Category Archives: Make it Yourself

Pizza Dough

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M requested a new pizza dough so this is what I decided to try. It wasn’t as good as this one, but I’m pretty partial to it. This had a nice texture and chew, it was really easy to work with; but there was nothing remarkable about the flavor. It’s just a good basic recipe, but my search for the perfect dough for him isn’t over. He really loves California Pizza Kitchen’s dough. I have to admit, it’s really good – so if I am able to find something that comes close it would be my new favorite. I doubled this recipe and ended up with four 11 ounce balls of dough, two are stashed in the freezer. I made one pizza Margarita and one barbecue chicken pizza (a la CPK, his fave – of course). The kids and I enjoyed the new (to them) pizza margarita and M happily ate four of his – pizza night is always a hit in this family 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Pizza Dough – adapted from Food Network
  • 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
Directions:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.

In a food processor, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and process until the mixture forms a ball. (The pizza dough can also be made in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and starts to climb up the dough hook).

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).

Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Pizza Margarita –

  • 1 – 11 ounce ball of dough
  • 1/3 cup of pizza sauce
  • 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella
  • 10 leaves of basil
  • Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, olive oil for drizzling (optional)
Directions – 
*Preheat your oven to 475 about 15 minutes before you make your pizza. I use a pizza stone and place it on the lowest rack of my oven.

1. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the pizza dough into the desired diameter. I use a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Work from the inside out, and gradually move your hands away from the center of the dough. You could also do this with a rolling pin – I happen to love using my hands for the job. Once you’ve achieved the size you want, take a fork and poke the tines all over the surface of the dough.

2. Spread the pizza sauce all over, making sure to leave about an inch around the circumference. Next, take your torn mozzarella and place on top of the sauce. Because it’s fresh mozzarella, you can leave lots of empty space because this type of mozz melts beautifully and spreads itself nicely when heated. I love the stuff!  Top with basil leaves, a sprinkle of cheese and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

3. Carefully transfer the pizza – still on its parchment paper to an upside-down sheet pan. I use it like a pizza peel to move it to the stone in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Using the sheet pan again, remove the pizza from the oven and place the parchment paper and all onto a cooling rack.

Brown Rice and Black Beans with Pico de Gallo

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Yum! I love black beans, but sadly my family doesn’t. If you have the time and you’re not starving, but you want a substantial meal plus leftovers, this is perfect 🙂  I got the idea for this here, but I modified the black bean recipe quite a bit to make it even more healthy. I read that draining and rinsing the beans decreases the sodium by about 40% ; and besides, the liquid inside the can kinda grosses me out. I love baking the brown rice and it’s a foolproof method of preparing it – not quick by any means, but entirely worth the wait. Once the rice is in the oven, you can make your pico de gallo and stash it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The beans are the quickest part of this meal and only take about 10 minutes. This is by far my favorite lunch and I ate the leftovers for four days, ( I had to make up another batch of black beans) and thankfully I’m not sick of it yet! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Baked Brown Rice – adapted from Food Network

  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice
  • 2 1/2 cups HOT water
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Pour rice into the dish, add water, salt and butter; and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

Once it’s finished baking, carefully remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Black Beans –

  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained really well
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 1 TBSP chopped cilantro, optional
Directions:
1. Rinse and thoroughly drain your black beans. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan or skillet over medium heat, drizzle the olive and saute the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, cumin, oregano, salt and about 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Cook for about 5 more minutes or until desired thickness, (you can smash some of the beans for a thicker sauce). Add your cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, serve over brown rice and top with your fresh pico. Enjoy!

