Most of the time I just order pizza. I got it into my head that I wanted to do something new, something different but with components of things I had already done. I was also feeling tired, stressed and maybe a little more tired. D and I go out together sometimes. We try once a week but often it's more like every two (or three). Work doesn't always agree with our date night and kicks up a fuss. This was also a night when D and I were about to go out. Most of the time I just order pizza.
I soldiered on. Slapped the dough together and stuck it in the fridge. Got the filling stuff together. The kids were getting hungry but that's ok. I'm really tired. Kid #1 gives up trying to talk to me because I'm distracted, grumpy and probably a little incoherent. Kid #1 leaves, escapes to room and closes the door. She hadn't stopped texting through the entire 'conversation' so I'm sure she is fine.
Kid #2 asks what's we are having for dinner. Daddy and I are going out. Can I come? No. Kid #2 groans and then sighs deeply when I tell him about the exciting thing he is about to eat for dinner. I might not have been coherent but I think that I was. Kid #2 stomps upstairs, goes to room, reads on my kindle... my kindle.

I have way more filling for this than dough. What else could I possibly do with all of that filling. I'm putting it all in. I don't care. It will taste better. Everybody is gonna love this and it's gonna be amazing. Both kids need to clean the lunch containers out of the backpacks incidentally.
Determined. All the filling goes on top of the rolled out dough. All the pepperoni. All the cheese. All the sauce. I start rolling up the dough. This is dumb because the filling is everywhere. I really want to go out. My head hurts. I think that Kid #1 just yelled down to me but I'm not sure. Probably talking on the phone... wait, nobody does that anymore.
I start to slice the bulbous, red blob that is waiting to become my masterpiece. I'm elbow deep in more filling than I can manage. I bet you didn't know this - because I didn't - pepperoni doesn't slice well. There are big slices of pepperoni falling out of everything everywhere. I'm really frustrated now. Kid #2 is practicing piano which means he races through his two beginner pieces at break neck speed despite about a thousand mistakes. 3 minutes later he is done and I am hacking the pepperoni slice dough log, slapping the 'pinwheels' onto a cookie sheet and stuffing filling into every crevice I can. I need a shower.
They bake, I clean up.
They are done. This is not as exciting as it should be.


Kid #1 eats one and says it tastes good. She doesn't have another.
Kid #2 stares at plate and sighs. He eats two bites under duress but I'm pretty sure that as soon as we close the door he's got cheetos and rice crispies on standby.
Usually I just order pizza.
Make this at your peril.


Pizza Margarita's adapted from Here
makes 9 - 10 medium sized buns

Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Dash basil, oregano
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/3 cup shortening or lard
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup milk (approx)

Filling
1 1/2 cups (approx) pepperoni, thinly sliced
1/4 cup zucchini, thinly sliced (or something like mushrooms would work well too)
1 cup greens (spinach, kale, chard), thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups (approx) tomato/pizza sauce
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp worcestershire
1 1/2 tsp salt and a dash of pepper
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup (approx) parmesan, finely grated

Dough:
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, basil and oregano together. Mix well.
Add in the parmesan and mix
Add the shortening or lard and cut it into the flour until it forms a loose crumbly mess (pebble sized balls)
Add the olive oil and about half of the milk. Mix until the liquid is incorporated. Add just enough more milk for the flour to form a cohesive dough ball.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute or two - until the dough is fairly smooth and soft (not tacky), add a little more flour as you knead if necessary.
Wrap in plastic and set aside in the fridge (about 10 minutes is all that is needed)
Preheat oven to 400°F
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.

Filling:
Combine the pizza or tomato sauce, basil, sugar, worcestershire, salt and pepper together. Check the tastes and adjust if necessary.

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until you have formed a rectangle shape 20 - 25cm by 35 - 40 cm. Dough should be about 2 - 3 cm thick.
Spread the tomato sauce over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the greens and the zucchini slices. Place the pepperoni slices over that. Sprinkle with the grated mozzarella and finish with the parmesan.
Carefully roll the dough up long side to long side.
Carefully slice the roll into about 9 or 10 thick slices and place each on the prepared baking sheet leaving space for expansion.
Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and bubbling like a crazy hot mess.
Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to eat.

