A pizza fit for Fall

I like to think of pizza as a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless when it comes to sauce, cheese, toppings, etc. A while back I heard about a pizza made with butternut squash and blue cheese. I have no idea how I first found out about it (a google search revealed that the combo is pretty ubiquitous), but a rainy Sunday afternoon last week found me in the kitchen with some leftover pizza dough and blue cheese at my disposal, along with a squash sitting on the counter, so I immediately recalled that combination and got to work.

The end result of my experiment would have been perfect had my blue cheese not been oh-so-very-strong from sitting in my fridge for about a month. But even with the overpowering blue cheese flavor, this combo was still delicious. The saltiness of the cheese mingled perfectly with the sweet roasted squash, caramelized onions, and red bell peppers. Plus the combination of colorful ingredients made this pizza a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Eating it kind of eased my sorrow over the fact that grilled pizza season is over.

Autumn Pizza

I didn't list amounts for the ingredients in this recipe, since that is going to depend on how big your pizza is and how much of each topping you prefer.

One pizza crust (my basic dough recipe is posted here)
Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
Olive oil
Kosher salt
One sweet yellow onion
Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Mozzarella cheese
Blue cheese (or another dry, crumbly, salty cheese such as feta)

1) Toss squash with enough oil to thinly coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 400 for about 40 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender.
2) Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. salt and saute until onions are golden brown and reduced, about 20-30 min. (This process is called caramelizing and you can find more detailed instructions here).
3) Roll pizza dough out to desired thickness (I like mine pretty thin). Place on a baking sheet that is either sprayed with cooking spray or dusted with cornmeal and brush with olive oil.
4) Top with desired amount of squash, onions, bell peppers, and cheese (I would suggest maintaining about a 4:1 ratio of mozzarella to blue cheese. But that amount depends entirely on how strong your cheese is).
5) Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes (or according to crust recipe directions).

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

The fall baking craze continues! I gave you all a bit of a break with the healthy beans and rice recipe I posted last week, but now I'm back with a delicious and sinful recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Tell your waistline I'm very sorry.

When I first saw the amount of spices in this recipe I was a bit nervous that I'd end up with something that tasted too strong, but these rolls actually ended up being quite lovely. They have just enough spice and pumpkin flavor to set them apart from regular cinnamon rolls without hitting you over the head with nutmeg or ginger. The cream cheese frosting really completes them, as it does most pumpkin goods. Make and enjoy, my friends.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (adapted ever-so-slightly from goodlifeeats.com)


Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom


Filling:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Let rest for 5 minutes before stirring.
2) Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
3) Gradually add remaining flour (all purpose), a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Start with about 1 1/2 cups and increase if necessary.
4) Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.*
5) Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
6) Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl, set aside.
7) Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle.
8) Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
9) Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices. In order to cut down on drag, it helps to rinse the blade in hot water, and wipe it off, between slices.
10) Place slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). 11) Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
12) Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, until rolls are brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center.

*I had to knead in quite a bit of flour to keep the dough from being a sticky mess, so if you're nervous about using a lot, don't be.



Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

1) Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth and combined.
2) Add sugar to cream cheese mixture 1/2 cup at a time and mix until desired consistency is reached (I used about 2 1/2 cups).
3) Spread liberally on warm cinnamon rolls.

Black Beans and Rice

I tend to be kind of obsessive when it comes to the things I like. Meaning that I’m the kind of person who, after Regina Spektor’s new album came out a couple of summers ago, listened to this song so many times on a road trip that Mike threatened to drop me off on the side of the freeway and leave me to the wolves if I pressed “repeat” one more time. It also means that I can eat the same thing for lunch day after day without getting sick of it.

I’ve never been much for the traditional packed lunch: a sandwich or frozen entree surrounded by odds and ends like yogurt, chips, fruit, etc. I like it best when my lunches consist of leftovers from last night’s dinner or some other form of “real food.” Not that this happens very often. Usually my mid-day meal is comprised of random stuff that I grab out of the fridge while running out the door to work. Lately I’ve been on quite the edamame kick (you can buy frozen individual bags at Costco), and for a while there when tomatoes were in season I would cut one into wedges, sprinkle with some sea salt, and call it lunch. Delicious, but not exactly filling.

