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

Soft Pretzels

I was looking for a pretzel recipe from America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated and found two with good pictures.  One on TheFoodinista and the other on Eatingplaces.  The recipes are the same, and the instructions are pretty close too.

Even though I read through both of these blogs my first batch was an epic fail...I didn't realize the baking soda was to be mixed with the boiling water NOT in with the dough *eye roll*. Once that got sorted out the next batch was a total success.

Here are the ingredients:

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)


6 cups water AND 3 tablespoons baking soda for boiling

 

Super simple instructions:

1. Mix the yeast and water, let sit for 5 minutes, then add the honey. Stir till incorporated.
2. Put the flour and salt in the stand mixer with the dough attachment, pour the liquid mixture in the center and knead on low until a ball forms.
3. Spray a large bowl with olive oil.  Place the dough in and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size (1 to 1½ hours.) Punch the dough to deflate, cover again and let rise again until doubled in size, another 30-40 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 450
5. Pour 6 cups of water into a 12-inch skillet, adding the BAKING SODA, and bring to a boil.
6. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with oil.
7. Working with half the dough separate into 6 pieces, rolling each into a 20" rope.  Shape them each into pretzels and place on prepared foil tray.  Once those are made, create 6 more with the remaining dough. (I only separated the dough because I felt it dried a bit since it took me SO long to shape my ropes and pretzels.)

 

Now the tricky part

1. Gently place the pretzels into the boiling water, top side down, for about 30 seconds (You will see them pop up to the surface of the water).  Use tongs to turn them over and boil the underside for another 30 seconds. 
2. Use a slotted spoon to remove them, be sure to drain as much water as possible before returning them to the aluminum foil covered baking sheet.
3. If you're going to salt them, do it right before you put them in the oven. (2 Tablespoons coarse salt)
4. Cook until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
5. If you're going use cinnamon and sugar, mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.  Melt 3 Tablespoons butter to brush on pretzels as soon as they are out of the oven.

These were so tasty, I will absolutely make them again.  The family already wants to know when there will be more.

January 18, 2013

Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch

Now that we have the food processor, we can make all sorts of things, like our own biscuits!  Rett is a huge biscuit fan, he doesn't love them as much as bacon, but it's pretty close.  Butter and honey drizzled all over them is a given. 
It's somewhat surprising  to me, with all the healthy foods we provide, he gravitates towards these fat-filled dishes.  I should see if he'll eat grits, could be a new favorite.
Preheat the oven to 450.  Bake until just golden brown.

Here's the recipe we used from Food.com

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
• 1 cup buttermilk (approx)

The only round cutter we had was this multi sided Tupperware thing, so our biscuits were small.  In the future I think we'd prefer a much larger one.

The picture below shows all the ingredients, except the buttermilk...oops.

January 14, 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.

view full image

"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

The Clothes Hulk & Beachwood BBQ

Liam decided to go through his clothes and pull out all the ones that were too small. 

Since Jake was over he helped...by trying on every single thing, together, at the same time. 

21 shirts later he was the Clothes Hulk. 

These boys crack me up!

Tonight we drove to Seal Beach with Mere & Pere where we had dinner at Beachwood BBQ.  I snapped a photo of all their different sauces. 

 

Great food, tasty french fries, bit of a wait, but they have a huge selection of drinks.  We'll definately go back.

Conveniently located right next door is a bakery. 

 

Rett and Liam were looking in the window at these delicious cupcakes; Red Velvet.  We had to go in and buy some to take home.

 

March 21, 2010

Science Experiment # 276

Combine :
Raw Sugar
24 pack of Jumbo Crayons
Olive Oil
409 Cleaner
Cooking Spray
Shredded Paper
15 minutes with no parental supervision

Results: Non-combustible...can't say the same about Mama

May 29, 2009

Cinco de Mayo Dip

Rett's Famous Cinco de Mayo Dip (originally from Costco)

12.5 oz can premium chunk chicken breast in water
16 oz can refried beans
1 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican cheese blend

Mix together in a microwave safe bowl. Heat 2.5 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips

May 6, 2009

Crock Pot Lasagna

The new issue of Everyday Food came this week. I love anything that can go in the Crock-pot, so this recipe is perfect for me. My only complaint is that it was slightly dryer than my family would prefer. 

Next time I make it I will include an additional can of crushed tomatoes. Here's the recipe in case you can't read it in the photo:

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (we used chicken sausage, cuz that's what Trader Joe's had)

1 pound ground beef sirloin

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped (the kids didn't even know there was a veggie hiding inside)

2 garlic cloves, minced

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree

9 large lasagna noodles

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella (8 ounces)

Cook the sausage and beef over medium high, breaking up meat with a spoon until no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomato paste, then tomatoes; bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Spoon 2 cups meat mixture into bottom of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. Layer 3 noodles (breaking them as needed to fit), 2 cups meat mixture and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat with two more layers (refrigerate 1/2 cup cheese for topping.

Cover slow cooker, and cook on low 4 to 6 hours. Sprinkle lasagna with 1/2 cup cheese. Cover until cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Serves 8. Prep time 25 min.

February 21, 2009