DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert


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Dough See Dough is Growin’ Up!

We’re old enough to finally have a Facebook page! If you’re a fan of DSD, find us on Facebook and give us a “like”. You can also subscribe by email and find us on Twitter.

It only took me a little over 2 years, but the day is here. I’ll be posting random facts, thoughts, and other little extras that won’t be making it onto the blog. Feel free to use the Facebook page to ask me questions, request dishes, challenge me, or anything your little heart desires.

xoxo,
Jenni


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Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I’m in shock. I made bread. For the first time. And it didn’t fail. In fact, it was perfectly golden brown, with a crunchy crust and soft center. Oh my goodness. I died a little inside when I tried it. The best part? It’s so darn easy!!

This all started when Mike and I went and visited some friends a couple weekends ago. She made this bread and it was so good. Then, she shared her secret with me – Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I made their Simple Crusty Bread and the recipe is idiot-proof.

Simple Crusty Bread
makes 4 loaves

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
cornmeal, for dusting

  1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100°F). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
  2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for up to two weeks.
  3. To bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with a serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top. Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal and place dough on pizza peel. Let rest 40 minutes.
  4. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack. Heat oven to 450°F. Heat stone at 450°F for 20 minutes.
  5. Dust dough with flour and slash top with serrated knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes.
Check it out!


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Cajun Chicken Pasta

I’ll admit it – I’m kind of absentminded. I make food, take pictures, and forget about them. By them time I find the pictures again, I have a hard time remembering what the dish was and what I put in it.

Today, I realized just how many of these dishes go un-posted and now I’m making an effort to be more diligent. Mike helped me identify this particular dish from 3 months ago.

This particular dish was super easy to make. I opted to make it “lighter” by using less butter and swapping out the heavy cream for half and half. The spices in this make it easy to cut fat without sacrificing flavor. Yum 🙂

Cajun Chicken Pasta
adapted from allrecipes.com – serves 4

8 ounces linguine
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
6 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 cups half and half
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

  1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, sprinkle Cajun seasoning evenly over chicken on all sides.
  3. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until chicken is cooked, about 5 – 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and green onions. Cook until peppers are tender-crisp, about 2 – 3 minutes.
  4. Whisk together half and half and corn starch until well combined.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add in half and half. Stir in basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne. Heat through.


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Greek Pasta Salad

Yum.

This pasta salad is one of my faves. It’s quick and easy and completely from scratch. That’s right folks, no bottled salad dressing over here. I think the hardest part of this was using a Swiss Army knife to open the can of olives…

One day we will find our can openers. I refuse to buy another one because I’m pretty sure we have at least 2, maybe even 3, lurking in some unpacked boxes. Until then, we’ll have to rely on good ol’ Mr. Swiss.

Greek Pasta Salad

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound short pasta of choice, cooked and drained
8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounce can whole black olives, drained and rinsed

  1. Whisk together olive oil, vinegars, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and pepper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta and vegetables. Pour dressing over top, mixing thoroughly.
  3. Cover and refrigerate several hours, or overnight if possible.
  4. Sprinkle with feta right before serving.


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Silken Chocolate Pie

After I made brownies, strawberry shortcake cake, and a French silk pie, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough dessert for Mike’s birthday bash. My main concern? Those that wanted the French silk pie but couldn’t eat it because it contained raw eggs. I hate the thought of any one leaving disappointed, so I caved in and made this egg-free pie. Please give it a chance. It’s deliciously rich and chocolatey and the texture is to die for. When I served it, I refused to tell people what was in it. It was only after they tried it and liked it that I told them the secret ingredient: tofu. Tofu itself is pretty tasteless and bland. Silken tofu has a remarkable texture that blends itself beautifully with just about anything. Smoothies? You got it! Soups? Sure, why not! Chocolate? You know it!! Silken Chocolate Pie
serves 10

9 full chocolate graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coffee, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained well (my package was 1 pound, 3 ounces – it worked)
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse graham crackers in food processor until fine crumbs. Slowly add in butter and blend until combined. Press into bottom of a 9” cake pan. Bake until crust no longer looks wet, 18 – 20 minutes.
  2. Place chocolate chips, coffee and vanilla in double boiler and melt, stirring frequently. Or, place ingredients in microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until melted, stirring after each increment.  Let cool slightly.
  3. Place tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in food processor and blend until smooth.
  4. Pour filling into crust and refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours.
  5. Serve with a dollop of freshly made whipped cream.

Please don’t ever ever ever buy whipped cream from the store. It’s oh-so-easy to make yourself and it tastes so much better. I forgot to take pictures of the whipped cream, but you can kind of see it on the bottom of the pic. Oops.

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1. Place metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment to mixer in freezer for 15 minutes.
  2. Whip cream in chilled bowl until soft peaks form (this is when they can’t quite hold itself into a peak).
  3. Add in vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks form (this is when they can stay in peak shape).

See, easy! The whole whipping process only took 2 minutes in my stand mixer. It may take a bit longer with a hand mixer. The most important part is making sure that your bowl and whisk are cold!!


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Cherry Limeade, All Grown Up

Mike turned the big 2-3 at the end of June and I was itching to throw a party. It would be our first party at our house and I couldn’t think of a better time to have it. I had a whole menu planned out, complete with 4 desserts, but I couldn’t decide on what to serve for drinks. I scoured dozens of drink recipes and finally settled on a Cherry Limeade.

Yum. Yum. Yum!!!!

