Perfect Pizza Crust

This recipe comes from a website Serious Eats and is based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe.  It's similar to a previous version I used to make but uses less yeast and has rest period of at least 24 hours.  The dough definitely gains a lot of flavor during the cold rise so don't skip this step.

Use your food processor and make the sauce first, rinse out quick and then make the dough.  I've used bread flour and white whole wheat flour in the recipe and they both make a great dough.  Makes two 13-inch crusts.  The sauce makes enough for 4-5 pizzas so freeze the extra for next time.

• For the dough:
• 3 cups (16 1/2 ounces) bread flour, plus more for work surface (see note)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/3 cups ice water (about 10 1/2 ounces; see note)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for work surface
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• For the sauce:
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and liquid discarded
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 
  
• 1. 1.
     For the dough: In food processor fitted with metal blade, process flour, sugar, and yeast until combined, about 2 seconds. With machine running, slowly add water through feed tube; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand 10 minutes.
  2. 2.
     Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove dough from bowl and knead briefly on lightly oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
  3. 3.
     For the sauce: Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to medium bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. 4.
     To bake the pizza: One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to second highest position (rack should be about 4 to 5 inches below broiler), set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray; let stand for 1 hour.
  5. 5.
     Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving 1/4-inch border around edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella.
  6. 6.
     Slide pizza carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through. Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat step 5 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.

Homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1/3 cup butter (melted)

2 1/2 cups warm water (not above 120 degrees)

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbls plus 1 1/2 tsp active-dry yeast

6-7 cups white whole wheat flour, divided, plus more if needed

1 Tbls sea salt (Celtic brand)

In bosch mixer combine melted butter, water, honey, flour, salt, and yeast (make sure to add yeast on top of flour).  Knead in mixer for 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed, dough should pull away from sides of mixer but still be slightly sticky and wet.  Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour dough out onto well oiled cast iron pizza pan or cookie sheet pan.  Separate dough into 3 equal portions.  One at a time, spread dough into a rectangle and roll up, shaping into a baguette and tucking ends under.  Place 3 loaves on pan, cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until double in size.  Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Remove from oven and brush with butter then cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Caprese Meatballs

A simple and delicious recipe from Kelsey Nixon on the Cooking Channel.  I use a few different ingredients, the Quinoa pesto is a little lighter flavor than regular pesto and gives the meatballs a less oily taste.  Mozzerella cheese sticks make easy work of stuffing the meatballs (use a size 50 scoop). Serve over Capellini pasta.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup pesto (quinoa pesto from Trader Joe's)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (Fresh Mozzerella cheese sticks from Trader Joes)
• 5 cups Classic Tomato Basil Sauce, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

CLASSIC TOMATO BASIL SAUCE:

• 4 pounds ripe plum tomatoes or two 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, such as Organic Muir Glen
• 2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and halved lengthwise (about 25 cloves)
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Combine the turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, pesto, salt, pepper and egg in a large mixing bowl with your hands, taking care to not overwork the meat. Form golf ball-size meatballs (about 24 - a size 50 scoop works perfect) and stuff each with 1 mozzarella cube. Evenly space the meatballs on the baking sheet. Bake until just starting to brown, 15 minutes. 

Add the Classic Tomato Basil Sauce and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Transfer the meatballs to slow cooker, cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours. 

Allow the meatballs to cool slightly before serving, and adjust with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Cut an "X" in the bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer the tomatoes with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool, then peel, seed and chop. 

Cook the garlic in the oil in a small, heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper, and add the fresh basil. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Yield: 6 cups.

Brownies

My family can never wait for these brownies to cool before devouring them!  I was looking for a recipe to replace boxed brownies and this recipe exceeded my expectations.  I'll never use a boxed brownie mix again.
Adapted from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated 

Ingredients1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls boiling water
1.5 to 2 oz. of dark or unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (I like Trader Joe's 72% cacao dark chocolate bar)
4 Tbls unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I like freshly ground or Bob's Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
3/4 tsp salt (I use Celtic Salt)

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.


Whisk cocoa powder and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil (the mixture may look curdled at this point, that's okay!). Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. 


Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 1½ hours


Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Marinara Chicken and Pasta

This is from the Pioneer Woman Linguine with Chicken Thighs.  I didn't have linguine so we used Farfalle pasta.  And I let the sauce simmer for about an hour while we were at soccer practice then forgot to add the cheese, parsley and basil but it was still delicious!

Ingredients

1 package Linguine (or Your Favorite Pasta)
Olive Oil
8 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 whole Small To Medium Sized Onion, Chopped
3 whole (to 4 Whole) Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 cup White Wine (or Chicken Broth)
2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Crushed Tomatoes
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 tsp Sugar
Fresh Parsley, Chopped, to taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped, to taste
Parmesan Cheese To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and place the dry linguine noodles into it. Cook them until al dente (tender firm).

Begin by cutting up the chicken thighs into small pieces. Heat a large skillet until very hot and then generously drizzle in some olive oil. Swirl to coat the pan, then add half of the cut up chicken to the pan, spreading them out as you put them in. NOTE: Do not begin stirring the chicken immediately as you want to get them nice and brown.

After a minute or two, flip over the chicken with a spatula. Then let it brown on the other side. After it’s brown, remove it to a plate and set aside.

Repeat with the second half of the chicken pieces, remove from the pan and set all of the chicken aside.

Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into the hot pan and throw in the chopped onions and the garlic and give them a stir.

Now add the wine (or chicken broth), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid reduces by half.

Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken (and don't forget all of those yummy chicken juices), to the tomato/onion mixture and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh parsley and basil and add it to the sauce, stirring to combine.

Place pasta on a platter or in a large bowl and smother with the sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Greek Lemon Chicken

My attempt at duplicating our favorite Greek restaurant takeout.

Greek Lemon Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Cut each chicken breast into large pieces (maybe 3 or 4).  Combine other ingredients for marinade and pour over chicken.  Let chicken marinate for at least 1 hour.  Grill and serve with saffron rice (we use Mahatma brand).

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is my simplified version of a Jambalaya recipe from the Neiman Marcus Cookbook.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

1 cup Marinara sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Cajun spice (or more if you like it spicy)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2-3 grilled chicken breasts or 7-8 large chicken tenders grilled and sliced

1 16 oz pasta cooked and drained (we usually use penne or farfalle)

In a large nonstick pan combine the marinara sauce, chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun spice.  Simmer for half an hour.  Cook pasta in salted water and drain (reserve some of the cooking liquid to thin out the sauce if you need to).  Add the hot pasta to the sauce but before stirring it in sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the pasta so it melts and sticks to the pasta which helps the sauce stick and thicken as well. Stir pasta and sauce to combine.  Add chicken into pasta mixture or serve on top or on the side.