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Treat yourself!

One of my goals for this silly little blog project is to make things that use equipment that many home cooks have on hand and then to use things that are mostly accessible in the non-metro areas where I live. 

This time, however, I was too intrigued by the ingredients and the chance to try something new, so I treated myself to a fancy dinner that required ordering cheese from Amazon (I know, sorry!), and since I was fancying up my cheese, I also went ahead and ordered some fancy pepperoni to go with it. 

If you can’t guess, I made a pizza. 

Detroit-style pizza ingredients.

It doesn’t sound all that fancy, or worth ordering special ingredients, but it was a Detroit-style pizza that works in a 9 x 13 in. casserole (technically it’s supposed to be a 10 x 14, but please forgive me, Detroiters). And curiosity got the better of me. 

I clicked buy before I could second guess myself. 

I got the recommended items and the recipe from Serious Eats, which I more or less followed. Part of it was it helped to know, say, the amount of dough to make to fit the 9 x 13, but also if I was going to spend extra time and money, I was going to do it right (mostly!). 

Though it took extra time for my order to arrive, the effort of cooking the meal was a fair amount of down time and not all that bad. The sauce was basically similar to what I make when I’m trying to be fancy, and the dough was easily made with a stand mixer. The rest was cubing cheese and slicing pepperoni (yeah, it was that fancy; I had to cut it myself). 

And, you know what I got? A pretty good pizza. 

I really liked the cheese, which is bad because it is pricy. But otherwise, it was a pretty standard homemade deep dish pizza, with the sauce on top instead. Not having any specific nostalgia for that style, I can’t say it was worth it. 

But in a time when we’re still mostly stuck at home, the experience of getting to try something new was still fun, and treating ourselves made it all worth it. 

Oooh, saucy.

Here’s what I did, if you’re looking for a similar novelty: 

Ingredients 

For the dough: 

  • 300 g. bread flour (about 2 generous cups)
  • 2 ½ t. active dry yeast
  • 1 ½ t. salt 
  • 220 g. water (about a scant 1 cup)
  • Olive oil, for coating

For the sauce: 

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 t. dried oregano
  • Dash red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 t. garlic powder
  • 1 t. onion powder
  • 1 T. sugar

Salt, to taste

To finish: 

  • 16 oz. Brick cheese, cut into ½ in. cubes
  • 6.5 oz. high-quality pepperoni, cut into ⅛ in. slices 

Directions

For the dough: 

Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Stir to combine. Then, add water. Mix on low speed until dough comes together into a rough ball. Shut off mixer and let dough rest for 10 minutes. Resume mixing at a medium-low speed until dough forms into a smooth, silky ball, about 10 minutes Remove dough hook, form the dough into a tight ball, and set in the bottom of the mixer bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside until dough has nearly doubled in volume, about 2 hours. 

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish (NOT glass; if using glass, do not cook pizza at temperature recommended below, instead reduce heat to 400 and cook longer!!), preferably aluminum. Press dough into oiled pan and turn to coat. You won’t be able to get it all the way to the edges, so just spread as much as you can without tearing, and then cover again and let rest while you make the sauce, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 500 to 550 degrees, or as close as your oven gets, or LESS if using glass; check OK temperatures for glass. 

For the sauce: 

Heat 2 T. olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add minced garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced to about 3 cups, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. You will only need about 1 ½ to 2 c. for the pizza, so save the rest for a future use. 

For the pizza: 

Press down on the dough with your fingertips to remove any large air bubbles, and spread to the edges of the dish. Lay half the pepperoni evenly over the top of the dough. Top with the cheese, spreading evenly and all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the remaining pepperoni. Spoon the sauce over the toppings in three even rows lengthwise, using about half the sauce, or 1 ½ to 2 c. 

Bake until the edges are black and bubbly and the exposed cheese on top is starting to lightly brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a trivet (or folded town) on the countertop. Run a spatula around the edges to loosen and carefully lift out and slide onto a cutting board. Cut pizza into squares and enjoy! 

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Easy like Sunday morning

After the first few weeks of this blog, I realized I’ve done a lot of complicated and time consuming recipes. So, I went looking for something super duper easy, and relatively quick. 

Thankfully, there’s always a variation of breakfast casseroles. 

