Amp up your anticipation all weekend long with the trio of beefy recipes right here. They’re just right for the grill, and each one of them is doctored up in a way that showcases the full flavor and juiciness of the cut of beef called for. Come to Monday’s Twitter table with your belly full; bite into these recipes today:

all ingredients

• 1 Baguette
• 1 1/2 Pounds Rare Roast Beef
• 6 Slices Provolone
• 2 Large Boxes Beef Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Italian Seasonings
• 1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Scoop Giardiniera

(click the pic above for the full recipe)

steak salad sandwich recipe ingredients

• 1 Dozen Dinner Rolls
• 1 Grilled Flank Steak
• 1 Head Bibb Lettuce
• ½ Red Onion, sliced into rings
• Candied Pecan Spread
• Frisch’s Bleu Cheese Dressing**

(click the pic above for the full recipe)

all ingredients

• Corn on the Cob
• Butter
• Kosher Salt
• A platter of juicy beef burgers hot off the grill…

(You KNOW how to make a great burger; click the pic above for the full Corn Butter recipe to crown it.)

Make this easy Chocolate Martini recipe for all of your gatherings.  Make it your signature drink.  Decorate it any way you can imagine to turn it into a full-fledge dessert.  My favorite accouterments to this martini is graham crackers and marshmallows for a new version of s’mores or make it simple and top with fresh whipped cream or rim the martini glasses with chocolate sauce.

Also try White chocolate oatmeal cookie drink recipe.

cooking information

• Yield: Made to Order
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cooking Time: 0 minutes

all ingredients

• 5 Parts Godiva Liqueur
• 2 Pars Vodka
• 2 Parts Irish Creme
• 1 Part Cream

recipe instruction

1. In a martini shaker shake and stir together all the ingredients, mixing martini.

2. Pour in pretty glasses, or even shot glasses. Enjoy.

cooking tips

• Decorate with chocolate sauce or fruit.
• Or, turn into a s’more by topping with a broiled or fire-roasted marshmallow on top a graham cracker.
• Have your friends bring their favorite martini recipes and have a martini party.

I was lucky enough to live in downtown Chicago while in culinary school and it was there that I met my husband.  Just last week was our 6-year anniversary of meeting.  It is easily my favorite thing to celebrate: if I hadn’t met him that faithful day, I would never have had my 2 little boys, I probably would not live in Cincinnati, and I am pretty confident that cookingwithcaitlin.com would not be in existence.  I have never been so happy.

We met on a Friday and I still remember the first time I saw him – I was instantly smitten.  He was a friend of a friend, in a punk band (he’s a drummer), and I was going to the concert.  (Note: I had to shop for a week for an outfit that would be perfect for a punk band.)  After the concert,  I flirted — and he wasn’t interested.  He ordered three cheeseburgers from McDonald’s – and I wasn’t interested. It wasn’t until we got back to the city streets and ate dinner at Giordano’s pizza that we started talking.  And the rest is history.

Because of this, Chicago-style pizza will always hold a special place in my heart.  This year, I wanted to celebrate him by having Chicago-style pizza for dinner.  Living in Cincinnati I decided to make it myself.  It is key to get the crust just right. If you are not familiar, Chicago-style pizza is different than any other region in the US: the crust is thick and bready, slices of cheese are put on the pizza even before the sauce, and it takes 40+ minutes to cook. It is delicious!

Chicago Style Pizza Crust

• 16 ounces of water (2 cups)
• 1/8 ounce dry-active yeast
• 1/2 ounce of Kosher Salt
• 2 lb Bread Flour
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil

• Combine the yeast with warm water, NOT hot water.
• When the yeast is dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients.
• Using your stand mixer (love my KitchenAid) and dough hook, mix together on low until the ingredients come together.

• Once the dough has formed into a ball, turn to medium speed and mix together until the sides are all cleaned.
• Place in a greased bowl, loosely covered with plastic wrap, and let proof 4-6 hours.

