From Scratch Pizza

Yum. Homemade Pepperoni and Olive Pizza.

 Homemade Red Sauce. YUM, seriously I have a trick to make this so delicious!

 Sauce on homemade dough.

 Top it how you like. There is a reason for the Christmas plastic placemat, but you could probably use an Easter one too... ;o)

 Waiting to cut into is so important, but it sure is hard to wait!

An old friend introduced me to Ranch dressing on my pizza and now there is no turning back. At least, homemade makes it good for you! (Please ignore the chips in my dishes, I usually angle my camera away from them, but this time I was too much in a hurry to eat!)

Okay, I've been on hiatus for awhile so at least I'm bringing you three yummy recipes all at once. I've done pizza on this blog before, but it's been awhile and this time I have some new methods. Now this is a traditional yeasty recipe, but if you are looking for grain free crusts, you should try a cauliflower crust or an almond crust pizza, they are actually really good!
-Amanda

Pizza Crust

1 cup of warm water
2.5 tsp of yeast (or one packet)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup olive oil
3 (ish) cups of flour (I used white-wheat)
2 tbsp gluten
1.5 tsp salt
cornmeal

Water should be warm, but you should be able to comfortably put your finger in it. If it is too hot for you finger it will kill the yeast. Sprinkle yeast in the water and add the honey. Whisk with a fork and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Get out either your food processor or your kitchenaid mixer (I've used both for this recipe) if you use the processor, the regular metal blade will work. If you use your mixer use the dough hook. You could also do this by hand, you'll just need to knead for a lot longer.

Pour the flour, gluten, olive oil and salt in your mixer. And stir to get it mixed in. (You can leave out the gluten, your crust just won't be as stretchy.) When the yeast has bubbled up quite a bit, pour it in the flour and mix for a good 10 minutes. If you are doing it by hand knead for 15-20 minutes. Your dough should be shiny and pulled away from the sides of the mixer. If it isn't pulling away and is really sticky within the first minute or two of mixing, slowly sprinkle more flour in until it does. Take the dough out, roll it in a ball, coat thinly with more olive oil and let it rest in a warm spot for at least an hour.

Meanwhile....

Red Sauce
(By the way, this sauce is easy to make in bulk and then freeze)

1 can of crushed/diced OR pureed tomatoes (I get the big can... I think it's 32 oz?)
1/2 stick of butter (the secret ingredient)
1.5 tbsp of dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
3-5 cloves garlic (depending on how garlicy you want it and how big your cloves are)
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes (more if you want a spicy sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

Basically, put all the ingredients in a pot (I grate the garlic in) and stir until the butter melts and incorporates in the sauce. Then let it bubble away on low on your stove for 30 minutes up to an hour. Depending on if you are using this for a pizza or a spaghetti sauce, is what kind of tomatoes you want to start with. Or, if you only have diced tomatoes like I did, then I used my stick immersion blender to puree it up. This sauce is SO good, and don't you dare skimp out on the butter.

Using high quality butter from grass fed cows (kerrygold is a great brand) is actually GOOD for you. Read this article on the Untold Story of Butter. Also, eating enough high quality animal fats helps with preventing sunburns!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

There are fancy homemade recipes, but I like my simple one. It does start with homemade mayo, which does take some practice.

1 cup of homemade mayo
1/4 -1/2 cup sour cream (do this to how sour you like the taste)
1/2 tsp grated garlic clove
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together and enjoy!

I love the quote, "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, first you must create the universe." So keeping this in mind, I could have taken this pizza even further by making my own mozzarella and a few of the other prepared ingredients, like the pepperoni, but I'm satisfied with this "from scratch" version!

Almond Flour Crust Pizza

I guess I've switched from soups to pizza today, since this is my second pizza recipe in a row. I found this Almond Flour Crust Pizza a few days ago and knew I wanted to try it. It passed the test! Everyone in the family ate it up. Be warned though, the pizzas may be small, but they are filling. I got the recipe from ComyBelly and it's a good one.

I made my own Almond Flour by first making "Crispy Almonds." You make crispy nuts by soaking your nut of choice in water and salt for 24 hours to break down the phytic acid, which isn't good for you. Then either on the lowest setting of your oven, or a dehydrator, dry the nuts out for 12 hours until crispy and tasty. They actually taste much better this way! To make almond flour, just process a few almonds at a time in a food processor and sift the "flour" away from the bigger pieces. Don't over process or you will make a nut butter.
-Amanda

Almond Flour Crust

(from ComfyBelly)

1 1/2 cups of almond flour
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (or another hard cheese, grate finely)
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of basil
favorite pizza toppings (cheese, sausage, mushrooms, bell pepper, ect.)

