Are you READY?!?! Return of Grilled Pizzas :)

Believe it or not, Hubs still had not tried Grilled Pizzas!

Hubs' April deployment last year meant he missed a number of things...

He missed the rainy mud season indicative of a New England Spring.  He missed the beautiful shades of green and blossoming flowers of June.  He missed the family BBQs and beach time with friends in July.  He missed the sunsets and s'mores of August.  He missed the VT fall, returning to cool November and making it home just in time for the snow.

Although he was in 100+ degree weather in the middle of a desert, those 7 months away from the beautiful changing seasons must have felt like hibernation.

With the official start of summer just around the corner, Hubs has already begun to take in and indulge in all that he missed last year while overseas.  He has taken back the duty of mowing our lawn, trimming our trees, working on the garden, etc...it's pretty great to have a man around the house again :)

Can you believe I've been so absent minded to forget Hubs had not experienced the ease, versatility and tastiness of the grilled pizza?!?!

Pizza 1:  Tomato, Basil, Olive Oil

 

Big Pizza 2:  Spinach and Garlic Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, Bell Peppers and Red Onion

Pizza 3:  Leftovers from Pizza 1 and Big Pizza 2 with Turkey Pepperoni...'The Supreme'

(btw did you know Turkey Pepperoni has 70% less fat than the regular stuff and still tastes pretty darn good?!?!)

 

Fresh Mozzarella for all 3 Grilled Pizza Creations

Homemade pizza sauce for Big Pizza 2 and Pizza 3.

The sauce was a simmered combo of Canned Roma Tomatoes (2010 garden), tomato paste, fresh thyme (2011 garden), garlic, red pepper flake and salt/pepper. 

This sauce was super concentrated flavor with a spicy bite!

 

Over by the Naan in our grocery store, I noticed this new round Flatbread Pizza Crust, so thought we'd give it a whirl!

All the toppings were piled on and they hit the grill.

(In case you need a quick refresher...before piling on, I brush the bottoms of the crust with a bit of canola oil, and then the tops with some olive oil.  The goodies are piled on and the pizzas are grilled over indirect heat)

 

Big Pizza 2 on top of the new Flatbread Crust (which I will buy again).

 

Pizza 1 and Pizza 3 on Garlic Naan, yum!

Fresh Basil was added to finish off Pizza 1 and...

 

and Pizza 3

 

Big Pizza 2 all melty and done

After spending years in search of a good pizza joint for us, we thought we had found 'The One' just a couple months ago.  Let me tell you...these grilled beauties tasted so good, Hubs said they were the best pizzas we'd had in a long time...and better than pizza from 'The One'!

While it's nice to hear such positive remarks on the grilled pizza creations...'The One' is still going to be our go-to when even grilled pizzas are too much and I simply need a night off from the kitchen  ;)

My Memorial Day

We had a busy, productive, relaxing day...

Pups was chillin' and blowing bubbles.

Pretty good one eh?

I am not sure what it was, but this Memorial Day was one of the most satisfying days I've had off from work in a long time. 

I did not do anything special. 

Actually, my day was rather uneventful...

Early AM walk with Pups, breakfast, nap in the sun, grocery shopping, a bit of gardening, the dreaded hosing (aka bath) for Pups, washed the car, lounged, took another nap in the sun and then made dinner.

It was the first day that it really felt like summer was almost here :)

To finish off the most perfect weekend, I made a summer inspired dinner.

A Refreshing Salad

(Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, Balsamic, Olive Oil, and Salt/Pepper.)

and Grilled Steak Tips.

It was honestly and truly the most relaxed of times...as I sit here now recounting the experience, I think I'm already due for another!

Girls Night - More Grilled Pizza

Alright, since the recent grilled pizza creations have been all the rage, I am officially declaring July as the Official Grilled Pizza Month.

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That is not to say I will not enjoy grilled pizzas from this point on, but my goal is to make them less frequently. Next July we can go overboard again, perhaps make a challenge of it...Grilled Pizza 3 x Day could be interesting or how about Grilled Pizza _____. We have a year to fill in that blank and so with this post I officially also declare the end to Grilled Pizza Month.
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Alright have you gotten the hint yet? I'm having dinner with Blue Light (aka Girls' Night!).

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Though she does not consider herself a picky eater...she kind of is.

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I text'ed, 'do you like shrimp' and the reply was 'NO!'

