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.

Sour Cream Doughnuts

***This recipe is for use in a doughnut maker (the kind that works like a waffle-iron).  They are not deep fried and cannot be cooked successfully that way.***

I got my husband, Allen, a Babycakes mini-doughnut maker for Father's Day in 2011.  It's the gift that keeps on giving!  My kids love these doughnuts because I always let them decorate their own, and I love them because they're not nearly as unhealthy as real doughnuts, and about ten times easier to make (they're basically cupcakes in the shape of douhgnuts).

The doughnut-maker came with a recipe book and the little fork-gadget that helps you remove them neatly from the pan.  I love getting it out especially when my kids have friends over, or when nephews and nieces come to visit.  It's party food, but not the kind that keeps you on your feet in the kitchen all day.

Slide the fork in to lift the doughnut out

You can barely see the little holes
after you remove the fork

You can buy doughnut mixes for this kind of appliance, but I have found some great recipes that work well and are even tastier.  My first recipe is my favorite: Sour Cream Doughnuts.  The thing I like about them the most is that you can easily add fruit (or mini chocolate chips) to the batter.  I added huckleberries for my daughter's fourth birthday party--it was the grown-up dessert and we all ate them without any frosting.  Delicious.

It's easy to get the batter in if you pipe it with a plastic bag . . . 

 . . . or you can just use your smallest measuring cup
and pour it into each hole

I usually give each kid their own plate and knife, then let them go to town with frosting and sprinkles.  My favorite combo is a sour cream doughnut with chocolate frosting and peppermint sprinkles.

This was our first time using the Babycakes
with cousins in 2011!

My son Brig, sprinkle-shaking

Just think of how much was on the doughnuts . . .

Baby Cal loves plain sour cream baby doughnuts!

You can always dust with powdered sugar
if you don't feel like making frosting

Truman's No-Bake Cookies

No-bake cookies are the perfect "first cookie" for your kids to learn to make.  My son, Truman, actually learned to make these in his second grade class, with teacher par excellence, Mrs. Williams.  He came home with the recipe and couldn't wait to try it out.

Two years later, it's still his favorite thing to make.

What a handsome ten-year-old!

Apple Streusel Muffins

I love muffins. I love apples. I love streusel. Therefore, this is the perfect muffin recipe.

I also love the clipart on this recipe card--I like to imagine that my hair is done up in a cute, retro bob whilst I am baking in the early morning . . . instead how I actually look when I bake in the morning: hair pulled back in a messy bun (and not a cute messy bun that I would take a thousand pictures of and post to my FaceBook profile . . . a true messy bun), socks halfway off, bra-less, and puffy-eyed from getting up too early.  And if I do have an apron on, it's a real apron that covers my shirt.  Those waist aprons are just for show--all the spills happen up top, people.

Kefir Smoothies

I have a kefir smoothie (Click here for my What is Kefir? post) at least four days a week.  It's delicious and nutritious, and a great snack to help me curb sugar cravings.  It's also a perfect post-workout meal, because calcium after exercising = stronger bones, stronger heart, easier weight control, and faster muscle recovery.  I started my kefir smoothie drinking in April of 2010, the same time I started running four days a week.  I lost fifteen pounds in six months, and I feel like these smoothies were a big part of helping me to get in shape and stay in shape.

One of my favorite smoothie add-ins (a tip from my sister, Ali), is to add a handful of fresh spinach to any smoothie.  It doesn't affect the taste in the slightest, but adds all the great iron, vitamin C, and antioxidants that spinach provides.  If you don't like spinach or other leafy greens--sneaking it into a smoothie is the way to go.

This recipe card has my two favorite smoothie combinations.  The 5-grain cereal adds complex carbohydrates and fiber, which help to keep you full longer.  The nuts add healthy fats and protein (plus amazing flavor), and the flaxseed adds protein.  Each recipe makes about 32-ounces (4 cups)--enough for two people to enjoy a large, healthy, delicious shake. 

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

I remade this recipe card this morning because A) I gave away my hard copy a few months ago and needed to print another one out, B) I thought the directions needed a little tweaking, and C) If I am going to be making pancakes, I may as well take pictures to upload to the pancake post, right?

Here is the old card:

This is the old card--scroll down to print the new one.

*I plan on doing an upcoming post about kefir: a probiotic gem (I can't say kefir without saying "probiotic gem" because that is the qualifier my dad invariable added when he first educated me about the sundry and beautiful benefits of kefir).  Stay tuned. (Click here for my What is Kefir? post).

Can you even stand how cute she is?
Mollie loves three-inch pancakes the most.

This is one of my favorite foods to let my kids help with, because there's not much chance of a huge mess, and they really can do all of the steps themselves: it's a great recipe to get your kids confident about cooking.  Here is a video clip I took of my six-year-old cracking a double-yolker from one of our chickens into the pancake batter a few months ago.  My favorite part is how he says, "Blast OFF" at the end of his countdown.

And my three-year-old helped with the pancakes this morning.  She loves to whisk.  (Before my sisters leave comments about how wretched her hair looks, let me just admit to the entire World Wide Web, right here and now, that I am much better at cooking than I am at doing hair).

Here is the new and improved card.

Sweet & Saucy Meatballs with Rice

This is my favorite thing that my sister Ali makes--it's such an amazing flavor combination!  The meatballs are sweet, so kids love it, too.

Taquitos

These are easy to make and my kids love 'em.