Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

May 24, 2011

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Sauce

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter sauce
If you don't have an ice cream maker you should seriously reconsider. It makes amazing froyo and it doesn't get much simpler than this recipe. This stuff is sooo good and doesn't have any of the unpronounceable crap that is in some store bought ice cream. Chocolate peanut butter is my favorite combo and topped with my homemade peanut butter sauce this is the most divine dessert! Enjoy! 
Homemade deliciousness
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • ½ cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
To make:
  1. Whisk together the half-and-half, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.  Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up).  Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly blended.
  2. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Lala's Crunchy Peanut Butter Sauce
Ingredients: 
  • Smooth peanut butter 
  • Rice krispies cereal 
To make: 
  1. Put as much peanut butter as you'd like for a topping into a microwavable bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until the mixture is pourable. Stir in the cereal and drizzle over ice cream. Eat! 

May 19, 2011

Healthy Pancakes

I adore pancakes. If you're ever in Austin please check out Kerby Lane Cafe- best pancakes in Austin! And queso too but that's an entirely different post. I made this healthy version of pancakes recently- the recipe caught my eye and I had the ingredients on hand. They use whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, & I added some homemade granola in for an added crunch. Topping with butter and maple syrup probably takes the healthiness down a bit but I like to think it balances out!
Great way to start the day!

Healthy Whole Wheat Granola Pancakes
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients:
  • ¾ cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • ½ cups Rolled Oats (not Instant)
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 6 ounces, weight Fat Free Or 1% plain Greek Yogurt
  • ½ cups Water
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • ½ cup of your favorite granola

To make:
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, oats, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda). Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients.
  2. In a large measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt and water. It should be a very thick but still be of pourable consistency. If more water is needed, add a teaspoonful at a time.
  3. Add yogurt-water mixture, eggs and vanilla to the hole in the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together until just combined.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed. Stir in granola.
  5. Cook the pancakes on a preheated griddle or in a skillet on the stove. When the edges of the batter appear dry and bubbles begin to form and pop, flip the pancake and cook the other side until done.
  6. Serve topped with a tablespoon more granola, butter & maple syrup. 

May 16, 2011

Brunch French Toast

French toast anyone? 
For mother's day brunch I made this recipe from Ms. Paula Deen (yes it has butter!). It was a super delicious treat- easy to make ahead and feed a crowd. Use really good bread to make it even more special. 

Sunday Brunch Baked French Toast
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 loaf French bread
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup half & half
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 sticks butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
To make:
  1. Slice French bread into 1-inch slices. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 x 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices
  2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and  whisk until blended
  3. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices
  4. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight
  5. The next day preheat oven to 350 degrees
  6. Mix together butter, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, & nutmeg. Spread topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with warm maple syrup

May 10, 2011

HUGE Cookies

Cookie?
Last week's Favorite Friday I mentioned these cookies. They're an enormous combination of everyone's favorite cookie (chocolate chip, peanut butter, & oatmeal). Plus they're as easy as making any other cookie and they're super yummy. The special tool that helped me make these huge is a 3 tablespoon scoop - a great tool for baking if you want things to be consistent (I also use this for making cupcakes & muffins).

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip PB Cookies
Note: This is not an original recipe but I can't locate the source at this time!
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg           
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

To make:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.
  3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
  4. Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, drop cookies on to lightly greased cookie sheets (or lined with parchment/silpat).
  5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. (Mine took more like 15 minutes just continue to check them)
  6. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

May 5, 2011

5 de Mayo!

Ole!
Hola! Happy Cinco de Mayo. I love this day because it's filled with memories of so many fun nights out with friends. Tonight will be no exception- Some friends & I are going on a sunset boat cruise with a picnic and of course some margaritas. In Austin people LOVE their margaritas and Mexican martinis. Until I moved back to Texas I'd never had a Mexican martini so I thought I'd share a recipe. They're very similar to a margarita but they're served in a shaker and they're typically very strong. Enjoy one today at your fiesta.

Mexican Martini (makes 1)
Recipe from here.
Ingredients
  • 2 fluid ounces tequila
  • 1 fluid ounce Cointreau liqueur
  • 1 -2 fluid ounce Sprite
  • 1 fluid ounce orange juice
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • Jalapeno stuffed olives
To make:
  1. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass rimmed with salt; add stuffed olives.

May 4, 2011

All Veg Power Smoothie

Vegetable smoothie
If you're looking for an iPhone app to help you exercise look no further than Nike Training Club. The app has different interval training workouts for you to do at home. I've only used it twice so far but both times were a challenge (in a good way). As you do workouts with the app you earn "rewards" and the last reward I earned was recipes for Power Smoothies. Most of the recipes are pretty normal but this veggie one stood out so I decided to try it after a weekend of less than healthy choices. It's a good way to up your vegetable intake. It tastes like a bunch of vegetables but sometimes that's what you need.

