FAM FAVORITE 1 HOUR PIZZA DOUGH

Pizza night just became a weekly staple on Fridays at our house PLUS a whole lot easier with this 1-hour pizza dough recipe. This recipe is a favorite in our house, duplicated in other houses and a WIN with my toddler, Atlas. It’s quick, simple, and fun to make together, too!

Ingredients:

• 3-⅓ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour (dipped and leveled)

• 1 packet instant (rapid-rise) dry yeast (2-½ teaspoons)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1-¼ cups warm water

• Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Stir until everything is mixed together.

2. Add Water: Pour in the warm water and stir until a shaggy dough forms, with just a little bit of dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.

3. Knead the Dough: Remove any rings from your fingers. Knead the dough in the bowl with both hands until no more dry flour remains and the dough comes together into a ball. This should only take a few minutes.

4. Let It Rise: Drizzle some olive oil inside a large bowl (or clean the one you used). Place the dough ball in the greased bowl, cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for at least 45 minutes to 2 hours.

5. Check the Dough: After 45 minutes, your dough should have grown by at least 50 percent and have little bubbles on the bottom. If you want a slightly airier dough, let it rise for another hour.

6. Divide and Rest: Dust a clean work surface with flour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. Place the dough balls on the floured surface and cover with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Stretch/Roll the Dough: Take one dough ball and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flatten it a little with your hand or a rolling pin, then pick up the dough and gently stretch or roll it out until you have a 12-inch round. Repeat with the second dough ball.

8. Top and Bake: Top your stretched dough with your favorite toppings and bake according to your preferred pizza recipe. If you're only using one dough ball, you can freeze the second one or refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

My favorite way to cook is using my cast iron, On high heat brown one side of the crust. When a slight smoke rises from the pan, flip the dough. Quickly sauce + top and place in the oven on Broil. Watch it bubble and brown. Slice and Serve!

This 1-hour pizza dough is a game-changer for us. It's straightforward, quick, and yields a delicious crust that holds up to any toppings you throw on it. Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or just starting, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite, just like it has for Atlas and me. Happy pizza making!

XoXo

Britt

HOLIDAY BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas; Santa brought you what you wanted and you ate all the delicious things. I’ve been holding my Christmas present for the last 9 months now so I definitely indulged this holiday on all things delicious. I wanted to share my 3 favorite eats from the season. Just because it’s not December 25th doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them all year long too.

Caprese Wreath: I saw this recipe on the Food Network’s The Kitchen and my Italian heart melted. Deliciousness mixes with art- I knew i had to make for our Christmas Eve dinner. The ingredients were easy to source and didn’t require a trip to a fancy Italian market. The baking time was quick. But most importantly, the finish was scrumptious. You can find the recipe here. I recommend getting a baguette the day of, use Costco’s Pesto sauce and top each piece with fresh basil. Don’t fill up on these apps too much - it was hard to make sure I left room for actual dinner. In fact, I’m craving this dish right now.

Stephanie’s Sugar Cookies: Jose and I have been watching Christmas Cookie Challenge and Holiday Baking Championship like our lives depended on it. We were so inspired by the techniques and flair that we decided to have our own bake-off. One Saturday morning we woke up and watched a quick Youtube video on icing and felt most inspired by this recipe by Stephanie from the This Is Bingham Blog. Not only were her cookies perfect, but her tips on royal icing was mind blowing. After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for Merengue Powder and food colors we spent the afternoon at Jose’s parent’s house putting our skills to work. We look forward to practicing it again and again for all the holidays: Valentine’s Day, Easter, summertime, fall events and more.

Cranberry Orange Muffins: I got a Costco size bag of cranberries for a mocktail recipe and found myself wondering what to do with the remaining 6 cups of cranberries. I didn’t use them all yet, but I did whip up a double batch of Cranberry Orange Muffins. The key to these muffins is the first 5 min you bake on a higher heat, the, the remaining 13 min you turn the temp down. Also, not mentioned the the recipe, is sprinkling them with powdered sugar on top- this help sweeten up the tartness from the cranberries and looks like it came out of a magazine. You can get the recipe for the muffins here.

If you had any recipes you tried this year and loved, please share them. I love getting in the the kitchen and trying out new things. I am so happy my third trimester was not like my first- I am craving all the delicious foods, inspired to cook everyday and I know my baby and husband are enjoying it too. I should start paying it forward and sharing my dishes more so when the baby comes I get homemade dishes right back to us for the nights we can’t find the time to even warm up a hotpocket.