Mix almond flour, parmesan, salt, oregano, garlic powder and basil in a medium size bowl. In a small bowl beat two eggs with olive oil. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Using a 3 tbsp scoop, place six scoops of the dough on either a sil-pat or parchment paper that is on a large cookie sheet. Put a bit of olive oil on your finger tips and flatten dough out into a circle. It won't spread when you cook it so you only need to leave a small space between each crust. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake until cheese is bubbly.

Bacon and Spinach Quiche

I attended a brunch playdate with some of my fellow moms of multiples yesterday and I brought this Bacon and Spinach Quiche for everyone to try. I almost forgot to snap a photo, but made everyone stop for a quick shot!
-Amanda

Bacon and Spinach Quiche

1 lb of bacon (nitrate free!)
1 bag of loosely frozen spinach (I find this is better than the frozen box spinach because you don't have to thaw and squeeze all the liquid out.) Fresh spinach would work perfectly fine too!
1.5 cups of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of cheese (swiss or cheddar)
6 eggs from free range chickens
1 crust*

Roll crust out and place it in a pie dish. Stick it back in the refridgerator to stay cold. Cook bacon using your favorite method. I found that if you have the Pampered Chef Bar Stoneware, it cooks bacon great in the oven and you don't have to turn it. Just lay the bacon out on the stoneware and bake at 400 for 25 minutes for crispy bacon. Let bacon cool. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and heavy cream. Add salt and pepper. Grate your cheese and have it ready. Remove pie shell from refridgerator and layer bacon, spinach, cheese, and then again with another layer of bacon, spinach and cheese. If you have the loose spinach, you can place it frozen in the dish. Pour egg mixture over the layers and shake to make sure it gets evenly distributed. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Crust

8 tbsp butter
1 cup flour (I used white wheat)
1 tsp salt
4 ice cold tbsp of water

Place butter in freezer for 15 minutes. Put flour in food processor and add salt. Pulse to mix. Remove butter and cube it into small pieces. Add to food processor and pulse 6-8 times until the butter is pea sized in the flour. Add 1 tbsp of ice cold water at a time pulse until dough starts ball up and pull away from sides of processor. Pour dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Refrigerate 1 hour before rolling it out.

Cheese Crackers

Ever since I started reducing the amount of processed foods we eat, Goldfish cheese crackers haven't found a spot in our pantry. The girls for the most part haven't missed them, but the other day they did ask for some fishy crackers for snack. I just ordered some mini-cutters and I think these crackers will be perfect for them.  These crackers were a huge hit!
-Amanda

Cheese Crackers

• 1 1/2 cup flour (I've done it as all whole wheat or half whole wheat/half white)
• 3/4 stick of cold butter cut into pieces
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3-4 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put flour into a food processor. Place the butter cubes around and pulse a couple of times until the butter is mixed in. Reserve 1 tbsp of the beaten egg for brushing on top* and mix the rest into the flour. Add a few tbsp of ice cold water, cheese and salt. Mix until dough forms. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into an 1/8 of an inch. Cut out using whatever shape you want, or cut into strips. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

*I did not take the time to brush the tops of mine, so they aren't as pretty and golden as they could be.

Another Beef Taco

I have really been enjoying the homemade from scratch cooking I've been doing. Everything tastes so much better. Meals have become simpler because the ingredients are more complicated. Instead of fixing a fancy side dish to go along with these tacos, I cut up a fresh pear, because my focus was on making homemade wheat tortillas. I used to take about 30-45 minutes to cook a meal. I got this one on the table in 30 minutes and everything was fresh. My dough was already prepared ahead of time, but I did roll it out and cook it in the 30 minute time slot.)
-Amanda

Another Beef Taco

8 small tortillas
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
favorite cheese as garnish

Saute beef in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron.) When it is about half way cooked, add diced onions. Add seasonings as beef is still cooking (oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt.) Add corn and last bell pepper. Cook just a few minutes, but leave bell pepper a bit crunchy. Put about 1/4 cup of meat mixture on each tortilla and grate fresh cheese on top. Serve with fresh fruit.

