Sourdough Pizza on the Traeger

My husband and I aren't avid pizza enthusiasts, but I enjoy experimenting with recipes, particularly those involving sourdough bread. I decided to create a sourdough pizza crust and cook it on the Traeger. This experience may have converted us into pizza aficionados. The pizza was exceptional, with a crispy bottom. I'll provide the ingredients and methodology used for the crust, as well as the toppings I recall using. Feel free to customize the toppings to your liking. I highly recommend attempting this pizza recipe on your Traeger, although oven cooking is also an option. However, after utilizing my Traeger, I'll never prepare pizza differently.

100g sourdough discard

10g sea salt

30g olive oil

50g whole wheat flour

400g all-purpose flour 

50g bread flour 

10g instant yeast ( only if you want yo use same day)

325g water

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If preparing the dough a day in advance, omit the yeast. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment overnight. The following morning, perform a series of stretch and folds.( If adding yeast after an hour do your first set of folds, ensure your hands are wet, do the next set in an hour. Alternatively, if not using yeast, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12 to 36 hours. Although chilling is optional, it enhances the sourdough flavor. Since I required the dough for same-day use, I added yeast and omitted the chilling step. Thirty minutes prior to use, divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a ball on a heavily floured surface. 

Preheat the Traeger to 500°F with a pizza stone inside for 15 minutes.

I recently purchased all the topping ingredients from Whole Foods, and I must say that their pepperoni is noticeably less greasy compared to what I've found at traditional grocery stores. As someone who's not particularly fond of red sauce, whether it's enchilada or pizza sauce, I was pleasantly surprised by Whole Foods' pizza sauce - it struck a perfect balance without being overwhelming or too acidic. My shopping list included pizza sauce from Whole Foods' prepared food section, 

Parmesan cheese, 

pizza cheese, 

pepperoni, 

Italian sausage, cooked

jalapenos, 

fresh basil, thinly sliced onions, 

sliced mushrooms, 

sliced bell peppers. 

Not having a pizza paddle, I've since invested in one, hoping it will make a difference in my pizza-making process. In hindsight, I would recommend shaping the pizza dough, placing it directly on the preheated stone, adding toppings, and cooking for 15-20 minutes. The original link that inspired my sourdough pizza crust recipe is listed below, with some minor modifications made 

https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-pizza-crust-recipe/

The Best Blueberry Muffins.

These are great blueberry muffins. I was on a hunt for zucchini muffins and came across these. I had blueberries in the refrigerator so off to make blueberry muffins a d not zucchini.

Here is the original link where I got the recipe from.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6865/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

⅓ cup milk, or more as needed

1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping

½ cup white sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, cubed

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, Grease 8 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

To make the muffins: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Pour oil into a small liquid measuring cup. Add egg and enough milk to reach the 1-cup mark; stir until combined.

Pour into flour mixture and mix just until batter is combined. Fold in blueberries; set batter aside.

To make the crumb topping: Combine sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until crumbly

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling right to the top. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
⅔ cup white sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Lightly grease a 9-inch pan.
Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add milk, vegetable oil, and egg; whisk until well combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Honey Butter

 Blend honey and butter together.

Chicken a Gnocchi Soup

I added a package of frozen veggies to this soup.

I will link the original recipe below.

 3-4 boneless skinless chicken tenderloin, cooked and diced

½ onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ cup shredded carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes

1 teaspoon basil

16 ounces potato gnocchi

2 cups heavy cream

2 cup fresh spinach

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. 

Add chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and spices bring to a boil, then gently stir in gnocchi. Boil for 3-4 minutes longer before reducing heat to a simmer and cooking for 10 minutes. 

Stir in cream and spinach and cook another 1-2 minutes until spinach is tender. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and serve. 

https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/wprm_print/olive-garden-chicken-gnocchi-soup

Spice Cookies

 

1 cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup molasses

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon coarse pepper 

¼ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup white sugar for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 

2. Mix brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg together in a large bowl.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, spices, pepper and salt; stir into the molasses mixture.

4. Use a small cookie scoop,  Roll each ball in white sugar before placing 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until center is firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

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Korean Ground Beef Bowls

My husband and I enjoyed this, the spice was perfect. Well, I would live a little more but my doctor took all spice and caffeine away from me. I am still working on both. 😁

I did add a little extra sauce so it would not be too dry when I served it with rice. I think I would also use fresh ginger and jalapenos instead of the pepper flakes.

Here is the original recipe.

https://therecipecritic.com/korean-ground-beef-rice-bowls/#wprm-recipe-container-57311

Husband Favorite Chicken

 My husband is really easy to cook for. Even if he does not like something I will never know until afew days later, he might say something like, "that was not one of your best meals but it was good." After 43 years of marriage I know that means, "I really did not care for that dish you made." 🤣

I was being lazy last night and just salted some chicken and added some pepper and threw in a pan with oil and butter, browned them, then threw it in a 400 degree oven.