Not your typical smoothie ingredients!
All-Veg Power Smoothie
Recipe adapted from Nike
Ingredients:
  • 1 carrot
  • Chunk of ginger, chopped
  • Half a ripe avocado 
  • Quarter of a cucumber 
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 4 oz apple juice (I used orange) 
  • Ice cubes
To make:
  1. Chop all the vegetables in a blender. Blend with the apple juice & ice until smooth. 

April 26, 2011

Italian Cream Cake

Mmm CAKE!
Have you ever had an Italian Cream cake? I'm not sure of it's history but I think it's sort of a Southern/Texas thing more than Italian. The cake has coconut and pecans like a German Chocolate cake but it's vanilla with cream cheese frosting. I had never made or eaten one before this weekend when I did both! My grandpa requested an Italian Cream cake for his 82nd birthday so I did some recipe research and began to bake. I looked at a few classic recipes from my mom's Texas cookbooks and decided on this one from Pioneer Woman that is similar. The only change I made was rather than mixing the pecans & coconut in the icing I put pecans on top of the icing between layers and decorated the cake with more pecans & toasted coconut. It turned out to be really pretty & delicious! There was hardly any left at the end of our Easter get-together so that is always a good sign. Try it next time you're making a cake!

April 25, 2011

Spaghetti All'Arrabiata

When I was in Italy Spaghetti All'Arrabiata was one of my favorite dishes to order when dining out. Once it was so spicy my friend's lips started swelling at the table and she continued to eat because it was just that good. This version isn't nearly that hot but it does have a bit of a kick. It's a great alternative to regular marinara sauce.

Spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce

Spaghetti All'Arrabiata
Adapted from this recipe 
Ingredients:
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 dried red chilies, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 14-ounce cans of plum tomatoes, sieved
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 lb of spaghetti
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

To make:
  1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over low heat. Add the chilies, garlic and onion, and cook gently for around 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and break them up with your hands or a wooden spoon. Let the sauce cook until it is quite thick, about 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti in the salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
  3. Once the sauce has thickened, add the red vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the drained pasta and the reserved pasta water to the sauce, and toss to coat.

April 18, 2011

Asian Salmon en Papillote

I don't usually like salmon very much but I really enjoyed this tasty Asian version. This recipe is super healthy and comes together pretty quickly. Feel free to mix up the veggies & serve with brown rice.
Salmon in parchment ready to be folded & cooked!

Sesame-Ginger Salmon en Papillote
Recipe adapted from Cooking Channel

Ingredients:
  • Zest of 1/2 an orange
  • 1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2 heads baby bok choy, ends trimmed and cut into thirds
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup bean sprouts
  • 1 cup snow peas
  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil, for brushing packets
  • 1/3 cup diagonally thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

To make:
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the orange zest, ginger, soy sauce, orange juice, vinegar, and sesame oil together in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Fold 4 (16 by-12-inch) parchment paper squares in 1/2 lengthwise.
  3. Evenly divide the bok choy, bell peppers, peas and bean sprouts among the 4 parchment packets. Season the vegetables with 1 tablespoon sesame-ginger marinade. Place a salmon fillet on top of the vegetables and season with the black pepper and an additional tablespoon of the marinade.
  4. Fold the top half of the parchment over the fish, and overlap small folds along the open edge to seal. (If you need help with this step this tutorial helps!) 
  5. Place the packets on a baking sheet and brush each packet with olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the parchment paper puffs up.
  6. Transfer the parchment packets to plates. Carefully cut the packets open, avoiding the hot steam, and serve.

April 11, 2011

Feel Good Smoothie

At the end of the week my sister and I are running a half marathon. It's my second time doing one and her first so we're really excited! This week is all about doing healthy things for our bodies so we can avoid injury and feel our best on race day. With that in mind I thought I'd share my breakfast- it's fast, yummy, & nutritious. This also makes a good pre or post workout snack.
Start your day off smoothie (ha) 
Feel Good Smoothie
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt 
  • 1 banana (overripe is fine) 
  • 1/2 cup frozen berries 
  • 1/4 cup of fruit juice (whatever's in the fridge) 
  • 5 or 6 ice cubes 
To make:
  1. Combine all ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. If the mixture is too thick add a little more juice. Pour into a cup and enjoy. 
PS- You can use whatever fruits you have around (fresh or frozen) and you can also add protein powder if you want but Greek yogurt is high in protein on it's own so I don't usually bother.

