Yellow Pear Tomato Jam Pizza

Last Saturday, as I was preparing to make pizza, Sandra stopped by to bring me some of her yellow pear jam. I am a big tomato fan so I was totally game to try out her recipe. As I chopped veggies, she and I discussed how her jam with baguette and cream cheese was so good. The idea formed between us to recreate her baguette idea in the form of pizza. Have mercy! Was it ever good! I am so not ashamed to admit that I have had this pizza 2 times in the last week.

Your only problem here is that you have to have a source for this jam. If you are growing your own yellow pear tomatoes then you are golden. If not then search your farmers market or beg them from your neighbors. Whatever it takes. This pizza is that good.

Sorta Kinda Directions
one batch of pizza dough
block of cream cheese, room temp.
smidge of milk
onion, chopped
green bell pepper, chopped
Italian Spice Grinder
loverly yellow pear jam

*Slap your pizza stone in your oven if you do not already keep it in there like me. Then heat your oven to 500F.
*Divide the dough into however many sections you want. I usually go with four. Remember to keep the remaining dough covered so that it won't dry out.
*In the meantime, thin your cream cheese out just a bit with the milk so that you can spread it.
*Shape your dough... roll, toss or whatever your method of might be. I won't judge you.
*Put your dough onto your pizza peel or your fav pan.
*Smear your cream cheese onto the dough, use as many grinds of the Italian Spice as you want,
sprinkle however many onions and peppers on and then drizzle however much of the beautiful jam on top as you wish.
*Bake away and enjoy.


Do not blame me or Sandra for when you gain 3lbs in the first week.

Oh yeah, I also have recently started using honey instead of sugar in my pizza dough. It isn't a big change but I like it. Let me know if you can tell a difference.
I also think I used a sprinkle of kosher salt on the pizza before it baked but I cannot remember for sure. Sad but true..

oh and please ignore the horrid chunks on the pizza. I thought I would try sausage... major fail on my part but the dog liked it.

Hurry it up Snadra!.... ahem I mean thank you for the jam. :)

Tonight I made the most amazing pizza. So amazing that it was totally gone before I ever thought to take a picture. I will try to take a picture next time because I am sure that there will be many many more to come..... but not until SNADRA posts her recipe for the most amazing yaller mater jam ever. Get busy and post!!! oh and thank you for the random stop by and amazing jam.

4-H

My niece, Kiersten and my nephew, Zach are both involved in their local 4-H club. I loved 4-H when I was younger but was never involved as much as they are. Lucky for them, they are growing up on a farm and have had lots of fun raising all sorts of critters. The largest being cows.

Each year they raise a calf and show them at the 4-H fair. This was Zach's first year. That is him over on the right --> Isn't he just the cutest thing ever. Every time I see him I turn into one of those freakish aunts that wants to pinch his cheeks. Sorry bout that Zach :)

Zach had a puny little calf so we all knew going in that he would not win for having a perfect calf. But what the calf lacked Zach was able to show around and he did an amazing job. Even when the calf decided to do his impression of Silver and the Lone Ranger. (Yes, I use to watch that show. Do not laugh) I wish I had a picture of that action but I don't. Instead I have a picture of Zach working hard.






Kiersten had a whopper of a steer this year. Moody as all get out. (listen to me talking as if I know much about cows) All 10lbs of Kiersten had to lay down the law to 911lbs Cranky Mccrankypants. If I knew more about doctorin, I would have slipped ol Mccranky a valium or 10. See that is Mccranky right there--> eyeballin me.









Kiersten went back into the ring for a second time and showed the sweet little calf of Zach's and she did a great job. All smiles and answered
the judges questions like a pro.









Even Kaileigh got in on the action and held puny little sweet calf.
This is when she decided she should have a calf for when she is old
enough for 4-H. or a pig.. or a goat.. or a sheep or or how bout a fluffy rooster! *sigh*

Babycakes, you got the cutest little babycakes!

Tonight, I let Sandra talk me into going to happy hour at Babycakes cupcakery in Patchen Village.
Talk into you wonder? Yeah, I am not a cake person. The thick icing compared to the dryness of a cake is blegh to me. My dislike of cake started early. My brother and I had a deal that he would eat my icing and I would take care of the green items on his plate at dinner. Odd duck? Maybe, but it was a good deal for me. My mother would actually cut me off on how much green beans or kale I was allowed to have at dinner.

Now, if it was one of my grandmother's cakes it would be a different story. She knew how to make a hillbilly cake. All from scratch. No measurements and it was all done in a buttered cast iron skillet. We would sit, wait and drool until the cake was out of the oven and then pounce on it like wolves. Zero icing. to get in your way and the cake was moist. mmmmm

Now back to our story. I was hesitant to go to a cupcakery. How much enjoyment would I, a known cake hater, get from this? Were they going to be all fluffy and pretty and then nasty and crisco-y? Armed with the idea that it was happy hour and the tiny cakes would be half off I decided to go along for the ride. I can splurge on some cake and if it is bad then point a finger at Sandra for years to come. Cause that is just the kind of friend I am.

