Nutella Syrup

Forget love ... I'd rather fall in chocolate!

 

We are just a hop, skip and a jump away from my FAVORITE holiday! I love the simplicity of Valentines day. It can be as elaborate or as simple as you decide. There are no expectations of some mystical creature that will magically appear and grant your child's wishes. No hiding gifts or eggs or dollar bills. No need to be sneaky or secretive or aloof.

 

I get to just be me.

 

I get to tell my loves what they mean to me and why I am so grateful that they are a part of my life, in my own way, at my own pace, and with the effort that I am able to pull together at this time of year. 

 

It is all mine!

 

We have very few real "traditions" when it comes to Valentines day. The only constant that runs through the years as a thread that holds them all together is that I cook special meals.

 

Breakfasts are usually heart shaped and decadent while dinners revolve around things that my hubby loves, namely steak and seafood with a big glorious homemade cheesecake for dessert.

 

After several years of trying to go out for Valentines day, arranging baby sitters, finding a restaurant that actually accepts reservations and then waiting around for a sub par dining experience, we decided that eating at home for the actual holiday is the way to go and then we go on our Valentines date a week or two later. Eating at home also allows us to celebrate with our kiddo's. It's a win-win for everyone.

 

So with Valentines on my mind I decided to experiment this morning with a new breakfast syrup concept and we all loved the results. Imagine pairing this with the coconut crusted French toast that I posted just over a week ago for a little Mounds candy bar flavor burst or maybe creating peanut butter pancakes and then drizzling them with this syrup and you've got your morning Reese's. Let your taste buds be your guide and create a fun, delicious and special breakfast for your loves this Valentines morning.

 

Nutella Syrup

 

1/2 C Nutella

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 C milk 

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. (The syrup will more than double in size when you add the baking soda, so a medium sauce pan is necessary.)

Bring just to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients until syrup is light and fluffy.   

 



Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta

We kids feared many things in those days

- werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School

- but they all paled in comparison

with Brussels sprouts

                                                                          -Dave Barry

 

Forget everything you know, or think you know about Brussels sprouts. One bite of these delectable little beauties will have you singing a new tune.  

 

I have always loved Brussels sprouts, except for a short time when my older brother Mike told me that since Cabbage Patch Kids came from cabbages and Brussels sprouts are essential mini cabbages then Cabbage Patch Kids Preemies must come from Brussels sprouts. It only took one tear filled dinner to quickly dispel that myth. 

 

Brussels sprouts to me are, just as Mike said, mini cabbages. Being mini, they contain all of the flavor of a cabbage in a much smaller package which makes the flavor much more intense. The bitter flavor is one of the reasons Brussels sprouts get such a bad rap, that and if they aren't cooked properly they can turn into a slimy ball of wilted sadness that no one wants to eat.

 

That is the beauty of this dish. You aren't boiling the Brussels sprouts so they don't soak up excess liquid. The salty taste of the bacon and the sweetness of the cranberries help draw out the bitter flavor in the Brussels sprouts leaving you with a very mild "baby cabbage" giving you the opportunity to enjoy all of the health benefits of these tiny powerhouses.

 

I added asparagus to this dish during our Thanksgiving feast, throwing in a full bunch cut into 1 inch sections when the Brussels sprouts were almost half cooked and I loved the results. Asparagus and Brussels sprouts go really well together. If you wanted a vegetarian version of this dish you could omit the bacon and substitute a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and serve it over a bed of brown rice or barley. This is something that I will be experimenting with in the near future and will post here as soon as soon as I have perfected the recipe. But for now, I hope you will give Brussels sprouts another chance with this quick and easy recipe that even you pickiest eater will enjoy. (p.s. my kiddo's aren't fans of feta, so I always serve theirs first and sprinkle mine with feta once it is on my plate)

 

 

 

Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta

 

1 pound of Brussels sprouts washed, trimmed and halved

1/2 pound of bacon, crispy cooked (reserve 2 tsp of drippings)

1 C dried cranberries

1 C toasted nuts of your choice (I have used hazelnuts and macadamia nuts)

1/2 C feta cheese crumbles

 



In large skillet, that has a lid, cook bacon until it is crispy.

