Homemade Pizza Sauce

Didn't have time to buy pizza sauce from Trader Joe's, so I decided to try making our own.  My brother-in-law, who is a total foodie, told me San Marzano tomatoes are the thing if you're doing your own sauce.  He was right, as always, thanks John! 
This sauce recipe, from the America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook, only requires 3 ingredients: Olive oil, garlic, and a can of tomatoes.  It tastes fresh, light, and complex.

I took these pictures earlier in the day when I was at the market.  Taking pictures in the grocery aisle, it's no wonder my kids get embarrassed.
Also, I may have texted them to brother-in-law John, to make sure I was getting the right thing. :)  I bought both, next time we'll try the other brand.

The only problem with the whole tomatoes was having to de-seed them before use.  But even that I think was worth it for the superior flavor.  I zipped them in the blender for a bit, so they would be "crushed" like the recipe calls for. 
Another recipe success *sigh of relief*.

Have I mentioned lately how much I am loving this cookbook?!  It's the 3-ring binder one and I purchased it at Costco.  I now wish I would have gotten the others.

January 27, 2013

Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my first time trying the America's Test Kitchen Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, page 533 in the cookbook.  The whole recipe only makes 20 cookies and the instructions say 1/4 cup of dough for each, so they should be huge.  Mine are neither big, nor chewy.  Perhaps next time I will only put one cookie tray in at a time.  The other solution could be leaving them on the top rack for longer than 10, which is half the cooking time, as instructed.  My pizza stone was left in the oven as well.  Taking it out could change how the cookies bake. 

Besides moving the trays from rack to rack, the major difference between this recipe and the one I usually use, is separating the egg whites from the yolks, and incorporating them at different times.  I may try that with my regular recipe to see if there is any improvement.

In the end, I gave up on using 1/4 cup of dough per cookie and just made the smaller sized ones, as seen on the top. *sigh* Better luck next time.

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"Trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe...needs a bit of tweaking. "

On a brighter note, the little guy said they were delicious.  So sweet to me!

January 6, 2013