Homemade Graham Crackers

In attempt to get processed foods out of our diet, I needed to ditch the store bought graham crackers and gold fishies. These are so great with a bit of all natural, no sugar added apple butter! I have not made my own apple butter... yet! I'm still in the baking realm of homemade cooking, I have not ventured into canning. I have dabbled a bit with a few condiments (ketchup and bar-b-q sauce.) I got this graham cracker recipe from Not Dabbling In Normal. Although next time I make it I'm going to sub some of the butter for coconut oil, and instead of white flour I want to try white wheat flour. (I also used a food processor instead of doing it by hand.)
-Amanda

Graham Crackers
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole barley flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp clove
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 cup milk

Combine flours, sugars baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a food processor. Add chilled butter and pulse until crumbly. Add milk and mix until you get a stiff dough. Knead the dough lightly to be sure it is smooth. Cut into 2 pieces and flatten each into a rectangle. Wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and chill until firm (at least 1 hr.)

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Working with one piece of dough at a time, turn out onto floured parchment paper and roll until it is 1/16 inch thick, the thinner, the crispier the cracker. Trim edges (use the trimming later for another batch) and you will have about a 9x12 inch rectangle. Cut into squares and prick with a fork, transfer to baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned 12-15 minutes. Cool on rack.

From Scratch Chicken Pot Pie

I have a potluck dinner to go to tonight so I decided that a Chicken Pot Pie would be a great dish to bring.
-Amanda

From Scratch Chicken Pot Pie

Pastry recipe from: Betty Crocker's Cookbook, bridal edition.
Two-Crust Pie
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp shortening (cold)
4-5 tbsp ice cold water

Place shortening, flour and salt in food processor. Cover and process, using quick on and off motions, until mixture is crumbly. With food processor running pour cold water all at once through feed tube just until dough leaves side of bowl. Dough should not form a  ball.

Gather the crumbs into a ball on your counter. Divide into two. Shape into a flattened circle on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll pastry out on lightly floured surface using floured rolling pin, into circles 2 in larger than the upside down pie plate. Line pie dish with crust. Fill with the chicken filling (see below.) Top with a second pie crust rolled out the same way.

Chicken Filling:
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
salt, pepper, thyme, oregano

Dice one small onion into small pieces and saute in a large skillet with olive oil. Add garlic. Cut chicken into small pieces. Add the chicken to the onions. Saute until chicken is half way cooked. Add chopped mushrooms, frozen carrots and peas. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Make a slurry of milk and flour. When chicken is cooked through, add flour slurry and stir. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, continuing to stir. Add chicken to pie filling and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Bread

This is an easy and impressive bread to bring to your next dinner party.
-Amanda

Roasted Garlic Bread

Roasted Garlic:
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 piece of foil about 6 in square

Dough:
1 package or 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup of warm water
3 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
cornmeal for dusting

To roast the garlic, peel all the garlic cloves and cut them in half. Place them in the middle of foil. Cup the foil up and drizzle salt and olive oil over the garlic. Close the garlic in the foil and put in the oven at 250 for an hour. I use my toaster oven and I also place the garlic in a small oven proof bowl because somehow the oil always leaks out.

Dough: Combine yeast, water and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast gets really bubbly. In your stand mixer, using a dough hook, put the flour, oil and salt in the bowl. Add yeast mixture. Knead in the machine for about 8 minutes. Dough should be smooth and satiny. Add more flour a tiny bit at a time if needed. Sometimes I like to finish the kneading off by hand, slightly dusting my hands and counter top. Form the dough into a ball. In a clean oiled bowl, place the dough ball in and spray or rub oil ontop of it. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. After one hour, punch down the dough. Sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet (I used a stone baking pan) and then form dough into a rectangle that is about 4 inches across and 8 inches long. The dough will double in size, so keep that in mind. (Alternately you could make two smaller loaves.) With a sharp knife make small slits throughout the top of the dough and insert one garlic clove in each slit. Drizzle the olive oil that was baking with the garlic over the dough. Cover dough with lent free towel and let rise for another hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm!

Omelet Braid

I made this by using a Pampered Chef recipe from the "All the Best" cookbook as my launching point. I changed the croissant dough for homemade pizza dough and I just made a simple egg/bacon/cheese stuffing. I brought it to a kid friendly brunch this morning and it was a hit for the grown-ups and kids alike.
-Amanda

Omelet Braid

Basic Pizza Dough (or crescent dough package)
8 eggs
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt or cream cheese
8 strips of bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 tbsp flour

Cook your bacon using your favorite method. (I laid it out on my Pampered Chef Stoneware Bar Pan and baked at 400 for 20 minutes, then chopped it.) While bacon is cooking, in a big bowl crack 7 eggs and the yolk of the 8th egg. Reserve the 1 egg white for later. Add yogurt to the eggs. Whisk to mix together. Add salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of flour. Last mix in chopped bacon. Roll pizza dough into a large rectangle. Every 1.5 inches cut a slice in the dough to almost the middle.

