the "little black dress" of pizzas: garlic chicken pizza

I feel like I need to be completely honest about something that I don't think anybody really knows: I love pizza. But not like everybody loves pizza. I LOVE pizza. "Like a fat kid loves cake"? No, that would be "kind of liking" pizza. Every chance I get to eat pizza, I take it. I really honestly don't think I'd be sick of it if I ate a different flavor of pizza every day (which I did, for a few months of my life. I worked at Empire Pizza as a senior, and I wanted to try all of them. If you want a recommendation, should you be in that part of South Florida, mashed potato bacon is my favorite).
So I think it fair to say that I'm somewhat of a pizza connoisseur. Yes, I will (often gladly) eat pizzas that are below elite rank, but when there is a more elite pizza available, I will be there, trying to shovel it down in the classiest way possible.

Now, pizza is rarely a classy thing. In fact, I don't know that, even with my choice of title, pizza is ever classy. But you can certainly dress it up. Especially if you're making your own, you cut it into squares instead of triangular slices, and your pizza is a wonderful mix of looking delicious and being healthy (little to no grease). Throw together individual side salads, and you could have a dinner party (probably not a black tie event though. Pizza's name still hasn't been cleared of "frat parties," "tailgate parties," and other events where daisy dukes and beer pong might be involved).

So here we have a pizza that you can dress up or dress down. It is delicious AND healthy. I've used it for birthdays, FIFA nights, post-football game meals that turned into FIFA nights, and date night with stemware. I probably wouldn't wear a little black dress to most of those things, but. You get the idea.

You can use what you have on hand and omit some of the cheeses or vegetables (in the one pictured, we omitted a few things), or you can make a trip to the store if you're feeling up to it, especially if you want to pick up soda. Or sparkling cider :)

Garlic Chicken Pizza

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ready-made pizza crust (I make my own- recipe at the end)
• 1 1/2 c shredded cooked chicken
• 1 c chopped tomato
• 1 c chopped mushroom
• 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 c finely shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 c chopped green onion

1. Preheat oven to temperature listed on the package (or 375 if you've made your own pizza crust).
2. Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Place crust on baking sheet; brush vinegar mixture over crust.
3. Top with chicken, tomato, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheeses and green onion.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheeses melt.

With this pizza, I made the crust, and I left out green onions, mushrooms, and feta cheese. I rarely have those on hand, so more often than not, our pizza is like this. Still pretty dang delicious.

No-Rise Pizza Crust

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (or 1 packet)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 c lukewarm water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 tsp salt
• ~3 c flour

1. Combine the yeast and sugar in a bowl, then add the cup of water. Let react for 5-10 minutes. 
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Add the last 3 ingredients, starting with 2 cups of flour and then adding a little bit more at a time as needed.
4. Roll out in desired shape. Put on a greased pan, top, and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

If you decide to make your own crust, here's a tip: if you don't already have a can of cooked chicken (or want to save it for a more rushed day), use a chicken breast. Start the chicken boiling while you're waiting for the yeast to react, then it will be done cooking about the time you're done with your crust. Let the chicken cool while you prepare the vinegar mix, and after you've spread it on the crust, the chicken should be cool enough that you can handle it to shred it or dice it.

Enjoy!

white bean chili. or, "When I Was Waiting For A Baby and Bridian was in Europe"

When I was about 38 weeks pregnant, I decided I wanted to make a bunch of freezer meals. I didn't want us to even think about dinner for as long as possible after our baby was born and relatives left and friends stopped bringing food. So I started making a list of meals and ingredients I needed. As a "thank you" from my internship team, I'd received, among other things, a grocery store gift certificate, but I learned at this grocery store that you have to use the entire balance of the gift certificate in one shot- anything you didn't spend was just lost. So I made a long list. The day Berlin was due (because if nothing else, I am absolutely a procrastinator), we went shopping. We spent an hour or so finding everything we needed and then things we wanted and then things we thought maybe we should get just because we did NOT want to waste this gift certificate. Funny, because we made it to the balance, only overshooting by 20 cents. We were incredibly proud. And then when the cashier found out I was due that day, she laughed and said, "Better take another lap around the store!"

