So I was sitting outside drinking tea after a yummy dinner, watching the Carnival cruise ships and cargo barges roll by, enjoying time with my little family in the early fall breeze. In my head I was pondering what to blog about, since my posting has been a bit… sporadic lately. And then I thought, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted any recipes, so why not share what we had for dinner just a few minutes ago?
So here you go, here is our Friday night dinner. Actually, it’s been our dinner for the past three Fridays (minus the dessert), and it’s so easy, I’m thinking it may become our official Friday Ritual to welcome in the weekend. It’s also very easy to double the batches and freeze more for later, making it even easier.
Easy Pizza Dough - taken from Tammy’s Recipes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup water (110-115 degrees, preferably)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted or very softened
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 Tablespoon yeast
1. Mix water, butter, and sugar in mixing bowl. Add part of the flour and stir. Add the rest of the flour and the yeast, and stir into a dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Set dough in bowl and grease the top. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes.*
2. After dough has risen the first time, punch down and knead until air bubbles are removed.
3. Liberally butter a 16-inch round pizza pan, and press dough onto pan. Carefully lift one-half of the crust and fold over (to expose half of the pizza pan). Sprinkle 1/2 Tablespoon cornmeal over pan. Lay crust back in place and repeat on other half, so that there is cornmeal sprinkled between entire layer of crust and pan. [my note: We don't have cornmeal here, so I skip this step. It tastes just fine without it.]
4. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over top of crust and then spread with 1 cup pizza sauce. Sprinkle on cheese and any optional toppings desired.
5. Place pizza in oven and turn heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes; rotate crust and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until top is browned. (Be sure to watch so it doesn’t burn; every oven is different!) **
6. When pizza is browned, turn off heat and open oven door. Leave pizza in oven until ready to serve. Then remove from oven, cut, and serve. If there is leftover pizza, we often put the pieces directly on a cooling rack to cool, which prevents condensation forming between the crust and pan.
*If you’re short on time, you can skip this rise and just press your freshly-kneaded dough onto the pan and continue with the recipe.
**Alternate baking directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake pizza for 15 minutes on the bottom rack, or until browned. (Baking on the top or middle racks could result in an under-cooked crust.)Â [my note: This is true, as I forgot to put it on the bottom rack tonight, and the crust wasn't quite done.]
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Easy Pizza Sauce - taken from All Recipes
Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ground oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.
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No wait, there’s more! Here’s the dessert I made for tonight. It was the first time I tried it, and it was so super easy, I have a feeling I’ll be making this again soon.
Fruit Cobbler - taken from a cookbook I have here, written by foreigners living in this country
Ingredients:
- 1 package any frozen fruit, or 2 cups sliced fresh fruit (I used peaches, since they’re in season here)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup self-rising flour (if you don’t have self-rising, add 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt)
- 1 cup milk
Instructions:
1. Place sliced fruit in a medium-sized Pyrex dish, and pour melted butter over the fruit.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and milk; stir just until combined. Pour over the fruit.
3. Bake at 350 F/180 C for about 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream (optional).
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I’m off to refill my tea and start a movie with my hubby… hope your Friday evening is as relaxing as mine was!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
this is the same cobbler recipe my mom made when i was growing up! she used canned peaches. sooooo yummy - i remember it fondly.
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