More minis!

This time its ice cream!!!!!!! I don't have a sweet tooth and its very evident when it comes to ice cream. While Jon can put away a pint of ice cream in a half an hour, it takes me just as long to finish a small bowl.

Mini ice cream sandwiches are perfect for me because honestly, they're just the right amount of ice cream. I thought I was being super smart - I got mango sorbet for Jon who could put away 10 in a sitting, and pistachio ice cream for me, who will eat just one. See, Jon doesn't like nuts in his ice cream - or so I thought. Apparently there is one nutty ice cream he likes - pistachio. So take a good look at these now, because I don't anticipate them being around for long!

Mini ice cream sandwiches

your favorite ice cream
Nilla wafers

1) Place 2 tsps of ice cream on nilla wafer.
2) Top with second nilla wafer.
3) Smooth edges and repeat for as many sandwiches as you want.
4) Freeze until ready to eat.

Hawaiian Wedding

When Haley first got engaged we began discussing when the wedding was going to be. She, its hard getting engaged in law school because there's really no good time to get married. Especially third year. How are you going to plan a wedding AND study for the bar? Haley decided to leave the planning to the experts. After I told her about destination weddings, she decided it was the only way to go. She hired a coordinator on the big island, bought a wedding dress over Christmas break, and thought no more of her wedding until after the bar when she boarded a plane and jaunted off to Hawaii. I saw the pictures - it was gorgeous.

Last night, Haley had her AHR (At Home Reception) down in Marina Village in San Diego. Marina Village is located in Mission Bay and the view is spectacular. The reception started early enough that we were all treated to a view of the beautiful sunset.



Everything was just so them - laid back and beautiful. Haley and Ben are a no frills couple (although Haley did get a new dress for the AHR - quite fetching isn't it?).



But no frills does not mean no taste. Everything was so beautiful, echoing the Hawaiian ceremony shared by the couple in August. The centerpieces and decorations were tropical flowers. Pictures of the ceremony and the couple dotted available surfaces so that guests could share in the couple's joyful occasion.






The food was indeed phenomenal - so good in fact that our table got anxious and crabby waiting for our turn to hit the buffet. We loaded up our plates, and there was so much good food, every plate had leftovers remaining. And the topper? Instead of a traditional wedding cake, they served chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Presented in the shape of a heart. How cute! And tasty.


Haley and Ben opened the floor, and the dancing continued all night. Looks like everyone had a great time!

Good things come in small packages

Have you ever noticed how food, once its miniaturized becomes sooo much more enjoyable? Appetizers that are small versions of favorite dishes are huge hits. I for one much prefer the newer smooshed size soda cans which have the perfect amount for me. Part of this craze is definitely related to the new idea of portion control which is sweeping the nation, and part of the craze is because mini things are just so darned cute!

We had some leftover ground beef in our freezer - which isn't a common occurence since I don't usually used beef. I wanted to use it up, but there was a little too much for one burger, and a little too little for two normal size burgers.

The solution? Mini-burgers, or sliders. The appeal of these is definitely their size, since a burger is a burger. But they're just so gosh darn cute! I should have taken a picture beside something for size reference, but I didn't, so forgive me. I tanged these up with an adobo ketchup to give them a little flavor - worked pretty well! So they were cute and feisty - just like me!

Adobo ketchup

1 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp adobo
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1) Combine all and refrigerate

Sliders

1/2 lb ground beef
salt
pepper
8 dinner rolls

1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Season beef with salt and pepper and form into 8 patties
3) Place on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, turning over once half way through.
4) Place on rolls and top with adobo ketchup

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

One of favorite things when the dog bites and the bee stings is pumpkin. I eagerly anticipate the approach of fall when pumpkin can be found everywhere. I love it in all forms - I love carving pumpkins, I love pumpkin ice creams, pumpkin flavored drinks, and most importantly I love pumpkin foods.

This morning when Jon woke up he requested eggs and bacon. As I've mentioned before, breakfast meats do not make it onto my favorites list, so instead of throwing a couple extra slabs up there, I decided it was time to start the pumpkin baking!

