I have lots of tips for homemade pizza! Joshua and I both love pizza, and have done a lot of experimenting with homemade pizza in the 7 years we've been married.

My mom makes pizza, and her recipe has a pre-baked crust to avoid the burned-top, raw-crust dilemma. ;) My mom's pizza is yummy, and growing up I tasted restaurant-pizza only a few times, so I couldn't quite understand why Joshua insisted that we needed to master the "bake the dough and toppings all together, one time" trick! :)

But, experiment we did... and now I make what we consider to be excellent homemade pizza... rivaling anything we've tasted anywhere else!

Here is the recipe I use: Tammy's Easy Pizza. (See the recipe for additional notes and tips!)

A few quick tips:

• Homemade pizza dough is easy to make; it's okay if it's a little sticky. I butter the pan (and my clean hands!) and press the soft sticky dough into the pan.

• Resist the temptation to overload the pizza with toppings, especially if you're putting quite a few different things on top! A cup of sauce is plenty to cover a 16-inch round pizza without making it too wet. Vegetables like peppers, onions, and tomatoes have a tendency to become watery as they bake, so unless you don't mind pools of water on top, use them more sparingly.

• If I'm using a heavier pizza pan (like stainless steel), I bake it on the bottom oven rack, so the crust gets sufficiently browned. Baking a heavy pan of pizza on the top rack can result in browned toppings and under-cooked dough.

• If I'm using a thin pizza pan, I bake the pizza on the top oven rack, so the crust doesn't get too dark on the bottom. Darker pans (a pan with a non-stick coating vs. a stainless steel pan) will make a darker crust. (Read more about pizza pans here.)

• Leaving hot pizza to cool on the pan can cause condensation to form between the crust and the pan. To avoid this, we often put slices of pizza on a wire rack to cool before refrigerating the leftovers.

• To warm leftover pizza, I place pizza slices on a cookie sheet in the oven. I turn the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. YUM! :) And a quick, warm winter lunch. :)

I did a price breakdown of my homemade pizza recipe here... concluding that my 16-inch turkey pepperoni extra-cheese pizza costs just $3.25 in ingredients!

I've also shared my tips for making homemade pizza to serve to guests. I especially like serving pizza to families with children, since it's always a hit! :)

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Betsy asked:

Seeing your grain mill reminds me of a question I have been meaning to ask. Have you ground anything besides wheat in your mill? I am newly gluten free and so I have to use different flours such as rice, corn, bean and sorgum. They are so expensive so I have debated on buying that same grain mill. You do still like yours, correct?

Yes! We purchased the WonderMill grain mill and have been completely satisfied with it. :)

I have ground several things aside from wheat:

I have made brown rice flour, oat flour (using oat groats), corn flour (using "field corn" -- the affordable big dry kernels -- rather than popcorn which is more expensive), and rye flour. I think that may be all I've ground thus far, but everything went through just fine.

The corn flour is finer than corn meal, though I have substituted it in some recipes with success -- and I'd much rather use my fresh corn flour than to purchase corn meal at the grocery store! :)

Those of you who own grain mills, what kind of mill do you have? What are your favorite grains to grind?

By far, my top grains are hard white wheat (makes "bread flour" for our wheat bread) and soft white wheat (makes "pastry flour" for quick breads)!

I'm so glad Quinn requested a kitchen tip for this week. :)

We love and I mean LOVE your cheesecake recipes! However I have never once been able to get it so that there is no water between the foil and the bottom of the pan by the time it's done baking. Obviously, this makes for a soggy crust.

The last one I made I used extra wide heavy duty foil and had it curled up over the edges. There wasn't one crack or hole and it still leaked. I've tried layers, I've tried removing it from the water bath and wasn't as happy with the results with the actual cheesecake part.

So I'm desperately hoping that you have a trick up your sleeve.

We love water bath cheesecakes, but we've had the soggy crust outcome as well. We've found that it works best to use at least 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Actually, we usually use 3 just for peace of mind!

Joshua has found that it's helpful to lay the 2-3 layers of foil down flat on the table and then set the springform pan in the middle. Then carefully pull the sides up to cover the pan. Basically you want to wrap all 3 layers at the same time, for maximum smoothness.

Another thing Joshua does is use a small piece of a cereal box or other thin cardboard and place that between the springform pan's metal latch and the foil. This prevents the latch from puncturing the foil.

Hopefully these things will work to stop any leaks while your cheesecake is baking! (And if anyone else has tips to add along these lines, leave us a comment!) :)

More cheesecake tips:

The best way to cut a cheesecake

Removing a cheesecake from the pan to a serving platter

And because I love cheesecake... here are a few of our favorites! :)

Double Chocolate Italian Cheesecake -- my #1 favorite!

Orange Vanilla Dream Cheesecake -- Joshua's #1 favorite!

Basic cheesecake -- as easy as it gets!

Pumpkin Cheesecake -- add whipped cream and I love this! :)

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl cheesecake -- I wish I had a better picture because this one is delicious!!

Created by Joshua for me on our 5th wedding anniversary -- Chocolate Caramel Almond Cheesecake. As a chocolate lover, this is heavenly! :)

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9.

Grilled Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

This week's kitchen tip is for thin-sliced meats.

For a hot sandwich, fajitas, or a stir fry, it's best to use meat that's sliced really thin, making it tender, quick to prepare, and easy to blend with the other ingredients.

But if you've ever tried to thinly slice an uncooked roast or a chicken breast, you'll know how difficult it can be! The meat just doesn't want to lay there and be sliced thin. ;)

However, it's much easier to get paper-thin slices when the meat is partially frozen! You can even toss partially-frozen sliced meat into your pan when stir-frying. Since it's so thin, it'll still cook quickly.