April 6, 2011

Chicken Salad Salad

Hey everyone. Today I want to share a simple and delicious salad that's perfect for lunch. As always add and subtract whatever ingredients you like or have on hand. This chicken salad is also tasty on a sandwich if you prefer!
Mmm salad salad
Chicken Salad Salad
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup cooked shredded chicken (poach, boil, bake or use a rotisserie) 
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise (light is great) 
  • 2 tablespoons dill relish 
  • 1 stalk of celery, washed & diced 
  • Salt + pepper
  • Salad dressing of your choice
  • Salad greens 
  • 1 tablespoon dried cranberries 
  • 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds 

To make:
  1. In a bowl combine the chicken, mayo, relish & celery. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
  2. Put your greens in a salad bowl and dress lightly. 
  3. Top with the chicken salad, cranberries, & almonds. 

March 30, 2011

Homemade Froyo

Homemade froyo right out of the machine
A lot of my friends have been looking forward to this recipe so I won't put it off any longer. I made my own froyo this weekend and it was ridiculously easy and delicious. If you have an ice cream maker then get it ready! I adapted my recipe from David Lebovitz's frozen yogurt recipe. The great thing about this is that it's super adaptable. Add more or less sugar & whatever flavors you like. I'm excited to play around with it! If the blackberries seem familiar it's because I used the leftover puree from this recipe to make margaritas- yum!

Topped with tasty granola
Blackberry Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from this recipe 

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 pint fresh blackberries
To make:
  1. Puree blackberries in a blender until smooth. Strain out the seeds using a sieve or mesh strainer.
  2. Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and blackberry puree. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.
  3. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  4. Top with your favorite froyo toppings! 

March 28, 2011

Blackberry Margaritas

Blackberry Margarita- mmm! 
Now that it's starting to get warmer (in most places) this is a perfect drink. Blackberries are the most beautiful color, especially in drinks. We all know I prefer my drinks pink but it's even better when fresh fruit is involved. I made these with Republic tequila and Republic classic lime spirit blend. Republic is an Austin-based brand and it's not available everywhere yet. If you can get your hands on it then do! It's a super high quality organic tequila- but any 100% agave tequila works well in this recipe. The spirit blends are only available in Texas but they're basically fresh lime juice, agave nectar and water. You can substitute with fresh lime juice and agave nectar for sweetness (so much better than sweet & sour!).
Blackberry Margaritas
Ingredients:
1 pint fresh blackberries, washed
100% agave plata (or white) tequila
Fresh lime juice
Agave nectar to taste
Ice

To make:
Put the blackberries in a blender and puree. Pour the puree through a sieve or mesh strainer into a bowl and use a spoon to separate out the seeds. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Put in one part tequila, 1/2 part blackberry puree, 2 parts fresh lime juice, and agave nectar to taste (depending on how sweet you like it). Shake well and pour into a martini or margarita glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime or a blackberry.

March 25, 2011

Favorite Friday

"It's Friday, Friday gotta get down on Friday!" Haha OK just kidding. I'm looking forward to a much more laid-back weekend than the last. No solid plans just enjoying the warm temperatures maybe even swimming? Here are some favorites from this week.

DIY Ombre Napkins
I love the look of these napkins and they seem simple enough to make yourself for a dinner party. Pretty.

Homemade Granola
I can't wait to try this recipe from one of my favorite local food blogs, Food is for Sharing. It's by the owner of Fino & Asti- two of my favorite Austin restaurants. This recipe is right from the Fino brunch menu and it looks easy, healthy and yummy.

Margaritas from Vivo
Vivo
Speaking of Austin favorites, last night Chris & I went to Vivo for the first time. We were really impressed with the ambience of the place- very sexy lighting and a great patio area. It's a nice date spot and the drinks were fantastic.

Cheers to a fun weekend!

March 24, 2011

Baked Ziti

Sunday night I wanted to cook after going out to eat so much during SXSW but I didn't have a ton of energy. I wanted to make something easy but tasty! I decided on Baked Ziti which is a super-simple comfort food that is a crowd pleaser. Serve this with a simple salad and some garlic bread and dinner is done! This recipe is easily customizable as well, add in some browned meat, veggies, spinach, etc. Play with your food!
Image from Allrecipes
I'm always too busy eating to remember to take pictures!
Baked Ziti
Roughly adapted from this recipe 

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound dry ziti pasta (or penne, any short pasta will do, whole wheat if you like)
  • 3 ½ cups of your favorite jarred (or homemade) tomato sauce
  • 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream or ricotta cheese
  • ½ pound of mozzarella cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

To make:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; do not overcook! Drain and return to pot. Add in the sauce and mix.
  3. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, 1/2 of the cubed mozzarella, Provolone cheese, sour cream, remaining ziti, remaining mozzarella and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted. Serve immediately. 

March 16, 2011

Congo Bars

Bar cookies are so easy- they take no time and we all love them. These cookies are super sweet and fun to bring along to a party or sleepover (if you still do that type of thing). Last time I made these I packaged them up and shipped them to some friends in D.C. I was thinking about making more today since one of my old college roommates is coming in town. See? Sleepovers still do happen! 
Yummy congo bars!
Congo Bars
Adapted from Bakerella 

Ingredients 
  • 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2/3 cup butter, softened

  • 1 lb. light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 cup M&M’s*
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips*
*You could use any combination of candies/nuts for this.  I like the color of the M&Ms and I like the flavor of the chips. 

