Naan Flatbread

This is definitely the best of the three naan recipes I have used over the years.  I also made it better, not to brag, by adding garlic to the melted butter.  Go big or go home.

My son Brigham asks for naan every week.  And gets it about once a month, which is a win for all of us.  I'll have to post my favorite Instant Pot curry recipe next, because naan is best enjoyed when you are sopping up some flavorful, spicy curry and chicken.

Put the dough in a greased bowl
and let it rise in a warm oven.

Until it doubles in size . . . 

Turn out on a floured surface

Cut into twelve equal pieces,
then shape into balls and roll out

I like to use my griddle so I can do three or four at a time

It smells even better than it looks . . .

There are never leftovers, y'all

Best Pizza Dough Evs

I used to think that you couldn't make pizza at home as good as at a pizza joint, but am glad to admit that I was totally wrong.  I think the things that make all the difference are:

 

A) cooking on a stone at a very high temperature 

B) homemade dough and sauce 

C) quality mozzarella, the kind you have to tear into chunks yourself (but don't worry--I make it all the time with pre-shredded mozzarella and it tastes great)

D) (if you really want to put it over the top) veggies and herbs from your own garden--fresh basil is THE BEST, and dry basil will do, but if you don't have either, don't make pizza.

In fact, if you always use the freshest ingredients possible, you're own house will become your very favorite pizzeria.

The "deep dish" stone: before

Deep dish: after

This is the yummy "grownup" pizza I
made with tomato, Canadian bacon, and
oregano from our windowsill herbs.
If you want to have meat on your pizza,
Canadian bacon is the healthiest choice.

I love it that my husband doesn't like pineapple
on pizza . . . because that means MORE FOR ME.
I have pizza greed.

I had an all-wood pizza peel for not quite two years--it split into two pieces and I limped along with that for another year, awkwardly using both halves until I finally bought a metal one with a wooden handle--I've been using it for EIGHT years now.  I also use it for artisan bread, for grilling pizza, and for spatula-ing up other big things on the grill.  

I've tried so many different recipes for pizza dough, but I always come back to this one from my friend Jessica: it's the easiest and the yummiest, and honey is a MUST.  I make pizza at least twice a month, and this recipe can't be beat.  Use olive oil and as little flour as possible for a soft crust.  I usually make three thick crusts instead of four regular crusts.

Here are some step-by-step photos I took of the kids' cheese pizza.

Complement this recipe with Best Pizza Sauce (and topping) Ever.

Buttermilk Baking Powder Biscuits

These biscuits are part of my husband's favorite breakfast (along with sausage and eggs). I always make them on Father's Day, Allen's birthday, and whenever I am about to make a large purchase.

I joke, I kid.

I replace the "buttermilk" (milk+vinegar) with kefir (Click here for my What is Kefir? post) for pretty much any recipe on this site that calls for buttermilk, because I always have kefir, and it tastes just as good and costs next to nothing when you brew it yourself.

These are extra yummy and flaky when I bake them in my deep-dish pizza stone.

Sourdough version:

I just make the biscuit dough like normal, then mix in my sourdough discard (it was a whole cup for the ones below--it adds a great sourdough flavor, but they still rise as fluffy as ever because I don't omit the baking powder.

Triple-Berry French Toast Casserole

Every time I make this, I remember that it is actually easier than most breakfasts.  And even though the word "sugar" pops up many times in this recipe, I think it's probably healthier than regular French toast with syrup.  

First of all, it's baked instead of butter-fried on a griddle (which is how I make regular French toast).  It's got whole lot of whole berries--healthy, right?  And after we dust it with powdered sugar at the end, we don't add whipped cream or syrup or anything else--it's good with just a light sprinkle.  

Caveat: I let everyone dust their own, because it's so fun to use the powdered sugar wand . . . and they don't understand the word "lightly"--so maybe only my French toast feels slightly-healthier-than-regular-French-toast.

Maybe I am just justifying how often I want to make this breakfast, because no matter how you slice it (but you should slice it into 1-inch cubes), it's DELICIOUS.  And if you make more than one pan, it's an easy way to feed all your company.

The Best Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe makes five. honkin'. LOAVES.  

I have a Bosch mixer, and I really recommend you don't try to make five loaves unless you also have a heavy-capacity mixer, because kneading bread is tough on those motors.

I originally got this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which has never given me a bum steer, but I did tweak a couple things.  For starters, I used to use honey in this recipe . . . until my grocery budget went through the roof, because we ONLY eat this bread, and I make five loaves about every eight to ten days.  So I always use 2/3 cups sugar instead.   

After they have cooled, I freeze three loaves and get them out as I need them--since there are no preservatives in this bread, it gets moldy quicker than store bread.  I try to get them out the night before they are needed so they can come to room temperature on the counter, but sometimes most of the time I am sawing through frozen bread and toasting it . . .