Yeah right. Like a Mortensen/Lindstrom was going to come on his due date. Ha.

So Thursday (we went shopping on Monday), when there was still no sign of a baby, I decided I should probably start cooking, since the baby was not going stay indefinitely snuggled inside of me, and I cooked up a storm all day (more on those recipes later). Closer to dinner time, I realized I hadn't really planned for dinner for that night. And I was not about to sacrifice a meal for a time when I didn't want to cook for a time when making one more meal after 10 was not really a big deal.

But I had zero ideas. Zero. Apparently cooking and creativity are inversely related.

Bridian was on her 6-week sabbatical somewhere in Denmark (or London. Who knows), but she'd been texting me when she periodically found internet. Most of our conversations were about life plans, of a little more epic proportion than what to eat for dinner that night, but. I braved the break in conversation topic. She laughed at me, especially at my problem of not being able to think of anything after cooking all day, and suggested this soup that she'd made for me one time and she thought I liked it. So she proceeded to text me the recipe. One. Ingredient. At. A. Time. Instructions weren't really included. I had to clarify a million things a million times. I finally scribbled everything on to a tiny scratch of paper to make sense of it and repeat it back to Bridian. I have lost this little scrap of paper half a million times and I really don't have any idea how I've managed to find it again (which is a huge reason in why I'm blogging this one). When I reminded her of this a couple of days ago, she laughed again. "Yeah, that sounds like something I would do."

Anyway, what resulted was one of my favorite soups of all soups. Which is saying something, because I've had are a lot of really great soups. This one is just... top 3. Super simple, super delicious. I use this one a lot for cold days and for bringing soup to friends who are sick/have just had a baby/both. I also love eating/serving this soup with homemade bread, if you care to know. But really, what soup isn't great with homemade bread?

1. Boil 1-2 chicken breasts (depending on how much chicken you want in your soup. When I double this, I use two and it's plenty). After they're cooked(10-15 minutes), let them cool until you can shred them. Save the broth!
2. Saute half an onion, diced, with a tablespoon of butter (in your soup pot).
3. Then add:

• 2 drained cans of great northern white beans
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt and garlic powder to taste

Simmer for 10-15 minutes. When it's done, add 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of heavy cream.

I don't even have anything else to say. I've already ranted and raved about it, so- enjoy!

Inside Out Tacos

Food has become our excuse to be social. Between the amount of traveling we do and the number of activities in which we've involved ourselves, we don't leave many opportunities to be incredibly social, especially on weekends. Our desire to be social, however, hasn't gone away, so we've tried to find ways to be social during the week. How? Inviting people over for dinner. We always have to eat, everyone we know also happens to really enjoy eating (let's be honest: who doesn't love eating?), and it definitely makes our weekdays more interesting. Some days I think it's pathetic that this is true, other days I think that we're brilliant. Depends on my mood. And how recently we've seen the friends we're inviting over.

Sometimes though, we don't really plan a night with friends. We just start to make dinner, something happens, and we have friends over. Not to make our other friends like we love them less because we plan for them, but these impromptu dinner parties are usually the best.

Earlier this week, my brother- and sister-in-law were coming over to plan a party (by this we mean the girls were planning a party and the boys were playing FIFA. They don't care what the reason is, if it means they'll end up at the same house with an xbox, they're in).  My sister-in-law texted me to ask what time they should come over, and I said, "We're just starting dinner. If you guys haven't eaten yet, you're welcome to come eat with us." It was already 6:30, and I had just gotten off the phone with my sister who had made a dinner recommendation when I whined about needing to make dinner and not having even a bad idea about what to make. She suggested this fabulous recipe, and I needed to run to the store because we'd just run out of chicken, but otherwise, I already had most of these things from other meals that week.

