The Perfect Pizza Crust

Not to be dramatic, but this is perfect pizza crust.

Pizza is a staple in my home, no joke. I make pizza for dinner at least once a week. Twice this week since I made Thai Chicken Pizza yesterday for dinner then loved it so much I made it again tonight.

When you're eating pizza this often, insanely delicious crust is a must.

So I searched and tested and cried and searched and ate and gained 5 pounds and then I found it.

The perfect pizza crust. Its yummy and easy. Minimal rising.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Pizza Crust

• 1 3/4-2 cups bread flour (bread flour is a MUST!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dry active yeast

1.  In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast, honey, and olive oil. Let yeast proof for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and oregano. Add the yeast mixture once it has proofed. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. 
3. Let rise for 10 minutes over the warm over (as it preheats). Roll out in a circle and place on a cornmeal sprinkled pan.
4. Cover with toppings and bake at 475 for 15 minutes.

Yesterday Tidbits

Yesterday, in no particular order, I...

1. Cleaned the house. (Like anyone cares about that.)

2. Made my first pillow ever. I like it, but am not sure yet if I looooove it.

3. I fishtailed my hair.
4. Went to Cafe Rio with a friend.
5.Watched Andrew play Speed Racer on the Wii. This is how I watch him: "Oh watch out! Here he comes! OOOOH OUCH! Yeah! You got him! HURRY HURRY HURRY HURRY! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Yep, that's me, #1 fan.

  6. Went to a Jazz game and sat on the 16th row thanks to tickets I was given at work.

Obviously a pretty great Saturday. I mean, any day you braid your hair is automatically noteworthy.

Raspberry and Cream Cheese French Toast

It is Saturday morning and I am procrastinating x2. My kitchen trash can is sitting outside in the 20 degree weather because it smells like something died in it. It's been there since yesterday and I'm supposed to be cleaning it out right now, but that's not in the cards for today. I can just tell. I'm secretly hoping Andrew will get tired of having a make-shift trash can (aka plastic bag) sitting on our kitchen floor and he'll go scrub the thing down. I'm pretty sure the cards aren't predicting that either.

Annnnd (procrastination #2) I got a sewing machine, fabric, and a box of sewing necessities and it is time to get down to business--there are pillows to be made people! However, I am a little intimidated to begin without the company of my mom. That's right, I need my mommy. I've never sewn without her looking over my shoulder to tell me if I am doing it right.

Watch out world, Jocelyn is cutting the cord. Maybe. If I actually get up the nerve to get started.

Ah, but cooking. There is something I know how to do. Beware, that stuff photoed (that looks like it shouldn't be a word but there is no red squiggly so I am keeping it) above is seriously rich. Andrew and I ate one "sandwich" each and then could go no further. That could have something to do with the copious amount of heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cream cheese that went into this.

That one sandwich though... seriously good.

Restraint does not concern me.

In fact, the next time we make this I would blend the cream cheese with some powdered sugar because after a bit, the slightly tart taste of the cream cheese was not melding with the super sweetness of everything else.

Raspberry and Cream Cheese French Toast

• 1, 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 12 slices day old brioche, challah, or any other thick bread
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3 eggs. beaten
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (or light cream or milk)
• 1/8 cup powdered sugar
• 3 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean
• dash of salt

1. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Spread cram cheese mixture evenly over one side of each slice of bread. Top half of the slices of bread covered with cream cheese with raspberries. Top with remaining bread slices, cream cheese side down, to make "sandwiches." 
2. Combine beaten eggs, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl.
3. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture, turning carefully to coat both sides.
4. Place sandwich on a greased skillet and cook over med-high heat until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes, each side).
5. Serve topped with raspberries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream.

Ok, I'm off to make pillows. If I ever finish they will be showcased here, just you wait.
P.S. please come wash my trash can.

baked alfredo tortellini pasta with grilled chicken and roasted tomatoes

I made that for dinner. I imagined it up in my head at work and I came home and made it.

Then I took a few pictures. They all came out looking like a heap of hot mess.

After that I ate two plates worth even though I was full after the first plate.

Bienvenu à ma vie.

P.S. How was your thanksgiving? Mine was beautiful. Exhibit A, B, and C:

Anyway, here's how I made the stuff I was talking about before:

 Baked Alfredo Tortellini Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Roasted Tomatoes

Total prep and cook time: 25 minutes

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 roma tomato, diced and seeds removed
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• 1 cup pasta (I prefer penne)
• 1/2 cup tortellini
• alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Boil water. Once the water boils, add the pasta. When the pasta has 1 minute until it is done (after about 13 minutes of cooking) add the tortellini for 1 minute. Drain.
2. Take 1 chicken breast and cut off all the sick parts (you know what I am talking about, veins, white flubber sickness, etc.). Pound the chicken until it is flat-ish. Generously sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. 
3. Turn the oven on to broil.
4. Grill the chicken on a grill pan for about 5 minutes over medium heat then flip it over and add the diced tomatoes to the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
5. Place the pasta in a buttered 8 inch casserole dish. Add the alfredo sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Top with chicken and tomatoes. Sprinkle parmesan cheese evenly over the top on the pasta and chicken. Broil for 5 minutes until melty and bubbly.
6. Eat and enjoy. 