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I asked 'do you eat goat cheese?' and received no response.

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Since she was unsurprisingly running late, I decided to just pick up the phone to find out what she wanted for dinner.

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I asked if she liked goat cheese and she didn't know.

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Then I asked if she liked arugula (I have a TON from the garden right now) and her reply was 'arug-a-what?'

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I also know she does not care for - fresh tomatoes, salad dressing, anything spicy, etc. Beginning to get a bit flustered for something to come up with, she did offer a helpful bit of advice...'just make something simple.'

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Right, keep it simple stupid!

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White naan, store bought tomato sauce and fresh thyme from the garden.

I LOVE thyme in my tomato sauce, yum!
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I do know that one of Blue Light's most favorite things to eat is fresh mozzarella and prosciutto.
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Piled high, this pizza was dedicated to her.
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Now for my likings :)

Pink Lady apples, brie...

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and some applewood smoked ham woven in!

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The pizzas were grilled...

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and we're done in no time!

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Everything was melted and toasty.

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Since we've had this combo before, it was no surprise that it was tasty. What I didn't expect was how the other one would come out...

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It was freakin' AMAZING!!!

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I am not kidding when I say amazing either, it really hit the spot!
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The apples were not runny like the peaches from the last post. The brie was the perfect cheese to use. And the ham? Well the ham's edges toasted up and the smokey pork flavor brought it all together wonderfully.
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You really need to try this one! Even Blue Light loved it.

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During our fun evening, I did discuss her pickiness with her. She has now decided she will try everything once, including those things she doesn't think she likes :)
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I am happy and satisfied to be leaving you all with this final Grilled Pizza Month Post...it really is something!

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While I hope to get another post or two up this week, I may be dropping off for a while. I'm Cape-bound (WOOOHOOOO!) and reuniting with some of my dear college buddies for the annual summer gathering, can't wait!!!

Good in Theory...

We're going from WOW! with the Tuesday night taco fusion straight to...um, ok.

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From a recent physical at the MDs in the last week, I took away a few of things...

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1) All systems go - meaning everything checked out a-ok.

2) Women are only supposed to have 1-2 alcoholic beverages at a sitting...I think I knew that, but have so conveniently ignored the advice up to this point.

3) There are a couple habits to kick before Hubs' return...received lecture from Doc, check! Plan of attack, double check!!

4) I need to eat more fruit...

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Haha! I know it was a pretty good visit, right?!?! Happy and healthy is all you could ask for...but of the various points I took home, there is just one that's been on my mind - EAT MORE FRUIT!

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On the way home from the visit, I decided I would test my newest thoughts for the next grilled pizza creation...peaches!

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There have been some delicious Southern peaches at the local grocery making it the perfect time to put my plan into action. I pitted, sliced and arranged the peaches on whole wheat naan.
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My idea was to capture a salty/sweet combo on this one...
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so I picked up 6 slices of prosciutto from the deli counter.
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This time around I went with the VT made smoked mozzarella.

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(Sweet + Salty + Smokey) + Grilled = ?
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At least the color combo is purdy!

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I will shamefully admit FB and the blog distracted me a bit during the grill period...
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not a good thing :(

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Though I suspect it may have also been the whole wheat naan choice as well...never have the white variations burned up like this. We'll give it another try with the whole wheat, but I'm not optimistic.

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Next time I will also grill the peaches before putting them on the pizza...you know kick things up a notch.

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All in all it was an okay pizza creation, certainly not as good as the two previously posted. If I use peaches again (which I really want to make work), I think I will grill the peaches first, stick to white naan, use a different cheese and maybe even try a different meat. Suggestions are of course welcome!!

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Also on the drawing board - I'm contemplating an attempt for a grilled dessert pizza ;O)

No Hubs = Girls' Night!

The summers are for parties and just because Hubs is gone that is no excuse for me not to host one...in fact it is the perfect setting for a 'Girls' Night'!!!

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I love having fresh flowers in the house. Early on in our cohabitant years, I would occasionally buy bouquets or be semiannually gifted them from Hubs to decorate the house. Since then fresh flowers have fallen into the 'unnecessary expense' category. Hubs is like my Superman when if comes to finances and so at some point in the last few years I decided flowers were not a 'necessary expense'.

