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I love making pizza at home.  All you really need is a pizza stone and a good dough recipe.  I have been using the same dough recipe for years, but recently ventured off to try a new recipe and I am so glad I did.  The recipe is from Todd English and it’s delicious.  It uses both white and wheat flour and I have to say the small amount of wheat flour makes all the difference in the world.  The recipe calls for a scant 1/4 cup of wheat flour, but what the wheat does for the texture of this dough is nothing short of amazing.  It gives the dough a nice chewy texture.  Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try.

Figs Pizza Dough (Todd English)

Ingredients

Makes 4 eight-to-ten-inch pizzas

• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for rolling
• 2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, combine the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the oil and 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water. Knead on low speed until the dough is firm and smooth, about 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into four balls, each about 7 1/2 ounces. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place two balls on each sheet, and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough balls to rise in a warm spot until they have doubled in size, about 2 hours.
3. To roll out the dough, cover your fingers with flour, then place a ball on a generously floured work surface. Press down on the center of the ball with the tips of your fingers, simultaneously stretching the dough out with your hands. When the dough has doubled in width, use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is very thin. The outer border should be slightly thicker than the center. Transfer the dough on a spatula (allowing the dough to fold up almost like an umbrella) to a pizza peel or another flat, wide surface. The dough will be more oval than round. If any holes have appeared, pinch them closed. Repeat with the remaining balls.

Okay so I had a decidedly non-traditional Easter buffet yesterday.  My parents and my husband and I are known for our non-traditional holiday meals.  We had a Vegetarian Mexican inspired buffet yesterday with all kinds of interesting dishes.  It was fun, it was unexpected and it was definitely enjoyed!  One of the dishes that we had was a recipe from Bon Appetit for corn bread.  I really enjoyed this recipe, it wasn’t overly sweet or dry like some corn breads I have eaten.  I think next time I would make it a little more tex-mex, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it as is.  Next time I might add some hot peppers, maybe cilantro instead of basil for starters.  It really inspired me to rethink my corn breads. 

Here’s the recipe for those of you who are interested in trying it out.

Corn Bread with Basil, Roasted Peppers and Monterey Jack Cheese

8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion

1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeños (about 6 ounces)
1 1/3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed, drained
1/2 cup drained chopped roasted red peppers from jar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 9×9x2-inch baking pan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Cool.

Mix cornmeal and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk buttermilk and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until blended. Mix in cheese, corn, red peppers, basil and onion. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake corn bread until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in pan on rack. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cool completely. Cover loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven about 10 minutes.)

Cut corn bread into squares.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been making some of Martha Stewart’s desserts and treats.  I really have enjoyed her quick and easy one bowl chocolate cupcakes, caramel apples, and her kettle corn.  The caramel apples and kettle corn are featured in the October issue of her magazine.  The caramel apples are a blast to make.  Here a few tips for making them work well for you.  You need to have a candy thermometer - when I say need, I mean need.  The recipe calls for an exact temperature reading and with caramel that is extremely important.  Be sure to have your ice water bath ready for when the caramel is done.  Before you start the caramel make sure you have the apples on their sticks.  I suggest using room temperature apples, refrigerated apples will have condensation and thus the caramel will not stick to them as well as it should. 

This week I made the Colorful Vegetable Lasagna from Cooking Light.  The lasagna was good, but the truth is I really loved the marinara that I made to go in the lasagna.  Cooking Light’s Basic Marinara Sauce is delicious.  I was a little surprised by some the ingredients listed in the recipe, but the end result was a wonderfully rich sauce.  The two ingredients that surprised me the most were chicken broth (I substituted vegetable) and balsamic vinegar.  I could understand the balsamic because vinegar (as with other acids) helps to punch up the flavor of any dish.  The vegetable broth gave the marinara a depth of flavor in the background.  It wasn’t that you could pick out the broth, but it rounded out the sauce nicely.  I had fresh herbs, so I replaced the dry with fresh - remember fresh herbs aren’t as potent, so you need to use more. 

The lasagna was very delicious and definitely something I would make again, but Cooking Light’s marinara sauce may be my new “basic”.  If you are looking for good vegetarian dishes, check out Cooking Light, often times I find really great dishes at their website. 