I am happy to report that I had one person on Facebook co-bitch with me regarding the abundance of pumpkin themed food and food products.  I feel vindicated and thoroughly supported.  This person later sent me a picture of on of our local spot's advertising their homemade pumpkin pie yogurt.  We both had a good laugh about it and my friend told me that pumpkin kefir is probably making it's way to store shelves as we speak.  Yeah - totally vindicated.  All of the rest of you probably think that I'm nuts or you are so busy sipping your pumpkin latte and eating your pumpkin pancakes that you haven't had a chance to tell me off.  I'm sorry for 'not loving' pumpkin.
Of course, the reason for all of the pumpkin crazy is because it's squash season and squash season ends up being Thanksgiving season.  Canada has already had it's Thanksgiving.  I don't know why we have it early and I know that a quick jaunt over to wikipedia would fill me in but the truth is that I simply don't care enough to make the trip.  Whatever the reason, Canada observes Thanksgiving a month and a half before the U.S.  This means that we've got turkey to deal with long before Americans even have to think about it.  At our house this year, it means that if we can get away with it we will not have to think about turkey for a very very long time... well beyond christmas.
Turkey has a reputation for being dry - not entirely unfounded.  I've had some nasty, dry birds at my table.  This year we bought ours from a Mennonite shop where the birds are looked after well and have a happy life and all of that crap.  I think it made a difference.  In addition to that, D painstakingly marinated the turkey with his home concoction of deliciousness that made a huge difference.  He was setting his timer throughout the entire day, taking it out, pouring more sauce over it, sticking it back in the oven.  Painstaking.
My issue with turkeys isn't just the dry texture though, it's also the size.  They're big.  I've seen some at the Mennonite shop that took two people to carry out which I don't quite understand.  Either way, it's hard to get a truly small turkey and no matter, you're still looking at some hefty leftovers.  D took care of the turkey purchasing and I guess decided that 18 lbs sounded like a good idea.  I know what it can be like when you are there in the store.  You kind of get caught up in the moment.  All those other people lining up to pick up their turkey and you want a turkey and you're all celebrating something and it feels all holiday like.  I get it.  However, we are a family of 4.  One of those 4 people is 7 yrs old.  Another one of those 4 people (me) had a stomach bug the entire weekend and could barely stand up for two days let alone eat.  18 lbs of turkey takes a little while to get through for 4 people.


Our very big thanksgiving dinner used up about a half of a turkey breast between the four of us which left us with roughly 17 1/2 lbs of turkey to get through.  We ate leftover thanksgiving dinner - that took up two days.  I decided that I needed to clear out the fridge a bit so I made broth with the bones and all of that stuff - there are now 3 large containers of broth in the freezer.  I made turkey lasagna (Leftover Turkey #1) to mixed reviews but it mostly got eaten - that used up about 3 cups of turkey.  I made Turkey Orzo with cheese and crap (Leftover Turkey #2) to decidedly poor reviews - kind of got eaten - used up about 2 cups of turkey.  I had to get smart.  What are things that kids will eat almost no matter what?  Meatballs - coming in my next post, Pizza - Yes,  Pizza.  So I give you turkey pizza. I don't know what I'm going to do with the 6 1/2 lbs of turkey still in the freezer or or the 4 litres of turkey broth.  I honestly don't know how much more turkey any of us can face.  This pizza helped the cause along a little and I think may have kept my kids from divorcing me.  I would caution that the tomato and goat cheese are essential because turkey quite honestly needs all the help it can get.
For Christmas this year we are having lamb.



Turkey and Ricotta Pizza (my recipe)
Makes 2 medium pizza's

1 batch pizza dough (I used this recipe)
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp each, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
3 lg cloves garlic
salt
2 1/2 cups ricotta
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp italian seasoning (or a mix of basil, oregano, marjoram)
1 cup chard or kale, finely chopped
1 cup goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
2 - 3 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 300°F
Combine the cherry tomatoes, balsamic and olive oil.  Place on a lined baking sheet, spreading them out so that they make one layer.  Sprinkle with a little salt.  Roast for about 45 minutes turning down to 250°F for the last 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool a little.

