Best Cranberry Sauce
Easy Homemade Pizza Crust
We’re featuring this recipe because our November Feature Giveaway is a pizza set by Emile Henri in honor of National “Pizza With The Works Except Anchovies” Day on November 7th. We’re choosing to feature the Emile Henry pizza stone because it is second to none for even heating, withstanding high temperatures, creating a crisp crust, and making pizza at home a joy. The set also comes with a pizza peel to make extracting your pizza from the oven less, shall we say…hazardous.
You might want to practice making dough (for when you win the pizza set) so we got this recipe straight from the Emile Henry website. Yes, you could just buy some premade dough at Trader Joe’s or some other supermarket but why would you want to when this recipe is so dang easy? Fresh pizza dough makes such a huge difference. Whether you like your pizza loaded with toppings or just with a bit of olive oil and fine cheese, the crust will take that pizza from ordinary to amazing. Once you have your dough ready, it’s full steam ahead for the pizza lovers in your life. This pizza-at-home thing just might become a habit. Sounds good to me…
What is your favorite type of pizza? Do you make it at home or get take-out? Does anyone really like anchovies on their pizza? Let us know in the comments below.
Link to the original recipe here.
Easy Homemade Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope fast-rising dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp cornmeal
- 1 cup water very warm
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in mixing bowl. Whisk until ingredients are blended.
- 2. Stir in water and 2 tbsp olive oil until well blended.
- 3. Place dough on a lightly floured counter, baking mat or cutting board. Knead 10 minutes. Cover with towel and let rest for 20 minutes
- 4. Sprinkle Pizza Peel with 2 tbsp. cornmeal. Place dough on peel and press into a circle. Stretch and roll dough shaping a 14-inch circle and add toppings.
- 5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 min., or until crust is crispy.
- GRILLING DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat your grill: CHARCOAL, NATURAL WOOD GRILLS: Light charcoal, dump coals on bottom grate, spread out coals, put top grill grate in place and place stone on top of grill grate. Let stone heat up to cooking temperature 500 - 700 degrees F, depending on your recipe instructions. GAS GRILL: Light burners, put pizza stone on grill grate, let stone heat up to cooking temperature, 500-700 degrees F, depending upon your recipe instructions. 2. Meanwhile, roll out pizza dough onto a pizza peel. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. 3. Just before cooking, sprinkle2 tbsp. of cornmeal on Pizza Stone. Slide pizza directly onto hot Pizza Stone. Cover the grill and cook over high heat for 15-20 min., or until crust is lightly browned and the top is bubbly. 4. When pizza is done, remove it with pizza peel. If you're making another right away, place a platter; or serve pizza right on the Pizza Stone. Lift up Pizza Stone at handles using potholders. The handles will be very hot. 5. Place the stone on cutting board or trivets. 6. Cut pizza slices directly on Pizza Stone
- CHEESE PIZZA: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce with 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning on dough leaving 1/2 to 1-inch rim. Sprinkle on 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese PESTO PIZZA: Drop 5-6 spoonfuls of pesto on cheese pizza. MUSHROOM PIZZA: Slice medium onion and 8 oz mushrooms, saute them in olive oil until soft. Spread on top of cheese pizza.
Monster Cookies
This delicious cookie was served in the store on Saturday, October 5, 2019. It’s not the first time. We’ve served this cookie before. It’s always well-received and nearly always gone before the end of the day. We took this recipe from a book titled Sally’s Cookie Addiction by Sally McKenney published in 2017. It’s a book that we try to keep in stock because it’s so popular and is filled with the most tasty cookies!
The recipe calls for all the basics – flour, sugar, butter, etc -things that you might have on hand. But it also calls for chocolate chips, M&Ms© candies, and creamy peanut butter – things you may need to plan ahead for or pop to the market and purchase. This is exactly the type of recipe that one could easily swap out the “add-ins” if one preferred, say, raisins more than M&Ms©. As you read the recipe instructions you’ll find that, after baking, more chocolate chips and M&Ms© are pressed into the tops of the warm cookies. I submit that pressing a little toasted coconut flakes would also be delicious as well as pretty. You can also view the original recipe–posted in 2013–on her website here where you’ll get to read first-hand Sally’s own comments and musings.
Do you know that our October 2019 Monthly Feature give-away includes two of the items you need to make cookies? You can read more about it here. Make sure you are on our email list which automatically enters you into each of our drawings. You can sign up here. You can also enter by dropping a paper entry into our vase next time you are visiting the store.
