I call it the $15 salad because I planted $15 worth of assorted lettuce starts a few weeks ago. There were high hopes of fresh garden lettuce all winter long. Every day I went out and watered and admired my 36 little growing heads of lettuce. Life was lovely.
But, then, the gopher came. Much to my dismay, entire heads of lettuce started disappearing daily. One day, as I stood looking at what remained in my pitiful little garden, a whole head of lettuce was actually pulled underground right before my very eyes in a matter of seconds! So, I hastily went out and gathered what was left in the once hopeful garden, and made this very expensive salad.
I figured due to the cirucumstances (and to cheer myself up), I should just go all out with this salad. So, I decided to make one of my favorites - Roasted beets, oranges, and goat cheese salad. Whenever I am at Whole Foods, I like to pick up some of their fresh, lovely golden beets and roast them myself, but Trader Joe's has cooked whole baby beets in their refrigerated produce section and they taste great and provide a major short cut to this recipe. If I am fortunate enough to have a ripe avocado (like today), I always add it to this salad, too. Enjoy!
Roasted Beet, Orange, and Goat Cheese Salad
3 medium golden and/or regular beets, trimmed ½ c. olive oil 1/8 c. walnut oil or olive oil 1/3 c. red wine vinegar 1 T. finely chopped shallot (or 1/2 tsp. fresh minced garlic) ½ t. salt ¼ t. pepper
5 cups arugula or baby greens 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned ½ c. toasted walnuts or pine nuts 2-4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Arrange beets in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven 45-60 minutes or until tender. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1” pieces; set aside.
For vinaigrette, in a large screw top jar combine oils, vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Shake well.
Toss greens lightly with some of the vinaigrette. Arrange greens on 4-6 salad plates. Arrange orange slices and beets atop greens. Spoon a little more dressing over, and sprinkle with goat cheese and walnuts.
I love Chicago! It's funny because all my life I always wanted to go to New York, never even giving a thought to ever going to Chicago. In fact, I had never even set foot in the mid-west until a year ago, when Rich asked me if I wanted to go along with him to Chicago on a business trip. I loved it so much that I jumped at the chance to go again this year, and we brought Emma along this time (thanks, Dad for the f.f. miles). In many ways, Chicago is like New York - a wonderful, big city - and in many ways it is even better. It feels to me like a smaller, more manageable New York. More condensed. And, I daresay Chicago is much prettier and cleaner and architecturally pleasing than New York. Add Lake Michigan and the Chicago River which flows through town - gorgeous!
The weather was such a surprise! We had been looking on weather.com the week before and we were expecting weather in the 40s. Well, the weatherman was wrong! When we arrived it was a balmy 65 degrees! The next two days, it dropped to the low 50s - brisk and refreshing - and not cold at all when you are wearing a coat and scarf. The last day, it dipped into the 40s and was quite chilly. Of course, then we came home to 90 degrees - I didn't like that! After our little taste of winter, I was ready for something other than a heatwave.
Merchandise Mart
The hotel we stayed at was cool! It was connected to a building called the Merchandise Mart right on the Chicago River. The Merchandise Mart is the world's largest commercial building - 4.2 million gross square feet! It is 25 stories high and spans two whole city blocks. Our hotel was connected to the mart by a indoor bridge (see left of photo). It was fun to walk through and see the beautiful showrooms, and there was even a Starbucks, a food park, and retail shops. Very cool.
Emma & I at "the Bean" (real name: Cloud Gate)
Wednesday upon arrival we took the El (elevated train) down to Millennium Park and then walked over to Navy Pier. Emma was so impressed with the scenery that she got desperate and used Rich and I as her subjects for a photo session! (see below) After snacking on the amazing Garrett's popcorn (you have to get some if you are ever in Chicago - the cheese corn/caramel corn mix with macadamia nuts is SO good), we then grabbed some deep dish pizza at the classic Pizzeria Uno for dinner. It takes 45 minutes to get your pizza and it is oh-so-worth it. Mmm.
Here are a couple photos Emma took of us with the beautiful fall foliage.
