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Gabriela Cámara is an international restaurateur and author of My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions. We interviewed her to discuss the popularity of the modern Mexican table, her position on sustainable food, and her commitment to creating equitable work environments. Continue reading “Q & A with Gabriela Cámara” » LEGGI TUTTO
If you’re not already making pizza every week, what are you waiting for? This is a fantastic tradition to start for your family. And thanks to our method for pizza on the grill, it’s also a great way to enjoy pizza at home in your backyard this summer!
Like so many of you, my family has been hunkered down for the past several months due to the coronavirus. While so many things in our lives have been turned upside down and backwards through distance learning, sports and activities being cancelled, and just living in the world of COVID-19, one thing that has remained an absolute constant and the anchor for grounding us each week is our Family Pizza Night!
A Weekly Ritual: Family Pizza Night
We started the tradition of making pizza every week a few years ago right after my twins were born, and now it’s just part of our weekly routine. Like clockwork, I start my two batches of pizza dough every Friday at 3 pm, and have done it so many times, it has become a sort of meditation routine for me.
We recently started doing personal pizzas, and it was such a hit! I heard my girls say, “This is the best pizza ever!” and “It’s so much more fun to make your own pizza!” and “I want to make mine look like a Nintendo Switch!” As you can see, it has been thrilling for me to watch them create their own dinner and feel empowered to try new things.
Since this has brought so much joy to me, I thought I’d share a few tips that help our Family Pizza Night go smoothly and leave us all with full bellies and smiling faces.
1. Setting Up Your Pizza Night
Portion your pizza dough into eight balls.
Put the toppings in the middle of the table so they’re easily accessible.
Place pieces of parchment paper at each chair with a ball of dough on top so everyone has their own work station, then let the kids shape the pizza however they want! My husband and I like a thinner crust while our kids like thicker crusts, so this do-it-your-own-way method makes everyone happy.
I like this setup, because then you’re all sitting down and talking while making the pizzas. The interaction is half the fun!
HOT TIP: Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. This way the dough flattens easily without making a giant mess on the table!
2. PIZZA ON THE GRILL!
Grilling is by far the quickest and easiest way to cook individual pizzas.
While I help get everyone’s dough rolled out, my husband fires up the grill. I follow Simply Recipes’ How To Grill Pizza guide:
Grill the dough briefly on one side first.
Then flip it so the grilled side is on top, and add the toppings.
Finish grilling.
3. THE PIZZA TOPPINGS
Pizza is a great way to clear out the fridge and to also get kids to try new pizza toppings. I like to set out all the toppings in little ramekins on a tray to keep them anchored to a certain spot on the table. This not only keeps the toppings separated, but it makes it easier for the kids to reach and pass around. I put the cheese and sauce in regular bowls since we tend to use more of those ingredients.
Here are some toppings we commonly use:
The more available toppings, the better! Let your kids mix and match, because you never know what they’ll end up trying and loving.
My 13-year-old daughter discovered she loves feta on pizza, and my seven-year-old decided to mix BBQ sauce with marinara. It seemed weird, but she was so proud and loved it.
Somehow, food just tastes a thousand percent better when on a pizza.
4. HAVE FUN!
This isn’t a competition of who has the prettiest pizza (although my 13-year-old would beg to differ). In the words of my husband, “It may not look the prettiest, but it sure is going to taste amazing.” So true!
We love our Family Pizza Nights and hope you will, too!
Check out my other fun Summer at Home idea: Throw a Backyard S’mores Party!
Need Some Pizza Inspiration?
Or peruse all our pizza recipes right here! LEGGI TUTTO
No ice cream maker? No problem! Get ready to enjoy summer peaches at their best with this No-Churn Peach Cobbler Ice Cream. It’s easy and only takes 20 minutes to make. The hard part is waiting for it to freeze!
I feel like I’ve managed the chaos known as 2020 with grace and dignity. That is, until I tried to make ice cream last week.
As if this year wasn’t hectic enough we thought, “Why not try to build a house.” After searching the apartment we’re living in high and low, I was crestfallen when I realized my ice cream maker was packed away with the bulk of my household goods in storage. I’m not going to lie, that set me off on a crying fit.
Twenty-twenty had finally broken me.
My defeat wouldn’t last long, though. Ice cream is life! With no ice cream maker to be found, I set about mixing a no-churn peach cobbler ice cream. The result is a brightly flavored, easy-to-make ice cream that doesn’t require a machine.
So, who’s laughing now 2020?
HOW TO MAKE ICE CREAM WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MAKER
Ice cream is not something you’re excluded from making if you don’t have an ice cream maker. Sure, the machine helps create a smoother frozen dessert, but don’t feel like you must have one in order to create your favorite ice cream.
