if you ask me, most of us could really use a few extra hours in the day. i know i sure could. my house would be cleaner, the dark circles under my eyes would be much reduced and i would likely spend even more time in the kitchen. 

unfortunately, that is a pipe dream. we are stuck with our measly twenty-four/seven to get everything we need done. and if you cook regularly or entertain, you know it is always a mad scramble to get things done, served and looking pretty. 

so for todays tips & tricks, i'm showing you one of my go to make in advance styling and flavor helpers. from start to finish, drying citrus takes an hour with approximately 2 minutes of active time. you can get these bad boys going and use the rest of your hour for whatever time consuming activities you have on your plate. 

when i have a few minutes to spare and i know i will be at home, i make a point to dry whatever citrus i have on hand. and what do you use it for you may ask? i use them as garnish for savory dishes, decor for cakes and they are amazing chopped up in a sauce when you do not have citrus on hand. not to mention, they store well. you can keep them in something airtight for up to six months. 

dried citrus
serves: 10-15 wheels (depending on how large your citrus is)
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 hour (add about 20 minutes for larger fruits like grapefruit and oranges)
total time: 1 hour 5 minutes ingredients: 1 citrus of your choice (limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, kumquats, get creative!). sharp knife. baking sheet. parchment paper or silicon mat. oven. 

start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees f. line your baking sheet with the parchment or silicon mat. slice the citrus THIN. as thin as you can based on your skills (thicker fruit will take longer to dry out). 

lay the fruit in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. dry in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for larger fruit, flipping the fruit over halfway through. 

when the fruit is dried, remove from the oven and allow it to cool till you can handle them. 

use as you desire, but if you are storing them, allow them to cool completely before packing them into an airtight container. 

use or store for up to 6 months. 

xo, a

dried citrus
serves: 10-15 wheels (depending on how large your citrus is)
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 hour (add about 20 minutes for larger fruits like grapefruit and oranges)
total time: 1 hour 5 minutes ingredients: 1 citrus of your choice (limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, kumquats, get creative!). sharp knife. baking sheet. parchment paper or silicon mat. oven.
start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees f. line your baking sheet with the parchment or silicon mat. slice the citrus THIN. as thin as you can based on your skills (thicker fruit will take longer to dry out). lay the fruit in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. dry in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for larger fruit, flipping the fruit over halfway through. when the fruit is dried, remove from the oven and allow it to cool till you can handle them. use as you desire, but if you are storing them, allow them to cool completely before packing them into an airtight container. use or store for up to 6 months. 

this weekend, wes and i are catering for a small back yard wedding. and the very clever hostess of the party selected a menu of mostly pizzas. in the past, i've always used a dough purchased at the local italian specialty store. but it has always been my experience that things made fresh and with excited, passionate hands, make the best tasting foods. so i decided it was time to take the dough into my own hands and develop my own recipe and technique. 

homemade pizza dough is surprisingly easy to make. it requires few ingredients and little effort. the one main ingredient you need to make it right? time. 

don't try to rush your dough. make it the night before. giving your yeast time to activate and make your dough rise is not enough. it needs time for the starches to transform to delicious sugars that will give your crust extra doses of flavor. sure, you cane make the dough a few ours a head if you are in a pinch, but for full results, be patient! 

homemade pizza dough
serves: 4 small pizza crusts (each pizza serves 2 people)
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 30 minutes
inactive time: 12 hours
total time: 12 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 4.5 cups bread flour + a bit extra for dusting the surface and rolling pins. 1.5 cups warm water (about 105-110 degrees f). 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 2.25 tsp dry active yeast. 2 tsp salt. 1 tsp sugar. stand mixer with dough hook attachment. large bowl. plastic wrap. rolling pin. 

start by combining 3.75 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. turn your mixer on slow to gently combine the ingredients. 

with the mixer on, pour in the warm water and let it mix to combine. 

as it is mixing, pour in 2 tbs of your olive oil. 