Rich's workshop was held Thursday and part of Friday morning. Alone in the city, Emma and I started off Thursday with a stop at one of my favorite coffee places - Intelligentsia (if you didn't read my blog entry on my visit there here in L.A., click here). Emma got what she said was the best hot cocoa ever. And,I tasted it - she was so right. Great flavor and richness, yet not too sweet. She also grabbed a croissant, I got a coffee and a slice of chocolate zucchini bread. I didn't taste the zucchini as it was pure, rich chocolate, but I didn't mind. Breakfast in hand, off we went to shop. We went to all the usual faves, hitting the sale racks, and then found a fun place called Filene's basement - a big discount store kind of like a Marshall's but nicer. We each got a pair of shoes there - one of us got a pair of 4" black pointy-toed pumps, and the other a pair of Naturalizers. Can you guess who got what? Ha.
After a fun day of shopping, we met up with Rich at the hotel, changed into something a little nicer, and grabbed a cab to dinner at Morton's of Chicago. Very swanky. Very yummy. If you ever go, be sure to go to the original location - classic Chicago steakhouse.
The next day, after Starbucks at the Merchandise Mart, we hit a little more shopping...then met Rich for lunch. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Some friends from Chicago gave us the best insider tip! The 95th floor (yes the 95th) of the John Hancock building houses a restaurant called the Signature Room. The restaurant has all glass walls and we were fortunate enough to get a window table. So, basically, next to me was an unobstructed, breathtaking view of the whole city. The clouds kept rolling in and out, and it was so cool when they would blow away and the full city would come into view. It was like someone lifted a curtain and revealed a masterpiece. It was awesome! Surprisingly, the restaurant had good food and was not pricey for what kind of ambience you got with your lunch. The menu had salads and sandwiches for around $10, or you could get the lunch buffet for $18 which was really quite nice. It was a great experience - highly recommended if you ever go to Chicago. Forget paying $18 apiece to go up in the Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower) - for the same price or less you get lunch and a view! Thanks Justin and Katelyn- that was a superb tip.
OK, now what you've all been waiting for. The part of the trip where Rich takes us to one of Guy's "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives." Last time we were in Chicago, he took me to a breakfast place called the Cozy Corner for an amazing skillet breakfast. Never mind that it was a 45-minute voyage from downtown. I try to be good-natured about the journey that always seems to accompany most of Guy's locations, which to be honest, are often in really scary neighborhoods.
Well, this was no exception. We had seen Guy's episode where he goes to this joint called The American Depot diner that has this amazing homey food - pot roast, turkey dinner with all the fixings, and the like. Rich wanted the pot roast, but I had my heart set on that turkey dinner. Well, the place wasn't exactly easy to get to (to say the least), but the thought of that turkey dinner waiting for me kept me going. We took the following transportation to get there:
5 minute cab ride to train station - $6.
20 minute train ride to Oak Park - $2.50 each = $7.50.
(we missed the first train by literally seconds and had to wait 1/2 hour for the next)
20 minute cab ride to the restaurant - $16. (incidentally, it was only 3 miles but somehow took 20 minutes.)
We had no idea it would cost that much but at that point what could we do...
And of course, we had to do the whole thing in reverse to get back to the hotel. Ugh.
So, anyways, I have to admit I was struggling a bit to be cheerful after all that. But I was hanging in there. I knew this meant a lot to Rich to go to this place and by golly, I was going to be happy.
So, we finally arrive, in a really not-so-nice and not-so-safe neighborhood, and enter this kind of dingy and dead-looking diner with about 2 tables full of people. I immediately got the feeling that I didn't want to eat there, but I kept that to myself....
