Snacks & Appetizers: Tortilla Pockets

Ah, that moment when suddenly 15 teenagers are heading to your house. They're all coming, they're all hungry, and you haven't exactly been to the grocery store because you didn't know they were coming on a Wednesday night. Oh, make that 17 teenagers. What fun.


You need something to feed them, and you need it now. Time to glance in the pantry. Do you have leftover soft tortilla? Probably, especially if you mad fajitas recently. How about an egg? Definitely. And cheese? Peppers? Pizza sauce? Some meat, spinach, or anything else? Of course you do. We all do. That's really all you need to create Tortilla Pockets.


Ingredients


soft round tortillas (sometimes called wraps)
1 egg, slightly beaten
assortment of pizza-type toppings


Preparation


You'll have to move fast. Those teenagers are already in the living room. Grab the tortillas and use a pizza cutter to cut them exactly in half, so you have 2 half circles for each tortilla. That's already a good start.


Now you need to form pockets you can stuff. Roll the tortilla into a cone shape, making sure the bottom of the cone comes together. It won't be perfect, but it doesn't need to be since you'll be squishing the bottom of the cone anyway. Notice where the cone overlaps itself. Open up the overlap and brush a little egg between the flaps. Press closed gently, being careful to keep the cone open. You haven't stuffed it yet, so you don't want the entire thing sealed. While you're at it, pinch the bottom of the cone closed. Pinch hard, but don't break through the tortilla. Now you have a pocket that won't leak at the bottom.


Fill this pocket with a variety of ingredients. Think of it like a pizza, but stuffed and made from tortillas. Add some cheese, maybe some sauce, and whatever else you like. Pepperoni, peppers, spinach, even leftover hot dogs that have been quickly pan fried are delicious in these. You can substitute the sauce for mayonnaise, garlic herb spread, or ranch dressing if you like. Anything goes, so get creative.


To seal the pocket, brush a little egg on the open edge and pinch together. Again, pinch hard. Really hard, but don't go through the tortilla or you'll have a leaky pocket. Once sealed, you have to fry it up. You can deep fry these if you like, cooking until they are golden brown, or you can pan fry them. I'm not a big fan of deep frying because of the messy cleanup, so I prefer to pan fry. Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat, add your pockets, and fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.


Remove from pan, drain on a rack for 1 minute, and serve immediately. Consider serving a dipping sauce like marinara or ranch to compliment the Tortilla Pockets.


This recipe makes as many pockets as you have ingredients for. If you've got a houseful of teenagers, just keep making them. They'll eat them.

Yeast Breads: Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I like cinnamon. I like yeast breads. So it makes sense that they would go together. But when I'm craving this pairing, I don't always want to get fussy enough to make sticky buns. So instead I make a delicious Cinnamon Swirl Bread. This is an easy recipe to pull off, taking barely more effort than loaf of Basic White Bread. It is, in fact, the same recipe.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
2 tbsp melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Preparation


Start the Basic White Bread according to the recipe. After the first rise, stop. Instead of immediately shaping your loaf, roll out your dough so that it is a roughly 8x14-inch rectangle. Don't get too fussy. It doesn't have to be an exact rectangle and if it's a little larger or smaller it's not a big deal. Just roll it out.


Spread the butter on your dough with a pastry brush. Don't touch the edges or you won't be able to seal your loaf. Try staying a half inch from the edges at all times. Sprinkle the butter with the sugar, using the entire amount. Don't skimp on the sugar.


Now you have to roll it up. You can do this in two ways. The simplest way is to simply roll it up so that it fits in your pan, starting on the 8-inch side. You'll get the "cinnamon bun" effect, except in a loaf. Seal the ends and the seam and place it in a pan, seam side down. Done. Just make sure you've prepared your pan with a little cooking spray so it doesn't stick.


The picture here, however, is a slightly fancier technique, though still easy enough. Start with the 8-inch side, but only roll it up halfway. Then roll up the other 8-inch side until it touches the first roll. Now you have to seal up the loaf. Pinch the ends so sugar doesn't escape. You'll also want to pinch the center seam together. Place it in the loaf pan swirls up if you want it like the picture. Swirls down if you want it upside down. It doesn't really matter.


Place the loaf in a warm place to rise. It needs to double in size, so be patient. An hour usually does it, but you might need a little longer. When you're ready, heat the over to 375°F. Brush the loaf with an egg wash (one egg and 1 tbsp water), covering all exposed dough.


Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack. Because of the butter and sugar inside this loaf, you should wait for it to cool completely before you slice it. You don't want the sugar sliding out. When you do slice it, use an electric knife. Your bread will thank you for it.


This will make 1 loaf. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or until someone realizes you made Cinnamon Swirl Bread and eats it all on you.

Pasta: Rotini Casserole

Everybody love mac & cheese, but sometimes we want something a little more. This rotini casserole with please kids and adults alike. And it's easy to make. You an use any size casserole dish as long as all the rotini fits inside. You can also use any pasta. Try linguine, penne, or spaghetti for a different take on this fun dish.


Rotini Casserole lends itself to easy customization. You can add crumbled bacon, sliced chicken, or even vegetables if you like. Change up the sauce by using pizza sauce or even a cream sauce. There are no limits. Get creative with this basic recipe.


Ingredients


1 bag rotini
2 cups old cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tbsp dried parsley


Preparation


Heat oven to 350°F. Cook rotini according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add old cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, paprika, dried mustard, garlic powder, and tomato sauce. Stir gently until everything is well combined.


Coat your chosen casserole dish with oil, very lightly, or use a nonstick cooking spray. Pour the rotini mixture into the casserole dish and spread evenly. Top with cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parsley over entire casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted. Serve hot.


This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people, depending on how hungry everyone is.

Drop Cookies: Brown Sugar Puffs

Sometimes we just want a simple and buttery cookie that lacks fuss and tastes great. Brown Sugar Puffs are those cookies. They take no time at all, require no special tools, and will please even the pickiest cookie critic. And, even better, they can be made with the staples already in your pantry.


Ingredients


½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ butter or margarine, softened
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg
1⅛ cup all purpose flour


Preparation


Heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Use and electric mixer for this. Add the vanilla and the egg and blend well. Put the electric mixer aside and, using a wooden spoon or your hands, add the flour and combine until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.


Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto a prepared cookie sheet, keeping them 2 inches apart. Do not flatten. These are puffs, so they're meant to stand a little tall. They'll spread just a little anyway.


Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then cool fully on wire racks. Store in airtight container so they stay soft and chewy.


This recipe makes 12 to 18 cookies, depending on the size of the cookie you make. Remember to cook larger cookies for a little longer, smaller cookies for a minute less.

Pizza: Basic Pizza Crust

Pizza is the best of everything. It's yeast bread, which is my favorite thing in the world, and it's cheese, which is my second thing in the world. It's saucy, which is awesome, and it can be spicy, which is double awesome. Pizza can be anything you like. And making it at home is satisfying and delicious.


The secret to a great pizza is in the crust. It should be light and airy and have a gentle crisp to it. You can make it thin or thick, crimp the edges so it has a defined crust around the edge or keep it flat so you can take toppings all the way to the edge. It's really up to you.


While you can use a regular bread dough to make pizza, it's not recommended. There is a difference in the dough, so use a pizza recipe like the one below. Also, a note on yeast. I don't use traditional yeast. I hate dissolving it. You can use a bread machine yeast (even if you don't use a bread machine), a quick-rise yeast, or even a pizza yeast. They make pizza yeast now. I like it.


I also like precooking my crusts. I call it flashing, and it sets the crust just enough to make it really easy to make pizzas quickly if you're serving a large crowd. It's also handy for freezing crusts to use at a later date. Because I love flashing my crusts so much, it will be included in the recipe below.


Ingredients


1¼ tsp pizza yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water

Preparation


If you're using a bread maker, just toss everything in, select the dough cycle, and walk away until the bread maker is done. If you're doing it by hand, you'll have to mix and knead with your own two hands. The results will be the same, so use a bread machine if you have it, or do it by hand if you don't. Mix until you have a smooth ball of soft dough. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes. It may take as long as 90 minutes depending on temperature and humidity.


Pizza dough typically only rises once, so when it's ready, you'll be making pizza. Punch down the dough until most of the air bubbles have been eliminated. Preheat the oven to 350°F so you'll be able to flash your crust. Use a pizza stone for this step; you'll want the pizza stone to heat in the oven so it's piping hot when the crust hits the stone. Alternatively, you may use a pizza cooker. These are small appliances with cast iron that preheat, so they're very like pizza stones. Either way, you'll want a hot surface to flash your crusts.