The process is simple to follow: a flavor base is made with condensed milk, which is later folded into a mound of whipped cream. The condensed milk stands in for the cooked custard of a conventional ice cream, and the whipped cream lightens the mixture and adds that creaminess we should all expect from ice cream.
After combining both elements, the mixture is frozen and, after a few excruciating hours of waiting, you can dip joyfully into the ice cream.
TIPS FOR MAKING SUCCESSFUL NO-CHURN ICE CREAM
When it comes to this fruit-based, no-churn ice cream, ripe peaches are key! It’s the only way to ensure that sweet, peachy flavor shines through the creamy milk mixture. Using fruit that is soft to the touch is crucial. It’s how you know it’s ripe enough to taste in this recipe.
Full-fat heavy whipping cream must be used in this recipe to mimic the slow-churned mouthfeel of conventional ice cream.
Even with the full fat cream, no-churn ice cream will still contain more ice crystals than its churned cousin. To reduce ice crystal formation, I add vanilla extract and vodka. It’s not enough to make you tipsy, and the small amount of alcohol keeps the fruit from freezing rock hard. It’s an important part of this recipe.
CAN YOU USE FROZEN PEACHES IN NO-CHURN ICE CREAM?
Yes, you can use a frozen peaches! Just taste them prior to pureeing them; you want to get a gauge on how sweet they are because we are using the uncooked fruit puree to boost the peach flavor.
If using frozen peaches, thaw the peaches and drain off any water (don’t worry—you won’t lose any peach flavor). Avoid adding any excess liquid to the peach puree because it will water down the condensed milk base, which will manifest itself as ice crystals in your batch of ice cream.
HOW LONG DOES NO-CHURN ICE CREAM LAST
Most commercial ice cream has stabilizers or anti-crystallization compounds to keep it fresh and prevent ice crystals from forming. Homemade ice cream doesn’t have that, so how you store it matters.
When stored in an ice cream container, no-churn ice cream will keep for one to two weeks. My ice cream never survives my family that long, though.
THE BEST HOMEMADE ICE CREAM CONTAINERS
While I prefer to freeze the ice cream in a metal loaf pan because it sets up better, once it’s frozen I transfer the ice cream to a plastic ice cream container with a tight-fitting lid. The container helps prevent freezer burn and preserve freshness.
No, you don’t have to go out and buy cute ice cream containers to make ice cream. You can use whatever you have around the house. Any container with a tight-fitting lid (even a paper quart container) is suitable for longer storage.
If you want to keep the ice cream in the metal loaf pan because you know you’re going to use it up within a day or so that’s fine too. Just press wax paper or parchment against the surface of the ice cream to prevent freezer burn.
NO-CHURN ICE CREAM SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Make this no-churn peach cobbler ice cream even more exciting:
Swap the vanilla wafers for graham crackers or gingersnaps
Add a tablespoon of fresh, chopped mint leaves to the peach puree
Use equal amounts of a different fruit (like nectarines or berries) for a different fruit-flavored ice cream.
If you want a really wild peach flavor, toss your peaches in sugar and roast them in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes. The caramelized peaches will taste more pronounced in the recipe. Just allow the peaches to cool before pureeing.
NEED MORE ICE CREAM IN YOUR LIFE?
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These classic pickled jalapeños, or jalapeños escabeche, are made with fresh jalapeño chili peppers, white onions, garlic, carrots, cider vinegar and herbs. Serve them alongside Mexican dishes, or slice them up for burgers, tacos, or salsas.
Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
This year I decided to grow jalapeño and serrano chiles—those wonderfully hot and flavorful Mexican chiles that are used to make salsa, guacamole, and so many Mexican dishes. But I certainly wasn’t expecting each plant to yield over a pound of chiles. What to do with so many?
Make jalapeños escabeche, or pickled jalapeños!
What is Escabeche?
Pickled jalapeños, or escabeche, are served as a condiment with many meals in Mexico. Chiles, onions, carrots, cauliflower are pickled with the jalapeños. My mother used to buy jars of escabeche when I was a child. The chiles can be cut up and used for many dishes.
From the editors of Simply Recipes
How to Make Pickled Jalapeños
Unlike a lot of other pickle recipes, this one starts by frying the jalapeños and other vegetables in oil before pickling. This gives them a more complex, concentrated flavor.
After frying, simmer the vegetables in a simple pickling liquid of cider vinegar, salt, bay leaves, dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, and sugar until completely cooked. Pack the hot vegetables and pickling liquid into canning jars and seal.
Process the jars following the hot water bath canning method (Elise likes the method used here). If you prefer not to process your pickles, you can store them in the fridge and use within a month or so.
