Isn’t It Ironic?

Although I have never actually bought an Alanis Morissette album, it’s astounding to me that the lyrics of one of her songs are etched so deeply in my mind, similar to several other songs I have referenced in my short blogging career.  In fact, when thinking about my next recipe review, I could immediately hear her grating, jaded refrain along with full accompaniment.

“And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...

It's like rain on your wedding day…”

But we’ll get to that recipe in a bit.

Meanwhile, here are a few other ironies that have struck me lately:

-Everyone in my house, including me, hates turning the Christmas tree lights on past December 26th.

-I had grand plans of sharing all my favorite Christmas recipes but forgot how busy the holiday season is.  So, forget about blogging before the big day!

-Santa forgets to leave anything really special in Mom’s stocking, perhaps thinking he won’t get any credit from that particular placement.

-While outwardly jeering at all those long, informative Christmas letters we get, I always pour through them intently as if they contain hidden messages from Nostradamus himself.

-My Christmas treat distribution list dwindles proportionately to the amount of hours I spend baking and candy making.

-Hearing other women’s husbands ask my husband if we’re “all ready for Christmas” on December 10th or so seems to mysteriously raise my blood pressure as I wait for his stress-free reply. 

-All those Christmas movies on Lifetime and Hallmark suddenly become inane on December 26th (for another 11 months.)

-All my years of being single left me a romanticized expectation of New Year’s Eve.  After 12 years of marriage, however, my sole hope is that we both stay awake until midnight.

If you have any holiday ironies to add, I’d love to hear them.   Now, back to that recipe.

 

My family has always enjoyed this particular cookie that I found in a Hershey’s chocolate advertisement.   On my recipe card, I recorded the official name as “Hershey’s ‘Perfectly Chocolate’ Chocolate Chip Cookies.”  The last time I made them, though, I did two things differently.  First, I chilled the dough for an hour or so because time ran short and I needed to run an errand.  Second, when shopping for a new canister of cocoa, I was annoyed that the Hershey’s brand was so darn expensive in my supermarket, so I talked myself into buying this brand instead. 

 Premium Cocoa from SA CO

It’s a blend of regular and Dutch processed cocoa. When my husband tried a cookie after work, he said, to my utter amazement, “Now, that’s what I call a cookie!”  This new cocoa turned the cookie into a superstar!  It is the BEST cocoa to bake with at a fraction of the cost of Hershey’s.  So, while I credit Hershey’s for providing the recipe, remember me and my new cocoa find with a knowing wink, okay?

Hershey’s ‘Perfectly Chocolate’ Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chips*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.  In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy, blend in eggs and vanilla well.  Gradually add dry ingredients, beating well.  Stir in chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Makes 4-5 dozen.

(The cookies pictured were rounded tablespoons baked for 10 minutes, which made 3 dozen.)

*You can experiment with peanut butter chips instead of white, or just go 100% chocolate chips.  My family likes the chocolate/white combo.

Happy New Year!!!

Make New Friends, But Keep The Old…

…One Is Silver And The Other’s Gold.

Do you remember that wonderful song, done in a round?  We sang it at all our girl scout gatherings and I still love it.

Since I’ve accumulated many years and lived in many places, I have lots of “gold” friends.  Too many to mention, but here’s a quick idea:  Karen, the original girl scout friend along with all the Kettle Killers,  members of the class of ‘80 trip to Lake George, Donna Summer aka Pat, college roomies Julie and Tracie who ended up to be related in the end, Sue who has never given up on me, Steve who likes to ‘walk up’ chicken, Stamford Ward friends including cooking guru Carlin, Stanford Ward friends, Judy my mentor:  “That’s just men,”  laurels from Fair Oaks, and a few LDSFS  friends ‘Who Cannot Be Named’ (who know who they are!)  Not to brag, but that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of people who I love and miss.  It seems I am reminded of how many people that ‘I can’t let go’ every December when I start my Christmas card list. (As an aside, facebook now brings my obsessive-compulsive-friend-keeping behavior to a new all-time high…)

I have one ‘gold’ friend who probably is steaming right now for the lack of mention…and it is Amanda!  She is not only a frequent commenter on this blog, she is someone I can tell almost any problem/worry/complaint/humorous story to without censorship.  She understands and will discuss with me ad nauseam the complete injustice of infertility, of which bad thoughts creep upon me from time to time after all these years-still.  She is the one person, besides family, I can ask to watch Jack and know it wouldn’t bug her.  That’s saying a lot.

