PIZZA PIZZA

I was so excited to have a “date” night with William.  He has been incredibly busy balancing work and studying for his final and most challenging CPA exam…I do not envy him one bit.  We decided that Saturday would be a relaxed night of using our leftover pizza dough and ingredients, and would curl up on the couch with a movie and our pizza. 

We always (well almost always, unless we are trying to tell the other person the “right” way to do something) have a ton of fun in the kitchen.  William is a grilling champ, and with my baking background, I must say that my dough was one to write home about.  It’s a very basic recipe, but it is all about the addition of herbs, kneading the dough and giving it plenty of time to relax.

Here is the recipe:

·        

•      1TBSP dry active yeast
•          1 ½ c warm water (not too hot!)
•          3 c whole wheat flour
•          1 c AP flour (although, you will probably need to add more until it is the right consistency)
•          2 tsp kosher salt
•          2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
•          1 TBSP dried oregano
•          1 TBSP dried parsley
•          1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped

Here’s how to make it:

·         Whisk together the yeast and water

·         Using a dough hook, add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low. 

·         If needed, add more AP flour.  You want to keep adding in small additions, until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

·         Mix on high for about 5 minutes, remove dough from mixer, and on a lightly floured surface, continue kneading the dough until it feels very elastic.

·         Place dough in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled.  Lightly oil the top of the dough and place a damp towel over the bowl.

·         Allow dough to rise for approximately 45 minutes.  Punch down and let rise for another 15 minutes.

·         Flatten dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into desired size pieces, depending on how large you want your pizza.  For this recipe, I divided it into 3 pieces, but could easily have divided it into 4, and would have been perfectly happy with that.

·         Roll dough into balls, and let rise for another 30-45 minutes.  Roll dough to about 1/8” thick.  You can also loosely wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap that has been rubbed with a bit of olive oil (so the dough doesn’t stick), and place it in the refrigerator overnight.  That is what I did, and it really helped the flavors of the yeast and herbs come together.  It also gave the dough extra time to relax, so it was easier to roll out.

·         Other variations of this dough would be to use only AP flour.  I don’t recommend using only whole wheat flour, because it makes it a bit more difficult to get the elasticity you need to roll the dough super thin. 

·         If you don’t want to use all the dough, you can still roll it thin, place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper, and fold into ¼’s.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 1 month (any longer than that, and the yeast dies…no good).  If you freeze the dough, take it out of the freezer about 1 ½ hours before you want to grill it.

o   Note: you do not HAVE to grill it.  It is ok to simply bake the pizza, but the grill adds so much flavor and texture, that I HIGHLY recommend it.

For the sauce:

·         1 small yellow onion

·         5 garlic cloves

·         3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

·         1 large can of stewed, peeled roma tomatoes (no salt added)

·         1 large can of tomato puree (no salt added)

·         1 small can of tomato paste (no salt added)

·         2 bay leaves

·         3 TBSP dried oregano

·         2 TBSP dried basil

·         3 TBSP dried parsley

·         2 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes

·         3 TBSP fresh cracked black pepper

·         2 TBSP kosher salt

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         2 TBSP red wine

·         2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Dice the onion into ¼” cubes.  Sauté until soft, and add minced garlic.  Add remaining ingredients.  Let simmer for at least 2 hours.  Crush the roma tomatoes as they soften.  Add more herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.  Once simmered, remove from heat, remove bay leaves, and add another ½ c. red wine.

Once the sauce has cooled, puree until smooth.  We have a stick blender, so we just put it right in the pot to puree.  The sauce is best made 2 days ahead of time.  This gives the flavors a lot of time to come together.  This “recipe” is all an approximation, as I never measure when I’m cooking, only when I’m baking (never “eyeball” in baking…it scares me!).  Also, this makes a TON of sauce, so you’ll probably have enough left to freeze for later use.

