PIZZA POCKETS

so i got a little nostalgic & made pizza pockets for food52.

see the article here on food52.com & get the recipe below!

ingredients

for the dough

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

for the filling

• 1 cup canned tomatoes, strained
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• pinche of Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1/2 cup flaked parmesan
• 50 grams cured pancetta (or bacon, pepperoni, or sausage)
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 egg

directions

• begin by making the pizza dough. in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add water, yeast, olive oil, and salt. let it stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate and become bubbly.
• with the mixer on low, add the flour 1 cup at a time until the dough begins to come together. raise the mixer to medium speed to knead the dough for 5 minutes. once the dough becomes elastic and smooth in texture, transfer it to a greased bowl and drape a towel over it.
• allow it to sit in a warm room for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size. While the dough rises, prepare the rest of your ingredients.
• to make the sauce, blend the tomatoes, oregano, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a medium bowl.
• in a separate medium bowl, combine the grated mozzarella and parmesan. slice the pancetta (or other meat) into thin strips and set aside in a small bowl.
• lastly, prepare the egg wash by beating the egg with 1 teaspoon water.
• when the dough is ready, assemble the pizza pockets. start by rolling out the dough until it's between 1/4- and 1/2-centimeter thick. using a pastry cutter or knife, cut the dough into 8 to 10 evenly-sized squares.
• in the center of each square, add 1 teaspoon of the following: tomato sauce, cheese, and pancetta. divide the basil evenly over each.
• brush the edges with the egg wash, fold in half diagonally into a triangle and seal the edges shut by pressing down with the tines of a fork. brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sea salt and use a toothpick to poke 2 holes in each. this last step will ensure the pizza pockets do not explode with cheese in the oven.
• bake at 425° F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown and the top becomes a light golden color.

xo

MUSKOKA

so i experienced my second round of the cottage life this week in port carling, muskoka. the cottage was located right on lake rosseau where apparently a few celebrities & athletes have cottages, but no sightings. i did see deer though! even a baby deer! it was the closest i have ever come to one without it running away from me. instead this doe starred at me for a few seconds then proceeded to lick it's butt as i tried to get a picture. i am kind of in love with these creatures and wanted to take one home as a new pet. errrrrr.. would that be weird or would i just be a modern day audrey hepburn? ok fine, i'll stick to wanting a pet fox instead. i also finished a knitting project i started back in february, my first blanket! maybe it shouldn't have taken five months to complete, but i finished it and that is all that matters! then i saw a zillion gorgeous pendleton blankets in one of the downtown shops [sigh]. the best. aside from deer sightings, we shopped, we ate bbq, we kayaked, we built a bench & watched movies. all in all a good relaxing week. the only thing i won't miss is the millions of bugs that seemed to be attracted to me the most, i felt like pig pen from charlie brown. now i am back in my own kitchen & can't wait to get baking.

xo

COOKIES & CREAM COOKIES

it's finally cookie inception day on the blog! the results: successful. what is cookie inception you may ask? well it's a cookie inside a cookie, which resulted in a cookies and cream cookie. i am not a huge fan of oreos by themselves, but mash them into cookie dough and i am sold. i have tried stuffing the entire oreo in a chocolate chip cookie in the past, and while it was pretty damn good i think crushing them taste hella better. as my cottage days come to an end today, i can't wait to show you all the photos i took & tell you all about the trip! but for now i leave you with this recipe.

LEVEL: very modest

ingredients

• 3.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup raw sugar (white sugar will work too)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 18 oreos, crushed

directions

• preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter, brown sugar and raw sugar until light and fluffy.
• add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla.
• in a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. * add flour mixture to wet ingredients slowly.
• once all the dry ingredients are evenly incorporated stir in crushed oreos.
• wrap in cling and let dough rest in the fridge for minimum an hour, but for best results over night.
• once dough is rested, roll into desired cookie size and bake for 8-12 minutes (once edges just slightly brown)
• let cool & enjoy!