Our Best Pizza Dough and Pizza Sauce...So Far

I have been on the hunt for a perfect pizza dough and sauce recipe for years. We like the Papa John's like crusts, where it is flaky and soft, but a little crunchy on the outside. We have done a lot of research and testing and this year I think we have found our favorite so far from this highly technical pizza making blog: http://www.pizzamaking.com/. The key to this recipe is weighing the ingredients rather than trusting measuring cups and spoons. So get out your kitchen scale and try this recipe.

Pizza Dough (makes 2 balls)

Flour (all purpose is okay but King Arthur All purpose Flower is the best to use due to it's higher gluten %):	708.88	g
Warm Water:	400.52	g
Instant Dry Yeast:	1	g
Salt:	12.4	g
Vegetable Oil:	51.74	g
Sugar:	34.02	g

In a stand mixer, mix the water, sugar, salt, oil, and dry yeast. Slowly add the flour until incorporated. mix until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn't, add a little more flour until it does. Mix for 5-7 minutes with a dough hook to knead. Place in a well greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap, let rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size. Pull out of bowl, divide into two, and roll into two tight dough balls.  Cover and place in the fridge overnight for a cold rise. (If you do not have time to do the overnight rise, just let them rise again in a warm place until the dough balls have doubled in size, about 40-60 minutes then form the pizzas. but if you have the time, definitely do the overnight cold rise)

Before cooking, pull out the cold dough and let rise one last time for 30-45 minutes. Pre-heat oven with pizza stone (very important!) to 500F degrees for at least a half hour. Roll or manipulate one dough ball into a 14" pizza round. Add toppings and cheese of your choice and slide onto the stone.  Cooking time usually takes about 12-15 minutes. Just watch it and pull it out when the crust is perfectly dark brown. Let rest for 10-15 minutes and cut and serve. 

Pizza Sauce

1 10 3/4-ounce can of tomato puree (Yes, find the can that says "Puree") 

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Turkey Sloppy Joes

I was raised on Manwhich. For 12 year-old me, it was great. So that is how I always though Sloppy Joes were supposed to be made, a bunch of hamburger and this mysterious sauce that came from a can. Fast forward to a few years ago when I begged Laura to let us make some good ol' Manwhich Sloppy Joes. She refused, but said let's try to make our own so we know what is actually going into the sauce. So we started researching recipes and found one that we love. Also at that time, we were on a ground turkey kick, so we used ground turkey for this recipe and it was awesome. Since then, we have tried to make it with beef, but we like it beset with the ground turkey.

Turkey Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

1 1/4 pound ground turkey

1 Tbsp oil

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-2 carrots, finely grated

Grated zucchini (optional)

Over medium heat, heat up 1 Tbsp of oil and cook the turkey until fully cooked. Drain any excess liquid and oil. stir in the rest of the ingredients until incorporated. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Serve on your favorite hamburger buns. 

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Sweet Pork Enchiladas with Homemade Refried Beans!

Here is one of my favorite recipes, I can't believe I haven't shared it yet. Maybe it's because I like it so much I don't want anyone else to have it! Just kidding, this is too good not to share. Sweet Pork is a Utah favorite from the likes of Cafe Rio and Costa Vida. We have dabbled in finding a good recipe before, but this one has become the clear favorite in our house. With the addition of easy homemade refried beans, this will become a staple when you meal plan.

Sweet Pork

2 lb pork loin roast (I've said this before, Costco sells the best pork loin roasts ever. They come in packs of four for about $12) 

- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp cumin

- 1 1/2 tsp molasses

- 1 can yellow El Pato sauce (it's in the Mexican foods section. It's a small yellow can with a duck on it. Usually costs about $.60 )

- 2 small cans of tomato sauce

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 2 cups Dr. Pepper (try not to use the cheap knock-off stuff, we could tell a difference when we did)

- Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a crockpot. Add the pork loin. Cook in on low for at least 8 hours. Remove from crockpot and shred it in a large sauce pan with about 3-4 cups of left over sauce from the crockpot. Simmer it on the stove top until the liquid reduces to a really thick sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Homemade Refried Beans