Unfortunately, I’m not her ‘two houses away’ neighbor anymore.  Hence, the gold status.  She visited me two summers ago since I now live on her lane:

 

Every year for Christmas when we were neighbors she would bring our family her very yummy caramel popcorn, and, true confession,  I would keep it all to myself!  I emailed her a couple of weeks ago to ask her for her recipe.  She replied: “Sorry you'll have to make your own popcorn this year.  I'd much rather take it around the corner to your house!”  I made it to enclose in gift boxes for a few friends and family since it’s the perfect packing material treat.  Hope it arrives as tasty as it left.  Thanks Amanda, and I miss you!

Merry Christmas to all my gold and silver friends!

Amanda’s Caramel Popcorn

1 lb brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 stick butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

dash salt

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 gallons of popped corn (after a less than perfect tester batch, I settled on making 2 batches of popped corn using 3/4 cups of popping kernels total.)

Boil sugar and corn syrup, add stick of butter, stirring to blend as it melts and bring to gentle boil.  Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly.  Cook to soft ball stage (234 to 240 degrees), stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add salt and vanilla.  Pour over popped corn, coating well.  Spread out on cookie sheet until cooled.

In-laws and Out-laws

One clear problem I have is reconciling my chronological age with my maturity.  I wish the real issue was reconciling my age with a surprisingly youthful appearance, but no luck there!

Anyway, when I took my first job after college I felt like an imposter.  I think I had my teenage rebellion at age 25 or so.   I hoped that graduate school would instill me with a sense of being an important adult, but it really didn’t either.  Now, getting married at 35 seemed right in keeping with my delayed timeline, but, despite my age,  I wasn’t necessarily prepared for the delicate task of being an in-law.

I tried referencing my mother’s example.  She seemed to do well with my grandmother, theirs was a relationship built on mutual respect and clear boundaries.  But how many years had that relationship taken to form?  With other in-laws, she seemed to have her ups and downs.  I hoped to do better.  Surely, all my great skills as a clinical social worker would help me avoid any pitfalls!

Ha, ha, ha!  Forging two families together, along with their past histories, family cultures and unique quirks is a lifelong challenge.  I don’t care who you are.  Before your eyes get too wide opened in disbelief, just know this post isn’t an exposé on my in-laws because they really aren’t the problem.  (Some of them occasionally read this blog, by the way…)  It’s just they are different from the family I was raised in.  And differences just present obstacles from time to time.

It makes you wonder how any of us can choose a partner at all since we come from such diverse backgrounds.  But that ‘love is blind’ thing kicks in and rational decision making is out the nearest window.  Commitment to a spouse makes the blending happen.  But are you committed to his/her family, too?  What a downer of a question for me to ask…

As Thanksgiving is just around the corner, may I suggest food can become a common thread for two families?  Everyone likes to please others with cooking and everyone also likes being complimented on their dishes.  And sincerely asking for a recipe might just send an in-law over the moon in family bliss.  (Which is precisely where you might want them.)

Curt’s Aunt Faith impressed me from the beginning as someone who knew how hard the adjustment to blending families was and seemed to take extra time and effort to help me feel included at family reunions.  So I’m grateful to her and also happy to share with you her recipe for a dip, which my sister-in-law Nevon actually passed on to me.  The dip is simple, delicious and perfect for both veggies and potato chips.

 

 

Aunt Faith’s Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt*

1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Combine all ingredients well and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

*The seasoned salt listed in the recipe is “Bon Appetit” from McCormick.  Since it has MSG, which I don’t use in cooking, I instead used Lawry’s.  I admit the Bon Appetit leaves the dip as an A+++ while the other seasoned salt makes a regular A grade.  While researching this post, I found a recommendation of substituting  equal parts onion powder and celery salt.  I plan to try it next time to see if that combination mimics the Bon Appetit flavor better. 

Sugar, Sugar

As we come upon the holidays, I knew I had to share one of my “tried and true” recipes for our family.  It’s for sugar cookies. 

My husband is mad for them.  A holiday isn’t a holiday without them.  He, unlike me, does not like the autumnal spices (and therefore, the before-blogged-about pumpkin bread,)  rich creamy Christmas desserts, too fancy chocolate concoctions for Valentine’s Day or any other time, or sickening sweet, fluffy Easter treats.   Simply put, holidays = sugar cookies. 