Fiber-tastic Granola

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Here’s hoping this experiment goes well! I had all this stuff on hand, and the oat and wheat bran have been hanging out in my freezer for several months. I tried both of them and they weren’t rancid or smelly. The freezer is the best place for these kind of ingredients with fat (healthy of course) because it can go bad quickly. This really is full of fiber, minerals, vitamins, protein, omega-3, and nutrients. I pulled a few ideas from a couple of different recipes, so I can’t credit any one source.
Verdict: Yum! My husband tried some of this and he didn’t recoil! I gave some to a friend and she declared it “tasted wonderful”. I have had it for breakfast the past few days and I can tell you, this will keep you full for several hours – that’s the fiber doing it’s job. I enjoy this with almond milk and a small handful of raisins. It’s hearty, filling, nutty, slightly sweet – near perfect in my opinion. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Fiber-tastic Granola – 
  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup raw almonds, chopped
  • 1/4 cup oat bran
  • 1/4 cup wheat bran
  • 1/4 cup flax meal (I ground up golden flax seeds for this)
  • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • *suggested additions after baking: 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit, chia seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Line two baking sheets with lightly oiled (or non-stick) foil.
2. Toss all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then combine your liquid ingredients in a smaller bowl. Combine the wet and dry together with a rubber spatula then spread the granola evenly over the two baking sheets.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Halfway through baking, stir the granola and spread out evenly again.
4. Place baking sheets on cooling racks – be sure to cool completely before storing in airtight containers. It’s best to store it in the fridge for a longer shelf life – about 7-10 days.

French Bread

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Maybe I enjoy making things more difficult, or it may just be the fact that I love making as much from scratch as possible. I enjoy learning new techniques as well as avoiding buying more over-priced foods from Publix, (the money saving makes it even more rewarding for me). I needed to make these for meatball sandwiches, so hopefully they’ll hold up well to the sauce, cheese and of course – the meatballs. This dough was hard to work with because it was so sticky.
Verdict: These were really good with a nice tight crumb so they held up well to the meatball subs we used these for. They have a nice chewy crust too – overall a great choice for future sandwiches. Before adding the meatballs, I hollowed out the bread to make room for easier handling and eating. All the bread guts went into a freezer bag to be used for bread crumbs – waste not, want not! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
French Bread – adapted from The Sisters’ Cafe
  • 2 ¼ c. warm water
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp yeast
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 5 ½ -6 cups flour-stirred before measured

First dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof—or sit for a few minutes until it bubbles. Then add salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well (At this point I switch to my dough/kneading attachment on my mixer) Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too sticky. Knead for a few minutes. Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn dough onto a floured surface and knead it 2 or 3 times to coat with flour. Divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each part into a 9×13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seads. Bake for 30 minutes at 375. Cool on racks

Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Quick Post: I love balsamic vinaigrette! This one is full of flavor and it’s not too tangy because the sweetness of the honey mellows out the vinegar. This couldn’t be easier and I used one of my favorite kitchen tools to knock this out. Using the stick blender quickly made this creamy and homogenized mixture. I will make this again as soon as this batch runs out, but thankfully I doubled it to fill my 8 ounce Ball jar perfectly. It’s so good! I’m pretty happy that I don’t have to waste money on store bought dressings that are full of junk – this is a dressing I can feel good about using. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Balsamic Vinaigrette – adapted from Jan’s Sushi Bar

  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. If you have a stick blender, use it to blitz all these ingredients together. If not, whisk all ingredients together, pour into a glass, sealable container and place in the fridge for at least an hour for the flavors to marry. Enjoy over your favorite salad greens 🙂

Orange Almond Coconut Granola

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I’ve never made granola before, but I love the stuff. It’s perfect on top of yogurt, an on the go snack or a hearty breakfast. Most store bought brands have lots of sugar, salt, preservatives and fat…no thanks! This one is great because it’s all natural, easy to make and it keeps well in the fridge or up to a week in an airtight container. While this was baking, the most wonderful mix of orange and honey came wafting out the oven!  I can’t wait to try this 🙂

Verdict: So addicting! The orange zest gives this an aroma and bright, fresh flavor that I have never had in granola before. It was the perfect pre-workout breakfast. Bottom line – I will make this again and again! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Orange Almond Coconut Granola – adapted from Two Blue Lemons

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 cups “Old Fashioned” rolled oats (not the quick kind)
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Zest of one orange
  • pinch of kosher salt

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1/3 cup dried fruit of your choice – I used raisins because that’s what I had on hand*
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300.
2. In a large mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients and set aside. (Oats, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, zest, salt.)
3. In a small bowl combine the wet ingredients. (Honey, molasses, vanilla, oil.)
4. Pour the honey-molasses mixture over the oats and spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, tossing once in the middle. (Don’t let it get too brown, you want it to still be a little chewy.)
6. Out of the oven, toss in your dried fruit. Makes about 5 cups.

