Pizza Party!

So last night we decided to have a mini pizza party and we all created our own pizzas. We used Naan bread for our crust. Mr. J and Baby C, had pepperoni. It's their favorite! I, however, made two stunning pizzas, and I'm very much looking forward to my leftovers for lunch.

FIG, CHÈVRE, FIG BALSAMIC PIZZA

 I was given some beautiful figs at the Urban Harvest farmers market this past weekend and I knew a pizza would be the perfect vehicle for these beauties! I put a generous amount of Texas Hill Country's olive oil on the crust first. Then I sprinkled Swede's Chèvre, and covered that with the sliced figs from Utility Research Garden. I popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes, and then I drizzled THC Fig Balsamic Vinegar on top. Wow, boys & girls, is all I can say! This pizza had so much flavor going on. The sweetness of the fig and the tartness of the vinegar and goat cheese melded so well together! Only 5 ingredients to make an amazing pizza! 

ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS, HERBED CHÈVRE, BASIL - WALNUT PESTO PIZZA

I purchased zucchini blossoms with plans to stuff them and fry them. After I had an extra pizza crust I decided to go ahead and use them for my pizza. I took basil and mint and chopped it finely and added it to my chèvre, mix really well to incorporate all the flavors. Adding fresh herbs to anything will intensify the flavor of your meal without adding tons of calories. Then I made a quick basil and walnut pesto. Again, I drizzled THC Olive oil on the crust, then spread the pesto. Now for the blossoms, cut a slit on the flower to remove the stem, then just layer across the pizza. I sprinkled some mozzarella on top for added cheesiness.

Yummy!! It was so delicious, that pesto popped so bright next to the flowers and cheese, I think I liked it more than the fig one, shh don't tell anyone though ;)

Who says you need meat to complete a meal. These pizzas were equally beautiful and delicious! Don't be afraid to try a new topping on your pizza. What are some of your favorite pizza toppings? 

Xoxo, 

Mrs. J 

Beet Beauties

As I do often at night I was scrolling through the food & drink section of Pinterest. I love seeing new creations and flavor combinations. I have recently discovered beets! I didn't hate beets but before a few months ago I defiantly wasn't buying them. I knew they were messy and I just had no intention of playing with them. I work for two chefs here in Houston, (another post about those soon) and they both use beets! I knew I had to try them because we'll I just don't feel it's right to sell somethingI haven't tried before. Wow, boys and girls, I have been missing out!!! So on Wednesday night I came across this amazing blog post http://francesjanisch.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/beet-and-goat-cheese

-jewels/

Frances' pictures of these beautiful beet and 

goat cheese jewels, I knew in that instant that I 

had to make them for our up and coming picnic. 

I only had about a 1/4 pound of goat cheese and I 

was lucky enough to have orange and cranberry

 goat cheese from

http://www.swedefarm.com/goat-cheese.html

I changed up the recipe just a little bit and added

 8 ounces of softened cream cheese to the goat cheese.

Everyone that tried this loved it and was shocked

 by how gorgeous and delicious it was.

 
Ingredients:
About 7 beet roots, in as many different colours as you can find.
Soft goat cheese, about 500 grams / 1 pound (I used 1/4 orange and cranberry goat cheese with 8 oz cream cheese)
Salt and Pepper
olive oil
2 bread tins
Basil leaves, pistachios and any kind of edible flower for garnish
Maldon Salt for finishing.
And a VERY sharp knife

Method:
Cook the beets in boiling water until soft, about 30 minutes.
Peel and let cool.
Slice very thinly.

Line one of the bread tins with plastic wrap leaving some overhang to fold over once the terrine is completed.
Start layering the beets and goat cheese, as if you were making a lasagna, seasoning with salt and pepper and a small drizzle of olive oil between layers.
Start with the lighter coloured beets first, ie golden beets, followed by a layer of goat cheese (don’t worry if you don’t make an even smooth layer. It’s pretty hard to do that with goat cheese any way), followed by more golden beets, until they are finished.
Then repeat with the red beets and goat cheese, making sure that the last layer will be the beets.
(I also added in thinly sliced orange here and there between the layers, but I’m not sure I’d do that again. You could serve the orange as a garnish, which I think would be better.)
Don’t worry if you haven’t reached the top of the bread tin. If you do, that’s great, but if you don’t it really doesn’t matter.
Once you have finished the layering, fold the plastic over to seal.
Now the trick is to place a weight on the terrine so it compresses.
I did this by placing another bread tin the same size, on top of the terrine, and placing a can of corn, or beans, or whatever can you have to act as the weight.
Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or over night.
When you are ready to serve, pull the terrine out of the tin on to a board. Unwrap the terrine and carefully slice (with that very sharp knife), making each slice about 1/2 an inch or 15mm thick.
I trimmed the edges to make them nice and neat, but you don’t have to.
Using a spatchula, place the slices on a long platter and decorate with basil leaves. I added pistachios and sage flowers, but any nuts and edible flowers will do. Whatever you think will look pretty.
Finish off with a sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt.
Serve with crusty bread, and a crunchy arugula salad.

Thanks again Frances!! This was so beautiful

 to and fun to eat! The moral of this story even

 if you never thought you would have tried 

something you should anyways because 

you may just end up loving it!!!  What is something

you thought you'd never like but tried and 

loved? Leave me a comment!

Xoxo,

Mrs. J

Bang Bang...My Baby Shot Me Down

Every time I hear bang bang, I think of Kill Bill. I love that song! So I had a pretty good hunch I'd love this dish. I found a pin a few weeks ago on pinterest called Bang Bang Shrimp. I clicked on it and it took me to
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/bangin-good-shrimp.html?m=1
Thank goodness I remembered to get some fresh shrimp at the farmers market I work at. This recipe is so simple! The shrimp were plump with a sweet spicy sauce. I have never heard of The restaurant that this dish is from so I'm very glad I stumbled upon this recipe. This dinner was only 54 calories per serving!! For the hubby I added some wheat tortillas to make tacos out of it. I will use the sauce again. One of the best ways I have ever prepared shrimp!!

Ingredients:

5 tbsp light mayonnaise
3 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tsp Sriracha (to taste)

For the Shrimp:
1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined (weight after peeled)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp canola oil (I used sesame oil)
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
4 tbsp scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce and Sriracha. Set aside.

Combine lettuce and cabbage and divide between four plates. Set aside.

Coat shrimp with cornstarch, mixing well with your hands.

Heat a large skillet or wok on high heat, when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the shrimp to hot pan and cook tossing a few times until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and combine with the sauce coating well.

Place shrimp on lettuce and top with scallions.


xoxo,
Mrs. J