Sometimes, though, I actually take initiative and plan my lunches in advance. For example, when I made this tzatziki, I kept it--along with some pita bread, grilled chicken, cucumbers, and tomatoes--in my fridge at work and ate it for lunch every day for a week. The beans and rice dish posted below was actually made with the intention of having it for dinner, but somehow we didn’t end up eating it that night* so it also turned into my week-long lunch. And boy has it been a good one. You wouldn’t think that something as simple as rice and beans would create a satisfying meal, but these beans are packed with flavor and, when you pair them with some cooked brown rice, you’re eating a complete protein that is cheap, filling, nutritious, and made with mostly pantry ingredients. Plus it ages well, actually getting more flavorful as I reheated it day after day. I will definitely be making this again. Or--more likely given my personality--again and again and again.

*By “somehow didn’t end up eating it”, I mean that our dinner that night consisted of pumpkin cinnamon rolls (recipe to be posted shortly). Don’t judge me.

Black Beans and Rice (adapted slightly from melskitchencafe.com)



1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 white or yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4-5 cups hot, cooked brown rice

1) In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
2) Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and saute, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft and tender.
3) Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and water; bring to a boil. 4) Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to thin to desired consistency.
5) Stir in the fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper; discard the bay leaf. Serve over the hot rice.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are many things to love about autumn: the beautiful leaves, crisp air, football season, the return of sweaters and boots into your wardrobe, etc. Mike pointed out another one a few nights ago when, as I was taking yet another tray of cookies out of the oven, he breathed a sigh of contentment and said “I’m so glad it’s baking season again.” Apparently at my house fall has come to be known as “baking season.”

The amount of baking I do in the summer tends to be minimal. Probably because I’d rather spend any free time doing other non-indoor activities, and frozen yogurt or a snow cone always sounds like a better cure for a sweet tooth in the hot summer months than a rich cookie or brownie. However, the moment the thermostat drops and the sun starts to set long before bedtime, you will often find me in the kitchen looking for an excuse to transform butter, sugar, and flour into something tasty. Luckily fall happens to be my favorite time of year to go running, otherwise it might also become known as the Season in Which I Buy Bigger Pants.

Usually my token fall pumpkin recipe is this bread, but last weekend I decided to try these cookies after my sister recommended the recipe. Prior to making these I had never tasted a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie that I truly loved. Most were too bland, some were too dry, others were ridiculously over-spiced. This recipe struck the perfect balance, and my goldilocks-like search for the perfect pumpkin chocolate chip cookie came to an end. I’ll probably make them a few more times before Thanksgiving comes around. After all, it is baking season.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup chocolate chips (you can use milk or semi-sweet, I used a mixture of both. And I probably used about a cup, maybe a little more)

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except flour and chocolate chips. Mix well.
2) Add flour and mix to combine.
3) Stir in chocolate chips.
4) Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheets.
5) Bake at 350 for about 15-17 minutes.*

*When it comes to cookies, I am usually paranoid about overbaking. Nothing worse than a dry, crunchy cookie, right? Well in this case I would actually be more worried about underbaking, as these cookies will be pretty gooey if you don’t bake them long enough and, because they are so moist, it’s hard to overbake them. I left mine in for about 17 minutes as opposed to the 15 the recipe called for and that worked perfectly.

Apple Pie

If you visit my parents’ house anytime during the months of August through October, you will most likely find their back patio lined with boxes of peaches, plums, tomatoes, nectarines, and other farm-grown delights typical of this time of year. My parents have always been big on eating lots of fruit and vegetables, so to supplement what their garden produces my dad makes a weekly trek to the Murray farmer’s market.

