The Perfect Pizza

I can't tell you how many times I cooked pizza before I finally found the best way to make it...on the grill.  We don't make it any other way. The grill is the only way and it comes out amazing and done in less than ten minutes. I do have to warn you that it is not easy and might take a few tries to get it down perfectly. We've been grilling pizza for a few years now but still screw it up every once in a while...mostly due to my lack of patience for waiting for the dough to rise. 
 

I usually start with making my own dough. My husband scolded me one time we messed up the pizza blaming it one the store bought dough.  Homemade dough just tastes better and has a little bit more elasticity...that is if you let it rise completely.

Pizza Dough Recipe 

Makes 1 large pizza about 14" or two 8" pizzas

Combine about 2 1/2 cups of flour, a tablespoon of sugar, sprinkle of salt and a teaspoon of garlic powder in a bowl. I say approximate measurements especially with the flour because you'll be using more when you go to stretch it out.

**Super important next step... get one cup of water to a temperature of 120 degrees.  You definitely need a thermometer for this. If it's too hot the yeast will die and result in your dough not rising at all. If it's not hot enough, the yeast won't activate and make your dough nice and stretchy either.  Once you have the perfect temp, dump in your yeast and whisk until it's dissolved.

I drizzle a tablespoon or two of oil olive into the yeast water. Pour that into your flour mixture and dig in. Hands are the best tools for this. When everything is incorporated, dump your dough out and knead for at least 8 minutes...another super important step! I'm so used to baking where you combine ingredients until they are just mixed so for a while I wasn't kneading enough. My dough would come out flat, dense and chewy.

Not the waiting begins. Even if you buy dough at the store, you still have to wait.  I make my dough first thing in the morning and leave it out on the counter, oiled up, always tightly covered and under a towel all day. Or if it's a sunny day, I put it outside.  It should take a few hours. The perfect temperature for dough to rise is 82 degrees.  The dough should just about double in size by the time it's ready.

Here's a good link to describe and show how to properly stretch your dough...

Some tips for stretching dough:

• Don't play with it too much. If you overwork your dough, it'll pretty much get tired and not wanna work anymore
• If you're using a wooden board, place a moist towel underneath it so it doesn't slide all around.
• Use enough flour so it's not sticky but not too much so it dries it out.
• Try to make it even thickness, about 1/2 inch.
• Small holes can be fixed with a little pinching

Fire up the grill...

While you wait for your grill to get up to 450, get all your ingredients in order...mise en place.  This is another really important part because once you get the dough on the grill, you're not gonna have time to walk away and grab everything.

We made two pizzas. It's a little easier to flip a small one then one really big one...and we both like different toppings.   Mine had homemade sauce, which I usually keep on hand in the freezer, homemade pesto made with fresh basil from my garden, plum tomatoes and red onion, both from the garden too! My husband's pizza had chicken, cherry peppers and jalapeno peppers from the garden.

Once you've got everything in place, preferably next to your grill, and the grill is hot and ready, oil up your dough with some olive oil. This is when my husband takes over cooking. The dough has to be totally brushed with oil so there is no chance of it sticking. If you add an excessive amount of oil, it will taste like fried dough, but has the possibility of catching on fire... I'd chance it! We put our dough on a big pizza board with a handle so its really easy to flip and move around. Makes my husband feel like a pro. You can use a wooden cutting board though.  Before you flip your pizza dough onto the grill, make sure it's not stuck to the surface by sliding it around. One of the first times we made grilled pizza, it stuck and folded up on the grill. It was impossible to spread out again. We made the best of it and just ended up with bite size pieces we dipped in sauce and threw toppings on.

When you have successfully flipped it onto the grill, close it for about three minutes. To test if it's done, peek under the dough to look for nice grill marks. It should lift off pretty easily. If it's about done, start brushing it with oil again for the next side to cook.  *Some people choose not to flip their dough and most likely cook it on a lower temp. We've tried that but prefer both sides cooked so you're not left with any raw dough.

  

As soon as you flip your pizza, start adding your toppings.  We usually end with the cheese so it sandwiches the toppings inside. Close up the grill and let it cook another four or five minutes until the cheese is melted. If you find that your pizza is done but the cheese hasn't melted yet, you can throw it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes.

Let the pizza sit for a few minutes...if you can wait that long...before you cut it. 

 

It's seriously the best pizza you will ever make and maybe even eat.

 

Perfect for summer.  And for your husband to make.