Chicago Style Pizza Crust Tips and Tricks:

• I doubled this recipe to make 3 pizzas, I could have easily made 4 pizzas with the amount of dough, though.
• The yeast that is sold in packets are pre-portioned to 1/4 ounce, perfect amount for a doubled recipe. Remember, if you are not doubling the recipe you only need half of the amount in the packets.
• I bought a 5 lb bag of bread flour and then subtracted 1 lb to know the correct amount of flour. This certainly made it easy.

Chicago Style Pizza Ingredients

The Toppings:

• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Onion
• Sliced Mozzarella
• Sliced Provolone
• Grated Parmesan
• 1 lb Ground Pork
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Fennel Seeds
• 2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes

• Thinly slice the pepper and onion. Set aside.

• In a mixing bowl combine the ground pork, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the pizzas.

• 1 – 28 ounce can of Whole, Peeled Tomatoes (Ideally good quality, from San Marzano)

• Open the can and remove any leaves.
• Crush with your hand. Set aside.

How to Make Chicago Style Pizza

• You will need springform pans (for as many pizzas as you are making).
• Non-stick Spray

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Grease up the pans with the non-stick spray. If you did the normal recipe (meaning you didn’t double it), slice the dough in half and place in the pan.
• Using your fingers, push the dough to cover the bottom of the pan. Using your thumbs, create a crust that goes 2 inches up the side of the springform pan.

• Next, layer the dough with the sliced provolone, then sliced mozzarella.

• Then take your homemade Italian sausage (you might not use all of it), and create a layer of sausage going from edge to edge.
• Finally layer with green peppers, onions, and top with the hand-crushed tomatoes. Sprinkle some grated parmesan over the top.

• Bake for 40 Minutes at 425.
• After 40 minutes, take a fork to the center of the pizza to see if the sausage is cooked through. If it is not, cover in foil, reduce the temp to 400 degrees and let cook another 20 minutes.  Check the sausage again and keep adding another 10 minutes until the sausage is firm.
• Once the pizza is finished cooking, let rest 15 minutes. Remove the outer shell of your springform pan and slice with a chef’s knife. Serve on a sturdy plate with knife and fork and enjoy!

And in the meantime, get geeked for beefy grilltime with this menu just posted: An-ti-ci-paaa-tion: #Beef on Monday (Recipes Today)

What: #FNIchat (Foodies’ Night In) Twitter party
When: Monday, May 20th, 4-5:30 EST
Where: On Twitter (or through this custom tweetgrid) with hashtag #FNIchat
Topic: Grilling with Beef: #FNIchat preso by @KansasBeef
Who: @cookingwcaitlin, @foodiesnitein, @KansasBeef, and YOU!!

Spread the Good Word

Pass along the party scoop with the following tweet:

#GRILLING #FNIchat preso by @KansasBeef w @foodiesnitein @cookingwcaitlin. #Recipes,menus&flip tips MONDAY @ 4pmET: http://bit.ly/13hIPsb.

Giveaways

Thanks to the generous folks in Kansas, a couple of the following sets of expert grilling tools will be given away during the chat. BE THERE to claim yours!

BEEFY #Giveaways

How Foodies’ Night In Works:.
Late Monday afternoons (4-5:30pmET to be exact) we meet through Twitter. Using the hashtag #FNIchat we greet each other at the virtual door, and get cozy to talk about whatever food-related topic we are featuring that day. Typically the topic will be determined by the weekly sponsor of #FNIchat. We, at Cooking with Caitlin, compile at least ten questions that serve as the framework of the conversation over the two hours of #FNIchat. Then, the hosts throw out each question at pre-determined times throughout #FNIchat. We hope that YOU will join in the fun-filled foodie conversation and share your thoughts, recipes, tips, ask questions…and most certainly make new friends! Can’t wait to *see* you there.

Recipe for Skyline Sammies