“Pizza Pie, Pizza Pie” is the chant that is sung in my home in a big burly voice.  It is the call that let’s the tribe know there will be pizza in the oven soon.  We will mark the day in a bite of cheesy laced crust and celebrate every morsel.  This is how I live… like a disciple committed to the art of pizza.  Let’s take the first steps towards our pie and begin with the dough.  Believe me I wasn’t always this confident in my dough making, in fact I shivered in my boots the first time the ingredients sat before me, but now I know just how easy it is…. with that being said let’s sing….. “Pizza Pie, Pizza Pie.”

Ingredients for pizza dough:

1 – packet highly active dry yeast (rapid rise)

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon warm/hot water

1 – tablespoon honey or sugar (I use honey)

2 – tablespoons olive oil

4 – cup all purpose flour or bread flour

1 1/2 – teaspoons table salt

1/2 – tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer add yeast and water and allow to dissolve. Mix it a few times until you know all yeast is dissolved. Then add in honey and mix to combine.  The water will be cloudy. This is the perfect sign.

Next add in olive oil and give another mix.  Let water mixture sit for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl mix flour, salt and rosemary.

Then add flour mixture all at once to the water mixture in the stand up mixer.

Fit a dough hook onto your stand up mixer, knead at low for 5 minutes allowing all ingredients to come together.  Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 4 minutes the dough will comes away from the bowl with it wrapped around the the dough hook.  This is exactly what you’re looking for. Dough will be tacky but not sticky.

Remove dough from mixer and place on a clean flat surface and knead with hands for a minute.

Then lightly grease a bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil and transfer dough into lightly oiled bowl.  Once dough is placed in bowl form into a ball turning to coat the surface with oil.

Then flip bowl over on a large plate and leave dough covered in bowl for an hour and a half at room temperature allowing dough to rise.

Once dough rises uncover and knead dough for a minute or two then divide dough into 4 equal balls.

Form each ball into smooth dough by kneading for a minute or two. Then place all balls on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

Leave them covered for another hour at room temperature. They will continue to rise.  Then refrigerate over night or up to 3 days covered in plastic wrap.  Dough will continue to rise until the cold of the refrigerator makes it go dormant.

Stay tuned for a the rest of my pizza making adventures…..

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez  

 Snackas of the day:  I am such a huge fan of all candy Kinder.  Being a lover of toys and chocolate, I fell head over heels with the Kinder Egg many many moons ago.  So it came as no surprise when I stumbled on it’s cute cousin called Kinder Happy Hippo.  This cookie candy hybrid in it’s playful hippo shape entices the kid in me but satisfies my adult palate.  It’s crunchy crisp wafer like shell is filled with a creamy hazelnut and milk filling, then dipped in white chocolate and meringue crumbs.  So yummy.  They make a chocolate cream version too….. I heart them both.  They are hard to find here in the United States but when you run across them, grab with both hands.  Or if you find yourself in Europe, load your suitcase up and bring them home to your friends and loved ones.

Side note: Kinder Happy Hippo is made by Ferrero SpA, they also make Nutella…. That’s what I’m talking about.

Photos taken by: Mando Lopez

Here’s what the packaging looks like:

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post…. Just a candy/cookie I love wholeheartedly and purchased with my own dough. 🙂

The gorgeous salmon cake takes the spotlight.  This is the dish you pull out when you simply want to show someone you love them.  Packed with omega 3s, and one of the tastiest little cakes known to man.  This cake also works well as an apology.  Oh let me count the ways to express my heartfelt sentiments.  Place a top a salad for a heart healthy meal, or gobble them down fresh out of the pan.  My honey bunny likes me to make him french fries on the side.  Either way…. it’s all going to be a great meal. Cheers to your love with salmon cakes.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for salmon cakes:

2 1/2 – cups poached and shredded salmon (click here to see poached salmon instructions)

1/2 – cup diced yellow bell pepper

1/2 – cup grated carrot

1/4 – cup chopped green onion

1/2 – cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 – cup diced red onion

1/4 – teaspoon dil

1/2 – teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1/2 – teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 – teaspoon black pepper

1 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1 – heaping teaspoon spicy brown mustard

2 – eggs

4 – tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 – cup bread crumbs

2 – tablespoons vegetable oil

Dipping cream for salmon cakes:

1/2 – cup sour cream

1 – tablespoon spicy brown mustard

In a large bowl combine shredded salmon, yellow bell pepper, grated carrot, green onion, mushrooms, and red onion. Mix well to combine.

Then add in the flavorful stuff: dill, sesame seeds, garlic powder, black pepper, Lawry’s, and spicy brown mustard. Mix well.

Let’s add the stuff that will make it all come together. Eggs, and mayonnaise. Mix that in then add in the bread crumbs. Presto. We are ready to fry.

In a large sauce pan over a medium heat add vegetable oil and allow to get hot.  Then take 1/4 cup of salmon mixture and pat in your hands to form a patty.  Place in the pan and cook on either side for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the dipping cream: Mix sour cream and mustard together. Serve atop  salmon cakes for a sensational experience. ENJOY!

I usually poach salmon first in order to make salmon cakes….. That’s exactly what I’m doing.  Here is part one of a simple two day process. Day one is just for poaching…. honestly if you want to quit right here and just have your poached salmon it will be delicious. If not, flake salmon to make your cakes!