Now you'll shape your crusts. Do this with your hands and not a roller. Using a roller will drive out all the air bubbles, and you don't want that. Pizza crust doesn't rise a second time, so you want some of those air bubbles to remain, so use your hands and be gentle. Stretch and press your dough until it is the size and thickness you want. You can divide the dough to make 2 or even 4 smaller pizzas if you like. You can make a thicker, pan crust. You can roll it out until it is paper thin. With a basic crust, this is up to you. When you first start making your own pizza crust, roll them out semi-thin. You can adjust this to your own preferences in later batches.


Once shaped, you have to flash your crusts for 5 minutes. You can do this by using a pizza peel to slid them into the pizza stone. Coat the pizza peel in flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking if needed. If you want a crisp and professional crust, try brushing the pizza stone with a little garlic butter, maybe even garlic butter with parmesan, right before you add the crust. You won't be disappointed, I promise.


Allow the crust to bake for 5 minutes. It's not cooked, obviously, but it is flashed. Remove and repeat with any remaining crusts.


Once you have flashed all your crusts, you can start to make your pizzas. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Add your sauce and toppings. Topping are up to you. We usually have cheese and pepperoni, because I have kids. But we also do margarita and red pepper-pepperoni when my mother or sister are around. Don't be afraid to throw a few dried herb on top of your cheeses. It will be delicious.


Bake your pizzas for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dark you like them. They are cooked after about 8 minutes because you previously flashed the crusts, so anything beyond that is personal preference.


Allow to cool for 3 minutes before cutting so the cheese has time to set, then enjoy.

Yeast Breads: Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks

Have you ever been to Olive Garden? Did you fall in love with the breadsticks? They're objectively delicious, but most of us can't run to Olive Garden every day to grab a bunch of breadsticks. But we can make them at home with ease. They're not difficult and they're perfect to serve with most meals. Start with a very basic bread dough and turn it into something special for your next meal.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
1 egg
1 tbsp cool water
3 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp parmesan cheese


Preparation


Start the Basic White Bread according to recipe directions. After the first rise, punch down dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape each one into breadstick, about 8 inches long. Arrange on prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and place in a warm place to rise. They need to double in size. This will typically take about 30 minutes because they're smaller than an entire loaf, but it might take as much as 60 minutes. Be patient.


Once the breadsticks have risen, heat the oven to 350°F. While the oven is warming, combine egg and cool water to create an egg wash. You only have to lightly beat the egg. Brush the wash over each breadstick, ensuring that all exposed dough is covered. Bake breadsticks for 18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.


While the breadsticks are baking, combine the butter, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Blend well and thoroughly. When the breadsticks are cooked, immediately brush each breadstick with the butter mixture. Butter will melt, coating the breadsticks with garlic and parmesan.


Serve warm. Or not. They're delicious either way. This recipe makes 12 breadsticks. They make a great addition to kids' lunches, especially if you have picky kids.

Easy Side Dishes: Parmesan Risotto

Risotto is one of those things that shows up in high end restaurants with great frequency. It sounds complicated, but it's relatively easy to make at home. The trick to risotto is to pay attention. You have to stir it, and you have to add liquid when the rice needs more.


The type of rice also matters. Though technically you can make risotto with any rice you like, medium-grained rice like Arborio work best. Shorter grains lead to a creamier risotto and longer grains give you a firmer risotto, so it's all about preference.


Risotto lends itself to experimentation. Try different cheeses, add different proteins, or really add anything you like. Risotto is one of those things that is never wrong as long as you like the flavors you've added. In this version, I've used parmesan and peas to create a light and creamy flavor.


Ingredients


4 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp. butter
¾ cup onion, finely chopped
1½ cups Arborio or other medium-grain rice
½ cup warm water
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup peas, frozen
½ parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 more tbsp butter


Preparation


When making risotto, you need warm broth. Place the broth in a medium saucepan and simmer. Cover and keep it simmering over low heat so it's hot when you need it. And you will need it. Frequently.


In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, but only until the onion is translucent. A little browning is okay, but not too much. Add dry rice to the pan and toss to coat in onion and butter. Add the water and stir constantly until the water is almost completely absorbed, about 2 or 3 minutes.


Start adding chicken broth to the risotto, ¼ cup at a time. Use a ladle so you don't add too much. Keep stirring, allowing each addition of the broth to be absorbed before adding more. Don't overwhelm the rice with liquid, and keep stirring. Stirring helps break down the rice, giving the risotto a creamy texture.


Continue this process for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and no longer crunchy. Add chicken and peas, stir for another minute, then remove from heat. Add cheese, salt, and pepper and stir again. Add the final 3 tbsp of butter and stir until fully incorporated.


Transfer risotto to a serving bowl and serve immediately.