Pizza Dough

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/New-York-Italian-Pizza-Dough/Detail.aspx

I don't know how anyone could possibly use this recipe as written--the dough is far too sticky, not even dough, in my opinion. (But I used all purpose flour--maybe that makes a difference.) Anyway, I added almost twice as much flour as called for, gradually, using the Bosch mixer, until the dough cleared the sides of the bowl but still stuck to the bottom. I kneaded it with the mixer for about ten minutes and it created a very stretchy, sticky dough.

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OK, here is the post-dinner report: This pizza was absolutely amazing. We had Jill and Wendell over for Henry's birthday dinner and everyone got to make their own pizza. It's tricky to stretch out the dough, and you want it the thinner the better, in my opinion. I heated up my pizza stone for half an hour in a preheated 500 degree oven. According to Peter Reinhardt you want to bake your pizza at the highest temperature you can so that the crust bakes in the same amount of time as the cheese melts and caramelizes. Jill is a sushi chef and has worked in the restaurant business for a long time and said this was the best pizza she had had in a very long time. Wendell is also a discriminating eater and just said he was very, very happy. Henry is particular about his pizza and was also extremely impressed, especially with the crust.

I find it very difficult to get the pizza onto the stone so this time I cut circles of parchment paper the same size as the stone and people spread out their dough and made their pizzas right on the paper which was easy to slide onto the stone. I made my dough extremely thin. Here is what I put on my pizza and I want to make it exactly like this every time because it was so good:

--Garlic butter around the edges of the dough.

--Thin layer of pizza sauce (purchased from a local pizzeria).

--Sliced fresh mushrooms.

--Fresh baby spinach.

--Dabs of homemade pesto.

--Marinated artichoke hearts.

--Dabs of feta cheese.

--Mozzarella cheese.

--Hormel turkey pepperoni.

--Slices of red bell pepper.

--Fresh parmesan cheese.

--Greek olives.

Baked at 500 degrees for ten minutes.

Shepherd's Pie

This one's for you, Julia.   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/30-minute-shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html

Ciabatta Poolish

Here is the recipe I found online. http://theyumblog.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/peter-reinharts-poolish-ciabatta/   My daughter's teacher got it from Peter Rienhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688

Italian Bread

I made this Italian bread the other night and it was really good. I baked it at 450 for 25-30 minutes and misted it with water before baking, and two more times at 3 minute intervals, and the crust came out nice and crisp. I'm still planning to try the amazing Ciabatta Poolish that my daughter's cooking teacher makes.   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mama-Ds-Italian-Bread/Detail.aspx

Meat Loaf for Sam

I skimmed a few recipes for basic information, then created this one. We used to stockpile Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers but Sam doesn't eat them as much any more, so here's a way to use them.

3 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 bag parmesan goldfish crackers
3 tbsp. milk
Ketchup
Spicy brown mustard
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
Mrs. Dash
Garlic powder
Black pepper

I didn't add any salt because of the crackers; hopefully that will be o.k.

Smash the crackers and mix everything together. Pat into a loaf pan (or Pyrex bowl like I used). Spread the top with ketchup. Bake at 350 for an hour. (?)

Sugar Cookies

I found this on simplyrecipes.com and made the following alterations [in brackets]. Delicious. (Especially the dough!)   3 cups flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup soft butter 1 egg, slightly beaten [flax seed egg substitute] 3 tbsp cream [sour cream] 1 tsp vanilla (can substitute almond extract) [zest of one lemon]   Chill. Roll 1/4 thick and cut out cookies. Bake on ungreased sheet at 400 for 5-8 minutes just until edges are slightly brown.   The lemon zest and sour cream made these so good! (I don't keep real cream on hand.)