Cucumber and Roasted Chickpea Salad with Yogurt Lime Dressing

Posted by yumanddone in Savory and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Cucumber Chickpea Salad
Every year I make the promise to get back on the health track after waddling off it for holiday indulgences. Every year I do, until the next holiday, birthday, or groupon comes along to entice me otherwise. I can’t quite find the motivation to get back on so I stay and indulge for a while.
Suddenly it’s a month before summer and I’m taunted by the idea of having to wear less clothing so I’m scrambling to get back on the health track in full swing, and I do! For about a few days every other couple weeks up until the holidays. This is every year without fail.

This year is a little different for a couple different reasons:
1. I’m more health conscious than I’ve ever been
2. I’m less self conscious than I’ve ever been

I’m not driven by self-made promises or holding myself to any scale or measuring tape. But I know what’s good for my body, and I know what makes me feel healthful. I’m just making daily conscious decisions that make me feel okay (good, even!) and changing my attitude towards food. For instance, I’ve finally realized that salads are wonderful and the possibilities are endless and they fill me up with nutrients rather than shame and regret! :]

Cucumber Chickpea Salad

This is one of those wonderful ones. So good, that all the components taste great on their own. Roasted chickpeas are my new favorite snack. This dressing will work great as a dip for other veggies. It’s delicious and filling and healthy and basically everything you could ever want out of a salad. Makes a great side dish, though it may steal the spotlight.

 Cucumber and Roasted Chickpea Salad with Yogurt Lime Dressing

Makes 4 sides, 2 main dishes
Adapted from FitSugar

You’ll Need:

  • 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • salt & pepper
  • 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1 lime
  • 3 tablespoons non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • salt & pepper

For the salad:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to coat, and toss them around so they are all covered. Place unpeeled garlic cloves on the edge of the pan. Roast for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

2. Chop cucumbers into thick disks, and quarter them. Place in medium sized bowl. Take out chickpeas, and once cooled mix them with the cucumbers.

For the dressing:

Peel garlic cloves, and mix them with the juice of the entire lime. Add Greek yogurt and mix well. Then add the dill and stir until incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the cucumber and chickpea salad into desired servings. Spoon dressing over salad and serve with grilled flat bread, if you want.*
Cucumber Chickpea Salad
*You can refrigerate the salad and dressing separately the night before and combine them when ready to serve.  

Belated Holiday Cheer, Sugar Cookies + Royal Icing, Shoulds

Posted by yumanddone in Sweets and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas Sugar cookies

You know, there is something about a long vacation away from everything that gives me this strong, entitled urge to do nothing. No work + no school = no “should”s. Shoulds are those nagging pests that don’t actually exist but end up on our to-do lists anyway. I made absolutely no room for them during this winter break, because I justified it as being my Last Official Winter Break EVER (I graduate college this June). Therefore, I deserved to be self-righteously lazy and shoulds were to be avoided at all costs (which made all of the sense at the time). This blog turned into one of those shoulds that I escaped. Not to say that this is something I don’t enjoy doing, but compared to sleeping in, browsing netflix, reading  blogs, and eating the consistently delicious food my parents make instead of making it for myself, it did start to feel like something I should do rather than something I wanted to do. Now that I’m about to be thrust back into the world of non-hobby, no nonsense shoulds, I’m starting to cling to this blog as one of my “want”s again. Such is life. But my blog doesn’t mind. Whether I’m too busy for it or not busy enough, it will always be here for me right where I left it. Even if I’m making a Christmas-related post 4 days into the new year. My blog is not here to judge. Though I can’t really say the same for you, dear reader, I suggest you take a look at my sweet pics (pun intended) and reconsider.

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So actually, this post is more about me showing off than about me giving you new and ingenious recipes. I tried my hand at my very first royal icing coated sugar cookies attempt, and I am pretty damn proud of the results.

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So much so, that these were the only Christmas gifts I gave away this year. This also had to do with how little money I had and how surprisingly inexpensive these little cuties are to make, but still.

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In the spirit of it still being my winter break, I am lazily giving you the links to the sugar cookies and royal icing I used instead of writing them out, because well, I didn’t change a damn thing.

