown. It roasted for about 3 hours and a internal temperature of 165*. We let it sit for a 1/2 hour and sliced. The turkey was a little pink by the skin because it was wood fired.
Keep a small fire while roasting and turn every 1/2 hour

Internal temperature of 165*


Perfect

Charlie taking a break from watching the brick oven to enjoy the snow.

Wood fired also!