Ways To Use Escabeche
Crunchy pickled escabeche can be eaten as a snack or appetizer, or served on the plate alongside Mexican recipes. You can also slice or mince the pickled vegetables to make a quick relish for burgers, tacos, or burritos.
More Easy Pickle Recipes
Updated August 9, 2020 : We spiffed up this post to make it sparkle. No changes to the original recipe.
Escabeche (Pickled Jalapeños) Recipe
Recipe adapted from Diana Kennedy’s The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.
Ingredients
1 pound jalapeño (and/or serrano if you wish) chile peppers
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 medium white or yellow onions, thickly sliced
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
Florets from half a small cauliflower (optional)
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Kosher salt or sea salt
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 sprigs fresh marjoram (can sub fresh oregano) or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon sugar
Method
1 Prep the chiles: Wash the chiles, leaving the stems intact. Cut a cross in the tip end of each chile so that the vinegar will be able to penetrate the chiles.
2 Fry the vegetables in olive oil: Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the chiles, onions, carrots, cauliflower if using, and garlic. Fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning them over occasionally.
3 Boil with vinegar and seasonings: Add the vinegar, salt, bay leaves, dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Make sure the chiles are entirely cooked through before canning. You will know they are cooked when they are no longer vibrant green, but a dull, olive green.
4 Pack the jars: Pack 4 to 5 pint-sized sterilized jars with the chiles and vegetables. Top with the vinegar cooking liquid and seal.
5 Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
Once opened, can keep for one to two months in the refrigerator.
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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO
This month, welcome Sara Bir. Sara Bir is the author of two cookbooks, Tasting Ohio and the IACP award-winning The Fruit Forager’s Companion. She also moderates and replies to your comments here on Simply Recipes. Follow her @sausagetarian.
Since May, I’ve been riding my bike to the weekly farmers market, donning my mask, and buying up all the good stuff I can cram into my backpack. Now that it’s late summer, things are really rolling around here on the produce scene.
Mid-week, I cruise to our favorite farm stand and load up on sweet corn, plus whatever other goodies they may have to offer: ripe peaches, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, blackberries, watermelon—this is what we dream of all year long!
This week’s meal plan keeps that momentum going. Even if your farmers market happens to be a standard grocery store, you can still embrace the glory of summer produce. Whether the vegetables came from your own backyard or the produce aisle, we picked recipes everyone can dive right into.
One last thing: Looking for dinner ideas? You’re in the right spot! We have delicious meal plans to suit every taste and lifestyle—Healthy Eating, Family Favorites, and Vegetarian just to name a few. These one-month plans are $6.95 and, with them, you get a dessert and weekend prep recipe and a shopping list. They’re beautifully designed and perfect to print and save or simply load and cook right from your computer! LEGGI TUTTO
Layers of brown sugar cake, sea salt caramel frosting, and a sandy graham cracker exterior make this cake a beach lover’s dream!I’ve been meaning to share this cake I made for Food Network for a while now, and I guess I’d better get to it because time’s a wastin’! I can’t believe we’re already in the last full month of summer.If you’re like me and didn’t make it to the beach this year, this cake is a nice consolation. I admit – I’ve had many slices of this cake and it is delicious! I may even dedicate a whole blog post to its sea salt caramel frosting (it’s that good!). And! It’s so fun to build. Yes – it’s a little involved and has a few steps, but its general construction involves ice cream cones, sugar cubes, and lots of graham cracker crumbs.
There are many steps to take before a cake like this comes to life, and I usually begin with a sketch. This was my plan for executing the cake, and I thought it might be fun to share it with you. It really does help to have a guide, even if the end result looks a little different (but this one was very close!).
The cake starts with two tiers of brown sugar cake (yum!), one 8-inch and 6-inch. The sea salt caramel buttercream firms well in the refrigerator and when chilled, it has just enough tackiness for the graham crackers to stick to the sides.
The towers/spires are made with frosted cake cones and sugar cones – which is nothing new to the world of cake decorating. But using them is easy, so cute, and really makes the cake look more convincing as a castle.
A couple more spires on top!
One of my original ideas for the cake was to use brown sugar cubes around the top edges to make the crenelations. This is such an easy way to achieve the effect symmetrically all the way around the top edges of the cake.
A few molded candy starfish and seashells were finishing touches. Here I’m applying a little cocoa powder to the shells with a dry brush, which makes them a little more 3 dimensional in appearance.
