Kind of a Reuben Sauerkraut and Swiss Pizza

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We made it ! FRIDAY!!! Fridays always make me think about Steve Urkel, you know, the geeky guy from the show Family Matters who's catch phrase was "Did I do that?.  Weird, I know, but when I was a kid, Fridays meant TGIF on abc (the Tv show line up) It was something I looked forward to all week.  Get out of school, go home, have dinner (usually pizza) and spend the night in front of the Tv. And honestly, not mush has changed. We still keep Fridays the same. Work, Pizza, and Tv.. Just now its not Family Matters and Urkel, but Netflix binge watching and me making the mister a fancy ass pizza. But if Family Matters makes it to Netflix… I will for sure be watching that!

 So anyways, This particular pizza was inspired by a small batch of kohlrabi and red cabbage sauerkraut I made, plus a block of swiss cheese that I found hidden in the back if the fridge. I guess it was meant to be.  The mister was much into this concoction… like I will be making this again and maybe again after that. Its kind of like a reuben, but without the corn beef, which you could totally add if you wanted, or the mayo and ketchup dressing, which you could swap in instead of the mustard sauce.  You can even make it vegan if you use vegan cheese. Do what ever you need to do here cause hey, its your pizza to eat.

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The stuff. Pizza dough, stone ground mustard, shredded swiss cheese, kraut, and caraway seeds. 

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The dough is rolled out and smeared with the mustard. (The mister said I could have added more)

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Top that with the kraut

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Cheese goes next and a good sprinkle of caraway seeds too.  Now stick that lovely into the oven.

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And after 15 minutes, this is what you get… Bubbly, cheesy, crusty pizza.  

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And it's for real one of the prettiest pizzas that I ever have made.  Slice and serve…. and eat in front of the TV.

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!

-C

Kind of a Reuben Sauerkraut and Swiss Pizza

This is the stuff you will need..adjust the amounts to you liking 

  • Pizza dough (this doughor store bought)
  • 1/4 cup Stone Ground Mustard
  • 1 cup Cabbage and Kohlrabi Sauerkraut ( or just regular sauerkraut)
  • 1 cup Swiss Cheese (Use vegan cheese to make this pizza is vegan)
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Preheat oven to 450

Roll out the pizza dough to desired thickness and place on skillet or baking sheet. Smear with mustard, then layer the sauerkraut then cheese, and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Place into oven to cook for about 15 minutes. Pizza is done when dough s cooked and cheese is all nice and bubbly. 

Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, cut into slices, and eat. 

Happy Bits

IMG_7774 Oh do I love a good Sunday. The picture above was taken last Sunday and what a glorious day that was. The mister and I took the pup hiking and it was the most spectacular of days. Sunny, 30 degrees and no wind..I could't have asked for better weather.  

The rest of the week turned out alright. The weather went back to hell again and I was a little frantic and super busy, but all in all, good. I accomplished some things  that needed to be done and got to spend time with just about everyone in my family. The highlight was when my sister slept over and we finally watched the Fault in our Stars while eating lots of food, cuddled together on the couch. (movie was good, but book was better. Books are always better) We then woke up early the next day and we (the mister too)  journeyed across state lines to the closest Target where we purchased some hand soap,  2 seltzer waters and 2 jars of baby food. (I needed the jars) On our way out, the lady experienced her first ever taco from the taco bell in the food court before heading back to Vt. We spent the car ride singing terrible pop songs and eating the babyhood (Blueberries and sweet potato, and yes, they are tasty) We then came back tom my house, listened to more awesome music while she did her homework and I played on the computer and made dinner.  It was the best. 

Heres a few of this weeks happy bits from the internet. 

- I will be making these wire baskets this week. I need storage and I love a good wire basket.

-I have been ending  up on this website every night..Making plans

-I need this shirt!!! Feel free to buy it for me!

-Throw Back Song!… And yes, I was sure I was going to be Mrs. Zac Hanson when I was 11. 

-My sister sent me this link, Wool and the Gang. So cool.

-These pictures made me laugh. I end up with veggies like this all the time.

And here are a few pictures of my real life happy…..

IMG_1389Playing on the frozen lake. It was so freaking cold and windy, but we just had to do it!

