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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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That’s amore

It’s been an eventful few weeks around here, and well, around the country. 

While so much is so awful, it’s important to celebrate the good things as best we can. So, this Tuesday, to take a moment to enjoy our anniversary, my sweetie and I poured some good wine and I made a very simple, not very classy pizza supreme dip. 

Supreme pizza dip ingredients.

We listened to music while it came together in minutes on the stove top, and then while I tried not to over-broil the cheese on top. We enjoyed it with bagel chips, because then you can have pizza anytime. 

Chances are good that if this were a normal year, we would have done something similarly simple. However, I think in these circumstances, and after the year we’ve had, it took on an extra significance of enjoying those things we can. 

Pizza dip and zinfandel might not be everyone’s ideal anniversary dinner, but it suited us, and it’s part of why we suit each other. 

Here’s to our 8 happy years, even in tough times, and here’s hoping for many more. 

When the moon hits your eye …

Here’s what I did, mostly following a Better Homes & Gardens recipe: 

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 oz. bulk Italian sausage (I used fake sausage crumbles that came in a 10 oz. bag)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 small green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can pizza sauce
  • 1 c. pepperoni pieces, chopped or sliced
  • 1 small can sliced black olives
  • 1 c. Italian cheese mix, shredded
  • Bagel chips or baguette-style bread slices, for serving

Directions

Preheat broiler. 

In a seasoned or greased 9-inch cast iron skillet, cook the sausage, onion, and green pepper, until sausage is browned. (Since I used fake sausage, I didn’t need to worry about breaking up the meat as it cooked nor draining the fat, but if you use real sausage, you may need to do those things.)

Stir in the pepperoni, pizza sauce, and olives. Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbly and warm, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. 

Broil the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes about 3 to 4 inches from the broiler, or until the cheese just starts to brown (and looks like a lovely supreme pizza). Let cool very slightly, and enjoy with bagel chips and/or bread! 

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Pizza bread!

OK, I think I’m officially on board with the bread-baking phenomenon. It just took me a little longer to get there than everyone else.

I’ve long liked the calming effects of kneading and the comforting aroma of bread rising, so I’m surprised I haven’t satisfied my soul sooner. Besides, as I have shown, I’ve long loved being a baker.

Even better, after making Serious Eats’ focaccia, I perused their other bread options and was delighted to find the double comfort of pizza and bread.

Pizza bread ingredients!

It sounded pretty easy, and because it called for a pound of pizza dough, and my measurements for my favorite dough don’t lead to exactly a pound, I just made a double batch and hoped there would be some leftover to have a homemade pizza later in the week. I was not disappointed.

With ingredients like garlic, dough, pepperoni, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes, it’s impossible for it to have turned out bad.

My only issue was pre-cooking the pepperoni with the garlic resulted in slightly crunchy pepperoni pieces in some cases after baking. It still didn’t taste bad, but I question if it’s totally necessary to pre-cook the meat, or maybe I’d just cook it for the barest minimum amount of time or on a lower setting to ensure the garlic gets cooked into the butter and crisps a little.

Still, we had no problem eating all 24 knots in just a few days.

Pizza bread!

Here’s what I did, mostly sticking to the recipe, only making my own dough:

Ingredients

  • 2 T. butter
  • 2 T. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4 oz. pepperoni, cut into ¼ in. squares
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ c. chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 T. chopped fresh chives
  • ¾ c. Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
  • Flour, for dusting
  • 1 lb. homemade or store-bought pizza dough (I used about ⅔ of a double recipe of my favorite dough recipe here and reserved the rest for a thin-crust homemade pizza)
  • Pizza/Pasta sauce, for serving

Directions

Heat butter and oil in a 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until butter melts. Add pepperoni and cook until it starts to crisp, about 2 minutes (see note above about doing this for slightly less time). Add pepper flakes and garlic, and cook for about an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the parsley and chives, and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in ½ c. of the Parmesan. Do not wipe out the skillet.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half. Take one piece and roll or stretch into a rectangle about 8 in. long by 4 in. wide. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife, and cut crosswise into 12 strips. Repeat with the other half, to yield 24 total strips.

Tie each strip into a knot and transfer to the bowl with the pepperoni, etc. mixture. Use your hands to toss and fold to coat the knots in the mixture. Place the knots in the skillet in a single layer, and drizzle with more olive oil.

Cover the skillet with plastic, and set aside until doubled, about 4 hours. Or, do as I did, and refrigerate for about 12 to 16 hours.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 425 degrees, and place oven rack in the center. Remove the plastic wrap. Sprinkle on the remaining ¼ c. cheese. Place skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes. Brush on additional olive oil and enjoy with pizza sauce!

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When the moon hits your eye …

No big pizza pie this week, but don’t worry, there’s still amore with these little pizza pies I made in my small skillet.

Pizza pie ingredients

One of my favorite summer meals is homemade pizza. It doesn’t take a lot of prep or cooking time, so I neither spend a lot of time in front of a hot stove nor heat up the house baking for hours. Plus, who doesn’t love pizza anytime?

