Girls Weekend Pizza Dough

Yield: One thin crust pizza. Double if you prefer thick crust.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I replace half with whole wheat)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup luke warm water (use 1-2 Tbsp. more, if needed)
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Stir first three ingredients into a large bowl. Add water and oil, stirring mixture into as close a ball as possible. Dump everything into a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.  Knead for just a minute or two.  Spray the bowl with cooking oil, then add the dough ball back into the bowl and turn to coat all sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size. To speed the process, rise in a warm oven.

Dump back on the floured surface and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hand.  Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let site on the floured surface, under plastic wrap, for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza stone with cornmeal or line with parchment paper and preheat stone and oven to 450*. Roll out dough and top with favorite toppings. If topping with mushrooms, leave off 1/4 of the pizza. Bake for 9-10 minutes until lightly browned or blistered.  Tip: using parchment paper makes it easier to preheat the stone, then slide the topped pizza into the oven.


Variations: may need to adjust water accordingly

Garlic and Herb: add 2 tsp basil, oregano, or rosemary leaves, and one clove finely minced garlic along with dry ingredients

Cornmeal: replace 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup cornmeal as you combine dry ingredients

Cheese: add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese along with the other dry ingredients

Peanut Butter-Cup Cookies

I'm SOOOOOO excited for this blog! I love baking and cooking and the idea of sharing recipes with friends is so great. Here is my peanut butter-cup cookie recipe that I made for the girls weekend.

Peanut Butter-cup Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 - 12 oz package small peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

* Every time I make this recipe I double it. It doubles really well.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (I did not do this but just used 2 non-stick air bake cookie sheets). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the peanut butter cups.

Drop tablespoon size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Enjoy ladies!!

Girls Weekend Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is my first time creating a blog post EVER! How exciting!

This is the recipe for the VERY unhealthy buffalo chicken dip we had over the weekend. This dip goes well with tortilla chips or with pita chips. A single batch feeds about 8 people, I make a double if I'm bringing to a larger party.

1 pkg cream cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
1 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced chicken OR 2 chicken breasts - boiled and shredded

Nuke cream cheese, Ranch, Franks, and cheese. Depending on your microwave, this usually takes about 6-10 minutes - I usually nuke 1-2 minutes at a time and stir in between. When the cream cheese has been fully blended in and the mixture is somewhat smooth, add in the chicken.

The best results I've had is making the dip the night before and allowing it to sit in the fridge overnight, then heating it in a crock pot the next day. Usually heats completely on low within an hour, then can be set to warm.

Perfect for football parties! Enjoy!

Girls Weekend Guac

In between the Cranium and dance party, there was some great food!! First, thanks again for everyone who made it! Those of you who didn't, you missed a heck of a time! The plan is to keep the new tradition alive, so while it's a long ways out, look for an invite deer hunting weekend next year.

Girls Weekend Guac
4 ripe avocados (brown, not green)
3 T fresh lemon juice (~1 lemon)
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 diced onion
1 lg clove garlic
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and scoop the flesh in to a bowl. Immediately add lemon juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through avocados in bowl until finely sliced. Add tomatoes, mix well. Add additional salt, pepper, and Tabasco to taste.

Note: Save one avocado pit and place in bowl to slow down the browning of the guac. Also, seal as tightly as possible-air will speed the browning as well!