Pizza Crust

I usually make a homemade pizza every other Wednesday on my day off, but I usually just buy a pre-packaged pizza crust mix, add my hot water and be done with it. I found this recipe while reading through food blogs and it looked so good that I had to try it myself. Im trying to cook a little more adventurously, and since Ive never actually made a dough from scratch or used yeast before, I saw this as a challenge. I was worried, however, because most dough recipes I see all call for a stand mixer. I do not have one (although I want one SOOOO BADLY!) and thought that I would have to knead by hand. Not this time! This recipe has a stand mixer version, a by hand version, and a food processor version. So I dusted off my food processor (I think Ive used it like 3 times!) and got to work. This recipe is VERY easy and yeilds a deliciously crunchy exterior while still keeping the inside soft and chewy. I will never buy another pre-packaged pizza crust mix again!




Pizza Dough
Source: Brown Eyed Baker, orginally from Baking Illustrated, pages 153-155

Makes enough for 3 medium pizzas or 2 large pizzas.

We find the food processor is the best tool for making pizza dough. However, only a food processor with a capacity of at least 11 cups can handle this much dough. You can also knead this dough by hand or in a standing mixer (see the variations that follow). Unbleached all-purpose flour can be used in a pinch, but the resulting crust will be less crisp. If you want to make pizza dough in the morning and let it rise on the counter all day, decrease the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon and let the covered dough rise at cool room temperature (about 68 degrees) until doubled in size, about 8 hours. You can prolong the rising time even further by refrigerating the covered dough for up to 16 hours and then letting it rise on the counter until doubled in size, which will take 6 to 8 hours.

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface and hands
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Process the flour and salt in a large food processor, pulsing to combine. Continue pulsing while pouring the liquid ingredients (holding back a few tablespoons) through the feed tube. If the dough does not readily form into a ball, add the remaining liquid and continue to pulse until a ball forms. Process until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds longer.

3. The dough will be a bit tacky, so use a rubber spatula to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by h and for a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball. Put the dough into a deep oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

Pizza Dough Kneaded by Hand
Follow the recipe for Pizza Dough through step 1. Omit step 2 and instead combine the salt and half the flour in a deep bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and use a wooden spoon to combine. Add the remaining flour, stirring until a cohesive mass forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic 7 to 8 minutes, using as little dusting flour as possible while kneading. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.

Pizza Dough Kneaded in a Standing Mixer
Follow the recipe for Pizza Dough through step 1. Omit step 2 and instead place the flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice

My Mom always made delicious meals for us on a budget. This is one of her meals that I loved growing up. Its a complete meal that you can serve to entertain, even when you're watching your pennies! Enjoy!



Cheesy Chicken & Rice

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cans of Campbells broccoli cheddar soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bag of frozen broccoli
instant rice
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cube your chicken breasts and add to the hot oil, seasoning with the salt and pepper liberally. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the middle, about 7-10 minutes. Drain off any excess oil from the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Add the soup and milk to the skillet of cooked chicken, stir to combine. Bring your soup mixture up to a simmer. Prepare your instant rice according to package directions, cover and set aside. Punch a few fork holes into your bag of frozen broccoli and heat on high setting in your microwave for 4 minutes. Once the broccoli is done, add to your skillet of chicken and combine to cover with the sauce. Serve over the prepared rice.

The way the cookie crumbles

I love sweets. I love chocolate. What better way to satisfy these cravings than with chocolate chip cookies? I used to always just make the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag, and I was OK with the cookies. After looking through many food blogs, I came across cookie recipes that promised big, soft, chewy cookies, and I knew I had to try them. The result was exactly as promised! I never really knew that homemade cookies could be so awesome!



Walnut Chocolate Chips Cookies
Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper or silicone mat.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a pan on low heat, toast 1 cup chopped walnuts. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: about 16 cookies

Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Cheesecake Cups

I looooove cheesecake. So when I saw this recipe, I knew that it was a must make. I halved this original recipe from recipezaar, added a graham cracker crust instead of using cookies, and added sour cream for a bit of tang. These little cups are such a great size (so you don't eat the whole cake!) and are creamy and rich.




Cheesecake Cups
Source: adapted from Recipezaar

The Crust:

3 graham crackers
2 Tbsp butter, melted

The Filling:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 Tbsp sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your muffin tin with 12 paper cups. Take your graham crackers and add to a zip top bag. Close the bag and finely crush the crackers. Add the crushed crackers to your bowl with your melted butter and stir to combine. Divide the crackers into each of the 12 paper cups and gently press down into the bottom of the cup. Bake the crusts for 5 mins and then remove and let cool. While the crusts are in the oven, combine the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Add in the egg and mix until it is all incorporated. Spoon your filling into each cup (and spread down if needed) making sure to divide it evenly between the 12 crusts. Bake for 15 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.

The begining

So here it is, my food blog. Ive been inspired by other nesties food blogs, and decided to start my own. My hope is that it makes others want to pick up that spatula and try it for themselves!