Luckily, one can customize sugar cookies for the holidays.  I have cookie cutters even for Thanksgiving.  Alas, I am not an accomplished cookie decorator, so I usually just add a theme-colored icing and perhaps sprinkles.  Nonetheless, the holidays arrive and we’ve marked them in our own family tradition.

Of course, for my “Sugar” I had to do his cookies right.  So, I searched for a while and finally found a great recipe in the now defunct Rosie magazine.  It has a hint of lemon extract in it, which gives it a really nice taste.  The dough needs to be chilled before using and it helps to roll it out a couple of times with a little flour to get it to a great cut out consistency.

This is for you, Curt:

Sugar Cookies from Rosie magazine

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.  In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and extracts.  On low, add flour mixture.  Wrap and chill until firm.

Bake cut outs at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

“You’re a Little Crazy…”

As any one with a grade school student these days knows, homework is the norm.   Back in the Dark Ages when I went to Kendall School, the only homework came in 4th or 5th grade with a book report, diorama,  or a subject report.  Now though, Jack has received a weekly packet of worksheets since kindergarten.  Ironically, the homework packet doesn’t seem to help the student expand his/her thinking skills but instead becomes the ultimate test of a parent’s perseverance and powers of persuasion.   (Say that ten times fast!)

Today, since Jack had cub scouts after dinner, I was determined to have him get a couple more of his pages done right after school, as the packet is due on Friday.  Having developed motivational techniques after many failed homework sessions, I was prepared with the high-fives, “way-to-go-buddy’s” and “you’re just about done for today’s.”   In quite an impromptu move, today I added a victory cheer and dance when our pages were finished in a timely, hassle-free manner.  It went kind of like “Yeah, eh, wahoo, you finished your homework” with an added upper arm and hip move timed to the lyrics.  He ignored my many  invitations to join in the celebration, but rather held his head in his hands.  When I asked if he thought I was crazy, he replied in a patient, quiet, kind voice: 

“You’re a little crazy, but I still love you.”

 

First day of 3rd grade

To celebrate, then, in a way that won’t embarrass my son, I decided to share with you one of his favorite recipes I make.  It’s a baked omelet that is great for breakfast, brunch or even dinner once in a while.  It’s perfect if you have some leftover ham to use up.  I should warn you, I omitted a called-for 3/4 tsp. salt since the ham and the cheeses leave it salty enough for our tastes.  Also, I halve the recipe for our family of three and bake it in a 8x8 pan for 40 minutes.  Enjoy, and wahoo to Jack today!

Church Breakfast Baked Omelet

1 dozen eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 lb diced ham

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp dried, minced onion

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease/spray 9x13 pan and set aside.

2. Beat together eggs and milk.  Add ham, cheeses and onion.  Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake uncovered 55 minutes, remove and serve hot.

Spicing it Up

I love fall!  I love the cool, crisp air mixed with sunny days.  I love the orange, yellow and red hues dotting the landscape.  I love outings with the family to pumpkin patches.  Last year, we found one in Naches that shot pumpkins from a cannon, much to Jack’s delight.  We also bought our first big bag of crisp Washington apples right there from the farm.

Here are some snapshots from last year’s pumpkin patch visit.  Jack was our guest  photographer on the hayride.

 

For me, fall also means harvest foods.  Like pumpkin and apple pie, caramel apples and popcorn, fresh donuts at the pumpkin patch and apple cider.

To wish you a happy fall, I thought I’d share with you a new recipe I just tried for pumpkin bread.  It’s from an old copy of a Cottage Living magazine that my friend Jessica had and I thumbed through. 

This bread turned out to have a wonderful flavor!  And no sogginess that some fruit/vegetable breads can have.  I over baked it a tad, so I would test it every five minutes starting after 55 minutes next time. 

Pumpkin Spice Bread  from Cottage Living, 11/2006

1 plus 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 plus 1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 plus 1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp canned unsweetened pumpkin

1 large egg

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.  (I just used Pam.)  Sift together first 5 ingredients, stir in salt.

2. Combine sugar, oil, and pumpkin in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add egg, beating until well blended.  Gradually add dry ingredients, beating at low speed until blended.  Transfer batter to prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 5 minutes or until loaf is golden and toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

(If you don’t have kosher salt, try substituting sea salt or canning salt, which are coarse also.)

