fat bottom fridays... perfecting homemade pizza

now i don't know about you guys, but fridays in my house is movie and pizza night... it's something that i think me and my boys look forward to... its a chance to start the weekday wind-down...

 

 being a New Yorker i was always spoiled by amazingly delicious pizza... every New Yorker says it's one thing that makes the pizza, the artisan breads and the bagels stand way above the rest... the water... it has some sort of magical bread making property :)

so whats a Mainer to do... i guess, try my hardest to make some really good homemade pizza-pies to fulfill those cravings...

 so... i have been working with different kind of dough: simple 5 minute doughs (blaahhhh, they are tough and dull)... and dough's that need to rise 24 hours (i'm too impatient)... and then there is the standard 2 hour yeast doughs, now these are more my speed...

here is the recipe i have been using lately, it's not perfect but it's pretty darn good and easy to make...

basic pizza dough (makes a single pizza)
prep: 10 minutes  rise: 2 hours
ingredients:
1 cup warm water (about 110)
2 1/4 tsp (or one package) of active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
*sometimes i add a little garlic powder, maybe a little dried oregano to the dough

directions:
1. place water in a bowl and add the yeast (let it bloom for 5 minutes)
2. in a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt, and the sugar... make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and the olive oil... with the dough hook attachment stir the dough until it comes together, adding in as much of the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, until the dough forms a ball
3. place the dough in lightly oiled bowl (turning over so the dough is coated with olive oil), and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until 2 hours
4. punch down the dough, place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into desired diameter and begin to assemble your pizza

 one of the things i like to do, is right before i put the pizza in the oven, i brush the crust with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and maybe a bit of grated parmesan cheese... this makes an amazing almost breadstick like crust... my boys love it...
speaking of my boys, they are strictly plain cheese pizza guys... but i love anything on pizza... fresh spinach, red wine sauteed mushrooms and onions, zucchini... lots of fresh mozzarella cheese... or creamy melty goat cheese... the sky is the limit... and the pizza dough is the canvas

here are some of my culinary masterpieces... enjoy :)

 

 

until next week...mangia! mangia!

 

and don't forget to check me out over at fat bottom for more deliciousness :)

fat bottom friday... how about some oatmeal bites

i have a confession to make...

i don't really eat all that healthy... i like julia childs philosophies on eating, like "fat gives things flavor" or "the only time to eat diet food is while waiting for the steak to cook"...

 

my breakfast is usually an entire pot of coffee... lunch... well, i usually try and have something, like a sandwich, a salad or some leftovers with a redbull... and then dinner... well, that all depends on if the hubby is home or not... when the hubs is gone, i let my boys dictate the menu for the most part, except i pick the veggie they will be having, no if's, and's or but's about it... i fix their plates and my dinner is usually what they don't finish... then once they go to bed, i settle down with a glass of wine, then by 9:30 i'm starving and i raid the fridge... my late night choices are sometimes hummus and pita chips, chips and guacamole, or a hunk of bread and brie with some cucumbers... other times i'm making things like ramen noodles or cramming 3 brownies in my face... i try not to have junk food in the house... the hubs doesn't eat it, and i don't want it tempting me... the only real junk food is the stuff i bake... but i bake it all from scratch, so i know that i'm using good ingredients with no preservatives and chemicals... right now i have cupcakes, homemade ice cream and banana bread lurking about my kitchen... not to mention what i am about to share with you today...

 anyways, being that my sister is a advocate for healthy living and eating, i thought i would change it up a bit and post something that isn't covered in butter cream and bacon... but just as delicious... not to mention easy to make, and it's not a bad snackin' option for both me and the boys...

oatmeal chocolate chip bites

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups quick or old fashioned oats

1/2 cup rice krispies

2 tablespoon flax seed

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup dried blueberries, or craisins

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 all natural peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 350, mix all ingredients except for the chocolate chips together really well... i started with a spoon then i got in their with my hands... make sure everything is blended together

2. if your mixture seems dry after mixing add a little more peanut butter or honey (i kinda just eyeballed it)... add a little at a time until the mixture starts to come together... then stir in the chocolate chips

3. add the granola mixture to a mini muffin pan that has been sprayed with non stick baking spray, and press the granola into the molds using your hand or the back of a spoon... press mixture firmly, compacting it as well as you can

4. bake for 12-13 minutes

5. remove from oven and let sit in pan for about 30 minutes to 1 hour... remove them from the pan

6. enjoy... enjoy... enjoy!!

 

have a wonderful weekend everyone... until next time... happy and somewhat healthy baking!!

a sweet sunday treat by fat bottom

hey there everybody... i hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful weekend... i know i typically treat you all to something sweet on fridays (which i've kinda slacked on recently... sorry) but i've been a little on the busy side... but now the dust has seemed to have settled, and i think i am back to a bit of a schedule and routine... but enough of that... here's a delicious recipe i just have to share with you all... amazing... homemade... creamy... cake batter ice cream... and bonus homemade waffles...

