Happy Friday, everyone!
I love Fridays. Obviously it is the start of the weekend, but it means so many more awesome things!
Like CSA day!
And pizza night!
And so much fun free time to look forward to! I have awesome plans for tomorrow that involve a nice long run downtown, a farmer’s market trip, and a delicious bowl of Saturday Morning oats.
Rewind. Back to the CSA. This week’s box was pretty much a repeat of the past few weeks.
Giant zuchinni.
More eggplant.
More heirloom tomatoes.
Green peppers.
Last week, we had a bit of a tomato problem.ย The week before that, eggplants were taking over. Now it is the fabulous pepper.
That’s alright, peppers freeze perfectly. Also in the box, local eggs.
And this delicious cheese, that tastes a lot like an amazing sharp cheddar.
And finally, the most exciting thing in the box.
Apples! YAY! These are fantastic for lunches. I’ve been worried about getting fruit and veggies for lunches for the 20/40/60 challenge and this helps tremendously.
And you know what else apples mean? They mean that Fall is right around the corner. Yippee!
Dinner
Last week, I was way too lazy to even make my simple pizza crust recipe. But for this week’s pizza night, I not only made it, I documented it to share. I worked quite a while to perfect a whole wheat pizza crust that was crunchy, chewy and delicious. And here it is my friends.
I use my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer for pizza crust. But you could just as easily mix it by hand or in a bread machine, but my directions will follow the stand mixer method.
Side note: my KitchenAid mixer was my 21st birthday gift from my parents. It was what asked for. Yeah, I know, I was a wild child.
Affix your mixer with the dough hook…because…well…we’re making dough.
In the bowl goes very warm water, olive oil, sugar, and salt. And maybe a few specs of black pepper that have infiltrated your kosher salt bowl. Maybe.
I’m currently mourning the end of my bottle of olive oil.
Not exactly sure how we are going to afford to replace that within the 20/40/60 budget.
Next up are the dry ingredients. Pull out your favorite flour container. Bonus points if it is a well-loved flour container that you grew up with. (I saved this from the trash at my parents’ house. Mama couldn’t understand why I’d want it.)
It still looks strange sitting on my shelf instead of the top shelf in the pantry of my Mama’s kitchen.
We did a mix of whole wheat flour, white flour, and cornmeal this time because we wanted a little bit of a different texture. Normally we doย a 2/1 ratio of whole wheat flour to white flour.
Into the bowl. Plus yeast and a massively overflowing teaspoon of minced garlic. I used the jarred stuff here, but if you are using fresh, reduce the overflowingness by quite a lot.
Fresh basil. Slice ‘er up.
Everybody in the pool!
Turn on your mixer on the lowest level. Go ahead and lock the flip-top.
Then walk away. Seriously. It is going to look like it is too dry. And then too wet. Just walk away. Let it mix and knead for 5-10 minutes. Go find something else to do. Like clip coupons.
You may even find a coupon for something you desperately need.
Your dough is ready when it is all pulled together and mostly doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl. It should be a little stretchy but still sticky.
Cover it up with a towel and let it rise for a bit. Not long. I normally let it sit 5-10 minutes. Just long enough to get my toppings together.
It won’t rise much, but it’ll get a bit squishy. Split in half. At this point, you can wrap up one of the halves and freeze it, if you don’t plan on making two pizzas.
Spread the other half out on a pizza pan. Top with sauce.
And veggies.
And cheese.
Bake in a 475ยฐ oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty.
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
1 c. warm water
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 1/2 tsp. yeast (1 packet)
1 tbsp. basil (optional)
Directions
In a mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine all ingredients. Mix on low until well combined. Knead on low for 5-10 minutes until dough is stretchy and slightly sticky to the touch. Cover bowl with cloth and let rise in a warm place for 5-10 minutes. Split dough in half and form into disc (wrap one in plastic wrap and freeze now, if desired). Coat pizza pan with cooking spray, spread one dough disc. Top with sauce, toppings and cheese. Bake at 475ยฐ for 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned. Slice pizza into eight slices.
This one was incredible! If you’ve been paying attention, you know all about my love of cheese, but honestly, I think minimal cheese is best on veggie pizzas. I really allows all the yummy veggie flavors to shine.
But of course, I then put some more cheese on top. ๐
Salad on the side. Romaine, yellow and red heirlooms, sunflower kernels, and some of the cheese from the CSA. Dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.
Seriously. Good. Cheese.
Split a Red Stripe with Babyface.
All together. Perfect Friday night meal.
And the perfect Puppyface lurking in the background.
Finished it all up with a piece of chocolate.
Have an awesome Friday night, everyone!
20/40/60 Day 3 Recap
Breakfast
- Rhubarb bread, homemade
- Hard-boiled egg, local, free-range
- Yogurt, organic
- Pear, organic
Lunch
- Leftover Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches
- Cherry tomatoes, local (from our garden!), organic
- Carrots, organic
- Cantaloupe, organic, local (from my parents’ garden!)
- Salt and pepper popcorn
Snack
- Apple, organic
Dinner
- Veggie Pizza
- Salad, organic, local
Days Completed: 3
Days Remaining: 17
Money Spent: $0.00
Money Remaining: $40.00