He has asked me to make it at least once a week, he even asked today if I  could make it every day.

Chicken legs and wings

Olive oil

Butter, I threw in a cube of butter

Salt and pepper.

Fry in a cast-iron skillet until brown on each side, put in a 400 degree oven until done.

Cream Puff

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• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup milk

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• Cream puff

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 8T unsalted butter 

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 

• 4 Large eggs, room temperature 

• Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set

• Preheat oven to 425°.

• Line baking pan with parchment paper.

• Bring water, milk, butter, sugar and salt just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour all at once. Sir until flowers completely mixed in. Return back to burner and cook for about 2 minutes until dough forms a smooth ball and there's a light film on the bottom of your pan. Add to a mixing bowl, mix for 1 minute cool down. Add room temperature eggs one at a time until fully mixed. Beat until batter forms a ribbon when paddle is lifted. Add batter in a pastry bag fitted with a large circle tip. Or you can just cut the bag. Pipe onto pan, wet your fingertip to push down any peaks that forms on top of mounds.

• Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees reduce oven to 325 and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Once completely cool cut off tops and fill. Or if you like you can just pop a hole in the side or bottom and fill it that way.

• You can sprinkle powder sugar on top or dip the tops in chocolate.

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Roasted Garlic, Parmesan, Basil Sourdough Bread.

 

• 3 2/3 cups (18 1/3 ounces) King Arthur all-purpose flour. ( I use have bread flour and half all purpose)

• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt

• 1 1/2 cups plus 4 teaspoons (12 2/3 ounces) water, room temperature

• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) mature sourdough starter

• 2 bulbs roasted garlic. ( I cut the top of my garlic off and lat them on foil then I pour a little garlic oil over it. Wrap tightly in foil and roasted in a 400 degree oven until very soft.

• Parmesan cheese, I never measure, just measure with your heart.

• Fresh basil.

1. Whisk flour and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk room-temperature water and starter in large bowl until smooth. Add flour mixture to water mixture and stir using wooden spoon, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until dough comes together, then knead by hand in bowl until shaggy ball forms and no dry flour remains. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 18 hours.

2.  Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead 10 to 15 times. Lightly fkatten into oblong shape, not too big, add some cooles roasted garlic  and Parmesan cheese. Fold into thirds and lightly flatten again, add another layer of roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil to this layer. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam side down, to center of parchment. Pick up dough by lifting parchment edges and lower into a bowl to rise, Cover with plastic wrap.

3. When dough has risen ( mine takes about 2 hours) set oven to 450 and put dutch oven with lid in oven and let heat for about 30 minutes on middle rack. 

4. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 7-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Add to dutch oven and cover with the lid.Bake for 30 minutes.( I don't like the bottom of my bread to get too dark so I take a good size piece of parchment and fold it over about four times and put it in the bottom of my Dutch oven before I add my bread. So it's just a square that my bread sits on as it bakes) 

5. Remove lid and continue to bake for 10 minutes; after ten minutes sprinkle top with Parmesan chesse, bake for 10 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Chicken chimichanga with cream sauce

 4 10" flour tortilla

3 chicken breast

Chicken bouillon

1 1/2 c shredded, Monterey Jack cheese.

Salt

Pepper

1 1/2 T chili powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t cumin

2 8oz mild chopped green chili, divided

1/2 cup butter, divided.

3 T flour

2 c chicken broth, strained from what you cooked chicken in.

1/2 t salt

1 tea pepper

1 8oz cream cheese

1/2 c sour cream

1-2 T sriracha

 Preheat oven to 425

Cover chicken with waster and add  chicken bouillon, cook until tender. Drain chicken broth and set aside 2 cups. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken. drain one can green chilis add along with spices and set aside to cool. Add cheese.

Melt 1/4 t butter, add flour and cook for a minute, add 2 cups reserved chicken broth. Stir until starts to thicken. Add can of green diced chilis and cream cheese and cook until cream cheese is dissolved, add sour cream and cook over low heat.

Warm four tortillas, divide meat mixture between tortillas. Roll up and tuck both ends closed. Lay on baking pan and brush with remaining 1/4 cup butter that has been melted, all over rolled chimichangas. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy. Serve with sauce over.

These would also be really good done up as an enchilada. This sauce is really good with chips dipped in it.

Vegetable Beef Soup

 I made steak sandwiches for church last Sunday and had the bones leftover from the New York steaks so I made bone broth with it, it was so good. So I  decided to make vegetable soup with it. 

2 T Olive oil

2 pounds chuck roast, diced into small pieces.

1 onion, diced

2 pound green beans, cut into small pieces.

4 carrots, diced in small pieces.

4 celery stalks, diced into small pieces.

5 Baby Bella mushrooms, diced

ABC pasta ( I got mine from amazon)

1 can of corn.

