Simple white pizza at home

Everyone loves pizza and if you want to make a quick and simple white pizza at home there are several ways to do it. First, you have to decide how involved you want to get in making the crust. You can make your own if you have a few hours. If you are pressed for time, you can pick up a bag of pizza dough at the supermarket or you can buy frozen bread dough. With the frozen bread dough, you need to plan ahead at least a day. It needs to thaw and rise. If you have no time then pick up a Boboli at the store and build your own pizza from there.

A family favorite at my house is a Hawaiian pizza. It is what is commonly referred to as a white pizza. What that means is that it is constructed without a layer of tomato sauce. What you will do is pour some extra virgin olive oil on the crust. Make several circles on the crust with the olive oil, right along the edge of the crust. Use a pastry brush and spread the oil over the entire crust.

Place 10 slices of bacon on a piece of paper towel, cover with another sheet and cook according to package directions, about 5 minutes in the microwave. Open a small can of chunk pineapple and drain. Cut each slice of bacon into four pieces spread on the pizza crust. Place the pieces of pineapple around the crust. Take one package of Italian blended shredded cheese and sprinkle over the top of the pineapple and bacon.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Move the rack to the top position. Place your stone in the oven and allow it to get warm. Move the pizza onto the stone. Cook for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden underneath and the cheese is melted.

There is something decadent about the combination of salt and sweet that you get from a pizza covered with pineapple and bacon. If the combination sounds weird to you that’s okay try it anyway, you never know, you may be the latest convert. If you don’t have any bacon you can use ham, the taste is slightly different but the sweet-salty components are still very evident.

Another white pizza that is a favorite at our house is barbecue chicken. You can pick up the precooked fajita chicken and that will work great with this recipe. You will also need a jar of barbecue sauce, use whatever is your favorite, I like Masterpiece.

Place the chicken into a large bowl and pour one cup of the barbecue sauce over it and mix well. Prepare the crust in the same way as you would for the Hawaiian pizza. Place the chicken on the prepared crust and then cover with 1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese. Place on a stone in the oven on the top level of the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

This is one of the most delicious pizzas you will ever eat. Make sure that you have plenty of napkins available to wipe the barbecue sauce off of your chin. It is a little messy to eat but the mess is worth it. If you want to have the sensation of eating ribs on a pizza try using pulled pork instead of the chicken. There is only one word to describe it, awesome.

Sugar and Spice Mendon, Vermont

We have been coming to Sugar and Spice for more than 30 years, maybe even 40. It is located on Route 4 and has rustic brown exterior. They serve breakfast and lunch and in all these years we have only come for lunch once, breakfast is what we come here for. 

Pancakes are king at Sugar and Spice but you can also get waffles, French toast, eggs done a variety of ways of ways and things like oatmeal or a fresh fruit plater with yogurt or cottage cheese. 

On this visit, I ordered 2 scrambled eggs with home fries, and instead of toast a pumpkin pancake. Pancakes are served with real maple syrup, if you want anything artificial, it will cost you extra!! This is Vermont after all. 

Al and Dora both got an egg sandwich and were both equally surprised when it came served on an English muffin, both were expecting toast. Fran got an egg white omelet which was a three egg one with lots of stuff inside including cheddar cheese. 

On this particular visit, service was not the best, We had to ask for a refill on our coffee and ask twice to get our bill. Still, we were in and out in about half an hour so we didn't really complain. 

They sell a variety of Vermont products and it is very tempting to pick up some buttermilk pancake mix or Vermont made jams and jellies. Of course, maple syrup in lots of different sizes is also offered. 

While this is not necessarily our favorite restaurant in the area, it does have a very nice atmosphere and the pumpkin pancake was excellent. 

Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Have you ever just wanted a quick snack, maybe like a peanut butter cookie, but didn't feel like getting into any really big baking project? That is what happened to me. It was July, it was hot and muggy and I wanted a fresh peanut butter cookie. Lucky for me, I had seen a recipe on Facebook that I thought was impossible. A three ingredient cookie. Really? 