2 Tbsp. of oil

2 cans of pinto beans (with it's juices)

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 yellow onion, minced

Salt and Pepper

In a large frying pan on medium high, add the oil and the onion. Sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until the garlic is golden brown. Add the two cans of beans and mix. Cook covered for about  5 minutes until the beans start boiling and soften a bit. With a potato masher, mash the beans until you obtain the consistency that you want. At first it will seem really soupy, but the more you mash and mix the more the starches will thicken up the beans. Take off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Sweet Pork Enchiladas with Homemade Refried Beans

Sweet Pork (from recipe above)

Refried Beans (from recipe above)

Colby Jack Cheese, shredded

8-10 Flour Tortillas

Toppings (Sour cream, salsa, lettuce, etc.)

In a flour tortilla, add some refried bean, sweet pork, and shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla and add to a greased glass casserole dish. Add enchiladas until the dish is full. sprinkle a lot of cheese over the enchiladas until mostly covered. Top with foil and place in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the foil off and cook for 5-10 minutes more, or until the cheese gets bubbly.  Take out of the oven and let cool for a bit. Serve and top with your favorite toppings and enjoy. 

These are so good, and they get better as leftovers. I hope you enjoy them.

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4th of July Soda Grilled Brats

This Fourth of July I was having the biggest craving for bratwurst. Gross! is how my wife reacted when I told her. I've always had a fond love for bratwursts. They always bring me back to when my family would visit Leavenworth, WA, a small Germany alpine town  tucked in the mountains just outside of Seattle. If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting. Every time we would go, we would stop at this small sausage shack and get an authentic German Brat. I haven't had one in years so I felt that we had to try it this year. Someone mentioned to Laura's mom that the best way to cook brats is to boil them in beer or some sort of soda. It gave me the idea to par-cook the sausages in the liquid, then take them to the grill and finish them off. I also wanted to see if there was a difference between cooking them in Coke or Sprite. So we did two batches. The coke ones were good but I preferred the Sprite ones, they were amazing and super juicy! Even Laura agreed they were pretty good. Here's the recipe:

Soda Grilled Bratwursts

6-8 Bratwursts (I prefer the natural casing ones but sometimes they are hard to find. I think we got ours at costco)
2 cans of Sprite (or Coke)
Buns and toppings

So this is super simple. Just put the sprite in a pot and get it boiling. Place the brats in the soda and let it boil for about 5 minutes until they are really plump and grey. Take them out of the soda and put them on a grill preheated to med-high. Grill until golden brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes turning occasionally.

This was so simple and easy, I think I'm going to make it a Fourth of July tradition.

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Sweet Pork and Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

While living in Provo a few years ago, we became friends with a really fun couple, the Noordas. They, like us, were major foodies. One day they shared this recipe with us and we were blown away. They have since moved to Chicago but we still think of them every time we make these recipes. (and we hope they don't mind us sharing their recipes with everyone on our blog)

There has been an explosion of Tex-Mex type restaurants in the past 5 or 6 years around us. They all pretty much serve the same type of food, large salads, burritos, and tacos. They are all pretty much known for their sweet pork and Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing. Laura and I spent a while trying to find a replica recipe for these and failed to recreate them. Then the Noordas shared their version with us and we have been making it ever since. So thanks to the Noordas for this awesome recipe!

Sweet Pork

1 big hunk of pork butt (again we highly recommend the pork roasts available at Costco, if there is one nearby)

2 cans "el pato" (green or yellow cans in the Mexican aisle by the salsas & enchilada sauce. Just an FYI: the yellow can is milder than the green can)

3 cans of tomato sauce

2-3 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of water

We like to cook this on low in the crock pot for up to 8+ hours. By that time it should be really soft and easy to pull apart with a fork or tongs. Put the shredded meat back in and cook for a little longer to get the flavors to penetrate the shredded meat. Serve in any of your favorite styles of Mexican dishes. We really like it with taco salads and large burritos, but our new favorite is making large nachos.

