Our basement project is officially finished and I'm excited to share some pictures with you. As I've said before - I deserve very little credit for this amazing space. I acted as the decorator but it was up to the rest of our amazing team of professionals to figure out how to make my vision a reality. And I think they did a fabulous job. I love a good before and after, so here goes. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the family Davis basement transformation!! The livingroom. The kitchen. The bathroom. The workout room. The "nook". We could not be happier with the transformation. Bring on the basement parties. 🥳 We actually ate our first meal in the basement this week. I cooked it in the basement oven, served it on the basement plates and then loaded them up in the basement dishwasher.🤣 I've got to say, I really appreciated having a second kitchen to cook in during this particularly busy week when my upstairs kitchen counters were occupied with Easter orders. 🍰🥧🍪 So what was our first basement meal, you ask? 😅 Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza of course.🍕 It was exactly as good as it looks. The thick crust and spicy sauce were crazy delicious - and not just because we enjoyed it while sitting at our new basement bar. 😂 Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Dough 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons water 1 Tablespoon yeast 3 cups flour 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt Sauce 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes 8 ounces tomato sauce 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon fennel 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon pepper 10 slices deli mozzarella cheese 6 ounces Italian sausage 1/4 teaspoon oregano 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Sprinkle each pizza with 1/8 t. oregano and 2 T. parmesan cheese. Bake pizzas 35 minutes at 400. Let pizzas sit for 5 minutes and then slice into wedges. Ciao!
0 Comments
Amy's baking biscotti again and you know what that means - I must be making a trip to visit the great biscotti lovers up North --- I also call them my parents.😂 They'll always be the biggest fans, encouragers and supporters of my biscotti baking adventures. They've enthusiastically taste tested all sorts of my crazy biscotti creations and remarkably, their passion for the crunchy treat is still unwavering. I'm a huge fan of traditional almond biscotti but something in my brain just cant accept the fact that there isn't a biscotti flavor out there that I might like even better. I'm also a recipe tweaker by nature and I have a bad habit of changing even my most favorite recipes. 🙄 Throw the fact that I'm a food blogger on top of all that and you better believe that I'm going to find new ways to reinvent the most delicious breakfast cookie ever made. Why is it that when I think about how I can improve on a recipe - my brain immediately goes to two things - chocolate and wine? 🤣🍷🍫 I've added chocolate to just about every type biscotti that I make. White, milk, dark; Belgian, Swiss and salted chocolate. Chocolate chips, nibs and cocoa infused biscotti. Chocolate drizzled over the freshly baked treats and biscotti dipped in melted chocolate. One could argue that I've thoroughly explored the chocolate biscotti options. 🤪 Wine didn't seem like a good option for biscotti so I decided to explore something else that I had in the back of my kitchen cabinet - spiced rum.😬 Not sure how long I've been saving this half bottle of Captain Morgans Rum but biscotti seemed like the perfect excuse to use it up - in the most delicious way. Spice rum soaked cherries turned out to be the most amazing upgrade to a traditional almond biscotti recipe!! 🍒😋 Cherry Rum Almond Biscotti 1 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup spiced rum 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 3 eggs, room temperature 1 tsp pure vanilla 1 tsp almond extract 1/2 cup slivered almonds
Ciao!
Tribe, dog pound, cavalier, sly man - all words that mean something entirely different to people who call Cleveland, Ohio home. #IYKYK 🤣 Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the great Lake Erie and some of the most frustrated sports fans in the country. 😅 As a Cleveland native, the city will always hold a special place in my heart. Cleveland is also home to the Westside market - the oldest operating indoor/outdoor market, dating back all the way to 1912. Inside the market, shoppers can browse 100s of different vendors offering meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, dairy, flowers, ready-to-eat foods, spices and nuts. It's more than a grocery store - its an experience. 😅 I remember going to the Westside market as a kid and I got to visit it again with my kids recently. Honestly, my memories of the market were really different from the market that I experienced last month. I'm not sure if that's because of the renovations that the market has undergone or because I was probably 10 years old, the last time I visited. 😂 It's hard not to get overwhelmed when I walk in an environment with so much culinary inspiration.🤣 There were meat vendors and fish vendors and cheese mongers. The bread stands, the homemade pasta vendor, the fruits and vegetables displays- all amazing. And of course, the plethora of drool worthy bakery stands were nearly impossible to pass by without buying at least one treat. 😋 My kids treated me to the yummiest Westside market meal for dinner. We collected some homemade pasta and sauce, some chicken and smoked gouda ravioli, fresh sugar snap peas, a giant slice of baklava and an amazing chocolate bomb for dessert. Browsing the rows of fresh vegetables at the market has inspired me to make some new vegetarian inspired meals this week. (Oh, and the fact that I really overindulged in meals, wine and sweets while I was traveling.😂) Mediterranean Zoodle Salad is one of my new favorites. It's easy to make and it's delicious. And if you don't have a spiralizer to make your own zoodles - you can buy them pre-sliced in the grocery store. Mediterranean Zoodle Salad 2 zucchini 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese 3 oz diced sun dried tomatoes 1 cup sliced black olives 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes (optional) 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts 2 Tablespoons fresh mint Dressing 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 1 teaspoon maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Use a spiralizer to "zoodle" the zucchini. Add the avocados, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, sun dried tomatoes and mint. Drizzle with dressing just before serving. Ciao!
|
Like my page on facebook.
Follow me on Instagram
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|