Witchy Fast Pizza Dough

My last post was buzzed to the #1 spot on The Top 9 at Foodbuzz this last Sunday thanks to all of you Dearies, elvin folk, vegan & vegetarian lovelies, and even trolls. I must admit though that I am now a bit nervous to post! I mean, how do I live up to Mango & Coconut cake ever again?

Luckily, I know that I am here to simply share my goodies with you all. And this next recipe is a winner all on its own due to simplicity, ease, and deliciousness. Yes, Witchy Fast Semolina Dough makes a beautiful pizza that is authentic and quick. You decide how thick or thin you want the crust-I suggest thin, so find a big round or square pan and smooth some olive oil over it!

Witchy Fast Dough

1 Pack of Yeast
1 Cup of Warm Water
2 Cups All Purpose Flour (King Arthur is excellent)
1/2 Cup of Semolina + some for smoothing sticky dough
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 1/4 Tsp. Salt
Dry Italian Herbs (Optional)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and let sit for 1 minute. Add to the dry ingredients-whirl your wand through for about 25 strokes. Knead for about 3 minutes adding a touch of flour if needed for sticky spots. Form into a round mass as pictured above. Cover with a kitchen towel & let sit for 10-15 min. Press into 2 large olive oil smeared pans for thin crust or one large pan for bulky crust. Sprinkle with a touch of semolina, and top with whatever you like! Bake at 420-25 degrees for 15-18 min.

See how nice?

Mango & Coconut Cake

This is a cake I like to make for my Dad. He's one of these folks that, believe it or not, doesn't like chocolate much at all. He does, however, love to stuff his pie hole with fruity cakes and pies. So I make this one a lot when I'm at my parent's house, because it is right up his alley and is a very easy cake to whip up for breakfast or tea time.

This cake is perfect with coffee, tea, or milk. And it is naturally delicious and vegan (not a modified recipe)!

1 1/4 Cups of All Purpose Flour

2/3 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/8 Tsp. Salt

1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger (optional)

1/2 Ripe Mango (dime size cubes or chunks)

3/4 Cup Soy Milk

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

3/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Flaked Coconut for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & grease a round baking pan.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Mix thoroughly and create a well in the center. Place the milk, oil, mango, and vanilla in the well and mix gently till homogeneous. Pour into prepared baking pan and top with coconut. Bake for 27-30 min.

See how moist?

Pretty Cake!

Cauldron Beets

I have noticed quite a few recipes around the web involving roasted beets. Roasting beets is surely a delightful way to cook this earthy root vegetable. Being though that I am a witch spending much of my time next to a burning cauldron, I simply boil my beets for a specified amount of time depending on size. This technique produces a soft, delicious beet ready to be tossed in oil, vinegar, and herbs once cooled.

If you are one of these trolls that cringes at the thought of beets, consider that you are foregoing large quantities of minerals like potassium, magnesium, and copper as well as vitamins like Vitamin C, Folate, and other B Vitamins. Beets are also especially high in an amino acid called Betaine, which aggressively fights inflammation in the body!

Instructions: Wash beets thoroughly. If your beets are large, slice them in half. Drop beets into salted, boiling water. If you have small beets, check for tenderness with a fork after 20-25 minutes. If large, check within 30 minutes. Some like beets with a bit of bite while others want them tender, so end boiling as you see fit. Once done, use your hands to push off the peel-it comes off easily! Be sure not to over boil, as beets can get water logged.

Oh, and don't waste those beet greens. They are delicious sauteed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper!

Beyond Easy Dinner Rolls

I just got home from visiting my mother in Atlanta where I also catered a small wedding. The menu was full of things like phyllo wrapped around organic mashed potatoes, fresh gulf shrimp, and cilantro pesto (coming soon to a blog near you!) as well as soy butter glazed carrots amongst other very nice gastronomically pleasing items.

One of these other items was not only something that the bride said was the best she ever had homemade or store bought, but also an item that everyone loves (so much so that I had to make them again for my mother's church group, which allowed me the time to get some photos). And that is a good dinner roll. This yeast roll is delicious, and, in the realm of yeast rolls and breads, it is very easy and I would say at least pretty quick.

Here is the recipe:

2 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Instant Yeast (or 1 package)
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Fresh Egg
3/4 Cup of Very Warm Water (Not Hot-about 110 degrees)
Poppy Seeds (Optional)
Butter or Margarine (Brushing)

Preheat oven to 415 degrees & butter a round baking dish.

First, put water and yeast together in a mixing bowl and allow to dissolve for about a minute. Then add the egg, oil, sugar, & salt and stir thoroughly. Gently stir in 1 cup of flour . Now is the time to cover this mixture with a towel and allow it to sit for 15 minutes in a very warm place (near a working stove, etc). The mixture should rise and form air bubbles.

After 15 minutes, stir the mixture & add the other 1 1/2 cups of flour. Mix till you get a dough and then knead the dough for about 3 minutes adding flour as needed for sticky areas. Divide the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and line a round, greased baking sheet with the dough balls. Allow to rise in a warm place (near a hot stove or in a slightly warm oven) for 25 minutes.

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 410-15 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Up close and golden!

And it's finished-delicious & beautiful for the ladies.