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into halves
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• Green onions, diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 3/4 c chicken broth
• 5 cups tortilla chips, broken into large pieces
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese, shredded (or whatever you have. I usually have either a giant bag of Colby Jack or a smaller back of a Mexican blend. Both work great)
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1. Pat the chicken breast halves dry and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stainless steel (or otherwise oven-safe) pot over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides (your chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked right now, just the outsides.)  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil, green onions, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  Cook just until it starts to smell wonderful, about 30 seconds (and it will smell wonderful).  Add the chicken broth, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and let it start to simmer. 
3. Stir in half of the tortilla chips. Put the chicken into the broth so that the chicken is covered as much as possible (I cut the pieces in half again, so that they cook faster and fit in the pot better) and cook over medium-low heat until cooked through, which is about 10 minutes.  When the chicken is cooked through, take the chicken pieces out, let them cool enough to be able to handle, and then shred the chicken. Put the chicken back in the pot. 
4. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 c cheese, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro. Stir in the other half of the tortilla chips until the chips are moist. 
5. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and place the pot in your oven with the broiler on high for 2-3, just to melt and slightly brown the top. Top with the remaining cilantro and serve! 

My in-laws asked if they could bring anything, and I said, "It's kind of a casserole, so there's not really anything you can add... maybe fun drinks?" So they went to Sodalicious and bought us each a soda. Man, I don't even like soda very much and I love that place. 

This recipe has been passed around from blog to blog, and my sister sent it to me from a blog but suggested some alterations. I made some of my own alterations, and then I really wanted a different name. Throwing "casserole" into anything makes it sound less appealing to me, for whatever reason. So when we started to eat it, my husband asked, "What are we eating?" and I said, "It's kind of like the inside of a taco." But the shell is inside too. Inside out tacos? Duh. Why didn't they think of that a long time ago?!

Thanks Brid :)

A Not-As-Quick-But-Well-Worth-Your-Effort Indian Curry Recipe

So Jeremy's in Africa. Which means I have absolutely no desire to cook. Why go to all that effort for just one person?

Okay, let's be honest, the point of this blog is "minimal to no effort in even less time."

So really what I'm saying is that I'd be okay with food just hopping in my mouth as I walk out the door to work or to study somewhere besides our house.

But on Sunday, my friend Ashley told me she loves to make curry and was missing some random ingredients that I happened to have. So we scheduled dinner for Monday night. But then, Monday night I spent on campus and didn't come home til 1:30. Long before then, I texted her to tell her I was swamped and could we maybe reschedule to Tuesday?

Tuesday was great with them, we were going to eat at 6:30. I got enough done Monday for finals week that Tuesday was a little more relaxed. Tuesday morning we sent several texts back and forth about what things I had, what she had, etc. Then at about 4:30, I get this from her-

Ashley: Ugh. So we may have to move curry to another night AGAIN... Our stove is broken and we're going back and forth with the management company and electricians... I'll keep you posted :/

An hour an a half later-

Ashley: So far it's not looking good. They said the electrician would be here to fix it any time now, but he's still not here. Perhaps closer to 7...

Me: Which works fine for me :) Just keep me updated.

About an hour later, Ashley learned that not only was her oven not working, neither was her dryer, and their electrician seemed like he was just confused about how the lights even came on. I just felt bad, maybe it would've been better if I'd just gone the night before and gotten everything else done on Tuesday, not only was dinner canceled (and she and her husband were SUPER excited about it) but they also had several appliances in their house that weren't working. I thought about offering to cook it at my house and bringing it back (they have dogs that can't be left alone yet) but that seemed crazy. But then...

Me: I'd offer my house, but your dogs can't be by themselves... Let's see what happens with the electrician tomorrow?

Ashley: Can we cook out there and bring it here? I know that's weird but Ismael could stay while we cooked...