You're Welcome :)

Pineapple Makes Everything Better

I wish I had a pineapple plant in my backyard. Yep, it's a plant. I am obsessed with it. Seriously can't think of one thing that wouldn't taste good if it had pineapple in it. And please never buy it in a can, unless you enjoy metallic, corn syrupy, yellow mush. Sweet, sour, spicy, savory...it can be anything you want.  Grilled, chopped,  sprinkled on anything. My favorite way to eat it is on pizza. With bacon. I ate it pretty much everyday in Hawaii. When I came back, I needed it on everything. I miss Hawaii.

Look for a pineapple that has even coloring

One of my favorite summer salads has pineapple in it. It's not quite summer yet, but I am in the mood for pineapple all the time. You can actually serve this salad with just about anything. Over steak, on top of a piece of fish, as a side dish with some tortilla chips, lettuce wraps or all by itself. And it's just stupid easy to make...

Black Bean Summer Salad

Serves 4-6 people

• One can of Black Beans...I don't have the patience for soaking them 
• 1/2 cup of diced red bell pepper (I think I used about 1/2 of a whole pepper)
• 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• juice of one whole lime
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 of a jalapeno, finely diced
• 2 TBS fresh cilantro (I made the mistake of buying it dried once because I absolutely love this herb but can never finish a whole bunch and it doesn't freeze well...it was a complete waste because it has no flavor whatsoever. Now I just come up with stuff to make just to use it all up. Not such a bad thing!)

Drain your beans really well. In a large bowl, throw in your beans, onions, peppers, jalapenos and cilantro.  *A good tip to chop your cilantro is to take the back of the knife you just used to mince your garlic and "scrape" off the leaves.  Once you have a good pile, scrunch it all together and chop away.
Combine your olive oil, lime juice, salt and garlic. 

Pour on top of the bean mixture.

You should really let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours so all the flavors really soak in. I would recommend adding the pinepple shortly before you are ready to serve it. That way the pineapple stays nice and firm and juicy.

Enjoy because it won't last very long!
 

You're Welcome.

Thank you, Lobster

In my family, a birthday isn't just one day, it's an entire week. For my husband's birthday, I made him a few extra special dinners and treats. This had to include lobster. Before he met me, my husband never had lobster. He never ate sushi, homemade soup or even peanut butter and jelly. Not because my mother-in-law didn't cook but because he was perfectly content living on cheeseburgers, hot dogs and egg sandwiches. He definitely married the right woman ;) So I introduced him to my all time favorite messy, savory, fresh food to eat...lobster.

When I think about lobster, it brings back great memories from being a kid and going on family vacations to Rhode Island. Every summer, my mom would pack up her 1980 brown Volvo station wagon, manual mind you, with us five kids. Who the hell can possibly drive standard with five kids in the car?!?  My step dad would follow with his old Chevy truck, loaded with five bikes and endless amount of beach toys. It was tradition to take a ride to Point Judith and pick out lobsters. I remember being the only one of us kids that got excited for this. I'd get to go look in the huge tanks, not like the ones you see in the supermarket. These were wide open on the floor and there were hundreds of fresh lobsters ready to be boiled, ripped apart and doused in warm butter.  When we got home with out lobsters, it was also tradition for my step dad to "play" with them first and scare the crap out of my little brothers. He'd stick them in the kiddie pool with them, no elastic bands around their claws.

When it was time to eat and the water was boiling, I always left the kitchen because I couldn't watch them die. As quick as my mom could drop them in, they were bright red and fully cooked. If you've never cooked your own lobster, it's really super easy and fast. Just don't let the guilt get to you and say "thank you."

I have to give my step dad credit for teaching me how to eat a lobster and how to drive stick.  My husband says I only like it because it's really messy and I am an incredibly messy eater. So what?!  It's the only food where it's accepted and encouraged to get messy and use your hands. I mean they give you a plastic bib when you eat it in restaurants! Definitely something I would enjoy.

So I cooked us some lobsters for dinner the other day. Going out for lobster dinner would have cost at least $40 per plate and you don't get to see them ahead of time or know where they came from.  I bought our's at Stew Leonard's for just under $20, for both of em. 

So of course this is the only picture I took realizing after I was done eating, it would make a good blog post. I was too excited to think about taking pictures. Plus, my hands were covered in butter.

Tips for cooking and eating lobster:

A good size lobster should be about 1 1/4 pounds.  Anything closer to 2 pounds is going to be tough and not have as much flavor. If you get one that's one pound, you're gonna wish you had more. I could have probably stepped up my game to a pound and a half.

Buy your lobster a few hours before you plan on eating it. You can stick it in the fridge until your ready to cook it.