Preheat oven to 475°F
Prepare baking sheets or pizza stones (for baking sheets, I coat them with a little cornmeal to that the crust doesn't stick) and set aside.
Combine the ricotta, Worcestershire, salt, italian seasoning.  Mix well.  Add the chopped kale and mix well.
Roll out pizza dough into the shape of your pan or stone and place the dough onto the prepared pans.
Divide the ricotta evenly between the pizza's and spread evenly around each pizza crust.
Sprinkle each pizza with roasted tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, shredded turkey pieces evenly around.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parmesan.
Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until each pizza is bubbly, golden and the crust is crusty on the bottom.
Remove and cool for a few minutes before slicing.

It's been a big week in our house, in our family and in the community at large.
We have lost someone and the loss has left a vacuum.
I knew, 10 years ago when D's Mom re-married, that this new guy was something special.  When we first met he was warm, inviting, open and deeply connected to himself and his roots.  I had no idea just who this man was.  Charlie came to Canada at 14 from Trinidad and Tobago.  He didn't get into law right away but decided instead to study for the priesthood.  There are 2 reasons that he didn't stay with the church.  I can't remember them both at the moment but 'science' was the first reason.  He instead went into law.  I don't know if he was born for law or not.  I'm sure that he was a brilliant lawyer.  But the thing that made him stand out was his incredible passion for people and for representing those who couldn't represent themselves... for whatever reason.  That injustice was intolerable for him and as a result he began making his mark in the city of Toronto as a civil rights activist in the seventies when a series of shootings by police of black men were creating an uproar.  Charlie was at the helm of that both legally and socially.
You might have heard of Caribana.  It's this festival held in August here in Toronto which was born out of the Trinidad 'Carnival' tradition but has come to celebrate black and west-indian culture in all of it's forms.  Charlie was one of the founders of Caribana.  For a long time I didn't know.  He remained active in Caribana even up to this past August when he had to be driven through the parade route (he was so happy for that though).
Charlie died as a permanent resident of Canada and not a citizen.  He declined citizenship because he refused to take an oath to the Queen.  Right up to the end.  He fought it hard too.  There are many still working on that case and they will carry it on for him, of that I'm confident.  I heard a lawyer being interviewed yesterday and that lawyer got into law because of Charlie's mentorship.  It was during the interview when the lawyer said that Charlie's contribution to civil rights puts him at the table with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. that it hit me just what this man was who came to our summer BBQ's.


Many many people love him.  Everyone feels that they know him and that's what he would have wanted.  For us... well he was just 'Babu'.  He played with my kids.  He encouraged them to be the best that they are and I think he saw things in them that no one else might have seen.  They debated with him and they drew protest pictures of the G8 summit and they went to the ROM.  At the end of the day, I'm thankful that we knew him not just as the public figure but as Babu... as Charlie.  He'll be missed by us all for the public contributions that he made but for us, we'll be missing 'Babu'.


As we've been juggling life and loss this week I've been craving some good food that makes me feel warm, loved and nourished.  This has helped a lot.


Broccoli and Lemon Pasta adapted from 'Bon Appetit'
Serves 4 - 6

5 slices of bacon cut into coarse pieces
1 cup leek, thinly sliced
1 cup green beans (ends cut off and then cut into bite sized lengths) or green peas
2 1/2 - 3 cups of broccoli, cut into bite sized chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh herbs (a mixture of parsley,basil, oregano)
11/2 tbsp honey
11/2 tsp salt
11/2 tsp pepper sauce or a dash of cayenne
1 tbsp lemon zest.       
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
4 cups spaghetti cooked to al dente (reserve a little of the pasta water)

Heat a large pot and add in the bacon chunks.  Brown for a few minutes and then turn the heat down to med/low.  Add in the sliced leeks and cook together for about 3 minutes.  Add in the beans, broccoli and garlic.  Cook for another 5-7 minutes.  Add in the herbs, honey, salt, pepper sauce, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well and cook together for about 2 minutes.  Add in the goat cheese and stir to melt in slightly.  Add in the cream and milk.  Mix well and turn the heat down to low.  Add in the parmesan cheese and continue to cook until the cheese begins to melt into the cream.  Toss with the pasta and a little of the reserved pasta water.  Serve with a little more fresh parmesan on top.

