[Once Again no Picture! Ryan is lazy on Mondays.]

It’s time for another recipe, this one straight from the subject’s own recipe book (his girlfriend’s really) as we dive into a nice simple recipe for Pizza dough.  Or as I like to call it College Kid Pizza Dough.

tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Cubed = Actually what it says, cut the ingredients into rough cubes, much bigger than diced

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Chopped = to cut into small pieces with repeated blows

Saute = cook with oil

Fold = Mix the ingredients by scooping the bottom of the mix onto the top of the mix.

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp active Dry Yeast (Or 1 packet)
• 1 Cup Warm Water – NOT HOT
• 2.5 cups of Flour
• 2 Tbsp of oil
• 1 Tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of Salt
• PAM/Non-Stick Spray
• Pizza Toppings of Choice – Normally I’d still try to tell you what toppings to buy but this recipe is so simple I think it’ll be fun for you to tell us what you added. [If comments aren’t working yet, email us at podcastlostinspace@gmail.com]

Necessary Equipment

• 1 Medium bowl
• Cooking sheet/pizza sheet
• Rolling Pin
• Oven – Heated to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit (375 for Convection Ovens)
• Measure Utensils

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit (375 for Convection Ovens)
2. In the bowl add the warm water and dissolve the yeast into it. Let sit for a few minutes so yeast can activate. (If you didn’t know yeast is actually living microbes. Their farts as they eat sugar are what make bread rise)
3. Add the Flour, Oil, Sugar and Salt to the Bowl
4.  Stir with spoon until there’s none to little flour visible. You should have a nice dough ball-ish thing
5. Before rolling the dough, sprinkle flour onto the surface to help prevent sticking
6. Roll the dough.
7. Spread the dough onto the the pan before you put toppings on it. Thickness is to preference
8. Add desired toppings.
9. Cook for about 15 Minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.

So welcome to a new recipe series that will happen with some modest regularity. This time around, instead of sending Ryan into the breach with tried, and untried, recipes where his own inexperience is the greatest test, we’ll be sending one of our more experienced cooks into the wild unknowns. This week, as an apology for the late Podcast and Recipe posts (and the fact that Ryan isn’t actually make stew) I present the grand experiment, Steak and Potato Casserole!

A WARNING: THIS RECIPE TAKES THE BETTER PART OF 2 HOURS TO COOK, PLAN ACCORDINGLY

tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Saute = cook with oil

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

Main Dish:

• Veggie/Olive Oil for Cooking
• 1.5 Lbs of Beef-Round steak – Cut the beef into thin but long strips
• 1.5 Large Onions – Sliced
• 1 Can of Diced Tomato – Drained but ‘reserve’ [save] the liquid in a bowl
• 2-3 Carrots – Sliced
• 1 Green Pepper – Cut into strips
• 1.5 Lbs (or 2-3 medium) Potatoes

Sauce

• 2 Tbspn of Flour
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 Tbspn of Worcestershire Sauce (approx.)
• 1 Tbspn of Soy Sauce (approx.)
• Salt to Taste

Necessary Equipment

• Fry Pan/Skillet
• 3-Quart Casserole Dish
• Knives
• Cutting Board
• Oven [Yeah I’m stretching] – Preheat to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit, or 300 Degrees Fahrenheit for a convention Oven

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven to 350/300 Degrees Fahrenheit
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the beef strips and saute until they are browned on the outside (this is real quick). Remove the beef from the pan without removing any of the fats/liquids left behind.
3. Saute the Onions in the same skillet, until they are golden brown (add more oil if necessary). Remove the Onion without removing any of the fats or liquids.
4. In the Casserole dish, layer the Beef, onions, carrots, green pepper, and tomatoes
5. Stir the flour into the remaining fats in the skillet and cook for 1 min (if possible, I was low on fats so I had to skip the step)
6. Gradually Stir in the Beef Stock, and reserved Tomato Juice and bring to a Boil
7. Once at a Boil, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and Salt
8. Pour the hot sauce over the stuff in the Casserole dish.
9. Put the potatoes atop
10. Cover the casserole with tin foil or a lid and Bake at 350/300 Fahrenheit for 1-1.5 Hours (I did 1 at 350)
11. Then Remove the cover/tin foil and increase the oven heat to 400/350 (I did 375) for 45mins or until the potatoes are tender and Golden Brown.
12. 2 hours and change later, congrats! You have what was basically slow-cooked meat.

Some thoughts:

• This is a really long dish to prepare. Be warned and prepared for that.
• I think this could stand with adding something to give the potatoes flavour, Oregano is a family favorite. They’re not really flavour-less because this dish creates a lot of liquid to cook/soak everything but a bit more
• This dish is really a lot more like a bizarre way to boil a bunch of meats and veggies together, and while it comes out tasty, a more dense binding agent or even cheese could make it a better cohesive dish.
• Also this toughens the meat up, most people wouldn’t mind but I can’t stand tough meat