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Festive stick person posing with the tree

Festive stick person posing with the tree

Making these cookies took a lot of research and Youtubing, because royal icing is tricky. It’s easier to know what to do after you’ve watched someone else do it, so I recommend going on Youtube and looking up as many tutorial videos as you can. Test it on scratch paper before you go in for the real deal. As far as working with this icing for the first times goes, I will give you a few notes that I thought were crucial.

  • I chose the recipe that calls for egg whites. It is less expensive than buying meringue powder.
  • To my knowledge, this icing can only really be made with an electric or hand mixer in order to achieve the even consistency.
  • The consistency to this icing is key. It needs to be thick enough to set but thin enough for a glossy, fluid finish. The trick is to beat it until smooth, then run a knife through the center. The line made by the knife should stay in the icing for about 10 seconds before disappearing. If it stays longer, it is too thick and you should gradually add drops of water until you get the desired consistency. If the line stays in the icing fewer than 10 seconds, it is too thin and you should add small amounts of powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. It was a constant battle of thin and thick for me, but I started to get more familiar with the consistency with the more colors I made.
  • With almost every cookie, I had to make an outline icing (which should be slightly thicker) and a filling icing (which should be a little thinner). Towards the end though I started to use the same icing for both the outline and filling and it turned out fine, as long as I waited for the outline to set before filling in the shape.
  • Coloring these cookies takes planning. In order to layer colors over others, the first color needs to set. It is because of this that you need to have post its handy so you can make a sort of check list of colors for each type of cookie along the way. Or maybe that’s just me, BUT HEY, it helped.
  • This icing hardens relatively fast, so there are a few things you want to do before it does. First, to get rid of any air bubbles that might be hiding under the filling of the icing, gently tap the cookie on a hard surface after icing to ensure a super smooth finish. If you’re planning on adding sprinkles, throw those suckers on there immediately after icing the cookie- DO NOT ice all the cookies first and then go back for sprinkles, because the cookies will have set by then and you missed your chance, game over, YOU BLEW IT.
  • Other than that, just have fun with it!

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The best thing about this classic recipe is that it can be tailored to fit any occasion by a matter of which cookie cutters fit the bill. I had a lot of fun with this Christmas theme, but I can just picture all of the holidays, bake sales, and occasions of the future filled with different versions of these guys.

BFFs

BFFs

Now you’re like, “OK fine they’re cute, but do they taste good???” Well of course they do. Though I gotta warn you, if you do choose to give them away to your friends and loved ones, know that they might not eat them right away… at least not until they’re done taking pictures of them first.

Gingerdoodles with White Chocolate Chips (Fat Clouds)

Posted by yumanddone in Sweets and tagged with , , , , , ,

ginger doodles cookies

As my roommate rightfully put it, “Everything that’s small and fat is cute.” Puppies. Cats. Babies. Teapots. And now these cookies! Or as we so lovingly dubbed them: Fat Clouds. These pudgy guys don’t look like much, but they pack in plenty of holiday-y flavor and spice. The butterscotch pudding gave the cookies some moisture and a rich base for the ginger and white chocolate to frolic on. The rolling sugar makes the cookies look magical and taste like holiday cheer- like a snickerdoodle but ginger-fied. Get it?!

To be honest though, I wasn’t positive why these cookies turned out the way they did. At first, I was slightly alarmed that the mounds of cookie dough weren’t sinking familiarly in the oven like the dozens of cookies I’ve made in the past. They just… stayed puffy. I followed the recipe to a tee, but the only difference is I replaced an electric mixer (which I don’t have but is on the top of my list) with my roomie’s arm power (thanks Melody!) to cream the butter and sugar.

Does the method of creaming make that much of a difference? Well, I looked into it. According to  Kumiko Mitarai’s column in Serious Eats, “If the butter starts at room temperature and is beaten long enough (which can take several minutes with a hand mixer), tiny pockets of air will form and help give the cookies or cake a little extra lift.” That lift is the purpose of creaming, as it allows the cookies not to fall flat while in the oven and allows them to bake evenly. As it turned out, Melody’s serious arm power made for some serious “lift” in these cookies. Who knew? And who needs an electric mixer when I have a strong roomie on hand?