We made all kinds of pizza.  You can top it with whatever you like.  Here is what we did last night:

We already had the dough rolled out and frozen, so I took it out about an 1 1/2 hours in advance, and we put it on parchment paper.  We flipped that over onto the grill (warning: it's a 2 man job)

He loves his grill.  Look at those grill marks

I just had to pop a little doggy time in there.  Shelby and Jake are slowly, but surely, adjusting to their new house

It works well to have a very large grill spatula to flip the crust

1 did a half-and-half pizza.  1 side was loaded with veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, olives, goat cheese, mozzarella).  The other side was kind of Hawaiian (ham, pineapple, sundried tomatoes, olives, goat cheese, and mozzarella.  I took it 1 step further and drizzled just a touch of BBQ sauce). 

This one was William's baby (pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, goat cheese, and mozzarella).  In case you hadn't noticed, we love goat cheese.

Finished product #1

Finished product #2

We enjoyed it with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon...mmm mmm good.

William knows how much I love peanut M&M's.  I took our plates to the kitchen, and came back to this little surprise waiting for me.  We didn't eat all of them, but a few was just the right amount of sweetness to complete our meal.

I hope you enjoy your next date night as much as we enjoyed ours!  Happy pizza making!

Relishing in Normalcy

Ya know, it’s interesting how weird it feels to just “be”.  For the first time in years, even before I went back to school, I rarely just sat.  I never had a weekend, unless there was some specific purpose.  My “weekends” were always in the middle of the week when the rest of the world was at work.  I would have to schedule family birthday parties around my work schedule, and I usually either arrived late or left early because of work/school.

All the reasons listed above are why I decided to go back to school.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the restaurant business.  I loved working with creative people who were excited about food, but there comes a point in life when you’re at a crossroads.  I reached that point, and just couldn’t do it anymore.  I didn’t want to have to arm wrestle for which holidays I would get to have off or whether or not I would take the overnight shift that week.  I wanted to wake up on Saturday morning, go for a run, and come home and just sit.  Ok, well anyone who knows me well, knows that I don’t really ever just sit, even when I can, but you get what I mean.

Since I’ve been in Birmingham, I’ve been working on unpacking the house, trying to get to “Thank-you” notes (sorry I haven’t gotten too far on that one!  I am super grateful!), and am looking for a JOB!  It’s weird settling into this role of unemployment.  I don’t think I’ll be here for too long (fingers crossed), but I’m trying to relish the moments of just being.  I’ve been cooking some, but since I’m not working we’re trying to save some money, so it’s been a lot of baked chicken with a green veggie and a starch of some sort.  Kind of boring, but I’ve been trying to spice it up a little with different seasonings.

Last night we had some friends over for a pizza party!  I was enjoying the company of Joseph and Miko so much that I forgot to take pictures!  I made the dough and sauce from scratch (since I finally have time to do that).  We rolled the dough super thin, and William grilled it before we added toppings.  For the 2 whole wheat crusts, we decided to load them with veggies.  We had broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil and of course fresh mozzarella.

The other 3 pizzas were a Hawaiian, pepperoni, and BBQ chicken.  All 5 pizzas were fabulous, but I am so sad that I didn’t get pictures!  Fortunately, there were enough ingredients left over that William and I decided to have pizza again tonight.  It is seriously one of my favorite foods, and making it from scratch is so fun, and really not incredibly time-consuming.  The best piece of advice I can give is to make the dough and sauce a day ahead.  Divide the dough into balls, wrap, and refrigerate.  This gives the dough time to relax so it’s easy to roll it out.  Making the sauce at least a day in advance gives the flavors a chance to meld together, yum! 

Pizza can be pretty healthy, too.  The whole wheat crust was rolled super thin, so you save on calories from a thicker crust.  Also, loading it with veggies and just a little cheese essentially, gives you a grilled whole wheat veggie sandwich (in flat bread form).

I promise to take some pictures tonight, and I’ll post a recipe for dough along with some instructions on making the pizza delicious and healthy!

Another note about my new city-I’ve met some runners!  This morning was such a great run!  Besides last weekend when we went to Tennessee to empty my storage unit, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks running solo.  I’m way too social a person to do this on a regular basis.  I’m always the one who talks the entire run, and I always have some story to tell.  I had hit a major rut in my training for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 2, and I was pretty frustrated.  Fortunately, I was introduced to a group of runners who were meeting up this morning.  It was wonderful!