Those of you that know my dad as a calm, softspoken person really need to see him in action at the farmer’s market. He bounces from stand to stand examining peaches, haggling over the price of bell peppers, chatting with the farmers he has come to know on a first-name basis, and looking more like a buyer for a high-end department store than a guy buying tomatoes for his family. To my dad, the farmer’s market is serious business. I should know: one time he and my mom were going to be out of town for the weekend so he asked me to fill in for him as the produce purchaser for the family. I was given a wad of twenty dollar bills and a hand-drawn map of the market detailing which farmer sold the best corn, where I could get the best price on plums, the name of the stand that sells my dad’s favorite cranberry walnut bread, etc. I was overwhelmed to say the least.

The upside of my dad’s obsession is that every time I go to my parents’ house I leave with my arms full of delicious fresh produce. My parents practically force the stuff on me and I am more than happy to accept. Right around the end of September my haul starts including apples. Lots and lots of apples. I devour my favorite varieties—honeycrisp and jonagold—almost instantly, but a few no-name apples inevitably wind up forgotten at the bottom of the produce drawer. A little too soft or unsightly to be eaten straight-up, these apples are the ones that find new life as apple pies.

I don’t care how stellar an apple pie recipe claims to be, the secret of a great apple pie is the apples. If the apples taste good, so will the pie. And don’t judge by appearance here- I’ve found that the ugly misshapen apples my dad brings home from the market taste a million times better than the perfectly-shaped, waxed ones you find at the grocery store. I usually like to use a mix of sweet and tart apples in my pies, and will taste the apples as I peel and slice to make sure I like them. The recipe below is very much a bare bones take on apple pie, so if the only apples you have at your disposal are lacking in flavor, I would recommend using a more complex recipe. Otherwise, go right ahead and bake this pie. And please serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. Otherwise I might be inclined to think that your mama didn’t raise you right.

Apple Pie

I wish I had a crust recipe to share with you on this one, but I am a bit of a pie crust slut and have never used the same recipe twice. I’ve tried everything from the recipe on the back of the Crisco can to Smitten Kitchen’s all-butter crust and have yet to declare a favorite. They’ve all been good, though, and when I am ready to give up my pie crust promiscuity and commit to one favorite recipe, you all will be the first to know.

1 nine-inch double-crust pie pastry
5-7 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
¾-1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet or tart your apples are)
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1-2 tsp. cinnamon (just add to your liking- I usually use the lesser quantity)
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water (for egg wash)

1) Place apples in a bowl with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Stir to coat all the apples.
2) Place bottom pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and mound apple mixture on top.
3) Cut butter into small pieces and dot the apple mixture with it.
4) Top with the second crust and crimp edges to seal.
5) Brush top crust with egg wash and cut a few slits in it (I do about 6 I think).
6) Bake pie at 450 for ten minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until apples are soft.

Cinnamon Rolls

It seems like Mormon culture dictates that a lavish breakfast be eaten during the Sunday morning session of General Conference. Some people make egg casseroles, others prepare German pancakes or french toast, but cinnamon rolls seem to be the most popular option when the time for “church in your pajamas” rolls around. Growing up I never had the standard Utah conference viewing experience because my parents interpreted the talks into Russian, so us kids were hauled downtown along with them when we were younger and left home to fend for ourselves as soon as we were old enough. This year's conference actually marked the first time that neither one of my parents had to interpret the Sunday morning session, so we celebrated this newfound normalcy by gathering the family together for some conference viewing and a breakfast of—you guessed it—cinnamon rolls.

Making homemade cinnamon rolls might sound like an unnecessary pain in the butt to some, my dear husband being among them (“why don’t you just buy the Pillsbury ones?”) but the finished product is well worth the extra effort. This is mostly because the homemade rolls taste a lot better, but also because you don’t have to worry about strange chemicals and preservatives creeping in. Plus I find the whole roll-making process, as long as you don’t feel the need to rush through it, to be very zen. There’s something soothing about rolling the dough out and feeling it under your hands as you shape it. Kind of like play-doh for adults. I’m already looking forward to making a batch on a snowy afternoon while listening to Christmas carols.