There are no shortage of pumpkin recipes on my cooking board, so it was the first place I turned. Kayte had said there were some pumpkin muffins in her blog, and trusting Kayte I headed right there. I took some short detours from her recipe, cutting it in half and omitting the chocolate chips (no big surprise there for those of you that know me). They came out perfectly! Except for two which separated their tops from their bottoms when I tried to remove them - now they're perfect for either a parfait or pumpkin crusted something - stay tuned for which I decide).

Fresh from the oven with some butter melting on their warmness, these are the perfect fall breakfast!

Pumpkin muffins (adapted from Kayte's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 8 oz solid pack pumpkin
  

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Pour batter into muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins spring back to touch or toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Kung Pao - wow!

Last night I thanked Jon. Now for those of you not married yet, let me give you this advice - don't do this too often. You don't want to spoil your husband, nor do you want him to expect your thanks. Dole out your thanks in small doses, spaced out greatly. That way he will hang on your every whim, dying to gain your approval.

This works for dogs and small children too.

But I digress, I really am fortunate that Jon is such an openminded eater. I love tofu, and like to make it a regular part of my diet. Jon is more than willing to comply. Of course, I'm wise enough to space out tofu meals - like thanks- so that he never gets overwhelmed. Last night I made kung pao tofu. Well, almost kung pao tofu.

See I found this great website - Chooseveg.com which has a ton of great tofu recipes. Not only do the recipes look great, but they are accompanied with a video of a chef making it! So for anyone afraid to attempt duplication - fear not! I thought kung pao tofu would be a great one to use because kung pao anything is nice and spicy and full of flavor. I looked at the ingredients and added what I didn't have to my shopping list. And this is where I ran into two problems.
1) I thought I had hoisin sauce. I mean who doesn't have hoisin sauce? It's just one of those condiments I assumed was in my cabinet. I assumed wrong. When I went to make it last night I discovered its the one condiment I don't keep on hand. Think fast, what can you substitute? Well nothing really has that great garlicy flavor of hoisin, but oyster sauce has a similar consistency.....so oyster sauce it was (and some garlic to compensate). This left the dish a little salty (which I love) so if you make the same mistake I did and don't like salty, add a little more sugar.

2) Spicy bean paste? Couldn't find it anywhere. Okay, to be fair, I didn't go to the Asian market which would surely have had it, because its a good 15 minute drive away and I didn't feel like making the trek. And when I drove past it last Sunday I forgot I needed the spicy bean paste. So I left it out. I don't think flavor wise it would change much, but it definitely would add hotness so I doubled the chili and garlic sauce instead. The kung pao was still more sweet than spicy though, so my substitutions definitely made this less kung pao-y and more stir fry-y. But at least it was super duper tasty!!!!

Kung Pao Tofu (from Chooseveg.com - my changes in italics)

1 block tofu, firm 1 tablespoon peanut or olive oil 1 cup hoisin sauce (I used oyster sauce and minced garlic instead) 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (chili and garlic sauce) (2 Tbsp) 1 tablespoon Spicy Bean Paste (Korean hot sauce) (omitted) 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup sugar (optional) 1/2 cup carrot, small diced 1/2 cup onion, small diced 1/2 cup red bell pepper, small diced (I forgot I needed these and used them earlier this week for snack......) 1/2 cup zucchini, small diced 1 tablespoon peanut or olive oil 1/4 cup macadamia nuts or peanuts Place the water packed tofu in the freezer overnight. Using tofu that has been frozen first will give this dish a meatier feel. Freezing makes the texture of tofu chewier, which resembles chicken. Thaw the tofu by leaving it out all day or in the microwave for a few minutes. Once thawed, squeeze the tofu between your hands over a bowl to catch all the water that will come out. It will feel like squeezing a sponge dry. The more water you get out, the more the tofu will absorb the flavors of the sauce. Slice the tofu in to bite-sized cubes and fry in the peanut oil until golden brown. Set aside. (Honestly - I hate this direction because its labor intensive and I don't think it works so well - leaving you with tofu crumbs. You really can't ring out tofu like a sponge. Instead I slice the tofu in half, place it between paper towels on a plate and place another plate on top of it for 30 min. to squeeze out the excess water) Next, make the Kung Pao sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well, then set aside. Adjust the sauce to your taste by adding more hot sauce if you want the sauce to be hotter, and less sugar to take away some sweetness. Cut all the vegetables into same size pieces so that they will cook evenly. You can use all your favorite vegetables, these are just a suggestion. In a sauté pan heat the peanut oil and sauté the vegetables. Just be sure to add the thicker ones, like carrots, first and let cook for two minutes. Then the onion and bell peppers for another two minutes. Add delicate vegetables like zucchini last and only cook briefly or they will get mushy and lose vitamins. Add the golden tofu cubes and mix gently. Now add the sauce, a little at a time, until you get the desired coating. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes to reduce the sauce and thicken it. For the final touch, sprinkle with macadamia nuts for a truly local flair, or peanuts. Serve over jasmine rice and enjoy!