We got our table and Rich immediately recognized the cook as the guy from Guy's episode (the owner). He struck up a friendly conversation with him, telling him that we saw him on Guy's show and teasing him that we came all the way from California just to eat his food. Rich is having a blast - I'm still slightly grumpy, but starting to forget the whole travel thing/scary neighborhood thing and loosen up. The waiter then comes to our table, and says very plainly, "Uh...I just wanted to let you know that we're out of turkey." I could not believe my ears. I was like, ARE YOU KIDDING??? I must have unknowingly said that out loud about 4 times until my family assured me that he wasn't kidding and encouraged me to STOP IT. Well, if ever a straw broke a camel's back, that was it. Long, expensive ride, dingy diner, no turkey - aaargh!! And, did I mention, we were now totally pressed for time - because the ride there took so long, we only had about 45 minutes until we needed to turn around and head back - the last train was at 8:25 pm!
So anyways, I must say, we did end up with some decent food - but I do also have to say that Guy's show made it seem MUCH better than it was (all around). On the show, the diner was bustling with people, you don't see the outside of the diner or the neighborhood, and of course turkey dinner is on everyone's table! But, Rich loved his pot roast and enjoyed the whole experience, so in the end it was all good. Our cab was late picking us back up again after dinner, so we almost missed the train back - we had to run all the way up to the platform to make it! (good thing I had my Naturalizers on.) Needless to say, I was happy to arrive safe and sound back at our hotel.
Here's the youtube of the place we went - if you have a few minutes to watch you can see the food I almost had... and we were in such a hurry to get our cab that we didn't remember to order the donuts!! Bummer!!
On Saturday morning, Rich made up for the lack of the turkey dinner and took us to the Original Pancake House. Boy-oh-boy did he make up for the night before. We even had to wait in the 40 degree cold to get in and it was still worth it! I had the house specialty -the most amazing Puffed Pancake drenched in a cinnamon sauce with sauteed apples - truly divine and one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. And, the good news is - I found out there are locations in California -in Redondo Beach and Anaheim! Yippee!
So, I hope you enjoyed a little taste of Chicago. Not much sightseeing this time - as usual, it really is more about the food for the Harasicks! And Chicago is a great town for that and so much more. Go if you ever get the chance.
Here's a great fall appetizer! While we were in Carpinteria last month, my friend Luci made this (in her trailer!) and brought it down to the beach. A swarm of people (me being one of them) descended on her immediately and it was demolished in like 1 minute! A few poor husbands were in the water at the time and missed it entirely!
I happened to love melted cheese, and Brie is one of the yummiest melty cheeses you can eat. This dish has major WOW potential, and, it is so delicious and easy to make -you gotta try it soon.
2. Using a serrated knife, remove topmost rind from cheese; discard rind. Place cheese, cut side up, in a small ovenproof baking dish; sprinkle with cranberries, nuts and thyme. Drizzle with honey. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until cheese is soft and warm. Serve immediately with crackers.
So, can you stand just one more blog post about pumpkin?
If not, I would totally understand if you wanted to click onto someone else's blog instead of continuing on. Have a great day, OK?
But, if you love pumpkin like I do, stick around - you're gonna love this little gem. Pumpkin Spice Pancakes! These are really, really good. I made these Monday morning, since Rich had the day off, and got thumbs up from everyone. They are light and fluffy, with the perfect spice balance. Emma had chocolate chips in hers, of course.
So, make these soon. That is, if you can find a can of pumpkin in your grocery store. Can someone tell me what is up with no pumpkin on the shelf mid-October?? Hello, Libby's? I have literally only found 6 cans of pumpkin (the large 29 oz size) thus far and I have been checking everywhere. If I don't find some more soon, I might have to do something drastic, something very Martha Stewart-y, like MAKE MY OWN PUMPKIN PUREE {shiver}. I really hope it doesn't come to that. I really don't like sticking my hands inside pumpkins.
And, sorry, no pic. We gobbled these pancakes up too quickly to take any pictures.
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes makes 6-8 pancakes
3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg pinch of ground ginger pinch of ground cloves 1 cup milk 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1 egg 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
Whisk together flours, salt, spices, sugar and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin and vegetable oil or melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Don’t worry if you have a few lumps. You don’t want to over beat the batter, it’ll produce tough pancakes.
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat the skillet. Cook pancakes in a greased pan until done.