Super Nachos

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Quick Post:  This came together quickly, but I wish that I had more pepper jack to add to the queso sauce. It really could have used another cup of shredded cheese. I would also add more seasoning to the meat because that was kind of bland too. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this as is, but it can be easily tweaked to suit our tastes. So, it wasn’t a complete flop, but a good starting point for me to doctor up. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Super Nachos – adapted from Food Network
  • 1 large bag of tortilla chips
  • Homemade Pico de Gallo or salsa
Beef and Bean Topping –
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dark chili powder
  • 1 1/2 ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce, giving you medium to hot heat level
  • 1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Cheese Sauce –
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3/4 pound pepper jack cheese, shredded, about 2 1/2 cups
Additional Toppings –
  • Sour cream
  • Chopped scallions
  • Chopped black olives
  • Diced pimento
  • Sliced avocado, dressed with lemon juice
  • Hot pepper sauces
Directions –

Arrange a mixture of 2 varieties of corn chips on a very large platter or use your broiler pan as a platter.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, onion and peppers to the pan and saute 2 minutes, then add meat and crumble with wooden spoon. Season meat with salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper sauce. Cook meat 5 minutes, then stir in beans and reduce heat to low.

In a medium sauce pot, melt butter and add flour to it. Cook flour and butter 1 to 2 minutes over moderate heat, then whisk in milk. When milk comes to a bubble, stir in cheese with a wooden spoon. Remove cheese sauce from the heat.

Pour cheese sauce evenly over the massive spread of chips and top evenly with beef and beans and the pico de gallo. UBER NACHOS! Serve immediately as is or, garnish with your choice of extra toppings from the toppings list

Creamy Chicken Taquitos and Tomatillo Salsa

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What do you do when you have lots of leftover roast chicken sitting in your fridge? You can make these for starters. I discovered this one over a year ago at Our Best Bites. They’re quick, easy and delicious and I don’t know why I haven’t shared these with you all before. These have some of my favorite flavors all rolled up in one package. I like to make my own tomatillo salsa for these because it’s so much more fresh and flavorful. It’s simple to make and always cheaper than store bought. I always omit the green onion cause M wouldn’t touch it, and I usually double this recipe because the leftovers are just as tasty.

Verdict: So good – or “yum” as my son put it. We enjoyed these with the leftover tomatillo salsa and our favorite tomato salsa. Oh, I used soft taco sized flour tortillas and we ended up with seven taquitos. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Tomatillo Salsa – Mom Makes

  • 8 to 10 small tomatillos, husked, rinsed and dried
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic with paper on
  • 1/2 small onion, paper off and cut into thirds
  • 1 jalapeno, stem cut and sliced in half from top to bottom
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 lime
  • cumin to taste
  • kosher salt to taste
Directions –
Turn on your broiler and while it’s heating, prepare your tomatillos, jalapeno, garlic and onion for roasting. Slice the tomatillos at the equator and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Add the rest of your prepared vegetables to the baking sheet and place under the broiler – about 5 or 6 inches from the heating element. I roasted mine for about 10 minutes, but if you prefer more char on yours you can leave them in a little longer. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Take them out and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack until they’re easier to handle. Take the paper of your garlic cloves in preparation for blending.
Using a food processor or blender, carefully place all the contents – including the juices into the work bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over all, sprinkle your cumin and salt, then add your cleaned cilantro leaves. Place the lid on and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos – adapted from Our Best Bites

  • 1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
  • 1/4 C green salsa
  • 1T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 t cumin
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  • 1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
  • 3 T chopped cilantro
  • 2 T sliced green onions
  • 2 C shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 C grated pepper jack cheese
  • small flour or corn tortillas
  • cooking spray or vegetable oil
  • kosher salt (optional)
Directions –
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and roll them up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Crustless Quiche and Garlic Bread

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This is what happens when I have no desire to go grocery shopping and when I have no clue what sounds good. This is a first for us all, but I have had regular quiche before…yeah – normally brunch fare, but I was out of options! I also wanted to use the other ciabatta loaf I made and a giant container of salad needs to be used up. Quiche brings life to leftover cheese, meat and veggies – it’s a fridge cleaner-outer 😉 The master recipe is really helpful because it also gives ratios of veggies, cheese and meat – you don’t want your pie dish to be too full. I used my deep dish pie plate and it worked out perfectly. For our quiche I used leftover bacon, cheddar cheese, and broccoli. I was careful with the salt because of all the cheese and bacon.

