“Make your own pizza” nights have become a favorite of my boys, although G. chooses to make calzones from the same ingredients as the pizza. I used to buy pre-made whole wheat dough at my supermarket (they kept it in the refrigerated section near the shredded cheese), but although it was serviceable it bounced back a lot. It was hard to stretch it out to the thinness we wanted, so the crust was always relatively thick and turned out chewy at best, and underdone at worst.

Since getting a stand mixer, I’ve tried making my own pizza dough a few times, though I’ve been working on a white flour version from the book that came with my mixer. Last night I got it perfect. We were able to make very thin crust pizza that actually crackled when I cut into it with a chef’s knife. Both boys agreed that this was the best dough we’d ever made, and that it did not need any more tweaks. See how thin that pizza is? It had a great crunch when we bit into it, too.

Because I am new to working with yeast, I use an instant-read thermometer to double-check the temperature of the water I’m using before I add the yeast. Turns out, “warm” water is actually much hotter than I would expect.

Also, my kitchen is the coldest room in my house, even though it’s not drafty. In my parent’s home, we’d let dough rise in the small utility room that held the water heater — it was clean, draft-free, and toasty. I don’t have an area like that, so instead I preheat my oven to 180° F, then turn it off. This creates an insulted, warm space for my dough to rise, but without being hot enough to start cooking it.

Next up: figuring out a whole wheat crust we all love.

Pizza & Calzone Dough
Adapted from Crusty Pizza Dough, in the KitchenAid Stand Mixer manual

Note: This recipe includes 2 hours of rising time.

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. olive oil (+ a little extra)
3 c. bread flour, divided (+ a little extra)

Add yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer, and then pour warm water over it. And salt, oil, and 2 cups of the flour. Using your dough hook, mix on Speed 2 for about a minute.

While continuing to mix, add in the remaining cup of flour, a bit at a time, until the flour is incorporated and the dough starts to pull off the side of the bowl. Knead on the same speed for 2 more minutes. Your dough should feel smooth, and not sticky at all.

Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil, and place dough in the bowl, then flip it over so it has a thin layer of oil on top.

Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until it doubles in size. If you press a finger into the dough, the indentation should stay there. Punch the dough down, and let it rise, covered for another hour. Punch it down a final time.

Dough can be rolled with a pin or stretched to make pizza or calzones. Bake at 400° F for about 20 minutes, or until done.

I have been mulling over Thanksgiving 2010, a holiday that went smoothly overall, but fell a little short of what I thought I could have put together. I have mentioned various elements that bugged me to friends, acknowledging that I am being a bit of a loon to have been bothered by things like my mismatched but at least color-coordinated (and slightly wrinkly) tablecloths. These things sound so silly coming out of my mouth that I am reluctant to repeat them here and give them more power over me. Still, I think it’s good to make notes of what did and didn’t work for next year. Plus I deeply missed my sister and her husband, who moved to Australia at the end of the summer and couldn’t be with us. Their absence made me think even more about grandparents no longer with us, and especially after our families went home Thanksgiving eve, I was preoccupied with missing people instead of being thankful for what was in front of me. What a mess I am!

The meal turned out well. I was seriously on the ball with prep beforehand, but then made a rookie error: I had no plan for reheating any of it, and had not thought to put my stove top and Crock-Pot into service on the day of the feast. Everything needed to go in the oven all at once to be warmed for the meal, so all my glee at being extra-prepared on Wednesday went out the window. I’ve written notes to myself in the past about including a cold item as a side (such as the Celeriac and Apple Salad I made in 2009), but didn’t do that this year and should have. I also failed to locate infrequently-used items before the holiday, so I was scrambling to find our gravy separator at the last minute (still can’t find it). I would guess none of our guests (we had 20 people in total) had any idea we were flustered, though, and that is fine with me.

So, the meal:

We kicked things off with Apple Sangria, which was apparently delicious — I didn’t get to try any! I based my recipe loosely on the link above, but used Travis Hasse’s Apple Pie Liqueur when I couldn’t find a reasonably-sized bottle of schnapps. It was recommended to me by Manor Wines & Spirits in Briarcliff Manor, and I am thankful I took their advice, as I did sneak a taste of the liqueur on its own before it went into the sangria. It was very good, and not too sweet. I would definitely make it again.