I had the three ingredients:

2 cups of peanut butter 

1 cup of Sugar

2 eggs

I set the oven at  350 degrees, grabbed out a bowl and mixed the three ingredients together. The beauty of this recipe, of course, is that they are gluten-free!! I used a metal ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough. I didn't really form them into formal balls, but you can if that is what you prefer. In order to make them an official peanut butter cookie, you need to use a fork and place the marks on top. If you want to keep them gluten free use corn starch on the fork tines. 

I placed a parchment on my cookie sheet to avoid sticking. I also placed a half pecan on half of the cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes.

#peanutbuttercookies

I was amazed at how well they came out, they are delicious. You will notice mine have a rather rustic shape if you make them into balls before baking they will be more regular in shape. 

Rabia's Seafood/Oysters and Italian Restaurant Boston, Mass.

What a lucky find this was. We planned to have dinner at Goody Glover’s Irish Pub (which has since closed)  but after sitting there for 10 minutes and being ignored we decided that the North End has way too many delicious restaurants for us to waste our time here. I had seen a sandwich board outside Rabia's on Salem Street offering the stuffed fig appetizer when we walked by so it seemed like something we might want to try.

We walked in and were greeted and seated immediately. We declined the table for two in the window preferring to leave the limelight to someone else. We were seated at a banquette along the wall that had about 5 tables for two at it. We had a basket of bread and dipping oil in front of us while we decided what we wanted to eat. Irene ordered a house wine and I had a Pellegrino to drink.

The menu is eclectic running the gamut from the expected pasta dishes to the unexpected a raw bar and sushi. It was a hard decision there were so many delicious sounding dishes. 

After some discussion between Irene and I agreed to split a Caprese salad and the dish that had drawn us in,  the stuffed figs.

They arrived together and the figs were actually beautiful with the wonderful gorgonzola sauce covering them and a sprinkling of pine nuts. That gorgonzola sauce was so good that we used the bread we had left to wipe up the sauce. The Caprese was as expected with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella with the addition of slices prosciutto. It was not large but was well presented and tasty.

For our main courses, we went our separate ways. Irene ordered the pumpkin and butternut squash ravioli with the same amazing gorgonzola sauce and I chose the penne with broccoli and artichoke with a lemon, garlic, and olive oil dressing. Irene’s portion was small but she was not complaining, actually, she wasn’t speaking at all she was too busy enjoying her food.

My portion was more than I could eat but it was very good and the sauce was very light and lemony. There was a nice ratio of vegetables to pasta.

Service was excellent. We were taken very good care of. The timing of everything was perfect. We finished up with a decaf cappuccino being too full for dessert. Our neighbors who were two college girls in town for a comedy show shared a tiramisu and they let me photograph it. It looked beautiful and they assured me that it tasted even better.

Our meal for two with appetizers, a glass of wine and cappuccino was $78. We thought that this was a very good price for the quality of the meal. We reluctantly walked back out into the cold dark rainy fall night and vowed to return to this little gem. I have returned to Rabia's several times and everything is always wonderful. 

I Bambini Mooresville, NC

In January 2018  an ice storm hit the eastern part of the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. We were on our way to Florida and stopped for the night in Mooresville, NC which is a usual stop for us. We ate dinner the first night at a restaurant we have tried before and like very much. We didn't expect to need to eat anywhere else. We were wrong. I Bambini as it turns out, was right down the street from our hotel, The Candlewood Suites.

I checked Google looking for a place for lunch and Italian seemed like a good choice. I Bambini is located in a strip mall and the exterior will not blow you away, it is rather nondescript. Inside is cozy and we were given a friendly welcome. They have a very well-priced lunchtime buffet, Al decided he wanted veal parm and I chose the lunch buffet.


#IBambiniMooresville

The lunch buffet lasagna was very good as was the spaghetti a la vodka. Lots of other choices were offered and I sampled a little taste of many different things. All were good, not exciting but good. Salads and soups were offered as well as desserts. For $7 how could you possibly go wrong?