The way it works, there is a Facebook page where everyone posts what they’re doing for their weekend run, and they talk about a route and a meeting place.  Everyone meets and takes off around the same time, and then divide into their various groups depending on pace/distance.  Once everyone is finished, they hang out, talk, and grab some coffee.  I felt like I was finally back!  I cannot wait to continue running with my new Birmingham pals.

As you can see, I’m staying busy in my new life in Birmingham, enjoying the weekend with friends and my hubby, and trying to get used to a “normal” life…whatever that means!

Until next time…eat your veggies!  J

p.s.  I can’t believe I talked about graduation and my wedding last time, and didn’t even bother to post a pic of either!  Here ya go…

My parents and William were so proud!

Look at this stunning group of people!   We, seriously, have the best friends and family!

Paradise...

I know I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again….this time will be the last….it has been way way way too long since I have posted anything on this blog.  I cannot believe that the last time I posted was on March 28^th! Wow.  Let me explain what has happened in my life over the past couple of months, and maybe you will understand I took such a long hiatus…

First, I GRADUATED!!!  Finally, 4 years after making that crazy decision to go back to school to earn my Bachelor of Science, I am done!  While things did not exactly go according to plan, and I will not be starting an internship this fall, I know that everything happens for a reason.  I know that I will end up with the job that I am supposed to have.

Fortunately, the blow to my ego was softened by my impending nuptials.  William and I got married on May 21, and it could not have been more perfect!  There were a few glitches along the way, and I will leave those nameless, because really none of it matters!  At the end of the day, William and I both showed up to declare our love and dedication, and that is all that I care about deep down in my heart.  He is my best friend, and I am so excited to now be Mrs. William A. Hopper.

We left for our honeymoon the Monday after our wedding.  We used Sunday to drive to Birmingham from Knoxville, and we wanted to get a decent night of sleep for our flight.  That didn’t happen…we got about 4 hours or sleep, woke up at 3:30 a.m., and were on our way to the airport at 4:30.  We did not arrive in Tortola until close to 6 p.m.  It didn’t matter, though.  Once we arrived to our villa, it was like the heavens opened up.  We were in paradise.

The view from our deck!!!

We began each morning with a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast, sometimes there was Kashi cereal and cantaloupe involved too.  William found the French press on the first morning, and we used it every morning. 

Delicious breakfast!!!

Each lunch was different, but we always made sure we were satisfied.  As you can tell, we are a couple united by food.  We love to cook.  We love to eat.  We love to read about food. We love to watch food being prepared.  We love food.

Stilton in paradise!  Not quite a cheeseburger, but pretty darn close...

For dinner, we cooked most nights, but we did go out a couple of times.  One night we went to the restaurant owned by the people who own the villa we stayed in.  It’s called The Last Resort.  It, quite literally, is the last place you could possibly go on Tortola.  We began our journey on the northwest end of the island, and ventured to the east end of the island, went past the airport, and were left with no place to go.  Fortunately, there was a dinghy waiting on us, and we were quickly whisked away to a tiny private island.  We got there early, so we got to play with the cats and dogs that hang out all over the place.  William got the seafood pasta, and it was delicious.  I got the seared scallops with risotto, which was also an excellent choice.  I kind of forgot to take pictures of our food, but we did get this shot…

Now that we’re back from the honeymoon, life has begun.  It hasn’t been what I’m used to, because I have no job right now!  I’ve been unpacking, getting organized, and searching for a job.  I’ve done some cooking, but nothing exciting.  Once I get myself in a routine and in the groove of things, I will definitely be doing some fun and exciting things.

For now, please be patient with as I get on a schedule, and try to come up with some exciting things to cook.  We’re having a “pizza party” with one of our favorite couples on Friday.  That should be exciting, and I will definitely post some pics!

So long, for now!

Butternut and Spinach

Sorry it has been so long since I’ve written!  Between addressing wedding invitations, a hectic work schedule, and that pesky little thing called school, I haven’t cooked or eaten very many exciting things.  Which brings me to another point…I cannot wait to graduate and get married!!!  Not only am I excited to be William’s wife, but I can’t wait to have more time to experiment with ingredients and recipes.