XoXo

Britt

FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE

Valentine’s Day is near and since you have already broke the diet and ate girl scout cookies, you might as well mix up this treat and share it with someone you love. Did you (not want to) know they call it pound cake because you add a pound of sugar, butter and flour? That is why one slice is enough. This is a pretty, and pretty easy cake to make.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 Pint Strawberries (fresh)

• 1 Cup Butter

• 3 Cups Sugar

• 5 Large Eggs

• 3 Cups Flour (Sifted)

• 1 Tsp Salt

• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

• 1 Cup Buttermilk

• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

• *OPTIONAL 1/2 Tsp Red Food Coloring 

  FOR THE GLAZE:

• 2 Tbsp Strawberry Puree 

• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar

• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1 Tsp Lemon Juice

Directions:

1. Start by washing your strawberries and de-stemming them. Puree them and set aside 2 tablespoons for the glaze.

2. Next, add the puree to a sauce pan and reduce it for 15-20 minutes. The final product should be around 1/2 cup and thick. Cool to room temperature.

3. Pre-heat your oven to 325 and prep your bunt pan with the method of your choosing.

4. In a mixing bowl beat your room temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy 4-6 minutes on high speed. Add your eggs 1 at a time.

5. Turn your mixer to a low speed before you add your flour. Add the flour in increments as well to avoid spilling out of your mixer. Finally add your salt and baking soda and scrape down the sides of your bowl. Be careful not to over beat your flour.

6. Buttermilk is next to add to your dough. Combine lemon juice with milk to DIY Buttermilk at home.

7. Mix in your vanilla extract and your strawberry puree. If you chose this is when you would add food color if you really want to brighten your mixture. Pour into bunt pan and bake for 60 minutes or until you can toothpick check your cake. Stick a toothpick in and if it comes our dry, its done! (One time check per pick)

8. The cake takes a while to cook and cool so I don’t recommend prepping the glaze too far in advance. When you’re ready whisk all ingredients together: lemon, powered sugar and strawberry puree. Check the consistency of the glaze by seeing how it runs down a spoon. Add more powder sugar if its too runny and more lemon juice to liquefy it.

I love making this cake and how delicious it was. It serves beautifully with fresh strawberries and with coffee or tea in the mornings for a sweet treat. Let me know your thoughts bellow; I would love to try making other seasonal fruit versions.

XoXo Britt

FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: ALBONDIGAS SOUP

Albondigas (Mexican Meatball) Soup is one of my top 3 favorite soups! Its full of flavor, delicious meatballs and juicy vegetables. Growing up my best friend would have it cooking in her home every Friday and the smell just brings back so many memories. I saw a close friend making it and asked for the recipe. After a few tweaks and measurements, its perfect, and I am ready to share it with your kitchen too!

Ingredients:

• 1 Stalk Celery 

• 1 Bag Baby Carrots 

• 2-3 Large Potatoes

• 1 Onion

• 6 Cloves of Garlic

• 4-6 Ears of Corn

• 2-3 Large Zucchini

• 1 Bunch Cilantro

• 3/4 Cup Uncooked Rice

• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes

• 1 Can Tomato Sauce

• 1 lb. ground beef

• 2 Eggs

• 2-3 Cubes Chicken Bouillon

Directions:

1. Dice onion and garlic. Saute in a large soup pot half of your onion and garlic in olive oil until golden- not brown. While you are watching the onion you can begin to prep your meatballs.

2. Mix in a bowl ground beef, remaining garlic and onion, cilantro, uncooked rice and pepper and salt if desired. Chill in fridge and allow flavors to blend and meat to get cold. Meatballs are easier to form the colder your mixture.

3. When your onions are golden in your pot,  add diced tomatoes and let simmer to blend flavors.

4. Add tomato sauce and water to create a 3/4 full pot. Add bouillon and bring to a rolling boil before you add in any meatballs. But, while you’re waiting you can continue to prep your meatballs.

5. Using your hands, roll meat mixture into meat balls all the same size and place them, softly and one by one, in boiling water 20 minutes. Cover. Meatballs will begin to float once fully cooked.

6. After 15 minutes of the meatballs boiling add vegetables chopped to your preference of a bite size and stir occasionally. Be very gently the more aggressive you are the more your meatballs break in your soup.

7. One pot will serve between 8-12 people. It is best serve garnished with fresh diced onion, cilantro, lime, and crushed red peppers. Leftovers, if you have any are good for 3 days. I also paired it with a garlic avocado sourdough toast.

This soup is perfect for the chilly weather and also goes well will all the tamales you have left over from the holidays. Thanks for getting in the kitchen with me, again. Looking forward to more recipes.

