Pizza Update

I haven't written in a while and thought I should update my numerous readers on my pizza exploits. I have since refined my homemade pizza recipe to rave reviews. Dialing down on the 2 tablespoons of salt the recipe called for was a must. I also doubled the cook time to 20+ min which in my oven creates a golden brown crisp crust. Time to pick a new dish to master...

Immersion Blender Love

I started my first week of classes with the accompanying stress. But, that doesn't mean I have left my love of food by the wayside. It just means I have a more limited time to get my foodie fix. I received an immersion blender for Christmas. I am an unapologetic cooking tool lover. One of the best if not the best present I have received as an adult was a set of J.A. Henckel knives. I use them every single day. For those who don't know, an immersion blender as the name implies is a handheld blender that can be used to make purees, smooth soups, or my recent favorite make smoothies. The recipe I use every morning includes: a handful of frozen raspberries, strawberries, a banana, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 serving yogurt (any flavor is fine),and a drizzle of honey. It is shockingly easy, completely healthy, and delicious. I find it eminently satisfying to add a new item to my cooking repertoire every week. I have also used my immersion blender to improve the texture of my butternut squash soup. This is a great cold weather dish that provides a bright orange injection to the dreary winter weather. The versatility of the immersion blender makes it a worthwhile addition to any kitchen. The top of the line models can be fairly expensive, but mine is a less expensive model that works just fine. So go forth my numerous readers and blend blend blend!

Homemade Pizza

This past week was fairly relaxing as my final semester had yet to begin. This left me with the opportunity to do some cooking. I made my first ever pizza from scratch. I used a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. While I am not a vegetarian and love meat with fervor, my girlfriend is and I try to cook to please my audience of one. Cooking a new recipe is always an adventure and especially for a novice baker.

My step-mom has been making homemade pizza for years. I had watched and as a kid distinctly remembering the process of selecting toppings. My ten year old self passionately loved Hawaiian pizza which led to usually half the pizza being covered with pineapples and Canadian Bacon. My step-mom and Dad were fond of trying new and unusual toppings which I have always found strange, but often loved. We went from common toppings like peppers and tomatoes to broccoli and one particularly bare pantryed evening garbanzo beans. Garbanzo beans crossed the line for all of us and remain persona non grata on my pizzas.

This was my first solo attempt. I decided to begin with the standard mozzarella with tomatoes, green olives, and basil. Making my own dough was somewhat daunting, but using a standing mixer it turned out to be fairly simple. I put in my flour, yeast, water, and salt. The dough became sticky and balled up. I then took it out worked it by hand with a little olive oil and let it rise. I decided I would make my own pasta sauce and Bittman didn't fail me. His simple tomato sauce which is just a can of tomotoes chopped and sautéed with onions in olive oil was easy and delicious. It is really worth making your own instead of turning to canned sauce. The homemade sauce took no more than 20 min and created greater depth of flavor in each pizza bit. Once my bread had risen over 2hrs, I punched it down, sprinkled it with flour and let it rise briefly. Then I spread it on my greased pizza sheet, added sauce and toppings, and set it to bake in a super hot oven.

It turned out ok, but while I cooked it for far longer than the recipe stated, it was still somewhat doughy upon service. My wonderfully kind girlfriend continues to maintain she likes doughy pizza, but I'm convinced she is sparing my feelings in the hopes my next effort will be better. I will try again, but it gives me a new found appreciation for pizza joints.

First Post

The start of my life as a blogger. I think I better introduce myself to the unknown masses (hopefully) who will read my posts. I am in my final year of law school, but don't hold it against me. I have zero desire to be a lawyer. This begs the question why would you spend countless thousands on a law school education? The answer is not completely clear to me yet, but the short answer is that I hope to get into politics. A law degree I hope will be valuable, but, enough about law school.

I started this blog to talk about what I really am passionate about. I love food and drink. Now this love does not merely spring from the plethora of tastes and textures, but what food represents. It brings people together to share and talk. It allows people to experience culture and literally become a part of a place. When you eat authentic Indian or have a big bowl of gumbo you are privileged to gain a glimpse into the lives and loves of people. In the movie Sideways one of the characters talks about how she thinks about wine. How drinking wine lets her think about the people who were alive when the grapes were planted. How it made her think of the people who had made the wine and if it is an old wine had since passed on. This idea encompasses my feeling about food. To me food is an expression of family, culture, and love. It nourishes our bodies and strengthens our souls. A taste or dish can transport you back in time and allow you to reminisce. A favorite recipe can allow you to remember a favorite uncle, aunt, or mother. While I can continue ad nauseum about why I love food, I will stop for now. Needless to say, I love food and look forward to sharing my experiences past and present.