Fat Clouds

Gingerdoodles with White Chocolate Chips (Fat Clouds)

Makes around 4 dozen
Recipe from Bake Your Day

You’ll need:

  • 2 1/2 C flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 C butter, unsalted and softened
  • 1/2 C dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar
  • 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 (3.4 oz) package of butterscotch pudding mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 C white chocolate chips

For rolling:

  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Mix flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt until combined in a medium bowl and set aside.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar by hand using a strong arm (or just use a standing mixer), constantly beating for at least 3 minutes until “fluffy,” or lighter in color. Add eggs, pudding mix, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly add the dry mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips.
  3. Mix the sugar and ginger together for the rolling sugar. Roll each ball into 1 inch diameter, then roll into the sugar. Place them on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake them until the edges are brown (10-12 minutes). Let them cool on a cooling rack, or some paper towels.

Open-Face Lemon Pesto Tuna Melt

Posted by yumanddone in Savory and tagged with , , , , , , , ,


Look, sometimes I cheat. Sometimes, I skimp out and I just don’t make everything from scratch. Sometimes I throw packaged things together and it’s quick and it works. Sometimes these creations are actually really, really good.

Like this open-face tuna melt. This tuna melt is actually a bit healthier than the tuna melts you may be used to seeing. First off, I hate mayonnaise. I thought Greek yogurt was the perfect substitute to smooth things over with the bonus of its distinct tang. Second, this packaged lemon pepper tuna does not douse its tuna in oil like some do- it’s just sitting in water. Also, it’s served on a multigrain flat bread. Lastly, I left the recipe pretty plain, so it would be the perfect platform for any and all kinds of veggies you desire (red onions, avacado, tomatoes…). Try your own toppings and let me know how it turned out!

Open-Face Lemon Pesto Tuna Melt

Makes 2

You’ll need:

  • 2 Tablespoons plain non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons pesto
  • 2 multigrain flat breads
  • 1 package StarKist Tuna Creations: Zesty Lemon Pepper
  • 2 slices provolone

Go ahead and…

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt and pesto together. Distribute creamy mixture evenly between the two flat breads.
  3. With a fork, break up the tuna in the SunKist pouch and evenly distribute between the two flatbreads. Top with a slice of provolone on each.
  4. Put the flat breads on a cookie sheet. Pop them into oven for 10-12 minutes or until cheese looks bubbly and brown.
  5. Cut into fours and serve immediately.

Mini Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

Posted by yumanddone in Sweets and tagged with , , , , , , , ,


Guys, it’s getting so close to that time of year when I start listening to Frank Sinatra Christmas classics on repeat. It’s getting to that time when Christmas lights are still enchanting and don’t hurt my eyes yet. Gaudy Christmas sweaters will occasionally start replacing my cable knits. I am not yet avoiding eye contact with the Salvation Army volunteer ringing their bell outside of Walgreens. It’s too early for me to be a scrooge.

However it is still fall, and I need to be reminded to pace myself. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and what is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie (or pumpkin anything for that matter)? SO, I present to you more pumpkin goodness since forever ago when I made a savory pumpkin dish- but this time we’re taking a sweeter route.

Pop tarts are to “pastries” as Hostess snacks (RIP) are to “bakery products.” They just aren’t. Of course, that’s because the packaged variety are made for convenience, not quality. Since these are a bit of the opposite, take what you know about pop tarts, flip it on its head, make them tiny, and you have the mini pop tart. Perfect for sharing, serving, and gobbling up immediately. Although these sweet treats share the same name as the packaged toaster pastry we all know and love, prepare to know and love this homemade version even more. They are flaky, buttery, and in this case they’re stuffed with pumpkin pie goodness. No, they are not as quick and easy as a pop tart, but they are at least 100x more satisfying. Here is the general idea:

Cut out squares from dough, brush egg on plain squares

Dollop pumpkin pie mixture onto squares

Put square atop the pumpkin, press edges down with a fork

Put in and take out of oven, admire your work

I admit, it’s a bit more involved than the pop tarts I’m used to. Just know that each buttery, flaky bite is worth each step because of these delicious results:

Why yes, I did use leftover pastry dough to make little hearts. Absolutely no shame!