XoXo Britt

FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

This is one of my favorite summer dishes. As a kid I loved helping my mom making it in the kitchen. Growing up, I realized I wasn’t the only one who ate it. Jose’s mom made a similar salad as a kid too! Living in Arizona you are always looking for quick meals to make, that don’t heat the house up. So not only is this salad a great, quick and easy dinner, it also meal preps perfectly for weekly lunches!

Ingredients:

• 1  Bag Cole Slaw Mix

• 1 Chicken Breast

• 1 Green Onion

• 1 C Slivered Almonds

• 1 Pack Chicken Ramen Noodles

• 1 Tbls Olive Oil

• 2 Tbls Vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. This is just for roasting your almonds, you can also just use them straight from the bag, but the roasted flavor ads something amazing to the dish.

2. Boil your chicken breast and cook thoroughly. You can always use this broth later just store it, once it cools down, in a mason jar and the next recipe calling for chicken stock you have 100% natural, organic, sodium free, gluten free (lol) broth on hand.

3. Roast the almonds, as your oven should be preheated by now. Begin chopping the green onion and mixing the cole slaw in a large mixing bowl.

4. Thoroughly cool chicken before dicing and adding to slaw and make sure to thoroughly cool almonds before adding to slaw. You do not want your cabbage getting warm it will lose its crunch immediately.

5. Time for the sauce! If you love ramen as much as I do you probably have packets on hand as staples. One you need is 1 Chicken Ramen packet. Using the spices packet whisk oil and vinegar until dissolved. You can use your choice of vinegar, balsamic is best, but we always have apple cider on hand for our daily morning cleanse drink.

6. Mix the dressing in with the slaw, chicken and almonds. Finally, crush the uncooked noodles for a crunchy topping and serve!

7. One salad bag serves 4-6 people, but store leftovers for lunches for the week. TIP! If you plan on meal prepping layer the containers starting with the dressing then slaw, then almonds, add chicken and onions, finally top with ramen so when you are ready to eat you just pour upside down and it is the perfect freshness!

Let me know what you think, and how it turned out!

XoXo Britt

FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: PEANUT BUTTER PUPPY BISCUITS

When we adopted WInter 2 months ago I was shopping for dog treats and after reading the ingredients list I said to myself- I can make all this! So I went to my kitchen and started pulling ingredients. Now I’m back at it in the Finding Arizona Kitchen and sharing my recipe, but this time I’m cooking up biscuits for my biscuit. Here is a delicious treat for your dog- Peanut Butter Puppy Biscuits.

Ingredients:

• 1  C Coconut Flour

• 1/2 C Natural Peanut Butter

• 2  Lg Eggs

• 1/2 C Water  

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and begin to mix your ingredients.

2. Cream eggs, peanut butter and water together in a large mixing bowl.

3. Next add the coconut flour to make a dough.

4. Shape into balls all the same size and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 (chewy) to 40 minutes (crispy). Depends on your dog’s preference and age on the texture of your biscuit.

5. Thoroughly cool before rewarding. Store in airtight container up to two weeks. Because this is a natural product with NO PRESERVATIVES you want to serve them fresh!

Let me know what you think, and how it turned out! Also if you are in the market for a new furry friend, remember to #AdoptDontShop. Check out the Adopt-a-Pet.com website to learn how you can sign up for alerts for certain breeds and areas to find your next best friend.

XoXo Britt

THE DINNER PARTY SERIES

The dinner party series was a project started by Jose and I back in late 2018 as conscious effort to connect with some of our favorite people. As adults approaching 30, okay will be 30 this year, we wanted to create a get together in our new space once a month with a few of our favorite couples to catch up and, of course, gather over a delicious home-cooked meal. We believe connections made face to face, like dinner parties, are often priceless. Whether we are inviting new friends to meet up or renewing friendships the dinners we host are about so much more than eating.

No formal invitations or dress code is required. Table settings provided by local thrift store finds featuring antique coral plates and Ball Mason jars, Walmart flatware and World Market cactus linens finish it off. I always make sure to have a glass carafe filled with a seasonal fruit to flavor the water. The menu is usually catered to our guests, gathering inspiration from Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table Cookbook and of course some of my own personal favorite family recipes, which I’ll be sharing more throughout this blog, but we’ve all also gotten creative when it comes to diet requirements and restrictions. But you better believe we’re all sharing something sweet and savory by the end of the night.

No games no agenda we talk about what we want to talk about not what we have to talk about. We are raw, we are real we are just being adults. No kids, no pets, no stress we want to just get away mentally for a few hours and we invite you to join us.