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Childhood always brings back certain food memories. One common one involves the age-old favorite, grilled cheese. For me, grilled cheese was always accompanied by tomato soup. And grilled cheese was technically not really "grilled cheese." At least according to Jon. In his family, grilled cheese was buttered bread with American cheese, made in a skillet and drenched with more butter. In my more health concious family, grilled cheese was cheddar cheese on toast, and then put in the oven until the cheese melted. No butter. No frying.

The grilled cheese I make now is a combination of these two methods. I've added butter, but I still make it in the oven. Old habits are hard to break.

I also add bacon to classic grilled cheese. In general, I'm not a bacon fan. But Sparkpeople keeps telling me I need to up my fat and calories, and bacon is an excellent way of doing that (of course, the butter doesn't hurt either).

And of course, no sandwhich is complete for me unless it has the classic sandwhich ingredient - mustard!

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese

Your favorite kind of bread
creole mustard
cheddar cheese
cooked bacon
1 Tbsp butter, melted

1) Preheat oven to 450
2) Spread mustard on half of the bread. Top with 1 slice cheddar and 1 piece bacon. Add 1 more slice of cheddar and other half of bread.
3) Butter a glass pyrex dish. Place sandwiches in dish and brush with butter. Place in oven for 5 minutes.
4) Turn sandwiches over. Brush with butter. Place back in oven for 4 minutes.

Hellllo Yogurt

My all time favorite dips are yogurt dips. Healthier than sour cream or cream cheese, just the right consistency, and the perfect amount of zing.

There is a secret behind yogurt dip though, you MUST let it drain overnight. Yogurt contains a lot of liquid, which is whey (you know as in "eating her curds and"). Draining the whey gives the yogurt a better consistency by making it thicker. To drain the yogurt place a coffee filter in a metal strainer over a bowl. Place yogurt in the filter and refrigerate overnight. Voila, drained yogurt.

I made two yogurt dips this week, and frankly I can't decide which I like better! I love the cucumber yogurt dip because its nice and garlicy, ever so fresh tasting - almost like eating spring. And the mango-curry dip? Well with all that color and spice its a definite autumn staple.

Cucumber Yogurt Dip

1 cup yogurt, strained
1 cucumber grated
1 garlic clove minced
1 Tbsp chopped dill
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt
olive oil

1) Combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, and lemon juice.
2) Season with salt to taste.
3) Drizzle olive oil over before serving.

Mango Curry Dip

1 cup yogurt, strained
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 tsp mango chutney
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp minced cilantro
1 tsp chopped green onions
1/4 tsp tabasco
1 tbsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 Tbsp curry

1) Combine yogurt, mayo, chutney, lime juice, cilantro, green onion, tabasco.
2) Heat oil in small saucepan over medium low heat. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Add curry, saute 30 sec.
3) Add garlic and curry to yogurt mixture.

Green is Good

On my "snack" theme week I'm making a bunch of dips this week that I can bring in to work and snack with veggies.

This dip is quick, easy, and has a nice little kick (from the jalepenos). And its such a pretty shade of green. With my assortment of mini-peppers it covers almost all of the rainbow!

Avocado-Tomatillo Dip

5 tomatillos, husked and chopped
1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1 avocado peeled and mashed
salt

1) Combine first 3 ingredients in blender and puree
2) Combine avocado and sour cream in bowl. Add tomatillo puree.
3) Salt to taste

New twist on an old favorite

I love love love PF Chang's lettuce wraps. I love love love the exact same thing at Elephant Bar. A couple of years ago I found a great recipe that almost duplicates this flavor exactly. This is not that recipe. The old recipe is a bit time consuming - which isn't a big problem, except when you don't have a lot of time. The other kink in my thread? I had half of a rotisserie chicken (which I got for Jon when I wasn't going to be home to make dinner) which wasn't going to be good much longer.