The white peonie above was rescued from a snapped stem from our flower beds...the cost was nothing and look at just how fabulously it decorates our coffee table!

Though fresh flowers might be an unnecessary expense when you're trying to save, it becomes a mood lifter when you're trying to just get through life one day at time. With Hubs gone, I fall into the later category and figured the smile these bring is well worth the cost.

There was also one small bunch of peonies hiding in the flower cooler, so I snatched those up as well (I love peonies!).

When it came to the cooking I had my right hand gal on hand to help. Better known to you as my Redneck BFF (let's call her Blue Light), she had her sleeves rolled up, drinking hat on and dove right in...

Of course I had the menu already roughly planned (remember I am a constant planner by nature), but Blue Light decided at the grocery store that she really wanted to contribute a dish of her own. Aiding her with the inspiration, we decided on a pizza-app...

The go-to Shipyard store bought crust topped with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto, served with a side of tasty bottled marinara...BIG HIT!

What added to this pizza's specialness was the use of the pizza stone...works like a charm every time :o)

Quick summary of the pizza -

Preheat Oven the 500 degrees with pizza stone in the middle of oven.

Place refrigerated dough in large bowl, coat with flour and allow to come to room temperature (it will rise a bit during this time).

Stretch dough and place on cornmeal covered pizza peel or cookie sheet.

Brush the top of the pizza with a wee bit of olive oil (garlic olive oil is my fav).

Top with mozzarella and prosciutto.

Transfer from peel (or baking sheet) directly onto the pizza stone and drop the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Cook until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

Nice work Blue Light :o)

Inspired by The Future Mrs. Creature's Mother's creation, I was determined to create spring rolls at home as another app for this Girls' Night.

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The filling was a combination of cooked and cooled vermicelli noodles and mix of napa cabbage, carrot sticks, mung beans, cilantro, lime juice and fish sauce. The meats added included chicken breasts poached in Thai green curry chicken stock and straight up cooked shrimp.

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The filling tasted wonderful, but the technique in rolling them was a challenge. My good friends T/T came to my rescue, arriving just in time to take over rolling. Since then I've practiced one more time, but for the life of me cannot figure out how the restaurants get them so tight and perfect?!?! Tips anyone??

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Accompanying these delicious spring rolls was this outstanding sauce, courtesy of Emeril and made by Blue Light...it's so gosh darn good that I ended up making another batch a week later and used it on more spring rolls and some pasta, YUM!!!!

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Peanut Sauce (Nuoc Leo):
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1 fresh red Thai chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced, optional
Sriracha sauce, for garnishing, optional
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Heat the oil in a small saucepan and, when hot, add the garlic, chile paste, and tomato paste, and cook until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, sugar, peanut butter and hoisin sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before serving. Serve in small bowls, garnished with the peanuts, sliced chiles and optional hot sauce. May be served warm or at room temperature.
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The rest of dinner was kept simple, so as to provide the chance for socializing and general merriment.

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Grilled Pepper Mix.

Perfectly grilled asparagus.

I say perfect here, because the tops had that slight crisp that happens when you have just the right amount of oil and just the right temp...so good!

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Earlier in the week I had the opportunity to visit Hubs and my old stomping ground in MA and made a special trip to the butcher shop.

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Tequila-Lime Marinated Chicken Breast...

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and Steak Tips.

I marinated the steak in a Korean Style Sauce. A couple of friends liked it so much the took the remaining marinade home to use the following day haha! An unfortunate thing did happen during this final step of grilling dinner...we ran out of gas! Don't you just hate that?!?! Well of course we do not have a second tank on hand as back up (though Hubs, I am beginning to think we should!).

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With T/T heading up the meat grilling portion of our evening, we brought the partially cooked beef inside and finished it on a grill pan. It was of course tasty and not bothered by the broken cooking/grill time...phew!

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The night was a great success, filled with laughter, catching up, games, toenail painting (for some unlikely recipients haha) and plenty of food and drinks!

Thank you to all the wonderful hockey girlfriends who made it!!! And a very special thank you to Blue Light for being the great Redneck BFF you are haha!

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I can't wait to have another summer party!!

Parties are fun, parties are good and parties make me smile...especially when I am hosting them =O)

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It does look as though the next party could be as soon as next weekend, as we prepare for our annual benefit ice hockey tournament...Hockey Fights MS! Woohoo!!!!!!!