Grilled Pizza

My favorite dish to make this summer has been grilled pizzas. I love them because they are so easy and make very little mess. I don't have a picture of my pizzas...but next time I make one I will come back and post it. Here is what I do:

Grilled Pizza

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ready-to-bake pizza dough (I get mine at the Whole Foods deli)

Toppings (see below for ideas)

1. Preheat the grill with all burners on high heat.After the grill is very hot, scrape it clean, and turn all burners off except one. In between pizzas turn the burners that are off to high for a few minutes and then turn them off again to generate enough heat to quickly cook the next one.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, prepare the pizza ingredients. Drizzle the olive oil onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Turn the dough in the oil on the baking sheet to coat it, then gently press and pull the dough on the sheet, taking care not to tear it, until you have stretched it out into a large, thin circle or rectangle that will fit on half of your grill rack's surface. Put the sauce in a bowl and have a long-handled spoon ready for spreading it. Have your meat ingredients ready in a bowl as well.
   
   
3. With a long-handled heat-resistant brush or a clean rag held with long-handled tongs, quickly and carefully oil the cooler side of the grill rack, away from the fire. Lift the pizza dough by one edge and quickly, carefully drape it across the cooler side of the grill rack. Immediately cover the grill. After 2 to 3 minutes, check the dough; as soon as it is stiff and you can begin to see dark grill marks through it, use tongs to carefully flip the dough over. Immediately spread the sauce over the dough, sprinkle evenly with the meat. Next, sprinkle the Parmesan, and then scatter the mozzarella on top. Cover the grill and continue cooking until the cheese has melted, about 7 minutes more.
   
   
4. Use a pair of large, long-handled, sturdy spatulas or a baker's peel to remove the pizza from the grill and transfer it to a cutting board or clean baking sheet. With a pizza wheel or a large, sharp knife, cut the pizza into wedges or squares. Serve immediately.

Topping Ideas:

#1 Meat Lovers: Tomato sauce, Thin layer of soprasetta, fresh mozzarella, spicy sausage (cooked), bacon (cooked)

#2 Herb: Pesto spread, herbed goat cheese blobs, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions

#3 Ham and Pineapple: 'nough said

#4 Caprese: Tomato sauce, layer of fresh mozarella and basil leaves (pesto sauce on top is nice touch)

Book of the Month: Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating

I have a bookshelf in my kitchen solely devoted to cookbooks. I am by no means a cookbook collector and from conversations I have had with fellow foodies, have a fraction of the books many of them own. However, I am a quality not quantity person and really just use my books as inspiration for recipes. Some of them I read purely for food knowledge in preparation for a cooking class or party and others I read for sheer wow factor. But seeing as my perfect Saturday morning involves me, a fresh cup of coffee, a dinner party to plan for, and a stack of books I have completely memorized, I thought I might as well share some of my favorites with you.

So one of my favorites for its simplicity in explaining how to find really good food and what to do with it when you do, is Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating by Airi Weinzweig.




I recommend this book to anyone who understands that the ingredients you purchase make all the difference to your meal. If you are ready to splurge on a really good bottle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar, but aren't sure where to start or even how to use it, this book is for you. With chapters on olive oil, pasta, rice...and more, each section begins with the basics. You will learn how these food staples are created and what makes them unique from each other. There are also dozens of really yummy recipes at the end of each chapter so you can try out the fun foods you are buying.

This is a great book for a beginner cook and for those of us who have been cooking for years and years. A perfect gift and a fun read; if you pick it up, let me know what you think!

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

One of the easiest cookie recipes I know...perfect for kids. I have no idea where I first heard it, or I would give full credit.


(so this isn't a pic of my cookies...I don't have one on hand, but I will take one next time I bake)

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter (I ground my own nuts because I am a dork)
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix and form balls to place on cookie sheet. Dip a large fork in sugar and press flat part of fork into the cookie horizontally and vertically. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes or until browning on edges.

Because there isn't any flour these tend to get pretty crispy after a day, so I recommend eating right away. On the flip side this is the perfect gluten-free cookie recipe.

On Simon and Prepared Food

A few weeks ago I posted on my lapse of interest in cooking due to mono. To the astonishment of many, I decided to purchase prepared foods from the local Twin Cities through Simon Delivers. And as promised, I am relaying my findings. The bottom line is don't. And I don't think this advice is due to my pampered palate. Even my husband turned his nose up at some of the offerings. While these meals were made with love and had excellent instructions on how to prepare them with very little effort, they were either too salty or too bland.


Here is what we tried:

Complete Recipe Beef Chuck Pot Roast with Vegetables - way way too salty

Ginger Garlic Chicken With Coconut Sticky Rice Really Cool Foods - really strong on the lime and ginger, not edible

Amy's Whole Meal - Black Bean Enchilada with Spanish Rice and Beans - jury is out, haven't tried it yet

Complete Recipe Beef Fajita - Ready to Cook - This one was pretty good, though we added many many ingredients as it was only beef, onions and peppers.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies - These were the best of the lot

Sociale Gourmet Sociale Four Cheese Mac - Totally bland, needed breadcrumbs or something

Waiter, there is a hair...

Ask my friend Sandra, there is nothing worse than finding hair in your food. And believe me, if anyone can find it, she will. Being the owner of a rambunctious four-year old lab who thinks he is sous chef means I am always on hair control. For the last year I have been wanting a Roomba to come and save me. Even if it is just a kitchen Roomba, solely focused on dog hair, I would be happy. Unlike most kitchens, my sous chef is mainly responsible for all food found on the floor, and really does an admirable job. Which just leaves the hair...

I checked out the Roomba site today and was impressed (read overwhelmed) by all the options. They even have a pool and gutter cleaning robot.


So why an article on Roomba's today? The Wall Street Journal had a great article on Roomba's and your pets yesterday. Some pets have trouble adjusting to the idea of a mini vacuum running around during the day and have been known to disembowel them. I find this somewhat ironic as the Roomba was probably purchased to sweep up behind these royal fur balls. Clearly a pecking order has already been established.

Anyway, Roomba support groups have recommendations for harmony between four legged creatures and these bots. One gentleman took the advice to heart and the next time his Roomba rolled through the room he scolded it loudly in front of his dog, "Bad Roomba, Bad Roomba". On equal footing once again the dog and Roomba are now coexisting happily together.

So there is the Roomba (vacuum), the Scooba (floor washing), the Dirt Dog (shop sweeping), the Verro (pool cleaning), and the Looj (gutters). Seems like a few are missing to me...where are the "Hand Washing and Drying" and "Folding the Laundry" models? So, while I don't have one yet, I can imagine what a Roomba might mean for my life...and my kitchen. I am sure when I finally get one, you will be hearing from me again.

Big Daddy's

We have the ridiculous fortune to live about a mile away from the greatest BBQ in the Twin Cities. Big Daddy's on Dale and University is open Saturdays from 11am - 7pm. Three huge smokers are setup in the parking lot of a small dine-in/carry-out restaurant where you can see Big Daddy himself smoking away.

Ok, so if you haven't heard about this place, and you want more, read Dara's article. No one can say it better than Dara. We haven't seen any of the crazy lines she describes, but then we have been going at odd times of the day.


Big Daddy's has some pork options, chicken and beef ribs. The beef ribs shown in the pic are $18 and by far our favorite so far. The only bad news is that they are only open on Saturday and seeing this picture is making me hungry!

Big Daddy's
(651) 276-3101
609 University Ave W
St Paul, MN 55103

Brunch Recipes

For a recent baby shower I served a brunch and some of the recipes were so fun and easy I thought I would share them with you here:

Maple Sage Patties

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Shape into eight 2-1/2-in. patties. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
   
   
2. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook patties over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Serves 8

Goat Cheese Herbed Frittata

This recipe is a lot of fun because it is a cross between an omelet and a quiche. It is a great way to use up creative odds and ends you have in your fridge.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to cover bottom of pan)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped (or other herbs)
• 10 eggs, beaten for 1 minute
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup cooked protein (such as sausage, bacon or smoked salmon)
  
• 2 tablespoons milk (optional)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• 8 ounce herbed goat cheese (or other cheese, I also like to add brie without the rind)
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
   
   
2. Heat olive oil in an 8 inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat (I like to use my cast iron pan). When the pan has pre-heated add onion, and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until translucent. Add the garlic and herbs and stir briefly to release the flavors.
   
   
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream. Pour over the onion mixture, and stir gently. Scatter lumps of cheese over the top. Cook over medium heat without stirring, until the edges appear firm.
   
   
4. Place the skillet in the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and puffed. Flip onto a serving plate, and cut into wedges to serve.

Serves 4 as breakfast serving, or 8 as one item among many.