Ashley: Meh really whatever is fine. Just rereading that sounds inconvenient for you and that's the last thing I want :)

Me: I was actually going to suggest that but wondered if it sounded crazy :) I'm game if you guys are


They were. So Ashley came over a little while after that and we made curry. Oh my gosh, it was good. And my house still smells like curry, and I love it. Except that I've been eating leftovers (and by leftovers I mean the pizza I bought Monday night when we didn't have curry and only finished YESTERDAY) since then because I'm SO lazy...

Whatever.

Indian Curry

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• (1) 3 Tbsp curry powder
• (2) 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• (3) 1 tsp paprika
• (4) 1 bay leaf
• (5) 1/2 tsp grated ginger root
• (6) 1/2 tsp white sugar
• salt to taste
• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• (7) 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• (8) 1 cup plain yogurt
• (9) 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (or a few teaspoons of lemon juice, whichever you prefer)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Saute onions/garlic. When brown, add ingredients 1-6 (it's easier if you mix them in a bowl before hand and then add everything at the same time). Stir for 2 minutes. Add chicken. Add ingredients 7-9, bring to a boil. Reduce heat immediately and simmer for 25 minutes. Add lemon and cayenne pepper, then simmer an additional five minutes. Serve with rice.

If you like curry, this is a fantastic recipe. If you don't like curry, it's still a great recipe. Just maybe not for you :)

When Jeremy Cooks- A Text Conversation

Just a disclaimer right now: I realized I needed to take pictures after we'd eaten everything :( Sorry Jared!

So last night I was sitting in class and I realized I was absolutely starving. I texted Jeremy, who was driving home from work, that I was ready to eat my hands.

Jeremy: That's weird.

Me: I'm starving!

Jeremy: It'd still be weird. What are we doing for dinner? Can-should I start it?

Me: Starvation makes you do weird things, I s'pose. Yes, you can and that sounds like a great idea.

Jeremy: So... what should I be making?

Me: Sweet and sour pork. I'll text you directions in just a second.

Jeremy: Remember it needs to be done before I come get you...

Me: Dinner? Mmm. Let me pick something else. This takes too long.

So I just started putting together some ingredients in my head, things we had, what would be quick, easy, and ready to go by the time Jeremy needed to leave to get me.

I came up with something that I thought was time friendly. If put the chicken in the sink with hot water running over it, started the rice, chopped while the chicken thawed a little bit, all of it would be done about 20 minutes later. So I texted Jeremy.

Me: Can you cook the chicken in the freezer and put rice in the rice cooker?
Me: Use olive oil and chop the green onions and bell peppers in the right bottom drawer.
Me: (for the chicken)
Me: And then use some lemon pepper on all of it. Fry all of it together.
Me: And when it's almost done frying, add a can of corn with peppers from the top shelf of the cupboard.
Me: Don't drain the can.
Me: Probably throw in half a regular onion, big sideways slices, in with the frying mix
Me: Questions? :)

Jeremy: This won't be done in time.

Me: You don't need to leave for 20 minutes. While the chicken sets in hot water, chop the vegetables.
Me: Hot water in the sink. So it thaws.

Jeremy: Okay.

Me: :D

Jeremy: Fine.

Me: Thanks love.

Me: Salt and pepper to the frying mix too.

This conversation ended at 6:20. About ten minutes later:

Jeremy: How does the rice cooker work? One to one?

Me: One cup of rice, two cups of water.

...

We decided to meet in my office on campus because we were having family home evening on campus. With the rice question timing, I just wasn't sure what to expect. Jeremy walked into my office about 15 minutes after that.

Holding a container of milk and a container of cereal.


When we got home from campus, the rice was done in the rice cooker and had been warming for however long, the chicken was defrosted and waiting in the fridge, and the vegetables were all chopped and in a ziploc bag. So I threw it all in a frying pan with some olive oil, left out the can of corn and onions and lemon pepper, and fried everything for maybe 5-7 minutes, adding a garlic salt seasoning blend to taste. It was so good. So good that we ate all of it, which rarely happens because I make more than we can eat.

Evidently, that cereal helped us to work up an appetite.