Homemade pizza for Dayana!

Okay, Dayana! Your tummy will never hurt again after following this pizza recipe. I've made it many, many times and it always turns out perfectly delicious.

DOUGH:

1 package of active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups of warm water(105 to 115 degrees) Any hotter, you will kill the yeast!
3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of salt

In a large bowl, combine yeast and water and stir around until yeast is completely dissolved. Next add all the other ingredients. Mix by hand until a sticky blob. Then knead for about 10 minutes. Form into a ball in the bowl and coat with some oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour to 1 1/2 hours. It should double in size.

Preheat oven, with stone inside. For about 45 minutes to 1 hour, let the stone heat.
While it's heating, divide the ball of dough into two halves, place into two separate bowls, and let the two balls of dough rise again for another 45 minutes. You can throw one of them in the fridge once it's risen and use it for another night. For the ball of dough you are going to use, take out of bowl and place onto a floured surface and stretch/roll the dough out to the desired size.

Open oven, toss some cornmeal on the stone, and place the dough on the stone carefully. Next brush your marinara sauce onto the dough, and lastly, add your toppings. Mozzarella, olives, sliced onions, basil and anchovies are our favorites! Bake for 15 minutes, and voila!!! You have a crispy crusted, divinely scrumptious homemade pizza, and a ball of dough left over for another pizza night.

***By the way, any old bottled marinara pasta sauce will do, but if you would like to make your marinara from scratch, too, here is a quick recipe I use:

1 32 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 chopped yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
basil, thyme and oregano (I at least try to use fresh basil)
salt and pepper

Heat a pan and sautee onion and garlic in the oil until translucent. Next add the can of stewed tomatoes and try to break up the tomatoes as best you can. Add your dry spices, plus salt and pepper. Let simmer on medium/low for about a half-hour, until nice and thick. Throw in your sliced basil leaves and let simmer for a few more minutes. This sauce is excellent for pizzas and for pasta.

Fresh Pesto

Don't buy packaged pesto at the grocery store! Make it fresh yourself. It tastes so much better, and you can impress your guests by telling them you made it from scratch. It only takes a few minutes to prepare. Do you have a food processor or a blender? Then you are all set!



1 bunch of fresh basil (I used fresh-picked basil from my garden!)
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1/4 cup of parmesan
1/3 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Tear the basil leaves off the stems and throw all the ingredients into the food processor. Blend for a couple minutes until the basil is all broken up and the pesto is creamy and spreadable. You may have to add a tiny bit more olive oil if it looks dry. Add a couple spoonfuls to a bowl of just-boiled pasta, or dress some chicken with pesto and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, and you have a nice complement to any Italian meal. You could even spread the pesto over pizza dough instead of marinara and top with cheese for a rustic pizza. Enjoy!

Carrot cake and Cathy's Crack Bars!!!

I hope Cathy from work doesn't mind me sharing her Indoor S'more recipe with you all. She also calls them "crack bars" because they are really that addictive. I made these, along with carrot cake, for Daniel's birthday dessert. The carrot cake recipe came from Joy of Cooking. The kids were swarming!

CRACK BARS:

13 oz. box Golden Grahams (I could only find 12 oz. box, and that worked fine.)
1 ½ C. chocolate chips (semi or milk both good)
6 C. mini marshmallows, divided (reserve 1 C. to add later)
¼ C. light corn syrup
5 T. butter, cut in chunks
1 t. vanilla


Melt chocolate chips, 5 C. marshmallows, corn syrup, and butter in large bowl in microwave. (I do like 1.5 minutes, stir, and do 20 to 30 second intervals until all melted.)

Mix in 1 t. vanilla.

Pour in Golden Grahams and reserved marshmallows. (This part kinda messy, but just keep stirring until it’s all mixed together pretty good.)

Press into greased (butter or Pam) 9x13 baking dish. (Spray a little Pam or butter your fingers up a little so you can press in dish good without it sticking all over your fingers.)

Refrigerate at least one hour and cut into bars.


CARROT CAKE:

Grease two round pans and preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together in bowl:

1 1/3 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt

Add to bowl and stir together well:

2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisings
1/2 crushed pineapple, lightly drained.

Scrape batter into pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Detach from pan and let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Recipe below:

8 oz cream cheese
5 tablespoons of unsalted soft butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups of powdered sugar

Combine in a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Yum!

Moroccan Tagine with Spicy Meatballs

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit, January 2010 issue. My parents and Daniel loved it!