So I decided to change up the original recipe so that I could use the rotisserie chicken instead of minced chicken and could be done in about 15 minutes. The results? A cold take on lettuce wraps. And good enough where Jon was asking for seconds.

Cold Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp creole mustard
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
cooked, shredded chicken
1 head radicchio, shredded
romaine lettuce leaves

1) In a small bowl, combine first five ingredients.
2) Whisk in oils.
3) In large bowl, mix chicken and radicchio.
4) Add dressing; toss well.
5) To serve, spoon salad into lettuce leaves.

Snacks!

Confession #1: I don't snack. In general I'm an "eat three meals a day" kind of girl. This very often becomes "eat 2 meals a day" when I'm busy and it is not unknown for me to be a "just eat dinner" kind of girl. I have a hard time finding the time to eat, since I'm always doing a million things at once. It has been pointed out to me on more than one occasion that my lack of eating is not my healthiest trait.

So I've started bringing snacks to work for me. 95% of the time I make time to eat them at some point during the day - except last week, when I wasn't feeling so hot. My snacks usually consist of a protein and a carb - healthy and energy providing! I like yogurt with berries, apples with almond butter, airpopped popcorn with parmesean cheese......

Confession #2: I'm not a gourmand at all. When I see fancy schmancy appetizers I get scared. Caviar? I had it once, at a wedding. I spit it into a napkin. But one that's always intrigued me has been melon with proscuitto. Of course I've never ordered it/taken it off of a plate after that caviar incident...but it sounds like the perfect work snack - fruit and protein? So I bought a cantalope, so proscuitto, and spent yesterday wrapping. And the result? Well, let me tell you from experience - the melon:proscuitto ratio was a bit off. When you try this at home, make sure the proscuitto is sliced very thinly, because too much of it and you have a salty mess in your mouth....and nobody likes that!


My other work snack of the week? Marinated mushrooms. Yum! It breaks from my carb/protein cycle, but since its all veggies it's still a good little snackeroo!

Marinated Mushrooms

1 lb mushrooms
1/2 onion, sliced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 tsp parsley
Salt and Pepper

1) Steam mushrooms for 1 minute
2) In a medium saucepan combine all ingredients but mushroms. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for a couple minutes.
3) Pour dressing over mushrooms and refrigerate overnight.

Come On Get Healthy!

I've been fighting something off for the past week, and trying to use this weekend to heal up. The problem? No weekend is quiet for me. Every weekend has some celebration or get-together. So I do what I can. Saturday I spent alllll day in bed so I could party hard Saturday night.

When I'm sick, I crave red meat. I think its the iron and extra nutrients. So yesterday for lunch I made beef kababs. Now kababs orignially refered to middle eastern fried meat. The term then began being used for grilled meats. I tend to call anything that goes on a skewer a kabab (oh how very American of me). It's cheating, I know, but I think the kabab police have more important things to do with their time than hut me down.


In the evening it was over to Liz and Bill's to celebrate Liz's birthday. It was a good chance to meet Liz and Bill's friends - who all seemed like really great people. At least they kept us entertained! Because I'm trying to be healthy I called DD for the night, which meant Jon got to entertain me too. Turns out he's a pro at beer pong and flip cup. Who would've guessed?

The birthday girl begins another round of flip cup

Happy Birthday Liz!!!!

Jon's okay at parties, if he has the right audience

Beef Kebabs

1 lb sirloin, cut into chunks
marinade of your choice
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
16 mushrooms
1 onion, cut into chunks
8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 15 minutes

1) Place steak in ziplock bag with 2/3 cup of your favorite marinade. I used a black pepper marinade I really like. Place in refrigerator overnight.
2) Thread meat, pepper, shrooms, and onion on skewers, alternating
3) Grill until desired doneness, basting with marinade often.

Portobello Road, Portobello Road, Street where the riches of ages are stowed

I love Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I love that whole genre of Disney movies that incorporate live action with cartoon - Mary Poppins, B&B, Pete's Dragon...... And everytime I make anything with Portobello mushrooms I hum that song while I cook.