Lay egg mixture down the center of the dough. Then bring each section together over the egg mixture, twisting the sides together and laying it down over the eggs. Work your way down the length of the dough. Pinch off any dough that is too thick and discard. Brush the dough with the egg white. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

OMG. I will never buy store bought hot dog buns again. These homemade hot dog buns were so tasty!!! Plus every time I buy store bought hot dog buns, half the bag gets moldy. This recipe made 9 hot dog buns, but I was told they are easy to freeze, so I'll try that with the leftovers. Yeah right. I'll probably make some excuse to fill them up tomorrow. Like making my Chicken Cheddar Hoagies, which I've been craving anyway.

(I found this recipe all over the internet so not sure who to give credit too.)
Hot Dog Buns

1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet or 1/4 ounce)
1/4 cup warm water (105-110F)
1 cup warm milk (105-110F)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
3-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg white (for egg wash)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve and let set until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add in milk, vegetable oil and salt. With the mixer on a low speed with the dough hook attached, gradually add the flour. Once 3 cups have been incorporated, add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-4 minutes, until smooth and supple. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and make a log. Cut the log into three pieces. Cut each piece into three more pieces. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece at at time into a rectangle about the length that you want your hot dog bun to be. Fold the long sides of the rectangle in the middle overlapping. Round out the bottoms a bit and place on a cookie sheet. I used a stone cookie sheet (The Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan # 1445) and I sprinkled a bit of cornmeal on it so they dough wouldn't stick. Let the buns rise for 30-40 minutes covered with a towel. Brush the dough with egg whites and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I made the girls their first "real" hotdog by cutting the hotdog meat in half lengthwise and placing that in half of a bun.

Three Cheese Raviolis

I have a head of cabbage in the refridgerator that I really need to use. I bought it at the farmers market almost two weeks ago and it's staring back at me in the refridgerator. Cabbage is one of those foods that I do actually like, but only once in awhile. The thing is, I had just finished a head of cabbage a couple of days before purchasing this one at the farmers market. (I made Asian coleslaw, regular coleslaw and sauted cabbage with that one head.) These are enough cabbage dishes to last me a couple of months. I shouldn't have bought the one at the famers market except that it was such a pretty head of cabbage. Don't ask me. I'm weird that way. So today I spent brainstorming different dishes to use cabbage in to cook for dinner tonight. How I ended up making Three Cheese Raviolis is just part of my charm I think. There is no cabbage anywhere near this dish. Well unless you count that I served broccoli with it which is a distant cousin to cabbage.
-Amanda

Pasta:

2 1/2 cups of flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Mound the flour up on the counter top. Make a well in the center. Crack eggs in the well. Add the salt and the olive oil. With a fork whisk the eggs slowly incorporating the flour. When most of the flour has been incorporated start kneading with your hands. This is going to take a while but I figure you are burning off some of the calories you are about to eat. Keep kneading the dough until it becomes glossy and smooth. Form into a ball and seal in plastic wrap. Let rest for 1 hour, so it isn't too stretchy. Using a pasta machine roll out your pasta into thin sheets. (I only used 1/2 of my pasta, the rest I wrapped with foil and saved for tomorrow.) Fill with stuffing. Boil for 3-4 minutes.

While making the raviolis lay them out on a counter or cookie sheet that is lightly coated with cornmeal to prevent sticking.

Stuffing:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 tsp italian seasoning & salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and put in a pastry bag in order to squeeze out a small amount into your ravioli.

Upside Down Chicken Pot Pie

I'm getting over a head cold so the only requirement for tonight's dinner was that it be realtively healthy and easy to make. The fact that I made homemade biscuits just goes to show that I'm a bit crazy. Feel free to substitute pre-made biscuits.
-Amanda

Upside Down Chicken Pot Pie

3 small chicken breasts, diced
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables
1 large potato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk, water, chicken stock OR half & half
thyme, oregano, salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
6-8 biscuits*

Heat olive oil in skillet. Saute onions and potatoes. Add chicken. Add seasonings. When chicken is almost cooked through, add frozen vegetables. Stir. Add mushroom soups and thin out with 1 cup of liquid (milk, water, chicken stock or half & half.) Let simmer until potatoes and chicken are cooked through. Serve over one or two biscuits.

* Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

In a food processor put all dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cube shortening and place in processor. Pulse a few times to blend shortening in with the flour. Add buttermilk and pulse just until a ball forms. Dust counter with flour. Roll dough out about 3/4" thick. With a biscuit cutter, clean vegetable can or glass, cut out rounds. Gently reshaping leftover dough until you cut out all the circles. Place circles on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400º for 12 minutes.

Fool-Proof Popovers

I woke up a little after 6 this morning and was watching the Food Network. Melissa D'Arabian has a new show called $10 Dollar Dinners. She made these popovers look so yummy and easy. I have never tried making a popover before so I was ecstatic when they popped and stayed popped! She said the biggest secret is to have room temperature ingredients.
-Amanda

Fool-Proof Popovers
(Link Here)

3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 eggs
1 cup milk, warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave (should be lukewarm to warm)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a pastry brush, coat 8 muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and put the tin in the oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the eggs in a blender until light yellow. Add the warmed milk and blend. Add the flour, salt and remaining melted butter, and blend until smooth. Pour the batter into the warmed muffin tin and return it to the oven to bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Amanda's Chicken and Dumplings

My dumplings sort of disintegrated into the soup, but it still was delicious and hearty. About a cup of it filled me up. I am on a soup kick (as if you haven't noticed.) I think this cold weather has me thinking of warming foods and I love homemade-from-scratch soups. My husband who doesn't really like soup enjoyed this one tonight but he did ask if we have any red meat in the house. The fennel lends a different taste than most Chicken and Dumpling recipes.
-Amanda

Amanda's Chicken and Dumplings

soup:
2 chicken breasts bone in and skin on
2 large carrots
2 stalks of celery
3 cloves garlic
1 onion (I used my last leek up, but either would work)
1 tbsp flour
5 cups of water
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp fennel
1 bay leaf

dumplings:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup of milk (I originally had 1 cup of milk, which made the batter too loose.)

Chop your onion (or leek) into a small dice. Mince the garlic. Spray a medium stockpot with cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic on medium low heat. Peel carrots and cut them lengthwise. Cut them into 1/2 rounds. Cut the celery into small pieces also. Add the carrots and celery to the onions. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally. Add seasonings (thyme, fennel, bay, salt and pepper.) Sprinkle one tbsp of flour over vegetables and stir until moistened. Add 4-5 cups of water stirring until the flour is mixed in. Add whole chicken breasts in. I remove the skin so the soup isn't as oily. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat until chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes. Do not boil the chicken or it will dry out. Remove chicken from pot when it is cooked through and set it on a cutting board to cool down. Shred it with two forks for your fingers.

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening and cut it in using two butter knives or a pastry cutter. Stir in milk.

Bring soup to a rapid boil. Scoop about 1 tbsp of dough onto a spoon. With a second spoon, shape it into a ball and drop the dough into the boiling soup. Use most of the dough this way*. Boil the soup for about 10-12 minutes or until the dough is cooked through. Remove from heat and add shredded chicken back into the soup. If soup is too thick add more water. Serves 8-10.

*with remaining dough, grease a cookie sheet and dollop the dough into mounds about 1 1/2 tbsp. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes for easy drop biscuits.

Acorn Squash Raviolis

How does one spontaneously decide to make homemade ravioli? I guess that is just how I am. So last night about an hour before dinner I decided to make ravioli. I make fresh pasta from time to time on a whim, but ravioli are a bit harder and I usually (notice the usually part) plan them out in advance. Well I got a ravioli press for my birthday and have been wanting to use it. I made a quick attempt a few days after I received my press but I over stuffed my ravioli and they exploded. Well last night my dough didn't come together so I had to ditch that and whip up a fast dinner. So I woke up this morning feeling challenged. I made fresh ravioli for lunch!
-Amanda

Acorn Squash Ravioli with a simple Bechamel Sauce

Filling:
1/2 acorn squash (Butternut squash would be tasty too!)
olive oil
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper

Cut acorn squash in half. Scoop out seeds and discard. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on squash. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. (This can be done ahead of time.)

When squash is very fork tender and has cooled down, scoop out into a bowl. Add ricotta cheese and seasonings. Stir until well incorporated. Place filling in a pastry bag or ziplock back with the end snipped off.

