Hard-to-Fail Pizza Dough

[because I make no guarantees, haha.]

Growing up, we rarely, if ever, ordered delivery pizza. Chalk it up to a father who liked a culinary challenge, we ate homemade pizza that was always satisfying.

Here's his recipe that is hard to screw up, but I'll be honest, I just learned how to cook rice, so maybe we're not always as great in the kitchen as we think.

This recipe will serve two adults, for a bigger pizza, you can just double it.

Pizza Dough

1/2 C warm water
1.25 tsp dry active yeast
1.5 C flour, divided
3/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/3 C milk
1 T olive oil

The morning of, combine the yeast and water in a large bowl, allow to proof for a few minutes, then cover with half of your flour.

Cover your bowl and place in a warm, draft-free place. You will notice after an hour or two the yeast will start to "eat" the flour and bubble and rise.

An hour before cooking time, add the rest of the flour, salt and olive oil to the yeast mixture. Either by hand, or in a Kitchenaid/Bosch fixed with a dough hook, bring the dough together adding the milk a little at a time until dough comes together and is very sticky.

Remove the dough to a large prep surface and form into a ball, sprinkling flour when needed. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise slightly for 1/2 hour.

Preheat your oven to 500

Remove the dough to your prep surface and press it out into a  rough circle [or a rectangle, whatever you prefer] about 1.5" thick.

Where you go from here is completely up to your taste. I've cooked my pizzas on baking stones, on lined cookie sheets, and in cast iron skillets, but you can plan on your pizza dough being cooked in about 15-20 minutes.

Good luck! And, as always, enjoy!

Throwback: Houston's Hawaiian Ribeye Marinade

It's hard to find the words to describe a throwback Hawaiian Ribeye from Houston's [or, The HHR].....

Sweet. Tangy. Fragrant. Flavorful.

Sheesh.

Oh, and it's ribeye. Which is, in my esteemed opinion, the choice cut. *Reader tip: find yourself a well-marbled, thick cut. 1 inch minimum or bust.

 Here's a pretty true copycat of the marinade recipe, so no need to fight a City of Bethesda parking attendant to get your HHR fix. [seriously, those guys must get paid commission.]

HHR Marinade:

2 good quality, thick cut ribeye steaks
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1 C low sodium soy sauce (do NOT use regular! it will ruin your steak!)
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1/2 C light brown sugar
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger ( although I recommend fresh, you can use dried ginger, about 3/4 tsp.)
2 cloves garlic minced (same as above if you're using dried garlic powder)
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice

Drain your pineapple chunks, reserving the juice (should be about 6 oz.). Combine juice, vinegar, soy, sugar, ginger, garlic, and CFSpice in a small saucepan. Heat over medium for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to bloom and  infuse. Remove from heat, and allow marinade to cool completely. In a large Ziploc bag, place your steaks and half of your pineapple chunks, then pour the marinade over top. Seal your bag and massaged the marinade into the steaks. Refrigerate the steaks for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Meanwhile, you can choose to marinate the rest of those pineapple chunks in some coconut water or milk, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper.

Just before your cook the steaks, sautee the pineapple chunks with a little bit of their marinade until golden brown and slightly syrupy. This makes a simple and delicious pineapple relish....

When you're ready to eat, grill or pan roast these beauties, and thank me later.

Flaky Kale Chips

Ok, I admit it. I jumped on the Kale Train, headed straight to Trendytown.

Whatever, they were good.

Kale Chips

1 head of hearty kale
1- 2 T olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder*
paprika*

*optional

Preheat your oven to 425.

Pull apart you head of kale. Rip the kale by hand, tearing the leafy green from the rib on the larger, outer leaves (the ribs on the inner leaves aren't as tough, so they can stay). Rinse the leaves and pat them dry. Lightly toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper (and pinches of garlic and paprika if you so choose). Lay them flat in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast those bad boys for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before indulging in they're trendy goodness.

P.S....Even babies like them:

Marinated Grilled Pineapple

As my husband said when he had his first bite of grilled pineapple,


"This is the only way pineapple should ever be eaten."


Grilled pineapple is a simple and elegant summer dessert, for grill-lovers all over the world. The warm, caramelized outer layer cuts through the typical tang of the pineapple. Pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or eat it alone, you can't go wrong.

