Artisan Pizza Dough

3¾ cups + 2 T all-purpose flour (500g)

1½ cups water + 2 T warm water (375g), divided

¼ tsp active dry yeast (1g)

1½ tsp fine salt (10g)

Yield: 2 pizzas

Instructions:

Mix flour and all but 1 T of water in a large bowl until just combined. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes to rest. Sprinkle yeast over remaining warm water and set aside to dissolve. 

Sprinkle salt over the surface of the dough. Stir yeast mixture and pour over dough. 

Fold the dough: 

Lightly wet your hand, reach under the dough, and stretch a section of it over the top. Repeat until the center of the dough is covered. Wet your hand to minimize sticking. Fold the dough over itself a few times. Repeat folding until the yeast and salt are fully mixed and a shaggy dough is formed. Cover the bowl and lest rest about an hour.

Fold the dough one time to develop the gluten: 

Lightly wet your hand, reach underneath the dough and stretch up a section of the dough, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and fold four to five more times, or until the dough has tightened into a ball. Take the entire ball of dough and invert it into a clean, lightly greased bowl, so the seam is down and the top is smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, 5- 6 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut in half. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape into a ball as follows. Stretch out a quarter of the dough just until you feel resistance, then fold it back over the center. Repeat stretching and folding the remaining three edges until the center is covered and a loose ball is formed. Turn the ball over so the seam is down and place it on an un-floured area. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it towards you, dragging the bottom along the counter to create a bit of tension. Rotate the ball 90 degrees and drag it a few inches towards you again. Repeat rotating and gently dragging until the top of the dough tightens up and the ball is round.

Transfer to a greased plate and repeat with remaining dough. Lightly oil the tops, cover and let rest at room temperature for about an hour. Preheat oven at this time. If not using right away, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready (for up to 2 days).

To make pizza:

Place pizza steel, stone, or inverted baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 500°F. Let oven heat up for at least 45 minutes. Generously flour a pizza peel and set aside. Alternatively, lightly grease a cast iron pan with olive oil and set aside.

Place one dough ball on a floured surface and flatten the middle into a large disk, leaving a thick 1-inch lip. Pick up the disk, and holding the thick edge, use gravity to gently shape the dough into a 12" circle. Lay on prepared pizza peel and adjust shape into a circle. Jiggle the peel to make sure the dough isn’t sticking, and add more flour if it is. Alternatively, shape the dough to the size of your prepared cast iron pan, then place it inside.

Add sauce and toppings to pizza dough, leaving the 1-inch perimeter empty. Slide pizza onto the hot steel and bake for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2- 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden and blistered. If using the cast iron pan, bake for 15- 20 minutes and broil for the last few minutes to get spots of char. Repeat with remaining pizza dough and toppings.

I double the recipe & it feeds 8 people with leftovers. 

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, honey, and garlic.

2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking until emulsified.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Shake before each use.

Fall Apart Baked Ribs

3 lbs baby back ribs (2 slabs)

2 yellow onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Spice Rub (optional- or any rub you have on hand)

1 T paprika

1 T brown sugar

¾ tsp garlic powder

¾ tsp onion powder

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning

½ tsp salt (or to taste)

½ cup barbecue sauce

Preheat the oven to 275°. In a small bowl, combine the spice rub and set aside. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a large piece of foil.

If present, remove the white membrane from the back side of the ribs. Pat the ribs dry and check for little bone shards or pieces. Cut into 4 to 6 rib pieces.

Gently massage the rub mix into both sides of the ribs.

Place the ribs on the large piece of foil, meaty side down. Cover the ribs with onion and garlic. 

Gather foil (length-wise) above the ribs & fold over & seal like a package. Roll the ends of foil. Repeat with the other slab. Place both slabs on a cookie sheet. 

Bake the ribs for 2 hours. Carefully open the corner of the sealed foil and pull a small piece of meat off to ensure the ribs are tender. If they are'nt tender, seal the foul back up & bake for another 20-30 minutes and then check again.

Remove the ribs from the oven and discard the juices, onions, and garlic. Brush ribs with olive oil and generously with BBQ sauce.

Grill over medium high heat for 5-10 minutes or until charred.

*You can also bake the ribs at 250⁰ for 4 hours & then brush with BBQ sauce & broil for 1-2 minutes on each side.

Copycat Crumbl Sugar Cookies

From partypinching.com

1 cup salted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Sweet Almond Icing:

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1-3 tbsp milk

neon pink food coloring, optional

Preheat oven to 350°.

While the oven is preheating make the cookie dough. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Scrape the sides, add in the eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Beat until mixed.

Scrape the sides and add in the flour, & baking powder. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough.

Flatten the cookie dough by gently pressing the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup down on the center of the cookie dough.

Repeat with remaining dough. The cookies will spread so make sure to leave room. I tend to only put 6 cookies per pan.

Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until the centers of the cookies have puffed up and are no longer glossy.

Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet.

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting.

Cream the butter until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, almond extract and milk until smooth and creamy.

Add 4 drops of neon pink food coloring, if desired.

