{venturing outside the little kitchen} Mastering Masa Dough @ Sur La Table

There are just some things I don't like to try and figure out on my own.  Making my own tortillas and tamales has been on my list of things to do, but just didn't sound like something I wanted to try and figure out from a recipe on my own.  So that led me to Sur la Table's cooking class "Mastering Masa Dough."  I have always wanted to go to their cooking classes, but they are not the cheapest endeavor so I wanted to make sure I found a good one.  And let me just tell you, it was definitely worth it.  I met some of the most interesting people and had a wonderful time making tortillas, gorditas, tamales, empanadas and sopresas.  I will not go into all of the recipes right now, but as I make them again, I will share.  For now, I just wanted to give you a little sneak peek.  I will say with a class that was this jam packed with dishes, I did not master one thing.  However, it was just enough to have me trying all of these recipes in my own little kitchen.

Canadian Bacon & Black Olive Pizza

Have I convinced you to make a pizza yet?  You are either loving all of the endless combinations of pizzas you can make or you are so over it and wish I would get over it too. But I had to share just one more amazing combination.  I never thought of my brother and I as the gourmet types growing up, but I sometimes think I should reconsider that notion when I think back on the fact that canadian bacon and black olive pizza was our favorite to order on those special nights when we had a babysitter.  Sure our other 5 to 10 year old peers were in love with cheese or pepperoni, but among the very few things my brother and I agreed on growing up, this yummy pizza was among them.  So with my new found love of pizza at home, I decided to take a stab at it and it was perfect, and for me, nostalgic.  I also got quite excited when Mr. Hungy said this is his favorite pizza to date and he has become quite the honest critic.  Once again, this pizza was thrown together in minutes on a busy Monday night.  If this combination does not look like your favorite, I hope at least I have convinced you by now that you should try any of your favorite ingredients on this crust and have scrumptious homemade pizza any night of the week.  
From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Canadian Bacon & Black Olive Pizza

Recipe Notes

I have not listed amounts of the ingredients below.  I think each ingredient can be left up to personal taste.  Some like alot of cheese and a little sauce... some like a lot of canadian bacon and black olives... i think you get the point.  

Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough (click here for recipe or use store bought)

Marinara sauce

Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Black Olives, sliced in half vertically.

Canadian Bacon, sliced into triangles

salt and pepper

Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Roll out pizza dough into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.

3.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 

4.  Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over dough.

5.  Sprinkle cheese over entire pizza to make a thin layer.

6.  Top with canadian bacon and black olives. 

7.  Bake for 15 minutes until crust is crispy and brown.  

Apple Bread

Finally... it is under 70 degrees here in Houston.  (Well, it keeps creepin up, but today I actually wore a scarf and it was glorious).  Whether the weather is cooperating or not, this apple bread will make you feel like you are in the midst of fall no matter what the temperature outside is.  This is one of my favorite fall recipes and it takes very little time to put together.  It's one of those recipes that a slice is just as good as breakfast, as it is for a late night snack.  The only problem is, it never lasts more than 24 hours around here... no matter how much I make.  

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Apple Bread
Recipe Notes
I used honey crisp apples, but I am sure any variety that you like would work just fine.  This batter gets very very thick.  I suggest using a sturdy wooden spoon to stir in the apples.
Ingredients
1 C. canola or vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
3 C. chopped apple (peeled and cored/ chopped into bite size pieces)

Step by Step
1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Beat sugar and oil together.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Combine dry ingredients separately, and add slowly to wet ingredients.
5. Mix in apples using a sturdy spoon, because the batter will be very thick.
6. Sprinkle generously with sugar after baking.
7. Bake in 2 large loaf pans for 1 hour 15 minutes. 


Makes two large loaves.

{houston readers} New Farmer's Market In Town

Fellow Houstonians, there is a new Farmer's Market coming to town and I wanted to share the info I have about it so far.  Highland Village will now have a farmer's market on Saturday mornings from 8 am to 12 pm starting tomorrow, Saturday, October 31.   If you are unfamiliar with the farmers markets in Houston, there are a couple on Saturday mornings and a few during the week, but in my opinion, there is definitely room for more.  Here is a little blurb about the new market!

A permanent covered structure (next to Jos. A Banks and across the street from Escalante’s Mexican Restaurant) will house up to 24 vendors. Seasonal growers will rotate throughout the year bringing the freshest goods of each season to Houston such as blueberries, figs, strawberries and peaches. A baker will bring fresh baked breads, desserts, brownies and pastries that will pair nicely with the organic coffee vendor. One unit will supply free-range beef, lamb, pork, goat, chicken and wild boar while several vendors will have a variety of free-range eggs. A soap maker will provide lotions and handmade goat’s milk soaps.
Unusual and anticipated features at the market include Queen Bee Marshmallows, a vendor selling 20 different varieties of handmade marshmallows, and Texas Wild, a vendor who owns his own shrimp boat bringing peeled and whole shrimp to the market.

Just thought I would share, and maybe I will see some of you there this Saturday (probably not though if you plan on going at 8).

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Tis the season to carve pumpkins and the saying, "One's man trash is another man's treasure," has quite possibly never been more true.  I am sure the majority of pumpkin carvers dig all that pumpkin goo out of the pumpkin, discard, and go on to carving the pumpkin.  Well, those precious little seeds can be quite the tasty snack if you are willing to deal with that pumpkin goo a little bit longer and clean them up. Enjoy.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

Pumpkin seeds, cleaned with all pumpkin pulp discarded

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.  Pat seeds dry.  Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

4.  Roast seeds for about 25 minutes until lightly browned.  After 10 minutes of browning, shake pan to toss seeds and make sure are sticking to the pan.

5.  Let cool.  Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Marathon Cookies

I have a new motto... If you can't do something yourself (or not crazy enough to try), bake for those who can.  My boss ran a marathon last weekend and my coworkers and I did our best to support her since we could not fathom doing anything like that ourselves.  I found these little energy cookies at 101 Cookbooks.  If you have not been there, you definitely should go.  Heidi focuses on all natural, healthy cooking and has been doing so for years.  She has a cookbook that is sold at Anthropologie... what a dream.  I saw that she came up with this little cookie (if you can call something that contains kidney beans a cookie) when she was also cheering someone on during a marathon and wanted to give them a few bursts of energy.   So if you find yourself with a marathon runner that you need to give some energy to, try these cookies.  You will not truly appreciate that these cookies are pretty tasty until you take a look at the ingredients list... chopped dates, kidney beans, anise seeds.... but trust me, they are pretty darn good.

Click here for the recipe at 101 Cookbooks.