Add to this a few chocolate pieces for windows and doors, and the all-important spire flags, and you’ve got yourself a sandcastle that the tide won’t wash away! (Although it still may disappear quickly.)You can find the recipe on FoodNetwork.com at THIS link. You can also view the video HERE on their website, or HERE on the Food Network Facebook page.Happy Summer, everyone! I hope it’s been more sweet than salty (wink).link Sandcastle Cake By Heather Baird Published: Friday, August 07, 2020Friday, August 07, 2020Sandcastle Cake Recipe LEGGI TUTTO
Cool, crunchy cucumbers combined with sweet, juicy peaches and dressed in a peppery basil vinaigrette is a great way to make the most of summer and all its gorgeous flavors. This refreshing salad is easy to make and goes great with grilled meat.
Photography Credit: Kalisa Marie Martin
Salads are a great way to celebrate the season and are especially refreshing on hot summer days. This peach and cucumber salad has a simple set of ingredients that play off of each other in a fun way.
The black pepper and lime in the basil vinaigrette add a brightness and layer of complexity that gives this dish the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
This quick and easy salad is delicious on its own but also pairs wonderfully with savory meats, adding a cool and zesty bite to whatever it’s served alongside. You’ll quickly see why this unexpected combination just works.
HOW TO SLICE STONE FRUIT
First, cut the fruit in half, lengthwise, slicing all the way around the pit using the indent as a guide. Hold each half of the cut fruit and twist in opposite directions.
With ripe fruit, this action should help separate the halves easily. If not, use your hands to pull the halves apart. If you have a Cling-Free or Freestone Peach, you’ll be able to remove the pit easily. If not, use a spoon to dig it out.
THE BEST CUCUMBERS FOR SALAD
English cucumbers are ideal for this recipe because they’re nearly seedless and have thin skins. Sometimes you will see English cucumbers sold wrapped in plastic. They are also called seedless or burpless cucumbers.
Persian cucumbers are often sold as mini cucumbers. They would be a good replacement for English cucumbers, however, you’d need two to three Persian cucumbers to one English cucumber, due to the size. With either variety, you won’t need to peel them as they both have thin skin.
If you happen to have regular slicing cucumbers and would like to use those, just peel the skin, slice them in half, and scoop out the seeds so they don’t water down the salad. From there, you can chop them into chunks.
SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR CUCUMBER PEACH SALAD
This salad is incredibly versatile. You can make simple swaps for almost every ingredient. The idea is just to have fun with it!
Swap the basil in the vinaigrette out for mint, cilantro, or tarragon.
If you don’t have peaches, try nectarines or plums.
No cucumbers? Try leafy greens and whatever crunchy vegetables you have on hand, like fennel or even string beans.
For a spicy kick, swap the subtle black pepper for a few slices of jalapeño.
If you’d like to add cheese, try briny feta or creamy goat cheese.
CAN YOU MAKE CUCUMBER PEACH SALAD AHEAD OF TIME?
If you need to make this ahead, prepare the dressing and the cucumbers (but not the peaches), and store them separately. Wait to dress the salad until just before you’re ready to serve. This salad is best enjoyed immediately as, over time, the peaches will oxidize and turn brown and the cucumber will release water, diluting the flavorful dressing.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS SUMMER SALAD
The freshness and acidity of this salad pair well with just about any grilled meats: chicken, steak, even burgers! Simple grilled fish like trout or salmon or seafood are also complemented by this flavorful combination.
Really, this salad doesn’t need accompaniment and is also perfect as a stand-alone afternoon snack or light lunch.
MORE SUMMERTIME SALAD RECIPES!
Easy Cucumber, Peach, and Basil Salad Recipe
Blending this vinaigrette in a food processor allows all of the ingredients to disperse most evenly. While the dressing may be whisked by hand instead, the flavors will not be as pronounced.
Ingredients
1 (12-14-inch) English cucumber, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 fresh peaches, cut into 1-inch chunks
For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Zest of one lime
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
4 large fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Method
1 Prep the vegetables: Add the chopped peaches and cucumbers to a large bowl.
2 Make the vinaigrette: In the bowl or a mini food processor or blender, combine the oil, vinegar, lime zest and juice, honey, basil, salt and pepper. Pulse until the basil is finely chopped and the vinaigrette is completely emulsified.
3 Dress the produce: Pour the vinaigrette over the peach and cucumber mixture. Stir to coat evenly.
4 Serve: Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with torn basil leaves and serve immediately.
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Kalisa Marie Martin
Kalisa Marie Martin is a classically-trained chef with a background in food science and nutrition, based in the Philadelphia area. She shares her unique perspective on food with the world at Kalisa Marie Eats. Kalisa has also been gluten-free for over 15 years and loves the challenge of recreating whatever she might be craving.
More from Kalisa LEGGI TUTTO
Cutting boards are a home cook’s kitchen workhorse. Here are a few we like and recommend. Continue reading “Editors’ Picks: Cutting Boards” » LEGGI TUTTO