A lobster should be boiled 8-10 minutes per pound. I boiled 1 1/4 pound lobster for 9 minutes and it was perfect.  It will be bright red. I run it under cold water right after I removed it to stop the cooking process and cool it off. Since we had two lobsters, I used two large pots so they were ready at the same time. Don't try to fit them both in the same pot. You could cook one at a time but the first one may not be hot by the time the water reboils and cooks the other one for an additional 8-10 minutes.

If you feel guilty about boiling it there's a few things you can do to ease the pain, your's and the lobster's.  Supposedly, you can put it in the freezer for a few minutes before hand. It makes the lobster feel a little "sleepy."  Or you can stab it in the head. Yes, it sounds awful but if you take a sharp butcher knife and pierce it through the back of the lobster's head, this kills it quickly. Immediately put it in the pot of water afterwards, if you have the guts to do it. I know I couldn't. 

I just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. As soon as I got home I put the lobsters in the fridge, never opening the bag. Once the water was boiled, I took out the lobster, cut off the elastic bands on the claws, dropped it in the pot head first and put the lid on. I set the timer and didn't look back until it went off. Done.

Make sure you have the right tools to open up the lobster. You need a nut cracker for sure and a tiny three pronged fork. We had neither of these. The only hard part is the claws. If you have the tools I mentioned, you'll be eating in no time. So we had to "make-do. "Using the back of a butcher knife, I cracked the claw on a cutting board. I also had a fondue fork which actually worked great. It's perfect for reaching inside the knuckles. You can even suck out meat from all it's tiny little legs. But the best part, as my mouth waters, is the tail...the meatiest, most delectable part of the lobster.  To get to this, rip apart the tail from the rest of the body. Discard the upper part of the body once you've removed the claws because there's nothing really in there.  You can use a knife to carefully cut vertically down the under side of the tail, but I usually just use my man hands and break it open.  My husband likes to use two fingers or a thumb and push out the meat from one end. It comes out in one huge piece.

Melt plenty of butter before hand. I put a stick of real butter, not margarine or any other fake crap, in a small sauce pan on low while the lobsters were cooking.  Oooh and I added a squeeze of lemon to the butter too.

Have a large bowl on the table to collect the juices and shell.  This is messy! I break apart my lobster over the big bowl because you may have some suprises inside. Eggs or leftover lobster poop may be something you find.  If you see bright red or orange pieces inside the tail, just take them out or eat em! They are eggs that haven't been released yet but some people think they're pretty tasty.  If you see a greenish substance, just rinse it off or leave it and eat it too!

I served my lobsters with Garlicky Roasted Green Beans and Twice Baked and Loaded Potatoes. Dessert was Strawberry Shortcake with homemade sweet biscuits and fresh whipped cream. 


Here's a link to some photos of someone painstakingly waiting to eat their lobster in order to get each shot of what I described above.  It's alot of work but that's the fun of eating it and there's no one there to stare at you while you eat with a silly plastic bib tied around your neck. And it beats paying close to $100 for lobster dinner for two.


Seriously, don't forget your bib. And napkins. Lots of em.


You're Welcome.

30 Days of Grilled Cheese...Damn right I did

I had no intention of taking on a task like this. But, on March 31st, when I read the following day would be the official start to an entire month dedicated to everyone's favorite comfort food, I gladly accepted the challenge..brought on by my husband. I think it was a secret ploy to get me to make him somethings he loves everyday. 

~Day 1~

Tomato and American Cheese with a side of yellow mustard on Whole Wheat...my go to favorite

~Day 2~ 

Caramelized Onions, Cream Cheese, American, Cheddar and Mozzarella on Whole Wheat

~Day 3 ~ 

Cheddar Cheese, Bacon and Fresh Pineapple on Potato Bread...Hawaii Throw Back

~Day 4 ~ 

Mediterranean Grilled Cheese with Feta Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers 

and Spinach on Vienna Bread

~ Day 5 ~

Turkey Club with Bacon, Avocado, Tomato and American Cheese on Whole Wheat Potato

~ Day 6 ~ 

Quesadilla Grilled Cheese with Avocado, Cheddar Cheese, Tomato, Cilantro, 

Hot Pepper Relish and Cholula on a Multi grain Wrap

~ Day 7 ~

 Pizza Grilled Cheese with Ricotta, Parmagiana , Mozzarella, Provolone and Pepperoni 

on Italian Bread with a side of homemade marinara sauce

~ Day 8 ~ 

Grilled Cheese with Cheddar, Bacon and Apple Slices

~ Day 9 ~

Muffelatta inspired Grilled Cheese with Pepper Ham, Salami, Provolone, 

Green Olive Tapenade and Roasted Red Peppers on Onion Rye

~ Day 10 ~ 

Grilled Cheese with Spinach, Artichokes, Provolone and Asiago Cheese on

  Whole Wheat Potato Bread

~ Day 11 ~ 

Grilled Cheese with Swiss Cheese and Ham on Onion Rye with Coarse Ground Mustard

~ Day 12 ~

 Cuban inspired Grilled Cheese with Ham, Cheddar, Green Olives on Italian Bread

My favorite grilled cheese!

