1. Stayed up until 1 something in the morning Saturday night doing my taxes. I think I invented new swear words. The IRS says food bloggers are a business yet sadly I don’t get any of the benefits of having a home office as it gets used for other things like paying my bills on line. So I get to owe them money. Sigh.
2. Jury duty. Got out of it! Yay! Well didn’t get out of it they just never got to my group number and I was therefore released as of this afternoon!
3. After nine seasons of going to the championship and losing to the same team time in and time out my hockey team finally won in sudden death shoot out. Normally I don’t actually care about winning but darn that felt good. Especially because those guys HATE to lose.
4. People keep asking how the wedding planning is coming along. It’s not. :S See number one. Keep owing people money so can’t save to have one. And while MDP is all about us just going and getting hitched so I can be his wife he didn’t get a real wedding the first go around and doesn’t have fond memories at all. Even though I am no longer married to picky eater I still have fond memories of the very nice wedding we had.
5. April is National Autism Awareness Month. It’s important to me as MDP’s son is on the spectrum, my BFF has a son with autism, and as a former teacher I feel that kids with Autism are very misunderstood. Please educate yourself more about those who have Autism. I had planned on doing a local run/walk this weekend that the local high school where MDP’s teenagers go to but I tweaked my knee somehow last week and don’t think that is the best idea…at least they got my money.
6. I think more than any chore I wish someone would come and do for me it is fold and put away laundry! What about you…what chore to you hate?
7. Don’t forget you only have two days left to enter your chance to win mini tart pans…you know you want to. Just make sure you live in the US please.
8. This recipe came about when years ago I went to a restaurant in Portland called Wildwood. They have a cookbook but the pizza I had was not in it. I loved it. The caramelized onions and gruyere and Gouda was just too good for words. I didn’t exactly match it but mine turned out really well. It’s a great alternative to your “normal” pizza. I like to make minis of these and use them as appetizers for parties.
Smoked Gouda, Gruyere and Ham Pizza with Walla Walla Onion Pear Jam
Pizza Dough(recipe follows)
Onion Pear “Pizza” Sauce(recipe follows)
2 cups Smoked Gouda Cheese, shredded
¾ cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups Cured Ham Steak, diced
Pizza Dough
3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pour 3/4 cup warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. KNEAD dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. PUNCH down dough. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. ROLL out dough according to recipe instructions. (Start in center of dough, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them.)
Dough recipe adapted from Bon Appetit March 2007
Onion Pear “Pizza” Sauce Jam
2 cups Walla Walla Onions, diced
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 ½ cups Pears, peeled, chopped
2 TBSP Fruit Vinegar
¾ cup Brown Sugar
¼ tsp Salt
Saute onions in oil until brown. Reduce heat and cook until glazed.
Add pears, vinegar, sugar, cayenne and salt. Cook till pears are tender.
Remove mixture and simmer juice until a thick glaze.
Put both the onion peas mixture and juice(now a glaze) into blender. Pulse until if forms sauce consistency.
To make the pizza:
On a lightly floured surface pat out dough evenly with your fingers, keeping hands flat and lifting and turning dough over several times, into a 9-inch round. (Do not handle dough more than necessary. If dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour.) You can also do mini pizzas, which is what I did.
Dust a baker’s peel or rimless baking sheet with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk peel or baking sheet once or twice and, if dough is sticking, lift dough and sprinkle flour underneath it, reshaping dough if necessary.
Bake without topping for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spread on sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and ham and place back into oven for another 3-5 minutes until things get bubbly.
SaraJ says
Least favorite chore: vacuuming, I pay my niece to do it when I’m nit home!
Irene says
My least favourite chore is cleaning the baseboards because its the first place I always see dust, especially in the bathroom.
jeri says
My least favorite chore is cleaning the kitchen. Which kinda stinks because I love to cook.
Zazzy says
I will happily fold all your laundry if you will come do my dusting – including the damn baseboards.
Rosa says
What a delicious combination!, yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
All That's Left Are The Crumbs says
I guess it is a little weird but I was super happy when I saw that your hockey team won – I mean I don’t “know” you IRL but I love it when the underdog wins. Sorry that the tax man got you this year. It makes you wonder about all of those corporations that get away with earning zillions and paying next to nothing. You and MDP definitely deserve a beautiful wedding. I wish I could wave a magic wand for you.
Oh, and my least favorite chore is cleaning windows.
Lori J says
I really want that pizza. Right. Now. Looks delicious!
Kate says
Hi Peabody, I was wondering if the fruit vinegar in your recipe is just a vinegar made from fruit, like the raspberry I just bought yesterday, or a particular thing you guys have out west? The recipe looks great.
Erika says
I don’t really like any housework, but washing dishes is my least favorite b/c it ruins my nails – how shallow is that??? 🙂
Congrats on the win!
Chris says
My Mother had a bumper sticker than she kept on her refrigerator. “The only domestic thing about me is that I live in a house.” This pretty much sums up how I feel about housework, too! I should dig it out and keep it on MY frig now!! Housework…YUK. Dusting is the worst. My poor barren house; I am anti-knickknack for that very reason. The epitome of lazy, too, I guess. But I AM NOT a boring person so there’s that!!!!! Sure wish I could eat this one…..looks divine!
Melinda says
Cleaning out the coal ashes from the grate. I just hate doing it. I will do your folding if you clean out my grate. Okay?
I am going to give my opinion…I probably will regret this.
I think you should just get married and stop thinking about the expensive wedding things. You can have a wonderful day and a memorable wedding in a non-traditional way and not cost the earth. Totally possible. I personally think all the over the top stuff people have at weddings is over-rated and it is something that people think they have to do to ‘get married’.
You can have the austerity wedding of the year! I have ideas, too!
Becca - Cookie Jar Treats says
I got $60 bucks back from the government. Yay working minimum wage, haha. And I’m with you on folding the laundry. I usually just live out of the basket until theres like 5 pieces of clothing in there and then I fold and put away. It’s a nice system I have going 😛
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction says
Peabody,
I hate any kind of cleaning. I do it because I have to. This recipe looks delicious.
I had to pay this tax season and that wasn’t fun at all.
Annamaria
Nutmeg Nanny says
All I had to read was Gouda and I was sold 😉 this pizza sounds delicious and intriguing, I’d love to make it soon! Also, I hate laundry 🙁
Bebe says
Hands down cleaning the fridge. Well that and putting away laundry
I need to make those pizzas! Would be fun to grill.