To make: 
  1. Set oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray. 
  2. To begin, sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

  3. Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended.
 Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.
 Add vanilla and mix. 
Add flour and mix until combined. 
Stir in chips.
  4. Spread the mixture evenly into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. 

March 13, 2011

Easy Caprese Appetizer

You can find the ingredients for this appetizer year round and it's especially nice during warmer weather since you don't have to use the stove at all. It comes together in minutes and it's a tasty and colorful bite that your guests will love.
Caprese salad on a stick!
Caprese Skewers
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb small fresh mozzarella balls 
  • 1 container of cherry tomatoes, washed 
  • 1 bunch fresh basil, washed 
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar 
  • Salt & pepper

To make:
  1. Alternate piercing a cherry tomato, a folded basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball on skewers and place completed skewers on a plate. 
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil & vinegar. Drizzle the dressing over the skewers, add salt & pepper to taste and serve. 

March 8, 2011

Brunch Basics

If a dinner party seems overwhelming you may want to consider hosting a brunch! Brunch is more low-key and relaxed than dinner and people seem comfortable cooking breakfast foods. My boyfriend hosted a brunch a couple weekends ago and it was really fun.

The formula is pretty basic:
Something sweet + an egg dish + fruit + a morning cocktail = success!

We made chocolate chip pecan pancakes, fruit salad, bacon, mimosas and mini-frittatas. The mini-frittatas were so easy and since they bake, the stovetop was free for pancakes/bacon. Next time you make brunch even if it's just a small get together I strongly suggest making these. Feel free to sub out veggies & cheeses. If you want more tips for hosting brunch check out this post from Big Girls Small Kitchen.
Muffin Frittatas
Forgot to take a photo! This one's from Flikr
Mini Frittatas
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients:
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
  • 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion

To make:
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 12 muffin cups. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended. Add cheese and veggies; mix well. Spoon evenly into greased muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each.
  2. Bake at 350 degrees until just set, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups & serve warm.

March 1, 2011

Healthy Taco Salad

I’m a big fan of salads but sometimes they don’t feel like a full meal for dinner. This taco salad is packed with flavor and protein that really fills me up.  I wrote the recipe using what I put in my salad last time but salads are a great way to use up any extra veggies you have in your fridge- so experiment! I made this healthier than what you may get in a Mexican restaurant by skipping the sour cream, using salsa as dressing, lean turkey meat, reduced fat cheese, & just a few tortilla chips for crunch rather than that big fried bowl.
Mmm taco salad
Healthy Taco Salad
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
  • ½ lb lean ground turkey
  • ½ can Rotel tomatoes
  • ¼ packet of taco seasoning mix (low sodium)
  • ½ cup of frozen Southwest blend (peppers, black beans, corn, & onions)
  • Lettuce of your choice
  • 1/8 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
  • I boiled egg, chopped
  • 10 tortilla chips, crushed
  • Salsa 

To make:
  1. Brown the turkey in a skillet on the stove.  Once it has cooked through add the tomatoes, taco seasoning, and veggie blend and stir until heated through and flavors have melded (about 5 minutes).  If you prefer the meat to be cold, chill this mixture in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make your salads.
  2. Put the lettuce into bowls and top with the shredded cheese, chips and egg.  Dress the salad with salsa and top with turkey mixture.  

February 23, 2011

Homemade Pizzas

I'm excited to share one of my favorite go-to recipes with you today! It's pizza (who doesn't love that?) and you make it from scratch yourself. If you're thinking that sounds like too much work then you're mistaken because this recipe comes together in about 30 minutes. It's a thin crust pizza so the dough doesn't need time to rise and the toppings are up to your taste/creativity. I probably make this once a week because it's versatile and delicious. The pizzas in the photo are a potato pizza and a veggie one with sun-dried tomatoes (they sort of look like bugs in the picture!)

Recent homemade pizzas
Thin Crust Pizza
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:
  • .25 oz. pkt. active dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup 110 degree water
  • 1 3/4 cups bread flour (all purpose works but bread flour works best)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Cheese, sauce, & toppings of your choice

To make:
  1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in water and allow to rest for 8 minutes. Meanwhile in a large separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.
  3. Pour the yeast mixture over the flour mixture and mix with a heavy spoon.
  4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.
  5. Working from the edges to the center, press dough into a 12" circle.
  6. Place the dough on a lightly greased pizza pan before adding toppings. 
  7. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and season with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes & garlic salt. Add sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice.
  8. Bake the pizza in a 500 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until edges are golden.