grilled pizza goodness

I don't know about you, but in the summer I absolutely hate using my oven. I try to cook as many meals as I possibly can on the grill. It's so fun to be outside grilling up some dinner while my kiddos play in the baby pool or slide on the slip and slide. I can't tell you how many outfit changes we have each day in the summer, or how often I run inside to grab something and come back out to find two totally nude boys splashing around in the pool. I have apologized to all of my neighbors and tried to keep them dressed as best I can, but kids will be kids. Heck, on some of those really hot days I wish I could be naked, too (although I think my neighbors would be a little less okay with that).
Last night I made the most wonderful pizza...on the grill. It is so yummy and easy, and because the pizzas are small personal sized, they can be custom-made. That means I get to have my veggie-loaded pizza, my husband can have his meat-covered pizza, and the kids can have cheese.  I always make my dough homemade. It is really easy to do, and can be made in the morning and left to rise all day, so when it's time for dinner, you have perfectly bubbly, airy crust. I use 3 cups of flour (you can mix wheat and white), 1 tsp of yeast, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of kosher salt, and about a cup of hot water. I pop all the dry stuff in the cuisinart and slowly add the liquids while it's pulsing. Once a dough ball forms, knead it out a bit and let it rise for hours in an oiled bowl. Too easy.
For my pizza last night I used a caesar dressing for the sauce, tomatoes, basil, zucchini (because this time of year EVERYTHING should have zucchini in it), mushrooms, and a 4 cheese blend of shredded italian cheese. I would totally have put feta on, but I was out and too lazy to go to the store. It was delicious. For my husband's pizza I used deli salami instead of pepperoni, roasted pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, and I snuck in some zucchini. my kids like raw veggies better than cooked, so they got cheese pizza with zucchini slices on the side. We were all in heaven.
The trick to getting perfect grilled pizza is flipping the dough. I brush olive oil on th dough lightly and put it on the grill for 5-7 minutes. Then I flip it and add the toppings. The result is a pizza that can handle fresh toppings without getting horribly soggy or burning the cheese. The grill marks on the dough are pretty beautiful, too. Once you see the bottom browning and crisping up and the toppings looking soft and melty, you know it's ready.
Have you ever had grilled pizza? What's your favorite kind?

cinco de mayo deliciosity

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite days is Cinco de Mayo.  It just seems so fun to be able to have a little "fiesta" in the middle of the week.  Plus, I love Mexican food, and any excuse to get down on some yummy tacos or enchiladas...I'm game.

Yesterday I made what is probably the greatest meal ever.  It was amazing.  Delicious.  Yummy. Wow.  I made a rub of ancho chile powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, sea salt, pepper, and brown sugar and coated pork tenderloin medallions. Then, I put them in the crock pot and added a little chicken broth, lime juice, and a whole lot of garlic and cooked it on low all day long. I ended up with the most flavorful shredded pork on the planet.  Yum. 

Since the pork was rich and spicy, I decided to make a really fresh, easy salsa-ish side to put on top. I put onions, tomatoes, a jalapeno pepper, a ton of cilantro, and some lime juice in the food processer and pulsed it until everything was finely minced.  It smelled delicious and fresh, and was just what the pork needed.

Finally, I whipped up some homemade tortillas. I used to buy tortillas, but it is so easy to make them, and they really taste much better homemade. I combine 3 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, about 5 tbsp lard (I know, but it is so yummy), and about 1 1/4 cups of water. I divide the dough up into small pieces and roll them as flat as I can, then cook them in a really hot frying pan for a minute or so on each side.  I know they are ready to be flipped when they start getting brown spots on them.  I also put paper towels between them while they are cooling, so the moisture doesn't make them soggy. 

I always serve my soft tacos with butter and cilantro white rice, black beans, lettuce, cheese, and guacamole (of course).  Whenever I make these I overeat, but it is totally worth it! 

As a side note, I have started eating lots more pork tenderloin lately. It is one of the better meats for runners, and although it can be a little on the pricey side, they are small and so when they go on sale I stock up.  Also, I have found that kids eat better if they can use their hands, so rolling anything up in a tortilla is a good idea for the kiddos.  Plus, you can hide lots of veggies in there!

urban fun in a rural world

Okay, I don't exactly live in Urban America.  I don't have a Whole Foods, where I can go sip trendy wines and sample the latest organic foods.  I live in a small, college town in the middle of the country.  It is sometimes difficult to find things to do in town that don't involve binge drinking Old Mill Light and eating hamburger/cheese product dip.  However, last night the local grocery store, Hy-Vee, had a wine tasting event, where they sampled 6 different wines and paired each with a different appetizer.  Since we NEVER get to do fun things like this, we decided to go.
I am so glad we did! It was a lot of fun, and I was actually able to try out a few wines that I hadn't had before, which is always fun.  Here are a few that I especially loved.  However, I must first give a disclaimer that I am, by no means, a wine expert.  I will not be describing these wines by their nose, flower, or whatever else goes into an educated wine description.  No, this is a completely ignorant lady discussing some wines she drank at the local grocery store last night.  Reader beware....

