My inspiration for this dinner came from a magazine that simply called to me, as I waited to check out:
Better Homes & Gardens puts out a line of special publications, that are more book-like in a magazine format. Everyone I have found has been worth the cost, especially when I get them heavily discounted at Costco I might add…anyhow, this one was Better Homes and Gardens Good & Fresh Magazine Summer 2013
This year I planted 4 tomato plants, 3 of which are small cherry sized fruits. They are flowering, which leaves me oh-so-happy, dreaming of my (hopefully) bumper crops to come. I love fresh tomatoes, especially on a crisp, cracker-like crust. Where the tomatoes are just warm enough to release their juices but barely cooked.
Individual Margherita Pizzas
Ingredients:
- 1 batch pizza dough (see below)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, quartered and thinly sliced (if in water, drain and pat dry)
- 1 tub cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- Ground black pepper
- Additional olive oil
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Add oil to a small bowl, brush liberally over two baking sheets. Divide dough into halves (4 pieces total). Roll each piece out to about a 9×6″ rectangle on a lightly floured surface, transfer 2 to each sheet Lightly pinch the edges to make a crust. Brush dough with remaining olive oil and liberally prick dough with fork tines. Bake 1 sheet at a time, for about 20 minutes, until golden.
Cover each crust with the cheese, smooshing it as needed to fill it. Sprinkle tomatoes across, crack some black pepper and a drizzle of additional olive oil across the top. Bake for about 7 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Take out, sprinkle basil on top and cut up.
Makes 4 pizzas, serving about 6 people.
Notes:
I used half the dough and cheese to make 2 of these pizzas, then made the guys two other pizzas that featured the cheese, mushrooms, onions and bell pepper, that were lightly salted and sautéed until golden. Kirk just doesn’t like raw tomatoes, which I love.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
- 2½-3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup warm water (120-130°)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
Combine 1¼ cups of the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water and oil, whisk until smooth, then beat for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
Lightly flour a work surface, knock dough out and knead for 8 minutes, until dough is elastic and smooth, adding additional flour as needed.
Divide dough in half, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Follow recipe above.
~Sarah
This is what makes gardening worth it: “Mama, more stwaberry?”
at the library and asked to check it out. He looked at the photos and I asked what he’d like to eat. He wanted tarts, which were actually quite easy to make.
For at least a few hours. Till then, I need to go get my two new grape plants in the ground. Walker is looking forward to that!
and found a recipe to veganize on page 130. I cut the fat in half, just enough for good texture, but not drowning in it as before and upgraded the flour. My Mom would have been proud I am still finding ways to use her choice in (now vintage) cookbooks 
in my pantry. At the end of winter, our local natural food store slashed the prices on them. The purée is great in baked goods, it isn’t thick like a baked sweet potato is, more like a pumpkin purée. If you cannot find it, use pumpkin – it’ll be great as well.
, I do love slow cookers and have a mid size one (a 
). Perusing through 
was fun. This was one of the memory trippers for me, thinking back to the table of slow cookers at every church potluck. Those women would have done nearly anything to have a triple slow cooker back then. If I entertained more, I’d snap one up, it would be fun. But no, you don’t need a fancy cooker, use the one you have on hand, for these recipes, but do use a smaller cooker (4 quart or smaller).
