Month: October 2013

Homemade Pizza: Way More Fun Than Delivery

Ordering a pizza is easy, but making your own is almost as easy and really fun. Plus, there’s no limit to toppings you can put on, just wander the aisles of the supermarket and grab whatever makes you happy to top your pizza with. Even the boyfriend (who NEVER cooks) likes to get involved with this one. That way he can ensure that no less than 3 pounds of cheese gets on there, even though I insist to him that the dough won’t cook properly if the crust is over-cheesed or over-sauced. To combat his enthusiasm, I prebake the crust for about 5-8 minutes on the bottom rack. This recipe is for a thinner crust (shown in this post), but I’m working on creating a recipe for deep dish that’s like pizza made on a loaf of foccacia. That will follow soon!

(Mix a packet of yeast with warm water and sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes.)

(Flour and spices get mixed in a bowl while the yeast preps.)

(Pour the now foamy liquid into the flour and blend to make a ball of dough.)

(Cover tightly and let rest for an hour until the dough has doubled in size.)

(While the dough rises, remove a sausage or two from the casing and cook in a pan until browned.)

(When the dough is risen, spread it out onto a olive oiled cookie sheet with olive oiled hands, because it will be sticky!)

(Prebake and top if you plan to use a lot of toppings, or just top and bake on the bottom rack for 15 minutes. It is done when the crust is browned lightly. At this point, remove it from the oven, slice it up, and devour!)

Weeknight Pierogies

(Beer makes an awesome pairing with this meal. And really every other meal, let’s be honest.)

Good pre-made pierogies paired with fresh made dipping sauces make this a quick and delicious weeknight dinner. You eat it with your hands (enabling you to shovel food in at the fastest possible rate after undoubtably being hungry for the last few hours of the work day and for the entire commute home). It’s served family style in a big golden doughy pile in the middle of the table, so you can make enough for two or for ten using the same steps. There’s something homey and nice about everyone reaching over each other to plunge hot, potato-filled pockets in warm melted butter and refreshing sour cream with just-clipped chives.

(Start with a package of good quality pierogies. I found these made by Severino at Whole Foods.)

(Throw these in a pan with a pat of butter and cook until browned. Make sure to turn at least once.)

(Chop up fresh chives. They’re crazy easy to grow so I keep a live plant in the house for cooking purposes. It literally just looks like a planter of grass.)

(Add the handful of chopped chives to a generous dollop of sour cream in a small bowl.)

(Put about 2 tablespoons of salted butter in a bowl and microwave for 15 seconds until melted.)

(Watch the butter like a hawk when it’s in the microwave to avoid boil over.)

(Plate the pierogies and arrange everything on the table.)

(The boyfriend could not wait until I was done taking pictures to eat one. I captured the crime taking place.)

A Few Days in Seattle, WA

I recently took a trip to Seattle and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. First of all, just to get this out of the way, it really is that rainy and weather-y as my overcast photos attest. I’m told that the summertime is beautiful and crisp, but my east coast self got rained on a few times while I was there.

Seattle appealed to me because it is a fairly large and metropolitan city (this is the part that surprised me, not that I expected cabins in the woods, but I was taken aback by the soaring heights and architecturally unique towers). The people walking around downtown were chic and in-a-rush. Totally different than my granola expectations. The waterfront area was expectedly crawling with tourists, but not the way Manhattan is and with a different kind of tourist (presumably the west coast kind), who were less pushy with their camera and stroller. Pleasant.

It was one of the most unique waterfront districts I’ve ever seen, with an uncontrived high/low mix of businesses (and people, Seattle has plenty of homeless people). You get the feeling that businesses open up on the waterfront during different times of prosperity in the district and just stay open for business even when times change. Thus, the interesting and refreshing mix.

My exploration of the waterfront district is chronicled below. There were more nooks and crannies then I could possibly explore, so this is my unique experience through the narrow streets.

Driven by hunger and in pursuit of food, I set off from my hotel downtown for a brisk 10 minute walk toward the water. I happened upon this pedestrian only alley and since I, of course, can never resist a tiny alley (and lights!), I turned in for a meander.

I almost immediately saw Pike Place Chowder, but what really caught my eye were the bowls of thick creamy chowder and HUGE crab and lobster rolls on the tables of the casual diners already there. I’m telling you, they don’t make the crab rolls this big back east. Or at least I haven’t found them yet, somebody please let me know if I’m missing out…

The lemony and crunchy with celery crab roll was slung onto a tray with a piece of extra-sourdough bread wrapped in a bit of plastic. The hot soup was ladled, also slung onto the tray and then the whole thing bumped down onto the counter in front of me. I sat along a diner style bar close to the huge windows and ate the super fresh and really well prepared seafood.

Completely overstuffed, I staggered out of the restaurant and down the street to encounter a booming permanent farmer’s market. It was teeming with tourists, locals, vendors, restaurants, shops, and pretty much everything else that could be cramped into a few crazy hilly, cobblestone streets (and frequently stairs).

This is a salmon city. It’s on every menu and for sale all over the waterfront farmer’s market.

There is a full wildflower garden planted in what appears to be the gutters encircling the rooftops of the busy central area of the market.

Ducking into a tiny alley between shops brought me outside to a sky high terrace at the top of a long flight of stairs.

There are stairs and secret streets all over the waterfront district. I barely saw these curving steps out of the corner of my eye and slipped down on the narrow street below.

At the bottom of the steps and under a dark pedestrian overpass, I stumbled across this crowd sourced bubblegum art all over the walls, cobblestone street, store signs, and pretty much every surface available. A uniform ombre effect is achieved in this piece of spontaneous street art by the varying heights of the individual gum chewing contributors.

Staggering down the steepest cobblestone street ever brought me down to sea level. Where the street flattens out, the highway system streams overhead and the greenery drapes past the edge of the overpass to create an unexpected tunnel of plant life leading to the pier.

A stormy sky loomed over an electric purple ferris wheel down by the water.

As nighttime fell (and the cold came along with it) I was not unwillingly driven inside Maxmilien’s. It’s warmly lit and has the best chocolate cake ever. The fantastic views of the lit up waterfront pier and Mt. Rainier in the distance don’t hurt either.

This is the perfect chocolaty nightcap to a very successful wandering.