I really wanted this to be amazing.  I wanted to give you a fantastic recipe to use up all that zucchini.  This recipe, however, sounded better than it was.  I would make some changes... but we'll come to that.
As I've settled back into the last week of summer vacation and come down from my five days in a place where the air is clear and the water tastes amazing, I've found myself ever so slightly depressed.  What's funny is that I'm not feeling depressed about going back to work... that's cool and I'm looking forward to being in the swing of things again.  I'm not really feeling depressed about summer going either (well, maybe just a little bit if I'm honest).  What I'm feeling depressed about it our way of life.  How we live, how limited our choices are and how damaged everything is because of it.
I found myself feeling depressed driving back into Ontario - the highway was so bright.  Lights are everywhere.  It's like Peter Jackson's film rendition of Shelob's Liar (Lord of the Rings - Tolkein), even the dark is light.  Additionally, all the reading I've done this summer has brought my to a new place and to some new decisions.  I don't think that I've done a very good job of communicating what I've been learning and how it has affected me.  I feel like I need to take some time here on this blog to express how deeply I feel about this issues we face as a society around our food.


Last year  - give or take 6 months - was about committing to local and seasonal vegetables.  I did that both through the food box (which tells me where my food is coming from) and through local farmer's markets. This year has been about going deeper than just my vegetables.
I really do feel sick when I read about the way factory farms treat animals... any animal.  It makes me sick because it represents to me that even the human animal has no real value anymore outside of the profits that we can provide.  I've been slowly moving us away from factory farmed meats.  However, it's not enough for me and I've pledged to myself to make further changes.  So...
I need to buy a small chest freezer.
I need to finally contact the beef farm that my friend C recommended (she's friends with the farmers... doesn't get any better than that)
Additionally, I'm not feeling bad about eating butter, cream, lard and bacon anymore.  I'm beginning to comprehend more deeply how important these foods are to us humans.  We need fat.  Whether we like it or not we're eating it and I'm going to choose to eat it in the forms that help my body (Yeah - I said 'help' as in 'are good for me') in the form form of butter, cream, lard and bacon rather than the forms that  are hidden from me and hurt my body in the form of corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil and the like. That means goodbye to processed foods.


In this recipe I've added sausage and cream (I wish to goodness that I could get raw milk) and if you wish to adapt then please do.  As I stated at the beginning of this post, this recipe sounded better than it tasted.  I like the idea though and I want to tinker with it some more.  I found it too much bread so you might want to play around with putting into the bottom of a larger roaster or something.  Better yet, save half the dough and freeze it and use the other half in a pie plate.  I would also tinker with some stronger flavours... smoked paprika, chipotle or even more pizza'ish'... something a little bolder.  Last but not least - do not scrimp on the zucchini.  I had two very large zucchini's and only used 1 1/2 because I thought that it would be too much.  It wouldn't have been.



Yeasted Zucchini and Sausage Pie adapted from 'Simply in Season'
makes 1 9x13 pie (serves about 6)

Crust:
1/2 cup warm water
pinch of sugar or tsp of honey
1 tbsp dry yeast
1/4 cup + 1tbsp milk
1 tbsp oil or melted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole wheat or red fife flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose or bread flour

Filling:
8 cups zucchini, thickly sliced
3/4 pound sausage of choice
oil or melted butter to brush
3 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup fresh basil and oregano, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
5 lg eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
pinch of cayenne or pepper sauce
2 cups (or so) cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Crust:
Combine the warm water, sugar and dry yeast.  Set aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast dissolved and begins to get foamy.
Combine the milk, oil and lightly beaten egg.  Mix well and add to the yeast mixture.
Combine the whole wheat/red fife flour, shredded parmesan, salt and all purpose flour.  Mix and form a well in the middle.  Pour the milk milk mixture into the well.  Stir to combine and until it forms a smooth but very sticky dough.
Place in a lightly greased bowl and turn so that all sides of the dough ball are greased.  Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm, dry spot.
Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and lightly butter.  Set aside.
Filling:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the sliced zucchini strips and the sausage on a baking sheet.  Lightly brush the zucchini with oil or melted butter.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.  Roast for about 20 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and just beginning to brown.
In the meantime, combine the eggs, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, dijon, Worcestershire and cayenne.  Mix well.

Pie:
Place the lightly risen dough (mine rose for about 35 - 40 minutes at the most) in the greased baking pan.  Spread out evenly making sure that the dough goes well up the sides.  Sprinkle a little bit of the cheddar on the bottom of the crush.
Place a layer of zucchini strips on top of the cheese.  Sprinkle with some sausage. A little more cheese and so on until the zucchini is all used up.
Pour the egg mixture over everything and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over the top.  Bake for about 25 minutes or so until the pie is golden on the edges and the centre of the pie is firm to the touch.
Cool for a good 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

It's variations on a theme in my kitchen these days.  I know that I just posted this great looking tomato galette with goat cheese and this looks a whole lot like the same thing.  It is a little different though.  I promise.  Even though it does look similar.  This one is... pizza.  Kinda.  Jeez.  Who cares... it looks great, it smells out of this world and it tastes fantastic.
I was originally inspired by these crazy things.


These, my dear friends, are the eggplants that came in my food box this week.  Their awesome, weird, quirky and beautiful.  Right.  They are also small - at least for eggplant.  The traditional thing that we call eggplant.  I considered many options for these specialties.  It started as a focaccia, morphed into a pie and then transformed into this final product... cornmeal crust pizza.  Let's face it, who wants to fuss too much right now?  Summer is in full swing and I'm all about doing as little as possible in the kitchen ...until maybe next week when my canning gets into full swing... anyone up for canning 3 bushels of tomatoes with me?


I'm feeling remarkably unfettered these days.  My garden hasn't produced nearly as well as I'd hoped but I have zucchini and somehow that's making up for my dud tomatoes.  I'm not depressed about it at all.  I'm valuing highly being able to sit at the park and read while Kid #2 rolls down the hill and swings off a bar like a monkey.  It's been amazing being able to bbsit for KT while she gets some medical attention - it's things like this that I can't do any other time of year without serious time crunching.  Today we went down to the beach and Kids #1 and #2 just played in sand and threw rocks into the water and algae at each other.  I watched in blissful quiet.  It won't last long, I know.  Already the sand in the summer hourglass is running low.  I'm determined to savour it.  To live in the moment I've got and be thankful... while I drink my beer on the back deck.  Sure the kids are probably eating way too much ice cream than should be legal.  Sure, weekly movie night now has an 's' on the end.  But it's important to have the balance in life.  I was talking to a friend recently who didn't want to hear anything bad or negative.  I understand the sentiment - it's not easy nor is it enjoyable to have sadness around you.  To talk about it or dwell on it.  But it does help me better appreciate joy.  It gives the good times depth - I need the sad to fully understand the happy... to put it simply.  It's the same for me with quiet.  I know what would happen if everyday life were like this for me.  All too easily I would start to take the quiet for granted and then it would become boredom.  Boredom which I would soon start to resent.  It would be completely lost on me if I weren't functioning on the knowledge that this is only for a time.  Even canning, though a time consuming job, is calming and soothing when you can take it at your own pace.  These things can even be comforting.  Soon the busy will be back and hopefully I'll be able to appreciate the structure and security that it gives me.  For now, I'm sitting back and listening to birds calling to each other, to the kids crying next door, staring up at an full blue sky... hearing the grass grow as they say.


So, here's to easy, delicious food that gives us all a little time to stop and smell the zucchini flowers.


Roasted tomato and eggplant polenta crust pizza adapted from 'BrownEyedBaker' and Lucid Food by Louisa Shafia
serves 6

Crust:
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups veggie broth
1 tsp salt

Topping:
1 med/small Eggplant, thinly slice (1/4 - 1/8th of an inch)
1 - 2 med/small tomatoes, sliced the same thickness as the eggplant (relatively)
salt to taste
olive oil to drizzle
a few leaves of basil and oregano roughly ripped up
1/2 cup (ish) goat cheese
1/2 cup (ish) parmesan cheese - freshly grated is ideal here

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
slice the eggplant to about 1/4 - 1/8th of an inch thickness.  Sprinkle with salt and toss with olive oil.  Place each piece side by side on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 15 min on each side.  Remove from the oven and let the pieces cool
Bring the milk and veggie broth to a simmer.  Add in the cornmeal and whisk until dissolved into the liquid.  Turn the heat down a little and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until the cornmeal thickens to the consistency of thick porridge.  Remove from heat and cool for about 10 minutes.
Turn onto a lined baking sheet and press out to about 1/4 inch thickness in any shape you want.
Bake for about 15 minutes just to brown the crust a little.
Remove from oven
Add the sliced tomato and the roasted eggplant alternately, overlapping them just a bit, over top of the crust.  Sprinkle with salt and just a little olive oil.  Add little dabs of goat cheese here and there.  Tuck in little bits of basil and oregano around as well.  Sprinkle the parmesan over the whole thing and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the cheese is just golden and the tomato is looking 'cooked'.
Cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.