Ingredients for salmon:

1 – pound wild Alaskan salmon

1 – tablespoon chopped ginger

1 – tablespoon chopped garlic

2 1/2 – cups orange juice

1 – teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce

1 – tablespoon soy sauce

1 – tablespoon vinegar

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

In a baking dish add in all ingredients and mix to combine. Then cover baking dish with a piece of aluminum foil and place in oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Perfectly poached.

Refrigerate for one day to make salmon cakes, or enjoy immediately for a healthy dinner served with veggies or salad.

All photos taken by : Nicole Presley

It’s a strange place to be positioned in where I love Italian food and my nearest and dearest don’t.  This makes for a difficult outing on a Tuesday night when I’m craving pasta, but somehow never get to it.  I can’t be selfish and force my loved ones to eat a cuisine when they much rather have something else. The question is when do I get to enjoy something my palate is screaming for?  Tonight! I decided to make pasta with some left over New Years Eve ham I had hanging out in the fridge. Thinking “Too bad if they don’t like it…. They can  order take out.”  Once the pasta was made my fiance ate the entire bowl (pictured above) in about a minute.  Of course he loves pasta, he just doesn’t know it.  Give me till summer, I guarantee things are going to change around here.  They already are.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for pappardelle pasta:

1 – cup crimini mushrooms (sliced)

1 1/2 – cups diced ham

4 – tablespoons butter plus 1 teaspoon

1 – teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1 – teaspoon garlic

1/2 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/2 – teaspoon black pepper

1/2 – cup half and half

4 – ounces cream cheese

1 – cup grated gruyere cheese

1/3 – cup peas

4 to 6 – ounces pappardelle pasta

Place a medium pot filled half way with water over a medium high flame and bring to a boil. Keep simmering on a back burner.

While you are waiting for your water to boil…. take a frying pan , throw a teaspoon of butter in and allow to heat up over a medium flame. Then add mushrooms and saute  on either side till browned and crisp.  Remove from pan and place on a plate, then using the same pan add in your ham and fry till just browned.

Remove ham from pan and place on plate with mushrooms. Set to the side.

Let’s get the sauce started… In the same frying pan over a medium flame add remaining butter and allow to melt. Once melted add mustard, garlic, Lawry’s, and black pepper.  Stir well to break up mustard.  Then add half and half , stir for about a minute to ensure all ingredients are combined.

Then add in cream cheese, and stir it into the butter mixture well.  You want it to melt completely and thicken up the butter mixture. Next add the gruyere cheese.

Mix well. Once the cheese is completely melted add in the mushrooms, ham and peas. Mix well. Set to the side.

Add pappardelle pasta to the boiling water set on the back burner. Cook according to package. Once pappardelle is cooked, drain, and add to cheese sauce. Mix well and serve in bowl. Top with shaved parmesan cheese. Wink. Enjoy!

 Every so often the evening is in order for a nightcap.  Something that will fray the tension of the day to the sidelines and bring sleep to a cozy snuggle.  I happen to favor the Hot Toddy.  I remember exactly where I was the first time I had the beverage… Boston Summer 2002.  I had a nasty cold and an Irish family friend of mine suggested a Hot Toddy, reassuring me I would like the taste and it would help me sleep through the night.  Hot Toddy turned out to be so right…It’s such a GREAT drink.

Ingredients for hot toddy:

1 – cinnamon stick

3 – cloves

2 – anise stars

2 1/2 – cups water

1 – lemon

3 – tablespoons honey

4 – ounces whiskey

This recipe makes 2 drinks

In a small sauce pan over medium flame add cinnamon stick, cloves, anise star, and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

In two glasses divide the the remaining ingredients. Start with 1 1/2 tablespoons of honey in each glass. Then squeeze half a  lemon in each glass, and pour 2 ounces of whiskey in each glass.

Give it a good swirl and top the honey lemon whiskey mixture with hot cinnamon tea. swirl again and enjoy hot.  I serve with chili lime pistachios and pieces of tangerine for a superb accompaniment!  Sleep tight.

Traditional Mexican buñuelos are a crunchy, crispy dessert snack, Mexican fritters, if you will, or crisp pastries made from dough that is flattended and shaped to resemble a king size tortilla.  There are many ways to make buñuelos, my family makes them the easy way and why not share this traditional dish that could be made in a SNAP?

For me, Christmas wouldn’t be the same if a pile of buñuelos were not sitting on a plate for all to enjoy as a nosh.  Some folks make their own tortilla dough, but in a pinch, we use the store bought tortillas.  You could prepare them in sprinkled  sugar and cinnamon or glaze them in a syrup sauce.  Take this simple recipe and enjoy a little taste of a Mexican Christmas.

Ingredients for buñuelos:

1 – cup vegetable oil

1 – dozen flour tortillas

1 – cup surgar

3 – teaspoons cinnamon

Ingredients for glaze:

2 – cups water

1 – piloncillo

1 – cinnamon stick

2 – anise stars

1/2 – cup honey

In a large frying pan add oil over a medium high flame.  Once oil is hot add a flour tortilla and fry till golden crisp on each side (about 3 to 4 minutes).  Remove from flame and drain for 5 minutes on a paper towel.  Then either sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon or brush with syrup glaze.

How to make sugar mixture:  Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

How to make syrup:  In a sauce pan over a medium flame add water, piloncillo, cinnamon stick and anise stars.  Mix till piloncillo dissolves.  Then let boil for 5 minutes.  Next add in honey and mix to combine/melt into syrup.  Remove from flame allow to cool for 10 minutes then brush on buñuelo.

Photos taken by: Mando Lopez and Nicole Presley

Feliz Navidad!