Spinach Crust Pizza

Anyone else wonder why the hospital staff let you leave with your children? I just blamed the cat for failing to recycle his empty food can.

Which leads me to another confession: I open the can of food and drop it outside the back door for the world's greatest cat.

This mini catharsis has nothing to do with the body of my post. It's just the moment I'm living in. Hanging out in the back yard between events. Big one is feeding me pebble pancakes while small ones harasses, I mean cooks for the world's greatest cat.

A jam packed weekend... I miss picking up a pizza from Costco or even better, Papa Murphey's. I don't like griping about the gluten free thing. A modified diet is an easy solution to avoid weekly migraines. But convenience was nice.

We've battled through several gf pizza recipes, none with great success. But then I stumbled upon a recipe from Mollie Katzen in the Moosewood Cookbook. I had to make instant adjustments based on what my crisper contained, but we now have a terrific gluten free pizza crust.

Without yeast, you can pull the finished pizza out of the oven an hour after you start the recipe. And, for you Mommas who like to fortify everything with veggies {sounds much less deceptive than 'sneak'}, the crust is spinach. Join me as a dance a recipe jig!

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Spinach-Crust Pizza

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh spinach, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c whole wheat/grain flour {millet, sorghum, buckwheat, etc...}
1/2 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c grated parmesan
2 T olive oil
salt, crushed red pepper, basil to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, then press into a greased pie plate {deep dish} or 9x13 casserole dish {thin crust}. Bake at 415 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the crust is crispy and edges turn golden brown.

Remove from oven and top with your favorites. Ours are:
Saute'd mushrooms
Fresh tomatoes
Onions
Pine nuts
Sun-dried tomatoes
Black olives
More cheese!

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is to your liking. Slice and serve!

Didn't I feed you last night?

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Can I hear an amen? That book on the floor would be The Winds of War by Herman Wouk {at least this week, and probably next week - it's 900 pages}. I would so much rather read than face my fridge.

What to cook for dinner?

Every day when the girls go down after lunch, I bite my nails until this puzzle is solved. What will I fix? Not because we have no options. On the contrary I have a hundred half options, a tried recipe with one ingredient missing or a list of ingredients waiting on my brain to concoct a recipe. I want to slump with her.

It's the deciding that gets me. All day, deciding. The biggest pro and con to self-employment and the essence of SAHMing.

This is first world problems all the way. Too many options for dinner? Truly ridiculous.

Seriously, I'm sorry for griping that I have to decide what to feed my family.

I left in the gripe because I guess we all get there on occasion. Dinner is just a straw on a back that gave out yesterday and confined me to the couch.

Trying to train myself back to writing. Not dissimilar to breaking running training, then fighting through wheezing lungs all over again. That's the real reason I leave the post. I've got to start back somewhere.

Not so fussy fish

My sister and her college roommate are on the paleo diet. It's based on the understanding that since our ancestors were hunter/gatherers, our digestive systems evolved to match the diet they ate - lots of meat, fruits, veggies; no legumes, tubers or grains.

The girls came home from classes at the end of last semester, bone weary, only to be further deflated when they opened the fridge. They had no "easy" food. No sandwiches, no cereal, no mac n' cheese. Everything had to be cooked. The roommate lamented that all their food was "fussy." What a cute, appropriate phrase.

I feel for them. Our house is similar. We keep healthy food on hand so we won't be tempted with junk, and everything is scratch ingredients. Want a cookie? We have the ingredients to make 100 types of cookies, but we have to mix, chill and bake them.

So what about Sunday nights? Sunday nights are the night I most want Chickfila (specifically because they're closed, so I'm jonesing for waffle fries). Actually, Sundays are just hard. I identify with single moms on Sundays. We wake up early to get pastor husband out the door with breakfast and coffee in hand, then I feed and dress the girls by myself, pack two diaper bags for separate nurseries, then navigate church with a 15 month old and an infant. Blurgh.

This morning was especially rough. G talked through her early nap, A decided eating was overrated, then as we're walking out the door, G trips and busts her lip, dripping blood down her shirt and skirt. *sigh.

This evening, DH is back at work. I got the girls through arsenic hour, a 45-minute dinner (the joys of self feeding) and a bath. The last thing I want to do is make another mess preparing a fussy dinner.

Enter my new favorite no fuss health food... the sardine.

What??? you say. The sardine? Really? I love them. Tiny packets of protein, vitamins B12 and D, omega-3's and calcium. They are amazing on a sandwich or salad with spinach, chopped onion, olives and hardboiled egg. And, they're precooked. If you don't like them, you don't like them. But if you're even neutral, pick up a can.

That's my tip of the day. Try sardines. They might surprise you.

