Wednesday, May 30, 2018

2-Ingredient Dough Recipes



Have you all seen that 2-ingredient dough recipe circulating online? The recipe combines equal parts nonfat Greek yogurt and self-rising flour to make a healthier dough alternative that can be used for a wide variety of recipes like pizza, cinnamon rolls, bagels, etc.

If you watch any video online, the recipe looks super easy—it mixes well and rolls out perfectly. But that’s not really the case.

The dough is extremely sticky, and there’s a very good chance it will stick to your table, rolling pin, hands etc. So I discovered through trial and error (and trial and error, etc.) the best ways of not getting the dough to stuck to everything.

Firstly, this is the method everyone I’ve seen use online: flour your tabletop!

When I tried it, I sprinkled a little bit of flour on my table before attempting to roll it out. Let me tell you, friends, this did not work. Why? Because you need a LOT of flour in order for it to not stick. Cover the table in flour before plopping your dough on top, and then over the top of your dough in flour before even trying to roll it out.

I don’t really like adding flour to a table before rollin out dough as it is, and this method requires a LOT of flour. So I’m not the biggest fan of this method. But I’m sure you’ll see it when looking at other recipes because this is what everyone else seems to do.

Secondly, you could roll out between two pieces of wax paper and freeze the dough.

This is the method I use when making sugar cookie dough, so naturally I tried it with this dough. I don’t, however, freeze my cookie dough, and that step is necessary with this dough. And I’m talking about a deep freeze for like an hour minimum at least. The dough needs to be solid so that it will peel away from the wax paper without issues. Don’t worry, it will return to room temperature in just a few minutes! I like this method, but keep in mind you really need to plan ahead because that dough needs to be as hard as a rock when it comes out of the freezer.

Thirdly: use a silicone mat and a little bit of flour to roll out the dough.

So plop your dough onto the silicone mat and sprinkle a little bot of flour on top—just enough so your rolling pin doesn’t stick when you’re rolling it out. And then when you bake it, the finished product should peel right off the silicone mat.                       

In case you’re curious, the dough tastes a little bit sour due to the plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and the results definitely taste like “diet” versions of the originals. But they’re not bad!

Also, I should mention that if you don’t haver self-rising flour, you can make your own by combining 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.



2-Ingredient Dough Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup pizza or tomato sauce
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces (you can substitute shredded mozzarella)
  • 6 basil leaves, plus more for sprinkling if desired
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Combine flour and yogurt in bowl until thick dough forms.
  3. Knead dough with your hands for a few minutes before forming the dough into a ball.
  4. Transfer dough onto a silicone backing mat and sprinkle a little flour on top before using a rollin pin to roll out the dough to desired size, about 10 inches in diameter.
  5. Spread pizza sauce over the dough and top with mozzarella cheese.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until dough starts to turn golden brown.
  7. Remove from oven, top with basil leaves, and serve

2-Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Splenda or another sugar substitute
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Combine flour and yogurt in bowl until thick dough forms.
  3. Knead dough with your hands for a few minutes before forming the dough into a ball.
  4. Flour table surface and top of dough before rolling out into 1/2-inch thick rectangle
  5. Sprinkle cinnamon and Splenda on top and roll dough up into a log
  6. Cut log of dough 8 times and place each roll into into an 8-inch cake pan or square pan
  7. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dough starts to turn golden brown.
  8. Remove from oven and serve plain or with glaze if desired.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Strawberry Salsa




You all will not believe the birden (yes, I spelled it that way for a reason) I faced while trying to make this strawberry salsa.

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend William installed an herb garden on my patio, and it has been a dream. I don’t know how I lived without it. It’s been so much easier to incorporate herbs in my cooking.

I was very excited to use my homegrown cilantro for this strawberry salsa, however, was greeted with an unpleasant surprise when I stepped onto my patio: aggressive birds.

The sweet blue birds I thought were visiting me à la Cinderella were actually protecting a nest they so conveniently built in the corner of my porch. So when I stepped outside, the birds all started diving at me. It was truly terrifying. And the worst part is they don’t seem to be the least bit afraid of humans. When I yell at them to move, they just look at me. In fact, I would go as far to say they taunt me! I thought playing hawk sounds on my phone would help, but it did not.

So I put in a request with maintenance to have the nest removed. Unfortunately, it only made the problem worse. Now the aggressive birds are real life angry birds. And now there are about 8 of them that continue to swoop at my sliding door and look inside, like they’re devising a plan to enter and attack me. Also, I think they’re starting to build a new nest above my patio door. So that’s wonderful.

But I have GREAT news. If you don’t have to dodge angry birds trying to take your head off, this recipe is extremely easy with just a handful of ingredients. And guess what — if you don’t like one of the ingredients, just omit it!


Strawberry Salsa
Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound strawberries, diced
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced (for more heat, leave in seeds)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice (about the equivalent of juice from one lime)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and serve! Would be great with tortilla chips or served or chicken and fish. I like to serve with blue corn tortilla chips because I think it looks patriotic.
  2. This is best the day it’s made otherwise the strawberries start to get mushy.



Wednesday, May 23, 2018

7-Layer Buffalo Chicken Dip



This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Memorial Day is traditionally the kickoff to summer. Everyone loves to break out their grills and host cookouts. But not everyone can be the grill master. Someone needs to get the party started with appetizers!

