Pizza Making Tips

 Hello my dears! How is everyone today? I am feeling some type of way. I just finished the latest Tokyo Ghoul episode maybe 10 minutes ago...oh the feels! The song at the end made it so much worse. Do any of you watch Tokyo Ghoul? I still need to catch up on Death Parade (I'm behind by two episodes...ooops!) and apparently that will give me some feels too. I'm MEGA behind on Cute High Earth Defense Club Love...I really need to fix that. Today is another cooking post!! Yaaay! :D I have had this one prepared for a while actually, just hanging out on my notes app on my tablet. I have so many posts pre-written (mostly unfinished) that I'm having such a hard time deciding which to post! I also try to keep a variety going, not consistently just posting the same thing. I have so many fashion related posts already written, but other topics not so much. I have been working on the cat lady post, but it's taking me forever to write. Okay, Heather stop rambling! On to the point of this post!

 Pizza is a wonderful thing. Just about everyone loves it and it's pretty simple to make. It's a great activity/meal to make with children. So if you have some of your own, babysit or you've gotten the task of keeping neices or nephews entertained, have them help you make pizza. It's fun and you can add whatever you want to it.

A pizza I made back in February

 I do admit, when I make pizza I don't make my own sauce and I normally don't make my own dough. My grocery store is awesome and sells pre-made pizza dough and sauce. You can easily buy pre made dough and sauce. I know Ragu makes a decent pizza sauce. If you can't find pre-made dough you can easily make it. There are pizza dough making kits available and you could also make your own from scratch.

Though I haven't used it in years, I have a simple recipe for calzones and the dough recipe should work for pizza as well. After all, a calzone is just a reverse pizza in a pocket. This is a recipe I used in cooking class in middle school, I saved all of my recipe hand outs from it. There were some good and simple recipes, I still use the soft pretzel recipe. If you would like a different recipe, Pinterest is a great resource. I find a lot of recipes there.

For the dough you will need:
1 package dry yeast
1 C warm water
1 1/2 Tsp sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
1 1/2 C Flour
2 Tbsp Oil

First in a large bowl you want to combine the package of yeast and water. It is VERY important that the water be warm, as it allows the yeast to grow. Add the oil and mix. Next add sugar and stir. Sugar is also very important, it acts in a way like food for the yeast and feeds it. It's important as well as the WARM water to help it rise.

Add the salt an flour gradually and stir until a ball forms. Always add flour gradually in a recipe unless otherwise stated. If you don't, you will end up with a hard to stir mess. Turn the ball of dough over onto a floured area and knead for 5 to 7 minutes.

Grease a ziplock bag and put the dough in it, refrigerate over night. The next day or whenever you make your pizza, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Now, onto some tips for making pizza.

You will want to use a pizza pan to make a pizza, but in a pinch a regular pan/cookie sheet works as well.
No matter if you made your dough or went pre-made always let it sit and come to room temp before attempting to spread it onto your pan. Cold dough is harder to stretch.

When I make pizza, to start stretching I like to hold it by one end in the air and stretch, sometimes wiggling it like you're airing out some sheets. It has always helped me get a good amount of the dough stretched and it stretches easier than if I were to stretch it on the pan.

I personally never grease my pan, it makes it harder for the pizza crust part of the dough to grip the sides of the pan.

After you add your sauce and before you add the cheese, sprinkle some Italian seasoning on top of the sauce. It makes the pizza more flavorful. You can also sprinkle some over the top of you cheese and toppings if you wish.

For stuffed crust, don't fold shredded cheese into the crust, use string cheese.

I normally use a 3 cup bag of mozzarella for pizza to make it extra cheesy.

Let it sit a few minutes before cutting to allow the sauce and cheese to settle.

Cut with a pizza cutter, not a knife.

And there you go, a yummy pizza! If anyone uses any of these tips/tries to make a pizza let me know! If you show me pictures I may even feature them in a future post. I hope that these tips help. I try to make my cooking posts super simple to follow so that those of you that are cooking challenged can easily make something. After all cooking is not hard, contrary to popular belief. If anyone ever has post suggestions or things they would like me to write about your suggestions and comments are always welcome! Hope you all have a lovely saturday <3

Xoxo
Moon prism power makeup!