We were greeted at the door by the super friendly cupcake lady. I can only assume she bakes, is the owner and knows what she is doing because she looks like I do when I bake all day.

I got 4 cupcakes: Key Lime, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Brownie and good ol Chocolate Fudge. So far we are sampling them slowly and the Key Lime was the first one to go. I must say that it was the best darn cupcake I have ever had. The icing was a smooth buttercreme(or is it cream. I hope cream) frosting and the cake was moist. Oh was it ever moist. The lime flavor was not over powering but was nice and subtle.

I will be back cake lady! You can visit Baby Cakes here too. Now go visit her.

Homemade Whities

Chuck is the kind of guy that will happily eat whatever I set in front of him. Never a complaint and very few requests. Easiest man to cook for ever. Whenever he makes a suggestion/request for food I usually jump on it. When he sounded the craving alarm for a round of homemade Whities I wondered how on earth I would make tiny steamed burgers. Alton Brown to the rescue again.

A few years ago, Alton made Mini Man Burgers. These burgers proved to be quite tasty and I doubt I will make regular sized burgers again. I altered it slightly but stuck mostly to his recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t kosher salt
1lb ground chuck
1 package Kings Hawaiian Savory rolls
sauted thinly sliced onions
various toppings of your choice (cheese, mayo etc)

Mix together the spices and put in a shaker. Slice your onions and saute them for about 5min or desired doneness. Set aside. Divide your beef into 8 equal parts and pat them out very thin. Think Whities thin here. Lightly oil your cast iron pan and slap your Whities on the heat, sprinkle one side with desired amount of spice mixture. Flip and sprinkle the other side with spices. Slice your rolls in half and fill with your way better Whities and add your toppings.

I really thing the rolls made all the difference. I have never been a fan of commercial buns.
Homemade onion rings would rule as a side. Or you could go and be healthy and have some corn or something. As a major bonus, these do not produce the *ahem* sliding. Not that I ever had that issue.

Thank you Alton for yet another great recipe.

I forsee a busy January

Chuck and I celebrated our 6th anniversary by taking Kaileigh camping with us to one of our favorite spots in Tennessee. It was an unusually warm weekend but we had lots of fun at the homesteader weekend fair they had going on. Kaileigh hung out with a quilter at her exhibit and stictched for a good hour.

We got an added bonus gift on Sunday morning by getting a positive pregnancy test. What a way to finish our anniversary weekend. After several failed trips to the ob, we *cross your fingers* will be seeing her on Thursday. Just to drive a few of you crazy, we will not be finding out the sex of the baby until he or she makes his/her slimy grand entrance. No exceptions. Sorry Kiersten :)

Prepare for a few more baby related posts in the future as I go baby craft crazy.

Greek Salad Love: Part Two

For the last year, I have been filling my family full of Greek salad. Then I started to notice that I was picking around the lettuce a bit to get to the good parts. Finally it dawned on me that hey I am an adult. I can make my salad the way I darn well choose. Forget the lettuce! I want the good bits!
I have made a few changes to the original recipe but both certainly have their places at the dinner table.

Ingredients
4T extra virgin olive oil
2T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4t dried oregano
1/2t kosher salt, plus 1/2 t salt reserved
1/4t fresh ground black pepper
3-4 roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1 English or regular cucumber, quartered, seeded and chopped
1 green, red or combo bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion chopped finely
4oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup green olives, drained (for the love of gawd, use good olives)

Use 1/2t reserved salt and mix with cucumber. Place in colander and allow to drain. Combine first six ingredients and set aside. (I usually triple the dressing and reserve part for future use.) Allow time for the flavors to blend. Plow through the chopping of all of the veggies and crumble your feta. I prefer to crumble mine with a fork. Feta fingers will not be tolerated. Give your cucs a good shake(I do not rinse them) and toss everything together. You may make the original recipe and add chopped lettuces but I like it just fine this way.
If you do not finish it off during your meal then make sure you eat it by the next day. Or else it will be a soggy mess and make my heart sad at the wasted goodness.

The current sprogling, also known as Reggie by his/her daddy, *ahem* loves Greek salad just as much as I do. He or she has decided that I should be a vegetarian for the next 6months. So if you have a fav veggie dish then please pass it on. A recent get together had me surrounded by a plethora or veggie dishes. Including Sandra's pineapple weird dish*. I have no idea what the name is but it is the oddest thing I have ever seen placed on the table. While it wins the weirdest dish award it also wins an award for oddball goodness. Please to be sending me that one mmkay. :)

*I really should say weirdest good thing because I have seen some nastiness flopped on the table.
*cough* rocky mountain oysters *cough*