Vintage Homestead Emporium: June 2012

And a free give-away from Mountain Rose Herbs !!

A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by Mountain Rose Herbs & asked

if I could review some of the wonderful organic seasonings

from their Epicurean Organics collection.

This collection is perfect for the seasoned chef and kitchen

enthusiast alike. Their gourmet oils, artisian salts, peppers,

exotic seasoning blends, and whole vanilla beans are

sure to enhance any dish.

This week, let me share with you the Epicurean Organics Collection's

Mediterranean Seasoning:

This seasoning blend is filled with sumptous gourmet, all organic

ingredients: oregano, thyme, garlic, rosemary & fennel.

As a family we enjoyed using this seasoning to make a favorite:

Mediterranean Herb Chicken Pizza

(A delicious homemade pizza with garlic, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese & baby spinach.)

Ingredients:

Crust Ingredients:

10-11 oz. warm water (110 degrees)

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil or butter

3 Tablespoons honey

2 1/2 cups flour (we used freshly-milled Winter White Wheat)

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Sauce/Topping Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil (to drizzle over dough)

1 Tablespoon Mediterranean Seasoning

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2-3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of black pepper

3 cups (12-16 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

1-2 cups cooked cubed chicken breast

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (cut into smaller pieces)

1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup diced onions

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup medium-sized Roma tomato, diced

1/2 cup Olives or Artichoke Hearts (optional)

Parmesan chees, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. To make pizza crust, combine warm water, salt, coconut oil & honey into a mixing bowl. Slowly add 2-2 1/2 cups of the flour, along with the yeast, and stir until a sticky dough forms. Add more flour as needed, and knead dough with clean hands until a soft, elastic dough forms. Knead for 5-7 minutes or so.

* If you have a bread machine, set machine to dough cycle & put ingredients into the machine in order listed. (Start with 2 cups of flour and add more as it kneads if the dough looks too sticky.) Dough should be slightly sticky, but smooth and elastic.

2. Liberally butter (we used coconut oil) a 16-inch round pizza pan. With clean buttery/oily hands, spread and press the dough into the pan to form a pizza crust. Drizzle Olive Oil over dough. Using back of a spoon or fingers, evenly distributed oil over crust.

3. Mix sauce/toppings ingredients together and sprinkle over dough.

4. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. When oven is ready, bake pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the toppings are hot & bubbly. If you like a thinner crust, pre-heat oven and bake immediately. If you prefer a slightly thicker/fuller crust, allow pizza to rest for 15-20 minutes before baking.

5. Remove pizza from oven; cut into slices after about 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesean cheese if desired.

Our Family's Experience:

Our family LOVED the Mediterranean Herb Chicken Pizza with the exceptional, quality seasonings from Mountain Rose Herbs Epicurean Organic collection.

My youngest daughter (whom sometimes can be a rather a "selective" eater) has asked several times since creating the wonderful pizza, when we were going to make it again.