A New Favorite

I love trying new recipes.  I love reading recipes, just for fun.  Demented, huh?  Matt often wonders why I stress over planning meals.  He would be fine if every Monday was spagetti, every Tuesday was burritos, every Wednesday was hamburgers, etc.  And as much as I enjoy those things, I just plain get bored with cooking the same things over and over.  I like to try new things, or new variations on old things.  So I really love the TOH magazine subscription my Mom has been giving me for the past few years.  Some magazines I get a few new recipes or ideas from, some I get a lot.  And some have been added to my "favorites:  make regularly" list.

In my most recent mag, I found a recipe for Tomato-Herb Focaccia that I wanted to try.  So I made it for our Easter get-together.  Oh my goodness, it was so good!!!  And it smells incredible, even while just mixing it. =)  It has definitely become a new favorite.  I've only made it twice now, but it's one of those I'm tempted to make weekly, just because it is so yummy!

So, I thought I'd share it with you:


Tomato Herb Focaccia (from TOH)

1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp each: dried oregano, thyme and rosemary
1/2 tsp dried basil
dash pepper
2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzerella cheese
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add 1 Tbsp oil, salt, sugar, garlic powder, herbs, pepper and 1 1/2 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Placed in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Shape into a 9 x 13 inch rectangle; place on a greased baking sheet.  Cove and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough.
Brush dough with 1 Tbsp oil; arrange tomatos over the top.  Sprinkle with cheeses.  Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack.

Enjoy! =)