Tag Archives: mozzarella

Caprese Pull-Apart Bread

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Any of you out there grown your own cherry tomatoes? (Raises hand.) Do you also feel overwhelmed by the amount that are ripening right now? I can’t eat them plain or in salads fast enough, or give enough away to neighbors. If I see just one sad tomato on the ground, I feel like a failure. I need to make sure I get ALL of them. And eat ALL of them. It’s becoming impossible. SO. I had to get creative. Enough with eating tomatoes, mozz, and basil. We need to take it to another level. Enter in – caprese pull apart bread. It’s doughy, chewy, and surprisingly refreshing. Perfect for a party, side dish at a BBQ, or just an excuse to use up those tiny tomatoes.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp dry active yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 cups olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped basil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, whole
  • 1 cups olive oil
  • Dash of pepper
  • 1/4 cup basil, chopped
  • 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella

To make the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water, stirring until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes until it becomes frothy. Mix in sugar, milk, butter, and salt. Using a dough hook (or by hand), slowly add in the flour until a dough forms and is no longer sticky. Roll 1 inch pieces of dough into little balls and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and grease a bread pan.

In another mixing bowl, combine the basil, olive oil and pepper (feel free to add a dash of salt). Next, take the little dough balls, roll them in the basil olive oil mixture and begin to line them on the bottom of the bread pan. After 1 layer, scatter the cherry tomatoes, and some of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat these steps until you reach the top of the pan, tucking in any remaining tomatoes. Bake for roughly 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.

Caprese pull apart bread_damndelish

Happy Eating, XO.

Your Own Personal Pizza (No sharing required.)

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My husband and I like to think we’re pretty easy going when it comes to pizza, but the truth its, we’re not. At all. He likes meat-y, cheesy, greasy pizza. Where I want something more light and refreshing – yes, a pizza can be refreshing, guys (see ingredients below). So, I decided to solve this problem by making us each our own batch of dough to top with whatever we please. (It’s like we’re 5 years old again and need our OWN batter or we don’t want it at all.) If you’re in the same boat or just want a small pizza to nosh on, this one’s for you. No sharing required.

Pizza dough:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp canola oil

Toppings:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp truffle oil
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/2 of a fresh lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Making the dough:

In a mixing bowl with the dough attachment, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt and the yeast. Add the warm water and canola oil. (If you don’t have a dough attachment, you can use the flat beater or the whisk.) Beat the ingredients on low for 30 seconds until fully combined, then gradually add in the remaining flour. Beat on medium-high until a dough begins to form. (If you have a dough attachment you can skip this next part.) Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

On a cookie sheet, divide the dough in half (one for you, one for your significant other…) cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to rise. At this point, if you want to store the dough for later use, spray two ziplock bags with cooking oil and place the dough inside each. You can freeze the dough up to 3 months.

Topping your pizza:

If you’re ready to use right away, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On your floured surface, roll the dough out to roughly 1/2 inch high for thin crust, or 1 inch high for regular. Brush on the olive oil and truffle oil, leaving space along the edge for the crust. Layer on the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. (If you don’t have a pizza pan like me, but want to keep the round shape, flip over a cookie sheet and bake the pizza on top of it.) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

A couple of minutes before pulling it out of the oven top it with the arugula. When it’s completely done squeeze the fresh lemon (sans lemon seeds) over the whole thing. Sit back and enjoy the fact that you can have it aaalll to yourself.

Personal White Pizza

Happy Eating, XO.

Pull Apart Bread

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It’s time to get creative with the old “bread bowl” idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love bread bowls, but it’s high time to make them even easier to make. I’m sure it goes without saying, but this is a great app for a dinner or cocktail party. I always tend to wait to the last minute to get ready for a party and this honestly has saved me many times.

  • 1 loaf of sourdough bread
  • 1 cup of pesto sauce (I used the instant powder kind. Works just as well.)
  • 1 cup of mozzarella
  • Sprinkle of oregano all over

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Score the bread (ie, don’t cut it all the way through) horizontally and vertically to get your “pull apart” pieces. Pour the pesto sauce in to the crevices and use a spatula to smother it in there. Trust me, you want it on every piece! Next, stuff the mozzarella in each crevice and sprinkle on the oregano. Bake for 15 minutes.

Last step – go to town on it! You won’t be able to restrain yourself. But don’t worry, we don’t judge.

Pull apart bread

 

Happy Eating, XO

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

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I mean this honestly, this dinner is a real winner. It’s super simple, tasty, and gives you leftovers. It also gives you an excuse to use up all of that chicken that’s been sitting in your freezer. (Does anyone else always seem to have chicken in their freezer or is that just me?) It takes a little while to cook (45 minutes – an hour), but it’s worth the wait for this yummy, hearty dinner.

  • 3-4 boneless chicken breasts
  • 4 tomatoes, cubed
  • 1 large can of artichoke hearts
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 cup mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the chicken in an oven safe dish. Mix the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper together and pour over the chicken. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. A few minutes before it’s done, sprinkle with mozzarella and let it melt. If you have it, you can also sprinkle chopped basil to give it a fancier presentation.

Chicken bake

Happy Eating, XO.

My Taste Buds’ Soul Mate: Spinach Artichoke Pizza

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I wish I could describe to you the love I have for this pizza. I love it almost as much as truffle oil. Almost. And for any other pizza lover out there (or foodies, or even those who don’t really love food but you of course need to eat – aka EVERYONE) this pizza is for you.

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • ¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 pack of frozen spinach
  • 1 can of drained artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 tubes of pizza crust (I tend to use Pillsbury, but anything works)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and cook the crust according to the directions on the tube. Then in a medium saucepan on low heat add all of the creams – heavy cream, butter, and cream cheese.  Add in the parmesan and garlic powder and let simmer for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring. 

In the meantime, cook the frozen spinach. Once cooked and drained, add it to the simmering sauce. When it’s fully combined, spread on to the pizza crust, and top it with the artichokes and mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes/ until the cheese is golden brown. Last step – fall in love with the deliciousness.

Artichoke spinach pizza

Happy Eating, XO