There seem to be many methods of making cinnamon rolls. Some produce a flaky, buttery roll topped with thick cream cheese frosting, while the opposite end of the spectrum yields hearty whole wheat specimens filled with raisins and nuts. The recipe listed below is my favorite take on the cinnamon roll: a soft, white yeast dough filled with plenty of cinnamon sugar and topped with a thin frosting that seeps into the warm rolls and acts like more of a glaze. Delicious.

Cinnamon Rolls (Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
Do you read the pioneer woman’s blog? If not, you should. She is delightful. And her recipes, although not really my style of everyday food, are terrific. Besides her cinnamon rolls I’ve also made her pot roast, brisket, and chocolate sheet cake. All of which are fabulous.

I’ve scaled down the quantities of PW’s recipe and changed the ingredients around a bit for the filling and frosting, but you can find her original post here. It includes beautiful step-by-step photographs of the entire process (which you should know you won’t find around these parts) so use it as a guide when making these for the first time.

The Pioneer Woman also created a “Notes on Cinnamon Rolls” post to address some questions about this popular recipe. I would recommend checking that one out as well. And now, without further ado, a yellowish, low-quality photo of one these cinnamon rolls taken with my cell phone. Enjoy:
Oh, and the recipe (yields about 2 dozen rolls):

Dough:
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast (2 ¼ tsp.)
4 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1/2 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

Filling:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
Generous Sprinkling of Cinnamon

1) Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2) When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
3) After rising for at least an hour, add 1/2 cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
4) When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin (mine was probably about a ½ inch, maybe a little thinner), maintaining a general rectangular shape.
5) Spread about ½ cup (1 stick) softened butter over the dough. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over the butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. (These quantities are all approximate- just add them to your liking).
6) Roll the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
7) Cut the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and lay them in buttered pans (I’ve found a dozen rolls fit perfectly in a rectangular 9x13 pan).
8) Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes.
9) Bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Frosting
1 lb. Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Enough milk to achieve desired consistency (about 1/3 cup)

Mix together all ingredients and whisk until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

There is something so satisfying about basic cooking. The kind of cooking that requires no fancy ingredients, complicated techniques, or any kind of stress. The kind of cooking that allows you to turn off your brain and let your hands do all the work. The kind of cooking that turns a bowl of excess tomatoes on the verge of spoiling into a vibrant sauce that beats anything you could ever buy in a grocery store.

I made this sauce last weekend while Butch was at priesthood session and I had the house to myself. Usually I spend this night hanging out with my mom and sisters or girlfriends, but this time around I was very much craving some alone time. I had every intention of relaxing (I even rented a movie from redbox), yet somehow I ended up in the kitchen making homemade cinnamon rolls (recipe will be posted shortly) and tomato sauce.

If I could recommend any sort of therapy for feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, it would be to spend some time in the kitchen peeling and chopping tomatoes while listening to the Pandora station of your choice (I picked The Arcade Fire), then curling up on the couch with a good book as the fruit of your labors simmers away on the stove. It’s a time-consuming process but a dead simple one that will make you feel surprisingly competent and useful. If you’re anything like me, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment in knowing that, although you may not have control over the abstract worries in your life, you can still work some magic with a tomato.

Fresh Tomato Sauce (From The Gourmet Cookbook)
This recipe is a very bare-bones sauce that lets the amazing flavor of fresh tomatoes dominate, but you can change it up by adding more vegetables (carrots, celery, onion) or seasonings (crushed red pepper, oregano) of your choice.

6 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled*
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1) Core tomatoes and halve crosswise.
2) Working over a sieve set over a bowl, squeeze tomatoes gently to remove seeds.
Discard seeds and reserve juice.
3) Coarsely chop tomatoes.
4) Heat oil in a large pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just golden (about 1 minute).
5) Add tomatoes, reserved juice, sugar, and salt.
6) Bring to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to your liking (mine took about an hour).
7) Stir in basil and salt to taste.

*The easiest way to peel tomatoes is by blanching them. Make an “X” with a paring knife in the skin on the bottom of each tomato, then lower them with a slotted spoon into a pot of boiling water for about ten seconds. Plunge into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process, then peel off the skin at the “X” (it should slide right off).