Cheesecake Mousse recipe

Hello my dears! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. This whole daylight savings time thing is REALLY throwing me off. How about you? I am looking forward to Spring though, this winter has been hellish. 

I realized this weekend that I haven't posted a recipe in a while! I thought it was time to post a dessert recipe! This one is super easy and no baking is involved so those of you that are cooking challenged can easily make this. I originally found this on Pinterest though altered it a bit.

I made and served it at one of my Halloween parties, where I colored it to look like candy corn and garnished it with some. It was a huge hit. 

I wish I took better pictures of this, instead of these messy ones. 

To make this, you will need:

1 package of cream cheese
1 small tub of cool whip
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 Tsp vanilla
Food coloring

You'll want to start by beating the cream cheese in a bowl with a mixer until it is fully smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar while mixing. Then gradually add the milk while mixing. Add the vanilla. I always add extra vanilla to everything, so I normally end up pouring in the amount called for then adding an extra dash.

Beat the mixture on medium speed for an additional minute. Drop in the entire tub of cool whip to the mixture, fold it in to mix. Then stir until well combined. Stir in food coloring as desired. I love using red food coloring and making the mousse pink, it makes it so kawaii!

It's important to regrigerate this for at least a half hour before serving. And there you go! Super easy, fun and of course good dessert. 

If anyone tries this one, let me know! If you try one of these recipes and send me a picture, maybe I'll post it! Either way, hope you enjoy! I have a bunch more requested recipes to post and a few of my own that I want to post. So fear not! When I remember to, I will post more! I just try to keep a good variation of posts and not post too many of the same type too close together. 

Xoxo

Moon prism power makeup! 

Valentines day recipe - Chocolate raspberry muffins

I had an interesting adventure in recipe making last weekend. We needed to go grocery shopping very badly. When we don't have anything to snack on, I get very creative and make something based on ingredients we have in the house. I was DYING for muffins, but I only had frozen raspberries on hand (I normally make muffins with Blueberries). I'm not a fan of simple raspberry muffins so I thought, you know what goes great with raspberries? CHOCOLATE!!!

I scoured the internet for a good recipe and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. I then found a seemingly good recipe for chocolate muffins - but didn't have a bunch of the ingredients. Before I knew it, I had made so many alterations that the recipe became my own. Now I did some research on the subject, I try to give credit where it is due when posting recipes. Hell I would be pretty mad if someone posted one of my recipes somewhere without giving me any credit. In my research, many people said that the golden rule of recipe making is that if you make 3 or more alterations that new recipe completely belongs to you. I made at least 6, so this recipe I am sharing with you is my own. 

It is pretty damn hard to figure out proportions when baking or cooking without a recipe, especially when trying to make a smaller batch.  This recipe may seem to have pretty batshit crazy measurements but it's a smaller batch. I had to alter it to fit the amount of chocolate I already had in my kitchen. I was able to get 7 muffins from it.

I may need to do a little more trial and error here, my mom suggested adding more sugar but to me these muffins are really good. When I tried one fresh from the oven with the chocolate pieces in it - it was like a lava cake. So good!! In my opinion, they taste best fresh baked.

This would be a fantastic recipe to surprise your sweetheart with for valentines day breakfast or even as a dessert. If I do say so myself, a man that bakes especially for his woman is pretty sexy. It is also the perfect batch size, because who is going to eat a full 12-14 muffins unless at a party or something.

You will need:

1/2 C milk + 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice. Stir and let stand 5 min.
1/4 C melted butter (4 Tbsp/ a half stick)
1/2 of an egg
1/2 C + 3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp vanilla
Half of 1/2 Tsp salt
2 Oz bakers chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 C to 1 C raspberries

Optional: Confectioner's (aka powdered) sugar


See? It sounds crazy, but don't worry. It isn't all that hard, just follow the recipe. I know some of it is confusing, so here are some helpful hints:

Why mix milk and lemon juice? It's a well known substitution for buttermilk. For every 1 cup of milk, add a Tbsp of lemon juice, stir and let stand (meaning leave it alone) for 5 minutes.  I always have the two ingredients on hand and it is rather difficult to find buttermilk in my grocerystore.