  Okay, so it’s pretty clear that baking is my favorite hobby.  The good news is my husband loves treats, especially treats that can be disguised as breakfast items.  One of his all-time favorites is cinnamon rolls.  I already make pecan sticky buns, but cinnamon rolls are a slightly different creature, although they share a lot of the same ingredients.  The dough for cinnamon rolls is very easy to make, it’s the waiting for the dough to rise that gets most people.  This recipe has a lot of rising time, but it’s definitely worth the wait.  The texture of these rolls is out of this world, chewy, slightly sweet, and absolutely delicious.  This is a great recipe for those of us who are afraid of yeast.  It really highlights the basics of yeast and clearly shows you the process of the dough rising and you learn about punching dough down.  It is an easy to follow recipe.  My husband gives these cinnamon rolls two-thumbs up. 

If you want to give this recipe a try and I highly suggest you do - it’s listed below (the same way I found it on Food Network’s website - the link is provided after the recipe).  A good rule of thumb is to start early in the day and allow the dough to sit in the fridge over night.  You will want to get the dough out early the next morning, as it needs time to rise one last time. 

These sweet buns are way easier than you’d think. This is the perfect recipe for a weekend brunch.

Dough:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1/4 ounce package)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the bowl
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (13 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon fine salt (1/8 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Filling:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for coating the pan

Glaze:
2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until it is about 100 degrees F (but no more than 110 degrees). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast over the surface over the liquid. Sprinkle a pinch of the sugar over the top and set aside without stirring, until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture.

Whisk the flour, the sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir in the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.

Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in the buttered bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Turn dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; reform into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it on the dough. Cover the entire bowl tightly with plastic and proof in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

To fill and form the rolls: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Turn prepared dough onto a floured work surface and press, then roll into 10-by-18-inch rectangle, with a long edge facing you. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch border on the side opposite you. Evenly scatter the cinnamon-sugar over the butter. Starting from the long side facing you, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder. Lightly brush the clean edge of the dough with water. Press the open long edge to the dough to seal the cylinder.

Slip a long taut piece of string or dental floss under the roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Lift and cross the string ends over the roll, then pull the ends tightly in opposite directions to cut a single roll. Repeat, cutting every 1 1/2 inches, to make 12 rolls. Place the rolls cut-side-down in the prepared pan, leaving 1 inch of space between them. Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until rolls double in size, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Bake buns until golden brown and the tops of the buns spring back when pressed lightly, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

To make the glaze: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the condensed milk, butter, and lemon juice to make a smooth, slightly loose icing. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Drizzle the icing over warm buns. Serve.

*Cook’s Note: These may be refrigerated or frozen after forming. If refrigerated overnight, allow buns to come to room temperature for about 1/2 hour, then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours. If frozen, allow buns to come to room temperature, about 1 hour, and then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours.

Storage: Though the buns are best eaten on the day they are baked, they will keep, covered, for a day. They freeze well.

Food Network link - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_37530,00.html

I don’t know about you, but I eat a lot of salad.  I mean a lot!  I have been trying to revamp my weekly vegetable salads.  Now that fall is here I decided to come with a couple of salads that work well with comfort foods.  The Mixed Greens salad I had last night was delicious, it’s a pretty common one you find in restaurants, but most people don’t make at home.  I have had this salad with regular walnuts and candied walnuts, the candied walnuts make all the difference.  The truth be told goat cheese works fabulously with anything sweet, the sweetness cuts right through the sharpness of the cheese.  The walnuts are pretty easy to make - I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for them.  Here’s the link if you are interested in making your own.  You can make this salad in a variety of ways - with plain walnuts, candied walnuts, cranberries, pears, no pears, goat cheese, blue cheese.  As with any recipe it’s best to make it to suit your own tastes. I used a simple balsamic dressing, but I have seen variations that include lemon dressing, etc. The only suggestion I have is to be a little adventurous, you may be surprised by what you find the flavors you thought you might not like are the ones you love the most. 

 I am one of those people who craves certain things when the seasons change.  Well, I guess it’s around certain holidays too.  With Easter fast approaching I just had to make a carrot cake this weekend.  And I am so glad I did.  This carrot cake is delicious and incredibly moist.  The spices are kept to a minimum and that makes it easier to enjoy them.  There are no overpowering flavors, each flavor balances nicely with the others.  I really enjoyed the addition of cranberries instead of raisins, but feel free to use either.  The cream cheese icing is a classic.  I just love cream cheese.  I suggest having a big pot of tea on hand to enjoy with this treat.  Without further ado, here is Bill’s Big Carrot Cake from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking cookbook.

For the Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (About 9 carrots; I grate them in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola or safflower oil
• 4 large eggs

For the Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pound (3 3/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Getting Ready - Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325° F.  Butter three 9×2 inch round cakes pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess.  Put two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To Make the Cake - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins. 

