Tips & Tricks to Making Delicious Home-made Pizza

I've been cooking on my own (and with friends) for about a year now, and have attempted to make home-made pizza on multiple occasions. This is the best way that I have found to make fool-proof pizza. I usually use an easy dough mix from the grocery store that provides the base mix and a yeast packet, and all I have to do is add warm water and knead the dough. (Pretty simple). I've found that mixing together this type of dough tastes much better than buying an already partially cooked pizza base, and it cooks much better in the oven. 

Step 1: 

• Mix pizza dough according to package instructions. *Remember to use warm water if there is a yeast packet because this makes the yeast react, thus allowing your crust to rise* 
• Preheat the oven according to the directions on the pizza dough package.
• Cut veggies and prepare toppings. As for the cheese, instead of shredded mozzarella, I cut slices to layer on top of the sauce (but this is just my personal preference). I also bought a pre-made sauce from the grocery store which turned out to be pretty good. You can also use tomato paste, or even make a white sauce if you are feeling skilled or have some extra time. 

Step 2:

• Flatten/roll out dough and lightly grease the oven pan that you are going to use. 
• Add sauce and spread over pizza base with a spoon.
• Assemble your pizza with your fresh toppings (I used red peppers, red onions, and mozzarella). 

Step 3:

• Bake your pizza for the time according to the pizza dough mix box. (My oven was 240*C (not fahrenheit) and it took about 12 minutes to cook- but it depends on the oven that you use as most ovens are different). I would suggest checking it every 5 minutes. 
• Enjoy your home-made pizza :) 

*If you want to make thick crust (as seen in the left pizza above), use a pan similar to the one pictured on the left that has some height on the sides. Pizza pans (like the one on the right) work well for normal crust. 

*You can also use pizza dough mixes to make delicious garlic bread- there are usually recipes located on the sides or back of the package. 


Comment below to let me know your tips for home-made pizzas and how yours turns out :)  *Kirsten

Fajitas- easy cooking

For all those self-catering college students, this meal might in fact be one of the easiest in the history of cooking. It takes about 20-30 minutes to prep & cook and involves 6 ingredients. Take note:

What you'll need:
1 Green Pepper (aka Capsicum)
1 Red Pepper
1/2 or 1 Whole Red Onion (depending on how much you like onions)
Tortillas
2 Good Size Chicken Breasts
Taco Seasoning Packet

Step 1: cut chicken into 3 or 4 inch strips
Step 2: cut peppers and onion into strips (as pictured)
Step 3: cook chicken in a pan on medium-high heat and add taco seasoning packet
Step 4: once the chicken is fully cooked, add the veggies to the mix (keeping the heat on medium)
Step 5: cook veggies until they look glossy and fade in color
Step 6: Heat up tortillas & enjoy!


*These are so easy to make and taste delicious!! 
What are your favorite easy dishes to cook??

*Kirsten

Summer Treats: Strawberry Pie

Years after ripping out a Strawberry Pie recipe from Family Circle magazine, I finally decided to make this delicious summer dessert. And to my surprise, this was one of the BEST pies I have ever had (literally amazing). This no-bake (apart from the crust) treat is the perfect accessory to an outdoor BBQ or summer party and is fairly easy to make. All you need is:

Ingredients

• CRUST
  6 ounces Nilla wafer cookies (graham crackers or a package of plain cookies/biscuits works too)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• FILLING
  2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup cran-raspberry juice (I used plain cranberry juice and it worked just as well)
• 2 quarts strawberries (8 cups), hulled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

How To: Fruit Pizza

What you need:

• Any kind of fresh berries or fruit that you like (enough to cover your fruit pizza)
• Sugar cookie dough
• Cream Cheese (8 oz.) 
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-2 tsp vanilla
• Baking pan

1. Roll out the sugar cookie dough, put into the baking pan & bake for 8-10 minutes or follow the baking directions on the package
2. Mix cream cheese, vanilla & sugar until blended
3. After the sugar cookie has cooled,  apply the cream cheese frosting evenly (leaving a slight border is optional)
4. Place berries on top of the frosting and chill for 1 hour or indulge right away if desired & ENJOY!