I had decided earlier this week that we'd be having portobello burgers this week, and then I saw that I wasn't the only one to come to this decision. Faith had also made portobello burgers and it was a different recipe than the one I had. Now, I'm not a huge Rachel Ray fan. In fact, every recipe I've ever made has been yuck. (Yuck is a technical cooking term) But I am nothing if not open-minded and Faith liked these burgers so I thought I would give it a shot.

Faith seems to have changed the recipe a bit, subbing spinach for arugula. I changed it even farther using regular red peppers instead of roasted - for a little more bite.

I served it with a super quick easy coleslaw - it has a lot more bite than a typical coleslaw too!

Roasted Portobello Burgers (from I Pray to Gouda)

1 1/2 TB EVOO

Salt and pepper
4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1 TB balsamic vinegar

2 cups spinach leaves

1 jar roasted red peppers

2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

2. Place mushroom caps on a cookie sheet, season them with salt and pepper and arrange the mushrooms gill side up. Drizzle with a little EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Transfer to oven, roast for 12 min.

2. Coarsely chop spinach and roasted red peppers and combine in a bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper. Top mushroom caps with spinach and roasted pepper mixture and a slice of mozzarella. Return them to oven to melt cheese.

Ginger- Lime Coleslaw

1/2 cup mayo
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pkg cole slaw mix

1) Combine mayo through ginger in medium bowl.
2) Add cole slaw mix and toss.
3) Refrigerate until ready to serve.

me me me me meme

I've been tagged for a meme twice! Twice! That's what happens when you put off doing it the first time. However, now that I'm home sick, I actually have the time to do it!

Four Jobs I Have Had In My Life
1. Waitress - both at El Torito Grill and Elephant Bar. I love waitressing. It's the only job where you're really paid for your personality....well, other than stripping.
2. UCLA tour guide. Another great job.
3. College counselor. I took kids from across the country on college tours across the country. I am seriously an expert on colleges in Texas and California.
4. Sunday School Teacher. Yeah, that kind of speaks for itself doesn't it? Really great for picking up guys.

Four movies I can watch over and over and over
1. The Big Sleep
2. Princess Bride
3. Hidalgo
4. Legally Blonde

Four tv shows I like to watch
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Lost
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. ANTM

Four places I have vacationed
1. Disney World
2. Bahamas
3. Hilton Head, South Carolina
4. Paris

Four Of My Favorite Dishes
1. Gnocchi
2. Lobster
3. Macaroni and Cheese (baked)
4. Soups

Four websites I visit Daily
1. Gmail
2. Google groups
3. Blogger
4. Google reader

Four Places I would rather be
1. Austria
2. Disneyworld
3. Savannah
4. Boston

Four Bloggers I am tagging (trying to branch out from my usuals a little here):
1. Sugar and Spice - great food blog from an adventurous chef who shares my love of Cooking Light.
2. Amber's Delectable Delights - creator of the world famous pretzels!
3. Bathroom off the Kitchen - because she STILL hasn't finished her last meme, or added anything new to her blog even though she has a HUGE announcement to make.
4. Liisa the Spink - world traveler extraordinaire!

Peanutty-ness

When I told Jon I was going to try to make the oreo truffles with peanut butter instead of oreo he wasn't convinced.
Jon: Peanut butter and chocolate isn't my favorite, but I bet they'll be good.
Kate: No, no chocolate - all peanut butter.
Jon: But you can't dip them in peanut butter, it's not melty like Chocolate

He was right on that count, but my truffles were more of an inside out oreo truffle - instead of oreos on the inside and chocolate on the outside, these would have peanut butter on the inside and peanuts on the outside. When I was done making them, Jon still wasn't so sure.

Jon: But what's going to make them sweet? The chocolate made them really rich with the oreo truffles.
Kate: There's vanilla, cinammon, and sugar - they'll be sweet.

He didn't want to like them, I could tell. He was fighting it. But one bite and he was sold.
Jon: I don't think I'll be gulping these down like the oreo ones, but these are really good!

I always know best.

Peanut Truffles

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
chopped peanuts

1) Combine all ingredients but peanuts. Mix on medium speed with electric mixer.
2) Let chill for 30 minutes or until firm
3) Form into balls and roll in peanuts
4) Chill for another 15 minutes before serving/eating

Chili? Turn up the Heat!