Spicy Grilled Steak Stir Fry recipe

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I know of a couple great ways for thickening soups, sauces, etc.

One method is to make a roux, which is melted fat (butter) stirred with flour and then added to a sauce/soup. This is easy and makes a delicious start for a soup or sauce, especially when onions, garlic, or celery is added as the butter sizzles! Yum!

Another method is to whisk (or shake in a sealed cup) flour and cold milk or water together until there are no lumps, and then pour that mixture into a hot soup or sauce and bring to a boil, stirring until thick.

However, neither of these methods are extremely convenient for when you have a soup or sauce that is basically finished, but you want to thicken it just a little more. Here are a couple ways to thicken soup last-minute without lumps:

Sprinkle in some instant potato flakes and stir.

Use a sifter to gently disperse a few sprinkles of flour over the hot soup, and stir or whisk rapidly to incorporate. Using a sifter (or fine mesh strainer) helps prevent lumps by spreading the flour very finely.

Anyone else have last-minute thickening tips?? :)

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Paprika seems to be a more pricey spice, even at bulk food stores (where I get the majority of my spices and dried herbs).

However, I've been able to find paprika much more affordably at stores like Dollar General or Big Lots. Sounds odd, but the paprika tastes fresh and was less than half the price of the bulk foods stores I had checked recently, so it works for us! :)

The delicious chili we had for dinner tonight!

Do you have any tips for affordable herbs and spices? I'd love to hear! :)

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It's that time of year again... when fruit flies just love to congregate in our kitchen. They love it when I buy bananas, or leave out a few dirty dishes overnight. We can't stand gnats (who really likes, them, anyway?!), so here's our quick, cheap, and effective recipe for exterminating them!

1. In a small bowl, combine about 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and about 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid.* Mix very gently to avoid creating lots of bubbles.

2. Set bowl in gnat-prone area, and watch them die!!

In fact, just a couple hours ago, I made one of these traps because I noticed a few gnats in the kitchen. About ten minutes later, I saw three fruit flies in my trap. This trap will seriously attract and kill every gnat in my kitchen. Joshua invented the recipe after ill-success using regular vinegar. Now we have this new-and-improved gnat trap recipe, and it sure works for us!

And, of course, if you really want to do away with fruit flies, it's best to make sure you're not leaving anything else around for them to eat. Wash every last dish, dump your garbage, and wipe down the counters really well, especially before bed. I like to store my bananas out on the enclosed porch if possible, since those seem to be one of the biggest attractions for bringing fruit flies into the house. 

*I use a clear Dawn dishwashing liquid, but others will work also.

Those of you who use alternative homemade fruit fly traps, feel free to add your tips in a comment! :)

This tip was originally published in October, 2006

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Homemade spinach tortillas, one of my favorites! :)

When we use store-bought flour tortillas (which has been frequent this year) I like to warm them before serving.

Warming tortillas in foil

Generally I wrap the tortillas in foil and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. The tortillas come out hot and soft, and this is Joshua's favorite way for me to warm them. :)

Warming tortillas on the oven rack

At my friend Jamie's house I saw her warming flour tortillas, and I took note of her method. :) After pulling a hot dish from the oven, she laid the tortillas in a single layer (some edges overlapping is fine though) directly on the wire oven rack. She closed the oven door for a couple minutes before then pulling out the (hot) tortillas and placing them in a stack on a plate and covering with a clean towel. I like this method, although I have to remember to set the timer for 2 minutes so I don't forget to pull them out before they get dry! ;)

Warming tortillas over a gas burner

Another method for warming tortillas is over a gas stovetop flame. My mom has a gas range and to warm one or two tortillas quickly, they turn on a burner and hold the tortilla over the flame, turning it several times just until warm. This method isn't ideal for larger amounts of tortillas though, and obviously if you do this be sure to be careful not to get burned! ;)

I'm sure others have even more ideas for warming tortillas, especially if you have a microwave (we don't). I'd love to hear your tips in the comments section! :)

Jalapeno Cheddar tortillas, a yummy homemade variety :)

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When I was visiting at my parents' house earlier this month, I noticed my sister warming syrup for pancakes as she cooked the pancakes.

My mom uses a heavy glass bottle for syrup, and sets the bottle on the cast iron griddle before it's pre-heated. I think, however, that it would be safer to use a metal cup/dish... like the metal creamer or syrup cups sold at restaurant supply stores (or garage sales). ;)

If you're making pancakes for quite a few people, you can keep a dish of cooked pancakes in the oven (set to "warm") as you continue to cook pancakes and your syrup heats up. It saves an extra dish and burner space (especially if you're making eggs or other things at the same time!). :)

How do you warm your syrup? Or do you use cold syrup? We most often make fruit-based syrups fresh (Joshua makes the syrup while I make the pancakes, French toast, or whatever!). :)

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Hand mixer tips:

Make sure the mixer is turned off! Then put the beaters into the mixer before plugging it in. :)

If mixing something extra powdery (like brownies with cocoa powder!), gently "stir" the mixture with the beaters turned off before starting up the mixer. This helps prevent a big cloud of dust (like cocoa powder!) in your kitchen and in your mixer's motor! :)

Anyone else have hand mixer tips to share? :)

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1. Labeling leftovers (Danelle)
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3. Help for jalapeno hands (Lenetta)
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5. Using bread heels (Phoebe)
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10. Pitting and dicing an avocado (Shaina)
11. Baking powder and brown sugar substitutes (Shila)
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13. Grease-free meatball tip (Katie)

Note: There will be no Kitchen Tip Tuesday posts Sept. 8 and Sept. 15, as I will be on vacation and "unplugged" for 2 weeks. :)