Good Morning, Darlings!

Sunday was a very lazy day for E and me. We just stayed home, baked cookies, played games, made pizza dough and then baked a pizza.

After Sugar Coma we have been a bit on the sweets kick. Not to the extreme, but we do like a little something now and again. I hadn’t made cookies in some time and now seemed like the perfect occasion. We wanted oatmeal raisin, but with a bit more oomph. This is the recipe we altered to get what we wanted:

Patti and Eric’s Yummytime Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. water
1 1/2 c. oats
2 c. raisins
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup almonds

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and water. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Press into average size ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure and drop onto foil-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down with fork into 3 inch circles. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Carefully transfer to baking racks. Cool. Devour like badgers.

Now, for the pizza, we used Mario Batali’s recipe for the dough and improved the sauce and toppings. We pulled the eggplant sauce from the fridge, and topped the pizza with mushrooms, shallots, fresh roma tomatoes and proscuitto (for Eric’s side). And of course, mozzarella cheese. Lots of cheese. Here’s Mario’s recipe. I will note that I only used 2.5 cups of the total 3 cups called for and found that made for a softer crust (which I like). Please do not try this in your kitchenaid mixer – it will not turn out well. And I say this from experience, thinking I could speed the process and ended up throwing out the first batch of dough. So, learn from me and get out your wooden spoons.

Mario Batali’s Pizza Dough

¼ cup white wine
¾ cup warm water
1 ½ ounces yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour (or 2.5, if you are like me)

Method:

Combine wine, water and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt and olive oil and mix thoroughly. Start by adding 1 cup of flour and make a wet paste. Add remaining flour and incorporate.

Place dough on a lightly floured board and knead for 2 to 3 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 45 minutes.

Top with whatever you like. Heat your oven to 450F and bake for about 15 minutes (keep checking on it as temps vary in ovens).

And now, my gallery of Sunday comfort food!

Special tip for you – Eric wrapped up the cookie dough to rest in the fridge before baking.  I decided not to bake the entire batch, but 8 at a time. So now we have fresh cookie dough in the fridge for those cravings!

It was a perfect Sunday with perfect comfort food. We don’t get a ton of downtime, but when we do, we like to spend it together. And what’s nicer than getting in the kitchen and cooking with your sweetie? Well, there might be something else, but this is a family blog, y’all! 🙂

See you tomorrow!!

xoxo, Patti