Twice Baked Is Better Than Half Baked

Are you a good cook?  I don’t think I’m a great cook, but since I like to cook, I think I’ve become a passable cook.  My strengths are that I like to see the patterns and the science of cooking and that I enjoy the challenge of getting everything served at the same time.  Okay, just call me a nerd because I am.  A long-time, good friend (who knows who she is) used to call me Mr. Spock because of my analytical skills.

Despite my above mentioned strengths, I have made a few half-baked cooking moves.  Let’s see if I can remember:

Absentmindedly brought my waffle batter instead of pancake batter for a pancake night at a church function

Mistakenly used cayenne pepper for chili powder (see sloppy joe recipe)

Several baking flops using salt instead of sugar or forgetting the baking powder or soda

Tonight, actually, when I forgot to half my recipe for herbed rice

Walked away from a cheesy sauce and returned to cheese chunks

Melted chocolate in the microwave and cooked it into a big chocolate lump

Made several Rachael Ray recipes, ignoring the fact that my husband doesn’t like the ingredients, and thus faced a ton of leftovers since Rachael’s 4 servings could feed an entire baseball team

Unwittingly stirred burned stew up into the unscathed upper stew, ruining the whole pot

So, why are you taking cooking advice from me, anyway?  Ha!  Truthfully, though, you know I won’t give you any of my missed-the-mark meals.   And here is a winner!  I adapted it from the recipe in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and the boys love it as a main meal or a side dish.  Twice baked potatoes are a sure crowd pleaser-so don’t be afraid.

Lisa’s Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 slices of cheddar cheese

2-3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Scrub potatoes thoroughly, pat dry with paper towel.  Poke potatoes with a fork.  Bake in oven for 60 minutes.  Cool 10-15 minutes on a wire rack.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise.  Gently scoop cooked potato pulp out and put in large mixing bowl, setting aside skins.

Mash potato pulp with electric mixer on low speed.  Add sour cream, garlic salt and pepper.  If mixture is too stiff, add milk by tablespoon until desired consistency.  Fill skins with mixture so they barely rise above skin edges.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.  Remove from oven.

Add 1/2 cheese slice (cut on diagonal) to each potato, top with a tsp or so of bacon.  Place in oven for an addition 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese. 

On a cooking show, they suggested cutting the bacon ahead of time for small crumbles.  Revolutionary!

You know I love to use that ice cream scoop!

Dynamite!, part 2

Recently, I was embarrassed to finally recognize that I am (a.)  too old and (b.) a victim of too much bad TV in my formative years.  But I still couldn’t resist finding a clip of JJ (see previous posting) saying  “Dyn-O-Mite.”  This one is from a “very special” episode when his cousin has a drinking problem.  It’s a 5 minute clip and the catchphrase comes at about 2 minutes 25 seconds.  It really is awful…but funny somehow, too.  Enjoy!

http://www.tv.com/video/16719/Sometimes%20Theres%20No%20Bottom%20in%20the%20Bottle%20-%20Minisode?o=tv&tag=bighead;video

Dynamite!

When I was making the pizza crust last week, I consulted my KitchenAid cookbook.  On a nearby page, I saw a recipe for pecan rolls.  Now let me tell you, I love cinnamon rolls but have yet to make any that are “perfect.”  And while these weren’t cinnamon rolls, I knew they were similar so they caught my eye.  As I read the recipe, I laughed when I noticed right under the title was printed:  Dynamite!  I immediately thought of Jimmie “JJ” Walker from the old sitcom Good Times and had myself a giggle. 

Now, while I enjoyed the show, I don’t think making the actor annoyingly rework his catchphrase again and again was brilliant television.  But, I find it hysterical that reading this catchphrase (albeit spelled differently) in a cookbook brought the actor’s facial expressions and vocal inflections  instantly to my mind.  Also, the audacity of the cookbook author compilers to brag about their recipe struck me with awe and curiosity.  So, I had to try it!

And??? After many failed attempts at cinnamon rolls, I found a sweet roll recipe that is Dyn-O-Mite!

