Home-baked Pizza

Kids wanted to make pizza, so I found this pizza recipe from a Better Home and Garden's Cook book that I bought many year ago. The topping is whatever I can find in the fridge - cheese, pepperoni, sausage, ham, salami, broccoli, spinach. You can get very creative.

Ingredients

【Pizza dough】 - for 2 thin crust 12" pizzas
All purpose flour - 2.5 to 3 cups
Active dry yeast - 2 and 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup, warm (120 to 130°F)
Oil - 2 TBSP
【Pizza sauce】
Tomato sauce - 1 can
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Minced garlic - 1/2 tsp
Dried basil - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Can also add dried rosemary, olive oil, ground black pepper to taste
【Pizza topping】
Almost anything goes with pizza

Steps

1. First make pizza sauce, mix all pizza sauce ingredients in a bowl. Let it stand several hours to let flavors blend.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine 1.25 cup flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes). Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F.
5. Grease the pizza pan or large baking sheets.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into a circle. Transfer dough circle to prepared pans, build up edges slightly; prick dough with a fork. For thin-crust pizza, do not let rise. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown.

7. Spread pizza sauce onto hot crusts and top with desired meat, vegetable and cheese
Bake for 10 minuted or until bubbly.

8. Cut and serve hot.

Note: For pan pizza use 400°F

Girl Scout Brownie to Junior Bridging Cupcake

Cupcakes made for Girl Scout Bridging Party to celebrating Bridging from Brownie to Junior. They are Vegan Chocolate Cupcake with with Vanilla Buttercream tinted in green and Chocolate Buttercream . The rainbow is Airheads Xtremes Sweetly Sour Candy Belts.

Margarita Cupcake

Found this Magarita Cupcake Recipe which is perfect desert for an adult only Tiki Party.

Ingredients

【Cupcake】
Butter - 1 cup, softened
Sugar - 1 to 1.5 cup
Eggs - 3 large
Lime - juice of 3 limes, plus zest of 1 lime
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
All-purpose flour - 2 Cups
Cornstarch - 3 TBSP
Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 Cup
【Frosting】
Butter, softened - 1 Cup
Powdered sugar - 5 Cups
Fresh lime juice - 1/4 Cup
Tequila - 1/4 Cup
Coarse salt, for garnish
Lime zest, for garnish
Small lime wedges, for garnish

Yields: 18

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pans with cupcake liners. In a large bowl using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lime juice and zest and vanilla and mix until combined.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until just combined. Pour in milk and mix until fully incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter.
3. Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted into center of each cupcake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter, half of powdered sugar, lime juice, and tequila until light and fluffy. Add remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
5. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with coarse salt, lime zest, and lime wedges and a cut decorative straw before serving.

Ocean Margarita Jello Shots

Made for a Tiki party. Strong stuff.

Ingredients

Lime juice - 2/3 cup

Water - 1/3 cup
Unflavored gelatin - 2 envelopes
Agave tequila silver - 3/4 cup 

Blue curacao - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 TBSP

Large crystal sugar for garnish, if desired

Steps

1. Pour lime juice, sweetener and water in a saucepan, sprinkle with gelatin. Allow gelatin to soak for a few minutes.
2. Heat over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly (approximately 5 minutes).
3. Remove from heat, stir in tequila and blue cuacao.
4. Pour into glass container or molds. Refrigerate until fully set (several hours or overnight).

5. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Succulent Garden

This is Green Tea Chiffon Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting.

Stained Glass Jello

Ingredients

Jello mixture - 6 (3 oz) boxes of flavored gelatin (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
Gelatin - 2 envelopes
Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can (14 oz)
Water

Steps

1. Follow instructions on back of gelatin packages and make each color of gelatin. Allow to set in fridge until firm.

2. Cut each color of gelatin into small cubes (about 1/2″ square) and place in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick baking spray.

3. In a large bowl, sprinkle two envelopes of unflavored gelatin into 1/2 a cup of cold water. Allow to soften and dissolve for about 5 minutes, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups boiling water and the condensed milk. Stir and allow to cool completely. Once cool, pour the mixture over the colored gelatin cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight.

4. Then cut gelatin into squares. For easiest slicing, use a very sharp knife dipped in very hot water.

Can also try different color combinations.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road Cupcake (Wizard of Oz)

Cupcakes made for Wizard of Oz themed camp. They are Vegan Chocolate Cupcake with with Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. The brick road and flowers are made with rolled marshmallow fondant.