Lazy Person Pizza

So on Monday night I made pizza for my family from a recipe I found on dinnercakes.com (http://www.dinnercakes.com/2009/04/spinach-and-mushroom-pizza-with-moms.html). I was really craving pizza and I asked my dad to go to the grocery store and pick some up for dinner. He came back with raw pizza dough, some marinara sauce, and some mushrooms (because he knows I adore them immensely). So I suddenly became in charge of making pizza for everyone. This recipe was really easy and didn't have too much prep or take a long time to cook which was great because I was starving. I guess I took a few shortcuts as I used a canned sauce and the recipe has instructions for what sounds like a terrific homemade sauce. But I got to use a pizza stone which was really cool! So if you're lazy and you want pizza but you have to make it yourself, I'd say this is your go-to recipe. Spinach and mushrooms can be substituted with anything. Next time I'd probably try olives and sun dried tomato.

So this is my pizza stone. Pretty rad. I greased it so the pizza wouldn't stick.

This is the dough all stretched out and pressed to make a crust. My dad got some herb crust thing. It was really nice because with some pre-made dough the dough comes out a little bland and this one tasted like rosemary.

I put on some olive oil before I poured on the sauce and spread the sauce around with the back of a spoon. The green thing in the sauce is a basil leaf.

Really the only prep I had to do was chop up some spinach and some mushrooms. Like my grandma always says, "Don't make the pieces too big or somebody will choke!"

The spinach

The mushrooms

I used mozzarella cheese as that is what I like on my pizza. Feel free to use whatever cheese you prefer. I like a good sauce to cheese ratio on my pizza.

The finished result!

On the table

So the finished result was pretty good. I thought it could have cooked a little longer so the dough could have had time to rise more because I like a thicker crust and this made a very flat crust, but everyone in my family seemed to like it as the whole thing was gone in twenty minutes. Since this was my first time making pizza I think that I would like to do it again and maybe make something a little more exotic (those are my California roots talking. Hello thai and tostada pizza, Chicagoans and New Yorker's beware). But all in all I would say this was a success.

I'll post again tomorrow! But until then, please enjoy this inspiring photo that I took on the rooftop of the Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital parking lot.

K is for Kale

So I have been fascinated by kale ever since I read this article about it (http://www.refinery29.com/kale-smoothie-recipe) on one of my favorite websites, Refinery29.com. The article was about a kale smoothie, but it was also about all the amazing health benefits kale has, like the ability to fight off cancers, nourish your hair, skin, and nails, as well as helping to get ride of under eye circles. It also has a ton of vitamins and is low-cal. I knew I wanted to try to incorporate this super food into one of my meals and I found this super easy recipe for "Baked Crispy Kale" online from SteamyKitchen.com (http://steamykitchen.com/6926-crispy-kale-recipe.html) It was fantastic!

Here's what I did:

This is the kale I purchased yesterday at the farmer's market! For those of you who don't know what kale looks like, here it is. It's a leafy green vegetable that looks like lettuce but isn't.

I then washed and separated all the pieces of kale and towel dried the leaves. I don't have a salad spinner like the recipe suggests I use to dry the kale with, but you know what? Beggars can't be choosers.

I then ripped the kale into bite sized pieces and made sure that all the pieces were separated from their stalks. I put the pieces on a baking sheet.

Then I drizzled olive oil on the kale and made sure to evenly coat them with the oil by mixing it together with my (clean) hands. 

 

I then put the kale in the oven at 325 for twelve minutes. The recipe said not to salt the kale until after it was out of the oven. I paired my kale crisps with this awesome grilled cheese recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Cup of Jo (http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2012/02/best-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-youll.html). This woman is literally a goddess and this grilled cheese was basically heaven. The recipe called for bacon, but I don't like bacon so I made it the vegetarian way (bacon-less).

Here's what I did:

I went to Fresh & Easy and got sourdough bread and I took two slices.

I then took a piece of white cheddar cheese and broke it into strips and lay them diagonally on a slice.

I cut up half an avocado (I gave the other half to my sister who was also making a sandwich) and put the avocado slices on the slice of bread sans cheese.

I then squeezed some Sriracha (basically one of my favorite things ever) on the slice with the avocado. I was really excited that the recipe called for this as I love spicy things and the idea of grilled cheese with a little kick makes my mouth water.

Then I put the cheese slice on a greased griddle and waited for the cheese to be melt-y before I slapped the other half on and flipped the sandwich over.

I'm actually insanely proud that nothing fell out of the sandwich as I was making it because I usually have incredible trouble flipping things. I can not flip an egg or a pancake for the life of me. Yes the avocado shifted a little, but everything stayed in! Yay! When it was golden brown I put it on a plate with my kale crisps. 

 

 

 

 

My finished meal is below vvvv

Holy cheese it was delicious!! The kale crisps were salty and delicate and shattered in my mouth with a great crunch. My sister tried one and said "tastes like brussles sprouts" (which we both love) so all positive reviews there. My sandwich was melty and spicy and the avocado made it super creamy. For anyone who likes avocado putting it with grilled cheese is a fantastic and unique way of incorporating avocado into food. 

It also just looks pretty. I would totally make both of these things again!

 What was really nice about this meal was that it was so easy to make! In all it took twenty minutes or so. It was great for summer with all the colors and had really big flavor. In all I would say both of these recipes are ones that I would keep and make for friends.

Look out for another post tomorrow! It will include another recipe and a little background on my blog. Until then, enjoy another photo of me enjoying my lunch. 

Please excuse the workout gear and messy hair.

Hi!

For my first post I thought I would share today's experience at the Studio City Farmer's Market. They hold this farmer's market every Sunday and it's really lovely. I started going almost a year ago when my sister started taking riding lessons near by. Even when the weather isn't that nice, it's still full of lush fruits and vegetables and freshly baked bread. Luckily, today the weather was perfect. The farmer's market was packed! But I was able to do some shopping anyway.
I purchased:
Kale
Dapple Dandy Pluots
Raspberry Jewel Pluots
White Nectarines
Nectarine Jam
1 Baguette

Here are some pictures I took while I was there!

Some really amazing powdered sugar art!

Such pretty tomatoes

These eggplants are gorgeous

These are teas!

I bought some of these juicy Dapple Dandy Pluots.

The menu at The Popshop booth

I also got a very delicious lychee flavored popsicle from a very popular popsicle vendor at the market called, The Popshop (http://thepopshoponline.com/). It was everything a popsicle should be: sweet, juicy, and not too icy. And for anyone who likes lychee like me, the flavor did not disappoint! Next time I'd like to try the avocado vanilla.

  

 And they don't just have produce, there are restaurant booths from around the area that range from a tamale booth to an Indian restaurant, as well as handmade jewelry, kids clothing, and woven rugs. For breakfast there is also an excellent french bakery that has a booth. I recommend the pain au chocolat. They also have an area specifically for children, with face painting and pony rides.  Next time I go I know I want to check out the Korean food booth because it smelled amazing.

My next post will be my first time trying to learn how to cook. Keep your eyes peeled! Until then, please enjoy this photo of me from today with a baguette.

The Market is located on Ventura Place between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Radford Avenue.

Parking is available at CBS Studios located on Radford Avenue and in the Chase Bank parking lot.

http://www.studiocityfarmersmarket.com/HOME.html