Better Home Cooking Basics: #22 For a Crispier Pizza Crust at Home Use Less Pizza Dough

I'm really into making homemade pizzas. The crispier the crust the better. I'm constantly learning as I go. Lately, I had an epiphany which seems rather obvious but in order to make the crispiest crust you need to make sure you stretch it thin but more importantly & a sure way to make it thin is to simply use less dough. It's that easy. Use less dough & stretch & roll it out the same size as you normally would & you're on your way to a crispier crust. I also recommend heating your pizza stone  (this is by far my favorite one!) or pizza pan in the oven before you place the dough on it. That way the bottom of the crust gets a head start when you put it on the hot surface - you'll probably even hear it sizzle.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

PS: happy 5th birthday this little beauty, my niece Gracie. I love you!

Better Home Cooking Basics: #21 Always us a Rubber Spatula to Stir Melting Chocolate

This tip comes from my chocolate gurus over at Chocoley. Whenever you're working with chocolate like I did for yesterday's post, never use a wooden spoon to stir the chocolate. (Gasp! Yes I know I used to do this too!) Wooden spoons retain smells (mmm yummy garlicky broccoli) & moisture which will ruin the chocolate. So for best results use a rubber spatula. I'm going to work this into my baking in general because as much as I love garlic - it doesn't pair well with chocolate (or does it?).

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #20 Eyeball Measurements for Cooking & Measure Exactly for Baking

When I post cooking recipes (think chicken or veggies) you can usually get by with eyeballing the measurements - adding more or less here & there. When I post baking recipes (think chocolate chip cookies & cakes) it's best to use the measurements given exactly. Baking is a more precise chemistry so break out your measure cups & spoons so that the final sweet product rises when it should & cooks evenly without burning on the outside while the inside is soupy & raw (eww!). If you don't like to measure - stick to cooking & find a good bakery in your neighborhood.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #2 Use a Garbage Bowl

I remember when I was in my mid-twenties one of my best friends (& also roommate at the time), Dawn, & I would come home after work & turn on Rachael Ray & watch her make 30 minute meals on the Food Network.  Then we would go into the kitchen & make the same pasta nearly every night regardless of what we just (thought) we learned in the half hour of Rachael Ray's cooking lesson.  The one thing I always remembered her talking about was a "garbage bowl." I remember smirking & thinking Rachael needs a garbage bowl - I don't. (WRONG young Heather - you do & did.)

Fast forward & I'm taking a cooking lesson with Chris & the instructor tells us to basically establish a garbage bowl - because my friends & fellow food loving cooks you always should.

I usually use a large mixing bowl for my garbage bowl but you could use a plastic grocery bag too or whatever you have on hand. You just put it on your counter right next to your cutting board & it's like the sous chef you've always wanted.

It really saves so much time & keeps your work space & you cleaner. By using a garbage bowl you don't have to open & close the trash & worry about cross contaminating your food (like when you don't know how to open the garbage when you have chicken juice on your hands without washing the garbage too).  If you are peeling veggies you can peel them right into the bowl. If you're cracking eggs, you can throw the shells in there too. It's just a great way to corral all that trash you'd be running back & forth to the garbage can with. Then when you're finished prepping or if the bowl gets full (whichever comes first) you simply toss all of it in the trash. This has honestly saved me hours on my life.  Try it, you may be surprised about your new free time you just gained.

Thanks for reading my better home cooking basics. I'll be posting them every Tuesday so come back for a visit or read more of them here.

Chicken Drumsticks & Potatoes Au Vin

Stews always taste & smell so good. Everything in them seems to be so deliciously mushy in the best way possible. This chicken dish isn't exactly a stew, it's a bit more delicate, but it reminds me of one. It's not super pretty either but it is tasty & will fill hungry bellies.

Click through for the full recipe & more photos.

Shoes for Dinner

photo from: http://shootandfly.tumblr.com/

There's a reason city gals use their ovens as extra closet space.  It's not because they can't cook. It's not because they don't cook.  It's because the effort it takes to get to the actual cooking is exhausting.

The past couple of weeks have been challenging.  Albeit we are blessed to have this roof over our head, heat, electricity & running water.  I've lived in Hoboken with Chris for a couple years.  Hoboken is a mere three miles from NYC but there are some differences like grocery shopping that makes you feel like you're in the suburbs, except it's not.

Being away from home (& my kitchen) makes me realize how when you live in NYC it's far easier to use your oven for accessories (no I never did this but I think I could get there) & head to the many eateries in New York or simply to order take-out. 

For all of those who have never lived in NYC or have never lived in an place without a car I'm going to explain why the fact that I cook almost every night (in Hoboken) is a phenomenon to my girlfriends who still live on the island (aka: Manhattan).  The day starts like this: you scamper off to work chugging down a coffee in transit; get through the work day which ends probably around 7pm (or later) & then head home, hungry.  On your subway commute home you think of what you want to eat for dinner.  You have condiments in your fridge (& maybe shoes in your oven).  You promised yourself you'd eat healthfully this week to make up for the hurricane partying you did last week with booze & take-out.  Hungry & tired you drag yourself to the grocery store down the street. You opt for the shopping basket, not the cart because you're going to be carrying this home (& they won't let you take the cart with you.) You mill around the fish & poultry section, kind of grossed out wondering how long those fillets have been there(??) & where did all the organic chicken go(???). The second lap around the store (basket still empty) you grab some "all natural" chicken sausage, a bag of spinach and a roll of cookie dough (obviously).  Twenty-five minutes later (if checkout actually went smoothly), you're back on the sidewalk trekking home carrying a purse way too big for any human plus your new found grocery items.  You make a creative dinner with the findings at the grocery store & what was left in the cabinets & before you know it, it's 8:30pm & it's time to make those cookies. 

The next day around 7pm, you're wondering what you should get at the grocery store & start the process all over, or you just order pizza or grab dinner out with friends.

The moral of this babble is: city living is tough. You can't really stock up at the grocery store because you have no car but what you can do is order groceries from fresh direct, ahh & then I remember that's how my sister does it ;) Or you can eat at some of the yummiest places on earth. Ok so it's not so bad ;)

What's for dinner tonight at your house?