If you are interested in what Jimmie Walker is up to these days, I found his website, which I list below.  It seems he mostly does stand-up comedy now.

http://www.dynomitejj.com/front.html

 Pecan Rolls from The KitchenAid Cookbook

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup butter, divided

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, divided

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Scald milk; stir in 1/4 cup butter, sugar and salt.  Cool to lukewarm.  Dissolved yeast in warm water in bowl.  Add lukewarm milk mixture, 2 1/2 cups flour, and egg.

Attach bowl and dough hook.  Turn to Speed 2 and mix 1 minute, until well blended.  Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl.  Knead on Speed 2 for 2 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down.  Roll dough to a 12-inch square.   Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup pecans; sprinkle over dough.  Roll dough tightly, pinching seams together.  Cut into twelve 1-inch slices.

Melt remaining butter and add remaining brown sugar and pecans; mix well.  Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups.  Place one dough slice, cut side up, into each muffin cup.  Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Invert pan on wire rack.  Let stand 3 minutes, then remove.  Makes 12 rolls.

Let Sigourney Weaver Make Your Meatloaf!

My husband owns a cassette tape (yes, we’re that old!) by comedian Jeff Foxworthy.  When we first were married, he played it for me and we both found one bit extremely funny.  Funny enough that we still refer back to it for comedic relief even today.

Here’s how I remember the joke:  Jeff tells of eating dinner with his wife.  She had prepared meatloaf.  He begins talking about how much he loves Sigourney Weaver (this must have been right after Alien.)  Not being smart enough to know when a conversation is really annoying his wife, he continues on and on about Sigourney.  Finally, his wife blurts out icily before stomping out of the kitchen:  “Well, let Sigourney Weaver make your meatloaf, then!”

Now, we get along well, Curt and I.  But it’s natural to occasionally feel underappreciated, especially in comparison to a perfect looking, seemingly put together Hollywood star.  So I’m not spilling the beans to admit that the following sentences have been uttered in our home (at least once):

“Well, let Teri Hatcher do your laundry!”

“Why don’t you have Matthew McConaughey mow the lawn?”

This simple mutual joke always brings a smile to my face.  It also gives pause for time to really acknowledge the one I love and depend on the most.  I must admit, though, I now think of our joke every time I make and serve meatloaf!

Lisa’s Tangy Meatloaf

1/2 cup catsup

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp powdered dry mustard

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp seasoned salt

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 egg

2 tbsp finely chopped green pepper (optional)

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

In large bowl, combine catsup, brown sugar and mustard.  Reserve 4 tbsp for topping.  To remaining mixture, add Worcestershire sauce, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and egg.  Blend well.  Stir in green pepper.  Add bread crumbs and ground beef.  Mix well and shape into loaf in shallow baking pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 65 minutes.  Spread catsup mixture on top of loaf.  Bake an additional 15 minutes.

Make up the topping first, reserve 4 tbsp, then mix in the spices in remaining sauce

I use an 8x8 pan to allow fat to drip away from loaf

spread the topping, bake for 15 more minutes

Lisa Pizza

That’s what my sister Kathi always has called me.  You can see her beautiful face on my followers list.  Did I mention that she’s my older sister?  And she will always be.   Yeah for me!   This is the two of us when we were younger, from the late 60’s or very early 70’s.   Can’t you see the spark of trouble in her eyes?   That same spark is still there today.

This next photo is one I ‘borrowed’ from her facebook page without her permission.  (Well, she lives in a time zone 3 hours earlier than me and I didn’t want to call her at bedtime as I’m working on this post.  So, I’m hoping she’s okay with my deftly acquired blog material.)  She recently graduated with her Bachelors degree after years of going to night school following her full-time job as a computer something or other (very technical.)  Way to go, sis!

I’m so glad to have her as a sister, even though we live on opposite ends of the country.   We, ourselves, are total opposites in many ways, but our common beginning of our life stories and all of my free cell phone minutes keep us close.

One striking way that we are different is our approach to cooking.  She’s the artist and I’m the engineer.  She happily experiments with flavor combinations and measurements, while I nervously cling to the safety of a cookbook or recipe card.   She’s the yang to my yin, in the kitchen at least.

Well, I am proud to report that I have taken a walk on Kathi’s side of the cooking street with a new pizza crust recipe.  As you might recall, my friend (and blogging inspiration) Brooke in Utah shared her new recipe for pizza crust.  When I received a written copy of it,  I noticed that it was entitled the “Best Pizza Crust Ever.”  I tried it a month or so ago, but ran into difficulties. 