Pasta:
1 1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
or wonton wrappers

Place ingredients in a food processor and process until a ball forms. Use a pasta machine to roll out sheets.

Assemble Raviolis:
If you have a ravioli press lay pasta out and put a tiny amount of filling in each square (depending on the size of your press.) Lay a second sheet of pasta ontop and with a rolling pin, roll the sheets together sealing in the filling.
OR
If you don't have a ravioli press but still have a pasta machine, lay out a sheet of pasta. Place about a tbsp of filling every 2 inches or so on the pasta. Lay a second sheet on top. Gently press around each mound of filling making sure to press out any air. Cut around each mound of filling into ravioli squares.
OR
Place filling in wonton wrappers and fold over into triangles.

Cook Pasta:
Fresh pasta only needs to boil for a couple of minutes. When the raviolis float to the top, cook for one minute longer and then drain.

Sauce:
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tbsp butter
pinch of sage, salt and pepper
3 tsp flour
2 tbsp ricotta cheese

Melt butter in a pan. Add flour and stir until flour is wet. Add half and half and seasonings. Stir until there are no lumps in the flour. Add ricotta cheese. Serve over ravioli.

This complete recipe made about 3 servings.

Bread Bowl

I am so excited. I just discovered a super easy way to make bread bowls at home from scratch. The possibilities are endless. I really don't know how to contain my joy at this discovery! Traditional bread bowls that I have had are more crusty, usually made out of sourdough, but this was light fluffy and the main thing... EASY!
-Amanda

Bread Bowl

base ingredients:
1 package of dry active yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar (sugar substitute won't work, it's "food" for the yeast)
1 2/3 cup of flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
few tablespoons of cornmeal reserved

For Mexican Bowl:
add 1/2 tbsp oregano and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For Italian Bowl:
add 1/2 tbsp dry basil and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Pour yeast into warm water. Warm tap water is fine, you don't want it to be boiling. Add the sugar and stir the yeast. Wait until it starts to foam and bubble. This way you know your yeast is still good. It should take about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the rest of the ingredients (except cornmeal!) in a food processor (I'm sure you can do this by hand, just knead until dough comes together. You could probably also use a stand mixer with dough hook.) When yeast is good and foamy, turn on processor and pour the water-yeast mixture in slowly until incorporated. Keep the food processor on until the dough starts to ball up on the side. Remove from the food processor and knead a few times by hand to bring it together into one large ball.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough ball in the bottom. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm non-drafty spot. Let rise about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375º. Divide the dough into two smaller balls. Sprinkly reserved cornmeal on a cookie sheet (this prevents dough from sticking!) Place balls onto the cookie sheet and cook for about 20 minutes. Dough should start to turn brown on top. A toothpick will come out clean.
Serves 2.

Possibilities are endless: Pictured above: I have a Mexican bowl with Shredded Salsa Beef, topped with cheese, onion and a pickled jalapeno. Diced tomato or black olives would be good too.

Italian bowl, fill with meat spaghetti sauce and top with mozzarella.

Or make a chili bowl, a clam chowder bowl, cheese and broccoli bowl, etc!

Veggitastic Pizza

I have been craving my mother’s pizza lately.  There are pizza places here but they are not hitting the spot.  Of course, as they are not my mother, I guess that is acceptable.    I called my mother and got her recipe for dough.  I used tomato sauce I had made for eggplant parmigiana a couple of weeks ago and froze.  I swear, it is the dough that makes the difference.

Mum’s Super Awesome Pizza Dough

1 Tbls yeast
1 Cup med-hot water (105-115 degrees F...hot to the touch, but  not scalding). 
1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 salt.
3 cups of Flour

Dissolve 1 Tablespoon yeast in 1Cup med-hot water (105-115 degrees F...hot to the touch, but not scalding).   Add 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 salt.
Let is rest for about 20 minutes while it "proofs."  After it has "proofed" or the yeast has activated add 2C flour with a spoon.  Then, by kneading,  add 1Cup of flour.
Knead the bread into a rounded ball, grease bowl, turn dough in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for several hours
Punch down and roll out with a rolling pin or with your hands press into the pan.  Let rise again then add the "fixins." 

Makes about two pizzas.

"Fixins"
I used red peppers, green peppers, onions, mushrooms ad broccoli.   (I lightly steamed the broccoli before I put it on the pizza.)  

-Jules