Remove bacon and clean out drippings, reserving 2 tsp of drippings to saute the Brussels sprouts.

In the same skillet, warm 2 tsp of bacon drippings over medium heat.

Add Brussels sprouts and stir fry for about 5 minutes, covering with lid after each stir.

Add cranberries and continue to stir fry for another 5 minutes, covering with lid to allow the Brussels sprouts time to steam and soak up the flavor of the cranberries.

Add cooked bacon and nuts and stir fry for 2-3 minutes more until Brussels sprouts have cooked through to desired doneness but stir frequently so as to keep the bacon from burning.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with desired amount of feta just before serving.

Coconut Crusted French Toast

The waves of the sea

help me get back to me.

                                          -Unknown

 

This is usually a particularly hard time of the year for me. Christmas is over as well as the celebration for the New Year. My "resolutions" are beginning to fade and I am starting to feel like a failure. It is bitter cold and the thought of spring feels like a fantasy at the moment.

 

But, this year is different.

 

With all of the little changes that I have been making and my good friend, the "happy light", I might ACTUALLY make it through this winter in one piece! I have a couple of little trips planned and our big family vacation for the year is mostly paid for, I'm just waiting to actually make the purchase.

 

When winters are hard though, I have found that if I trick my mind into believing that I am somewhere tropical I can usually take off the top layer of sadness, even if it is only for a couple of moments. This usually involves listening to my Israel Kamakawiwo’ole station on Pandora and making something yummy to eat that reminds me of the islands. 

 

Nothing says Aloha to me in a more beautiful way than Coconut Crusted French Toast with Coconut Syrup. The warm toasted coconut is nestled nicely in a bed of thick sliced French bread that has been dredged through a mixture of eggs and coconut milk which enhances the flavor and gives a lighter feel to the whole meal.  

 

So turn up the music, warm up your griddle and blast the furnace. We are going to make it through this winter, one delicious bite at a time!

 

 

Coconut Crusted French Toast

 

1 loaf French bread cut into 1 inch slices

6 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 of a 13.5 can of coconut milk

1 tsp coconut extract

2 1/2-3 C coconut flakes

 

Warm griddle to medium heat and prepare with cooking spray or melted butter.

 

Mix eggs, coconut milk and coconut extract until well combined.

 

Dredge sliced French bread through egg mixture and then through coconut flakes.

 

Place on griddle and cook, flipping several times to ensure that it cooks evenly, until egg coating is cooked through and coconut begins to toast. 

 

Coconut Syrup

 

1 stick butter
1 C sugar
1/2 C milk 

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. (The syrup will more than double in size when you add the baking soda, so a medium sauce pan is necessary.)

Bring just to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients until syrup is light and fluffy.   



Eggnog Syrup

Gifts of time and love

are surely the basic ingredients

of a truly merry Christmas. 

                                                                  -Peg Bracken
 

When I think of Christmas, I am immediately transported to the flavors that make up the season. Those treats that are special and unique to this time of year. Growing up that meant: pfeffernusse, a German Christmas cookie that was a sweet gingerbread ball rolled in powdered sugar, it was crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle; stollen, a German Christmas bread that hallmarked the candied fruit made famous in fruit cake, something I still haven't acquired the taste for; and everything pepperminty or eggnoggy.

 

Since breakfast is probably my very most favorite meal to prepare, I knew this holiday season wouldn't be complete without mixing up a new syrup recipe that incorporated some of these flavors. I have long been a sucker for eggnog. It is just one of those treats that I can't pass up this time of year.

 

This syrup recipe has been adapted several times to meet the season and my current craving. It started out as a simple buttermilk syrup recipe with a splash of vanilla and a dash of cinnamon. My friend Holly shared it with me almost 10 years ago, and my life hasn't been the same since. I have used the basic recipe to make coconut syrup, rum syrup, lemon syrup (which is delicious over ginger pancakes) and so many others. If I have a breakfast craving, I know how to satisfy it!