Half of an egg? Easier than it sounds. Take an egg and whisk it with a fork well until it's totally mixed. Then just measure and take away half.

I always add extra vanilla to anything that requires it. So if you don't like the extra, only use a 1/2 Tsp

To actually make this recipe, it's very simple!! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take the milk + lemon juice mixture, the melted butter and the egg, stir with a spoon until well combined. Next, stir in the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well combined and moistened make sure to scrape those edges!!

Add in the chopped up pieces of baker's chocolate, toss/stir well until it is throughout the mixture. Do the same with the raspberries. The amount of raspberries you want in the mixture all depends on your preference. I only had about a half cup of them on hand, so that's what I used. I would have added a bit more if able.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. I baked mine for 25 minutes, checking at 5 minute intervals. Baking time all depends on your oven. The whole "stick a toothpick" ( you stick a toothpick into the center of any sort of cake/muffin to test if it's cooked all the way. If the toothpick is clean, they're done. If not - back to the oven they go.) in method to see if it is done doesn't really work well due to the melted chocolate pieces. My batch looked done at 25 minutes, but I cut one in half to be completely sure. 

Optional, once cooled a bit sprinkle powdered sugar on top. I did so as an after thought.

I hope at least some of you enjoy this recipe! If you try it, let me know!! I was really proud of myself and excited to share this with you all. I was going to share this later, but I figured if anyone wanted to make this for Valentines day, that I should give them more time to prepare. If you do make it for Valentines day, let me know if your significant other enjoys it. I hope you all have a lovely Valentines day. If you're single like me, just find something fun to do to pass the time. I plan to watch the goriest horror movies I can find and I'm making myself some red velvet cake for the occasion. Treat yourself! Valentines day can be about self love too.

Also, last chance to vote in the poll! I decided to let it go until tomorrow or monday. The winning topic will be posted monday or tuesday!

Xoxo
Moon prism power makeup 

My bacon mac and cheese recipe!

Hi everyone! Wow I've been posting a lot! I just have so many posts planned and I have so many drafts of them on my phone. I swear every time I post something, I get 5 more ideas. Yay for being creative and productive! This new blog really has endless possibilities, unlike my old one. Today I am going to be posting this along with another quick post later on so that I can get to more reader requests. I don't really aim to consistently post so much, I just have the time right now to write a lot. I do try to keep the variety up instead of just consistently posting about one area of interest.  I usually can't wait to share something new with you all

 As requested by a reader, here is another of my recipes. I do have more to post so don't worry! This recipe is based on one from my dad's favorite cook book, The Fanny Farmer cookbook (I would love to show you all the book, but it's packed away in storage somewhere ;___;). It is this pretty old country style cook book that he loved very much. Any time he needed a quick recipe for something, he would refer to that book.  I took this recipe and changed it to make it my own. 

A good mac and cheese recipe is always a recipe I recommend having. It isn't too difficult to make and it is fantastic for company. You can have it alone or as a side. I have a few different recipes for mac and cheese, but this by far is my favorite. I have had friends practically beg me for this recipe, but none of them have tried it with the latest addition: bacon.

You will need all of the following:

• 1 package of bacon

• 1 package of macaroni (I love to use Ronzoni brand small shells. They really grip the cheese.)

• 4 Tablespoons of butter (For the cooking challenged tbsp is shorthand for tablespoons) 

• 4 Tbsp of flour

• 1C milk (C is shorthand for cup) 

• 1C cream (I tend to use half and half since we always have it in the house, comes out just as well)

• 1/2 Tsp salt (Tsp = shorthand for teaspoon) 

• Pepper to taste (meaning you add the amount of pepper that you would prefer.)