Stuffed Peppers

Sometimes I miss the blog, like today after I made a delicious meal and want to share it. Problem is I'm really busy with the two girls and forget things like taking pictures of said meal. But for those of you who don't mind a recipe without a picture, here goes:

Stuffing:
1 c wild rice or brown rice
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 t of salt
1 c ricotta cheese (could substitute cottage cheese)
1/2 c spanish olives, chopped
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper

3 bell peppers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook rice with carrots and salt in water according to directions. While rice mixture cooks, chop olives and mix with spices, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses (hold out a little mozzarella to sprinkle on top of peppers). Cut peppers in half length wise, removing seeds but leaving the stems to retain the shape of the pepper.

When rice is cooked, combine with cheese and olives then fill peppers, covering with remaining mozzarella.

Place peppers in a baking dish with 1/4" of water and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and broil for additional 5 minutes until cheese browns.

Enjoy this easy all-in-one meal.

White Bean Chili

I am clearing out my pantry. Hence the winterish dish in the middle of July. Although, I think a white bean chili is less seasonal than a traditional style.

This recipe is very easy and provides excellent nutrition, qualifying for Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet (the most restrictive phase) while filling up the whole family. Even Baby G enjoyed some of the beans for dinner last night. She ranked it "one big toothless grin."

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 cans white beans
1 can green chili
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t red pepper
1 t salt
Cilantro - add 2 T fresh cilantro at the end or 1 t dried cilantro at beginning

Best directions ever: Throw all ingredients into your crock pot and cook on low for at least 6 hours or high for at least 3 hours. No need to cook the chicken ahead of time. The crock pot will take care of that for you, and the cooking chicken will provide the needed juice for you chili. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Serves 4.

A fabulous no-fuss meal for tired, busy moms!

North Carolina BBQ

Barbeque is one of my favorite summer dinners. Since there might be confusion around the word, "barbeque," I should clarify. Being raised in Tennessee, when I say "barbeque," I don't mean the act of grilling. I'm referring to the delicious dish of pulled (sometimes chopped) pork that has been simmering in vinegar all day then topped with barbeque sauce - whole different ball of wax.

Barbeque comes in many different forms depending on where it's cooked. For instance, Memphis BBQ joints tend to smoke the meat first then smother it in bbq sauce. This method is most popular for ribs and pulled pork. Memphis dry rub ribs are my absolute favorite.

North Carolina BBQ is a different beast, simmered in vinegar then pulled or chopped. Personally, I'm a fan of NC style, especially when accompanied by a load of cole slaw on the bun. You can't beat it on the forth of July with some watermelon and potato salad on the side.

My mom's BBQ is my favorite. It's the whole reason I registered for a crock pot. Enjoy!

3-4# Boston Butt Roast
2 T Sugar
2 c Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper
1 - 2 t Liquid Smoke
Barbeque Sauce

Place roast in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar. Cover with vinegar. Cook at low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours (can also be cooked in the oven at 200 degrees for 8 hours). Turn meat over 3/4 of the way through if it's not covered by the vinegar.

Pull pork, removing any bones and large pieces of fat. Season with crushed red pepper, liquid smoke and barbeque sauce.

Feeds 8-12.

Homemade Pizza

Confession: For all of my uppityness where food is concerned, I love pizza. Normally, I refuse to combine veggies with cheese, until they're situated on top of a delicious crust and surrounded by tomato sauce.

In Knoxville, mine and Tim's favorite date spot is a restaurant on happening Market Square called The Tomato Head. It serves gourmet pizzas, calzones and sandwiches - some of our favorites. As a sausage connoisseur, Tim always orders a #3: lamb sausage, herbed tomato, black olives, capers and sun dried tomatoes. That's what I mean by gourmet.

Last night I had a hankering for a delicious Sicilian pie and a great suggestion from SmittenKitchen.com: Shaved Asparagus Pizza. (Do you ever see recipes and think, "Now, that's just too beautiful not to make?!") Usually, I bake a traditional supreme pizza, but this time, I wanted to try something different. I made the asparagus pizza and a Ranch Chicken Pizza that I added bacon to. Both were amazing.

Now that I've provoked you to bake a pizza, here's my recipe for pizza dough. I always make it from scratch, and this recipe is very consistent. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Ingredients
1 1/4 c warm water
1 T yeast

2 T Olive Oil
1 T Honey
2 t Salt
2 1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour

Extra flour for counter top and hands while working dough.

Directions
Combine yeast and warm water and allow to sit until foam covers surface (~5 min). In large bowl or stand mixer, combine other ingredients until incorporated. With mixer on medium, add yeast and beat for 5-10 minutes, until dough pulls away from side and forms a ball around the mixer blade. If mixing by hand, roll up your sleeves and knead dough for 5-10 minutes until a slightly springy ball forms.

Place in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow to rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut ball in equal halves. Stretch crust by pushing your knuckles into the middle of the ball and rolling wrists to encourage dough outward. Or use a floured rolling pin. Bake for 5 min. Remove and add toppings. Bake for 12 min or until cheese is bubbling.