Baby Shower!

Cooked on the Barbie?

Grilled zucchini, onion and tomato pizza (recipe adapted from Eating Well and Everyday Food July/August 2010 issue)

Ingredients

Crust preparation

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, (105-115°F)
1 package active dry yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup bread flour, or all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
Preparation

Crust

1.Stir water, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl; let stand until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in whole-wheat flour, bread flour (or all-purpose flour) and cornmeal until the dough begins to come together.

2.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, mix the dough in a food processor. Process until it forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.)

3.Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. (To make individual pizzas, see Variation.) Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Individual variation: The dough can be turned into 4 or 6 personal-size pizzas. After kneading, divide the dough into 4 or 6 equal balls. Brush with oil and place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Roll each portion into a 6-to-8-inch circle and brush with olive oil.

Sauce

In a medium saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add 2 minced garlic cloves; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional) and 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, breaking them up as you go. Season with course salt and ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves. 

Toppings
1 onion, chopped
2-3 medium sized zucchinis, sliced 
Shredded or fresh mozzarella

Saute the onion and zucchini with 1 tablespoon of butter for about 5-7 minutes on medium heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

To grill the pizza:

Set up a grill with heat source, coals or gas, on one side over medium-high.  Clean and lightly oil hot grill.  

Using your hands, place dough, oiled side down, directly over heat source.  Brush dough with olive oil and cook until underside is lightly charred and bubbles form all over top, 1 to 2 minutes.  With tongs, flip dough and cook until lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes.  Slide dough to cooler side of grill.  

Top with sauce, zucchini and onions, tomatoes and cheese (or any toppings of your choice!); cover grill.  Cook until cheese melts and toppings are heated through, 2 to 5 minutes.  

High Tech Caking!

Have you guys seen this thing? Its a fondant/gum paste/awesomeness cutting machine. I want to purchase one but I want to do a bit more research on it. If you own one or have seen it in action; is this thing legit? Is it hard to clean? Is it costly to maintain? Let me know your thoughts!

Spring Baby Showers!

 This weekend I will be hosting a Baby Shower for my sister's second baby girl. I found this this dessert table and fell in love, very big LOVE! I will be sure to post the pictures of my creation this weekend following the shower!

Q & A

Top Ten Foods To Feed Your Kid!

When teaching cooking classes for kids the number one thing the parents would tell me is "My child is a really picky eater, he/she won't eat  X,Y or Z." It always amazed me when the child was part of the cooking process how they would usually try foods that we made and actually enjoy them. Let your child be part of the cooking process, it might be the tool that helps them like greens not fear them.

  Click on the link above to know what they should be eating!

Chef Sean vs. Sophie

The Dilemma...

Buying your first home is blissful. You wake to the birds singing every morning and you actually enjoy cleaning and choosing what to hang on the walls. Then things swiftly change. You crack a tile, the dust never seems to stop piling up, chips in the paint result after a dinner party, chairs break for no apparent reason, your dog chews up the carpet on the very bottom step exposing its frazzled self to anyone who should find themselves in your entry way. The next thing you know your waking up to a broken-frazzled-dusty house to the sound of a dying bird. This might be an over dramatization but you get the idea...


This week our faucet decided to give out (may it rest in peace). Or shall I say give up. It just became ill (by ill I mean spraying the water in one direction and refusing turning off), so instead of recieving a shower every-time I tried to do dishes I decided to purchase a new faucet. SPOILER ALLERT! The above photo might have given away what the new one looks like... It reminds me a lot of culinary school, it definitely has the industrial feel to it. 


I probably should post a picture of the new faucet in action...