Verdict: This was so tasty – a perfect combination! I’m really happy with how it turned out and my husband didn’t disown me for making quiche for dinner. I did remind him that he likes “brinner” and he agreed. Besides, can you go wrong with bacon and cheese on anything? Not in this house you can’t. Even my picky 5 year old enjoyed eating this and my 8 year old had seconds. The garlic bread was super garlicky – take it easy on the cloves if you’re not a fan. I used five huge cloves for this and probably only 1/4 cup of olive oil. The kids enjoyed the flavor of the bread too and I am still tasting it! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Crustless Quiche Master Recipe – adapted from Food Network

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan

Custard:

  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch cayenne or paprika

Fillings:

  • 2 to 3 cups prepared vegetables, such as braised leeks, broccoli, sauteed onions, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, tomatoes
  • 4 ounces, or about 1 cup grated or crumbled cheese, such as Cheddar, goat cheese, Gruyere, Parmesan, fontina, provolone, mozzarella, Gouda, solo or combined
  • 1 to 4 tablespoons minced herbs, such as parsley, chives, tarragon, basil, dill, rosemary, marjoram
  • 3/4 cup chopped crisp bacon, diced ham or salami
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, optional, this is good to use with vegetables that release liquid during cooking, such as zucchini and spinach
Directions –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For the pan: Brush pan with the soft butter and sprinkle the grated Parmesan evenly on top.

Whisk the half-and-half, eggs and yolks in large glass measuring cup. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, cayenne or paprika to taste. Spread half the desired filling evenly in the pan, top with about half the cheese; repeat with remaining filling and cheese. Pour the custard over the fillings. Top with more herbs or cheese as desired.

Bake until the quiche is just set in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

Garlic Bread Ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 1 medium head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 15 medium cloves)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • pinch (1/16 teaspoon) of salt
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • snipped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions –
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the loaf lengthwise and prepare the topping by combining all ingredients but the parmesan and parsley together. Spread generously all over the bread. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream

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This couldn’t be an easier recipe – 5 ingredients, 30 minutes of churning and a rest in the freezer. Okay, so it’s not the quickest but it is super simple. I was surprised that there was no salt in this (all sweet needs a little salt to balance the flavor) but I decided not to modify this at all until I taste the final product.

Verdict: This is almost too sweet and fatty. The use of heavy cream and whole milk, (Philadelphia-Style) make this ice cream coat your mouth with butter fat – so if you’re not crazy about that, steer clear of this one. I’m sure the kids and husband wont mind, but I think I prefer the mouth feel of an ice cream that uses egg yolks (French-Style); so I’ll be on the hunt for those. I borrowed The Perfect Scoop from the library a while ago, and I need to search through the book for some must-make-soon desserts. I just realized last night that it’s due back in five days, so I’d better get on it! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream Ingredients – adapted from Simple Comfort Food

  • 1 cup Whole Milk, Cold
  • ¾ cups Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 2 cups Heavy Cream
  • 10 whole Oreo Cookies, Crumbled
Directions –
Freeze your ice cream bowl prior to starting your recipe, as it is very important that it is completely frozen.

Begin by adding the milk and sugar to your mixing bowl, and mix with a whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Add in the vanilla extract, and the heavy cream. Assemble your ice cream maker, and turn it on, adding in your mixture.

Let the mixer spin for at least 30 minutes, adding the crumbled Oreo cookies about 25 minutes into mixing. Place the bowl back in the freezer for at least an hour, or in my case, overnight. Scoop and enjoy.