I'm back with a little summer pizza fun

Well, I have not had much inspiration over the past few months to cook or do much of anything as I am currently expecting our next child due sometime around Halloween. I have spent the first half of this pregnancy tired and sick so this blog has gone into a slight hiatus. Well I am back and our Indiana summer full of CSA goodies and backyard garden bounties has inspired me to get cooking in the kitchen. I have also been very compelled by sweet and savory pregnancy cravings, so I apologize if over the next 4-5 months if your blood sugars rise....

NECTARINE, BASIL, AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

Homemade Pizza Dough als KitchenAid Stand Mixer Method

makes 2 medium pizzas (serves 4)

Note: my stand mixer is probably one of my favorite appliances. If you do not have one, your can always substitute with a pre-made dough.

Dough Ingredients:


3 cups flour


2 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast 


1/2 tablespoon olive oil 


1/4 teaspoons kosher salt 


1 1/3 cups warm water 


a sprinkle of Cornmeal

*Start this recipe about an hour before you want to make your pizza. Start pre-heating your oven 15 minutes into the rise time.

1  In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all of your ingredients, leaving out a little bit of the water.

2  Using the dough hook from your mixer, stir until a loose dough forms on low. If a dough doesn’t form, add the rest of the water. If the dough is extremely wet and sticky, and a bit of flour. Gradually increase the speed to medium until a ball forms. This should take about 30 seconds. If the dough does not release from the sides of the bowl, add a bit more flour. If the dough is very dry, add a small amount of water.  Once the dough forms into a ball, allow the mixer to knead for 8 minutes at medium-high.

3  After the kneading is finished, divide the dough in half. Using floured hands, gently shape each dough into a boule. Set on a floured surface and dab with a little bit of olive oil to keep them moist. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4  To stretch the dough, pick up the risen dough and gently shape into a circle. Do not over-work or fold the dough. If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for a few minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily.

5  Sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal onto a pizza peel, baking stone or rimless baking sheet. Place the stretched dough onto the peel and quickly add toppings.

Pizza Ingredients:

olive oil for greasing

shredded light mozzarella

goat cheese

2 nectarines, sliced thinly (I used a combination of both on this one)

handful of chopped fresh basil

balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 cup for a full sized pizza)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500ºF

Brush a bit of olive oil over the dough, then spread a layer of mozzarella as the base. Add the nectarine or peach slices in a single layer then sprinkle lumps of  goat cheese throughout.

Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes or until crust is slightly brown and cheese is melting.

Bring the balsamic vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Watch closely and remove once it is reduced by half (leaving about 1/4 cup) and has a syrupy consistency. You can taste it to make sure it's sweet enough, but be careful not to burn into a sticky mess.

Remove from oven and drizzle the balsamic reduction on top, followed by the fresh basil. Wait a few minutes before cutting, then enjoy this summery treat!

Valentine's Day Bake Off: Part 2

So what do I think about to complete the perfect Valentine's Day? 

Wine = YES

Red Velvet = YES

Chocolate = YES, please!

So why not combine both to put in a cookie? These cookies are a marriage between a recipe found at the Curvy Carrot and Keep It Simple Foods. May I present to you the Red Velvet and Wine Chocolate Cookie (with White Chocolate chips). Perhaps they make make another appearance for the Red Carpet event soon.

Ingredients: (makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies)

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup red wine (I used pinot noir, but you could use merlot, red zinfandel or any red table wine)

~3 tablespoons of beet powder (I like to omit red dye 40) or red food coloring

½ cup of white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and prepare baking sheets.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt. and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with hand or stand mixer.  Next, add in the egg, vanilla, and red wine.  Add the food coloring or beet powder. Mix until well combined.

Then, slowly add in the dry ingredients until mixed well.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter onto a prepared baking pan, leaving a few inches in between. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Bake Off: Part 1

I've been busy baking for the holiday of love. First up, a Pinterest inspired craft to remove excessive sugar and HFCS from this holiday, all while recycling old broken crayons.

To make:
Remove paper from crayons using a utility knife (thanks mom for that advice--my nails and finger love you!) then break up into small pieces.

Melt in silicone heart shaped mold (I hear that you should avoid metal) at 250 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until melted. I let my little Valentine fill the molds.

Place on a little bit of stock paper with a witty saying, and send off to school! I found that neither the hot glue gun nor tape adhered the crayon to the paper, so I ended up tiring them up with ribbon.

Happy Valentine's Day. More to come tomorrow!

Mini Meatloaf

It's dinner time and in between playing airplane with the cardboard box from my little birthday present of a Le Crueset canister set repurposed to an airplane/rocket, I needed to whip soothing up fast. 

I looked in my refrigerator and saw a thawed pound of meat. It snowed today and this beach-raised-California-girl-turned-Hoosier is looking for some comfort food. My mom always made the best meatloaf. Well, she was at work and I was about 1 pound short of meat for the whole recipe, so I Googled and found this! 

Yummy Mini Meatloaf Recipe

Credit for this little gem of a find comes from my blessed life.

Yields: 10 mini loaves

1 egg

1/2 c. milk (I used whole)

1 c. cheese (All I had was an organic Mexican blend, but cheddar or gouda would be amazing)

1/2 c. oats

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. onion powder

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt

1 lb. ground beef (I used bison meat as we are looking for lean red alternatives and it's locally raised here in Indiana)

Glaze: ketchup, mustard (I used dijon), raw or brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray a muffin pan with a non-stick oil.

In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, cheese, oats, oregano, onion powder, garlic and salt.  Add ground meat and mix well.  This is best done using your hands and fingers.

Evenly divide the meat mixture in muffin pan with about a palm-sized ball.  In a small bowl, mix ketchup (~ 1 1/2 c.), a tad of mustard (a good squeeze) and a teaspoon of sugar.  Evenly divide the glaze over each mini meatloaf.

Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes or until meat is done. I paired it with some mashed potatoes and sautéed kale to round out the meal.


According to the writer of this recipe, you can freeze the left over patties for future uses (thaw and heat.) 

In other birthday news, we have begun a little updating in our kitchen. We added some backsplash and some under lighting so I can see a little better while in the kitchen. 

before

after

To come will be a new floor (to show less child-produced dirt) and a built in banquet for family kitchen time. What is the favorite thing about your kitchen space? What inspires you?

A Breakfast Cookie

There comes a time when you look at your very ripe, brown bananas and think, "What can I do with these without wasting them?" Then you think, "Banana bread again?" Well, in our household this super browning of the banana stock rarely happens as many might compare my 2 year old son to that of a monkey with the amount of bananas he consumes. However, every so often a few bananas get too ripe for our yellow preferred method of consumption. Also, my boys are not too fond of the fruit or vegetable breads so off to the inter webs I went in search of a quick and simple recipe to save the bananas. This little breakfast cookie was a hit as it combined the sweetness of the banana and hints of salty bacon.

Bacon Banana Cookies

Epicurious | December 2011

by Libbie Summers
The Whole Hog Cookbook

Yield: 30 cookies

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)

1/2 pound bacon, cooked crisp, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer(I used my stand mixer)to cream together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until they are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Combine the butter mixture to the flour mixture, then stir in the mashed bananas, beating well after each addition. Fold in the bacon.

Stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the remaining cinnamon and set aside.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until slightly browned. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Cookies will keep for 5 to 7 days.