Pizza Crust

Basic Cheese Pizza
Prep Time: 1 hrs Total Time: 1 hrs 13 minsServes: 8, Yield: 1 pizza

Ingredients
1/4 ounce dry yeast
1 cup water, lukewarm
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
Directions
Dough:.
In a glass or plastic bowl, combine yeast, water, and sugar (the water can just be water from the tap, make sure it's below 100°F).
Stir to dissolve the yeast and let the yeast "bloom" for 15 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup flour, add salt, and then stir in another cup of flour (the remaining cup of flour will be your "bench" flour and added flour).
Dump mixture onto kneading board and work in last cup of flour, kneading until dough is soft and elastic, but not sticky. Form dough into a ball.
In another bowl, pour in the 1 tbsp olive oil and spread around.
Coat ball of dough with oil and cover bowl with a damp towel and let dough rise for 40 minutes.
Punch down dough and knead on board about 2 minutes. Dough is now ready to spread in the pan.
Page 2 of 2Basic Cheese Pizza (cont.)
Directions
To avoid sticking of crust, lightly spray pizza pan with olive oil or vegetable oil spray and then work dough to pan (or use free form pan) - this dough is enough for 1 14-in pizza with a thin bottom crust and enough dough around the edge to munch.
Sauce:.
Combine pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, and basil.
Spread onto prepared pizza dough.
Top with sliced mozzarella cheese and bake at 500°F for 11-13 minutes.

Navajo Tacos Filling

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
• salt and pepper, to taste

Restaurant Eve’s Cake

Restaurant Eve’s Cake--sugar cookie cake
from The Washington Post, April 2006

My favorite part of this recipe is how hard it is to mess up: you’re actually told not to worry about overmixing. Doesn’t that make you excited? Let your mixer do the work, and you reap the benefits.

A word on the frosting: As sweet and delicious as this frosting is, I have decided, I think officially, that I do not prefer buttercream. Next cake, it will be whipped, and that’s a decision I will stand by.

Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus additional to grease pans
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk (may substitute low-fat or nonfat)
Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Melt butter and let it cool to room temperature.

Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in the large bowl of a stand mixer. (A stand mixer is preferable for this recipe, though a hand-held electric mixer may be used.) On medium speed, add the butter, incorporating in several additions. Beat for about 2 minutes, or until combined; the texture should resemble cornmeal.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla extract and milk. Add to the flour-butter mixture in two batches (scraping the bowl once), and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until smooth.

Distribute the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to cool completely. Frost the cake. It can stand at room temperature for 1 hour; otherwise, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Frosting
Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 pounds (7 1/2 -8 cups) confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, (may substitute whole, low-fat or nonfat milk)
Food coloring (optional)

Directions:
In a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until fluffy. On low speed, add the sugar in batches, increasing the speed to high after each addition is incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and cream in a steady stream on low speed until incorporated. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired. (Restaurant Eve uses red to make pink.) Beat on high speed for 8-10 minutes, until light and fluffy.