Pizza Dough with Wine

Mario Batali knows his Italian food, so I adapted this pizza dough recipe from his.  He mixes the yeast in a mixture of wine and water!  I love the idea of it, and the crust was good and sweet.  Honestly, I like just about anything with wine and honey. 

When you use the wine, make sure it's room temperature so it won't upset the temperature balance the yeast needs to work its magic.  I used Riesling, my favorite, but you can use any white or light red wine.  I also used whole-wheat flour for this since it was all I had, and it didn't take away any of the taste.  If anything, it made me feel better about eating more of it.  It wasn't a thin crust, so if you want a dough that's a bit heartier, this is the one for you. 

Also interesting about Mario Batali's recipe is that it ends as you're about to bake it.  He gives no time or temperature, so use what you know to work.  I don't have a pizza stone, so I baked it on a baking sheet at 425.  I prebaked the crust for 8 minutes, covered it with toppings, and then baked it an additional 10 minutes. 

You really should try this.  Once the wine is open to cook with, just pour a glass for yourself!


Pizza Dough with Wine

1/4 cup light red or white wine
3/4 cup warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cups flour

Place wine, water, and yeast in a large bowl, and stir until dissolved.  Add the honey, salt, and 1 Tbsp olive oil, and mix well to combine.  Add 1 cup flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter.  Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes, incorporating as much of the flour as you can with the wooden spoon.

Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead for 6-8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and firm.  Place in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, using remaining tablespoon of oil, and cover with a towel.  Let rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes. 

For individual pizzas or calzones, cut the dough into four equal pizzas and knead into rounds.  For one large pizza, knead into one large round.  For either, let rest fifteen minutes. 

Teak Dog Tuesday!

Today's edition of Teak Dog Tuesday consists of one picture of Teak and two pictures of shoes he destroyed--within the week.  Teak and I have not had a good week.

Goodbye, pair of black and white wedges.  I used to love wearing you with a black dress.

Goodbye, favorite pair of brown sandals.  I loved your sequins; they really dressed up the flats.  I'll miss you dearly.

Not innocent.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

If you like Reese's peanut butter cups, you're about to thank me.

This little recipe from AllRecipes couldn't be any easier or tastier.  All you need is a box of brownie mix (with the eggs/oil/water it requires), a bag of miniature Reese's peanut butter cups, and a mini-muffin tin.  What you get is a chocolately and peanut-buttery bite of goodness. 

The recipe below won't be exact in its amounts of oil, eggs, and water simply because you follow whatever the directions are on the back of the box of brownie mix that you have.  I used Pillsbury brownie mix because it was on sale last week.  I'm sure Duncan Hines or Ghiradelli or especially a homemade recipe would be wonderful.  Just make it easy on yourself--and really, this couldn't be easier.

You're welcome.


Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

1 box brownie mix
eggs
vegetable oil
water
1 bag mini Reese's peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare brownie batter according to package directions.  Thoroughly spray mini-muffin tins with cookie spray or use foil liners.  Fill muffin tin cups half full with batter, and then place an unwrapped peanut butter cup in the center of each cup.  Bake for 20 minutes, and allow to cool before removing them from tins.

Creamy Mac and Cheese

When Bizzuck told me recently that his favorite food was macaroni and cheese, I knew it was time to search for another good recipe.  Found it!  Thanks, AllRecipes!

We loved how creamy this macaroni and cheese is, and I loved that this particular recipe won't break the bank.  Sometimes, the fancy macaroni and cheese recipes can get pricey when you have to buy 3 ounces of this fancy cheese and 3 ounces of that expensive cheese.  This recipe isn't putting on airs.  It uses Velveeta.  And it is delicious. 

When you're making it, you may wonder, like Biz did, where the rest of the macaroni is.  Don't worry; the ratio is perfect after it's baked.  I hope you like it as much as we did. 

Creamy Mac and Cheese

1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups milk
8 oz American cheese, shredded (I used the four-cheese Mexican blend)
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
1/4 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Blend in flour, mustard powder, and pepper until smooth.  Slowly stir in the milk, beating out any lumps.  Add the cheese and Velveeta, stirring constantly until smooth. 

Drain the cooked noodles and stir into cheese sauce.  Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs over the top.  Cover the dish, and bake fro 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is thick and bubbly.

Bacon Breadstick Wraps

When I made these, Bizzuck was glad we didn't have anyone over for dinner--more for us!  These bacon-wrapped goodies are a wonderful appetizer from Paula Deen's cookbook, The Lady and Sons.  When I was trying to wrap the bacon around the breadstick, it didn't want to twist for the entire length of the breadstick, so I did the best I could.  I was surprised at how much the breadsticks twisted with the bacon crisping on top of it.  I'm including a picture of the box of sesame breadsticks I used; they were on the pasta aisle of the grocery store.  Enjoy!

Bacon Breadstick Wraps

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp garlic salt or powder
12 slices bacon
24 (1 pkg) sesame breadsticks

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix Parmesan cheese with garlic salt or pwoder in a shallow bowl, and set aside.  Cut the slices of bacon in half so that each in approximately 5 inches long.  Wrap one piece of bacon around a breadstick, starting at one end of breadstick and finishing at the other end.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.  Repeat this process, using all of the breadsticks.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is browned.  Remove from cookie sheet and immediately roll bacon wraps in cheese mixture.  Let cool and serve at room temperature. 

Teak Dog Tuesday!

Asleep with just a little grin on his face.  I love him.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

The honey mustard sauce made this chicken so delicious!  You marinate the chicken in it, baste it with it, and then use it as a dipping sauce.  I made extra of the sauce, and we ended up dipping every part of dinner in that sauce.  It was so good and would be great to have on hand as a condiment everyday.  I'll probably make this chicken again later this week; we liked it that much.  I saved this recipe from AllRecipes a long time ago, and I should have made it sooner. 

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

1/3 cup dijon mustard (I used honey mustard)
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp mayonaisse
1 tsp steak sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Place chicken breasts in a ziploc bag.  In a shallow bowl, mix the first four ingredients.  Set aside a small amount in another bowl to use when basting the chicken, and pour enough of the mixed sauce into the ziploc bag to coat the chicken breasts.  Allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

When ready to grill, preheat grill to medium heat.  Lightly oil the grill grate.  Cook chicken over indirect heat for 20 minutes or until juices run clear, turning occasionally.  Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes, and watch carefully to prevent burning.