Pizza - Homemade

This pizza was really good.  I had some family over and needed a quick meal.  I decided to make pizza for them, but I didn't have any meat...no pepperoni, or sausage or ham...nothing!

I did however have some delicious fresh baby spinach in the fridge so I went with that.  It was really good.

Take about a grapefruit size of the Boule dough, and roll  it out thin onto a piece of parchment paper.  This is important because you aren't going to be able to pick it up and move it to the pizza stone after you top it.

If you don't have a pizza stone, then just roll the dough out and place it on the baking sheet before you top it.

Ingredients:

Dough  (click for recipe)
1 can chopped tomatoes (or fresh chopped tomatoes)
1/4 cup sauce (I used some spaghetti sauce I had in the fridge)
1 can artichoke hearts chopped
1 handful of baby spinach, rolled and sliced thinly
2 tbsp of Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic (if you don't have that, then some fresh garlic smashed and smeared)
2 tbsp of parmesan cheese
2 tbsp of Pizza Spice from Penzy's Spice Store  (the best! look them up online)
Mozzarella cheese to your liking
Olive oil

Pre Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll the dough out thinly, it will rise some when cooked.

Brush drizzled olive oil over the dough, and edges of dough.  Sprinkle the pizza seasoning, garlic garlic, and parmesan cheese over the dough.  ( the measurements are approximate..I just sprinkle each of these until I have some sprinkled over the whole dough)

Spread the sauce and tomatoes evenly.  Add the artichokes and spinach.  Now cover with the cheese to the thickness you prefer.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the center is bubbly.

Potato Chip Cookies

Submitted by: Lisa


These cookies are in our family's recipe cookbook that Heather made years ago.  It is from my Grandma Dorothy.  Now, I must confess that I changed it a bit and I am not sure if the texture is because of those changes or if they are supposed to be like this.  The cookie is similar in texture to a pecan sandie.  Very good.  What I changed was : butter flavored crisco instead of butter, and I thought there might be a typo since it didn't call for any baking soda or baking powder so I added in 1/4 tsp of soda.


I don't have time or butter on hand to make it the original way, but that might change the texture.  However, I am pleased with these.


Ingredients:


3/4 c butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1 /2 c flour
3/4 c crushed potato chips
1/2 c chopped cashew nuts (I used dry roasted peanuts)


Directions:
Mix butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla together.  


Add in the flour, potato chips, and nuts.  Stir until completely incorporated.


Make walnut sized dough balls and flatten when placed on the cookie sheet.  **They do NOT spread at all when baked.**

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, leave on pan until cooled then move to a rack.  They are a bit fragile when warm.

Red Velvet Strawberry Cake

Submitted by Heather

Last week it was my husband's birthday.  I will never live down the time that, instead of making him a lovely, homemade cake/pie/dessert, I bought him an apple pie at Costco for his birthday celebration.  Never mind that we were moving the next day.  Or that apple pie is actually his favorite dessert.  It didn't live up to expectations.  So, here and there the "Costco pie" is mentioned and I've known better than to ever think of making that grave mistake again.  What looked to be a big, beautiful, lattice-topped pie didn't deliver in the flaky-crust,-tasty-apple-filling department.  Actually, I think I'd be better off just making him a cake mix or giving him a bowl of ice cream, than buying a pie or cake for his big day.  

He often tells me not to stress myself out making him a cake.  He doesn't realize, though, that I don't get stressed out.  I look forward to finally making something fun and different and special.  It's an excuse to try making something delicious and beautiful. And I think this cake did both!

I got the idea from iambaker.com, where she shows off a beautiful cake she made...the week after having a baby, while her house was full of guests!  Wow.  Since my youngest is just over one year old and I wasn't recovering from childbirth, I felt like I'd try to take it up a notch.  So, instead of using cake mixes, I made the cakes from scratch.  Yes, it took more time than cake mixes would take, but if you have the time it's probably worth it. The whole cake was really tasty and was gone in a matter of hours.  The kids inhaled it and the birthday boy seemed very satisfied.

This would also be a great cake to make for the Fourth of July.  Instead of strawberries on top or in the layers, you could use blueberries and have a very impressive and patriotic cake.

Note#1: If you want the layers to look prettier when you cut the cake, I would suggest leaving the berries out of the layers of the cake and serving them on the side.  You could even make a strawberry sauce to drizzle on the cake or to fill the layers.