Risen and ready.  I find I have good results when I put
them in a COLD oven, then turn the oven on
so they rise a teeny bit more before they bake.

Baked and ready for butter brushed on the top

My mother-in-law gave me two stonewear loaf pans from The Pampered Chef years ago--It was such a great gift!  I love how they bake so well that I have bought three more at thrift stores.  Actually, I have bought FIVE more over the years, but broke two of them . . . I am always on the lookout for more, so I have some ready for the next time I have a baking accident (just like on Into the Woods).  My loaf pans are so seasoned that the bread slides right out every time (but I DON'T recommend stonewear for any sweet bread [pumpkin, zucchini, Amish friendship, etc]--it sticks like crazy).

*Side note- I rarely buy bread unless I am:

• making French toast
• pregnant, and therefore too moody to make bread
• deep in the summer of the COVID pandemic when even baking brought me no joy

I also always add a cup of 5-grain cereal that I buy in the bulk section at Winco.  It has rolled oats, rye, barley, triticale (triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye), and flax seed.  I like to add whole grains because it makes your body digest the bread more slowly--so that the bread is not turning straight into sugar in your bloodstream.  Plus I love the chewy little bits--it's such a good texture.

So here you go, my second recipe card in a lonnnnnng time, and the recipe that I bake the very most.

Bonus photo: Brigham came home from cross-country practice in his shorts that he nicknamed "Minty Magic" and said, "Yes!  I love coming home to bread!  It's my favorite thing to see!" and proceeded to eat half a loaf.

Mini Thumbprint Jam Scones

I fell in love with this recipe when I read about the baker Alice Currah in a beautiful magazine called Where Women Cook (which was a delightful birthday gift from my BFF, Cori, whose own scrumptious recipes are sprinkled throughout this blog).

Okay, true confession . . . maybe I liked the article about Alice, but drooled like a French Mastiff when I saw the delectable photos of the scones in said magazine.  See for yourself:

I knew these would be the perfect dessert to add to my "summer harvest" spread when I hosted book club at the beginning of August.

Summer harvest book club fare . . .
I love cooking for the ladies I love!

And guess what?  Everyone liked them more than rhubarb-raspberry pie made with rhubarb and raspberries I harvested that day, more than huckleberry buckle made with HOURS OF MY LIFE that I spent picking tiny-but-precious huckleberries, and even more than the apple pie made with three types of heirloom early-ripening apples (Red Astraiken, Carroll, and Goodland) that I picked from my dad's orchard just three days before book club and peeled and cut by hand because each apple is too uniquely shaped and sized for the peeler-corer-slicer.

That's how good these scones are.

I used my mom's Nanking Cherry jam/syrup (I make jam, but add a little extra water so it's more like a really thick syrup) as the jam in these scones, and that combination of cherries and almond glaze is so heavenly (this from someone who does not like cherry ANYTHING).  But I think it would also be perfectly delectable with raspberry or strawberry jam.

The recipe said to cut the disks into fourths, but I
cut them into sixths and I think they were perfect

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

It stopped raining just for book club!
The scones were the first dessert to disappear.
{PS- I like how you can see Brenda working
on the book club binder in the background}

I thought a cute retro fox was the perfect clipart to compliment this quintessential British confection . . .

Greek Feta Dip with Baguettes

My sister Bonnie is one of the best hostesses around.  Not only does she make delicious food that people love, she is also better at setting a pretty table and arranging everything to look its best than anyone I know.  When she told me about this Feta dip, and raved about how quickly it had been devoured, I knew I had to try it.

I made it when I last hosted book club, and it was a hit!  I had people calling me the next day for the recipe.

The best part is that this has got to be one of the easiest recipes on this blog.  There is no actual cooking involved.  It's all knife and spoon work, people.  In fact, you can make it by looking at these pictures--you don't even (gasp!) need the recipe card.

Step 1: drizzle olive oil in large platter

{Dice your tomatoes & chop your green onions}

Step 2: scatter diced tomatoes over olive oil

Step 3: add green onions

Step 4: crumble Feta over top of tomatoes & onions

Greek seasoning is what MAKES this.  You can find it with the
spices in almost any grocery store.  I have never had it before this
recipe, but it's delish!  Plus "an ancient Greek formula" sounds
soooooooo official . . . 

Step 5: Sprinkle generously with Greek seasoning

Step 6: gently combine all ingredients in platter

Serve and enjoy!

I made TWO platters of this stuff at book club and they were all gone before the night's end.  I loved it so much I made it again three days later so my husband could enjoy some.  Thanks for the great party food, Bon!

Book club party food.  We read the book The Egg and I by
Betty MacDonald--one of my all-time favorites.