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

3 fresh tomatillos, peeled and quartered

juice of a lime

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 c. sour cream

a pkg dry Ranch Buttermilk Dressing mix

1 c. fresh chopped cilantro

6 stalks green onions, with ends

2 cloves crushed garlic

3-4 tsp sugar

5 cross-section slices of a jalapeno pepper(optional if you want a kick)

Mix well in blender or food processer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

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Easy Chicken Salad

In keeping with our little theme of really quick and easy meals, we thought we should share our little Lunch secret. Chicken Salad! I'm sure everyone has made chicken salad before, but this is our quick and easy recipe for those who aren't as cooking literate as others. We always make this on Sunday night and make enough for both of us to have for our lunches all week. It literally takes only 5 minutes to prepare. And the best part about it, you can do so many different variations with it. However I'll share with you our normal recipe.

Easy Chicken Salad

2 large cans of white chicken breast. (you can find these at Costco or Sams for a really good price)
2-3 large spoonfuls of Best Foods Mayonnaise
2-3 large spoonfuls of sour cream
Season-All Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of chopped almonds
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese (not the dry grated stuff)

Okay, so I never measure for this recipe because it's a lot up to your taste. So first things first, place the chopped almonds in a flat layer on some aluminum foil and place in the oven under the broiler to toast. (It is crucial that you keep an eye on this! Almonds can burn really quickly so you need to check it almost every 30 seconds.) When the almonds are starting to turn slightly brown and you can smell the awesome nuttiness, pull them out and let cool.

Drain the cans of chicken and place in a large Tupperware container. Mix in the mayonnaise and the sour cream with a fork. season with the Season-All. Add the shredded Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally add the cooled roasted almonds and mix thoroughly. Place in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld together. Enjoy with your favorite bread or croissant.

There are tons of different things you can add to this, it just depends on your taste. You can add chopped celery, sliced apples and grapes, cashews, carrots, onions, and lots of other stuff to make it fancy.

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Ranch Sliders

When I was in Ohio/Kentucky on my mission I was introduced to the wonder that is White Castle and it's little hamburgers nicknamed such names as "sliders", "belly bombers", and "gut rockets". These little hamburgers were kinda good but I have always thought that I could do better, so for the Super Bowl this year, we decided to create our own version of "Sliders." they turned our really moist and delicious, and they didn't "slide" like the White Castle burgers of yore, if you know what I mean. Here is our version:

Ranch Sliders

2 lbs. of Hamburger
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 Pkg ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup of chili sauce
Salt and Pepper
Half of a diced onion
Rolls

Mix all of the ingredients by hand in a bowl until fully incorporated. If the mixture seems too wet and not mixing well add some more bread crumbs, but not too much or it will not hold up when cooked. (Hows that for some vague instructions) Form into small 1" balls and squish them with your hands until they are flat and about a 1/4' thick. Place them on a plate, cover, and place in the fridge for at least an hour or two.

To cook, either grill or broil them until they are not pink inside. Wrap tight in tin foil and let sit for about 15 minutes. Cut rolls in half and use as a bun. Use any toppings you wish!

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Really Good and Easy Pork Chops

The other night Laura decided to take a quick run with her friend Kim so I decided to be a really good husband and make her dinner. Our friends were moving so they gave us some pork chops so I decided to try out something I found and add my own ideas. These pork chops turned out great and they were so easy!

Yummy and Easy Pork Chops

2 cups Italian dressing
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 or three onion ring slices
4 or 5 pork chops

Heat a little oil in a large skillet at medium/high. Mix the Italian dressing, soy sauce, and minced garlic in a bowl. lay the onion slices on a large skillet and then lay the pork chops on top. Cover the pork with the marinade. Cover the skillet and let cook for 8-10 minutes. Flip the pork and cover for another 5 minutes. Take off the cover and cook the pork until desired doneness.

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Taco Salad...