It's fall! In fact, the feeling of fall, when it comes into the air, is all I need to cure me of any leftover summertime blues. The past few years, I have taken to decorating the house a bit for the season. It makes the house feel so festive. Each year, I try to find a little something to add to my decoration collection. Here are some of my favorite finds:
Love these big "faux" pumpkins from Twigs 'n Things in Montrose...this one greets you at my front door.
...and I love these little ones too! I have three of them with different sayings that remind me of God's goodness!
I found these "thankful" blocks at Home Goods (love that store) this year. I skip Halloween and go right to Thanksgiving! (nice pic...see me? duh.)
Fall would not fall for me without these. And yes, candy is a completely legitimate decoration!
Fall means candlemaking time, too!
Pumpkin, apple-cinnamon, vanilla....I could eat these.
And here are some yummy pomegranite ones, too. I love the color!
And, of course what is fall without baking? I simply ADORE pumpkin everything! I have been making pumpkin-spice lattes, baking pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, pumpkin-cream cheese muffins (a couple WDW's ago), and I know Drew is going to be wanting some pumpkin pie soon!
Here are a couple of my newest faves. I was happy to recently find a really good recipe for pumpkin bread. I have had recipes in the past, but they weren't exactly what I was looking for. This one is nice and moist and has just the right amount of spice. It makes a nice tall loaf and is great cut into fat slices. Recently, I made a couple loaves, and a few mini-loaves too, for some college dorm-living boys who came for dinner recently(my son being one of them). Emma and Rich like chocolate chips in their pumpkin bread, so I always sprinkle some in to one of the loaves for them. But I'm a purist. No chocolate chips or nuts for me - I like my pumpkin bread soft and not crunchy. Whatever way you like yours, this is a great recipe to try.
Pumpkin Spice bread
2 cups canned pumpkin 3 cups sugar 1 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Heat oven to 350.
In KitchenAid, combine pumpkin, sugar, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat until well mixed.
Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cloves into mixer. Beat until combined.
Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans or one 9 x 5 loaf pan and 3-4 mini loaf pans. Evenly divide the batter between the pans.
Bake for 60-70 minutes (40 min. for mini loaves) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pans by inverting onto a rack and tapping the bottoms.
Slice and serve plain, buttered, or with cream cheese.
This Apple Streusel is a new find, too (sorry no pic - I've made it twice and both times I was so anxious to eat it that I forgot to take a photo!). It is so good, I keep wondering where it has been all my life! I have discovered that I prefer the topping of a streusel (butter, flour sugar, spice) more than an apple crisp-type topping (usually contains texture like oats & nuts). The streusel topping is softer and reminds me more of the taste of pie crust. This recipe takes only around 10 minutes to get into the oven and it is so delish. A scoop of good vanilla ice cream makes this the quintessential fall dessert.
Apple Streusel 3 good-sized fresh fall apples 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Topping: 1/2 stick cold butter (4 TB.) 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Peel and core the apples, slice and place in a bowl. Top with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, toss to coat. Set aside while preparing topping.
Make the streusel by cutting the cold butter into a bowl, adding flour, sugar and cinnamon, and rubbing it through your fingers until the streusel is a coarse, sandy/pebbly texture. Put the seasoned apples into the pan, top generously with the streusel, and bake at 350° about 40-50 minutes, until the streusel is golden brown and the apple is starting to bubble up through the topping. Test an apple for tenderness before removing from oven. Serves: 3-4 Double the recipe for an 8x8 pan, quadruple it for a 9x13 pan
For those of you who don't know French, the title means "Sunday mornings with Rich". I love French, so that is my title for my new feature about Rich cooking breakfast on Sundays.
Yesterday, he made us a splendid breakfast. First, I have to say, the man went grocery shopping by himself last Friday after he got off work. Yes, my cute little husband, who has never ONCE done the grocery shopping rarely shops alone, took himself to Whole Foods and came home toting a cute little brown bag, a bouquet of flowers for me peeking over the top, no less, and a big smile on his face. If that's not total cuteness, I just don't know what is.