Breakfast casserole ingredients.

I’ve made breakfast casseroles in a sheet pan and in a Dutch oven, and went with the traditional Denver omelet in my little skillet. But the fun thing is, they’re all a little different, and you can’t go wrong with breakfast foods. 

The one slight twist on this Taste of Home recipe is my sweetie accidentally didn’t get enough bacon but did mercifully come across wonderful spicy smokies (Li’l Bites) from Beeler’s for an extra breakfast treat, so I just used some of those. 

I can’t really take credit for it, considering I didn’t pick the smokies, nor did I make them, but man, they really made the meal. It would’ve been a delight with just bacon, but the smokies accidentally made this an extra special treat. All without extra effort.

MMmmmm, smokies.

Here’s what I did: 

Ingredients

  • 1 package (32 oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
  • 8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 8 oz smokies (we used the jalapeno and cheese Li’l Bites from Beeler’s that are highly recommended if you can find them), thickly sliced and cooked in bacon fat to brown if desired (they’re fully cooked so it’s not necessary!)
  • 1 to 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 c. whole milk 
  • Paprika, to taste (I used hot paprika to build on the spice)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Butter for greasing the casserole dish

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish.

In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, bacon, smokies, and ½ to 1 c. cheese. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and milk until blended. Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper. 

Bake uncovered, until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining about ½ c. cheese, and enjoy! 

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Pierogies, unwrapped

When I think of my family, I almost always think of food. I don’t know if that says more about me or if we are all just incredibly food-oriented. 

I think it’s the latter, but this week’s recipe is maybe a case for the former. 

Though I’ve never been to Poland or even really raised with traditional Polish foods, I’ve always been fond of the things that remind me of my maternal grandma’s familial homeland. I’ve written about my family dumplings, the one sorta traditional recipe that did pass down. 

Pierogi casserole ingredients.

But when I’ve made bialys or used pierogies in other recipes, I’ve always felt like Grandma Verbrugge was with me in spirit. 

Well, Grandma is gone now, leaving us this past Christmas, so I have been even more in want of a connection. Enter a recipe from the Food Network that is pierogies—but without the frustrating experience of filling dough and hoping it all stays intact. 

I won’t lie, it’s not totally without effort, but like any wonderful dish that comes together and offers comfort, it was more than worth it. Maybe that’s why a good meal is like family. 

Here’s what I did, more or less sticking with the original recipe from an Iron Chef fave Michael Symon. 

Underneath that crust is potatoes, cheese, bacon, and onions. Amazing.

Here’s what I did: 

Ingredients

For the dough: 

  • 1 egg
  • 8 T. softened butter, plus more for greasing the 9 x 13 
  • ¾ c. sour cream, plus more for serving
  • 1 T. chopped chives (I used freeze dried, though fresh is called for), plus more for serving
  • 1 t. salt 
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough

For the filling: 

  • 2 lb. potatoes, cut into large chunks
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 c. heavy cream, heated until hot 
  • 8 T. cold butter
  • 1 small container (about 15 oz.) ricotta cheese
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 lb. bacon, chopped
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ c. shredded Gruyere

Directions

For the dough preparation: 

Combine the egg, butter, sour cream, chives, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix with your hands until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least two hours and up to a couple days. 

For the filling:

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, season with salt, and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until a knife easily pierces the potatoes. Drain and return to the pot and mash the potatoes, slowly mixing in the hot cream and cold butter. Add in the ricotta, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and toss to coat with the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are caramelized and sweet. Let cool. 

For the casserole/To finish: 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Butter a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish. Roll out the pierogi dough on a lightly floured surface to a ⅛ in. thick rectangle, and cut into 4 x 13 inch strips (kinda like lasagna), rolling scraps as necessary. You’ll need about 12 strips (the original called for more, but I couldn’t make it work, and mine turned out fine). 

To assemble the casserole, arrange one layer of pierogi dough strips on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping the edges of the strips. 

Spread about half the potatoes on the dough. Top with onions, bacon, and a sprinkling of Gruyere. Place another layer of dough strips, and repeat the filling layers, finishing with the dough, followed by a little more Gruyere and some pepper. 

Bake until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese on top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let rest about 15 minutes, serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of chives, and enjoy!