We had good service and liked to food enough to order two meals to go for dinner. I certainly would not hesitate to eat here again when we stay in the area.

Other restaurants we enjoy in the area:

Jeffrey's 

Duckworths Grill

Eating cheaply in England

When you are visiting England, there are a lot of expenses, just as there would be on a vacation in any country. You need to pay for your accommodations, your transportation and of course you need to eat. Eating can be expensive, but there are always ways to stick to your budget and still manage to eat well.  It is not all that hard to eat cheaply in England if you are creative.

Picnic

One way to dine on a budget is to pick up the makings of a picnic. It is always less expensive to make your own meal than to buy a meal already made in a restaurant. Depending on the time of year, this may be a picnic in your hotel room or one that you enjoy in the great outdoors. The makings for your picnic can be purchased at a farmer’s market or at the local Tesco or Sainsbury. They have prepared foods such as roasted chicken or chicken curry. You can get fresh salads, fruits, sandwiches and a whole lot more. If you want to make a traditional picnic a loaf of French bread, some cheese such as Brie or cheddar, apples or pears and a bottle of wine or sparkling water will be inexpensive and delicious.

Sandwiches

Sandwiches were invented by the Earl of Sandwich so it is not surprising that you can get a good sandwich almost anywhere in England. You can, of course, go to a local tea room or restaurant for your sandwich but you can also go to most grocery stores and even to gas stations that have a store. Even though you are thinking, sandwiches at a gas station can’t be any good, I must tell you that you are wrong. You will find an excellent selection on a wide variety of bread and rolls with very delicious fillings. Add a bag of Walker crisps and a drink and you have a very inexpensive lunch or dinner. If you want to try something you won’t find at home, try the coronation chicken.

Pasty

Pasties are available at pasty shops, bakeries, grocery stores and well just about everywhere. They are a turnover filled with a variety of delicious meats and vegetables and even fruit. Traditionally it is beef, potatoes and a root vegetable with gravy. It can also be lamb or chicken and may or may not have curry as a flavor. Newer versions may also include cheese.  My favorite is lamb and apricot.

Pubs

With the advent of the gastro-pub, dining has been taken to a whole new level at many pubs. The downside is that prices have also risen. One of the best deals in town, however, is the Sunday carvery at many pubs. This can be a buffet or it can be a sit-down meal but it will include among other things roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the fixings at very reasonable prices. Keep in mind that having a brew in a pub is often much more economical than a soft drink and also larger. 

Museums

Many museums have a cafe where they serve anything from just snacks to full meals. Most of them are extremely reasonable. Check the prices before you order however since not all museum cafes are created equal.

Bed and breakfast

One way to guarantee that you will have a full stomach as you begin your day is to choose to stay at a bed and breakfast. You will begin your day with the traditional English breakfast in many cases and the fried eggs, bacon, mushrooms, fried bread and tomatoes served with toast will hold you in many cases until dinner. Some hotels also include breakfast in the rate which is very budget friendly.

When you are looking for a reasonably priced meal, don’t be afraid to ask the locals where the inexpensive restaurants are located. Often they are not where tourists usually go and you might not find them on your own. To eat cheaply in England and stick to a budget may take a little work but it will be a tasty job.

My Take on Hamburger Steak

Yesterday, I thawed out two hamburger patties. I don't have any burger rolls so I decided to try to come up with another option. I always have Simply Mashed Potatoes in the fridge so I decided to make something with a beefy type gravy. 

I started by slicing up a large Vidalia onion and sauteing it in olive oil. I sprinkled on a little steak seasoning while it was softening up. Now, how to create the gravy? I added one Knorr beef stock pod and about 1/4 cup of water. I added a tablespoon of gravy master and half a bag of dry onion soup mix. I added an additional half cup of water at this point. I let this simmer on low while I warmed up the mashed potatoes and cooked the hamburgers. 

I would have preferred to have beefy onion soup mix but unfortunately, I did not have any. I was quite pleased with the way this came out. The gravy was a little salty so I will need to work on that but otherwise, it was quite good. Here is another way to use thawed hamburger.