I am constantly perusing magazines, cookbooks, and websites.  I clip recipes, drool over pictures and fantasize about having every burner on the stove going, and running around trying to keep the onions from burning and the pasta from boiling over. 

It is so funny to me that it is this kind of stress that made me want to stop working in kitchens for a living, yet I can’t get enough of it when I’m at home.  I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned in going back to school is that you have to make your profession something that you like and care about, but you also have to remember that it is work….they call it that for a reason.  My love of the kitchen is something that I love a lot more now that I get to cook when I want to not when I have to. 

Lately, I have had almost no time to cook.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but my dad is an excellent cook.  He makes large batches of things like butternut squash soup and freezes the leftovers.  A few nights ago, I wasn’t very hungry.  I wanted something that would fill me up and make me feel really good.  I am a huge fan of spinach, and I found some butternut squash soup on the freezer.  I heated up the soup, and added some spinach.  The heat from the soup wilted the spinach, so it mixed together nicely with the soup.  I topped it with a few blue cheese crumbles and voilà! Gourmet dinner for 1!

On a side note...

A few weeks ago was my Bachelorette Weekend.  My bridesmaids, mom, and aunt threw me a shower on Saturday afternoon while we were at the beach.  My friend, Evin, surprised me after saying that she wouldn't be able to make it.  I was shocked!  Not only did she surprise me, but she brought this cake with her too!!!  P.S.  She MADE this, and drove it from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach!!!

Can you believe how beautiful this cake is??

The most delicious carrot cake ever!!!

Kitchen Sink

               This is the first Saturday that I’ve been off work for no reason in longer than I can remember.  I spent the morning going to an exercise class….think Zumba meets Hip Hop meets strength training.  It was AWESOME!  After that I met with the manager of the restaurant where we’re having our rehearsal dinner to finalize a menu…more fun!  I came home and SMACK!  Reality sank in that the house needed cleaning, the dogs needed bathing, and I was going to be tired by the end of it. 

               

                Jake and Shelby are my babies.  They are the best dogs ever in the entire world!  That being said, they have a lot of hair.  Shelby is a German Sheppard mix, and she is starting to shed her winter coat.  Fortunately, my parents have a Furminator!  Armed with this tool, I brushed and brushed and brushed.  Finally, I felt like I’d made a dent in the layers of fur.  I decided to tackle bath time.  Jake and Shelby are the easiest dogs to bathe, in addition to being the best dogs ever.

               

                By the time I brushed and bathed the dogs, swept and vacuumed the hair, washed my sheets and clothes, and FINALLY got a chance to take my own shower, I was exhausted!  I did a little bit of school work, and scrounged for something to make for dinner.  I hit the jackpot!  My parents made pizzas last night, but had some leftover veggies.  I was like a kid in a candy store.

                

                First, I sautéed some baby portabella mushrooms.       

                

                Next, I heated up the already cooked eggplant and roasted yellow peppers.

                

               After that, I sautéed fresh spinach.  I remembered that there was some butternut squash soup in the freezer, so I quickly thawed that out.  I added it to the veggies as a sauce, not a soup.  I added everything together with some sliced olives, topped it with goat cheese and a few chopped walnuts.

                

              After a sprinkle of salt and pepper, pour a glass of Malbec, and dinner is served…

                

              This kind off meal is the best: filled with a variety of vegetables, unexpected, and easy!  It’s the kind of meal I like to call the “kitchen sink.”  It’s got lots and lots of stuff!  I prepared this meal while I was on the phone with my matron of honor, Millie.  Millie and I used to talk every single day.  That was before I went back to school.  Now, when we get to talk for more than 5 minutes it is as great as opening a Christmas present!

              This dinner was one of the best I’ve had in a while.  It was super easy, and I got a chance to relax and enjoy my meal.

P.S.  My parents adopted a black lab a few weeks ago.  Bodie is 5 years old, and precious!  I know it's not a good habit to let a dog jump up on you, but when you have a dog who gently jumps up, wraps his enormous paws around your waist, and lays his head on your shoulder, you really can't resist!  Thank you, Bodie, for making our family even more complete!