My mom used to make a dip called “7 layer dip.” It seems to be very popular, and there are a lot of variations of it online. Three years ago, I saw one variation of it from Serious Eats incorporating buffalo chicken, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. Why on earth didn’t I make it sooner?! So I finally tried it out, and it couldn’t be easier or tastier. I also love how unique it is. I bet if you show up to a party with it, no one will have had it before. Uniqueness plays a huge part when I’m trying to decide what to make for a party.

I always make sure to use Challenge cream cheese in my dips because it’s made form incredibly fresh 100% cream and there are no additives.

7-Layer Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
  • 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
  • 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
  • 2 (8-ounce) blocks Challenge cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing (you can use all ranch if you don't have blue cheese)
  • 2 cups chicken, shredded
  • 2/3 cups buffalo sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 2/3 cups grilled or roasted corn kernels
  • 5 strips bacon, crumbled
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • Tortilla chips or celery sticks for serving
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray. I used an 8x8 glass casserole dish so you can see the layers.
  2. Stir together the refried beans and wing sauce. Spread it in the baking dish as the first layer.
  3. Mix together the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and blue cheese dressing. Gently spread it on top of the refried beans.
  4. Mix together the chicken, buffalo sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Spread it on top of the cream cheese layer. 
  5. Bake for 15 minutes minutes.
  6. Top it with blue cheese crumbles immediately when it comes out of oven.
  7. Layer corn, bacon, and green onions on top.
  8. Serve with tortilla chips or celery sticks.
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats



Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle


This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

You know those people who look forward to going on long runs for "fun" or "to clear their minds"? I'm not one of those people.

I've never considered myself a runner, and honestly, I don't like it all that much. But last year, I started going to Orange Theory. Have you all heard of it? It's a workout class that combines a variety of exercises and puts an emphasis on getting your heart rate up in order to burn more calories.

A portion of the class is spent on the treadmill. The treadmill circuits combine sprinting and uphill intervals. It's helped me get stronger and faster. So much so that I got this crazy idea to run a half marathon.

Everyone talks about how much fun the Indy Mini is, so I decided to sign up one week before the race. Now mind you, I've never even run a 5K, and I somehow thought this was a good idea.

Good news: I survived, injury-free! But I was very very sore. I also had problems binge-eating afterwards. Does anyone else seem to have the problem? I''m usually able to resist sweets (believe it or not), but I've had a really hard time lately. And it has taken all of my strength to resist this chocolate chip cookie brittle that I made for National Chocolate Chip Day.

What I love about this brittle is you don't have to take the time to roll out the cookies. Just microwave, mix, and flatten on a baking sheet.

I used Challenge salted butter in these cookies because I think the salt cuts into the sweetness. I only bake with Challenge because they use real cream, and there are no hormones, additives, or fillers.

One last thing I want to point out: Make sure you rotate the pan frequently while it's baking! The brittle is very thin, so it's more prone to burning!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup Challenge salted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup pecans
Directions
  1. Melt butter and brown sugar in microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute, or until butter is completely melted
  2. Add vanilla and salt and stir to combine. Whisk in flour.
  3. Press dough onto baking sheet. Try to press out the dough so it covers the entire surface of the baking sheet. 
  4. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans on top.
  5. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until brittle is golden brown. Rotate brittle every 6 minutes while it's baking to prevent it from burning.
  6. Let brittle cool and chocolate chips harden.
  7. Once brittle is completely cool, break into small pieces.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Kentucky Bourbon Chex Mix


This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

It's official: I have confirmed that I am indeed a crazy person. On Sunday, I signed up to run my first half marathon, the Indy 500 Mini Marathon. But here's the thing, the race is this Saturday! So clearly, I didn't train for it, other than my daily Orange Theory class. Oh yeah, and you know how I said this is my first half marathon? Well, what I really meant to say was this is my first race of any kind ever. Like I've never even done a 5K before. And by the way, all of this is in the midst of me preparing for a presentation and a final exam for my last required anatomy and physiology class.

So like I said, I am indeed a crazy person! Although, I probably didn't need to convince you.

Speaking of races, the Kentucky Derby is also this Saturday. I'm clearly not going but I wanted to make a Kentucky Derby-themed recipe. But I also wanted the recipe to be appealing to those who aren't interested in the Derby.

Let me introduce you to this Kentucky Bourbon Chex Mix! Party mixes are always a win in my book, and this one is particularly addicting. The flavors are unique, but they all work very well together. And can I just mention for a second that this is so incredible easy to make. Skills required include microwaving and mixing. That's pretty much it!

Kentucky Bourbon Chex Mix
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Corn Chex
  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  • 2 cups Wheat Chex
  • 1 cup pretzels
  • 1 cup bagel chips
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup bacon bits or cooked, crumbled bacon
  • 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3-4 Tablespoons bourbon, depending on taste preference
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and prepare 2 baking sheets by either spraying it with nonstick spray or by lining it with parchment paper
  2. Mix together Chex cereals, pretzels, bagel chips, pecans, and bacon bits.
  3. Combine butter, brown sugar, and honey in microwave safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds, or until mixture is completely melted.
  4. Wait 2 minutes for it to slightly cool, and add bourbon and chipotle seasoning.
  5. Pour sauce over dry ingredients and stir to combine
  6. Distribute mixture evenly between 2 baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.



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