Grilled Pizza

I have mentioned before that I don't like to heat up the oven during the summer in order to keep the house cool. But usually I make an exception for homemade pizza. Recently one of my friends has been brining grilled pizza to get togethers and so I thought I would give it a try.  I found several recipes on the internet that described the technique, but I used my usual dough recipe from "The Simple Art of Eating Well Cookbook".  Honestly this pizza was better than usual and I don't think I will go back to cooking it in the oven, even in the winter (depending on how cold it is!).

Here is the recipe:

Dough (you can use pre made dough if you like): 

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Toppings (you really can use whatever you want, this is just what I used):

6 oz pizza sauce

6 oz canadian bacon

1/2 medium yellow squash, sliced thin

1 small onion, diced

3 banana peppers, diced

6 olives, sliced

1 handful baby spinach, chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

Stir water, yeast and sugar together in large bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes until yeast is frothy. Stir in both flours and salt. I like to use my hands to mix it until the dough comes together.

Place onto lightly floured work surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic- about 5-10 minutes.  Place dough in well oiled bowl, cover with clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to let it rise. Let it rise about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

Prepare all toppings. I sauteed the onions, peppers and squash to make sure they were cooked through.

When the dough has risen roll it out on a lightly floured work space. Turn the grill on high heat and clean off burner. Spray grill with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Prepare a bowl of olive oil and a basting brush. Brush one side of the rolled pizza dough with olive oil and place on prepared grill surface, oil side down. Dough will start cooking quickly.  When the bottom of the dough has browned flip it over using 2 spatulas. 

Working quickly apply a thin coat of olive oil to the top of the dough, put on sauce, toppings and cheese.  I made sure and had all of my ingredients laid out on a cookie sheet beside the grill. Once all toppings are on close lid of grill and let cook until cheese is melted. Check periodically to make sure bottom isn't burning.

Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Chevron Birthday Quilt

A while ago I decided that I wanted to try and make a quilt for my nieces and nephews on their 10th birthdays. My oldest nephews birthday came up faster than expected but I did get a quilt made for him. I asked him several months ago what he would want to decorate his room like if he had his choice and he said he would want a Kansas State room. Of course I was totally happy to make a K-State quilt.  

I used old jeans to make the denim part of the chevron pattern. I used this tutorial for making the chevron pattern without having to make triangle pieces. 

I used interfacing to cut out the letters and the powercat and stitching them on using a blanket stitch on my machine.

I decided to tie this quilt and it was a pretty simple process.

I am so happy with how this quilt turned out and I hope that Garrett likes it just as much!!

Thanks for stopping by!

I will be linking up with some of these parties!

Spicy Cucumber Salad

This is a really simple, healthy way to use up fresh cucumbers from the garden. My friend Juan taught me about this way to prepare cucumbers and I absolutely love it.

Ingredients:

7-8 fresh garden cucumbers

2 limes

Tajin seasoning 

Peel and slice cucumbers.

Juice two limes over them.

Sprinkle with Tajin to taste. I would start out with just a little and then add more if desired.

I just keep a container of this in the refrigerator for a simple, guilt free snack.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Homemade Cherry Crisp

One of my favorite things about the start of summer is the return of fresh fruit from fruit trees. This spring we planted an apple and a pear tree so that we can have fresh fruit in the future. But they won't produce for a few years. Luckily I have a very nice neighbor whose cherry tree was doing very very well this year.  My husband and I spent some time picking cherries and we got about 16 cups.

After a few hours of pitting I was ready to make some sour cherry goodness. I made a batch of  sour cherry jam, some dried cherries and a couple cherry crisps. Today I will share the recipe for the cherry crisp I made. 

Sour Cherry Crisp

Filling:

1 lb pitted sour cherries (you can use sweet cherries or frozen cherries from the store too)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cherries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a stock pot. Heat on medium heat until cherries start to juice. Bring it to boil, stirring constantly. Turn down heat and simmer until the mixture starts to thicken. Pour into 9 X 13 pan.

Place all ingredients for topping in medium bowl. Mix together with a fork until well mixed. Sprinkle on top of the cherry mixture. Put in oven uncovered and bake for 30 minutes or until topping is browned.

You can also use this topping for other crisps as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sour Cherry Jam- Guest Post at Garden Therapy

Hello everyone- just wanted to pop in and let you know I am guest posting my Sour Cherry Jam recipe over at Garden Therapy today. Go check it out and check out Stevie's amazing blog while you are there!

Have a great day!!

Zoe