Homemade pizza also means I can put anything on it without having to pay specialty prices.

This last time I made my homemade crust adapted from Betty Crocker, I made an extra serving to see how well my homemade pizza would taste and work in a 9- to 10-inch skillet.

As I’d hoped and expected, about half of one crust flattens into a 9- to 10-inch skillet. Thus, as hoped and expected, you need about half your typical pizza topping ingredients for a smaller skillet.

Or, if you’re me, you use both your 9- and 10-inch skillets and have two options for toppings, and you and your sweetie have your Book-It-style personal pan pizzas. No reading required. (Though obviously recommended, as reading is fun!)

Like with most of my homemade pizzas, I don’t really keep track of the amounts of toppings so my guide below will be both based on a full-size pizza so halve accordingly and also will be estimates. However, feel free to use your own toppings to your desired levels, though I have loved my adapted Betty Crocker crust for years and highly recommend adopting it as your own go-to crust recipe.

Now that’s what I call amore.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

For the crust:

*Will make 2 pizzas in 9- to 10-inch skillet

  • 2 ¼ t. active dry yeast (1 package)
  • ½ c. warm water
  • 1 t. honey
  • ¾ c. whole wheat flour
  • ½ to ¾ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • ½ t. salt

For the toppings:

*Will make 2 of the same pizza, so halve or have a variety of toppings available

  • Oil or oil spray
  • ¼ c. tomato paste or tomato sauce (I use either, depending on my mood)
  • 3 c. mozzarella, shredded
  • ½ small bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 pepperoncinis, chopped
  • 8 slices salami
  • 1 t. basil
  • 1 t. oregano
  • ½ t. garlic powder

Directions

For the crust:

In a medium bowl, mix together the warm water and honey, and add the yeast. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast has started to activate.

Add the oil and salt, and then the whole wheat flour. Use a large spatula or your hands to begin to mix together the dough, adding all-purpose flour as necessary until the dough comes together into an easy-to-handle mixture. Turn the dough out onto a (all-purpose) floured purpose, and begin to knead, adding more flour as necessary. Knead until the dough is smooth and springy.

Place into a clean, greased medium bowl, turning to coat all sides of the dough in grease. Cover and let rise about 20 minutes until roughly doubled in size.

Punch down, and divide. Place smaller dough balls into Ziploc bags or smaller covered bowls, preferably greased, and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours (I actually like it better if it is at least overnight but it works fine after 2 hours.)

For the pizza:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly oil a 9- to 10- inch skillet, or if you have two, oil them both.

Take 1 dough ball, and slowly press into the skillet. It at first will not stretch well, but as you keep pressing and working to form a flat surface that covers the skillet, it will begin to give more. Once it covers the bottom, with a little lip around the edges, spread about half of the sauce. Top with ½ the peppers and ½ the salami. Cover the toppings with half the cheese. Add half the herbs and spices.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the crust and cheese are lightly browned. Remove from heat, and enjoy your personal pan pizza.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients after the skillet has cooled, or use a second similarly sized skillet, and enjoy a second personal pan pizza!

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The most delicious trash mash-up

I’m not proud, but I knew from the moment I found this recipe that I would be making it. Two comfort foods in one is not going to look pretty, but sometimes you just need it.

Unfortunately, I was not expecting to make it so soon. But my super exciting, semi-fancy, fun recipe had to be put on hold for a week because I couldn’t find the appropriate *redacted ingredient* I needed. Research assures me I’ll be able to find *redacted ingredient* in West Des Moines this holiday weekend, so I should have my fun dinner a week later.

In its stead, however, I made chili cheese dog pizza.

Yep, it’s chili cheese dog pizza ingredients.

Yeah.

It was every bit of gloriously trashy and delicious you’d expect.

Even if I felt a bit silly making it, it was not a recipe of my own creation. I found it at “Taste of Home” and basically followed the ingredients except partially baking the crust before adding the toppings, since I used my own Betty Crocker recipe instead of the store-bought stuff.

However, despite following the recipe, it has exactly the ingredients you’d expect. Except one. First, the expected: a can of chili, 6 hot dogs, cheddar cheese, onions, and pizza dough. But it also called for yellow mustard.

Now, I like yellow mustard, and it is my go-to topping for hot dogs, but I wasn’t expecting it to be called for here. I went with it anyway. I have to say, it really brought the dish together so it was a welcome addition.

While I am loathe to admit it, this is one I’ll turn to again in the future.

A sheet pan pizza that needs to be seen in all its glory.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

  • 2 Betty Crocker pizza crusts (or store-bought)
  • ½ c. yellow mustard (I didn’t measure, just spread it on until there was a light coating)
  • 1 (15 oz.) can chili of your choice
  • 6 hot dogs, sliced
  • 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ onion, diced (optional)
  • Oil, for coating

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large rimmed sheet pan with oil. Spread out the crust.

Spread on the mustard, top with chili and spread throughout, add hot dog slices and onions, and then top with the cheddar cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the crust is browned on the edges and the cheese is melted. Let cool slightly, slice, and enjoy!