Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
Mar 15, 2012

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

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Our little family loves good pizza. We used to spend way to much money at Pizzacado when we lived near one (that is a very yummy pizza chain in the Portland area. Definitely worth a try if you come across one).

In an effort to save money (because good pizza is expensive!), we started making homemade pizza a few years ago. Now going out to pizza is a rare occurrence. When we started making pizza, we used the dough from Trader Joes, but we knew we should just learn how to make it from scratch.

I got an original pizza recipe from a blog called The Happy Atheist Homemaker. I loved that blog, but sadly it doesn’t exist anymore. I have made only little changes from the original recipe (in times and prep process, not ingredients). Here is my version:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp dry active yeast

1 tsp sugar

3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil + a little extra for the pizza pan

2 cups flour

garlic powder and basil

First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Oil your pizza pan with the extra olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Whisk until combined (all cloudy). Put aside for 5-7 minutes (you will be able to tell the yeast is working by then).

Add the salt, olive oil, garlic powder, and basil. Add the first cup of flour. Mix well with a wide spatula or spoon (I always use a rice spoon- the kind that comes with rice cookers, it seems to mold the dough really well). Add another half a cup of flour. After mixing it with the spoon a little, kneed it with your hands while adding any remaining flour it can take. I always have extra flour in the bowl, so don’t worry or force all of it in the ball.

Form dough into a ball and place on the oiled pizza pan.

Cover the dough with a hot, wet washcloth and leave it alone for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove washcloth, use some of the extra flour in your bowl and gently pull your dough into the desired pizza shape.

Once your dough is spread out on the pan you can add your sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really enjoy this easy crust. As you can see, we are also really big fans of olives, mushrooms, and a little green pepper, too.

Though we are quite addicted to this one, I do want to try this cheese crust pizza my friend Cassidy makes. It looks delicious. If only pizza was a health food…

~Krista

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Carrot & Onion Vegetarian Quiche Recipe
Mar 1, 2012

Carrot & Onion Vegetarian Quiche Recipe

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I was talking with a friend this morning about my nervousness about making quiche. I had only made it once before and it was kind of bland. But since Duncan and I really like quiche, I knew I had to give it another try.

I started with the Vegetarian Quiche recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book as my base, but ended up changing it a lot to fit ingredients I had at home. (I’m not saying that my recipe below is the perfect incarnation of quiche, but I liked it enough to make it again and am including the recipe so I will remember what I did- one of the joys of having a blog).

Ingredients:

1 single-crust pie crust (I made this from Krusteaz since I am too lazy to make it from scratch).

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (heaping 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup grated medium cheddar cheese (heaping 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/3 cup shredded/chopped onion

1 tablespoon flour

4 eggs (whisked)

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

First, I made the crust, put it in the pie pan, covered it with foil, and baked it in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes. I removed the foil and baked it for 5 more minutes. After taking it out, I reduced the temperature of the oven to 325 degrees.

Using the food processor, I grated the cheese, carrots, and onion. I mixed them together in a bowl with the tablespoon of flour. I spread this mixture on the bottom of the pie crust.

Then, I whisked together the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and poured it into the pie.

I covered the edges of the crust with foil and baked it for 40 minutes. After checking it, I thought it needed some more time, and I ended up giving it an extra 10+ minutes. I think I made the mistake of opening the oven too often to check on it.

I think my baking advice is to cook it until it “looks right”. That really sums up much of my cooking philosophy.

I let it cool for 10 minutes and we dug in. It was really good. Next time I might just use milk (with no cream) since it was really rich, but it had a great flavor. Also, we wished there was broccoli in it, so next time I might replace the carrots or do half broccoli, half carrots.

Here is the process in pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was really yummy. We ate it with a tomato salad and fresh pears. Duncan and I loved it. Elizabeth took one bite and spit it out. I guess we will have to work on her.

~Krista

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Almond Cake Recipe
Jan 18, 2012

Almond Cake Recipe

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For a few years, I have been making almond cake as my go to brunch or dessert dish. We love it and could snack on it all day (and have).

It is also really easy to make. The batter is mixed up in the food processor, spooned into a cake pan, and baked.

Since I have made this cake twice in the last few days, I realized it is time I finally posted the recipe.

I adapted the recipe from the almond cake by Alice Medrich (from Pure Dessert). My main changes from the original recipe include increased almonds, reduced sugar, and no kirsch. Here is my version of almond cake:

Almond Cake Recipe

1 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tp salt

1/2 tp pure almond extract

3 large eggs

1 stick of butter (8 Tbs), softened

1/3 cup flour (I use bread flour, but you don’t have to)

1/4 tp baking powder

Gluten-free version: Sometimes I make this gluten-free by using 1/3 cup almond flour instead of regular flour. I think it is actually better that way (just more expensive since almond flour is not cheap).

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. First add the almonds, sugar, salt and almond extract into the food processor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulse until the mixture is fairly fine, like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add eggs and butter (cut the butter into multiple pieces and put evenly around).

 

 

 

 

 

Pulse until well blended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add flour and baking powder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulse until blended and spoon into a buttered cake pan (you can also use parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. We like powdered sugar sprinkled on top (and raspberries when they are in season).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

~Krista

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Krista’s Banana Bread Recipe
Sep 16, 2011

Krista’s Banana Bread Recipe

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Most things I cook are fairly average and I have been striving to be a better cook and baker (its the patience I lack). Banana Bread is one of the few things I make that I consider perfected. I confess that I am horrible at following recipes. I almost always follow it perfectly the first time, but by the second time I am altering it to how I think it would be best. I got the original version of this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1996 edition), but some ingredients have altered quite a bit from that. Here it my version:

Krista’s Banana Bread Recipe

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg

3 1/2- 4  mashed medium bananas

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

First I grease a loaf pan with butter and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and  salt in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas, leaving it a little lumpy. With a spoon or spatula, mix in the egg. Add sugar and vegetable oil and stir. Add flour mixture all at once and mix well. Spoon into loaf pan.

Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in the pan.

I actually bake it two minutes longer because my oven isn’t as good, but 50 minutes was perfect in the oven at our last house. We also often just leave it in the pan and cut out slices from there, but you can take it out of the pan after it cools if you want to.

 

Enjoy!

~Krista

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