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on medium speed until smooth.  Add the eggs one by one, and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear.  Gently mix in the chunky ingredients.  Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean; the cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans.  Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. 

To Make the Frosting - Working with the stand mixer, preferably fitted with paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth.  Beat in the lemon juice or extract.

If you would like coconut in the filling ,scoop out about half of the frosting and stir in the coconut into this portion.

To Assemble the Cake - Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.  If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer.  Use an offset cake spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer.  Top with second layer, this time placing the cake top side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top.  Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

ENJOY!

 I am working my way through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking cookbook.  I have to say I love this cookbook!  I think this is a masterpiece!  Really, the recipes are fun and interesting.  I love working with them.  This recipe is no exception.  I loved making these.  They are tons of fun and delicious!  I have never made caramel covered nuts before, I really enjoyed it.  A few words on caramel though, be extremely careful when you use it.  The sugar will burn you very easily once it gets hot and it’s not easy to get off of your skin, if you do get some of it on you.  This is definitely a recipe that I would not make with children, caramel is pretty serious business.  Well, enough lecturing, here’s the fabulous recipe.  I hope you get a chance to try it.  It doesn’t take all that long, enough though there are a few steps.

Snickery Squares

For the crust

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tbs. water
• 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
• About 1 1/2 cups store bought dulce de leche

For the topping

• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 stick (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350° F.  Butter an 8 inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Make the Crust - Toss the flour, sugar, confectioners sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Toss in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 12 times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Pour the yolk over the ingredients and pulse until the dough forms clumps and curds - stop before the dough comes together into a ball.

Turn the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan.  Prick the dough all over with a fork and slide the sheet into the oven.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it takes on just a little color around the edges.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

Make the Filling - Have a parchment lined, better yet, silicone mat lined baking sheet at the ready, as well as a long handled wooden spoon (you’ll be cooking sugar that will climb to over 300° F, so you’ll want to keep as far away from it as possible) and a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.  

Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to color. (If sugar splatters onto the sides of the saucepan, wash down the splatters with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.)  Toss in the peanuts and immediately start stirring.  Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with the sugar.  Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white - keep stirring until the sugar turns back into a caramel.  When the peanuts are coated in a deep amber caramel, remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts onto the baking sheet, using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can.  Cool the nuts to room temperature.

When they are cool enough to handle, separate the nuts or break them into small pieces. Divide the nuts in half.  Keep half the nuts whole or biggish for the filling and finely chop the other half for the topping.

Spread the dulce de leche over the shortbread base and sprinkle over the whole candied nuts or the big pieces.

Make the Topping - Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.  Remove the chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, stirring until the butter is fully blended into the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche, smoothing it with a long metal icing spatula, then sprinkle over the finely chopped candied peanuts.  Slide the pan into the refrigerator to set the topping, about 20 minutes; if you’d like to serve the square cold, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours before cutting.

Cut into 16 bars.

Today was a big baking day.  Three types of muffins.  I love baking large batches of goods and freeze them for later use.  Muffins and quick breads are prefect for freezing.  I like to take the frozen muffins or bread and let them defrost in the fridge overnight.  It’s great to have something to go to if I need something for a quick breakfast.  I told you about a new cookbook I just picked up - Baking from Dorie Greenspan, well today’s recipes came from that book.  I have to say all the recipes I have tried so far are fabulous!

Here’s Dorie’s recipe for Pumpkin Muffins - Yummy!

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground allspice
• 1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup moist, plump golden raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• About 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Center a rack in the oven.  Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.  Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups.  Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft.  Add both the sugars and continue to beat until light and smooth.  One by one, add the eggs, beating for a minute after the eggs are incorporated, then beat in the vanilla.  Lower the mixer speed and mix in the pumpkin and buttermilk.  With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients in a steady stream, mixing only until the disappear.  To avoid overmixing, you can stop the machine early and stir any remaining dry ingredients into the batter using a rubber spatula.  Stir in the raisins and nuts.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle a few sunflower seeds over the top of each muffin.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove each one from its mold and finish cooling on the rack.

I wouldn’t really call this one a recipe, but more a method for cooking your corn.  I love Ina Garten and I think she hits the nail on the head with this one.  I found cooking corn with this method brings out its best flavor.  I cook my corn like this all the time.  It really is delicious.  And like with any recipe, feel free to experiment with flavorings. 

So, here it is Ina’s Sauteed Fresh Corn:

8 to 10 ears of corn on the cob (yellow or white corn)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove the husks and the silk from the corn and cut the kernels off as close to the husk as possible without removing any of the husk. You should have about 7 cups of kernels.

Now as Ina would say, how easy was that?