There is a bigger post coming.
When my brain is not fuzzy.
When I can remember my middle name without stopping to think first.
When I can dig myself out of the laundry piles in my house.
In the meantime we've been celebrating friday nights with pizza night at home.


And because I've got this red fife flour that calls me so sweetly and looks so beautiful, I decided to make Red Fife pizza dough.  Don't have Red Fife Flour?  Substitute whole wheat or ... something else, I don't know - get creative, go out on a limb.


I like this pizza dough because I don't have to fight with it.  I don't have to stretch it out only to have it bounce right back.  I don't have to resort to using canned beans to hold each side down while I stretch out the other side.  I don't swear in front of the kids and get drunk before dinner because I'm so frustrated with the stupid dough.  So for a family friday night it's a good thing.  Technically this isn't pizza dough, it's foccacia dough.  It will be our secret.
Happy Friday Night.


Red Fife Pizza Dough... adapted from my own blog(!)
makes enough for 2 pizzas

2 cups warm water
2 tbsp dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar

Mix together and set in a draft free place for about 10 minutes to proof the yeast.
Once you know it's bubbled and the yeast is good then mix it with:

2 cups Red Fife flour
4 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Mix together loosely.
Then add:

about 3 cups (maybe a little more) all purpose flour.
Enough flour to form a consistent dough ball.
Begin to knead the dough and add more flour if needed (sprinkling a little bit at a time).  Knead for about 10 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and silky.
Place in a buttered or oiled bowl and cover with a clean cloth.  Place in a draft free spot for about 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Punch it down and divide the dough in half.
Place each half on a pizza pan or cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.  Use your fingers to spread the dough out evenly over the pan.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.  Get your toppings ready.
After 10 minutes top the pizza as desired.
Bake for about 12 - 14 minutes depending on the toppings.

So Guess What.
Yup...
You guessed right.
The cranberries and apples (and now add some plumes in there too) are still in the fridge.  They still need to be 'dealt with'.
Just for fun let's add about 7 pounds of green tomatoes to that.
Yup.  All there.  Sitting in my fridge.  Wondering when they're going to turn into something wonderful.
Since I'm surrounded by piles of paper from school, work, mail and anywhere else you can imagine, and since I'm also trying to dig my out of a mountain of laundry that never seems to disappear AND since I'm feeling pretty beat up from lack of sleep (poor kid #2 was up a lot last night moaning with a soar throat and cough - guess what though... today he's fine... I'm the mess)... I'm just giving up, raising the white flag, rolling over, putting my head in the proverbial sand, shoving it down so deep that not even I'll ever find it again.
It's too depressing... and the sun is shining today.  That's not going to happen much in Toronto for the next little while (read:  about 3 1/2 months).  I'm going to forget all that crap I just wrote about and go and get out for a while.
But not before I tell you what I did with myself yesterday...


I'm so excited because I love food like this.
Simple.
Pretty.
Tasty.
Utilising scissors.


Who's not going to love squidgy flatbread with awesome stuff on the top?  I made soup to go with it and that was the best idea ever.  The soup is coming next and let's just say there's a little maple surprise in there.   We all ate until our bellies were full and we felt so good about it.  A little indulgence can go a long way.
I'm apologising in advance to you all for the lack hallowe'en recipes.  You won't find any cut-off finger cookies or eyeball eggs or whatever the hell everybody makes at this time of year.  Not because I'm a bah-humbug (although I am that) but because I'm damn lazy and I don't want to eat food that looks like something other than food.  There... I said it.
Enjoy the Focaccia.


 Focaccia with Cavalo Negro Kale and goat cheese adapted from 'Simply in Season'

1 cup warm water
1 tbsp (or 1 packet) active dry yeast
pinch or two of sugar

Mix together and let the yeast dissolve and grow for a few minutes.