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes.

12 cups Beef bone broth

32 oz bottle V8 juice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

heat a large dutch oven over med high heat. Add olive oil to pan, when hot add small diced chuck roast and cook until almost completely browned. Add diced onion and cook for a few minutes.

Add carrot, celery, green beans and mushrooms. Add bone broth or beef broth. Stir, add lid and put in oven for a couple hours.

Remove from oven, put back over medium heat,  add diced potatoes, corn and cook about seven minutes, add ABC pasta and V8. Cook until pasta is done and potatoes are soft.

Cranberry Salad

 

This salad is one of my daughter Kristine's  favorite. Everything's giving she'll ask me for the recipe.

I don't make it anymore because it's just the two of us and I would be the only one who would eat it. It makes a large amount so this would be a great salad for a family get together, or church potluck.

1 8oz cool whip

1 bag cranberries

1 can crushed pineapples, drained 

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 bag marshmallows

Chop cranberries in blender. Place in a large bowl; cover with sugar. Let stand one hour. Add pineapple, nuts and marshmallows to cranberries, add cool whip mix well. Chill one hour before serving.

Broccoli Potato cheese soup

We had Baked Potato Sunday at church. I had some leftover broccoli and two potatoes that is how I came up with this idea.

My husband made a remark while I was making this soup that we had some bacon bits in the fridge so I tossed them in also.

This soup was a huge hit at church and my husband kept saying how good it was.

 2 T butter

Large onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, duced

Large head of broccoli, dice up stems and cut florets in large pieces.

2 large baked and cooled potatoes, diced in large chunks

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Shredded carrots

3 T better then bouillon chicken

4 cups water 

3 cups half and half

16 oz sharp cheddar cheese 

1/2 Cup real bacon, bits

2 T olive oil

2 T butter

1/3 cup flour

Melt 2 T butter in large pot, add onions, celery and diced broccoli stems. Cook until soften.

Add broccoli florets, carrots, water and better the bullion.

Cover and cook for ten minutes. Until broccoli is soften 

Mean while, heat olive oil, butter and flour in a small pan until light golden in color. 

Remove lid, add chopped garlic, flour mixture and stir. Add potatoes,  bacon bits, half and half and cheese. If too thick add more half and half. Cook until heated thoroughly.

Peach Muffins

 

These muffins were a huge hit. I would chop the peaches much smaller then I did here. I was in a hurry and was making a lot of things at the same time so I just did a quick chop.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups white sugar

• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees line cupcake pan with paper liners

• 1. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Beat together sugar, oil, and eggs in a separate bowl. Stir into flour mixture until moist. Fold in peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

  2. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely

Cabbage Rolls

 

I am going to add the link to these cabbage rolls. Go show her some love and make these. I would add a little more salt to it but other then that they are perfect. I love cabbage rolls but for some reason I have never made them in thev42 years I have been married. 

https://youtu.be/bxUIBtFrjlo

Salmon and Slaw

 I got this recipe from Epicurious, it is a really great recipe. It is not like the recipe from Shadowbrook. The salmon from Shadowbrookis my favorite item to order off their menu. Besides their house salad and artichoke soup. But this recipe along with the slaw is really good. Even my picky husband who does not like seafood liked it.

Make sure you make a slaw with it. Slaw recipe is right under this one.

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sake

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Vegetable oil

6 7- to 8-ounce salmon fillets

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds or toasted sesame seeds

6 lemon wedges

1. Step 1

   Combine orange juice, sake, sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and red pepper in heavy small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1 1/3 cups, about 5 minutes. Combine 2 teaspoons water and cornstarch in small bowl, stirring until cornstarch dissolves. Add cornstarch mixture to ponzu sauce and boil until sauce thickens and is clear, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. (Ponzu sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate.)

   Step 2

   Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill with vegetable oil. Brush each salmon fillet with 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce. Grill salmon, skin side up, 3 minutes. Turn salmon fillets and brush each with another 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce. Grill until salmon is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

   Step 3

   Transfer 1 salmon fillet to each of 6 plates. Top with slaw, dividing equally. Sprinkle with sesame seeds; garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

2. Slaw recipe

3. 1/4 cup golden miso*

   1/4 cup honey

   1/4 cup water

   1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

   1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil

   1 teaspoon soy sauce

   1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

   1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

   1 cup matchstick-size strips peeled jícama

   1 6-inch cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into matchstick-size strips

   1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into matchstick-size strips

   1 small carrot, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

   1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

   1. Step 1

      Combine miso, honey, 1/4 cup water, lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger in blender; blend until smooth. With machine running, gradually add vegetable oil. Season miso dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

      Step 2

      Combine jicama, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrot, and chopped fresh cilantro in large bowl. Toss vegetables with enough miso dressing to coat.

   2. Step 3

      *Available at Japanese markets and natural foods stores and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.