~ Day 13 ~ 

Veggie Grilled Cheese with Feta, Avocado, Roasted Red Peppers and 

Hummus on Italian Bread

 ~ Day 14~ 

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese with Shredded Chicken, Frank's Red Hot, 

Cheddar and Blue Cheese Crumbles

~ Day 15~ 

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese with Cheddar, Cream Cheese, 

Chipotle Gouda and Fresh Jalapenos

~ Day 16 ~ 

Caprese Grilled Cheese with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Fresh Basil and

 Balsamic Drizzle on Italian Bread

~ Day 17~
Loaded Baked Potato Grilled Cheese with Homemade Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes,
Cheddar Cheese and Bacon

~ Day 18~ 
Chicken Ranch Grilled Cheese with Sauteed Red Onions, Cheddar Cheese,
Ranch Dressing and Bacon on Rye

~ Day 19 ~
BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese with Cheddar Cheese and Sweet Baby Ray's

~ Day 20 ~ 
Mac n' Cheese Grilled Cheese with Chipotle Gouda and Swiss Cheese

 

~ Day 21 ~ 

Loose Meat Grilled Cheese with Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms, Ground Beef, 

5 Cheese Beschamel Sauce, topped with Chipotle Gouda and Mayo

This was my husband's favorite. Kinda tasted like hamburger helper!

~ Day 22 ~

 Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto, Tomato and Four Cheese Blend on Italian Bread

~ Day 23 ~ 

Reuben Grilled Cheese with Roasted Turkey, Sauerkraut,
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing and Swiss Cheese on Marble Rye

~Day 24 ~

Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese with Pepper Jack and 4 Blend Cheese on Multi grain Whole Wheat

~Day 25~ 

Grilled Cheese with Fresh Strawberries, Brie, Bacon Crumbles and Honey on Wheat Bread

~ Day 26 ~ 

Grilled Cheese with Tiramisu Marscapone, Fresh Raspberries and
Dark Chocolate Ganache on Sweet Bread

My favorite dessert one!

~ Day 27~
Grilled Cheese with Cream Cheese, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips on Sweet Bread

~ Day 28~
 Grilled Cheese with Marscapone and Ricotta Cannoli Filling with
Chocolate Chips on Sweet Bread

~Day 29~ 

Grilled Cheese with Goat Cheese, Noni's Homemade Peach Preserves and 

Brown Sugar on Sweet Bread

~ Day 30 ~

 Grilled Cheese with Goat Cheese, Nutella and Banana Slices on Sweet Bread

This was my husband's favorite dessert one!

I didn't include any recipes for these since I figured they're all pretty self explanatory. But if you want to know anything more about assembly or ingredients, just ask! The most important tip I can offer when it comes to grilled cheese is to thoroughly butter your pan. Do not use a cooking spray! I have to give my husband credit for this technique. Take a stick of butter and unwrap a little bit of one end. Use it directly on the pan, which should be at medium low, to evenly and lightly coat it with the perfect amount of butter. Always repeat before flipping to get a nice toasty brown top and bottom. If you have a thick sandwich, you may want to put some weight on it using a plate.  If the cheese is not as "melty" as you would like, just pop it in the microwave for about ten seconds. Just don't burn your grilled cheese and take pictures of it then post them on instagram.

You're Welcome.

Three Meals, One Meat

Steak tips. Try them. They're from the part of a cow not really exercised which results in the moistest, juiciest most succulent piece of meat....especially marinated for several hours.  If you don't typically like steak because of its texture, you must at least try steak tips.  I came across The Butcher's Blog that had some great ideas and info on cooking steak.

Grilled is our favorite way to eat them... and mostly everything else. It literally takes about 8 minutes to cook these since they're not very thick. I throw them in a ziploc baggie in the morning with some marinade...usually some kind of teriyaki sauce...and my husband grills them when it's time for dinner while I prep the sides...grilled sweet potatoes and crispy asparagus fries.

