Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

One of my favorite tv shows is Drinking Made Easy. Its a show about three friends that visit different cities in the US and explore the local drinking culture. As a girl with many guy friends and a fascination with unique drinks and restaurants, this show makes me laugh. The guys try to out drink each other and beat each other at food challenges in the city they are filming in.

They explore bars that have unique drinks, eating challenges or cool locations such as behind center field at Fenway or a speak easy you enter through a hotdog stand. One of their food challenges in Chicago inspired me to make a homemade deep dish pizza. I have also been looking for an excuse to make homemade pizza dough.



Chicago style deep dish pizza starts off with the crust. Its really important you knead the dough correctly.  When kneading dough you want to stretch the fibers in the dough but be careful not to tear the dough. Tearing it will cause the dough to be tough. Kneading your dough the right way will cause your dough to be light, fluffy and delicious. If you have a deep baking pan great, but I made do with a spring form pan. It worked perfectly.



Chicago style deep dish is made with the sauce on top. Among all the recipes I read, the general consensus was you MUST start with the cheese. I used a block of mozzarella and sliced it. Using pre-grated cheese will work too but I once read somewhere that the cheese is treated with something so that it will keep better but it doesn't allow the cheese to melt as well as block cheese.


For the pizza filling

1 can tomatoes with garlic and onion added
1 can gourmet pizza sauce
1 8oz block of mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, other various toppings (I just used canadian bacon)
1 8 or 9 inch springform pan

I prepared the pizza dough as directed but I cut the recipe in half and had plenty of dough for my 9 inch springform pan.

After I got my dough in the pan I started with the mozzarella cheese I sliced it with a cheese slicer then added a package of canadian bacon. For the sauce I combined a can of gourmet pizza sauce I got at Target and a can of tomatoes for texture. Then I sprinkled with parmesan cheese and baked until it was ooey gooey goodness.

After you take your pizza out of the oven let it sit for about ten minutes so the filling has time to set. If you slice it too soon it will become a mess. Still tastes amazing but a mess. Also keep in mind if you are using a dark springform pan you want to lower the baking temperature about 50 degrees or you will burn your crust. Unless of course you're into that sort of thing.


You can find the pizza dough recipe here.
To check out Drinking Made Easy click here.

Margarita Cupcakes

These cupcakes seemed almost too good to be true when I found them. Margaritas and cupcakes, two of the things I love together at last!

I used the Margarita Cupcake recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. I have tried several recipes from her blog and while her results look delicious I have never had a successful venture using a recipe from her blog. This was completely different.

I did however use a slightly modified icing recipe because I personally don't care for the taste of buttercream.

This recipe also contains tequila in the cupcakes, on top of the cupcakes and in the frosting. :) 

This cupcakes was a little denser than what I was used to but was still delicious. The tequila is however, optional but it does make the Margarita Cupcakes well more Margarita-y.

I wish I had a zester to get some really good lime zests to garnish with but all I had to work with was a hand grater. I also used sugar crystals to decorate with instead of salt as the recipe calls for.  I used a 1M star tip to frost the cupcakes with. 

The cupcake and frosting recipe can be found here. 

The 12 Days of Christmas Baking: Day 7 Pretzel Bark

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love baked for me.....


Pretzel Bark

Amid all of the richness of Holiday desserts it's nice to see some white chocolate. 

This recipe calls for three ingredients, it's quick and the results are amazing.

I've tried making this recipe with chocolate bark and found the result was not quite as good. I think with a little vanilla bark mixed in the taste would be just right. 

Vanilla Bark

1 pkg vanilla bark

2 cups salted peanuts

3 cups skinny pretzels broken into pieces

Microwave vanilla bark in large bowl for 1 minute intervals until it stirs smooth.

Add in peanuts and pretzels and evenly coat with vanilla bark.

Spoon onto cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Spread evenly and allow to cool. Once cool break into pieces.

The 12 Days of Christmas Baking: Day 8 Chocolate Mint Cookies

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love baked for me..... 




Chocolate Mint Cookies

I actually baked these cookies for the first time over the summer. I was visiting one of my friends and she suggested we bake chocolate mint cookies. The thought had never crossed my mind and I admit I was a little wary... but I was pleasantly surprised. They tasted the best straight out of the oven. They were so good i've decided to add them to my annual Christmas baking list. 

 I also modified this recipe for chocolate chocolate chip cookies which I have been trying to master since I was 9 years old. 12 years later and i've finally found the recipe i've been wanting all these years. Most chocolate cookie recipes are either too dry or too cakey. This one was just perfect.




This recipe can be found here.
 Instead of placing an andes mint on top of each cookie I mixed half a bag of andes mint baking pieces into the batter. 

The 12 Days of Christmas Baking: Day 6 Chocolate Eclairs

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love baked for me.....


Chocolate Eclairs

These are super simple to throw together and again you only need a few ingredients. I created this little dessert at the last minute when I had some guests coming over for dinner.

These can also be baked in circular form by using a small round cookie cutter but I feel that it is a waste of pastry dough. Perhaps i'll try squares on day to make them more bite sized.

Chocolate Eclairs

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1 pkg puff pastry thawed

1/2c sugar

1 ounce bakers chocolate

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Cut thawed sheet of puff pastry into rectangles on cookie sheet. Bake as directed and allow to cool.

Whip cream cheese and sugar together until well blended.

Cut puff pastry in half and fill with cream cheese mixture.

Melt chocolate square in microwave for 30 second intervals until it stirs smooth. Drizzle chocolate over eclairs and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

The 12 Days of Christmas Baking: Day 9 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love baked for me.... 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

This is my go to recipe. I bake these cookies all the time. They're a crowd pleaser and my friends often request them.

And also my favorite cookie of all time.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies (adapted from a Nestle recipe)

            Ingredients

                        1 ¼ C flour

                        ½ tsp baking soda

                        ½ teaspoon salt

                        1 ½ stick of butter softened (¾ C)

                        ½ C sugar

                        ½ cup brown sugar

                        ½ C chunky peanut butter

                        1 large egg

                        1 tsp vanilla extract

                        12 oz pkg. milk chocolate chips

            Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.     Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter with mixer until creamy.

3.     Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

4.     Gradually beat in flour, baking soda and salt.

5.     Stir in morsels.

6.     Spoon batter onto baking sheets.

7.     Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

The 12 days of Christmas Baking: Day 10 Chocolate Peanut Candy

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love baked for me...


Chocolate Peanut Candy

This chocolate candy is one of my favorite things to make. The chocolate is actually three different chocolate varieties which keeps it smooth and sweet.

Chocolate Peanut Candy

2C unsalted dry roasted peanuts

2C salted dry roasted peanuts

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips

1 bag milk chocolate chips

1 pkg almond bark

Layer ingredients in crockpot in order of list of ingredients. Turn crockpot on low and stir after two hours. Drop onto parchment paper and allow to cool.