 

This is a great way to share a gift of time and love with your family. Serve up this delicious, quick and easy syrup drizzled over hot, crunchy waffles and breathe in all that the season has to offer.

 

 

 

Eggnog Syrup

1 stick butter
1 C sugar
1/2 C eggnog
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla 
Dash of nutmeg and cloves

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. (The syrup will more than double in size when you add the baking soda, so a medium sauce pan is necessary.)

Bring just to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients until syrup is light and fluffy.

 



Strawberry Honey Butter

October’s poplars are flaming torches

lighting the way to winter.
-Nova S. Bair

I don’t know what it is about fall, but it brings me in. It holds me tightly with memories of trick or treating as a kid, the hot smell of the candle flickering inside my beautifully carved pumpkin cooking the flesh just enough to add its aroma to the already perfect evening. It reminds me of crisp autumn nights as I unpacked my belongings into a sturdy, warm dorm room that sat at the mouth of Logan canyon, the wind whipping around its edges creating mini snow or leaf filled tornado's. It reminds me of riding the shuttle over to the student center for a hot slice of bread with apple butter or raspberry honey butter. I had a car, but I would usually trade in the solidarity of a morning ride by myself in Crunchie the Love Cockroach (my pet name for my little Toyota Corolla because it made a lovely crunching sound anytime I cornered to the right) for the warmth and camaraderie of the shuttle.

Last week, as that autumn chill brought back those memories, I just couldn’t shake the craving that I was having for a little slice of my past. I considered driving 3 hours round trip, not including time to revel in my wanderlust, but as I scanned our calendar I knew that a quick trip would be a selfish indulgence that I just couldn’t justify for the day. So I set out to create a happy little pause button that would keep the cravings at bay until I had time for the trip.

This recipe could easily be adapted to any fruit you have on hand. After I finished up the pictures my mind started racing with ideas of different “butters” that I could try. The possibilities are endless. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner my mind leaped to ideas that incorporated my favorite fall flavors. What about a pumpkin honey butter or an orange cranberry honey butter. I think both of those will have to be a part of our Thanksgiving feast, spread generously across a warm home made roll.

If the flavors you want to try aren’t in season, frozen fruits can easily be substituted. I made strawberry honey butter and a tropical honey butter with mangoes, pineapple and strawberries. They have both been gobbled up by my family. My kiddo’s have loved spreading them over their toast, crepes and waffles. I feel good that they are getting a little extra fruit into their days. The best part, it stores well in the refrigerator for up to a week in a sealed container or up to 6 months in the freezer. So you can take a few minutes today and enjoy it for several months to come!

 

 

Strawberry Honey Butter

 

1 c strawberries hulled and sliced

2 Tbsp honey

1 c butter softened, at room temperature

 

In small saucepan, over medium heat combine strawberries and honey. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to speed up the process. In blender or food processor blend strawberry mixture until smooth and then fold in butter until it is well blended.





Roasted Tomato Soup

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet

without violins."

-Laurie Colwin, "Home Cooking"

 

Growing up I hated two things that were good for me, fish and tomatoes. When I took a health class in high school I realized the importance and benefits of incorporating these two beauties into my diet. It took years to change my opinion and palate, but I am slowly coming around. I started by ordering hamburgers and leaving the tomatoes in place instead of discarding them the instant they arrived on my plate. I'm still working on fish. I have trained myself to like lobster, crab and shrimp, but learning to like fish will take a little more time. Whenever I am near an ocean however I feel like it would be an insult if I didn't give it another try. I ate Mahi Mahi for the first time in Hawaii when I was 11 and really enjoyed it. This past March I had some of the most amazing salmon I have ever tasted while at an awards dinner, for work, in Orlando. It takes baby steps. If I had this tomato soup as a kid, I have a feeling my thoughts about tomatoes would have changed ages ago. It is a far cry from the preservative packed can variety and is almost as easy to prepare.