Note #2: I must warn you that the red velvet cake flavor gets kind of lost in this dessert.  I really love red velvet, so I was looking forward to eating it, but with all the other flavors going on, it didn't really stand out.  In fact, I had to eat a layer by itself in order to actually taste it.  So, while it did make a very impressive looking layer, and was a moist and delicious addition to the cake, don't expect to taste its unique flavor in this dessert.  Just trying to be honest so you're not disappointed!

For the Red Velvet Cake layer:

Use the recipe on our blog, found here: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Divide the batter into two 9" greased cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For the white cake layer:

I used a recipe I hadn't tried before, but that was very good.  It was called Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes and I found it on melskitchencafe.com.  Instead of cupcakes, I put the batter into cake pans.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 for light, aluminum or silicone pans or 325 for dark, nonstick pans. Grease 9" round cake pans and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in eggs and egg yolk one at a time and then mix in the vanilla. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine. Add 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix. Add the final 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix and then add the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and the batter is smooth. Divide the batter between two 9" cake pans.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven), until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with moist crumbs. Don’t overbake!

To Assemble:

Once your cakes are baked and cooled, which you may want to do the day before, it's time to chop the strawberries and whip the cream!  I used about 2 pounds of strawberries.  I chopped the ones for in between the layers, and sliced the ones for on top, just to make it a bit prettier.

You can use just plain whipped cream for filling the cake or, as I did, get a little bit crazy and make a cream cheese frosting and lighten it up with whipped cream.  I made the frosting that goes with the red velvet cupcakes:


8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese and butter well, add vanilla and then add confectioner's sugar and beat well.  Fold in 2 C. of whipped cream (that's whipping cream that has been whipped, just to be clear) with 2/3 C. of cream cheese frosting.  Fill the cake layers, adding as many chopped strawberries as you'd like.

Cover the outside of the cake with sweetened whipped cream and garnish the top with strawberries.  YUM!

Happy Fourth of July!

Sources: White cake layer adapted from Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes from melskitchencafe.com, idea for cake from iambaker.com

Shirley's Oreos

Submitted by Lisa

These cookies I have been making for about 15 years.  We love them.  I got the recipe from a neighbor I had when I lived in Utah.  Her name was Shirley.  The recipe calls for german chocolate cake mix, but I use all different kinds of cake mixes depending on my mood or what I have on hand.

Today, I happened to have a stars and stripes cake mix on hand so I am using that!  (my favorite way though is with the chocolate cake mix)

Ingredients:

2 boxes of german chocolate cake mix  (you can substitute other flavors)
4 eggs
1 1/2 C crisco

Mix all ingredients together until completely incorporated.  Roll into small walnut size balls.  Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 min at 350.

Cool on paper towels or paper bags.

Filling:

The easy way:  buy a can of frosting

The homemade way:
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cube butter softened
1 lb or so of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

Mix that together


Assemble:

Frost one cookie and then add another cookie to make a sandwich.
Store in an airtight container.

Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars

When my husband and I were dating he loved hearing the Minnesota accents of my family and would try to mimic them.  Unfortunately for him, by the time we had met my accent had faded considerably and just wasn't quite strong enough for him. However, when I'd mention making either a "hot dish"  (that would be Minnesotan for "casserole") or "bars" (Minnesotan for any finger dessert baked in a pan), he would break out his pretend Minnesota accent and poke fun at me, trying to strike up a conversation about one of those previously mentioned dishes.  But luckily for him, he didn't take the teasing too far, since he wanted me to actually offer him some of that yummy food I was making!


It's good to have a decent lineup of different bar recipes so that you're not bringing the same thing as your neighbor to the church picnic, neighborhood block party or work function.  Or maybe you're just dessert crazy like my 5 kids and you want to try something new. Either way, these were definitely worth making. The kids loved these and so did about 30 neighbors at a farewell party for one of our friends. They were so gooey and delicious, and I'm not even a huge marshmallow fan.  I really liked the topping - peanut butter, melted chocolate, rice krispies.  Eat it with a spoon!

As I was making them, I decided to change them up a little bit.  I couldn't stop thinking that they would be even more delicious with graham crackers in the topping.  Sort of like a smore with peanut butter.  And while I think that the rice krispy version is super yummy, after tasting both of them my favorites were the ones with the graham crackers.  To make them, I just eyeballed it and crunched up a bunch of graham crackers into the melted chocolate/peanut butter mixture (no rice krispies in that batch).

Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars

Yield: 24 bars 

For the Brownie Base:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Toppings:
1 bag (10½ ounces) miniature marshmallows
1½ cups chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter (don’t use natural peanut butter)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1½ cups Rice Krispies cereal (or equivalent broken up graham crackers!) 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
2. For the brownies: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter and ¾ cup of the semisweet chocolate chips. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl , whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in the dry sifted ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the corner of of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.
5. Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.
6. Meanwhile, place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and tablespoon of butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cook in 30 second increments until completely melted. Remove from heat, add the Rice Krispies and mix well. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.
7. Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting.

Note: I used crunchy peanut butter and loved the extra peanutiness (is that a word?) that it added. Also, I found that it was much easier to spread the final layer (the chocolate/peanut butter/crunch), if the marshmallows had cooled and firmed up a bit. And drop the chocolate mixture in blobs all over.  That made spreading much easier.  Otherwise you're in danger of a big, gooey marshmallowey mess.  With chocolate mixed in.  Hey, that actually doesn't sound so bad!

Source: Adapted from browneyedbaker.com who adapted it from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody; originally from Buttercup Bakes at Home by Jennifer Appel

A Daily Loaf (Pain Ordinaire Careme)

Submitted by: Lisa

This is out of the book:  Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.  I love this book.  I made this bread yesterday and didn't realize that it was an all day process.  I started at 1:30 in the afternoon and didn't get it baked until 9:00 that night.  So, start this early in the morning.  The reason it takes so long is because it has 3 rises.  It isn't complicated or really time consuming, it just needs a little attention in between the rising's so you do have to be around.

Verdict:  We like it a lot.  I just made it into 2 different peasant type loaves.  You can form it in many ways including baguette.

I have some whole wheat stored and decided to grind some of the white wheat up into flour and use some in this recipe.  I used 2 cups of the ground white wheat and the 4 cups regular all purpose flour.  It worked very nicely.

Ingredients:


6 cups bread or unbleached flour
2 pkgs dry yeast
2 1/2 cups hot water (120 - 130 degrees)
2 tsp each salt & water


Mix by hand or mixer (only if you have a very sturdy, tough mixer):  Measure 3 to 4 cups of flour into the mixing bowl and add the yeast and hot water.  (actually take the temp of your water, it makes a difference)


Put on the flat beater if using the mixer and beat for 10 minutes.  If the mixer is sounding strained, stop and do by hand.  The batter will be smooth and pull away from the sides as the gluten develops.

When finished, dissolve the salt in the water and add to the batter and mix for 30 seconds longer.

Put on the dough hook.  Continue mixing with it and add additional flour 1/4 cup at a time.  Knead for 10 minutes.  Again, if this is taxing your mixer, do it by hand.

1st rising:  Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for @ 2 hrs.  The dough could be more that triple it's size.

2nd rising:  Turn back the plastic wrap and knead briefly, about 3 minutes.  Return to the bowl and re-cover with the plastic wrap.  Allow to rise to more than triple its volume, about 1 1/2 hrs.

Shaping:  The dough will be light and puffy.  Turn it onto the floured work surface and punch it down.  Don't be surprised if it pushes back, for it is quite resilient.

Divide inot as many pieces as you wish loaves.  One quarter of this recipe will make a baguette 22" long and 3" wide.  Or 2 large round loaves.  Allow the dough to rest 5 minutes before shaping.

3rd rising:  Cover the loaves with a cloth so they will still get air.  They should either be on the pan they will be baked on, or if using a baking stone, have then on parchment paper so you can move them without flattening them.  Leave about 1 hr to rise.

Preheat oven to 450.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes.  They are done when golden brown and if the bottom crust sounds hard and hollow when tapped.

Final step:  Place on a rack to cool.  Enjoy!

Limeade - Homemade

Submitted by Lisa
I got this recipe from a friend at work.  She said she got it from a waiter at a restaurant she was eating at.
 I think it is nice and refreshing.  Enjoy!

Homemade Limeade

2 limes, cut up into about 8 pieces, rind and all
1 cup of water
1 handful of ice 
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of superfine baker's sugar

Blend all in the blender until the limes are all ground up and it's a bit frothy

Add 1-1/2 cups more water and pulse to stir

Pour limeade through a fine strainer or sieve to remove pulp. Serve over ice.