 

i don't know why i don't make ice cream more often... honestly... it's not as hard as you would think, and the possibilities, oh! the possibilities... but anyway... enjoy the post and enjoy what is left of your weekend... 

cake batter ice cream (recipe taken from annie's eats):
ingredients:
 2 cups heavy cream, divided
½ cup yellow cake mix
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups whole milk
*pieces of cake, pound cake, or any mix in's you are craving...

directions:
1.in a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the heavy cream with the yellow cake mix, sugar, and salt  2. heat over medium heat until warmed through... meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth
3. combine the remaining cream, vanilla, and whole milk in a large mixing bowl with a fine mesh sieve set over the top
4. when the mixture in the saucepan is warm, slowly pour a small amount into the bowl with the egg yolks to temper them, whisking constantly
5. continue pouring the cream mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously until completely combined, then return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat
6. continue heating, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens slightly and reads 170-175˚F on an instant-read thermometer
7. immediately pour the custard mixture through the mesh sieve into the bowl with the remaining cream and milk and mix to blend
*at this point i mixed in about 3 slices of broken up pound cake... mmmm...
8. cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, and once the mixture is chilled through, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions

for the waffles (recipe taken from joy of baking):
ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tbsp. of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. of milk
1/3 cup of all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. of salt

directions:
1. in a medium sized bowl mix the eggs and the sugar until frothy... then whisk in the melted, cooled butter, milk and vanilla extract
2. add the flour and the salt, and whisk the batter until smooth... the batter should be thin, so add more milk to thin it out if need be...
3. what we did next was heat up our waffle iron, and brushed it lightly with oil, and added about 1/4 cup of the batter to the iron... they cooked up in no time... and man... they were crunchy, sweet, almost with a caramelized flavor... they went perfectly with the ice cream!!

well... until next week... fat bottom out...

fat bottom friday... cinnamon chocolate lava cakes

happy friday everyone, from me, fat bottom... i hope your excited it's the weekend... i know i am... i just have my fingers crossed that the rain will stop and that the sun will peak out...

anyways, i didn't get a chance for a couple of weeks to post, because i was selfishly enjoying my time out in france with my little sis meggie, her manfriend kyle, and our good friend john...

on my last night there i prepared a yummy dinner with a delicious dessert... unfortunately i didn't get to take any pictures, and because it was so tasty, i figured i would make them again when i got home... and i'm so happy i did...

chocolate lava cakes (makes 6)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins

3 large eggs

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-2 tbsp of ground cinnamon

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

+ confectioners' sugar, for dusting

directions:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin... dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess 3. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy

4. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition

5. with the mixer on low speed, beat in flour, salt and cinnamon until just combined

6. beat in chocolate until just combined, then divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups

7. place muffin tin on a baking sheet and bjust until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes

8. remove from oven, let stand 10 minutes... dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with whipped cream, if desired

what i like about this recipe is that the center isn't liquidy and runny, but thick and fudgy... warm and gooey... with cinnamon undertones... mmmm... definatly serve with a glass of cold milk, or either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream...

happy friday everyone... until next week :)

Giveaways, Collaborations and Tweets

Hey there Loves, Happy Thursday! Hope you are enjoying this last week in March, another month that flew by, I can't believe it. The weather here in Limoges has been so ridiculously beautiful but I've been feeling a little under the weather so other then my daily walks with Wooden I haven't really been able to enjoy it. I am hoping that I will be back to my healthy self by the weekend, Kyle has both Saturday and Sunday off so we are going to take a trip to Bordeaux and I don't want to be sick. I am also running the Paris Marathon in a little over two weeks and I need to feel that I'm in tip top shape, so fingers crossed that I feel better.

There is a ton of great things going on with Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes, I really feel like this blog is on the right path to where I want it to go and what I want it to be as a Lifestyle Blog. I know it's a process and that I have to be patient, but I'm a dreamer so it's hard sometimes to trust the process. I can't express how much love and appreciation I have for all of my loyal readers who keep coming back day in, day out and you are motivating me to keep dreaming big.

Remember to comment on the latest giveaway, you can win the beautiful Carmel Fly Necklace from the MKaltenbach Jewelry Line. The contest runs until Monday April 2nd at 12 Noon (est) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, April 3rd. All you have to do is leave a comment or two or three, letting Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes know why you deserve to win the Carmel Fly Necklace. You can also can extra entry points for following MKaltenbach on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin' and Pinterest.  Click the Giveaway Link Here -> MKaltenbach Jewelry Giveaway for all the entry rules and more info on the gorgeous Carmel Fly Necklace.

Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes has some really exciting news! JTTC's has teamed up Fat Bottom, which is only one of the best baking blogs on the planet. Along with the weekly Friday Favorites post there will now be a weekly Fat Bottom Fridays post! I'm drooling just thinking about all the amazing recipes that will be coming our way. This is a huge collaboration and it's an honor to work with such an amazing blogger and baker, who also happens to be my sister. Check out Becky the Baker and her amazing blog here ->Fat Bottom and be sure to check back here every Friday for some Fat Bottom Fridays!

I am also back on Twitter and I promise I'm here to stay this time. You can follow me @megmccarrick and I'll be sure follow you back. Stay up to date on all of Jeans and Tees and Travel and Cakes' latest posts and my other daily adventures.

Have a great Thursday, go out, be great and remember to dream BIG!