We served this sans alcohol. Then, the champagne for the mimosas found its way into the drinks. What a wonderful “accident”. This drink was perfect for the hot, sunny day – it was light, refreshing, and so easy to make. We ran out of batch #1 halfway through the party and it took me just minutes to whip up another jug of it.

Cherry Limeade
serves 15 

2 12 fluid ounce cans frozen limeade concentrate
2 2 liter bottles lemon-lime soda
10 ounce jar of maraschino cherries
2 limes
Champagne, optional

  1. Pour both cans of limeade into beverage container. Stir in the juice from the jar of cherries. Mix well. Cut one lime in half and squeeze juice into beverage container and add in soda. Stir to combine. Slice remaining lime and garnish drinks with lime slices and cherries.
  2. If desired, mix champagne in with cherry limeade for an even bubblier refreshing adult beverage. We found the ratio of 3 parts limeade to 1 part champagne to be best. Enjoy!

I made some lime ice cubes to garnish the drink as well. You can use the cherries to garnish the individual drinks, or do like I did – emptied the whole dang jar into the dispenser.



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Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

I love fruit crisps. They’re pretty idiot-proof, meaning I don’t need to rely on a recipe to make it taste good. I was so excited to use the first batch of rhubarb that my in laws’ garden yielded*, especially since the rhubarb that we transplanted into our garden was looking pretty pitiful.

I kept waiting for a nice day so I could take good pictures, but Wisconsin decided to rain on my parade. Literally. Our sump pump has been running 24/7 and our yard is a lake. We now have water-front property, folks.

I love the simplicity of this recipe – it takes so little effort and time, and it’s so delicious!

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp
makes 9 servings 

Filling:
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix filling ingredients together and let sit.
  3. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients of topping together. Pour in butter and stir until large crumbs form.
  4. Pour filling into an 8.5″ square pan and top evenly with topping.
  5. Bake 40 minutes, or until done.
  6. Eat as soon as it’s cool enough to shovel into your mouth.

*Grass may or may not have made its way into this dish. I will neither deny nor confirm this. I kid. I think I picked most of it out from the rhubarb 😉


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Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I love spicy foods and I’ve found out that my spice tolerance is a lot higher than 99% of the people I know. That said, I try to stay away from making spicy dishes since I”m a horrible judge of spice levels. What I think is medium spiciness ends up being a light-a-normal-person’s-mouth-on-fire spiciness. Oops.

This dish turned out to be a tolerable amount of spice for Mike, though. At least I think it was. I mean, he wasn’t chugging down glasses of water, so that’s a good sign, right?

That said, if you’re not so good with heat, use a little less ginger and Sriracha. I served this dish with some steamed rice and some vegetables. It was a quick, filling meal and clean up was a breeze. Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken
serves 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch strips
whole wheat flour
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced

  1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge in flour. Spray pan with cooking spray and cook chicken until lightly browned on all sides. Add in onions and cook, stirring frequently, until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, Sriracha, ginger and garlic. Pour into pan with chicken and lower heat to medium. Cook until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with rice.


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Banana Bread

I dislike bananas. A lot.  The texture of them makes me sick to my stomach. On the rare occasion that I do buy them, they usually just sit until they’re disgustingly brown. What to do? Make banana bread, of course! I’m a huge fan of little or no fat in my cooking and I’ve been making an attempt to use more whole wheat flour as well. I guess I’m finally admitting it – I’m a nutrition freak. I guess my schooling taught me well! In the past I’ve tried posting recipes that the “average” person would like, but it’s taking way too much effort to make meals that I know aren’t good for me. Better eating means better running, and it requires so little effort! Trust me, the foods tastes just as good as the full-fat, full-sugar versions.

I recently had a discussion with a friend about how frustrating it can be to cook (and bake) with whole wheat flour. I closed my eyes, crossed my fingers, and hoped this bread wouldn’t come out super dense, gummy, or brick-like. I’m glad to say that it actually tastes pretty darn good!!

Healthier Banana Bread

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups over-ripe banana, mashed (about 3 large bananas)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips and/or chopped walnuts, optional

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8.5″x4.5″ loaf pan or 8 mini loaf pans.
  2. In medium bowl, mix together applesauce and brown sugar until well combined.
  3. Beat in eggs and then bananas. Add flours, baking soda, chocolate chips and walnuts, mixing by hand until just combined.*
  4. Pour batter into loaf pan, or divide evenly into mini loaf pans.
  5. Bake for 1 hour (large loaf) or minutes (mini loaf pans), or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
*If you have a good eye, you’ll see that I didn’t mix in my toppings. Since I decided to make both the nut and the chocolate and because I’m a lazy bum and didn’t want to wash any extra dishes, I cheated. I put half the batter in the pan, topped it with a sprinkle of nuts or chocolate chips, put another layer of batter on, and then finished it off with some more nuts or chocolate!


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Pepper Chicken

There was a Chinese restaurant in Madison that had this pepper chicken that I loved. It was spicy and I loved that the chicken wasn’t fried.  I haven’t had luck finding a comparable pepper chicken in Appleton, WI. So, I decided to make my own.

It turned out pretty darn well and I know for a fact that I will never pay a restaurant to make this for me. I loved that I could make it as (not) greasy and spicy as I wanted.

Pepper Chicken
serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (optional)
black pepper
white pepper
salt

  1. Marinate chicken in soy sauce for 15 minutes.
  2. Heat up oil in large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until aromatic. Add green bell pepper and jalapeño. Cook for 2 minutes and add in chicken strips with soy sauce. Season liberally with black and white pepper, until desired  level of spiciness is reached.* Cook until chicken is cooked through.
  3. Serve immediately with steamed rice.