Fresh Ginger Tea

I recently noticed a post on a blog praising fresh, homemade Ginger Tea. So then I did a Google search with the words 'fresh ginger, tea, & Blog'. Apparently, a lot of people brew ginger tea at home from fresh ginger, which frankly makes me a little embarrassed. I mean, I should be doing this as a self proclaimed kitchen witch and all.

Now, I have heard of brewing fresh ginger to make tea or ginger beer, but, for some odd reason, I never did it myself or even thought much about it. I always bought little bags of organic, dry ginger at my local health food store. Well, not tonight! I brewed some fresh ginger root in boiling water and then strained it into our mugs, which were awaiting the brew with some turbinado sugar and a hefty pinch of cinnamon. The result was an absolutely delightful and fragrant tea.

In the realm of herbal medicine, ginger is known to help with nausea, digestion, and headaches amongst other ailments. I always particularly appreciate its ability to relieve nausea and stomach ailments. So I hope you will consider a pot of fresh ginger tea next time you brew up something nice and hot for yourself.

Instructions: Boil about 3/4 tablespoon of sliced or crushed ginger for every 1 cup of water for about 5-7 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to steep for another five to ten minutes. Add cinnamon and sugar or whatever you like.

Enjoy!

*Photo by Huimin @ PhotoXpress

Valentine's Day Post

If you are like me, Valentine's day isn't necessarily too high on your list of priorities. For me, this isn't due to not having a Valentine or anything of that nature, because I certainly do and he expects something on this coming day of love. He says he doesn't think much of Valentine's day either, but I know that if I did nothing his feelings would be hurt. I suppose that might be a vice versa situation too!

Being though that I want to celebrate Valentine's Day without spending a lot on dining out, expensive candies, or other items that can quickly empty my pockets (though I do love these things), I usually make some nice creations for my Valentine along with sending loving messages to his e-mail throughout the day. This way, he can anticipate an evening of coming home to an extra clean house with the fire going, candles lit, and a few items like these:

Easy Cheesecake Brownies (My Valentine's Favorite)

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder

Pinch of salt

6 Tbsp. Cocoa

1/3 Cup Oil

1 Tsp. Vanilla

3/4 Cup Sugar

2 Fresh Eggs

1 Tbsp. Strong Coffee (optional)

Cheesecake Topping:

1 Package Cream Cheese (softened)

4 Tbsp. Confectioner's Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

(whip sugar & cheese, then add egg & vanilla-whip till smooth)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & butter a glass baking dish.

Make cream cheese topping as instructed above and set aside.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt thoroughly. In another bowl, mix the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and coffee till smooth. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix in a gentle fashion. Pour into prepared glass pan (mine is 8 in. by 8 in.) or any pan that you know won't burn cake/brownies. Whack it against the surface to release any air. Pour your cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie mixture, and use a fork to mix and make designs if you like. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes. Enjoy the praises that only cream cheese brownies can bring!

Or instead of eating out----:

A night at home by the fire with homemade tomato soup & grilled cheese! What? It's red and everyone loves it! I drew the heart on with Photoshop if your'e wondering.

Tomato Soup for 2:

1 15 oz. Can Organic, Diced Tomatoes

2 small carrots-peeled & diced

1/2 onion-minced

2 cloves garlic-minced

1 Tbsp butter or earth balance

1 bay leaf

pinch of dry rosemary sprigs

1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth (low sodium)

salt and black pepper to taste

Whip Cream (optional but good)

In a soup pot, bring the butter to medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and allow to sweat for about 4-5 min. Add the can of tomatoes, broth, rosemary, bay and about 1/8 tsp of black pepper with a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, stir, cover and lower the heat to a low simmer. Allow to cook for about 10-12 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool a bit. Use an immersion blender to puree or leave chunky. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Make your favorite style of grilled cheese. We are making jalapeno jack on whole grain pita this year....

*And I leave you with a cute valentine for your blog or to send out in e-mails to friends. I love this one. It is one of Old Dame Penniwig's works. You can find more of her stuff here: http://penniwigs.blogspot.com/

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Buttery Pineapple Cake

I have sat here for quite a while trying to figure out what approach to take in order to describe the deliciousness of this cake. At this point, I'm sure that I don't have the words, so I am just going to say that this is one of those recipes you keep in your arsenal for life. This is for two major reasons:

1. Deliciousness!
2. Ease

There are other reasons too like this being one of the greatest cakes I've had with my ginger tea or the fact that there is not a lot a cleanup, since it is a one bowl and no mixer required cake. This cake is also so moist and fragrant that it would work great for a layered cake with something like butter cream icing. However, I feel the top two suffice for firing up the oven and trying it. Be sure to brew a nice pot of tea or coffee and have some whipped cream handy.

Here is the recipe:
1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour (Arrowhead Mills is excellent)
3/4 Cup of Light Brown Sugar (no substitutions, please!)
1/8 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2/3 Cup Milk
1 Fresh Egg
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Drained Pineapple Chunks (tossed in a bit of flour)

*Recipe makes one layer cake*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & prepare a glass or no burn baking dish with butter or Pam.

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, & baking soda thoroughly. Create a well in the center, and add the egg, oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix gently till homogeneous. Add the wet, floured pineapple and mix. Pour into dish and bake for 27-30 minutes. Did you notice there isn't really any butter?


















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