Homemade pizza tastes nice, and I like making it from scratch.
Pizza's true origin is unknown. But, what is known about it is from the time of King Darius I (a predecessor of the King Darius who lost many battles to Alexander the Great). When his army did not have an oven handy and couldn't make a fire, if it was sunny, they supposedly baked bread on top of their shields. They then melted cheese on top and put on olives. Later, in one of Homer's poems, he said, "See we devoured the plates on which we fed on." The plates were made of flour and bread. Pizza finally came to America in the 1800s.
You can make the dough in a bread machine or mix it up in a bowl. After is rises and rests, shape it into pizza rounds. Shaping it just right can be difficult. But remember, even if it's oblong, according to geometry, there are at least two equal pieces opposite each other on the pizza, so oblong is all right.
I like pepperoni and a fine sprinkling of spinach on my pizza. We often make two pizzas, so the second can be a combo pizza, with olives, pepperoni, mushroom, and spinach.
Pizza is fun to make as a family. And it doesn't take very long.
Pizza Dough for the Bread Machine(adapted from Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook)
Makes 2 pizzas, 8 wedges each
1 cup water
2 Tbls olive oil
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp Italian seasoning (dry parsley, oregano, basil)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar or honey
2 1/2 tsp bread machine or quick active dry yeast
1) Place all ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order given above.
2) Select the Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.
3) Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Knead 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface (if necessary, knead in enough flour to make the dough easy to handle). Cover and let reast 10 minutes.
4) Heat oven tp 450 degrees. Greased two large cookie sheets or two 12-inch pizza pans. Pat dough into 13-inch circle; pinch edge, forming 1/2-inch rim. Top with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings.
Our Favorite Toppings
Tomato paste
Basil and/or oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
Mozzarella
Pepperoni
Spinach
Finely grated parmesan cheese
Manga!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Poultry Pie
Shepherd's Pie is supposed to be made out of ground mutton (old sheep), while Cottage Pie is made with beef. Cottage Pie was really for poor people, a way to use what little food they had in their kitchens.
We sometimes make Cottage Pie, but we usually use ground turkey, so we call it Poultry Pie.
I like to add Worcestershire Sauce to my pie, which makes it even tastier. The potato topping, or crust, is my favorite part. We mix russet and sweet potatoes (the dark orange ones) together, which makes it yummy.
My mom never makes it the same way twice, but this is the recipe she gave me.
Cottage (Poultry) Pie
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut for boiling
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut for boiling
Butter
Cream
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
A few handfuls of chopped spinach
Chopped green beans (to bite-size)
Chopped carrots (I pick these out)
(You can also add peas, corn, soy beans, or other veggies, but I prefer my Cottage Pie without them.)
Ground black pepper to taste
A few dashes of Worcesertshire Sauce
1 lb. ground turkey
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
Cheddar cheese, for topping
1. Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Potatoes are ready for mashing when a pointy knife tip slides easily into the potatoes.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Put in the onions, and sautee until clear. Next add the spinach, green beans, and carrots.Add pepper to taste and a few dashes of Worcestershire. Cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and let cook until the spinach has wilted and the carrots are a bit soft (not fully cooked, as they will cook more in the oven). Add the ground turkey, breaking it up and cooking thoroughly.
3. In a small bowl or a lidded plastic container, whisk or shake together the corn starch and water, until smooth. Add to the ground turkey mixture. If the mixture needs more liquid for gravy, add water from the potatoes.
4. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put in a large cookie sheet to heat.
5. Once the turkey is cooked, put it into a casserole dish. Mash the potatoes with the butter and cream, then top the turkey mixture with the mashed potatoes, making sure to spread the potatoes evenly, all the way to the edges of the casserole dish. Grate cheddar cheese on top. Carefully place the casserole dish on the large cookie sheet in the oven. Bake until the cheese starts bubbling, maybe even allowing it to brown a bit.
6. Be very careful when removing from the oven and bringing to the table. The dish will be hot and the pie will retain its heat for a long time.
We sometimes make Cottage Pie, but we usually use ground turkey, so we call it Poultry Pie.
I like to add Worcestershire Sauce to my pie, which makes it even tastier. The potato topping, or crust, is my favorite part. We mix russet and sweet potatoes (the dark orange ones) together, which makes it yummy.
My mom never makes it the same way twice, but this is the recipe she gave me.
Cottage (Poultry) Pie
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut for boiling
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut for boiling
Butter
Cream
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
A few handfuls of chopped spinach
Chopped green beans (to bite-size)
Chopped carrots (I pick these out)
(You can also add peas, corn, soy beans, or other veggies, but I prefer my Cottage Pie without them.)
Ground black pepper to taste
A few dashes of Worcesertshire Sauce
1 lb. ground turkey
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
Cheddar cheese, for topping
1. Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Potatoes are ready for mashing when a pointy knife tip slides easily into the potatoes.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Put in the onions, and sautee until clear. Next add the spinach, green beans, and carrots.Add pepper to taste and a few dashes of Worcestershire. Cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and let cook until the spinach has wilted and the carrots are a bit soft (not fully cooked, as they will cook more in the oven). Add the ground turkey, breaking it up and cooking thoroughly.
3. In a small bowl or a lidded plastic container, whisk or shake together the corn starch and water, until smooth. Add to the ground turkey mixture. If the mixture needs more liquid for gravy, add water from the potatoes.
4. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put in a large cookie sheet to heat.
5. Once the turkey is cooked, put it into a casserole dish. Mash the potatoes with the butter and cream, then top the turkey mixture with the mashed potatoes, making sure to spread the potatoes evenly, all the way to the edges of the casserole dish. Grate cheddar cheese on top. Carefully place the casserole dish on the large cookie sheet in the oven. Bake until the cheese starts bubbling, maybe even allowing it to brown a bit.
6. Be very careful when removing from the oven and bringing to the table. The dish will be hot and the pie will retain its heat for a long time.
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