Pizza Dough

I like making pizza, because it gives me a chance to, one, be creative, but also to clean out my fridge! But the dough is very important too; if you have bad dough you are bouned to have bad pizza!

There is a place around where I live, Giovanni's, that has the best crust to go under thier pizzas; a little sweet, crusty, fluffy, just right.

But this is what I came up with..

Pizza Dough

4 1/2 cups unbleached bread, or all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold

1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed, with the paddle attachment. Switch to the dough hook and stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it seems too dry, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not tacky..
2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger) Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball.

3. Let the dough stand at room temp (covered) overnight, to rest the dough, or you can through it itn the fridge for up to 3 days. (If you want to save some of the dough for future pizzas, you can store the dough, in balls, in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)
4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the dough with flour, cover, and let rest for 2 hours.
5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, 500 to 550.

6. Generously dust a dry pizza board with cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss! (I'm trying to get the hang of it) If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.
7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction, lay it on the peel, making sure there is enough cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then other toppings, including cheese of course.
8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone and close the door. It should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut and Serve!!

Celery Casserole

Icy frost still lingers in the shadows, this afternoon, while sunny skies warm the exposed.

I've been looking forward to doing alot of creative cooking over the holiday break. It is the prime season I think, and I think I have taken well advantage.
Today I'm creating a tasty new approach to celery. I know it is perfect raw and fresh, but is also great cooked, so.. I'm gonna try and make some kinda casserole?

Celery Casserole Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 head celery (about 12 healthy stalks)
1 small onion, finely minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
1 cup stock; or beer or old wine (deluded with water) or ... water
1/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere, or half Gruyere and half Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs made from day-old rustic white bread

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Using about half the butter, generously butter a large baking dish (9- to 10-by-13- to 14-inch).
2. Rinse the celery stalks. Trim off the top part of the stalk where it branches into leaves, and set the tops aside with the heart and leaves. Pull off the fibrous strings that run its length if you can. Chop the stalks and through them in a layer in the baking dish. Through in the oven for 10 min.
3. Then ... finely chop the rest of the celery heart, and the celery tops and leaves. Melt the remaining butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and chopped celery heart and leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add the 'stock' and simmer until reduced by half, another 6 minutes or so.
4. The braise: Pour the celery-shallot-stock mixture over the celery sticks. Cover with foil and slide into the middle of the oven to braise until the celery has collapsed and feels very tender when prodded with a knife tip, about I hour and 15 minutes.
5. The finish: Remove the celery from the oven, and increase the oven heat to 400 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and bread crumbs over the celery, and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and the top is crusty and browned, about 10 more minutes. Serve hot or warm.
Serves 4 I Braising

Mexican Hominy Soup

The temperature was very cold; Below freezing, and, on a night like this, the air has a crips 'tundra' presence. Twas not a task to breathe it; very fresh. A friend of mine came over and a cousin drove down from seattle this night! and I made this soup.

Mexican Hominy Soup Recipe

4 cups canned hominy
1/2 a large onion, diced
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 chile peppers, stems removed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Red Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely diced white onion
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup ground red chile
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 of one lime

garnishes: tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco or feta, or avacado!

Drain the Hominy and place it in a large thick-bottomed pot along with 2 quarts of water, the onion, garlic, chile peppers, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the posole is tender, and many of the kernels have flowered into popcorn shapes. This can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Season with a couple teaspoons of salt roughly halfway through the cooking process. Season again once the posole is fully cooked.
In the meantime, make the red sauce by combining the olive oil, onion, garlic, and oregano in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the onion takes on a bit of color, a few minutes. Add the flour and cumin, and stir for a minute or two or until the flour browns a bit. Whisk the chile into 2 1/2 cups / 600ml water and pour it into the saucepan, whisking all the while. Stir until the sauce thickens a bit, dial down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes or so. Stir in a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and season with the salt, adding more to taste if necessary. Set aside until the posole has finished cooking.
Stir 1/2 cup / 120ml of the red sauce into the pot of posole. You can add more red sauce, a bit at a time, until it is to your liking. Spoon the posole into bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese, and oregano.

Gingerbread Cake

I made this cake for Christmas Eve dinner at my parents house.

Served it with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a lemon sauce that my mom put together. It turned out great!

I'll try to get the recipe for the lemon sauce and post it later. It really is the perfect combination!!

Gingerbread Cake Recipe

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup honey

1 cup tightly packed brown sugar

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large eggs

1/2 cu milk

1 packed tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Lightly sweetened whipped cream and lemon sauce, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease a 8 x 11.5 x 2-inch (or so) baking pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper that has been cut to hang over two opposite edges by a couple of inches. This overhang will make removing the cake from the pan clean and simple.
2. Combine the butter, water, molasses, honey and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture frequently until the butter is melted, and all of the ingredients are well blended. Remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, all-spice and cloves, and set aside. When the molasses mixture cools down a bit, add the milk and stir to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the dry ingredients into the batter in four additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the grated ginger.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then, using the overhang of parchment, lift the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Pull off the paper and put the cake pack in the pan if you want. Serve with mounds of soft whipped cream and lemon sauce.
Serves 10 to 12.

Gift tags

These amazing gift tags from Eat Drink Chic, (eatdrinkchic.com), made things go alot quicker for me today! I love them! And you can have them too! Click Here to download and print your own!

Poppyseed Dressing

This is really good...

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
3 tablespoons grated onion
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard and onion and process for 20 seconds. With blender or food processor on high, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds.

Celebrating solstice with Lemon Angelfood Cupcakes and thumbprint cookies

Tonight is the longest night of the year! A few friends came over to celebrate. We had tea and lots and lots of sweets!!

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones my sister put together. I think the recipe is from Betty Crocker, though I'm not sure which book, or what page...

Some cute little sugar cookies Amanda put together. They have this 'glitter glue' looking decoration frosting on them. Edible though.. Ha!

I made tapioca, which I won't post cuz it wasn't great, and lemon angel food cupcakes...

..and a couple types of thumbprint cookies..