Recipe Reviews

I love to try new recipes. Both of these are from the July 2008 issue of Southern Living. I think that SL has really gone downhill in the last few years. I used to pour over every issue and find so many ideas for cooking, decorating, gardening, and travel. It seems like the issues are thinner, have fewer articles, and the recipes are ones that I’ve seen over and over again. Anyway, I tried these two and we really liked them.

I know that I’m going to make “Easy Pizza Dough” again and again. I like this recipe because it doesn’t require kneading or waiting for the dough to rise twice. The ingredients are pulsed in the food processor, put into an oiled mixing bowl to rise in the refrigerator, baked, and you’re done. I’ve made this recipe twice and have frozen the baked rounds both times. It’s great to have them on hand for a quick dinner. The first time I topped the pizzas with caramelized onions, sauteed green peppers, pesto, artichoke hearts, and cheese. I used three types of cheese: two pizzas got swiss, two got mozzarella, and two got feta. All three got rave reviews from Mr. SP. The second batch that I made is in the freezer. I love knowing that I have the start of a great dinner ready to go.

Easy Pizza Dough

Prep: 10 min., Chill: 2 hr. You can make the dough up to 24 hours before you need it, or shape the dough rounds and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (1/4-oz.) envelope active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Vegetable cooking spray

1. Process first 4 ingredients in a food processor 20 seconds or until yeast is dissolved and mixture is bubbly. Add flour and salt; pulse 6 to 8 times or until dough forms a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more water if necessary.

2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; lightly coat dough with cooking spray. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 6 equal portions; roll each portion into an 8-inch round. Use dough immediately, or follow instructions below to make ahead.

Note: Place Easy Pizza Dough rounds on 2 lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 7 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Place in zip-top plastic freezer bags; freeze up to 3 months. Let pizza crusts stand at room temperature 20 minutes before adding toppings.

Yield: Makes 6 (8-inch) pizza dough rounds

Southern Living, JULY 2008

I bake three pizzas at a time. I only have one stone, so two are baked on sheets and one is transferred from the pizza peel to the stone.

Notice that the dough will puff up when baked. The first time I made these I remembered to prick the dough with a fork. I forgot this time and they are a bit puffy. No worries, they’ll still be good!

Corn Cakes are a great summer side dish. This recipe makes a bunch. If you have a small family, you may want to make half a recipe. I like having leftovers, so I made the entire batch.

(Picture from Southern Living)

Fresh Corn Cakes

Prep: 20 min., Cook: 7 min. per batch.

2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow or white cornmeal
1 (8-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor 3 to 4 times or just until corn is coarsely chopped.
2. Stir together flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in corn mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened.

3. Spoon 1/8 cup batter for each cake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet to form 2-inch cakes (do not spread or flatten cakes). Cook cakes 3 to 4 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn and cook other sides 2 to 3 minutes.

Yield: Makes about 3 dozen

Southern Living, JULY 2008

I served corn cakes with grilled chicken sausages stuffed with spinach and asiago cheese. You can get these at Sam’s. They are low fat and really delicious.