Mexican Pizza

Who would have known that homemade pizza dough was so easy? No rise time needed! Here's my recipe - it turned out great!

Pizza dough

1 C. water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
3 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar


Heat the water and oil together until it reaches 120-130 degrees. I put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and used a candy thermometer to test the temperature. Mix in the yeast until dissolved. In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.  Using the dough hook, start on a low speed an slowly add the water, oil, and yeast mixture. Continue to mix until the dough comes together and there's not longer any dry crumbs. Continue mixing a few minutes more to knead. Turn off the mixer and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. This should make 4 extra thin crusts or 2 medium sized pizzas.

Mexican Pizza

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and Pepper1 recipe pizza dough, divided into 2
1/2 a can of refried beans
1/2 C. taco sauce
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 head of lettuce, shredded
4 green onions, sliced
1 sm. can black olives
Jalapeños (optional)
2 - 2 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the ground meat, onion, and seasoning in a medium skillet until cooked through. Drain fat and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and start to assemble the pizza. Roll out dough into 2 rounds (up to you on the thickness - use rolling pin or hands). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Next spread the refried beans on the dough, then spread the taco sauce on top. Top with the ground beef and cheese.  Bake each pizza 20-30 minutes until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted. Top with the tomatoes, lettuce, green onions, black olives, and jalapeños. Slice and enjoy!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Asparagus is in season! For less than $10 you can make this really simple and totally tasty soup. I made a half batch tonight and nearly finished it. The best part, it's guilt free when you use greek yogurt instead of cream. I hope you try this. It's one of my absolute favorites.

2 lbs. fresh asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
Salt and Pepper
5 C. chicken broth
Olive oil
1/2 C. greek yogurt
1/2 a lemon, juiced (about 1-2 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. butter

Saute the the onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Add the asparagus and salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Add the broth, loosely cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (about 10 minutes).

Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Add in the yogurt, lemon juice, and butter. Mix until smooth. Season with more salt and paper as desired.

Chocolate Pecan Bread

This last week I saw a Nutella breakfast bread on Pinterest that got my mouth watering. I don't mind Nutella, but when I started thinking about making this, I thought 'how delicious would this be if I used dark chocolate instead'? Then it would be more like pain au chocolat, right? Right. It was a good decision.

12 Rhoades frozen dinner rolls
5 oz. (1/2 a bag) of dark chocolate chips (I recommend the Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips)
1 (2.25 oz.) bag of chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Flour for dusting
1 Egg
Water

First off, this is an overnight recipe. Plan ahead. Assuming you'll be making this for breakfast, spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place the 12 frozen rolls inside. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let sit out overnight.

Once you've gotten your beauty rest, remove the cover from the dinner rolls and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. The dough should be really puffy and sticking together. Sprinkle some flour on a flat working surface and dump the clump of dough out. Roll out with a rolling pin to make a rectangle (roughly 9"x13").

In a small bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar together to form a paste. Spread the paste on the rolled out dough and sprinkle with the chocolate chips and pecans. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter to create two sections. Starting on the long edge of the dough, begin rolling towards the center to form a tight log. Do this for both pieces of dough and then life the logs onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Twist the dough logs around each other and tuck the ends in. I made mine into an "S" shape. Cut slits in the dough to expose some of the filling. I like it when bits ooze out while it bakes. Cover, and let rest of an hour. The dough should puff back up slightly. Whisk together the egg and a little water and brush the dough with the mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Here's a replay in photos:

The night before, place the frozen dough in a grease bowl. Cover and sit overnight.

The next morning the dough should look like this.

Roll out on a floured surface.

Spread with the butter and sugar paste.

Sprinkle on the toppings. Don't go overboard. Nor possible you say? Yeah, I know, but trust me on this.

Slice lengthwise into two pieces and start rolling.

The two logs.

Move to the cookie sheet and twist together tucking the ends in. Cut slits in the dough if you like.

Cover and let rest for an hour.

After a rest...

Voila! Golden deliciousness out of the oven.

Quiche

I can't believe I'm making this post. This recipe has been a personal favorite of mine for years, and I wanted to keep the fame to myself by never sharing. But it's too easy and delicious.

World, you are welcome.

One of my all-time favorite cookbooks holds this beloved recipe. It's the most unusual cookbook but has some of the most amazing recipes I've ever tried. It's called The Best of France by Evie Righter. I'd highly recommend her other book The Best of Italy too. If you've ever wanted to try any of the classics, these are the recipes to start with...French Onion Soup, Creme Brulee, Meatballs, Alfredo sauce, etc.

So here it is. You can switch up the ingredients any way you like. Today I used ham, onion, spinach, and cheddar cheese. Try using bacon, leeks, tomatoes, Gruyere, Parmesan, fontina...the possibilities are endless. My favorite part about this recipe is that its egg-hater friendly. As much as I detest eggs, there are only 3 in the entire dish, and the texture is perfect. Word of advice, you may want to make two...

1 recipe pastry dough (store bought refrigerated or frozen in a tin are perfect)
3 eggs
1 C. milk
1/2 C. heavy cream
2-3 tsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly grated nutmeg (vital!!!)
Salt and Pepper

For the filling:
1 C. diced ham
1/2 C. thawed frozen spinach, drained and squeezed dry
1/3 C. minced onion

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and prepare the pastry dough by pressing into a pie pan and pricking with a fork to help vent (if using the frozen shells already in the pan, no extra steps needed!). Bake the crust for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, cream, mustard, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the toppings into the cooled pastry shell and pour the egg mixture over the toppings just up to the rim of the crust.

Place pie dish on a baking sheet and bake 30-45 minutes until the quiche starts to puff and brown. I like to cook the quiche well so that the middle no longer jiggles. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Balsamic Crock Pot Roast Beef

Adapted from this recipe
Serves 6

2-3 lb. beef round roast (I used round tip roast)
4-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small can beef broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion, sliced
Buns
Blue cheese and horseradish cream sauce (recipe below)


Combine the garlic, broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire, honey, and vinegar together in a bowl. Place roast in a slow cooker and pour sauce over. Cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove from slow cooker, wrap in tinfoil and let rest for 10 minutes. Keep the broth for au jus dipping! When ready to serve, remove foil, and pull apart using a fork.  Spread blue cheese horseradish sauce on the bun, top with beef and caramelized onions. Be sure to use the leftover broth -- drizzle on top of the sandwich or dip. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese and Horseradish Cream Sauce

1 (8oz.) small container sour cream
2-4 Tbsp. horseradish (to taste)
2-3 Tbsp. blue cheese crumbles

Combine all ingredients together. Add horseradish to taste - depending on how hot you like it. Be careful not to add too much cheese as it can be overpowering.

What's the purple stuff you might ask? Mashed potatoes using blue and yellow new potatoes. Add a little greek yogurt, butter, ranch dressing, and caramelized onions.