Add:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp oil (I used canola)
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Mix until smooth.
Add:
1 3/4  - 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Stir until it forms a stiff dough (I added about 1 1/2 cups of flour all at once and then the rest little by little).
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.  Dough should be smooth and elastic.
Place in a greased bowl and let it rise about 55 minutes or until doubled in size.
Remove from the bowl.
You now have two options
Option 1:
chop about 3 cups of Cavalo Negro kale (or regular kale)
fold into the dough and knead into the dough only until it's distributed evenly.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then pat and stretch onto a greased cookie sheet.  Rest the dough for another 10 minutes.
Option 2:
Pat and stretch the dough onto a greased cookie sheet.
Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
Gently press about 3 cups of chopped cavalo negro kale (or regular kale) into the dough.

Finish:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
Sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes and 1 cup of goat cheese (in chunks is what I like) or feta onto the dough.
Add a sprinkle of parmesan or other cheese if you wish (I added just a little).
Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes or until golden on the bottom and the cheese is melted on the top.
Cut with SCISSORS.

Kid #2 - the self portrait (no jokes)

It's white on white here in the T.  We woke this morning to a surprise dumping of snow - must have been a good 10 cm or so.  It's beautiful, and that's sayin' something for someone who would really rather be biking.  I like that it's one of those few times a year when:

a.  Cars drive slowly and actually smile at you when they see you shovelling.
b.  I don't have to worry about kid #1 or #2 falling down for any reason because they are so padded with crap and the snow is so deep that there's no risk of injury.
c.  A lot of the neighbours come outside all at once.  We all shovel and the kids all play and we all chat and it's... nice.
Like I said before, that's sayin' something for me.

So my Winter Wonderland inspired my White cooking day - Marshmallows first and now this:


I don't where this came from - could have been anywhere I suppose.  All I know is that this recipe has been in my recipe box... then folder... then binder... for years... and years.... AND I have made it... once.

It doesn't suck so I don't know why I haven't done more with this idea.  At my most favouritest pizza joint in the entire world - Amelio's (yes, all my Montrealers, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout) - they do this totally sick five cheese pizza that's mind blowing.  This isn't even close to that but I'm in Toronto, not Montreal ;-( and we're just gonna have to make do.  This is a variation as well because I've added in some cooked spinach


and some mushrooms and believe me, they do provide a much needed ccontrast to the cheese.  You could take this in another direction entirely by adding chicken or shrimp or something but I really wanted to keep this meat free.


Also, I think that this pizza is pretty.  I know that pizza is not something that would immediately strike anyone as 'pretty' but I guess that compared with the normal pizza 'look' this one is pretty to me.  Weird.
However, I would make this kind of thing and cut them down for mini's if I had guests - which I don't these days because the main floor of my house has basically turned into a lego receptacle.
Lastly, FYI:  For my taste, when it comes to re-heating pizza leftovers I have to do it in the oven.  The microwave just makes my crust gross and gooey and not pizza'ee' at all.  Blech.   Enjoy the pizza ;-)


Feta Ricotta Pizza... with spinach ;-)
serves 4 (or maybe 2)

pizza dough - you can find my post on that here or you can buy some at the store in dough form or prebaked (although that crap tastes like....) - for on large pizza (sometimes use a cookie sheet for this recipe.

1 bunch of spinach - cooked and sieved (push out as much of the water as you can)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup (maybe 1 1/4 or so) ricotta
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I didn't have any so I substituted parmesan)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oregano and basil
dash or two of nutmeg
1 tsp honey
1 1/2 - 2 cups mozzarella (depending on how drenched you like your pizza), shredded or sliced if you are using fresh mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
Get the dough ready on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
Roll out the dough.  Roll it out a little larger than the pan you want to bake it on, it will shrink when you lift it onto the pan (my achilles heal!).  Place dough on pan over top of the cornmeal.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, the feta (or parmesan), salt, oregano, basil, nutmeg and honey.  Mix well.
Spread onto the pizza dough.  Sprinkle the cooked spinach on top of the ricotta mixture.  Sprinkle the mushrooms out over that.  Lastly, sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until the pizza is bubbly in the middle and golden brown at the edges.
Remove from oven and let it rest for about 7 minutes.
Dig in... maybe throw some crushed hot peppers on the top.

I'm finally doing it. This pizza dough thing has been on my mind for a while. After my recent success with yeast (ie. the Hot Cross Buns which didn't suck) I feel some positive momentum, buoyed by it, dizzy with it... even a little... maybe...

Pizza dough (from 101 Cookbooks)
makes 2 14 inch pizza (or 5 little lovies)