 We had a bunch of steak tips to cook and as delicious as they were, we couldn't eat them all. I ate all the potatoes and veggies so I had to do something else with the steak. My husband is not a big fan of leftovers.

This is an attachment from my Cuisinart emulsion blender
 that I use ALL the time

Between all the grilled cheeses I figured we needed a nice salad. In my fridge, I had fresh cilantro, lime and avocado. This has to be one of my absolute favorite food combinations. If it was an ice cream flavor, I'd eat it. I pureed this with some fresh garlic, olive oil, fresh pepper relish made from my garden and a little bit of water to smooth it out. That's it. Drizzle it over some romaine, red onion, and tomatoes with last night's teriyaki steak tips...you have a brand new meal. My husband loved it and even took it for lunch the next day. So fresh and so clean!

Even after the salad we still had some steak left. I had some cherry tomatoes left in my fridge that were a little wrinkly...definitely not ones that would pop nicely in your mouth. I could never throw them away, so I made a sort of pico de gallo with them using fresh jalapenos, red onion, lime juice, olive oil and fresh garlic.  I also had some avocado dressing left and always have black beans. We used to be huge fans of refried beans but I switched over to black beans and will never go back. They're healthier and much more appealing to look at.  Slice up some steak..I had some cooked chicken too left over from my grilled cheeses. Grab your Cholula, spicy cheeses, whole wheat tortillas, and some sour cream. Chow time.

 

You're Welcome.

Thai Food... you can do it

Amidst my grilled cheese and cupcake frenzy, I did find time to make some amazingly delicious Thai food. If you've never eaten Thai, don't be afraid to try it. I always describe it as the healthier version of Chinese, and who doesn't love Chinese. And who doesn't hate feeling like absolute crap after you eat it all. Thai food is just as pricy as Chinese but without that "I'm laying on the couch for the rest of the night and never eating again" feeling.  If you're eating Chinese for dinner, plan on having a romantic date night with your couch and  if you're lucky, your bathroom.

In my town, we have tons of Thai restaurants to choose from. They just popped up all of a sudden and haven't stopped. Thai food is not overly loaded with a lot grease and oil and typically uses fresh ingredients that all blend together to create a harmonious dish hitting on each taste sense...salty, sour, sweet and spicy...and delicious!

I've made Thai noodles lots of times and usually make a peanut sauce, with peanut butter. That's the only way I could introduce it to my husband who is obsessed with peanut butter. I happen to have a can of real coconut milk which I used for cupcake frosting recently. I've always got some veggies on hand, fresh and frozen.  I used cabbage in this recipe because I had some, but would have preferred bean sprouts. My grocery store does not sell them anymore for some reason!  Carrots, check. Soy sauce, check. Chicken, check. This dish could be made with shrimp as well or even without meat.  Traditionally, rice noodles are used but at almost $7 per tiny little package, I'll make do with veggie noodles for $1.00.  Here's what I did...and devoured.


Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Serves 2 with leftover for lunch the next day

Quarter of a head of cabbage, shredded
Cup of broccoli, mine was frozen
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of chicken or beef broth, I used beef
1/4 cup of coconut milk
Curry powder, use to taste
1 tsp Fish sauce
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 big chicken breast
1/2 package of noodles, I used Ronzoni Garden Delight Fettuccine
Fresh Cilantro
Lime
Olive oil
Siracha Chili Sauce, to taste

Get a pot of water boiling to cook your noodles. Don't forget to add some salt to the water for added flavor.

Meanwhile, cut your chicken into chunks and cook in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Stir frequently to get the chicken to cook on all sides.

While your chicken is cooking and your water is heating up, prep your veggies. I used a grater to shred my carrots. I chopped my cabbage into long, skinny pieces. I opened my bag of frozen broccoli.

Your water should be boiling by now, so cook according to directions or al dente.


Once your chicken is done, put in on a plate and set aside. I usually drain some of the excess juices from it.

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in the pan, I used the same one as the chicken since it was cooked. Add your cabbage and your carrots. Cover and let cook for a few minutes while you stir your noodles, mince your garlic and chop your cilantro. Just the leaves, no stems.

 

Stir the cabbage and carrots around. Add your broccoli. Add your spices and liquids too. Last add your garlic and chopped cilantro.

The noodles should be done by now so strain those.

Add your cooked chicken back into the pan with the veggies and combine well. Lower the heat and let cook together for another few minutes, no more than five.

Once it's all done, combine your noodles and chicken n' veggies in a large bowl. Top with some more fresh cilantro and serve with some lime wedges. This dish tastes a million times better with lime wedges.

Enjoy not feeling like dogshit.

You're welcome.