Marinade:


2 T light brown sugar
1 tsp cracked pink peppercorns
1.5 C coconut milk or coconut water
2 T honey
Pineapple, whole, skin trimmed


Place a whole pineapple with skin trimmed in a Ziploc bag. Heat first four ingredients over medium heat, stirring until honey and sugar are dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature, then pour marinade over pineapple and seal. Refrigerate 1/2 hour to 2 hours. Cook on grill over medium heat, turning every 4-5 minutes until all sides develop a slight caramelization and grill marks are visible.

No-Bake Cookie "Fakebites"

[see what I did there?]

Let me just preface this by saying, I’m a lazy treat-maker. Which is why I rarely, if ever, make treats. Mostly because I’m admittedly too snobby to make any treat from a box, but also because I’m too lazy to put in the exacting effort it takes to make treats from scratch. Then these puppies came along, and have since allowed me to look like a talented and dedicated treat-maker (especially to my neighbors). Thank you Bakerella, for giving me the solid foundation upon which I can now make a variety of crazy delicious [and super lazy-simple] treats. No need to bake and wait, these cookie Fakebites are ready almost as soon as you are!

Annie’s “Fakebites”

Package of Golden or Classic Oreos* [depends on if you want chocolate or vanilla]

8 oz cream cheese

Candy Melts, or dips

* double stuft are fine, but you’ll need to use less cream cheese

This is the barebones recipe upon which you can flavor, add, sprinkle and decorate to your heart’s desire.

Process a half or full sleeve of Oreos in your food processor until finely ground. Add cream cheese, one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached; I prefer a cookie-dough consistency. Scoop & roll mixture into 1” balls. Melt your Candy Melts according to directions. Dip balls into Candy Melts and allow to set on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Now, to a batch of classic Oreo Fakebites, I had some raspberry cheesecake fudge… so I threw that in there and made some pretty delicious chocolate- raspberry Fakebites. Honestly the possibilities are endless to the flavors you can add, and the decorations you can do. The ‘bites can be made into any shape (hearts, footballs, stars, etc.), you can add flavored cream cheeses, flavored fudges, peanut butters, baking chips….. I could go on and on! Let your imagination run wild and enjoys these crowd-pleasers!

Crispy Hoison-Glazed Pork Belly

Bacon-lovers, lend me your bellies… literally. This Crispy, Hoison-Marinated Pork Belly will blow your minds, and rock your bacon-loving world.

Crispy Pork Belly

Big ol’ slab of pork belly (found at the butcher counter of nicer grocers)

1 tbsp chinese five spice

1 tbsp ground black pepper

2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce

salt

white wine/white/rice vinegar

First,buy yourself a big piece of pork belly, which is essentially bacon before it gets sliced up and packaged. Cut it up into 6 oz blocks, keep two and freeze the rest.

Then scour your pork belly: [With a sharp knife slice into the fat, making cross marks, just deep enough to not cut through the pork.]

Next, rub chinese five spice, ground black pepper and hoisin sauce into the meat and slices in the fat. Let this marinate in the fridge in a Ziploc for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

When you're ready to roast, preheat your oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and set a wire roasting rack on top of that. Pat the meat dry then sprinkle the meat with a few pinches of salt and brush the fat with some white vinegar. Place pork on the wire rack and put the baking sheet in the oven.

Roast on center rack at 425 for about 15 minutes, then decrease the temp to 325, and roast for another 45 minutes.

Remove the meat, let rest for about 10 minutes, slice into 1 inch pieces and enjoy with some white rice and perhaps some bok choy if you’re feeling super ethnic.

Simple Beignets

Every now and then I will indulge in making breakfast, and when I say indulge- I mean it. Beignets are such a heavenly treat. 

Fried, sweet dough. Powdered sugar. 

A lot of powdered sugar. 

It’s hard to beat. I’ve tried many recipes, and if I’d never admitted it here on this site before, I’ve admitted it verbally many a time: I’m a horrible baker. So when this recipe turned out to fulfill all of my beignet dreams, I knew it was gold.

C/O Tide and Thyme (dot) Com

Beignets

makes about 2 dozen squares

1 envelope active dry yeast


3/4 cup water (110 degrees F)


1/4 cup granulated sugar


1/2 tsp salt


1 beaten egg


1/2 cup evaporated milk


3 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups flour


1/8 cup shortening


Vegetable oil for

frying
powdered sugar for topping

Combine the yeast, water, and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand). Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes.

Add the salt, egg, and evaporated milk. Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening. When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface to finish by hand. Knead the dough, adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning punch down the dough, and turn it onto a floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick. With a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife, working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2″ wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction. Place the beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place.

When the beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar.