I am many things, one thing I am not, is modest about my pizza. I am a firm believer in Boboli pizza shells. As a result, you might claim that my pizza is not really homemade. In response, I ask you who really wants to eat soggy pizza? Most of the time when I make or eat pizza made with dough from scratch and NOT cooked in a pizza oven, that is exactly how it turns out... SOGGY. Since I am making after-work-dinner, I need something that is quick and delicious. So I use Boboli Thin Crust Pizza shells which means every time my pizza is crunchy and fantastic
Ok, enough advertising (and I didn't even get paid for it!) The pizza shell isn't all that makes my pizza amazing, in fact it's so amazing I didn't even get a photo of it before I cut it OR before I took a bite.
When I made pizza the two most important factors are a crunchy crust (which I believe I have already covered) and LOTS of toppings.
This story isn't really about the pizza or the shell, it's about mother daughter cooking from a distance. A couple of weeks ago I was dreaming about a pesto chicken pizza and as I walked home from work I was talking with my Mom on the phone and I told her what I was thinking. Her response was, "Wow, that sounds amazing, I am going to make that for dinner too!"
What's cool is that I am a avid cook because my Mom is a great cook. She reinvented her cooking to be more healthy when I was around 10 and at the same time made herself an AMAZING chef. I didn't complain before when we were eating sloppy joes and homemade mac & cheese (who would?) As an adult, I appreciate all the effort that she put into cooking healthy, which probably has a lot to do with how healthy JR and I eat. Having lots of healthy pizza toppings is just part of this.
So any way, back to the pizza, it was really quite simple. First I took a Boboli pizza shell and spread it with pesto. Then I took some chicken and I grilled it up in a black pepper marinade from McCormick. This is a total family secret, and since I am letting it loose, go buy this stuff right now.
I sliced the chicken nice and thin and put it on the pizza with a topping of sun dried tomatoes.
Then I sauteed some red and green peppers and sweet onions which I season liberally with red pepper (did I mention I like my spice?) I threw a heaping bunch of peppers and onions on the pizza and covered it with LOTS of mozzarella.
The second secret of the night is to place the pizza directly on the oven rake before baking it according to the Boboli instructions on the pack. This will insure it's crunchy-ness. The pizza was great and we really enjoyed it.
The cool thing is my Mom totally spun the recipe on her own and then sent me photos! She used broccoli instead of the red peppers and feta cheese instead of the mozzarella. Knowing her track record, I am sure it was also an amazing pizza!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
World's Best Homemade Pizza
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Chocolate Peanut Butter Orgasms
My work place is a place of unending surprises and devilish temptations. I have already told you about the kitchen with the amazing never end supply of diet-breaking-goodies. On top of that I have some freaking amazing bakers who bring me goodies from their kitchen a couple times a week, and I am powerless to stop myself from eating it ALL.
I mentioned AE and her amazing cookies to blow your mind last week. What I didn't tell you was that her baking streak continued to Dulce De Leche stuffed cookies and then on to my favorite, chocolate cherry cheesecake stuffed cookies. This did nothing but add a full 5lbs to my bottom and convince my friend and co-worker DA that he needed to get in on the action and start baking as well.
DA is no amateur when it comes to the baking game. I have almost blogged about him on 2 separate occasions, neither time stopping because his chocolate chocolate chip cookies and 7 layer bars were not worthy, but instead because I am a lazy food blogger. This week changed everything when he pulled me out of my blogging stump with his Chocolate Peanut Butter Orgasms (my name for these delightful I-need-to-get-back-in-a-bikini-diet-breakers not his.)
They were the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter, and he did something to the peanut butter to make it sweet and a little crumbly like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. In all honesty, these cookies were like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on CRACK! This is really saying something, since I am not a huge peanut butter fan (I know it's almost sacrilege) and even I thought these were amazing.
He was willing to share the recipe and it's below. I haven't tried to make it myself, but it was too good to pass up or pass along. Make these (JL&JL, go make them NOW seriously!) and then sit at home all weekend and eat them by yourself!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
This is Why You Are Fat
My friend on Twitter, @gracekboyle just sent me this link and I have to tell you it might be one of the best sites I have ever seen.
This is Why You Are Fat . com
That's right, it's a site of photos and descriptions of food that explain why we are fat. Believe me, every item is outrageous, awesome and slightly disgusting. These examples are pretty much the Mac Daddy of the Bacon Explosion.
The best part is everyone can submit their own for inclusion on the site. I might have to come up with something JUST to get on this site.
Here is one example for the road.
Taco Town Taco
Saturday Night Live-inspired: crunchy beef taco with nacho cheese, lettuce, tomato and southwestern sauce wrapped in a soft flour tortilla with a layer of refried beans in between, then wrapped in a corn tortilla with a layer of Monterey Jack cheese in a deep fried gordita shell with guacamole sauce baked in a corn husk topped with pico de gallo, wrapped in a crepe, filled with egg, griere cheese, sausage and portobello mushrooms, all wrapped in a chicago-style deep dish pizza wrapped in a blueberry pancake and finally deep fried with spicy vegetarian chili dipping sauce.