Yay for Autumn. If only it was cooler, more colorful, more fall-like. Ahh well, at least I can turn to fall foods for comfort. Easy fall food #1? Chili. Chili is one of those foods that has a million different recipes, and everyone has their favorite. I decided to try a new one tonight. This is a really basic one from Cooking Light (surprise surprise). It was sooo quick and easy, and as soon as Jon came in he commented on how good it smelled. Warm up a couple pieces of naan bread and you have yourself a meal in about 30 minutes. I will always have my favorite, but this is a much quicker chili for nights when I don't want to cook!

Chili (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray
1 pound ground round
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, undrained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
2 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
7 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
Sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add meat, onion, and garlic, and cook until the meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return mixture to pan. Add beans and the next 8 ingredients (beans through pepper); stir well. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

"Hand out the devolution guns! Prepare for destiny!... Where's my pizza? "

Its that time again - Pizza hasn't made its appearance in our home for a week or two now, so its time to dust off the pizza pan and have an easy dinner.

This time it was especially easy because I picked up some whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joes. I love their pizza dough in a pinch, and lately I don't have the time to make my own the way I'd like. Then comes the fun of what to put on top...I found this recipe from Cooking Light and it sounded autumn-y to me. I'm not sure why. The thought of carmelized onions and fennel just brings on the thought of falling leaves (something I sorely miss here in So Cal).

I changed the recipe a bit, cut back on the fennel (Jon says he doesn't like fennel, but with the way he wolfed down the pizza I'm thinking he's never had fennel before), used fresh buffalo mozzarella instead of shredded, a little bit of basil...I think the changes I made really added to the flavor of the pizza, and just as I suspected, it really felt like an autumn pizza, but then again, it could just be my imagination.

Pizza with carmelized onions, fennel, and olives (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients object

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 4 small bulbs)
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Remaining ingredients:
1 cup pasta sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives

Preparation

Place dough on a (12-inch) pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.

To prepare the topping, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and the next 5 ingredients (fennel through black pepper), and cook for 20 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; sprinkle with fennel mixture, cheese, and olives. Bake at 450° for 18 minutes or until browned.

"Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea."

Every summer when I was growing up my family would rise before dawn, pile into the car, and make the 14 hour drive down to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Once we were there it was beach in the morning, pool in the afternoon, and mini golf in the evening. For the most part. There were other activities thrown in, lots of shopping, daytrips to Savannah, and of course, the trip was not complete without a day on the shrimp boat. My dad liked shrimping because it was almost as good as deep sea fishing, without the work. My mom liked shrimping because the nets did all the work - there were no hooks to bait, no fish to remove from hooks. My brother and I liked shrimping because inevitably the dolphins would follow the boat and the nets would pull up all sorts of neat sea creatures like urchins and anenomes.

At the end of the day we would have pounds and pounds of fresh, sweet, shrimp. My father quickly instituted the rule that if you wanted to eat, you had to help peel which is how we ended up with the entire family surrounding the sink pulling off heads and tails of hundreds of little critters. Nothing tastes as good as fresh shrimp. They have an unmatched sweetness and color it is hard pressed to find once they are placed on ice and shipped to your supermarket. We used to eat so much shrimp that the next morning we'd be puffy from the amount of sodium in the crustaceans. But since it was a once a year thing, a little puffiness didn't stop us.

Now all the shrimp I have comes from the grocers. I'm still reluctant to get frozen shrimp since that removes it even farther from the sea, and I have no problem peeling a couple dozen fresh shrimp. There's enough flavor in shrimp where not much needs to be done. I like this recipe because its very basic - a little lemon, garlic, oil and you're good to go. Just keep an eye on the shrimp - once it's pink it only need a couple more seconds on the stovetop - there's NOTHING grosser than rubbery, overcooked shrimp!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

1 lemon
1/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup EVOO
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1) Finely grate zest of lemon. Juice lemon and set aside juice.
2) Combine lemon zest, garlic, 1/16 cup EVOO and shrimp and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and heat until oil is hot. Cook shrimp until pink (about 1 minute per side)
4) Remove shrimp and keep warm. Add lemon juice to pan and stir. Pour pan sauce over shrimp and serve.