15-20 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 leek, chopped and rinsed thoroughly, white end only
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 c chicken broth
1 pint heavy cream
 
Preheat oven to 400.
Place tomatoes, leek and garlic on cookie sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.
Remove from oven and puree in blender or food processor.
For a smoother texture, strain through a sieve into a sauce pan.
Over medium high heat, combine tomato mixture with salt, pepper, chicken broth, thyme and heavy cream, stirring constantly.
Continue cooking until soup has thickened to desired consistency.

Pasta Carbonara

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.

-Federico Fellini

 

When I cook for my family, I do my best to set the mood. I always feel like I am more able to listen to the little things that the food is trying to tell me when I surround myself with good music. No music connects me more readily and directly to the food that I am preparing than Italian music paired with Italian cuisine. The music and the food speak to me in a way that excites every inch of my body, down to the tiniest atom in my little toe. I can't help but dance through the kitchen as I mince the garlic or drop the pasta. It becomes a celebration instead of a simple meal, made on a weeknight, to fill the bellies of my hungry savages.

This is one of our favorite "go to" recipes. It can be played up with prosciutto or pancetta substituting Asiago for the parmesan, or you can go with what you have on hand and create a delectable feast for your hungry brood. You could add chicken breasts dredged through a combination of panko bread crumbs, oregano, basil, thyme and parmesan. Whatever you choose try spicing things up tonight and really get into preparing the meal from your heart. Turn up a Pandora play list that highlights some of your favorite tunes. Might I suggest creating a new station including "Mambo Italiano" by Rosemary Clooney or for a more authentic feel "Italian Traditional Radio". Whichever you choose, center yourself for a moment, take a deep breath and feel the love that is expressed while creating this simple, beautiful tribute of love for you and yours.

This past weekend I learned a fun tip that I thought I would share. It isn't as "life changing" as when I learned to peel garlic by first smashing it with the flat edge of a large knife, but I think this is a tip that I will employ anytime I have fresh asparagus to prepare. It is a time saver that will help you get this dish on the table in a flash.

Leave the rubber bands in place on your bunch of asparagus. Pull three or four stalks out of the bottom rubber band and snap the ends off individually, allowing them to break where the woody ends meet the tender flesh.

After you have an idea of the average length of where the woody parts end, chop the entire bunch to this length.

Leave the rubber bands in place and continue chopping into 1 inch sections for this recipe. Once chopped place in a salad spinner full of ice-cold water. Allow the asparagus to soak while you continue chopping the other vegetables. Drain the water and spin dry.

Quick and Easy Pasta Carbonara


6 strips bacon, crispy cooked
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed to one inch sections, discarding the woody ends
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tomatoes diced
1 pint heavy cream
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, with additional for topping
8 oz angel hair pasta, cooked to desired doneness as per package instructions

In large fry pan, cook bacon until it is crispy.
Remove bacon and clean out drippings, reserving 1 tsp of drippings to saute the onion and garlic.
Warm 1 tsp of drippings, over medium heat, and saute onion and garlic until onion starts to become tender, about 1 minute.
Add asparagus and stir fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook until the asparagus is bright green.
Pour in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and simmer until sauce has thickened.
Toss with pasta, serve and top with additional Parmesan.  

Slow Cooker Mango Chicken over Coconut Rice & Baked Pineapple...Aloha!

Tell me what you eat,

and I shall tell you what you are.

                                           -Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

 

After tonight's dinner, with the above quote in mind, Jean would peg me as a lover of all things tropical and he would be right. I have long fantasized of changing my heritage to more suit my palate and climate preferences. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't get excited at the prospect of scaring the life out of people when I tell them I love them (I'm mostly German BTW), but island cuisine and way of life melds so much better with my current state of mind than my own German roots ever have. (With the exception of Christmas of course. I would be lost without my German Christmas traditions and pfeffernusse.) 

