Fun & Easy Grilled Pizza!

All Summer I have been telling Michael I wanted to try making grilled pizzas on his barbecue.  Each time I mentioned he gave me one of those ‘you want to do what?’ kind of looks.  Clearly he has no imagination. :)

We got off to a bit of a slow start on the grilling this year, but I have made an effort to come up with grill friendly meals at least once per weekend for the last few weeks and when I whipped up a batch of Pioneer Woman pizza dough for myself last week I knew that half of the recipe was destined to make a trip over to the man’s grill.

Two balls of dough = two pizzas.  His and hers to share!

I decided on one ‘normal’ pizza: tomato sauce, salami, sautéed mushrooms, garlic and onions, fresh oregano, mozzarella, parmesan and fresh tomatoes added on at the end.

And one ‘fancy’ pizza: brushed with olive oil, and topped with grilled peaches, prosciutto, herbed goat cheese, parmesan and fresh basil and a balsamic drizzle to finish. 

I took some tips from Janetha on how to actually cook these babies. 

- Get the BBQ up nice and hot…around 500 degrees.  Lay your dough right on the grill and cook until the top side starts to bubble.  Flip over, add your toppings to the already grilled side and continue cooking until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted.

My tips for you…

- Have all of your toppings totally ready to rock before you even think about putting your dough on the grill.  It takes mere minutes for that first side to cook and you'll have no time for dilly-dallying once you flip it.

(We pre-grilled and sliced our peaches, pre-sautéed the mushrooms and onions, had the grated cheese ready, and laid everything we needed out on a tray beside the barbecue.)

- Either turn the flame off, or remove your dough from the grill while you add your toppings.  Turn it back on when you are ready to finish cooking.  This gives you the chance to actually get your cheese melted before your crust gets too toasted.

I rolled the dough maybe a scant too thin, but my favourite kind of crust is thin crust so it worked out perfectly for me.  More like a crispy flatbread.  You could totally make a bigger ball of dough and roll it thicker for a nice, chewy, doughier crust though.  In fact, we discussed doing that next time.

What surprised me was how much fun we had doing these!  It took a bit of organization to get the ingredients prepared, but once the dough hit the grill we just worked together at a mad dash and had the final products banged out in no time.

So much faster than baking pizza in the oven, and so much more fun.  I’d be inclined to make pizza like this any time.  Even in the rainy days of Winter.

Peach & Tomato Salad

A couple of weekends ago I noticed a tweet from Gluten-Free Girl touting a fresh and delicious salad she was serving on her own dinner table.  The combination of ingredients sounded just strange enough to me to be tasty.  Tomatoes and peaches with watermelon vinaigrette.  Intriguing, no?

We did actually have watermelon in the fridge – it’s been the one thing Michael has picked up from the supermarket every week this Summer – but I decided to forgo the fruity vinaigrette just to try the peach/tomato combo on it’s own first.

Would you have thought these two fruits would go together?

Prior to this I wouldn’t have, but here I am blogging about it so you know I must think it’s worth sharing.  :)  As suspected the flavours mingled well together and since both are refreshing items on their own, I found them almost ‘extra’ refreshing together.  Especially with the addition of a quick lime and Dijon dressing and a handful of fresh basil.

Peach and Tomato Summer Salad

yields 4 side dish servings (or 2 hungry people servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 large fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges (any beautiful tomatoes will do!)
• big handful fresh basil, chopped
• juice and zest from half of 1 lime
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tsp olive oil
• pinch of coarse salt

Directions:

1. Toss sliced tomatoes and peaches together in a large bowl.  Add 3/4 of the basil.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest, vinegar, mustard, salt, and olive oil.  Drizzle over the fruit.  Toss lightly to coat.
3. Cover loosely and refrigerate until about 15 minutes before ready to serve.  Re-toss, then garnish with remaining basil.

This one may have to make another appearance on Labour Day weekend, before the delicious BC peaches all but disappear. 

What ingredients have to mixed together to create a delicious surprise?

Scenes from the Week

That second job is coming along just fine.  Just fine indeed.  I guess they agree because I got to order my business cards.  I’m sooo official.

If I wasn’t so obsessed with constantly challenging myself to eat different things, I might be inclined to eat chick pea tacos every night.  So delish.

The love for Stoopy keeps on coming.  I have some very thoughtful, amazing, supportive friends out there.  Thanks J1!

And just so you know…Victoria is totally safe from the walking dead. 

Thank goodness.  That whole having to learn to shoot people in the head thing was really bothering me.

Edamame “Hummus”

I know, I know.  I’ve all but disappeared.  Two jobs will do that to a blog.

It’s all I can do even remember eat breakfast, let alone remember to take a photo.  Don’t worry, you probably don’t need to see the same photos of yogurt and granola over and over again.  Although, come to think of it…I do have a granola recipe to re-try and share.

But for now I want to share this super easy dip I made last weekend.  I had a bag of frozen edamame needing to vacate my messy freezer so I decided it was high time I tried my hand at Edamame Hummus.

I’ve seen this concoction mentioned many times on the internet and in various magazines but I’ve never managed to save any of those recipes.  A quick internet search led me to realize I didn’t need a recipe.  Just a food processor and a few shakes of this and that did the job!

Edamame “Hummus”

yields one heaping cup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup thawed shelled edamame
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of sea salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped green or red onion, or chives

Directions:

1. Add edamame, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to food processor.  Process until coarsely chopped. 
2. Scrape sides and add olive oil.  Process until combined.  Add a little water if mixture seems dry.
3. Add onion and process just to combine.
4. Serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt.

We ate ours up with lime tortilla chips and a side of salty olives.  This would also be deeeeelish on rice crackers, bagel chips, or with veggie sticks.  Or how about an Asian-fusion thing involving grilled chicken and a soft wheat tortilla?  Oh yes.

Try it.  You’ll love it.  Promise.

It’s Been a Week

Thank you so much to everyone that sent me lovely comments, tweets, Facebook messages, and emails this week.  Stoopy had himself quite a fan club and it did my heart good to read all of your well wishes. xoxo

Here’s to good memories and a better week ahead.

A girl’s bestest feline friend

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my handsome boy, Mr. Stoopy.  After 17 years together, it’s going to be strange to not have him around.  He has been my constant companion since I was just 19, traveling with me as I’ve gone through life, roommates, boyfriends, multiple moves including a trek across Canada and back.

I’ve always joked that he’s my most stable relationship.  My favourite boyfriend.  The bestest kitty a girl could ask for.  But it’s not a joke really.

He’s been by my side through thick and thin, sometimes cuddly, sometimes aloof, but always good for a snuggle or pet whether he liked it or not.

He put up with other cats coming and going.  He even put up with a big dog joining the family for a couple of years…even though that meant he had to hide to enjoy his meals.  He accepted Chibi when I brought her home to join our family.  His approval was very important and I was so happy when it all worked out.

He rode shotgun next to me all the way back across Canada from Halifax to Victoria…choosing to enjoy a car ride as a passenger rather than as a pet in a cage.  He got comfortable in random hotels and the homes of generous friends and never complained a bit.  Best road trip buddy ever.

Sometimes handsome, sometimes cranky, sometimes lacking a little class.

But always, always a great friend and fuzzy companion.  The bestest for sure.

RIP Mr. Stoopy.  You will be missed.  So much.