Spread on the still slightly warm cookies, this will melt the frosting slightly which will give it the nice smooth finishing look.

Once the cookies have completely cooled, chill in the fridge until ready to serve. These cookies are served chilled.

Birthday Cake Bars

¾ cup salted butter, softened

¾ cups granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1 tsp cake batter flavoring

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup sprinkles

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tbsp salted butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

¼ tsp cake batter flavoring

3 tsp milk, if needed

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs and cake batter flavoring and mix until combined. 

Next, add in the flour, baking powder and sprinkles. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Press into the bottom of the lined pan.

Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the bars have puffed up, no longer look wet and glossy on the tops, and are just beginning to turn golden on the edges.

While the cookie bars are cooling, make the frosting.

Make the frosting by whipping the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until combined.

Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, add the cake batter flavoring and milk, if needed.

Spread evenly on the cooled cookie bars and top with extra sprinkles, if desired.

Croissant Egg Muffins

6 croissants

7 large eggs

2 T heavy cream

½ tsp seasoning

4 oz. diced turkey

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Diced green onion, optional 

Preheat the oven to 375⁰. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.

Slice up the croissants and place them in each cup. Open them up a bit in the middle with your hands and place in the tin a a "crust" to your egg cups. They can be a little taller than the tin.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and seasoning. Pour some in each muffin tin. Add a couple teaspoons of diced ham, and shredded cheese.

Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until cooked through. Once they’re golden, puffed, and irresistibly cheesy, pull them out, sprinkle with green onion or herbs if you’re feeling fancy, and serve warm.

Quinoa Salad with Feta & Mint

1½ cups quinoa

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 Persian cucumbers, chopped

1 red onion, diced

1 cup Medjool dates, pitted, finely chopped

½ cup fresh mint, chopped

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup feta

½ cup pistachios, chopped

For the dressing:

2 lemons, juiced

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp dijon mustard

 salt and pepper 

Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

In the meantime, prepare the vegetables and drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.

In a jar or bowl, combine all dressing ingredients until smooth. Now assemble. This works great to make salad jars by dispersing the ingredients evenly between 4 mason jars. Starting with the dressing, assemble in the jars the vegetables, chickpeas, quinoa, onion, feta, dates & pistachios. Store in the fridge for up to four days. Flip jar over in a bowl to serve. 

Tres Leche Cake

From Natashaskitchen.com

 

Cake:

1 cup flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

5 eggs

1 cup sugar, divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup

1 tsp vanilla

⅓ cup milk

Syrup:

12 oz evaporated milk

9 oz sweetened condensed milk

⅓ cup heavy whipping cream

Frosting:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 cup berries, to garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 ° and butter a 9x13 casserole pan.

In a large bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 salt. Separate egg whites and yolks into two other bowls.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until yolks are a pale yellow (2 minutes). Stir in ⅓ cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (1 minute). With the mixer on, pour in remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat on high speed until egg whites are stiff but not dry (1 minute).

Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and combine gently with a spatula. Gently fold in egg white mixture with the spatula until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface and bake at 350˚ for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the 3-Milk Syrup:

In a large measuring cup, combine ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, 12 oz evaporated milk and 9 oz condensed milk. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface all over with a fork. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake. Let the cake rest for 30 minutes to absorb the milk. You can cover and refrigerate overnight at this point if desired.

To Make the Whipped Cream Frosting:

Pour 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream and 2 Tbsp sugar into a large chilled mixing bowl and beat on high speed 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until thick, whipped and spreadable. Spread over the cake with a spatula then decorate with berries if desired.

Broadway Brownie Bars

FILLING:

6 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

2 T all-purpose flour

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ tsp vanilla

BROWNIE:

½ cup butter, cubed

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 

TOPPING:

1 cup chocolate chips

¼ cup chopped walnuts

2 cups miniature marshmallows

FROSTING:

¼ cup butter

¼ cup milk

2 oz cream cheese

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients until smooth.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from the heat and let cool. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Add sugar, flour, baking powder and nuts, stirring until blended.

Spread batter in a 13x9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Spread filling over batter. For topping, in a small bowl, combine chocolate chips and nuts; sprinkle over filling.

Bake until almost set, about 28 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows; bake 2 minutes longer.

For frosting, in a large saucepan, heat butter, milk, cream cheese and chocolate until melted, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Immediately drizzle over marshmallows. Chill well; cut into bars

Black Bottom Bundt Cake

Cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 oz cream cheese {softened}

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Ganache: 

½ c whipping cream 

1 c chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

Spray bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside.

To prepare cake batter: Mix cake mix, water, oil, eggs and sour cream to medium bowl and stir either by hand or with hand held mixer until well combined. Pour 3/4 of prepared batter into greased bundt pan.

To prepare the filling: combine softened cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon or hand held mixer until creamy and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon filling over the middle section of cake batter in bundt pan and top with remaining batter. Use a spatula to completely cover filling with batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto cake plate and cool completely

Frosting the cake:

Heat cream in microwave for 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips & let cool 10 minutes. Drizzle over cooled cake.