 

Every time I eat a perfectly ripe pineapple or sprinkle some toasted coconut on my latest creation I am reminded of how grateful I am that other cultures and countries share their food with us. My diet would be pretty unexciting if I were only able to eat the foods that naturally grew near my geographical location. It would, however, give me even more incentive to move to a tropical locale.

 

Nonetheless, this quick and easy recipe helped to muffle my desire to escape to a tropical paradise.

 

With the kids now back in school and back to a myriad of activities, it has been increasingly difficult to get a good meal on the table. This is the perfect season for slow cookers. With a little prep work earlier in the day, your family can be sitting down to a warm delicious meal moments after mom's taxi service closes for the day.

 

 

Slow Cooker Mango Chicken

 

4-5 chicken breasts

1 large ripe mango peeled and diced

3 ripe peaches peeled and diced

1/2-1 full hatch chili pepper (or pepper of your choice) seeds and ribs removed and diced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lime juice

1-2 Tbsp toasted coconut for garnish

 

Prepare slow cooker by spraying sides and bottom with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or medium for 4-5 hours. Shred chicken and serve over coconut rice with toasted coconut on top.

 

 

Coconut Rice

 

2 c rice

1 16.5 oz can of coconut milk

1/2 c toasted coconut

water 

 

Cook rice as per package directions but sub coconut milk for as much water as you can. For example I cooked cal rose rice in a microwave rice cooker that called for 3 c of water to 2 c of rice. The 16.5 oz can was almost 2 c so I finished filling the measuring cup with water to equal 3 c. When the rice is done, immediately toss with toasted coconut. 

 

 



 Baked Pineapple

 

1 pineapple cut in half, core removed. 

1/2 c ginger snaps crushed

1/2 c macadamia nuts (I subbed hazelnuts)

1/2 c shredded coconut

1/2 c sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp coconut or rum extract

 

Preheat oven to 350. Slice pineapple in half and remove the core by cutting diagonal slices into the length of the core. Combine ginger snaps, nuts and coconut. Combine sweetened condensed milk and extract. Pour half of the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the area where the core was. Top with gingersnap mixture and top again with the remainder of the sweetened condensed mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pineapple is a little soft and the topping is warm and bubbly.

 

To serve, cut off top and bottom of pineapple and run a long knife around the edge of the pineapple, separating the the skin from the fruit. Leaving the fruit in the skin, cut into bite sized pieces and serve.  

Wrapped Canvas Prints

Memory is the cabinet of imagination,

the treasury of reason,

the registry of conscience and

the council-chamber of thought.

                                                       -Giambattista Basile

 

I have wanted to make a gallery wall for my office for a long time. I work for an airline and sometimes I need a little reminder as to why I do what I do, especially as we roll into the hurricane and winter seasons, which can be trying for everyone involved. I knew that I wanted to capture some of my favorite vacation memories in a fun new way that would play up a more "modern" feel for my office. I didn't want mismatched frames scattered willy nilly around my office walls. I wanted something that was down to earth and grounded.

 

I discovered wrapped canvas prints, but quickly learned that they were quite pricey. A 12X12 was running around $24.95 and a 16X20 would be closer to $50.00. With my decorating budget being closer to $50.00 total I knew that I had to come up with a better way.

 

So I schlepped through pinterest looking for the perfect tutorial and came up with a fusion of several different ideas.

 

For this project you will need:

 

Photoshop or comparable photo editing software (I use photoshop elements 7)

Digital copies of your photographs

Access to a printshop that can make "Engineering Prints" (I used Staples)

Canvases (I found a 7 pack of 12X12 canvases for $19.95 at Michael's, after a 50% off coupon they were just over $1.50 each)

Spray adhesive

Scissors

Glue to help secure corners

Matte finish spray

 

 

Open photo editing software and drag and drop your photo's into the opened program. Edit as desired including converting to black and white for the cheapest way to complete this project. Staples does create color engineering prints but they are more expensive. In photoshop 7, click on "enhance" at the top of the screen and then select "convert to black and white"

 

Click on the "crop tool" and select your desired size adding at least 2 extra inches to the size of your finished print to allow for wrapping around the edges. If you are using a 12X12 canvas, for example, you will want to create 14X14 prints. If your canvas is thicker than the one pictured above (half inch) then adjust accordingly. You will want at least a half inch of overhang after you cover the sides.

