Pizza Dough & Toppings

Pizza Dough

by Vinae Tilson Winn



Pizza Dough from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (a book James and I highly recommend, and I'm not a person who bakes!)



3 c unbleached all purpose flour*

1 tsp instant yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 c water [we've found it helpful if the water is hot]



*The recipe calls for 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 1 1/4 cup semolina, but says it is optional. We've done both, and find that the semolina doesn't make much of a difference, especially given the price. Also optional, 2 Tbsp dough relaxer, which we've never used.



Mix and knead together all the dough ingredients - by hand or mixer - until you've created a smooth, soft dough. Don't overknead the dough; it should hold together but look fairly rough on the surface.



Cover and let the dough rise for 45 minutes [I just use a dishcloth to cover it], the refrigerate it for 4 hours, or up to 36 hours; this step will develop the crust's flavor. [We usually try to make it the night before, and it's best that way, but we have made it three hours before, and it is still fine, but better if it can sit]



Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into 9- to 12-inch round (thicker or thinner crust), and place each on a piece of parchment paper cut to fit. [tip: cut the paper after you've put the dough on it!] Cover the dough and let it rest while you heat the oven (and baking stone) to 500 degrees. [We never cover the dough during this step. I highly recommend using a pizza stone, just make sure you place it in the oven BEFORE you turn the heat on. Place the stone on the bottom rack of the oven.]



After about 30 minutes, use a giant spatula or pizza peel to transfer the pizzas and parchment to your hot oven stone; or place the pizzas and parchment on a pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. [We cook one pizza at a time, and use a cookie sheet to place it on the stone. While the next one is cooking, we prepare the toppings of the first one]



Bake for 4 minutes and remove from the oven. [After both pizzas have been pre-baked, remove the stone from the oven.]



Top the pizza with your favorite toppings and place directly on the lowest rack of the oven (not the stone or pan) for 8 minutes, until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.



My favorite toppings - all amounts vary as to the size of the pizza, and the amounts we have on hand, so use what you are comfortable with.



BBQ Pizza

barbecue sauce

grilled chicken, shredded

cilantro

smoked gouda cheese slices

a little parmesan cheese

onion and pepper mix saute'd until browned (I buy a frozen mix and always have at least one bag on hand)

mozzerella cheese





Chicken Alfredo (my absolute fave!!)

alfredo sauce, topped with fresh ground pepper medley and crumbled dried tarragon

grilled chicken, shredded

parmesan cheese

onion and pepper mix saute'd until browned

2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

mozzerella cheese

Kid Egg Bites

Kid Egg Bites

350F for 20-25 min. 4 eggs, 1/4 c. milk, mix together. I put in muffin pan add a little bit of bacon and cheese. Makes six muffin size, but I normally double so I use the whole 12 muffin pan.

Banana Graham Dessert

Banana Graham Dessert
Vicki Creek

What You Need
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (12 oz.) container frozen whipped topping thawed
1 (3.5 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
3 bananas sliced

What You Do
In a medium bowl, combine crackers, butter and sugar. Press
Mixture into bottom and sides of a 13X9 " pan. In a large bowl,
combine whipped topping pudding and sour cream; whisk together.
Put half of this mixture into crust. Layer sliced bananas over top
of pie. Pour 2nd half of pudding mixture over top of bananas.
Immediately cover and refrigerate pie for one hour.

Colorado Rocky Mountain High Cookies

Colorado Rocky Mountain High Cookies
http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2011/10/colorado-rocky-mountain-high-cookies.html


When I was in Colorado, to help my daughter pack to move to Canada, I went through her pantry and put together leftover ingredients of this and that to make a batch of cookies. They turned out tasting pretty good, except that they spread out too much. I've tried to re-create them since then and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp pancake syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup each, granola and oatmeal OR 2 cups oatmeal
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 cup coconut
3/4 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts, chopped or slivered
1/2 cup Skor toffee bits

Method:

Beat butter and shortening well, adding sugar, syrup and vanilla. Continue beating until smooth, then blend in the eggs
Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir into wet ingredients.
Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until well blended.
Drop by rounded Tbsp onto greased cookie sheets. Flatten just slightly.
Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes.
Remove from cookie sheets with lifter, once cooled. Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Roasted Marinara Sauce

Roasted Marinara Sauce
Frugal Living
The amounts listed in this recipe are just a good place to start.
Adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes.

Yield: around 22 cups (5-6 quarts)

8 c. cherry tomatoes or 24 medium tomatoes
2 medium onions, quartered
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
olive oil
salt
basil leaves
1-3 cans tomato paste, optional

Wash and stem the cherry tomatoes or wash and core the whole tomatoes. Split them evenly, in a single layer, between 2 9×13″ baking dishes. The larger tomatoes can be left whole; they will break down during the roasting process. Toss the quartered onions and peeled garlic cloves evenly between the two pans. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt. Sprinkle the basil leaves over the top of the tomatoes.
Roast at 425 for 30-40 minutes. The timing isn’t an exact science. The combination will smell incredibly fragrant, and the tomatoes and onions will look wrinkled, roasted, and slightly charred. Remove the pans from the oven and set on the counter to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Place a large collander inside a large bowl and dump the pans into the collander to strain out the juice. Set the juice aside.
Puree the tomato mixture in a blender or food processor until it reaches the desired consistency. Dump the pureed tomato sauce into the reserved juice and stir until thoroughly combined. You could also add tomato paste if you desire a thicker sauce. Taste. Season with more salt, if needed.
Serve immediately over cooked pasta or freeze in plastic containers or bags for later use.

http://www.frugallivingnw.com/frugal-homemaking/how-to-make-roasted-marinara-sauce/

Cran-Apple Chicken

Cran-Apple Chicken
Amy Donnell Scott

Cran-Apple Chicken: In crockpot: 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves; 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries; 1 green apple, peeled, cored, and sliced; 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 cup apple juice or cider. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. ( I had it on low for 1 hr., then high for 2 hrs. and it was done.)

Best Nuts

Best Nuts
Tiffany Brien Sis-n-law

2 c. pecans
1 egg white
1/4 c. brown sugar
1-2 t cinnamon -just kind of wing it so the cinnamon measurement is just a best guess:
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt

In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until loose and somewhat frothy. Add pecans and stir to coat.

Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to pecans, stir to coat.

Spray a medium-size pyrex with nonstick spray. Dump pecans into pan. Microwave for 2 minutes, then stir, making sure to scrape/move all pecans (otherwise they can burn in the next rounds of nuking). Return to microwave for one minute, then stir again. Continue this for approximately 5 minutes total cooking time, adding smaller increments of time as needed to ensure pecans are no longer shiny.

Turn out pecans on a sheet of wax paper, allow to cool completely before storing.