For dinner club last week we wanted to make something Mexican but also healthy. So we decided to go with Taco Salads. We found a few recipes and tips from different sources and mixed their ideas together to make the concoction that was delicious. Probably the best parts were the taco seasoned chicken and the homemade tortilla bowls. Here's the recipe:

Chicken Taco Salad

4 Chicken breasts
2 Cups Chicken broth
1 Packet of taco seasoning
1 Package of uncooked tortillas
Toppings:
- Lettuce
- Salsa
- Cheese
- Olives
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Lime
- Beans (Refried or kidney)
- Ranch

Okay, it's really simple. Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Mix the chicken broth with the taco seasoning and pour over the chicken. If that doesn't cover the chicken add more water until the chicken is submerged. Cook on low for 7 hours. Use a fork or tongs to shred the chicken in the broth. Let sit and absorb the broth for about a half hour, then strain out the chicken. Now mix all of your favorite toppings together with the chicken to make a salad!

For the Taco shells we cooked the tortillas on a pan until they were almost done, then we rolled up tin foil balls and draped the tortillas over them on a baking sheet. Place them into the oven at 350 degrees. In a few minutes they will begin to crisp up around the ball and turn brown. Pull them out and let cool. Note: Some of ours puffed up while baking, so watch them carefully and pop any bubbles forming in the tortilla with a knife or some sort of poking device.The Shells were so good, Kjell just wanted to eat it raw!

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Cincinnati Chili

In continuing with meals that are inspired from our missions, Laura and I decided to make one of my most favorite meals ever. Cincinnati Chili. This chili is not anything like what most people think of as chili. This chili is a Greek meat sauce made with cinnamon, allspice, chocolate, and chili sauce, that's placed over spaghetti and topped with either cheese, onions, kidney beans, or all three. It so good and we are so glad that everyone loved it! Here's the recipe:

Cincinnati Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 large onions finely diced
2-4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbls chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbls salt
6 oz. can of tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tbls all spice
3 Bay leaves
3 pints of water

Take the raw meat and put it in a pot with 2 pints of the water. Mush the meat into the water with your hands until it is a mealy consistency. Cook the meat until it has turned brown, about 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and last pint of water and mix well. Cook for 1-2 hours. Serve over spaghetti.

Here are the different ways to make it:

Three-way: Spaghetti, chili, and cheese

Four-way: Spaghetti, chili, cheese, and onions

Five-way: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheese, Onions, and kidney beans

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BBQ Pulled Pork

Today, Laura and I are making dinner and taking it to the other counselor in our bishopric and his wife. They got in a bad accident two weeks ago and his wife, who was 7 months pregnant, had to have an emergency C-section. Everything turned out great and their son is doing amazingly well! But she broke her sternum in the accident, so it's hard for her to do a lot of things still. So we are going to make them a special treat! A few months ago, Laura started to get this weird craving for BBQ pulled pork. So I decided to have my try at making our own. It was so good that we ate it almost every day for a week. So here is the recipe for it. It's actually not that special and gormet, and it's really really simple, but it's still really, really good.

BBQ Pulled Pork

1 Pork Roast (from Costco...I'll explain why later)
1 large bottle of BBQ Sauce (Any kind will do, but we love honey BBQ or Sweet BBQ sauces)
Lots of water
Salt & Pepper
Beef Bullion or stock
All Season
1 clove of minced Garlic

So first you need to buy this pork roast that is sold at Costco. It's sold in packs of three and is relatively cheap, but it's the best pork we've ever had. Place the pork roast in a crock pot and fill it with water until it almost submerges the roast. Take the roast out and add some pinches of salt, pepper, all season, and beef bullion. Also add the minced garlic. Next, pour in about a 1/4th of the BBQ sauce into the water and whisk the ingredients until they are mixed well. Place the roast back into the crock pot and cover. Turn the crock pot on low and cook for about 7 or 8 hours. (If you are in a crunch for time, you can turn it on high and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, but I would recommend the slow cooking version so much more) After cooking, drain out all the water. Start pulling apart the pork with two forks or tongs. At this point the pork should be so soft that it should just fall apart when you touch it. after it's pulled apart, add the rest of the BBQ sauce and serve on buns or hoagie rolls.