 

Also adjust the pixels/inch setting while you are cropping your picture. In photoshop 7 you can adjust the pixels/inch at the top of the screen just to the right of where you type in the desired dimensions. For 12X12 prints select no less than 300 pixels/inch. My 16X20 print probably could have been adjusted up to 400-500 for better quality, but it is finished now and I love it just the way it is.  

 

Choose the size of engineering print that you wish to purchase. Staples offers 18X24 for $1.79, 24X36 for $3.59 and 36X48 for $7.29. I opted for the 24X36 to accommodate the number of prints I wanted in the sizes I needed. 

 

Click on "file" at the top of the screen and select "new" and then "blank file". Type in the sizes you want for your final print (i.e. 24X36). If it has auto populated pixels instead of inches switch it over to inches and again adjust the pixels/inch to fit your project size. Leave all of the other settings as they are and click OK.

 

This will open up a "blank canvas" with the dimensions that you need for your print. At the bottom of the screen double click on the picture that you wish to add to the canvas until it appears in your work screen. Then press CTRL A, CTRL C. Double click on your blank canvas until it appears in your work screen. Click on it with the mouse and then press CTRL V. Your picture should appear on your canvas with the predefined dimensions. Don't expand the print to cover a greater area as this will change the dimensions of the finished project.

 

Use the "move tool" to position it on your blank canvas until you have as many photo's as you can fit on the canvas. Save your project with the highest quality possible for your program. 

 

Send your order to your print shop. When sending to Staples just make sure that you select the correct size for your job. You can also change the orientation of the project via their online tool. Here is the link to the Staples black and white engineering prints.

 

http://www.staples.com/sbd/content/copyandprint/engineering-prints.html

 

If you aren't certain that you submitted the project correctly you can always call to make sure that what you were hoping for is what they are going to print. Also, you can rush your project or select a date that doesn't show any additional charges. In my experience, even when I selected a date that didn't include an additional cost the prints were ready within a couple of hours. I'm sure this varies depending on their workload for the day so if you want to guarantee same day pick up it might be worth the extra money to put a rush on your order. 

 

After your prints are home, prepare your work station by covering it with some sort of disposable tarp. (Unless you are secretly hoping to get a new table in the very near future and just a little more damage might help seal the deal in your hubbies mind, in which case don't cover it up and spray on sister!) I used plastic kitchen bags cut open to create double the work space.

 

Trim your prints then spray your canvas generously with spray adhesive. If you have sprayed it a little too much (ie there are puddles of adhesive) allow it to dry a little before applying it to the picture. A little adhesive goes a long way. If the canvas is too wet it will create wrinkles on your picture. 

 



Apply canvas to the back of the picture and make diagonal cuts up to 1/2 cm from the corner of the canvas.

 

Spray edge and back of canvas with spray adhesive and roll paper around the edge and back.

 



At the corners fold excess paper so that it completely covers the corner with a crisp edge. Apply extra glue to secure corners.  

 

Continue steps until all edges have been sprayed and folded.

 

After your canvases are dry apply a light coating of matte finish in a well ventilated area. The matte finish will help protect your project and will give it more of a photo feel. Be careful not to over saturate with the matte finish. When applying keep sprayer at least 4 inches from your project. Reapply every 2 minutes until you have the desired texture keeping in mind that too many coats will leave your photo's with a hazy feel. I applied 4 coats.

 

For this whole collage of prints I spent less than $40.00 and still have supplies leftover to create some fun new projects. Best of all I now have physical reminders of the wonderful memories I created with my family to help me through the coming weeks of delays and cancellations. Deep breath. Namaste. 

Mama Mia Greek Pizza and the Myth we call Perfection

Use what talent you possess:

the woods would be very silent if no birds sang

except those that sang best. 