We continued our tradition of a cheese plate before the meal. J. chose Delice de Bourgogne (an OMG! triple creme, the only cheese on the plate that was finished), Tomme d’Abondance (nutty cow’s milk cheese, very smooth), Rogue River Creamery Rogue River Blue (always one of our favorites), Le Chevrot (like licking a freakin’ goat — I am shuddering just thinking about it, but with a very cool, lacy exterior), and El Trigal (a young Manchego which was pleasant but not very interesting).

It was a really well-rounded assortment, though maybe a bit unapproachable for our crew, who left a lot of it over. I can’t remember having so much cheese left over in previous years, but we were happy to have it. We gave the Chevrot one more try and then pitched it. Ugh. We had cut-up carrots, celery, and red peppers, plus a creamy spinach and artichoke dip in a bread bowl from Jenny, which everyone gobbled up.

Then we sat down for the main event:

We roasted the turkey in our oven this year, rather than smoking it. I think everyone prefers this more traditional preparation. I made an obscene amount of roasted Brussels sprouts — 5 containers of raw sprouts, plus a big stalk from my farm share. They were almost all eaten. The Roasted Maple-Bourbon Carrots & Parsnips were just OK. Ann’s Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows are always a hit. I went with a traditional stuffing (dressing, really) this year, starting with Arrowhead Mill’s Organic Savory Herb Stuffing and doctoring it up with a large amount of chopped and sauteed celery and onion, plus ground savory. The flavor was great but it was a little too dry (easily remedied with some gravy, Lauren informed me). Lauren also brought us Ritz Cracker Stuffing, a side dish my brother-in-law remembers fondly from his childhood. It’s basically Ritz crackers, sauteed onion, and margarine to hold it together. Although we ribbed them a bit about its ingredients, I liked getting a chance to have a peek into another family’s traditions, and the flavor of it was pretty good — it’s hard to go wrong with salty and buttery.

The new and most interesting item to me on the table this year was Mushroom & Onion Phyllo Cups:

I based these little beauties on Mushroom and Caramelized-Shallot Strudel. When I went to buy the phyllo sheets, I saw Athens Mini Fillo Shells and knew they would make my life much easier. The shells are pre-baked, about the size of a mini muffin, and ready to accept a savory or sweet filling. I wound up make a non-dairy version of the mushroom filling the night before, then mounded the filling into the frozen cups, and baked them for about 10 minutes just before serving. Very cute finger food, and an unexpected side dish on what wound up being a very traditional menu. The phyllo gets soggy if you store leftovers, so don’t plan on having any! The mushroom filling would also be great mixed with pasta.

Finally, we were ready for dessert. My mom baked the beautiful pecan pie at the top of this post. Ann brought pumpkin and coconut custard pies. Lauren baked chocolate chip cookies. And I made Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies. They are aptly-named. I cut the butter by 25%, because some reviews said the brownies tended to be a little greasy. I also omitted the walnuts altogether. They were phenomenal. The recipe is easy but just takes a while — melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler, let it cool (but not too much!), then mix up the batter. I liked watching the brownies deflate just like they were supposed to when you slam the baking pan against the oven rack half-way through baking. These are dark and dense brownies that I will make again. We had fruit salad too, and though it was a gorgeous arrangement it didn’t get much play. Sorry, fruit!

We were left with a very moderate amount of leftovers, save for dessert (most of which we were able to give away). My friend Amy told me she stocks up on take-out containers before Thanksgiving, and sends her guests home with turkey (they prepare lots extra on purpose) and more. I love that final gesture of hospitality and will try to remember to offer leftovers next year.

I’ve been getting a lot of corn from our farm share each week, and since I had half a log of goat cheese left from the Roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Pasta Salad I made recently, I decided to try to find a recipe that would use up both of those ingredients. Bobby Flay’s Corn and Goat Cheese Grits fit the bill, especially since I always have stone-ground cornmeal in my pantry (I use Indian Head brand). I used fresh corn, of course!

I followed the recipe as written, except that I used skim milk instead of whole (it’s what I keep in the house). This recipe is easy and so creamy and rich — I loved it. Pay attention, though, to the cooking instructions on the cornmeal you use. Mine only needed 15 minutes to cook, not the “about 40 minutes” suggested in the recipe.