Namaste

Yoga has become my solace.  Running is my passion, but an injured knee has left me with yoga as an outlet.  Interesting that relaxation, silence and peaceful music have replaced my 5 a.m. run with friends, talking and lots of laughing—2 extremes.

                Though my running derailment has been frustrating, I know there is a plan.  I’m a firm believer in planning and also know that everything happens for a reason.  My friend Carrie says that not being able to run is God’s way of making sure I have the pretty feet I’ve talked about wanting for my wedding in May.  (I tend to lose toenails when training for marathons…gross, I know.  William loves me anyway.)

                The weather this winter, like my 2 favorite forms of exercise has been 2 extremes.  1 week it is in the teens, and the next it is in the 60s.  I prefer the latter.  Last week, I got home from school one day, and the weather was nothing less than glorious.  I decided it was time for a little yoga. 

              
               My parents built a house that they moved into in August, and I moved in with them.  I found someone to rent my house, and decided to spend a little extra time with them before my wedding.   Selfishly, though, I wanted to taste mountain paradise for myself…even if it is just for a moment.

                This was my yoga setting for the afternoon…

                Sometimes the best position in yoga is the end of the practice.  It is called shavasana.  This is what I saw when I laid in such a relaxing pose.

          Even though I know that we’re going to eventually get hit with another cold snap, I can smell spring in the air.  This spring is different from the 25 I have experienced before.  This spring I will earn a bachelor’s degree.  This spring I will move to Birmingham, AL.  But most importantly, this spring I will marry my best friend and become a wife. 

               
         Thanks to my wonderful friend Martha-Cate Spencer, MCatePhotography, I have a photo that perfectly depicts the way I feel about William and about spring…

What a great night...

In August I finally found someone to rent my house, and I moved back in with my parents so I could save a little money before my wedding in May.  I knew it would be…err…different to be back home.  It’s tested my patience, and I know I’ve tested my parents’ as well.  However, nights like tonight remind me of how lucky I am to have parents like mine.  I’m so excited to be getting married and move to Birmingham, but I’m sad to leave my family. 

Tuesday night was rare.  I actually got to spend some time with my dad.  You would think that since I live with my parents, I would see them all the time, but I never see them!   It seems that the nights I work they are home, and the nights I’m home they are off doing something else.  My mother was not at home tonight, but my dad was, and we had a delicious dinner if I do say so myself!

My dad called me on his way home from work, and we decided to have some homemade pizza for dinner.  I enjoy doing this, because pizza is one of my favorite foods.  By making it myself, I can insure that I am putting healthy things in my body, and I can make it whatever flavor I want!

As soon as we decided to make pizza, I went to work on the sauce.  I started with half a red onion sautéed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.  I deglazed the pan with some red wine and added a can of plain tomato sauce and a can of whole stewed plum tomatoes.  To this, I added salt, pepper and some dried herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, a dash of cinnamon, garlic powder, cracked red pepper and celery seed).  I let this simmer for about 30 minutes, and added a bit more red wine.  Wow, it was delicious.

For pizza number one, I spread the sauce on a whole wheat crust (I cheated and used store bought crust), laid some fresh spinach on the sauce, sprinkled with some mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, olives, sliced tomatoes and a little more cheese.

For pizza number two, I spread with the same sauce and spinach.  I added a bit of cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, and sliced red onions….pizza lox, anyone???  YUM! 

My dad is training for his first 5K.  As a marathon runner and self-proclaimed health nut, I am ecstatic about this!  He is on a health kick too, so while the pizzas baked I made us lunch.  I used mixed greens and fresh spinach as my canvas.  I decided to make enough salads to last the 3 of us a few days.  To the greens, I added sliced carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, dried cranberries, sliced avocado and crumbled blue cheese.  It’s similar to what I usually make, but it’s nice to know that if I had something else that sounded good, I could have easily added it. 

Once the salads were done, my dad and I enjoyed our pizza with a glass of Zinfandel, yum!  Nights like these make me remember how lucky I am to have a family like mine.  They care about me, I care about them, and we have fun cooking and laughing.  My soon-to-be-husband fits in perfectly, and some of our most fun memories are cooking together…that’s part of how I know he’s meant to be a part of the Tedford clan.