Did you get to taste these cookies in the store? Have you made these cookies? Do you plan to make them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Monster Cookies
For this recipe you will need the following items which we carry in the store:
Good baking sheet pans | Parchment paper or silicone baking mats | Pure vanilla extract | Stand mixer or hand mixer | Rubber or silicone spatulas |Cookie scoops | Cooling racks | Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs large
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats quick cook variety
- 1 1/2 cups M&Ms© mini or regular size, plus more for topping
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about one minute. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about two minutes. Add the eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about one minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bols and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the oast. Once combined, beat in the M&Ms© and chocolate chips. The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and chill the dough in the refridgerator or at least 20 minutes (and up to four days). If chilling for longer than one hour, allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Scoop balls of dough, two tablespoons (No. 30 scoop) of dough per cookie, and place 3" (7.5 cm) apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, you can press a few more chocolate chips and/or M&Ms© into the tops—this is only for looks!
- the cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Buttermilk pancakes are pretty much the staple in home cooking as they are easy to prepare and delicious to consume. Whether you choose to eat them with sweet condiments or savory condiments, you’ll find that a good pancake recipe can be one of the most versatile for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We’ve chosen this recipe from Martha Stewart’s collection. It is a tried and true, never-fail buttermilk pancake recipe that will serve you well for many years. See the original post here.
Did you know that pancakes have been a part of the human diet for thousands of years? Apparently, Otzi the Iceman had remnants of ‘pancakes’ in his stomach when he was discovered in the Italian Alps about 5300 years after he died. You can read about him (and pancakes) here on the National Geographic website. At least when he died, he’d just enjoyed a hearty meal!
Apparently, buttermilk has a long history, too. And the buttermilk you buy in the store today doesn’t necessarily resemble the buttermilk (from actually churning sweet cream into butter) from yesteryear. The acidity in today’s “cultured” buttermilk works with the baking soda to give a lighter texture to your pancake (or any baked goods). You can read more about it here.
We hope you’ll try (and enjoy) this recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart. Let us know in the comments below how you like your pancakes. Sweet? Savory? Fluffy? Thin? Tiny? Huge? The variations are unlimited.
NOTE: This recipe calls for salt. We have several varieties of salt at The Kitchen Company. We also have just the right pancake flipper, ladle, and measure cup or spoon. We even have pancake dispensers for those who really, REALLY like to have uniform pancakes! Come by and see – we’ll be waiting for you!
Buttermilk Pancakes
The key to light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes from scratch? Don't overmix the batter—it should have small to medium lumps. Source: Martha Stewart Living, February 1998
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted, melted + 1/2 teaspoon for griddle
Instructions
- Heat griddle to 375 degrees f. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tbsp melted butter; whisk to combine. Do not overmix. Batter should have small to medium lumps
- Heat oven to 175 degrees f. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off the griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 tsp butter onto the griddle. Wipe off excess with a paper towel.
- Using a 4-ounce ladle (about 1/2 cup) pour pancake batter in pools two inches away from one another. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges (about 2 1/2 minutes) flip over. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven. Serve with your favorite condiments.
Buckwheat Banana Pancakes
This lovely little pancake is from the Breakfast At Morning Glory cookbook by Patty Groth. Patty owns Morning Glory Restaurant in Ashland Oregon. Her cookbook is available at the restaurant and, if you are lucky, you may even get an autographed edition!
Morning Glory opened in 1997 in a converted 1926 craftsman style house at 1149 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland. Their specialty is breakfast but lunches are popular as well. They are open seven days a week (thank goodness for us!) from 8:00 am until 1:30 pm. If you are anywhere in the Rogue Valley or southern Oregon in general, it’s most certainly worth a trip to Ashland for breakfast (or lunch) in this well-loved establishment. Give them a call if you need any further information 541-488-8636
In honor of our celebration of National Pancake Day (September 26) and our pancake-palooza in the store on Saturday, September 28, 2019, we’ve been adding pancake recipes to our (slowly growing) collection of recipes. This is one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Cheers,
Roy (& Frank)
NOTE: This recipe contains cocoa powder. The Kitchen Company carries two types of cocoa powder by Guittard, makers of fine chocolate products for 150 years and based in the US.
These wonderfully thin pancakes have a richness to them that comes from the addition of cocoa. The batter seems thin but it thickens as it rests. Best if made the day before serving, covered and refrigerated. Just slice your bananas and add to the batter or serve on top. We do both. Serve with walnut butter or lemon butter and pure maple syrup.
NOTE: reprinted from the book Breakfast At Morning Glory – Recipes, Mishaps and Adventures from the Little Blue House by Patty Groth
Buckwheat Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup buckwheat
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine flour, buckwheat, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, and vegetable oil and add to the dry mix. Whisk to combine. If leaving until tomorrow, cover and put in the refrigerator. If cooking today, let the batter rest a bit.
- Cook on a hot, greased pancake griddle.
- Flip when bubbles appear on the tops and cook for two more minutes