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Chicken Romano

A few weeks ago, we went to our favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, with our friends Matt and Rebekah. I decided to try something new so I got the Chicken Romano, and I was speechless. It was so good!!! So we decided to try and make our own version of it last night. It's actually pretty easy to make, and although it wasn't as good as the Cheesecake Factory's version, it was still pretty dang good nonetheless. So here is the recipe:


Chicken Romano

2 Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 Cup of Romano cheese (shredded or grated)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 cup or Parmesans Cheese (shredded or grated)
2 eggs
1/3 Cup of milk
Salt and Pepper
Oil

Okay, so I really didn't measure when I made this last night, so this is just an approximation. Start out by pounding out the chicken breasts until they are about 1/4" to a 1/2" flat. Heat some oil in a pan, enough to coat the bottom. Make sure the oil is really hot. Now in a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. In another bowl mix the Romano cheese, the parmesan cheese, the bread crumbs, and some salt and pepper. Now dip the chicken in the egg mixture, making sure that you get it fully submerged. Then dip it into the cheese/breadcrumb mixture, making sure that the chicken is fully coated. Then place in hot oil and pan fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve alone, with your favorite pasta and sauce, or with mashed potatoes (which is what Laura is making here, she makes the best!)

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

Tonight, I decided to be adventurous and make Laura's favorite Chinese food - Sweet and Sour Chicken. I found a great recipe and tried it out fully expecting it to be underwhelming. It actually turned out really, really good! We both loved it, and I sure this will now go in our normal rotation of dinners. It's easy to make, but can take a long time. So here it is:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 cups water
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 4-5 Large Chicken Breasts

Take the large chicken breasts and cut them up into small 1 inch cubes. Place frying oil in a wok or pot and heat up to 365 degrees. Mix the flour, oil, cornstarch, salt, pepper, egg, and water in a bowl. Dip each cube of chicken in the batter , making sure it is fully covered, then place in hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Take out and place on a cooling rack. Serve with your favorite Sweet and Sour Sauce.

This recipe also makes really good and much more healthy chicken nuggets. Way better than fast food or freezer nuggets. Just leave out the sweet and sour sauce.

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Penne Rustica

For the past few days, Laura and I have had a strong urging for some pasta. And not just any pasta, the best pasta on the planet! I've had an obsession with the Penne Rustica at Macaroni Grill for quiet a while and wanted to try and recreate it. However, all the recipes online were really complicated and very time consuming. But one day, my friend Matt showed me a recipe book that his family had in North Carolina and in it was a pretty easy looking recipe for Penne Rustica. We tried it, and have loved it ever since. So here is that recipe with a few minor adjustments from us: Enjoy!

Penne Rustica

Gratinata Sauce-

- 3 Tbls. Butter
- 2 Tbls. Minced Garlic
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Cup Milk
- ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 ½ Tbls. Corn Starch
- 1 Tbls. Dijon Mustard
- 2 t. Rosemary
- ½ t. Salt
- ½ t. Thyme
- ¼ t. Ground Cayenne Pepper
- 2 t. Sugar

Main Ingredients-

- 1 lbs. Penne Noodles
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- ½ Cup diced Prosciutto (or bacon for a cheaper substitute)
- 4 large shrimps for each person (or more if love shrimp!)

Gratinata Sauce-

Melt butter. Add garlic and sweat for 5 minutes. Add all the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. When adding the cornstarch, mix it well with the chicken broth before adding to avoid lumping. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick.

Main Dish-

Cook penne in boiling water until al dente and set aside. Grill or bake chicken until done and cut in strips. Fry prosciutto or bacon until done, cut into small bits. Grill or cook shrimp for 2 minutes or until done. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Load pasta in a large casserole or individual over safe bowls. Place some strips of chicken prosciutto, and shrimp on the pasta and cover with sauce. Toss. Garnish with diced prosciutto and parmesan cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Serves 6-8.

Yeah this recipe makes a ton so expect some good leftovers for lunches after making it. Yum!

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