• 2 C of shredded cheddar cheese (I like to use a 16 oz block of cheese and shred it myself so that it is fresh. Also blocks of cheese tend to be cheaper than already shredded bags. I also tend to go for the white, sharp cheddar)

• 1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs (I usually take about a Tbsp to Tbsp and a half of butter, melt it and dump in some breadcrumbs until it is the way I want it. I LOVE my breadcrumbs on my mac and cheese. I like a lot)

The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Boil water in a pot and cook your macaroni. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

As your macaroni cooks, take your package of thawed (meaning not frozen), not yet cooked bacon and cut it. One of my aunts taught me a trick on cutting bacon. Take it from the package and then with a good pair of scissors, cut upward not lengthwise. You want it to be cut into small pieces, this helps not only achieve the small pieces but it's a great time saver. After you cut the bacon, put it into a frying pan and cook on low heat until done. Always cook bacon on low heat, it burns VERY easily.  Keep tongs handy to flip. You don't want it too crunchy or overdone. There are also ways to cook bacon in the oven and microwave.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Then add the flour mixed with salt and pepper. Using a whisk, stir until well blended. You just made what is referred to as a roux! A roux is basically a thickening agent used in cooking, which consists of flour and butter. It is mainly used for soups and sauces.

Pour in milk and cream (or half and half) to your mixture gradually (meaning a little at a time) while also constantly stirring for 10 minutes. You don't want it to settle or burn at this point. Next you will add the shredded cheddar little by little and simmer (meaning cook on very low heat, uncovered) for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Once that cheese is melted, turn off the flame and combine the macaroni with the cheese in the saucepan and toss until well combined. You also would add your cooked bacon to the mixture at this point.

Transfer the macaroni and bacon to a buttered (I usually just spray it with Pam cooking spray) baking dish. Melt some butter and combine with breadcrumbs, as stated in the ingredients section. Sprinkle your buttered breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

And there you have it! A really good, home made mac and cheese recipe...with bacon!! You can also emit the bacon and just use this recipe for mac and cheese. It is a fantastic recipe, my mom and I make it all the time and we make it a lot for when we have company. People just love it.

If any of you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out!! Tweet me a picture (@lipstickxzombie) or even post it on instagram and use the hashtag #KawaiiZombieBlog. I would LOVE to see how it turns out! ^__^. I hope the readers that have requested more recipes enjoyed this one I have many more to post eventually. What would you like to see next? Another dinner recipe or an easy dessert? Comment below and let me know!

I like giving my readers a say in the content that I post, so which would you like to see as my next fashion post? I will write the options below the poll for those reading from mobile who can't see it. If you can't see the poll just comment and let me know which option.


OPTIONS: What's in my purse, favorite necklaces, what is my personal style like?, my favorite skincare products and Korean cosmetics.


Xoxo
Moon prism power makeup!

P.S as requested by a reader, my top 5 anime men is in the process of being written and will hopefully be up soon. I'm having difficulty deciding who #5 will be! That will be a fun and spazzy post. 

Cooking tips and easy Italian Chicken recipe

Hi my lovelies! Wow it seems like I've been posting almost every day, I know I'm writing constantly! This is not intentional I'm just posting as I have posts written. I am truly passionate about writing again and I have the time to do it so I'm just letting the inspiration take me.

I hope everyone is preparing for the blizzard heading towards the East coast today/tomorrow. Sadly, I am in the direct  line of it and will get the heaviest brunt of snow (15 to 30 inches of snow...how fun >.< ). Stupid New England winters ;___; . I should be preparing, charging my electronics and gathering supplies in case we lose power but instead I'm spending way too much time dancing in my computer chair to Heart. Any Heart fans? Ann Wilson is fabulous. I'm really hoping I don't lose power! Anyway, if you will be getting this store please stay warm and safe! Don't do anything stupid, stay inside!! 

 One of my friends requested that I share some of my recipes on here and talk about cooking. I have no shame in admitting that I'm a very good cook. I have a recipe box of my collection of recipes, some from relatives, friends, and the internet. Some I have tweaked to make my own. 

Sadly, cooking is a lost art. Many people choose prepared foods or just order take out all the time. You will find that by making your own food, it is SO much cheaper! You will also have the satisfaction of having a useful skill. To those of you that may be kitchen challenged, cooking is actually very easy! The key is to follow the directions to a recipe precisely and to watch what you are cooking. One major problem people have is not paying close attention when they cook and having the heat too high. That is how things burn, my friends.

