pizza making
Posted: July 24, 2009 Filed under: Delish Dinners, dessert | Tags: dessert pizza, dough, fruit, pizza 2 Comments »I have only made pizza dough one other time, but I remember it being successful. So, when I read a recipe for a Caesar Salad Pizza in my RR magazine that was made with store bought dough, I thought I would try my hand at using homemade dough…here are some snippets from my adventure.
The yeast is alive! ( I was worried about it being inactive after so long in the pantry)
Adding the proofed yeast and evoo to the flour/salt
kneading the dough…I had to add a lot more water than the recipe said…maybe the high altitude?
There was another hour where I split the dough into 2 portions, and let each rise separately (dough rising makes for boring pictures…)
This is Parmesan cheese, 1 anchovy fillet, and 1/4 cup of evoo…then brushing it on the dough
Finally…A CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD PIZZA!
And there was extra dough for another pizza…so I made dessert pizza (which was the best part of the whole process…if you ask me).
peanut butter and sushi
Posted: July 24, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: almonds, honey, peanut butter, sushi 1 Comment »This morning, inspired by Kath, I used an almost empty peanut butter jar to create my breakfast.
To this I added:
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup Honey Nut Bunches of Oats
- handful (about 6) dry roasted almonds – chopped
- drizzle of honey
Such deliciousness. I wasn’t incredibly hungry (unusual) but it was so good I ate the whole thing.
After some pilates and yard work, I met my hard working husband for lunch at Blue Fin, a sushi restaurant in North Denver.
The salad was good if you don’t count the tomatoes (which tasted more like celery than tomatoes)
Then came the sushi – such elegant simplicity:
I probably had about 8-9 pieces and was – unfortunately – full…(hello, hello…appetite, where have you gone?) But I enjoyed every bite.
(PS. I do not have a red afro coming from the right side of my head…that was the hippie behind me)
We tend to over-order when we have sushi (an expensive habit), so the man-eater had to polish off the majority…
…serious about his sushi.
It was such a pleasant afternoon, I was begging Meeker just to sit at that table with me all afternoon, but alas, the bills must be paid and he is now back at work and I am off to try my hand at making pizza dough. Wish me luck!
watermelon heaven and family
Posted: July 23, 2009 Filed under: Delish Dinners | Tags: orzo, rice, trader joes, watermelon 2 Comments »My family was stopping by on the way back from DIA this evening, and I wanted to prepare something yummy for them to eat – but I really didn’t want to go to the grocery store – so I made a pantry-clean-out meal.
It was more successful than I had hoped! I will post the exact recipe here, but essentially, it was the vegetable drawer, with rice and orzo pasta and red wine vinegar/ evoo as a dressing. Very fresh tasting.
The fam was extremely grateful for a “real” meal after traveling all day…
They even brought me presents from Trader Joe’s in sunny, CA:
These are my kind of presents. As you can see, I already ripped into the “Fiveseed Almond Bars” (well, the family really bought them for themselves to snack on, but knew that I would like them – so gave the rest to me – more leftover love)
However, for my dinner, I was craving “summer”
Am I the only person on earth who hadn’t discovered the phenomenal flavor combo of blueberries and watermelon together? I mean seriously…this was perfection. I couldn’t stop talking about it tonight, it completely rocked my socks off. Do you all know how good these fruits taste together? If you haven’t tried them – you must. MUST.
leftover kindness
Posted: July 23, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »I went for another hike with the doggie this morning, but before I went I had some yogurt and this FABULOUSLY beautiful plum.
…I mean, LOOK at that color. Gorgeous.
After the hike I was starving, so I came home looking for something quick. Now let me just say that leftovers are HUGE at our house. It is always so exciting to open the fridge and have something that you know you like, already made! Generally, leftovers go with Meeker for lunch, but I have to say a BIG thank you to my wonderful hubby because he left some delicious noodles from Rolls and Bowls for me in the fridge today. Not only were they his leftovers, but his family (who he had dinner with last night) graciously sent him home with all of their leftovers, too! The Ungers are good people.
chicken AND beef…(the beauty of people sharing dinners)
aaaaaand I still wasn’t even close to full, and craving something sweet, so I whipped this up…
Ingredients:
- fresh blueberries
- frozen raspberry/blackberry/strawberry mix
- milk
- plain yogurt
It hit the spot. I am not really full still…but I am going to give it a while and drink a lot of water and see how I feel in an hour or so. It may just be one of those “eat-all-day” days.
summer is dwindling…
Posted: July 22, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 3 Comments »I start school next week, so I have dedicated every day (from now until then) to fully enjoying summer things, like mid-day hikes, grilling, and weeknight movies with friends. And it just so happens that I did all three of those things today…
The hike with Punky today was perfect. We went to a trail where dogs can run free (so much better than trying to control my little wrecking ball of energy on a leash) and we just ran around in the sun (well she mostly swam in the adjacent stream) for a glorious 2 hours.