when all of your liquid is combined, and the dough is starting to become more of a wet mixture, turn the speed on your mixer up to medium. mix your dough until it starts to form a rough, but still sticky ball. here is where you will need to use your judgement. many factors like the temperature and humidity in the air can effect how wet or dry your dough is. if it seems too sticky and unworkable, add a bit more flour to the dough, 1 tbs at a time until right. if it seems really dry and not sticky at all, add in some warm water 1 tbs at a time. getting your dough together should take about 4-6 minutes in the mixer. while your dough is mixing, use 1 tbs of olive oil to lightly oil the inside of your bowl. 

on a clean and dry work surface, sprinkle half of the remaining flour. turn the sticky dough out onto the surface and light work it till it starts to come together in a ball. by the time you are done with it, it should not be be sticky, but should not be covered in flour and difficult to work. 

when your dough is in a ball, place it in your bowl and cover with plastic wrap. place the dough in a warm, dry spot and allow it to rise for 12 hours.

when the dough has risen, sprinkle a dry, clean work surface with the remaining flour. turn out your dough onto the surface. cut the dough into equal quarters and work each into its own dough ball. now you have a choice. you can use the dough right away or you can store balls of dough individually in an airtight container lightly brushed with oil for up to 5 days. 

to use your dough, start by preheating your oven to 450-500 degrees f. whatever you are baking your pizza on, put it in the oven while it preheats. gently flatten out your ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface. lightly dust your rolling pin with flour and roll the dough until your dough is about an eighth of an inch thick. add any desired toppings and brush the crust with the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil. use a pizza peel or large, lightly floured spatula to move the pizza to its hot baking vehicle. bake the pizza for 7-10 minutes, till the crust is golden brown and the pizza is crispy. allow the pizza to cool till the cheese has stopped bubbling and has solidified a bit. slice and serve.

xo, a

homemade pizza dough
serves: 4 small pizza crusts (each pizza serves 2 people)
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 30 minutes
inactive time: 12 hours
total time: 12 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 4.5 cups bread flour + a bit extra for dusting the surface and rolling pins. 1.5 cups warm water (about 105-110 degrees f). 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 2.25 tsp dry active yeast. 2 tsp salt. 1 tsp sugar. stand mixer with dough hook attachment. large bowl. plastic wrap. rolling pin. start by combining 3.75 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. turn your mixer on slow to gently combine the ingredients. with the mixer on, pour in the warm water and let it mix to combine. as it is mixing, pour in 2 tbs of your olive oil. when all of your liquid is combined, and the dough is starting to become more of a wet mixture, turn the speed on your mixer up to medium. mix your dough until it starts to form a rough, but still sticky ball. here is where you will need to use your judgement. many factors like the temperature and humidity in the air can effect how wet or dry your dough is. if it seems too sticky and unworkable, add a bit more flour to the dough, 1 tbs at a time until right. if it seems really dry and not sticky at all, add in some warm water 1 tbs at a time. getting your dough together should take about 4-6 minutes in the mixer. while your dough is mixing, use 1 tbs of olive oil to lightly oil the inside of your bowl. on a clean and dry work surface, sprinkle half of the remaining flour. turn the sticky dough out onto the surface and light work it till it starts to come together in a ball. by the time you are done with it, it should not be be sticky, but should not be covered in flour and difficult to work. when your dough is in a ball, place it in your bowl and cover with plastic wrap. place the dough in a warm, dry spot and allow it to rise for 12 hours. when the dough has risen, sprinkle a dry, clean work surface with the remaining flour. turn out your dough onto the surface. cut the dough into equal quarters and work each into its own dough ball. now you have a choice. you can use the dough right away or you can store balls of dough individually in an airtight container lightly brushed with oil for up to 5 days. to use your dough, start by preheating your oven to 450-500 degrees f. whatever you are baking your pizza on, put it in the oven while it preheats. gently flatten out your ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface. lightly dust your rolling pin with flour and roll the dough until your dough is about an eighth of an inch thick. add any desired toppings and brush the crust with the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil. use a pizza peel or large, lightly floured spatula to move the pizza to its hot baking vehicle. bake the pizza for 7-10 minutes, till the crust is golden brown and the pizza is crispy. allow the pizza to cool till the cheese has stopped bubbling and has solidified a bit. slice and serve.