So, what was in his bag? Special ingredients for his Sunday breakfast! Fresh maple-blueberry sausage, a lovely artisan loaf of cinnamon-walnut-raisin bread for French toast, and a pint of fresh blueberries. I was impressed. Very impressed. He liked it that I was impressed, too. But oh, I can't tell you how much the practical shopper side of me wanted to ask, "so, how much did this little shopping spree cost?" but he was so happy that I could do nothing by throw my arms around him and praise him. (However, later, when I actually did ask him how much he paid for the blueberries, he nonchalantly answered, "Oh, I didn't look." Love it.)
But no matter. When Sunday rolls around, and he cranks out the above masterpiece, I don't care how much he spent. Having the cutest husband in the world and that yummy food in front of me had so much more value than the cost of the groceries. And, somehow he knows how to make French toast like, 10 times better than me. Go figure. Maybe it was the sugar-in-the-raw which he says he threw into the egg/milk mixture, for "caramelization" purposes. I love it - caramelization purposes. I may have laughed out loud when he said that, I'm not sure.
I love scones! But, let's face it, not all scones are good scones. Some are better off serving as hockey pucks. I have learned, through much trial and error, to make a good scone you must:
1) use a liberal amount of butter. 2) use heavy cream.
Sorry, folks, but that's just the way that it is.
If you don't believe me, go ahead and make some using buttermilk or some other sorry little liquid and you'll see what I mean.
I have had a great basic recipe for scones for many years, but when I came across this recipe from Ina Garten, I knew I had to try it. I love Ina. She uses great ingredients and her cooking is really simple. Pretty much everything she makes is gold, too.
I don't really like Ina's food network show though, because frankly, it bothers me that she entertains men while her husband Jeffrey is noticably not home. And, the men she has over, are well, interesting, if you know what I mean. Let's just say they all seem to be flower arrangers. 'Nuff said. And, besides, if I hear her say "this is going to be really good" in her non-expressive tone one more time, I really might flip out. I really do love Ina's food though - I do.
And, since Ina had her Barefoot Contessa store in the Hamptons for many years, and since she says her baked goods flew out of the shop every morning, I decided she'd be the right person to look to for good scones. I was right.
These scones are amazing! They meet my criteria of lots of butter and heavy cream, and the orange zest and cranberries are the perfect touch. The crumb is perfectly tender, and they are so easy to make. You can even use your KitchenAid. The recipe makes a lot - about 18 large scones- you might want to halve it so you don't gain like, 10 pounds from these. I changed the amount of orange rind and also added a teaspoon of orange extract to the glaze to ramp up the orange flavor. The photo was taken before I glazed them since I ran out of powdered sugar (they are just as good without it, too). I think next time I might try a drop scone rather than a rolled one - I kind of like that rustic look.
Cranberry Orange Scones Ina Garten
4 cups plus ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling 2 Tbsp. baking powder 2 tsp. kosher salt 2 Tbsp. grated orange zest ¾ lb. cold butter, diced 4 xl eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup dried cranberries 1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp. milk, for egg wash ½ cup powdered sugar 4 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice 1 tsp. orange extract, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix on lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and the heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix just until blended. The dough will be wet and lumpy. Combine the dried cranberries with the ¼ cup flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surfact and knead into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4” thick. Cut into circles with a 3” cutter. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake 20-22 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange extract, and drizzle lightly over the scones.
I don't know why I don't do these Monday posts more often... it's not like there is a shortage of material!
This week, I most definitely:
~ did not get a call from Sirius radio. They did not ask me again to re-subscribe despite all of this. When I told them I was still getting their service, even though I canceled it months ago, they did not adamantly deny that. I did not then actually laugh at the salesperson and say, "okay, if you say so." That would be very pop-off-ish and everyone knows I am most definitely not a pop-off. (P.S. My husband did not have to admonish me from the other room to end the conversation either.) No, not me!