See, it included the ingredients, but no technical instructions.  The first try yielded a tasty yet poorly executed crust.  But I persevered last night by researching and experimenting, just like Kat would do.  (Kat is my pet name for Kathi, which she abhors, but answers to anyway.)  We had an excellent ‘Friday pizza night’ as a result.  I will share my techniques, but know I’m not an expert on pizza making.  At least I’m trying to be like my sister, though, by relaxing and enjoying the process.  Friday pizza night definitely should be enjoyed! 

By the way, it is the best pizza crust ever.

Best Pizza Crust Ever  from Brooke

1 1/2 cups very warm water

2 tsp yeast

2 tsp sugar

16 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) bread flour (I used all-purpose and it was alright)

3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) semolina* flour

1 tsp salt

[I let the yeast proof in the water for about 5 minutes and then mixed in the rest of the ingredients.  My semolina, when measured, weighed less so I used the weighted amounts instead of the cup measurements for both flours.  I mixed the dough with my dough hook until the dough clung to the hook, adding a bit more flour to do so.  Then I kneaded with my mixer and dough hook for 5 more minutes.  The dough still was quite sticky.]

Let rise in well-oiled bowl until double, about an hour.  Oil pan(s) and sprinkle with extra semolina flour.  Knead and roll out dough to fit pan.  (I found it easier on my second try to roll out just once in the pan - and not on the counter first.)  Top with pizza toppings and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Makes 2 medium thin crust pizzas or one large, thicker crust pizza.

I make my own easy sauce.  I use an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and mix in Italian seasoning, garlic pepper and salt to taste.  Spread sauce on the rolled out crust sparingly with a rubber mixing spatula.

*Semolina flour, I found out, is finely ground cornmeal.  I found it in the bulk section of the health food area in my grocery store.

half the dough for a medium thin crust

with sauce

before baking

 

out of the oven

I’m Waffling!

If you’ve checked my blog this past week, you may have been a tad confused.  I keep changing the look of my blog!  For those of you who don’t particularly like change, I apologize.  I am not sure of what I’m doing at all, it seems.

 

I thought I found the perfect blog template, it was lovely.  There was a classy, pretty photograph of a bowl of cherries which I liked for many reasons.  One is that I love photography.  Two is that I love red.  And three is that it fit my blog theme.  But, it was extra narrow and the transparency of the page to allow you to still see the photo made it hard to read the text.  So today I tried on several others.  (Once you get the hang of deleting the old, then copying and pasting on the new “HTML,” it goes very quickly.)  I finally found this red and brown print one that I really like, although it has no food or cooking references.  But I’m sticking with it, at least to the end of this week…

 

My fear is that all my crazy mood/template swings will cause you to just stop checking in.  Please bear with me.  I think it’s my advanced age and accompanying hormonal changes.  I do notice that I am becoming a bit (more) flighty and irritable at times.

 

Hopefully, the recipes are helpful, regardless of the presentation.  A month or so ago, Gail told me she had made my sloppy joe recipe for her family and that they liked it a lot.  I was thrilled to hear that!   Keep the feedback coming.

 

Meanwhile, I wanted to share with you one of my favorites from The Joy of Cooking.  It’s for waffles.  I’ve stuck to this recipe for several years and it always turns out delicious.  In the cookbook, they advise using 4 tbsp. of butter for lower fat waffles, 8 tbsp. for regular and 16 tbsp. for extra crispy.  I go back and forth between the 4 and the 8 and don’t notice a dramatic difference, so I’m sticking with the 4.  I also cool extras on a cake rack.  Once cool, I put them in baggies and freeze.  On school mornings, they toast up right from the freezer like eggos, but are so much better.  And the waffle iron has never needed any vegetable spray, since the butter in the batter is sufficient.  My final tip is to use a plastic spaghetti fork to remove the waffles from the iron.  It works wonderfully.

Lisa’s Waffles from The Joy of Cooking
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp of melted unsalted butter
3 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups of milk

 

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in center.  In smaller bowl, whisk wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients, mix gently until dry ingredients are blended.  Batter will still appear pebbled.  Add to waffle iron and cook according to iron instructions.  Makes 12 six inch waffles.

       an ice cream scoop is handy to put batter on iron

warm up the syrup for an added touch