Pizza Dough

My BFF Camille has a Pizza and Movie night with her family every Friday and she makes her own dough! That's impressive.

A few months ago, I decided to start this fun tradition with our own family, but I since I was scared to death of making my own dough, I started out buying the canned stuff from Pillsbury. It tastes fine, but it's ridiculously expensive - even with a coupon. I switched to the dry pizza mix - I thought it was great, but Chris wasn't a fan.

So...I decided to be brave and make my own. I found a recipe on KitchenDaily.com and gave it a try. I was scared of ruining the dough, but it really was pretty easy.

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees so you don't kill, or chill, the yeast)
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
toppings of choice



Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Measure warm water into a large bowl. Add the yeast to the water and stir until dissolved. Add sugar, salt, and oil and stir well.

Add the flour in small amounts and stir well after each addition. Add just enough flour so the dough is not sticking in clumps to your hands or the bowl, winding up with a well-formed ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and, using your hands, knead for 2-3 minutes. Let the dough rest 5 to 10 minutes to rise roughly double in size before using.

Once the dough is ready, spread it on an oiled pizza pan. Apply toppings of choice. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.


*I took my pizza out after 15 minutes because it was really getting done around the edges, but the crust wasn't completely done in the middle. Next time I'lll use either a cookie sheet or a bigger pizza pan - I don't think my Pampered Chef stone was big enough and the dough may have been too thick. I'll report back and let you know how it went :)


**Ok - quick update:  I tried this again last night and put the dough onto a cookie sheet rather than my round stone.  I made sure to roll the dough out fairly thin - I'm guessing it was about 1/4" thick.  I still only baked it for about 15 minutes.  I thought the dough would be thin and crispy, but it turned out nice and thick and it cooked all the way through.  It was so yummy I could have eaten half the pan, but I forced myself to stop after 2 pieces.  Ok...2 1/2 pieces.  :)

Summertime Raspberry Salad

I could eat this salad every day for the rest of my life and die happy. Fresh fruit salad, mmmmm.... I paid through the nose for these fresh raspberries! I stood there in the produce section of Sam's, missing my mom's raspberry patch, but mostly my mom. In the end, I was glad I bought the raspberries - even though they were ridiculously overpriced. Can't wait for summertime!

Ingredients:

2 cups torn romaine (I substituted artisan lettuce)

1 small red pear, diced
1/2 cup fresh raspberries or halved strawberries
10 pecan halves, toasted
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or orange-flavored dried cranberries
1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette

Directions:

Divide romaine between two salad plates. Top with the pear, raspberries, pecans and cranberries. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

2 servings.

*I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Cooking for 2, but it's an easy recipe to increase if you're cooking for more.

Marinated Ham Steak

This is a really quick recipe to put together. I tend to double it so that we have leftovers, but if the fridge is already full, then this is the perfect amount. I recommend putting it together early in the morning or the night before you plan to cook it. The longer you marinate it, the better the flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 to 2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 fully cooked boneless ham steak (3/4 pound)

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients. Add ham; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain and reserve marinade. Grill ham, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Cut in half to serve.

2 servings


*I found this in Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 magazine.

Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce

This is a recipe that my hubby definitely didn't want to try. I knew he wouldn't want to say anything, but he thought it sounded gross - he's not a huge fan of mayo. I could tell by the way quietly nodded his head and said, "Oh" when I mentioned the recipe. I had a gut feeling about this one though - I knew it was going to be good - so I made it anyway. How else are we going to find new recipes? My ever-patient hubby tried it and may I say, was pleasantly surprised. It's kind of a sweet and tangy flavor and this chicken is never dry. We have a winner!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup mayonnaise (I use light mayo)
6 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts






Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, sugar, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in lemon juice and vinegar. Pour 1 cup marinade into a Ziploc bag, then add the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better). Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

French Dip Sandwiches

Chris and I absolutely love French Dip Sandwiches - we get them every time we go to Arby's. My original recipe was ok - I just used a packet of Au Jus sauce mix from the grocery store, but it never seemed quite right to me, so you can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe. It's another one from my mom's neighborhood cookbook and it now replaces my old French Dip recipe!

Ingredients:

1 can French Onion soup
1 can beef consommé soup
1 1/2 cans water
1 Au Jus seasoning mix
1 - 1/2 lbs sliced roast beef
4 deli rolls - whichever you prefer
4 slices provolone cheese (you could use swiss if you prefer)


Directions:

Combine soups and water in a crock pot. Add roast beef and cook on low for 1 - 2 hours. Using tongs, remove roast beef from liquid and pile onto sliced deli rolls. Top each sandwich with one slice of provolone and then place onto a foil lined cookie sheet. Place pan under the broiler - I leave my rack in the middle of the oven - for a minute or too, until cheese is melted and rolls are lightly browned. Remove from oven, close sandwiches and then cut in half. Use remaining liquid for dipping.


*The original recipe called for a 3 lb boneless roast, but then you have to pull it out of the crock pot and slice it. That's way too involved for me, so it's easier just to get sliced roast beef from the deli. Because the meat is already cooked, you don't want to leave it in the crock pot for several hours. Just an hour or two is all it needs to flavor the meat, otherwise the meat will fall apart and you'll be left with little tiny pieces. I can tell you this from experience :(

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

My boys love muffins - they'd eat them every day if I let them; but as convenient as boxed muffin mixes are, they're also expensive. I've decided to be brave and try making muffins from scratch. I had a recipe I wanted to try, but Andrew vetoed that; apparently he was in the mood for some apple muffins. I found this recipe on Taste of Home's website and amazingly enough I had all of the ingredients (except for applesauce, but I didn't realize that until I was in the middle of the recipe).

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 medium McIntosh apple, peeled and grated

TOPPING:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats


Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, oil and applesauce. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full.

For topping, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Add oats. Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve with Cinnamon-Honey Butter.


*Since I didn't have any applesauce, I increased the amount of canola oil from 3 Tbsp to 1/4 cup. I used a Gala apple rather than a McIntosh, but that's all I had on hand. I just realized that the recipe said to grate the apple - I cubed it. Guess I should be a bit more careful when reading the directions. They turned out yummy though - I liked the bits of apple :)

Cinnamon-Honey Butter

You can whip up a batch of this honey butter in no time and it's sooo yummy! I served it with Cinnamon Apple Muffins, and I think it would be divine on some pancakes or waffles.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat the butter, honey and cinnamon until blended. Serve with warm muffins. Refrigerate leftover butter.