~did not cheerfully post of my newfound technique of making grilled pizza and then proceed to make it a second time and char it beyond recognition. I did not have to throw the pizza crust into the trash. I did not then have to dig through my freezer looking for another option for the crust, finally deciding to make french bread pizza out of a baguette (it was actually really good, though.) No, not me!
~did notjust realize that your car's gas gauge has an arrow that points to what side of the car your gas tank is on. I have, of course, known this all my life. I have not ever rolled down my window to look and see where the gas tank is, depending on the car I'm driving. No, not me!
~did notgo shopping at Target and roam around the Halloween candy section for way too much time. I did not pick up a bag of pumpkin spice Hershey's kisses and open the bag in the store, either, nor eat a generous handful of them in place of dinner. I would never eat anything before I actually paid for it, and I would never replace a meal with candy. No, not me! (P.S. In order not to let the checker think you are a total idiot, be sure to offer him/her a candy from the open bag. It diffuses the situation immediately.)
~did notsee this at a cute boutique and decided I had to have it:
...and I most definitely havenot been intoxicated all week from it. I know how dangerous it would be to have your house smell like chocolate, for crying out loud, and would never bring such an item to my house. I havenot had to run to the candy dish for a piece of chocolate while it's burning, either. And, of course, I would never waste money buying candles (even cute ones in tins with Hershey's labels) because I make all my own. No, not me!
~did not just go into Drew's empty room daily for no reason. I am not missing my boy who moved out a month ago to go to college. I am not wishing he would be just a little homesick and just want to come hang out at home. No, not me!
~did not, on this very day 23 years ago, get asked by Rich to be his wife. I did not ever in my wildest dreams, know that would be the best "yes" I ever said. No, not me!
After my sister repeatedly telling me how great grilled pizza is, I finally decided to try it. I picked up a bag of refrigerated pizza dough from TJ's, and asked Emma, who was along with me, what toppings she would like. She said she would like caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and goat cheese. Did I raise her well, or what? This turned out to be an amazing combination.
So, how easy is this? All I did was roll out the dough (bring to room temp first for easy rolling) on a sheet of parchment paper, brushed it with olive oil and inverted it onto a hot grill, carefully peeling the parchment off. I cooked it on medium for about 3-5 minutes (be sure to watch it -everyone's barbecue is different), then brought it into the house on a wood cutting board - grilled side down. I brushed the non-cooked side with some more olive oil, then turned it over. Emma had prepared the toppings, so she just spread them out and added the cheeses (we also used a bit of Fontina). We didn't even use a pizza sauce; we just brushed a little more olive oil on the crust before putting the toppings on. I returned the pizza to the grill and cooked it about 3-5 minutes more and it was done.
I cannot tell you how good it turned out! The crust was almost smokey, had beautiful char marks, and was perfectly cooked. It looked so rustic, too (it was hard to roll it out perfectly round). I put it on the table on a wood cutting board and the three of us DEVOURED the whole thing (I know, so sad - Drew's not here. But Emma did note that we would not have gotten away with these toppings with Drew around!). This would be a great appetizer too - just cut into bite-sized pieces. This pizza is on the menu again this week, since we've all been craving it ever since our last bite.
I used to make homemade pizza dough in my bread machine and we used to eat pizza every Friday night- but alas the poor over-used machine died many years ago. Trader Joe's pizza dough is so cheap and easy (and freezes well), so I haven't really bothered to make my own since. They make plain and wheat - pick some up and try this soon!
And before I let you go....I can't resist showing you my new little gadget! I have needed another whisk for some time, and when I saw this one in Bon Appetit magazine, I fell in love! Isn't it great? It's from Kuhn Rikon and is made of silicone. Love it!
I live in a rural pocket of Los Angeles and am a Christian, a wife, a mother, and a grammie. My family is my biggest joy. I simply love being a homemaker and sharing bits of our blessed ranch life here on my blog.
Why "e-wife"? My husband nicknamed me that because I buy anything I can online. So, contrary to popular belief, the "e" actually stands for "electronic" and not "excellent" - though I do strive to be an excellent wife! ~ Proverbs 31:10
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