Mini Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts with Maple Glaze

Adapted from Joy the Baker
makes approximately 16 mini pop tarts
total time: approximately 2.5 hours

Crust:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 large egg– for brushing the dough

Filling:*

  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Maple Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • Sprinkles

To Prepare the crust:

-In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter cubes and break it up into the flour with either a pastry cutter, food processor or two knives. Do this until pea-sized lumps of butter remain.

-In a small bowl beat the egg with the cold water. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture until the wetness is just incorporated.

-Dust your counter with flour and knead the dough on the floured counterspace until the dough comes together. Divide this dough in two and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the Filling:

-In a small sauce pan, heat pumpkin puree and spices over medium heat.  Just heat through until the spices become fragrant. Remove from heat and place spiced pumpkin in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk in egg, salt and sugar and place in the fridge to rest while you roll out the dough.

*You could also take the quick route by buying pumpkin pie filling in a can and adding 1 egg to it.

-Dust your counter and a rolling pin with a good coat of flour and roll out your dough with the rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.

-Use either a square 2″x2″ cookie cutter, or manually cut out squares in the dough.

-Place 8 squares on each cookie sheet, about two inches apart from each other. Brush egg on each square to act as adhesive for the other squares that we’ll place on top. Dallop pumpkin pie filling in the middle of the square, a couple teaspoons at most for each.

-Gently place second square no top of the first and use a floured fork to press the sides together. It’s alright if some pumpkin pie goodness oozes out. Brush each pastry with more egg.

-While you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, put assembled pop tarts in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Once preheated, put pastries in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

-While the pop tarts bake, mix together the ingredients for the glaze.

-Take pop tarts out of the oven and let them cool completely before you apply the glaze. Sprinkle with whatever sort of holiday/color schemed sprinkles you like.

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Posted by yumanddone in Sweets and tagged with , , , ,

Yep, that’s it. Only 3 ingredients required, and they’re all pictured above. Toppings optional, and completely up to you.

Trust me, it works. The Nutella takes care of all the ingredients you think might be missing (sugar, oil, cocoa, SCIENCE!).

Are you as busy as I am? These are the perfect thing to satisfy a craving, feed a small crowd, or just keep around for when the mood strikes with little time to spare.

They’re fudgy like a brownie, cute like a muffin. Wanna make them fancy? Scoop vanilla ice cream on top when they’re still warm. Boom. A la mode.
P.S. I swear I don’t only bake when Nutella and salt are involved.

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Recipe from scoochmaroo (via instructables)
Makes around a dozen

You’ll need:

  • 1 Cup Nutella
  • 10 Tablespoons of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • Toppings of your choice- I chose walnuts and chocolate chips (optional)

Just:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
  2. Mix the 3  ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
  3. Pour into cupcake liners, top with desired toppings. Bake for 25-30 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of one).

Peanut Butter Fudge with Salted Chocolate

Posted by yumanddone in Savory, Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,


Guys, it’s Halloween!  Costumes. Pillow cases of toothache inducing candy. $2 Chipotle burritos. Kids and adults alike have something to look forward to on a day like today. A holiday this special deserves a sinfully sweet treat.

Enter: fudge. This was my first attempt at fudge. Maybe it’s because I only associate fudge with cheese houses in Wisconsin and overpriced shops at Six Flags, but it never occurred to me that the rich treat was a part of the Midwestern roadtrip that could easily be recreated in my own home.

When I saw the recipe, I realized I had damn near all the ingredients on hand. This recipe also did not require a candy thermometer, so it was much less intimidating than others I’d seen. As my first fudge attempt, I was surprisingly delighted by the outcome. Too easy. Peanut butter + chocolate has always been a winning combination in my book. But with chunky peanut butter and sea salt  added to the mix? Ya’ll know how I feel about that (if you don’t, see link). Well now everything has been amplified. These sweet cubes give Halloween candy a run for its money.

