Love My Lizzo & Birthday Pizza!!

Yesterday was my birthday and for my birthday dinner, a group of friends took me out for some birthday pizza. We went to this AMAZING pizzeria called 2 Amys and I had their specialty pizza of the day which was sausage & artichoke, made in their famous Neapolitan style.

It was truly delicious, truly authentic, Italian fare.

And then I began to miss my best friend, Lizzo. And Chicago deep dish pizza. And Home.

Because, frankly, even with delicious delicious Italian pizza, my taste buds knew the pizza that was being consumed was great on the one hand. However, on the other hand, the hand of "best pizza to ever be eaten/made/enjoyed on the entire face of the ENTIRE earth", we have Deep Dish Chicago Pizza.

Look at that glorious glorious pizza pie!

These shots/recipes were found by my previously mentioned BF- Lizzo. One afternoon this summer (when I was being a slacker and didn't post anything), we made our own Chicago deep dish pizza, taking the time to make the dough and sauce from scratch.

It went by extremely quickly due to the fun and friendly chatter between us. And no injuries or accidents were caused by me! Shocking considering my usual clutzy cooking mantra. But with Liz, she always makes me feel proud and actually able to cook. We both did well at pretending we were able to do so with ease- no burns, cuts, or "oops" moments to speak of!

I know, guys. Very proud. We'll make an award later.

ANYWAY! So, if you have never had Chicago Pizza, you are missing out. As you can see, contrary to what one normally expects from a pizza, the sauce is on top, the cheese is melded to the crust, and wow! That crust is gynormous!

Yep. Gynormous. We make up words here in the clutzy kitchen.

While Chicago deep dish doesn't necessarily fit the image one has for a pizza, it is a triumphant change on the norm. In my opinion, it is the crust that makes a deep dish go from okay to "ooooooooooooooooooooh, wow. kay, what a first bite!". If you have a legitimate deep dish pizza, it will have cornmeal in the crust. This creates crunch, and almost a buttery/flaky quality to the crust. This crust has to be as huge and sturdy as it is in order to support whatever bad-ass toppings you're going to add. This pizza is a beast, it doesn't mess around, you want to load it UP with toppings! If you are just going to do cheese, make it a proper layer of cheese. This pizza isn't topped with cheese, you need to layer it, in large LARGE quantities to the crust. It'll melt and adhere to the crust and then, when you top it with sauce, it'll seem as though your dish was stuffed with cheese and toppings.

Doesn't that just sound amazing? I promise, it's amazing. I hope you all have been to the Chicago area and have had top notch pizza such as Giordano's or Lou's at least once in your life. It's quite an experience. If you check out the web pages- you can see for yourself: drool worthy pizza.

Okay! That is quite enough rambling. I am merely sincerely missing home and, when missing home, you miss the comfort foods of home. This is all of Chicago's comfort food. I hope you too will find a feast within this recipe. Make and enjoy :)

Homemade Pizza Sauce

-2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

-5 minced garlic cloves

-1 (28oz) can San Marzano Tomatoes

-1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1/2 tsp dried oregano

Heat oil in medium size sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, crush tomatoes then add all ingredients to pan. bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Deep Dish Crust

-1 c. water

-1/4 c. shortening

-1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

-1 tsp. salt

-1 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast

-1/2 c. lukewarm water

-3/4 c. yellow cornmeal

-3 or 3 1/2 c. flour

-yellow cornmeal

Heat 1 cup water, shortening, sugar and salt until shortening melts. Cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Combine yeast and shortening mixtures in large bowl. Add cornmeal and flour to shortening mix and knead until smooth and workable. Oil pizza pans with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cornmeal makes it nice and crunchy, don't be afraid to add more to the bottom/sides. Press dough into pans (deep dish pans required, press crust up sides) and pierce with a fork several times. Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove and add your favorite pizza toppings and bake for additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Don't forget the layering order:

Crust

Cheese

Toppings

Sauce

ENJOY! :)

Best $2 I Ever Spent: Disney Cookbook

Okay. So, just moved to the greater DC area, went to the library book sale, and, found the most awesome cookbook EVER.

E.V.E.R.