My friends said they liked this side dish, and even those who are not huge fans of goat cheese thought it was good, and not too “goat-y,” for lack of a better word. I think this dish would pair well with a big mess of sauteed swiss chard or collard greens for a vegetarian meal, or alongside a roasted chicken.

I’ve combined sauteed swiss chard and onions, Gruyere, and eggs before, in fritatta form. I don’t love swiss chard as a side dish, but folded into eggs (or mashed potatoes) I do like its flavor a lot (it is similar to spinach). I used the same ingredients for the quiche, but the flaky pie crust makes the already-yummy filling into a real treat of a summer dinner.

I used frozen Oronoque Orchards deep dish pie crusts, which are pretty decent but include a small amount of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, including cottonseed. Not that pie crust is a healthy thing to eat anyway, but I do try to avoid cottonseed oil in particular. I noticed whole wheat pie crusts in Mrs. Green’s the last time I was there, so I will have to check the ingredients on those brands as a possible alternative.

I love this quiche cold, straight from the fridge. I baked two of them, and then froze one for an easy meal another day.

I found the inspiration for this recipe from Cathy at Noble Pig. Noble Pig is a blog that makes me shake my head in wonder when I think about the time she puts into it. Lots and lots of posts, with tons of commentary, and lovely photographs. Oh, and she’s building a vineyard and winery, too.

I thought the kids would be amused by the rigatoni standing on end. I made my version cheese-only, rather than using meat and dairy. I only realized (after talking to Alison this afternoon) that I’d need to add some cheese to replace the beef just before I started to cook. So I used what I had: some low fat (1%) cottage cheese. Ricotta would have been much better. Regardless, I think the real secret to the flavor is the way the pasta is tossed with Parmesan before they’re arranged in the pan. Each bite you take has a delicious bit of sharpness from it.

I do have one warning: it turns out my spring form pan is 10 inches, not 9 inches as the recipe recommends.Of course, I didn’t whip out my ruler until the pound of pasta had been loaded into the pan, and there was a sizable chunk of space left! I loosely balled some aluminum foil to fill in the blank space, and continued along. It turned out fine, and once the first portion was served you couldn’t tell there’s been a glitch. Measure your pan!

Everyone at the table ate this dish as prepared. Everyone. Including pickiest little G., who was so enthusiastic about it he asked several times that I save leftovers for him to eat tomorrow. I know he won’t eat it tomorrow — he didn’t even eat the second serving he asked for — but it is wonderful to hear nonetheless.

Meatless Pasta Pie
Adapted from Noble Pig’s Pasta Pie

1 lb. rigatoni (use the longest, widest noodle you can, like De Cecco)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
non-stick spray (or extra olive oil)
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen Fire Roasted)
1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella

Preheat over to 375° F.

Cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package, but subtract a couple of minutes from the recommended time so they are slightly undercooked. Drain and rinse in cool water. Then return the drained pasta back to the pot. Toss the 1 Tbsp. olive oil and Parmesan cheese with the rigatoni until they are evenly coated, then set aside.

Lightly coat a 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray. Stand each piece of pasta upright in the spring form pan, until the whole pan is filled. Set aside.

In the pot you used to boil the pasta, combine tomatoes, ricotta cheese, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce mixture over the upright pasta, and gently pat it down into the tubes until there is only a thin layer of sauce left on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on top.

Set spring form pan on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking pan (to catch any leaks) and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven once the cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbly, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Cut into pie-shaped wedges to serve.

My parents gave us a gift certificate to artisanalcheese.com for Hanukkah, and we were very excited to use it! We both love to try new cheeses — I’ve written about some of them in the past: Cheese Saves Us from Expired Tofu, How to Build a Cheese Plate, and Cheese Tasting Gone Bad — so this is a perfect dinner for us.

Apparently I should have consulted my own blog before we ordered from Artisanal, because we duplicated a couple of cheeses we’ve tried before and didn’t adore (La Peral and Serra da Estrela).

Our first cheese tasting of 2010 included:

Catskill: This is a goat cheese from Stissing Mountain in upstate NY. J. and I both liked the different consistencies of this cheese — the rind was mild and edible, then the inside edges were gooey, and the majority of the it was drier and not as luscious as those edges. This was a nice, light goat, and it tasted a tiny bit lemony to me. Very nice, but not something we’d seek out again.

