The Long Summer Caprese Bites

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil Bites with Balsalmic Vinegar

The Long Summer is finally drawing to a close, and that means that winter is coming. Hear at Cook's Landing, the long lunch seems to be winding up as well. And we all know what that means, dinner is coming. We're about to enter fall, or what we like to call "that awkward phase before dinner when you fill up on appetizers". 

So today we bring you Caprese Bites - the perfect, light appetizer for your pre-dinner treat.

You'll need:

Fresh basil leaves

Cherry tomatoes

Mozzarella cheese

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Toothpicks

Step 1: Cut the cheese into cubes. Put one cherry tomato, half a basil leaf, and one cube of cheese on each toothpick. I like to heat mine up in the oven so the cheese is warm. If you like it warm, preheat the oven to broil and place your bites on a pan. Let them sit in the oven for no longer than 1 minute so the cheese isn't too melted. 

Step 2: Sprinkle salt and pepper over your bites and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on top. I like to keep extra vinegar in a bowl with salt and pepper in it to dip the bites in.

And that's the whole process. An easy and delicious appetizer that anyone can make. Enjoy!

Beyond the Wall Pizza

Cheese and Tomato Pizza with No Yeast Pizza Dough

We started our Beyond the Wall series with our fast and delicious 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. Now we'd like to bring you a main course that's quick, easy, and will leave your mouth watering for more.

Here at Cook's Landing we love pizza. Over the years we've perfected that love into a recipe with piles of tomatoes and four kinds of cheese. Of course our impatience to eat the pizza means we don't like waiting for yeast to rise. So instead we use this simple no yeast recipe.

No Yeast Pizza Dough...

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
Makes 2 pizza bases

Ingredients:

2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 c milk
1/4 olive oil
2 Tbsp olive oil - to brush on dough

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together ingredients (except 2 Tbsp of olive oil) in a large bowl. In the bowl, gather the dough together and press it into a large ball.

Step 2: Knead dough in the bowl until smooth. Split ball in two and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each half into a roughly 13 inch circle. Place on pizza pan. Turn up the edge and pinch into 1/2 inch ridges to finish your crust. Brush the 2 Tbsp olive over the surface of the dough.

How to decorate the pizza...

You'll need:

Pizza sauce
1 can of dice tomatoes
Italian Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Crumbled feta cheese
2 roma tomatoes
Romano cheese
Provolone cheese
Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the surface of the dough. With a spoon, scoop out diced tomatoes from the can and cover the surface of the pizza dough, placing a tomato chunk on every 1/2 inch of the dough.

Step 2: Lightly sprinkle Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder over the surface of the pizza. Sprinkle feta cheese crumbles over the entire pizza.

Step 3: Slice roma tomato into thin slices and place evenly over the surface of the pizza. Grate the remaining three cheeses and sprinkle over the pizza until the roma tomatoes are only slightly visible beneath. Don't put too much cheese - unless you're a huge cheese fan, and then have fun!

Step 4: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pizza looks done (slightly brown on top).

And that's it! A pizza with so much flavor, it'll melt in your mouth. This cheesy tomato pizza will leave you wishing you'd made more.