As 2019 continues, so does the dinner party series. We have even extended the dinner party to a our book club for a collaboration that will be so much fun! But,  of course,  as you know we’re planning the ultimate dinner party for October 12. So whether you’re on the invite list for any of those, or not, we would love to gather over a delicious meal and just be real.

XoXo

Britt

FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: ZUPPA TOSCANA

Practicing my wifey skills in the kitchen I have learned to make a damn good soup! And once you master a skill you really see how far you can take it. I have done it you guys! I have recreated The Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana! And here it is- Print it and add to your recipe collection.

Ingredients:

• 1  Lb Ground Italian Sausage

• 3  Tbls Butter

• 2  Tbls Flour

• 2  C Milk

• 4  C Chicken Broth

• 3  Lg Potatoes Thinly Sliced

• 1  Bunch De-stemmed Kale

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Get yourself a nice ground italian sausage meat. I like a spicy one and recommend getting fresh from a deli. Yes, I have made it with the Walmart meats, but there is a difference. After you brown the sausage remove from pan and leave the grease!

2. Melt butter in grease and whisk flour. We are making a ROUX people! Basically the best beginning to a gravy- flour and fat! This is an important step: cook flour a few minutes to remove flour taste, like 35 minutes on low heat.

3. Once the Roux is thick, add the milk 1 cup at a time. Wisk in with fork. (if you stop after 1 cup you have an amazing gravy and my family’s secret gravy recipe, so you are welcome). Add salt and pepper if desired. 

4. Next add the chicken broth. One cup at a time, stir until it reaches rolling boil. Re add the sausage.

5. While the broth is boiling up, slice potatoes into 1/8 - 1/4 inch add to boiling broth. Drop in slowly as not to splash and burn yourself.

6. While the papatoes cook, wash and de stem your kale. Once potatoes are fork tender (about 10- 15 minutes) add kale and lid stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes to soften kale.

7. Serve it warm and feed 4-6 people. You can store leftovers for only a day if they last but also because the potatoes start getting mushy after day 2. There probably wont be left overs thought, js.

Let me know what you think, and how it turned out!

XoXo Britt

Copy of FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: ZUPPA TOSCANA

Practicing my wifey skills in the kitchen I have learned to make a damn good soup! And once you master a skill you really see how far you can take it. I have done it you guys! I have recreated The Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana! And here it is- Print it and add to your recipe collection.

Ingredients:

• 1  Lb Ground Italian Sausage

• 3  Tbls Butter

• 2  Tbls Flour

• 2  C Milk

• 4  C Chicken Broth

• 3  Lg Potatoes Thinly Sliced

• 1  Bunch De-stemmed Kale

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Get yourself a nice ground italian sausage meat. I like a spicy one and recommend getting fresh from a deli. Yes, I have made it with the Walmart meats, but there is a difference. After you brown the sausage remove from pan and leave the grease!

2. Melt butter in grease and whisk flour. We are making a ROUX people! Basically the best beginning to a gravy- flour and fat! This is an important step: cook flour a few minutes to remove flour taste, like 35 minutes on low heat.

3. Once the Roux is thick, add the milk 1 cup at a time. Wisk in with fork. (if you stop after 1 cup you have an amazing gravy and my family’s secret gravy recipe, so you are welcome). Add salt and pepper if desired. 

4. Next add the chicken broth. One cup at a time, stir until it reaches rolling boil. Re add the sausage.

5. While the broth is boiling up, slice potatoes into 1/8 - 1/4 inch add to boiling broth. Drop in slowly as not to splash and burn yourself.

6. While the papatoes cook, wash and de stem your kale. Once potatoes are fork tender (about 10- 15 minutes) add kale and lid stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes to soften kale.

7. Serve it warm and feed 4-6 people. You can store leftovers for only a day if they last but also because the potatoes start getting mushy after day 2. There probably wont be left overs thought, js.

Let me know what you think, and how it turned out!

XoXo Britt

WEDDING COOKIES

I know what you’re thinking- Britt is finally planning and posting about the wedding. Not quite! I am, however, practicing my wifey skills in kitchen and whipping up some Christmas cookies to fill our fun new cookie jar and share containers with friends and families in the area. 

Honored to be invited to my first Christmas Cookie Party, I wanted to bring my favorite: Italian Wedding Cookies. Second requirement was the recipe to share. I practiced my Adobe design skills and created a personalized recipe. Please print and share and let me know your thoughts. 

Third requirement was an ornament for an exchange and by the end of the evening I traded my tree decor for a Santa Cookie Jar! Who got the sweeter deal? 

I knead to keep this blog short so you can go get baked. Happy Holidays!

XoXo

Britt