Pizza Crust

I've been looking around for a fantastic pizza crust recipe, and America's Test Kitchen delivered. It says it takes 1.5 to 2 hours to rise, but I often warm my oven to 200 degrees, turn it off, then put the dough in there.  Rises pretty fast - half an hour or so. I use this to make pizzas, obviously, but also to make stromboli (kids call it pizza rolls). Will write about that in a separate post. Can make a double batch in the Kitchen Aid, which is enough for 4 pizzas or strombolis (regular is, of course, 2).

1/2 cup warm water
1 envelope (abt 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour (I use whole wheat), plus more for dusting the work surface and hands
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and olive oil and stir to combine.
2. Place flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.
3. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate; it is now ready to use in recipes.

You will ask the baking times and temperatures. It depends on the recipe. If you don't know, bake at 425 until it's done. Yum.

Turkey Osso Bucco

I just wanted to pin this recipe, but darn Pinterest is all about appearances, and there wasn't a big enough picture on the page. Bah. So now you get a very delicious dinner idea. We just had it for Sunday dinner, and LOVED it. Very easy to put together, too, especially since the herbs don't even need to be cut. Got the idea from Allison, and here is the original recipe. There is a gremolata that goes with it at that site, should you feel so inclined. We like it. I will chime in with what I did differently. I'm sure it's perfect as written by Giada, but I had the ingredients I had . . . I doubled the veggies, because I had them, and liked it. Here goes!

1/2 breast of turkey (cut into 3 pieces, preferably by the butcher) (I didn't have a whole turkey, so I used a turkey breast tenderloin I got from Sam's club. I had 1.5 lbs of meat, which I cut into 6 large pieces so it would cook faster.)
2 turkey thighs (didn't use this, see above)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used less, since I had less turkey)
1 small onion, finely diced (I used a large onion)
1 carrot, finely diced (I used 2 big carrots)
1 celery stalk, finely diced (I used 2 stalks of celery)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine (I used 1 cup apple juice, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar)
4 cups reduce-sodium chicken broth (I had less turkey, so I only used 2 cups)
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
2 large sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves garlic

What I did was delicious, but I think that since I used apple juice and less broth, I'd probably use less apple juice next time to keep the proportions right in the sauce. It was, however, still delish.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pat the turkey with paper towels to dry and ensure even browning. Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Dredge the turkey in the flour to coat.

In a heavy roasting pan large enough to fit the turkey in a single layer, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until brown on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the turkey to a plate and reserve.

In the same pan, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Season vegetables with salt. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Return the turkey to the pan. Add enough chicken broth to come 2/3 up the sides of the turkey. Add the herb sprigs, bay leaf, and cloves to the broth mixture. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Braise until the turkey is fork-tender, turning the turkey after 1 hour. (I cooked it for 1 hour, 20 min, and it was very tender. Had I used the full amount of turkey, probably would have needed the full time.)

We ate ours with mashed potatoes and a green salad. YUM!

Oatmeal (Chocolate Chip) Cookies

From Better Homes and Gardens. I've never made them without the chocolate chips, because they're really the point to me. However, the original recipe is just oatmeal cookies, and you can stir in in raisins. But then you won't get any chocolate. Just a warning.

These have become Gary's specialty and they disappear very quickly wherever he takes them!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips or raisins (optional)

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats. (I've never had any problems doing this with my Kitchen Aid.)

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.