Sunday, October 6, 2013

Finally! Homemade Crust

One of my goals is to become a great cook.  It's not fair that my dolls get all the good food.  Of course, I haven't had much time to devote to this goal, but lately I've been able to squeeze in a few dishes.  I made a fabulous cheesecake a couple weeks ago.  It was my first and it was delectable.  I would have shared pictures, but they got lost in my camera picture eating problem.  

I've been wanting to learn how to make dough so I can make bread, pasta, pies, and pizza dough. Today I tackled pizza dough and homemade brownies. 

Here is the finished pizza.  The crust could have been a little darker, but it was still good.  It's a barbeque chicken pizza with onions, mushrooms, and green peppers.

Here is a picture of the risen yeast dough.  I was oh so excited to see it actually doubled in size like they said it would.  During the kneading process, I wasn't convinced I was doing it right.

I picked up this pizza pan at Aldi's a couple days ago, for $3.99.  It has slits in the bottom, which helps the crust cook better.  I made this sauce about a week ago from fresh tomatoes, and herbs.  I make homemade spaghetti sauce pretty regularly.  

For my toppings, I chose mushrooms, onions and green peppers.  I lightly sauteed them before adding them on top a layer of pizza cheese.

Then I added the barbeque chicken.  I grilled a couple chicken breasts on my stove top grill.  While it was grilling, I quickly made a barbeque sauce with ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and lots of spices.  

These are fresh basil leaves from my basil plants outside.  No, I don't have a garden, but it's on the list.  How awesome would it be to just walk outside and get fresh food from your garden.

Here's the pizza all assembled.

I should have waited to put the fresh basil on after the pizza came out of the oven.  Oops.  But it worked out okay.  I drizzled a little of my barbeque sauce throughout the pizza.

While I was waiting for the dough to rise, I made a pan of homemade brownies.  This is a recipe I got from Martha Stewart's Cooking School that comes on PBS on Saturday.  That woman had me melting dark chocolate over a bain de marie (water bath).  I left these in the oven about 5 minutes too long, but they were still tasty.  Definitely need some milk with these!  Talk about chocolaty. 

Another picture of the finished pizza.  I got a thumbs up from my mom. 

Next time I will try to get the pizza crust a little browner and the brownies a little less brown.  LOL!  But all in all a successful cooking session.

21 comments:

  1. It looks yummy. The members of Morristown are probably feeling left out since you normally prepare food for them.

    I purchased one of those pizza pans from Aldi several months ago. I buy the thin Mama's pizza crusts they sell in a package of two that comes with two packages of sauce. I top with sauteed fresh spinach, onions and garlic; cheese, and either ground turkey or chicken breast strips on half. Other veggie options are tomatoes, green olives, or shredded broccoli florets.

    Mama's is good, but I am sure your crust tastes better.

    dbg

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    1. DBG - I saw the Mama's pizza crust in Aldi's. I think my next one will be with spinach. I was looking to buy a pizza stone, but the pan worked out nicely. The bad thing is once I start making things from scratch, I don't ever want to buy them from the store again. I can't even look at a jar of spaghetti sauce now. I've been making my own sauce for about 2 yrs now.

      The dolls needn't worry. I'm making new stuff for them too.

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  2. I thought you were talking about doll pizza for a minute, but still a great post and that pizza and brownie look delicious.

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    1. sisilovessinging - Thanks. I will probably make the dolls a pizza similar to this one. It's been a long time since I made doll pizza.

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  3. Oh, the temptation! That's some yumminess right there.

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    1. Muff - I like to make food, then deliver it to others to eat. I will be doling out those brownies today. They have GOT to go.

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  4. These look absolutely yummy - your dolls will be jealous. I must admit I like pizzas with a thin crust so I just buy Lebanese bread (which is yeast free) and use that to make my pizza bases. And you are making me think I must bake some brownie myself.

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    1. Carrickters - I like thin crust pizza too. I made this crust really thin. Normally I would take just a whole wheat tortilla and make it into a pizza. I've been doing online cooking school for a couple years now. I should have been done by now, but I haven't been putting in the time, nor have I been doing the practice exercises which involved making the food. The pizza was for my Rouxbe cooking school. The brownies were just from Martha Stewart. I'm finding out that I LOVE to bake, so I'm trying to perfect some classic desserts and then start selling them.

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  5. Hello from Spain: wonderful food. I can not cook anything. The pizza is very rich. Great job. Delicious food. . Keep in touch

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    1. Marta - Thanks. You can cook, if you put your mind to it.

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  6. Oh, my did you go there? Pizza AND brownies. The DAFs and I have our faces against the screen.

    Go on!

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    1. D7ana - I must admit I thought of you and your crew when I was posting this. I sure wish you lived closer. I'm always looking for guinea pigs to eat the food that I cook.

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    2. Oh, it would be great to live closer to such a fun DAF enthusiast. But think about my weight, lol. And fall/winter is a dangerous food time ... so many goodies to consider!

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  7. Ummm, it seems delicius. I love home- made food, it´s my favourite!!! =)

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  8. Se ve muy deliciosa la comida, yo soy pesima cocinera, seguro disfrutaron mucho todos.

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    1. lindaivette - ¡Gracias! Estoy empezando a disfrutar de la cocina.

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  9. Oh gosh! That yummy pizza....sure is my weakness!

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    1. V - Thanks. I love pizza, but it doesn't love my thighs. Making it from scratch makes me feel better about eating it.

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  10. Oh, Vanessa. How could you do this to me ??? I'm at home sick , and now I'm craving something I wont get for a while :''''(.... Lol, looks good ! :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh Madison if I were nearby, I would make you some homemade chicken soup with a slice of pizza. LOL. Hope you feel better soon.

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