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/3 cup coarsely grated onion
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 large egg, beaten to blend
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Stew:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
2 cups beef broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup golden raisins
handful of green beans cut into bite-size pieces
1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed (I used a Chinese eggplant)
2 cups 1/2-inch-thick carrot slices (cut on diagonal)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for garnish
1 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves
Couscous with Fresh Cilantro and Lemon Juice
Lemon wedges (for garnish)
Greek yogurt to spoon on top

For meatballs:
Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet.

PREP WORK

For stew:
Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté about 15 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and saffron; stir 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, and raisins.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring stew to simmer. Stir in carrots. Carefully add meatballs to stew; gently press into liquid to submerge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over. Cover pot; place in oven. Bake until meatballs are cooked through and carrots are tender, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle spinach over stew. Cover and bake until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes longer. Gently stir to mix in spinach, being careful not to break meatballs. Remove cinnamon sticks. Season tagine with salt and pepper. Spoon couscous into bowls; top with tagine. Garnish with cilantro and lemons. Scoop a little greek yogurt on top.

In a separate saucepan, fix up some couscous with a twist of lemon and some fresh chopped cilantro. I don't need to tell you all how to make couscous. Just read the package if you bought it from a box, or add equal parts water and couscous with a little butter. One cup of couscous is enough for four people.

This recipe was so very delicious. If you want a night of exotic aromas in your kitchen, cook this tonight and serve it to your hubby (or wifey! not trying to discriminate) over candlelight. Excellent for a romantic night in.

Whole wheat sandwich and toast bread

I've been making my own bread lately, and I haven't heard the end of it from my sister Sara. Every time I cook for my family, she says something like, "You belong on a prairie" or "did you churn this butter yourself, too?" I know she's just jealous because my bread is so delicious, ha! Here's a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, and it worked out just dandy. It makes two loaves of the finest toast bread around:

Ingredients
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup vegetable oil 5 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey, and stir well. Mix in whole wheat flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Work all-purpose flour in gradually. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes. When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a well oiled bowl. Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Punch down the dough. Shape into two loaves, and place into two well greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until dough is 1 to 1 1/2 inches above pans.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Thank you, allrecipes.com!!!
Here's the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Wheat-Bread-II/Detail.aspx

Strawberry & Blueberry Cobbler

I'm posting this recipe for my stepmom, Rita, because she requests my cobbler so often! I thought she might appreciate having the recipe for herself. This dessert is truly tremendous and fit for any fancy dinner party. Every time I have made it, the plates have been licked clean. This recipe came out of "The Joy of Cooking." Here goes:

for cobbler biscuit dough, whisk together in a bowl:

1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add 5 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Toss this together with dry ingredients, using two knives, pastry blender, or do it how I do, with my hands, until resembling breadcrumbs.

Next add 2/3 cups heavy cream or 1/2 cup of milk and knead dough together

When dough feels ready to be rolled, place onto a floured surface and cut out any shape of biscuits you like. I just use a small jar and cut out circles. When you place these biscuits over the fruit filling, brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Now for the filling:

Find a large casserole dish and throw in 2 pints of blueberries and 2 pints of strawberries. Sprinkle with:

1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Toss ingredients so the fruit is well coated with the powder.

Place biscuits over the topping and remember to brush with eggs and sprinkle the sugar.

Place into an oven that has been preheated to 375 and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Whip some cream together and scoop spoonfuls of the cobbler into bowls with cream on top. If you try ANY of my recipes, please, for the love of God, let it be this one!!!!!!!! Thank you, Joy of Cooking for blessing me with this recipe.

Simple Ratatouille and polenta

This is an easy French vegetable stew that I never get tired of eating.

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 pound of zucchini/squash, cut into cubes
1 cup of diced onions
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups chopped seeded fresh tomatoes (or canned whole stewed tomatoes)
fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
fresh basil

In a hot skillet, mix together olive oil, eggplant, zucchini/squash and sautee, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and bell peppers. Cook another 10 minutes. Next add the tomatoes and garlic. Throw in your seasoning of salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. When almost ready to serve, add 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil.

Now for the soft polenta:

Melt in a saucepan over medium heat

3 tablespoons of butter

Add 1/2 cup chopped onions.

Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil

In a separate bowl, mix together one cup of cornmeal (polenta) with one cup of water.

Gradually stir the bowl of polenta and water into the water in the saucepan. Reduce heat to low and stir regularly for about 25 minutes to prevent it from becoming lumpy.

When just about to serve, add salt and sprinkle 1/2 parmesan cheese. What I do is scoop the polenta into a bowl or plate, let form for a few seconds, then scoop the Ratatouille onto the polenta and top with some parmesan. You can serve this dinner with some grilled Italian sausages and impress any dinner guests with the hearty gourmet taste!