Pizza Dough  (although I baked at 425, and only used 5 cups of flour)

I’ve been making homemade pizza dough for years.  I keep finding recipes I like just a little bit more than the last I had tried.  After a lot of reading, I think the key is not even in the dough ingredients so much as how it is made.  The best rise, I read, is a cold one for at least a day.  I have yet to have that much foresight, but someday I will.   Above is the link to the most recent dough I made, which came out beautifully.  I’ve also been adding a bit of pizza dough flavor from King Arthur Baking Co.  Pizza dough freezes very well and is such a nice surprise to have on-hand.

I don’t know if I’ve spotted Alana Chernila’s buttery tomato sauce on the Internet, but it’s found in her book The Homemade Pantry.  It’s about the easiest recipe out there and tastes delicious.  Better yet, it freezes well.

We usually just use our home-grated cheddar on pizzas, because it’s there and it’s easy, and one of our kids doesn’t react well to mozzarella anyway.

A couple of our other pizza favorites:

keilbasa apple cheddar onion pizza

barbecued chicken pizza (I make the chicken in the InstantPot)

cheesy breadsticks (I used Parmesan/Romano cheese)

On special occasions, it’s fun to shape the pizzas into hearts or pumpkins or whatever the holiday calls for.  Mini pizzas, rectangle pizzas, toppings and sauce as you like them.  It’s not that we never get a pizza out, because there is still something quite amazing about one of those too, but I just love the versatility and creativity that a homemade pizza allows.  And from an environmental view, homemade cuts down on boxes and packaging.  If you haven’t tried homemade pizza, I highly recommend it!

45-minute cinnamon rolls

I first made these the week before my first-born decided she was ready to see the world.  I made them with the intention of freezing them and having them on hand for after the baby was born.  And it was one of the best presents I gave myself.  Well, food is at its best in the first weeks postpartum, anyway, but I have made these since and they’ve held up to my memory of them.

I like to make these for Christmas morning, along with a quiche, as a special treat.  I make the rolls the night before and refrigerate them for the next morning.  The biggest tip I’ll share is that if these don’t all get eaten fresh, then I highly recommend freezing them.  I accidentally put the leftovers in the fridge this year, and they just didn’t do well.

This is obviously a short-cut recipe, so I’m sure there are better ones out there that I should really try someday.  But, so far, this has been a winner for us!

One version of the recipe

The one I’ve usually used
(from the same recipe creator, but not on her site–just in her awesome book)

This is the one of THE easiest and yummiest desserts!  Super decadent and almost no effort, if you’re using store-bought ricotta.  I’ve never made it to the point of refrigerating it before consuming, but if you have the patience, that’s awesome.  I think the recipe says you can top with whipped cream.  I don’t really find this necessary, but in the past, I’ve separated out some of the whipped ricotta before adding anything and used that as a whipped topping.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup recipe

This is one of the easiest soups ever, and it’s so yummy!  The “shortcuts” I take are using frozen broccoli, having frozen grated cheese on hand, and using a jar or cubes of non-MSG bouillon, instead of stock.  Using an immersion blender also cuts down on the dishes and hassle.  I like to double this, since it’s so simple, and freeze the leftovers.

(I made this with purple potatoes once, which made it a dark, delicious green!  Would be perfect  to add to a St. Patrick’s Day feast.)