Recipe: Pizza (Using Tyler Florence's Pizza Dough Recipe)

After tonight, I may not be able to order pizza to go ever again.  We made pizza from scratch using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe, and OMG - it's so easy and tasty.  The only drawback is that you need to allocate about an hour and a half from start to finish, so it's not a quick weekday pizza.

• 15 min to make the dough
• 1 hr to let the dough rise
• 20 min+ to get your other ingredient toppings together and to bake the pizza

Our pizza this evening had tomato sauce we made from scratch, shredded Italian blend cheese, fresh mozzarella, Italian sausage, white onion, green bell pepper, baby bella mushrooms -- and then we topped it with fresh basil.

I didn't want to stop eating.

And then we had dessert.  (I made homemade ice cream with vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and crushed gingersnap cookies.)

I.  Love.  Food.

Recipe: Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

I think a lot of unnecessary work goes into the Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette recipe (Bon Appetit Magazine, July 2013, p. 88). 

Skip the first 2 parts of the recipe.  Instead of simmering the tangerine juice and cooking the jalapeno, it's fine to mix the non-reduced juice and raw, finely chopped jalapeno into the dressing.  I also don't think using vegetable oil is necessary at all.

So, basically, the recipe involves:

• Making the dressing:  whisk the shallot, vinegar, tangerine juice, jalapeno, salt, pepper, olive oil together
• Toss the avocados, tangerines (or oranges), arugula, mint, and feta together
• Dress the salad
• Enjoy!

2013 Big Tex Choice Awards

The 2013 Big Tex Choice Awards (the annual fried-food competition hosted by the State Fair of Texas) were announced today.  Fried Thanksgiving Dinner won for Most Creative while the Deep Fried Cuban Roll won for Best Taste.  Which item sounds good to you?

You can try them all this year during the fair which runs from Sept 27th - Oct 20th.

Awesome Deep Fried Nutella – Cream cheese and Nutella are whipped and spread over flaky phyllo dough sheets, rolled up and deep fried. Served with a drizzle of honey and shaved almonds.

Deep Fried Cuban Roll – A filling of slow-cooked pork shoulder, chopped ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and secret sauce is spread onto a slice of Swiss cheese, rolled up in pastry dough and deep fried. Roll is served with a side of mojo sauce for dipping.

Fernie's Deep Fried King Ranch Casserole – This stick-to-your-ribs, Texas-shaped creation is cheesy, salty, spicy goodness dipped in zesty Southwestern egg wash, coated in panko bread crumbs, and deep fried until golden brown. Served with a side of red, white and blue tortilla chips and your choice of our homemade “salsafied” sour cream or queso.

Fried Thanksgiving Dinner – Mama’s homemade stuffing and diced roasted turkey are rolled in a ball. Next it’s dipped in Southern cream corn, rolled in seasoned cornmeal and fried to a golden brown. Served with old-fashioned giblet brown gravy. The zesty orange cranberry sauce fills your dipping needs and results in a complete Thanksgiving dinner — fried.

Golden Fried Millionaire Pie – Sweetened, fluffy cream cheese filling is loaded with golden pineapple and Texas pecans then wrapped in a flaky pie crust and fried to a golden brown. Topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut and candied pecans.

Southern Style Chicken-Fried Meatloaf – Homemade meatloaf slices are coated in an authentic Texas chicken-fried breading and deep fried until golden brown. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, Texas cream gravy, and a ketchup-brown sugar glaze for dipping.

Spinach Dip Bites – Creamy and delicious spinach artichoke dip bites are coated with crispy tortilla chips and flash-fried until golden brown. Bites are served with salsa for an additional kick.

Texas Fried Fireball – Pimento cheese, pickles, cayenne pepper and bacon are rolled into a ball, dipped in buttermilk, covered with a jalapeño-infused batter and deep fried. Served with chipotle ranch for dipping.