It’s Raining… Babies!

Is it just me or is it raining babies these days?

So many friends of mine are pregnant.  And then there are friends of friends and co-workers of friends… all preggers.  Somethin’ is in the water people!

It’s crazy.  And it means I have been churning out onesies like you wouldn’t believe.

These darling onesies are part two of my friend Gillian’s order from a couple of weeks ago.  Her co-worker found out she is having a baby girl and Gillian wanted to surprise her with these cookies.

Gillian’s brilliant eye came through once again – I love (LOVE) the pink, orange and white palette.  Preppy, yet modern.

And we are not done people.  Stay tuned.  It’s onesie week galore!

Pizza Pizza

Sooo, I bet you thought I forgot.  No, no.  Well, maybe.  But then I remembered again.

I promised to tell you about my best pizza to date and the day has arrived.  Just in the nick of time for tomorrow’s Friday Night Pizza.  Phew.

Since you already have your dough made, let’s get started on making those caramelized onions.  I know, I thought the same thing.  They must be so difficult to make, since they are so gourmet, so delicious.  Well, folks, I’m here to tell ya – not so!

Making caramelized onions just takes some time and some patience.  Don’t have any?  Well, pour yourself a nice glass of wine and learn to sit back and let these onions do their thing.

Okay, first, you need to thinly slice the onions.  How many is up to you.  Since they do take a bit of time, I usually caramelize two onions in a batch – then I have leftovers for meals for the week.  As for the type of onion – whatever you have on hand will work.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  I usually do a teaspoon, give or take, for each onion.  Remember, you can always add but you can’t take away!

Now add all of your onions.  You want to be sure that the pan isn’t overcrowded.  I probably should have used our larger saute pan, but it was probably dirty.  OR I was too lazy to get it out (hey, it’s very heavy).

Lightly toss the onions so they are all coated in the oil.  And let them start cooking.  Now you can officially sit back and relax.

Stir occasionally.

The onions will start browning.  If it’s uneven or too brown, you can lower the heat a tad and/or add a bit more oil.  Don’t panic.  They’ll still be delicious.

See how much they cook down?  After about 10 minutes or so, add a bit of salt.  Again, let’s remember – you can always add, you can’t take away.

Side note – are you impressed that I remembered to take so many step-by-step pictures?  I am!

I decided to add a bit of balsamic vinegar – about a tablespoon or so.  This just adds a bit of sweetness and a little depth to the onions.  You can absolutely leave this out.  Another option is to add a bit of sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon per 2 onions), if you want.

Stir and continue to let the onions cook…

until perfectly golden brown and delicious.  You can use these for just about anything – in pasta, on quinoa, in an omelet or…

on pizza!

Now, roll the dough out – a circle or square is just fine – on parchment paper or a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal.

Brush with a bit of olive oil and slide into a preheated oven.  The oven needs to be hot.  Really hot.  Around 500F.  Shocking, I know.  But it works.

Now, don’t bake it all the way.  You are essentially par-baking the dough.  I found this keeps the dough from being gooey in the center.  No one wants wet, gooey pizza.

Now it’s time to start adding those ingredients.  Here’s my creation…

a layer of pesto…

add those (delicious) caramelized onions.  Don’t be skimpy!

Now some fresh spinach.  You could wilt it if you want, but I don’t think it’s necessary at all.

Add a few sun dried (er, oven dried in this case) tomatoes.

Now the cheese!  A layer of mozzarella…

and some goat cheese!  And now, now it is ready for the final bake.

Another 12 – 15 minutes more in that hot oven and…

voila!  Let it sit for a few minutes before you slice into it – just so the cheese doesn’t ooze every where, but rather sticks to the slice.

And finally… finally!… it is time to eat.

This pizza reminds me a bit of Amy’s No Cheese Roasted Vegetable pizza.  If you haven’t tried it, you should.  But good luck finding it (nearly impossible these days).

On second thought, just make some caramelized onions and layer some veggies.  This is really our new favorite pizza around here.

What’s your favorite Friday night pizza?

Custom Cuts: Soon To Say “I Do!”

Last week, my longtime friend, and one of my biggest supporters, Gillian, contacted me for two custom cut orders.  The first was for a co-worker who got engaged over the weekend.

We hemmed.  We hawed.  And we came up with hearts – it seemed apropos with Valentine’s Day just around the corner.

Since the bride-to-be is from North Carolina, we decided Carolina blue (er, in royal icing world that equals light blue) with white hearts.

Gillian then asked me to add a line on each of the cookies from the the “Something old/Something new” adage.  A cookie with “I Do!” and “Congrats!” gave it the prefect touch of personalization.

So, here’s a secret – I don’t even like hearts (gasp!).  Hey, at least I waited to break that bit of news until the day after Valentine’s day!  That said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the design for these cookies.  So simple, yet playful.

Kudos to Gillian for the idea!  I hope they looked just like you envisioned.

PS – My New Love

Since it is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would introduce you to my new love… my Canon Rebel T1i.  It was an early birthday present to myself (ahh!).  I figured it was time, an opportunity presented itself and I bit the bullet (so unlike me to act a bit in haste).

As for me, I’m enjoying getting to know this new love.  Can’t wait to take it on upcoming trips, try it out during new adventures and, of course, test the capabilities in the kitchen.

I hope you enjoy the higher quality pictures.  Er, excluding this one, of course!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope today (and everyday) is full of…

hugs and kisses…

and lots of love!!!