What I've been reading

Two posts in two days. When it rains it pours.

I feel compelled to tell you what I am reading. Why? Because it is not enough for me to force my cooking whims on you, I must force my reading choices on you as well.

I apologize. Kind of.

This was an unexpected and unplanned purchase for me. I was at Barnes and Noble and it was in the "our staff recommends" section. I read the back and decided it was worth a try.

The book is narrated by a hysterical 11-year-old girl names Flavia de Luce. She's a bit sassy, sarcastic, and loves chemistry. Basically she solves a murder.

So if you like funny, witty, murder mysteries (and maybe like the occasional chemistry aside) you'll like this. My mom is a chemist and loves detective novels so I bought it with the intention of if I hate it, at least I can pass it on to her and she'll like it.

Turns out I like it to. In my completely made up scale, I give it a "rent it from the library".

Enjoy.

P.S. here's what the author says about Flavia:

Q: Flavia certainly is an interesting character. How did you come up with such a forceful, precocious and entertaining personality?

AB: Flavia walked onto the page of another book I was writing, and simply hijacked the story. I was actually well into this other book–about three or four chapters–and as I introduced a main character, a detective, there was a point where he was required to go to a country house and interview this colonel.

I got him up to the driveway and there was this girl sitting on a camp stool doing something with a notebook and a pencil and he stopped and asked her what she was doing and she said “writing down license number plates“ and he said “well there can’t be many in such a place“ and she said, “well I have yours, don’t I? “ I came to a stop. I had no idea who this girl was and where she came from.

She just materialized. I can’t take any credit for Flavia at all. I’ve never had a character who came that much to life. I’ve had characters that tend to tell you what to do, but Flavia grabbed the controls on page one. She sprung full-blown with all of her attributes–her passion for poison, her father and his history–all in one package. It surprised me.

Oven Roasted Butternut Squash

Happy Halloween!

Oh what...? I'm like a week late. Yeah, I know but I don't really get around to blogging that much these days and I couldn't resist showing off the awesome pumpkins. Guess which one I made.

That's right, I made the spooky ghost/haunted mansion one! Andrew made the cute little guy on the left. He thought it would attract more trick-or-treaters and be kid friendly. Too bad we weren't even here on Halloween so didn't light them or pass out candy.

In keeping with the pumpkin family, I made butternut squash! It's a perfect fall treat! (What? I'm late again and it's already winter? Right.)

And it is a vegetable, healthy, yummy, and best part- incredibly simple to make. ...Once you get the hang of it.

I bought one of these at the store and brought it home super confident that I could do this on my own. I didn't need a recipe to tell me how to make a squash! So I cut it open with my super large knife and stared blankly at the little alien I was looking at.

I brought half of the thing over to Andrew and said, "What do you think I should do with the seed part? Do I cook them with it or throw it them away?" He responds uncharacteristically excited, "YEAH! Just scoop it out and poop them in the garbage!"

...Uhhhh what?

So I gave him a blank stare, and pooped those seeds in the garbage like I was told.

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Butternut Squash

• One large butternut squash
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the butternut squash open lengthwise. Remove the seeds.
3. Stab holes in each half of the squash with a fork.
4. Cover with butter, 1 tbs per side.
5. Place the squash on a tin foil-covered cookie sheet. Pour the 1/2 cup of water on the sheet- this will keep the squash from drying out while baking.
6. Cook for one hour or until soft and easily pierced by a fork.
7. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
8. Eat.

What I've been reading

Right now I am 50 pages away from finishing The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and I can't put it down or think about much else.

I read this book about 6 years ago and loved it then. I decided to read it again to see if it withstood the test of time. It did. It might now go on my list of favorite books.

The story is about an architect, Howard Roark, and how he is a crazy genius/artist and makes masterpiece buildings, the public's crusades against him, and his intense love affair. He has all these set backs because the collective public is blind and will crusade against purity and passion. However, because he never cares about man and the masses and only cares about the integrity of his passions, he is ultimately happy and successful.

He's basically Rand's ideal of humankind embodied and you can't help but rally around him.

It's a great read that I couldn't put down 6 years ago and still can't put down. I highly recommend it. It's about 900 pages and every page is interesting and reads quickly.