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Beach stairs. Hopefully soon they will be a little less icy and maybe even lead to some sand and not waist high drifts of snow.

IMG_1488 Two of my favorite people in the world.

IMG_7785And I made brunch with 2 more of my favorites.

IMG_7814My little brothers (can I say little if they are bigger then me?) came over and we all had dinner together while listening to music from when they were born. Nothing like a few 17 year olds to make a person feel old.

IMG_1100Blooming daffodils. I love to watch my flowers open up, it's just as good as the flower itself. 

Have the best first week of March ever!!!

-C

Lemony Garlic Lentils

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Yay Tuesday! Which means its lentil day in my house. Ok not really, because everyday is lentil day in my house. Why? Because they are pretty much the best.  And with the addition of lots of garlic and lemon…..whoa nelly!!! Eat your heart out.But for serious, not only are these little bits of happy legumes oh so tasty, they also are a nutritional whomper.  So much protein, iron and zinc, magnesium and a bunch of other good stuff. Low in calorie and fat. Shelf stable, cheap, and fast and easy to cook. They are fantastic in soups, sauces, casseroles and salads. Eat them warm, cold, plain or covered in mustard. There possibilities with these little guys are endless. If you do not have lentils in your pantry right now, you are crazy. Make it  priority to get some. Do it today, and make these fantastically yummy lentils for dinner. Trust, you won't be sorry.

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Lentils, water (not shown but I think you know what it looks like) lemon, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Cabbage and kale to make it that much better.

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Add a cup of lentils to a pot with minced or pressed garlic, the zest of the lemon and the juice of half the lemon. (save the other half to squeeze on top later) Add in 2 1/4 cups water , a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Place a lid on pot and turn heat down to low. Let cook for about 15 - 20 minutes or until lentils are just about done.

Now top the almost done lentils with  the cabbage and the kale. Add a splash of water and a pinch of salt  and replace lid. Keep pot on simmer for another 5-8 minutes until the veggies are wilted.  This gives you a slightly cooked, but still nice and crisp veggie. If you like you veggies a bit more soft, just add them into the lentils a little earlier or don't even cook them at all. It's whatever you want.

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After a few minutes take the lid off and…aahh. Smells like cozy lemony garlicy happiness. 

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 A big steaming bowl of everything that is good. Serve with an extra wedge of lemon to squeeze on top!

Tuesday Ah HA!

Make your day AWESOME!!!


Lemony Garlic Lentils 

  • 1 cup dry lentils
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon (juice and zest)
  • Salt and pepper
  • some shredded cabbage
  • a few kale leaves

Add water, lentils, the zest and juice of 1 lemon and about a teaspoon of salt and pepper to a pot. Mince garlic and add that in too.  Bring to a boil then place a lid on it and turn down to simmer. After about 15 minutes, give lentils a stir. At this point the lentils should be a al denta, but just about done.( If you notice the lentils seem dry, just add a bit more water) Layer on the cabbage and kale, adding in a splashof water. Replace lid and let simmer of another 5-8 , or until lentils are cooked and the veggies are you cooked to your liking. 

 

Happy bit

IMG_1372 Another week in the Siberian Express (and another catchy name for weather)  The lake is completely frozen over and the snow piles are getting bigger then ever… We are in the dead of the winter, which means it an only get better from here.

Yes cold, but not a bad week. I have been getting our stuff together to start the ever daunting task of filing our taxes (blaaahhhhh), and the lovely mister has spent his week pretty much dealing with everyone's frozen pipes (poor guy), but we have managed to fit in a little fun. Dinner with sisters. A day with a little that included a lunch date of clementines and mustard. We even went to a high school play that my littlest sister was in. (She was so freaking awesome!) Plus, this week I have really noticed the longer amounts of daylight happening. (I can't wait for daylight savings)  I can feel it in my inner most parts of myself..that its going to be spring soon!!! I just need to keep from freezing to death for a few more weeks.

Here is some fun internet stuff  I have found this week.