Cheers to that!

Peanut Butter Fudge with Salted Chocolate

Recipe from The Sophisticated Gourmet

Makes about 36 pieces

  • ½ cup (1 stick)  Unsalted Butter
  • ⅛ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
  • 1 pound brown sugar
  • ½ cup Milk
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
  • 2 ⅓ cups Powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup Dark Chocolate / semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Sea Salt for sprinkling (recommended)

Go ahead and…

  1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan along with the ground nutmeg.
  2. Stir in the brown sugar and milk, remove any lumps, and bring to a boil for 2-3 Minutes without stirring (seriously don’t touch it!).
  3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, then the peanut butter.
  4. Put the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then, pour the hot peanut butter and sugar mixture on top of the powdered sugar, and beat with a spoon until smooth. Be careful not to mistake powedered sugar chunks for peanut chunks.
  5. Pour into an 8-inch square baking pan, cover the top with parchment, and press down to smooth out the top. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes, then place in the fridge to cool completely.
  6. Turn the fudge out of the pan onto the parchment, cut into 36 squares.
  7. Melt the chocolate, and spread a layer on top of each piece of fudge. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle each piece of fudge with a few grains of flaky sea salt.
  8. Store in an airtight container.

Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad

Posted by yumanddone in Savory and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

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I had a few options for the title of this post. Here are all the titles that would have worked:

The Easiest Ever Salad
The Holding onto Summer Salad
The Already Dressed Salad
The Perfect Potluck Salad
The Bring it to Work Salad
The I Should Eat a Salad but I’d Rather Eat a Loaf of Bread Salad
The As Satisfying as a Loaf of Bread Salad

I decided to keep it simple, but all of those titles speak the truth. It’s easy, already dressed, ready to leave the house, and filling (no bread necessary!). One awesome thing about transporting this salad? It’s wilt-proof. It’s dressed and ready to go, so all you need to do is put it in some tupper ware and be on your way to work, a potluck, and whathaveyou. It’s delicious and sure to be a crowd pleaser (even if that crowd is just you).

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Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad

Tweaked from Green Lite Bites

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 carton of grape tomatos (1 pint)
  • 20 basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch of salt

Go Ahead and…

  1. Toss all ingredients.
  2. Let ingredients mingle in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
  3. Enjoy and feel good about your healthy choices!

Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce with Spinach Tortellini

Posted by yumanddone in Savory and tagged with , , , , , ,


I don’t need to tell you guys how fun, cozy, whimsical and delicious fall is. We all know. If it is not the most adorned season of the year, then it is certainly the most obsessed about. From cable knit sweaters to apple picking to stepping on crunchy leaves, fall always seems to bring out the kid in people.  Any season that blurs the line between what is childish and what is publicly acceptable is alright by me.

Then there’s the pumpkin.  We all know it’s not just for pies and carving anymore. I am astonished by the amount of regular old recipes that can be “fallified” with the pizzazz of some pumpkin and spice. The only difficult thing about scrolling through Pinterest and blog subscribers’ pumpkin recipes is deciding which to try first.

Here are a few on my radar that I can’t wait to try (So glad I stocked up on canned pumpkin!):
pumpkin waffles brown butter whole wheat
Pumpkin Brown Butter Waffles from Veggie and the Beast


Pumpkin Scones from Recipe Girl

title thumb Project Food Blog Challenge #8: Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls from Oh She Glows

If you are looking for that familiar pumpkin taste in something homemade that requires as much time as going to Starbucks and getting yourself a Pumpkin Spice Latte, then this is the recipe for you. I just couldn’t wait for that flavor, and I am so glad I didn’t. This recipe is true instant gratification in the most fall way possible, and it’s a nice savory change of pace to all of the pumpkin desserts out there. It’s creamy, thick, and versatile, so you could honestly use any pasta base (I considered using gnocchi). However, I thought the spinach tortellini gave this dish enough contrast, and ensured a savory dish. I found a good recipe and didn’t change a thing. I was very pleased with how it turned out. This time I used nutmeg, next time I will try it with sage.

Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce with Spinach Tortellini
Recipe by Mercy from Food.com

You’ll Need:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (19 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon sage
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb hot drained pasta

Go ahead and…

  1. Saute the garlic in the oil over low heat, but do not brown it.
  2. Add the pumpkin, cream, Parmesan and seasonings and heat through until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.*
  3. Serve over hot pasta.

*The sauce is thick, which I loved. If you prefer a thinner sauce, Mercy suggests adding some vegetable broth to thin it out.

Pizza Bianca con Prosciutto e Rucola

Posted by yumanddone in Savory and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Can I just start of by saying, “WOW.” I was floored by the amount of buzz surrounding my Salted Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies. I didn’t think people would be as excited as me about cookies, but I suppose both salted baked goods and Nutella have a curious power over people (me being one of those people). Of course, I can’t take all the credit. I found the original recipe here, and tweaked it only a bit. Also, the moment my brother Tonio posted the link on Reddit’s food porn forum, my blog traffic skyrocketed and I felt famous for like, a day. Thanks bro! 
Now that the thank-yous are out of the way, allow me to also apologize for the absence. I didn’t flee upon tasting a hint of success, nor do I plan on quitting blogging anytime soon. I’ve been very busy with school, and in addition to getting very small amounts of sleep, I came down with a case of Strep throat. Being sick while everything important is happening is not fun. But I’m in the process of recovering, and I gotta tell you I am so ready to jump back into some food blogging fun. So let’s jump, shall we?The other day, I saw Megabite’s White Pizza with Lemony Greens, and knew instantly I had to recreate it. I was craving the combination of cheeses from the moment I finished reading the post. However, I had to put it off because of how sick I was becoming.

After a few days of my parents insisting they come over and me (the defiant college student I am) assuring them it was unnecessary, I finally humbly agreed. This turned out to be a lovely thing, because not only did they do my laundry and help ease my nerves, but they also bought me ingredients to make this pizza. So they helped me make it, and they even got some pizza out of the trip! Aren’t parents great? Yeah… the title is in Italian for them.

So, let me talk about this pizza for a moment. Mozzarella, Provolone, and Parmesan are no brainers- but the goat cheese? Might sound strange, but that is what made this pizza. Every creamy, salty bite of the stuff was another bite that pushed me further away from missing any kind of sauce. The salty prosciutto was a beautiful contrast to the fresh “peppery” arugula (my mom’s description). My dad picked the arugula from his very own garden. And for those of you that don’t know, prosciutto is just a better, tastier, awesomer version of bacon :] Can you tell I’ve never been much of a bacon fan? Go ahead, leave angry comments if you must…

Still mad?

White Pizza with Prosciutto and Arugula

Recipe tweaked from Megabite

Makes two 9-inch pizzas

You’ll Need:

  • 1 package Trader Joe’s Dough (or 1 lb. of your favorite homemade pizza dough)
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2- 3/4 Cup provolone
  • 1/2-3/4 Cup fresh, drained mozzarella
  • 1/2 Cup goat cheese
  • 1/4 Cup shaved parmesan
  • 10 slices prusciutto crudo
  • fresh bushel arugula
  • two 9-inch round cake pans (I don’t have a pizza stone but this worked swimmingly)

Go Ahead and:

  1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees. If Trader Joe’s Dough is still cold, let it sit for at least 20 minutes or until room temperature. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine garlic and olive oil. Drizzle on each cake pan until very lightly coated.
  2. Divide dough in half and place each half in the cake pan. Work the dough with your fingertips towards the edges of the pan, working from the middle to the outer crust until dough latches to the edges of the pan.
  3. Put both doughs in the oven for 6-8 minutes, until top of crust has some bubbles, is still pale, and stiff. It should not be brown.
  4. Remove from oven  and layer the cheeses: divide provolone among both pizzas, next mozzarella, then goat cheese, and finally the parmesan. Put back in oven for 7-9 minutes or until cheese is slightly golden and bubbly.
  5. Remove from oven once again and put 5 slices of provolone on each pizza. Pop them back in the oven for only another 2-4 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and top with arugula leaves. Enjoy the heck out of them!