You may have heard of the power of Engagement Chicken from Glamour Magazine – there are women who swear it convinced their boyfriend to become their fiance. In any case, it’s a great recipe for roast chicken that will serve you well for a relatively easy dinner that is classic and delicious (everyone should know how to roast a chicken, IMO).
While I believe in the good vibes of the Engagement Chicken, I think I may have another recipe that will charm a boyfriend into bending down onto one knee. I finally cracked the code on homemade pizza and it’s our favorite recipe at Casa Gaubert, and while I already got the guy (we’ve been married for 5 years), my husband’s reaction to my pizza is always so intense I’m quite sure it would have gotten him to put a ring on it. (And maybe the round shape of a pizza could have subconsciously reminded him of rings?)
The finished product. (We broke into it before I remembered to take the picture!)
Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought I’d share the recipe with – of course! – pictures. Don’t be scared away by the homemade dough – it’s super easy. Kneading dough is a piece of a cake, it just takes a few minutes – and after that it’s a matter of spreading the dough on a pan, which takes little effort as long as you let the refrigerated dough rest at room temp for 15 minutes.
ENGAGEMENT?? PIZZA
1. Make dough. This recipe is from the Joy of Cooking. Hubs and I experimented with several dough recipes and this is the easiest and tastiest.
– Combine 1 packet of yeast (equal to 2 1/4 teaspoons) with 1 1/3 C hot water (105 – 110 degrees). Let sit for 5 minutes till yeast is dissolved.
– With wooden spoon, mix in 3 1/2 – 3 3/4 C of bread flour (I sometimes use half whole-wheat flour), 1 T salt, and 2 T olive oil.
– Knead for about 8 minutes, adding more flour of dough is too sticky. Dough should be smooth and elastic when you’re done.
2. Let the dough rise in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 1.5 hours or so.
3. Divide the dough; refrigerate in plastic bags/wrap (LOTS of wrap – it’ll keep expanding in the fridge!) until ready to use.
4. When ready to cook, remove one half of the dough – save the other half to make another pizza within the next few days – and let rest on a greased pizza pan for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
5. Assemble ingredients: Trader Joes Organic Sauce in the can (THE BEST ONE. I tried homemade and the smooth sweetness of TJ’s is just better.), your toppings (I recommend prosciutto and sliced tomatoes, or all-natural ham with diced red pepper – sky’s the limit), Italian Four Cheese blend (shredded – TJ’s is great, but also, so is Target’s!), and Pasta Sprinkle, a great seasoning blend from Penzey’s Spices.
The magic ingredients: Pasta Sprinkle and TJ's Tomato Sauce.
6. Once dough is rested, spread to the edges of the pizza pan. Top with sauce and toppings – I like to do a little bit of the toppings under the cheese as well as right on top.
There is a science to proper sauce-to-topping ratio...
Ready to go!
7. Cook for approx 15 minutes (check to see crust is browned, and that cheese is starting to brown and bubble just so).
8. Let sit for 2 -3 minutes, slice up, serve with some salad, and enjoy. Will it lead to a ring? If not, it at least makes the wait that much more delicious!