La Peral: We felt “meh” about this lightly-blued cheese once before, and though it is described as rare we don’t find it to be anything special. It’s not blue enough for me, for one. It has a slight celery flavor about it, and it is very light and easy to eat, but there is nothing about it that hooks us.

OCSC Hudson Valley Camembert: It’s hard to go wrong with triple creme! This is a local cheese from the Old Chatham Shepherding Company and 3 out of 4 people in this house loved it. Yep, A. kept coming back for more, and I was impressed with his pronunciation of “camembert” as well. This cheese is a little tangy and so smooth — it doesn’t taste heavy even though it is as buttery as can be. We will definitely seek this one out again.

Serra da Estrela: You can think of Serra da Estrela as a gateway sheep cheese — it’s not too barnyard-y, although I did get a slight ammonia smell off of it. I might have liked it more if we’d been drinking wine with it, so I will make sure to do that when we tuck back into the rest of it this weekend.

We had ordered one additional cheese (Dorset) that didn’t arrive at all, and after a phone call we found out it’s out of stock. They’re sending a substitution this week so we’ll get to add one more sample to the platter when we take these cheeses back out for another tasting.

The greens attached to last week’s CSA beets were really lush; I knew they needed to be more than compost.

I sauteed until golden half a small onion, minced, in a little olive oil, then added the washed and chopped beet greens (plus all the stems). I let the greens cook down until the stems were tender, then spread that mixture at the bottom of a round baking dish. I topped the greens with about 6 oz. of thinly-sliced Monterey Jack cheese, and then poured a well-beaten mixture of 8 eggs and a splash of milk seasoned with salt and pepper over it all. Into my toaster oven at 350° F for about 40 minutes — I had to cover it with foil so it didn’t get too brown. Let sit for 10 minutes to cool and set, then serve. It was really delicious, and these crustless quiche slices are great straight out of the fridge for a breakfast on the go.

For an extra beet-y experience, I also made my Mustard Vinaigrette Beet Salad on the side. Mmmm, beet-y.

Last night I made a salad platter, layering sliced tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella (insalata Caprese) around the edge, with an avocado in the middle. We dressed our own servings with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and ate it with slices of ciabatta bread. This is a perfect summer meal — quick, cool, and light. I plan on making it often this summer.

The women in my family absolutely adored this pasta dish — it’s already been requested for another Thursday night dinner. I liked it a lot too, but I was still kind of surprised by how enthusiastically it was received. I think part of the issue for me is that it’s kind of bland-looking, although it is packed with lemony goodness and is not boring at all when it comes to flavor.

G. was horrified to even have this on his plate. A. preferred to eat string beans rather than try the pasta. And my eat-anything niece turned up her nose as well. No worries, we practically finished it off at the dinner table; then J. ate some of the leftovers.

I subbed in part-skim ricotta for half of the sour cream, which probably gives it less of a creamy texture than the original. I think you could use reduced-fat sour cream without any problem, and I’ll try that next time. Spinach or broccoli added before the pasta was baked would also work well.

Baked Lemon Pasta
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks’ Baked Lemon Pasta

1 lb. rotini or other twisty pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons
1 c. sour cream
1 c. part-skim ricotta
1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Cook pasta in salted water, reducing the cooking time to about 2/3 of the time suggested. Drain well and return pasta to the pot.

Add remaining ingredients to the pot except for the Parmesan cheese, and mix well, making sure the butter melts. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Spread pasta mixture into a 9″x13″ casserole dish and top with Parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until top begins to brown slightly. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon over the top of the pasta and serve.

This savory noodle kugel comes from Gluten-Free Bay — it hadn’t occurred to me before this year that gluten-free food blogs would be such a great resource for Passover recipes!

I made a few changes to the original recipe: I left out the small amount of sugar, and reduced the milk to 1 cup (my noodles seemed watery, which is why I cut back on the milk). I used Manischewitz Passover Gold Fine Egg Noodles, because I couldn’t find the wide ones.

After being parboiled and then cooked in the kugel, the thin noodles mostly disintegrated into what was a pretty delicious, fluffy, potato-flavored base. Not surprising, since Passover noodles are made from potato starch. Add in the sauteed onions and garlic, and you have a kind of mashed potato kugel. What could be bad? All the adults enjoyed it, even if it was a bit a heavy. A side salad of tomatoes and roasted, marinated artichokes (from a jar) balanced it out.