This particular wine is a Chilean wine called Carmenere.  I had never had a Carmenere before. It is a red, and is very smooth and yummy.  I got a very strong cherry taste, with just a little bit of a spicy bite.  It was fab!  The best part...it's under ten bucks!  I do like my wine, but I am also a bit of a cheapskate. I usually limit myself to buying wines under ten dollars.  I am sure I miss out on a lot of yummy wines, and I am sure that at a later point in my life I will change this, but since I have lots of kids and not lots of money, I stick to the sub ten prices. I could absolutely see pairing this with a nice flank steak or other red meat.  Yummy.

Another red that I really liked was the Red Diamond Merlot.  I do not generally like Merlot all that much, as I think it tastes kind of bitter, so didn't have high hopes for this one. Our wine host last night introduced merlots as a great go-to wine if you are taking a bottle for a party with lots of different palettes.  I don't really agree with this, and think that a Pinot Noir is a better choice for a go to red...but again, see the above disclosure!  At any rate, this particular merlot would be a good one for a party.  The thing that separated this from other merlots for me was that it had a very fruity taste.  I got a lot of plum in the wine, and I really liked it.  To me, the presence of fruit kind of takes the bitter taste away.  Again...see above disclosure. Another great feature...also under ten bucks!

Since we are going into warmer weather (yay), I would be remiss if I didn't also mention a white wine here somewhere. Bogle Chardonnay was my favorite white of the evening.  Although I have had this particular wine before, it has been some time. I used to be a Reisling drinker, but it has started getting too sweet for me.  I don't usually like Chardonnay (so I thought), because it usually has such an oakey taste that is not pleasing to me.  The Bogle, however, is fairly unoakey, and almost has a buttery taste, which I loved.  I will most definitely be drinking some of this this summer. This one runs slightly higher, around $11 for the bottle, but since we went to the tasting we got a discount, so I bought a couple of bottles for my sub ten price.  Yay!


The food we had to eat was yummy, as well, but only one dish truly deserves mention.  The Savory Pecan-Crusted Bleu Cheese Bites were, hands down, the absolute show stopper.  OMG can you say delicious?  I wish I had a picture for you, but I don't.  I plan to make this dish for Easter, and will definitely be getting some pics up.  Let me just say that at the tasting there were about 40 women.  When this dish was served, it was completely quiet.  Yep.  It was that good.  It's not a low fat dish, but really yummy, and a small piece won't hurt you.  Here is the recipe:

2 cups toasted pecans, finely chopped
1 1/2 oz parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
4oz bleu cheese, crumbled
1/2 c sour cream
3 eggs

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine pecans, parmesan, sugar, and butter in mixing bowl, and press mixture onto bottom of medium-sized sheet pan. Bake 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together cream cheese, bleu cheese, sour cream, and eggs until smooth; pour over crust. Bake 20-23 minutes or until center is set; remove to cooling racks until room temperature. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
3. To serve, cut into 48 triangles. Top with thinly sliced fruit, if desired.

Again...yum.  And what a fun night!  My only complaint is that, at the end of the night, the store manager started pitching their cheap cafeteria dinners that they serve every night.  I am sure it is a great deal, but these women all just paid $10 to drink wine and eat goat cheese and prosciutto ham.  I sincerely doubt we are the same target market as your cheap meal customer.  How about maybe plugging the gourmet food and cheese section? I know my business brain works overtime a lot...but that seems kind of obvious.  Pardon the rant. Speaking of business...my friend and I absolutely used our aquaBling...and everyone loved them.  They were a hit!  I opted for the red butterfly. It's a favorite of mine!

I strongly suggested they have another one, maybe with a grilling theme.  Maybe this is an indication of how badly I want this to be a regular occurrence....I was actually sitting at the table planning a menu for the next one.  And, I don't even work there.  Wow.  I had so much fun that I bought 4 bottles of wine to take home.  I am not sure when I will get the opportunity to drink all those, since marathon training has pretty much ruined my cocktailing.  After May 15...look out wine!