 

I'm having one of those "less than perfect" days. Nothing is particularly wrong, I just can't seem to get something right. I had HIGH hopes of offering up a wonderful meal to my family and to you tonight, but for the second time in a row it was less than perfect. Which got me thinking about the lenses that we see each other through.

In my old neighborhood I had a neighbor who was the epitome of perfect. Her hair was perfect, her make-up was perfect, her clothes were perfect, her house was always tidy and ready for guests, she hosted fun luncheons and even figured out how to balance all of that and stay in shape. I was the polar opposite of her. I rarely did anything more than a ponytail with my hair, makeup was a luxury that was just out of my grasp, my clothes covered my body, nothing more nothing less (I was just grateful for the days that I could escape, unscathed, by the onslaught of baby food that was being hurled at me) and my house, though it was tidy, it was never guest ready. If someone stopped by unannounced I would either pretend I wasn't home or holler at them through the door that they would have to wait for a second while I quickly ran through the offending room shoving everything out of sight.

...oh, and that other thing. Let's just say that the scale and I are not on speaking terms at the moment.

I envied her and wondered how she kept it all together. I tried to be like her. Some days I felt like I was doing a decent job, but longevity has never been my strong suit. I can sprint for a few minutes but stretch the time out and I fall on my face. I could handle it if I just stumbled a little, brushed myself off and continued on my way, but the truth is I do the kind of face plant that is played over and over on "Wipeout". You know the ones when the poor person kicks themselves in their own head. Yeah, that would be me. So I lay there, watching as everyone else tramples over me and passes me by and soon I am worse off than I was before I even started the race. I wondered why she could do it so effortlessly and I always fumbled.

Then, it happened. It was just a minor thing, but for me it was a pivotal moment when I realized that we are all human and the lens of perfectionism that I was viewing her through was made completely by me. After that I started to notice when things weren't exactly perfect. Not in a judgemental type of way, but in a "Yeah sistah, I know it's been a hard day. I've got your back. Welcome to the club" kind of way.

So this was my offering to my family last week. I was doing an assignment for Bountiful Baskets where we were all planning a "Pizza and a Movie Night". I knew that I wanted to try my hand at a zucchini crust with a bunch of fun Greek flavors running through it. Oh, and we were going to watch "Mama Mia" because what else would you watch while eating a DELICIOUS Greek pizza?
 

 

That BEAUTIFUL zucchini crust was seasoned with cardamom and dill. Up on top we had grilled red onions, garlic and rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and feta cheese. Just before taking the picture I drizzled it with a homemade tatziki sauce. It smelled AMAZING!

 

After the picture was taken, we sliced the pizza up and got ready for a tongue tickling treat that was sure to satisfy. What we found was a soggy pizza that's crust was more like a paste. The toppings were good and luckily I have a very adventurous family who complimented me on the things that tasted good instead of focusing on this epic failure.

 

But I wasn't about to get my butt kicked by a pizza. So I tried again, this time with less gusto and with the effort that I could muster for the night. I hesitate to even post this as a recipe, but I think that it is a fun "jumping off" point. It is the tiny brush strokes that you can use to design your own masterpiece. Just imagine the possibilities. Plus, we all need those easy nights where we are able to just throw something together. This fits the bill. And when the pizza is ready you can snuggle up with your family and enjoy "Mama Mia" too and we can enjoy our imperfections together. 

 

 

Mama Mia Greek Pizza

 

1 prepared pizza crust

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 breasts from a rotisserie chicken

1 onion diced (red is preferred but you go with what you have some days)

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp dill

3 small Roma tomatoes diced

1 4 oz can diced black olives (not pictured)

1 c mozzarella cheese

1/2 c feta cheese

 

Preheat oven to 450. Saute onion, garlic and chicken until onion is translucent. Top pizza crust with chicken mixture, tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. Sprinkle with cardamom and dill. Bake as per package instructions. My crust suggested 8-10 minutes or until crust is cooked to desired crispness. Turn oven off and top with feta cheese. Let it sit in cooling oven for 3-5 minutes.