Unless instructed to do otherwise, when cooking on a stove top, keep the heat at medium low and watch it until it looks done or the recipe says it is. If you are cooking via oven, check your meal often to ensure it doesn't burn and cooks all the way through.

The first recipe I want to share with you all is one of my favorite dinner recipes and it is super easy! I'm sure those of you who think they can't cook can make this. This is an Italian chicken recipe that one of my best friends shared with me over the summer. I added a bit of my twist to it. What's great about this recipe is you don't need any precise measurements and you don't need a lot of ingredients. Plus it goes great with just about anything! 

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 lb package of bonless chicken breast

• Italian salad dressing (I normally use robust or zesty)

• Italian bread crumbs

• Ziplock bag

• Foil

• Cooking oil

• Optional: you may want some sort of rubber gloves. You will see why.

The night before you want to make this, defrost the chicken and take it out of the package. I normally will take whatever cut of chicken we have - tenders, cutlets, big cuts and chop it into small pieces about 1 inch or smaller. I find that it cooks better in the smaller form, but you could probably use any cut you want.

Take your cut up (or not cut up) chicken and put it into a ziplock bag, pour italian dressing into the bag and ensure the chicken is totally covered. Seal the bag, give it a little shake and store in the fridge over night. You will every once in a while take it out and shake it up.

When you go to cook the chicken, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get the bag of chicken out of the fridge, one by one take them out of the bag and coat in the bread crumbs. This is where you will want rubber gloves, putting your hands into the bag will get the dressing all over your hands - it can be really messy. Not to mention it may make your hands smell a little afterwards.

For those of you that don't know how to bread chicken, you normally would use eggs as a binding agent but you don't need it for this recipe. Just pour some breadcrumbs into a bowl, put your chicken pieces one by onw into the bowl and toss/roll around in the breadcrumbs until totally coated. 

This is a tip from yours truly: any time you bread chicken no matter what recipe, transfer the breaded chicken to a plate and press down onto it, pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken more and regrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. I have found that this helps the coating stay on better. Nothing sucks more than spending all of that time breading only for it to fall off. 

So you have your chicken breaded and ready to go. Pour a little oil into a pan on medium heat. If you use too much oil, the chicken will get greasy. I normally use high heat, but I wouldn't reccomend that unless you are an experienced cook. Wait until the oil in the pan is heated up and lightly brown the chicken. Browning the chicken is simply cooking the chicken enough to give the coating a nice brown color. You will want to keep flipping the chicken very carefully to make sure it is completely browned. I like to use tongs to avoid splashing oil when I turn them over and you can flip more gently with tongs. You want to be gentle to avoid ripping off the coating.

For those of you who have no idea how to tell if your oil is heated, here is a simple trick my dad taught me. Get a drop of water. Seriously, just one drop and flick it into the oil in your pan. When the water in the oil begins to sizzle, your oil is heated and ready.

After you brown the chicken, transfer it to a foil lined baking sheet and then bake for 7-10 minutes. I usually let it bake for 8 minutes but baking time depends on your oven and the size of the chicken you used.

After the 7-10 minutes are up, take your pan out of the oven and your chicken should be done! If you aren't sure if it is cooked all the way or not, cut a piece in half. If there is any pink, you need to cook is longer. 

 Serve with whatever you please, I normally pair this recipe with cheesy rice or mac and cheese. 

I tried to explain the recipe as simply and as detailed as possible for the cooking challenged. If you try this recipe let me know what you think! You can comment anonymously and without an account. I hope you all enjoyed this post! Good luck and happy cooking!

If you would like to see more recipes, tweet me (@lipstickxzombie) or comment below with which of the following you would like me to explain how to make. You can also email me now at KawaiiZombieblog@gmail.com.

The options:

• Cheesecake mousse

• Coconut chicken

• Teriyaki chicken with home made marinade (happens to be a copycat from Red Robin's chicken teriyaki and pineapple burger)

• Chocolate truffles

Xoxo
Moon prism power makeup!

P.S Stay safe in the blizzard everyone!!!