STORY I found this recipe in a magazine and thought it was so simple it was a near perfect holiday appetizer. But of course I made few changes. 🙂 The mint enhances the crispness of the pear and smooth taste […]
STORY Sometimes we think things are hard when they’re not. I’d always assumed that yogurt required special aging time, like cheese, and I lived most of my life purchasing little yogurt cups, or big yogurt quarts. Guess what? Yogurt takes […]
Yesterday, my friend Sara came over for lunch. I had taken out some pizza dough the night before, and I promised her that I would make one of the best pizzas she’s ever had. I based it on a recipe from Skinners’ Loft that I thought was pretty good. But I tweaked and tweaked away, and the results were so fantastic, I had to share it immediately.
Very little story here. I wanted a pizza, but it was 2 am and no one was delivering. And I just don’t believe in the prepackaged type since I don’t know what imitation cheese is. So I took a tortilla, covered it with a little red sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil and baked it for 15 minutes. Voila, a snack was born.
There are two reasons I love making pizza at home: 1. I am not limited to the “traditional” toppings provided by local shops, and 2. I don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices at the “artisanal” pizza bistros. I also like that I get to use up leftover ingredients (I have a thing about not throwing away good food, but I hate eating the same thing night after night). Pizza makes every ingredient new and exciting.
I find that most bacon packages are prejudice against the single person. Bacon doesn’t last very long (well-stored bacon only lasts about a week), and the packaging is clearly family-sized. And so, whenever I get a craving for bacon, I have to figure out ways to use up the bacon within a week. One day, when I was reviewing recipes for chowder, I noticed that the corn chowder called for salted pork (which I didn’t have). But I did have bacon. The result? A creamy, rich, decadent chowder that used up all the extra ingredients in my house.
Because I am not a wealthy girl, I’ve been quite sensitive to the drastic increase in dairy prices. A half gallon carton of organic milk in my area costs $3.99. And I soon noticed that my favorite smoothie was $2.25 instead of $1.50. I know it’s just $.75, but toward the end of the week $.75 a day added up. (That was more than the cost of a burger or a glass of wine!) This seemed unjust to me, and so I made the decision that I could make my own yogurt, and that would make my smoothies a lot cheaper. When I don’t have time to make my own yogurt, I use Stonyfield Farm’s. Either way, I still save enough to enjoy a glass of wine with friends at the end of the week.
I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed beets until recently. I loved them as a little kid, but I think I was influenced by peer pressure sometime between my 5 birthday and my 25th. I avoided them, and when I did finally get a chance to eat them they were always the wretched canned variety. And then, during a date I was offered a forkful. I don’t remember the date, but I do remember the first taste of beets, paired with goat cheese and arugula. Bliss.