  • These Stuffed pets are pretty funny. If I were to bring home a stuffed animal that looked like the trash dog, he would almost certainly love it for about a week, but the moment he feels like he is not getting the adequate amount of attention, would stand in front of me and slowly tear it apart. (because that's what he does)
  • I want to make this Marbled paper… But am going to wait until I can do it outside, so maybe in like a few months

And a few bits from the real world

IMG_7731-1-1This little is rocking out to some sweet tunes….We started out listening to Beck and ended up listening to Elmo. I guess that happens sometimes. 

IMG_7756-1Can I buy then all? I am a plant hoarder… and can never get enough. I took this picture, walked away to contemplate about weather or not to buy the purple one, went back and someone else had grabbed it. Bummer,…So instead I bought some fresh daffodils, YAY!

IMG_7761 Romanesco. A cross between cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and a space ship.  Pretty Pretty!

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It took this guy about 5 minutes to cross over this bridge. The stick in this mouth was too long and would get stuck between the two railings. It  was some funny shit. 

IMG_2145_2Of things to come!!! 

Have a fantastically lovely week..It's the last one of February! 

-C

Parsnip and Carrot Fries with Smokey Sriracha sauce

   IMG_0792  IMG_0950Before we get to the fries, I just want to mention that  yesterday was one of those fantastic winter days that reminds me why I love living in Vermont.  Pretty white snow everywhere, the sun was out, and 20 degrees without a gust of wind. The trash dog an I were even able to go for a little hike.  It was so nice and soooo sooo needed!  Anyways, the other day as me, my sister and the mister where putting together  one more piece of Ikea furniture, (I am the master at Ikea assembling!)  a little runs into the room and presents the mister with a Dominos pizza. Yup, a whole pizza just for him. Why you might ask? Well I guess my sister was  delivered the wrong pizza and the place didn't want it back and she didn't want it, so she gave it to him.

A whole pizza to himself. I didn't mind too much..he was just going to be eating it for lunch and dinner until it was out of the fridge. But for dinner I did want him to eat something of the vegetable matter that didn't come out of a box. I was going to make him a big salad, but then realized that would mean sharing the last of the greens that I had for MY dinner and I was not about to do that, so I made him parsnip and carrot fries instead. No biggy, just some slicing, a little tossing and a bit of time in the old oven. And I figured I might as well make a nice sauce for those fries because I be so very nice.

The biggest problem that I ran into when I made these fries was that I didn't make enough, so you should probably make twice as many as you think you will eat. If you end up not eating them all (which you probably will), well then you now have a great start for a soup or a nice addition to a salad. Either way, you will eat them because they are amazing and addicting… and as healthy as can be!

IMG_0818The carrots and the parsnips are all sliced up into big matchsticks and ready to be baked to crispy browned perfection.  I added the oil to the pan to toss the fries in and then sprinkled with a fair amount of salt and pepper.  If you don't have and or want to use a cast iron pan, a baking sheet works just the same.

IMG_0852   IMG_0896Oh saucy sauce stuff. Tomato puree, sriracha, and yellow mustard. Add a little bit of honey to lighten it up (can use brown sugar if keeping it vegan), a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Topped off with the smokey delightful spice of cumin. I cold eat this on everything…and I kind of did. 

All mixed up in an oven safe dish, I stuck it into the oven for a about 8 minutes until it got a little bubbly, just to let all the flavors fuse together…

IMG_0917Fries are done, Sauce is ready. Served in super cute tea cups.(from now on I want to serve everything in tea cups.) A perfect side dish, snack, or even a light meal.  It lead the mister to ask the question...What pizza? 

Happy Day!

-C


Parsnip and Carrot Fries with Smokey Sriracha Sauce

The Stuff

For the Fries

  • 2 large parsnips
  • 2 large carrot
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon oil

For the Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • 2 tablespoon tomato puree (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 tablespoon water)
  • 2 cloves or garlic
  • 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • a splash of apple cider vinegar
  • a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425.

Wash and trim carrots and parsnips and cut into large matchsticks (any shape is good, just make them all uniform) Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on cast iron pan or baking sheet and stick in oven for 30 or so minutes, and rotating after about 20. The fries are done when  crispy and brown.

For the sauce. Mince garlic and add to all the sauce ingredients in an oven safe bowl. stick into oven for about 8 minutes until slightly bubbly and hot.

Dip fries in sauce