When I got home, I was in the mood for another breakfast – even though it was past noon – so I threw together some creamy yogurt, a spoonful of chunky peanut butter, and a handful of trail mix.
and this is what it looks like all mixed together…
It was almost like eating delish and hearty ice cream for lunch…then I had the other half of my yummy veggie panini from yesterday. Both excellent.
For dinner, one of my very oldest and dearest friends came over, and we had some summery grilled ratatouille with some pita chips for dinner. I love grilling…no dishes, no hot kitchen. Beautiful.
And here is the finished product…
This is Christine (hopefully) enjoying the simple summer supper (She came all the way from Abu Dhabi just for dinner…okay, well her sister’s wedding a few weeks ago may have been a factor, too).
and then we rushed to go see HARRY POTTER - which was exceptional.
1. I can’t believe how well they (the movie makers) capture the pictures in my mind and put them on the screen
2. I can’t believe that the movie is only rated PG – it is super scary.
3. I liked it so much I am going to have to re-see it with Meeker.
juice for breakfast
Posted: July 22, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast Leave a comment »Breakfast is my favorite meal, and normally, I like to wake up with a bang. Complete with eggs or pancakes or coffee cake. However, during the summer, sometimes the only thing that sounds yummy in the morning is a cool, refreshing drink. Today was one of those mornings.
2 carrots, 1 rib of celery, a handful of blueberries, milk and an Amazing Grass packet:
a little closer (look at that froth…)
I was shocked that I was full after this because I am a big eater – but the volume (thanks to the veggies) and the sweetness (blueberries) were such a filling and successful combination. Quick and easy and now I am out to the door for a hike with the pup – Happy Wednesday!
throwback tastes
Posted: July 21, 2009 Filed under: Delish Dinners Leave a comment »I found a recipe from Kath for a casserole that included canned salmon, lots o’ veggies, and noodles, and it reminded me so much of a dish my mom used to make with canned salmon that I had to give it a shot. I started with these fresh, colorful little numbers:
and then added cream of mushroom, 2 cans of salmon, and the cooked pasta into a casserole dish and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then broiled for 5 minutes to achieve the crunchy texture.
Every bite I took was a throwback to sitting at my family’s kitchen table eating the little salmon patties that my mom used to make (Hi, Mom!). So satisfying. I am not sure if this is a taste everyone would like -it is definitely unique – but I enjoyed every moment of this dinner.
And then I capped it off with this refreshing drink:
This is an idea I got from my friend Emily’s little brother (Evan) about 100 years ago. Each morning, I transfer my leftover coffee into ice cube trays, and then when I am in the need of a cool pick-me-up, I take the coffee cubes, and add milk (and sometimes sugar!)….a cold latte that just gets more full-flavored as it melts.
It also helps to have a really neat-o glass like this one.
successful veggie make-over #2
Posted: July 21, 2009 Filed under: Mid-Day Yummies Leave a comment »Still loving those leftover roasted vegetables. Here is what I did with them for lunch…
This was so good – I was completely satisfied eating just half.
In the sandwich: spicy mustard, smear of cream cheese, spinach, tinsy bit of pepper jack cheese, veggies (obvi.), salt and pepper. Put into the panini press for 3-4 minutes….melty goodness. Plus that plum in the background was so super tart and perfect.
Plus this little gem for dessert…
baked omelette
Posted: July 21, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast Leave a comment »I really like omelettes, but can never seem to flip them correctly…so I bake them. It is so stinkin’ easy. This morning, I was craving those leftover veggies from last night, so I threw them together with some eggs, and voilà…a fab breakfast.
I started off by chopping the veggies, and browning them up with a little evoo, dried onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper
Then I added 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites to the pan, and topped it with a little parmesan cheese.
I let this set up for a couple of minutes on low heat, and then popped the whole thing in the oven at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes. Delish…
This, paired with a refreshing iced coffee made for a perfect post-run breakfast!
this is why I love dessert
Posted: July 20, 2009 Filed under: dessert Leave a comment »All I can say is that I am glad I had a really satisfying lunch and thank goodness for chocolate ice cream. My dinner was…disjointed. The ingredients sounded good on paper (and even in picture), but the taste was off.
As a note to myself – shrimp and fire roasted tomatoes don’t really work together. Better luck next time. Plus, I have a lot of leftover roasted veggies that will be fantastic tomorrow. I really can’t wait for these little babies…
However, because I was unsatisfied (and not really full) after this dinner, I made up for it with an EXCELLENT dessert.
What you can’t see in this picture is the crumbled pretzels on the bottom of the dish…salty, sweet deliciousness.
