All Jazzed Up

I've never been much of a pretzel girl.

Thin sticks (which were a hot commodity for trade in middle school)...traditional hard bow pretzels (which top off Dad's snack bowl every night)...mini unsalted pretzels (which often "fill" 100 calorie snack bags)...salty rods (which used to be a family favorite)...flavored nuggets and nibblers (which are done best by Synder's)...big soft pretzels from the mall (which are frequently doused in excessive amounts of mustard)...

They just don't make me oooh and ahhh in the same way, that say, garlic knots do. So you can understand why I was a little skeptical when my mom steered me towards a stand at the local farmer's market with a "Pretzel Logic" sign. After a quick look inside one of the big glass jars on display, I admit I was intrigued. These soft gourmet pretzels were clearly homemade and gorgeous to boot. Upon closer inspection, I saw a little sticker labeled "garlic/herb/parmesan" and my interest ratcheted up another notch. The kind and competent Amy Gross (who bakes the pretzels out of her kitchen in Monmouth, ME) encouraged us to try a sample...and after a tentative first bite, I was sold.

Garlic/Herb/Parm Pretzel, From Pretzel Logic Gourmet

The pretzel was deliciously doughy, with sprinkles of parmesan cheese and swirls of heady garlic spice reminiscent of an Italian-style artisan bread (one that tastes even better than it smells). It was the kind of baked good that makes you want to chew extra slowly, with your eyes closed. Amy doesn't have a website up and running just yet, but she does have a winning recipe at her fingertips. Make that multiple recipes, because I saw labels for cheddar, honey wheat, and cinnamon raisin too. I bet it won't be long before I see Pretzel Logic Gourmet in the "local" section of the bakery at Whole Foods in Portland...

Business Card

By the time Grandpa's clock started chiming at 6pm, we were still sighing with pleasure and silently thanking the genius who thought to pair garlic and parmesan together for the first time. Our pretzel was long gone, but our craving for these two flavors was not, so we decided on a pizza night. I've never met a version of Brother #3's pizza recipe that I haven't liked and tonight's pie was no exception. A garlic dough made from scratch was jazzed up with a surprisingly good store-bought pizza sauce, a melted mixture of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and handfuls of broccoli, onion, chicken, and prosciutto.

Pizza-making Mess

Stir-fried Chicken, Onion, and Broccoli

Prosciutto Pieces

The combination was heavenly - the garlic crust didn't disappoint and the tiny slivers of slightly salty prosciutto were sublime. I'm probably going to be battling a tough case of garlic breath for awhile, but luckily Boyfriend is miles away in CT!

Brother #3's Latest Concoction

Pizza Night

Breakfast for Lunch

I managed to convince Brother #3 into running 9.6 miles with me in the rain and into making omelets for lunch afterwards. I'm glad to see my begging, bribing, and guilt tripping skills are still intact (they tend to get a little rusty with a summer away from Boyfriend).

My newfound love for omelets is no longer quite as new (see here and here)...but today I did something unheard of. You see, in the world of Hannah breakfast foods are eaten at breakfast (preferably by 7 am). Lunch foods are eaten at lunch (as close to noon as possible) and dinner foods are eaten at dinner (at 6 o'clock on the nose). As you may have guessed, "brunch" (that odd mix of breakfast and lunch options offered during the lull in between 7 am and 12 pm) throws a total wrench in my plans.

I wish I could tell you that I overcame my fear of brunch and ate a breakfast/lunch at 10am like the rest of the college population...but that would be a lie. However, I did eat a breakfast food for lunch (a little bit after 12pm)!

Brother #3 and I were too lazy to go buy cold cuts for lunch after our run so we started hunting through the cabinets and rifling through the refridgerator. What could we make with garlic and herb cheese, red pepper, onion, salsa, chives, parsley, eggs, and bread? Enter the omelet sandwich. 

Omelet Prep

Cooking Omelet (Thanks Brother #3)

While Brother #3 manned the stove, I dug out my favorite plate (a gift from Grandma) and cut up a mini fruit salad (a section of juicy cantelope, a handful of blueberries, and a sliced Cameo apple).

"Love" Heart-shaped Plate

Quick Fruit Salad

I popped our pieces of toast (3 seed bread from a local favorite) in the toaster oven and took a quick shot...

Omelet Sandwich

...Before digging right in!

Somewhat Hidden Thumb & Cross-section of Breakfast for Lunch

Brother #3's Pizza Recipe

While I may be our designated salad maker, Dad may be our go-to grill guy (although he's holding onto that title by a thread because he gets too distracted by the news), and Mom may be our recipe guru (for maple walnut cake to braised short ribs and everything in between), Brother #3 is our official pizza maker.

I love Brother #3's pizza so much that I refuse to eat almost any other kind of pie. I make only one exception: a perfectly portioned hybrid gourmet pizza from David's. On a recent mother-daughter date I got the meat pizza (which features pepperoni, Italian sausage, hamburger, carmelized onions, Italian herbs, mozzarella & parmesan cheese) and stole a few choice toppings from the "awesome vegetarian" to create a mouth-watering combination.

Tonight, we decided to add a couple of toppings to our standard plain-Jane cheese pizza and the result was pure bliss. The heady aromas of melting cheese, sizzling pizza sauce, and homemade dough were enough to make me swoon...and that was before I took my first bite. Open your pantry, take stock of what you have, run to the grocery store to pick up what you don't, and make this pizza. It never disappoints.

Mostly Homemade Cheese Pizza with Broccoli and Ground Beef

Ingredient List:

The dough:
1 cup of bread flour
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of water (lukewarm)
1 packet of instant-rise yeast
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
A handful of cornmeal

The sauce:
We used a pint of store-made Whole Foods pizza sauce this time, but of course you can use homemade sauce or substitute for another brand if you have a preference
Liberal sprinkles of Penzeys Spices pizza seasoning

The cheeses:
As much fresh mozzarella cheese as desired
4 slices of muenster cheese

The toppings:
1/2 a pound of 85% lean ground beef
1 large head of broccoli

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the water and the yeast in a large mixing bowl. Then add the sugar and the rest of the ingredients. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes (do not skip/rush this part!).

In the meantime, cook the ground beef completely on the stovetop before adding in the broccoli (which will soften and absorb some flavor). Add pepper, garlic salt, and pizza seasoning as desired and let it simmer on low as you return your attention to the dough project.

Sprinkle cornmeal on the baking sheet before stretching the dough into a pizza shape. Fold over 1/2 inch pieces of the perimeter to create the illusion of a crust (it never seems to truly work). Distribute the pizza sauce evenly over the dough before placing the meunster cheese slices on top.

Stretched Pizza Dough with Attractive Blob of Sauce

Even Spreading = Overrated

Shred the mozzarella cheese and apply liberally.



Shredded Fresh Mozzarella
(Insert Boyfriend's Cringe at My Distinctly Non-Italian Pronunciation)

Yum

Remove ground beef and broccoli from stovetop and decorate the top of the pizza!

Ready for the Oven

Cook for around 20 minutes (times may vary - look for a lightly browned crust)

Ready to Cut and Eat!

Note: We discovered that using fresh mozzarella cheese made the pizza more "watery" than usual. If you prefer crispy pizza, try a blend of cheeses like cheddar, provolone, asiago, romano, and parmesan.