So, usually, cookbooks like this are just quality food with silly names like "Mickey's Magnificent Mashed Potatoes!"... But they're really just mashed potatoes shaped like Mickey. Nothing special about them... They are just Mashed potatoes. I HATE WHEN BOOKS WITH THEMES DO THAT, SUCH A LET DOWN! You buy it for food fitting a certain image and, it's all just a facade.

Such. A. Bummer.

NOT THIS BOOK! This book is "inspired by the animation". So, essentially, if it was on screen in a Disney movie, it made it into the cookbook. Sure, there are some things that are reaches. BUT- most everything in the book is a reference to food that was once animation. There are over 300 recipes in this book and most all of them are exceptionally fun and Disney like :)

For example!

This is from the movie Mulan! She eats this breakfast dish before going to the first day of training in the army... REMEMBER? Remember remember remember! I am super enthusiastic about this right now. Wonder if that is clear...

Okay- so there isn't berry butter in the movie "Sleeping Beauty". But there is an entire scene/song in which Aurora is picking berries and then later when they are making bread. I thought this was so cute, the way they set up this page, so I put it in anyway.

There is a recipe for Mango Wuzzle jam!! Bed Knobs & Broomsticks may be one of the best, albeit little know, Disney movies to have ever been made. And their dinner scenes were great. I am not sure I will be making Mango Wuzzle jam anytime soon but, I now have the option! If I do, I will totally be watching the movie whilst I work.

The commercial/obsession in the "101 Dalmatians" for Kanine Krunchies should be easily recalled by any Disney fan. I am not sure if this recipe is for the K9 members of your family or the humans... perhaps both depending on flavor preferences?

And this is by far my favorite recipe in the book! Herculade! One of the newer movies, "Hercules" still gets me every time and when the muses sang about his new beverage line, like all the other Herc-groupies, Pain, and Panic- I wanted to get myself a glass!

This is likely to be the first thing I make from the book. Perhaps a spiked adult version for my friends. It's so fun and fruity looking and, of course, makes the childhood movie come off the screen and into my kitchen.

I'll keep you posted on how well making these Disney recipes turns out :)

Inappropriately Delicious Apple Dumplings

Yep. That's right. That is indeed the most delicious thing one can bake with apples.

Take a good long look, my friend. It's small little thing, each individual dumpling. You see it and you may feel jipped out of a properly sized serving. Perhaps you'll think that one small fritter couldn't be enough apple-deliciosity for you, no way, no how.

As the old (and more then pseudo inappropriate) saying goes: size doesn't matter if you know what to do with it. And this lil pastry knows how to make your mouth happy.

Okay. That sentence was definitely more then pseudo inappropriate. But that's how good these apple dumplings are. They are inappropriately good. Flakey, sugar crusted dough wrapped over apples. A rich, apple & cinnamon sauce that you can spoon over the dessert and inevitable scoop of ice cream. It's sinful I tell you! And in the best way possible...

It is probably because they have inappropriate amounts of sugar/butter/soda. Soda alone makes a dessert all kinds of fizzy, naughty, and inappropriate but when it's paired with MORE sugar and then the age-old seductress Butter... that's just pure sin.

And that, my friends- (speaking of which, ANYONE READ THIS? feel free to comment so I know you're reading, it won't bite)- is why Pioneer Woman rocks my world... your world... the world. She makes food that isn't afraid to say "screw you" to caloric intake. Look at this recipe, look at these dumplings!

You need to make them. Yes, need, as in necessary to fill your carnal apple craving with this butter lusty recipe. Fall needs apples (see my previous post) and therefore you need apples. And this is the best way to get them.

Here's a picture as well (albeit a poor quality one) of the way all the dumplings look in the pan together, not just in an individual serving. Now, make me proud and bake them ASAP. And don't you dare call this dessert in and forget the ice cream. Go all out or get out of the kitchen.

Ingredients

-2 whole Granny Smith Apples

-2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls

-2 sticks Butter

-1 ½ cup Sugar

-1 teaspoon Vanilla

-Cinnamon, To Taste (I poured A LOT in, there is so much sugar, trust me when I say this can take it!)

-1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.