While I'm waiting for things to get finalized in the kitchen, I'm going to show you some pictures from the late summer. Anyway, summer is much more fun than any other time, so why not think about it some more? Disregard the clutter, please. Thank you.
I want to say something about this board that pulls out from beneath my countertop. You understand that I have, by today's standards, one of the most primitive cabinet setups in America, without the virtue of anything being antique. I mean, I don't grill a goat over an open fire in the hills of Afganistan, but close. See that white formica? It doesn't get more uninspired than that!
Don't get me wrong. Now that things are no longer dark and scary, I actually love my kitchen and wouldn't trade it for anything. See this board? How cool is it to be saying to yourself, “now where am I going to put this??” because you have about 4 square feet of countertop, and then pull out this little hidden board. It makes me happy.
I decided one hot August night to grill our usual Friday night pizza. Now, I have made pizza every Friday night for approximately 20 years! But this was a bit different…
Since it's Friday, we have a meatless pizza. I make half plain and half veggie — this one has feta as well as other yummy stuff. I usually make four, and I put meat on one or two for Saturday lunch. (By the way, I detest Saturday lunch with a fiery hatred. If I had to make sandwiches I think I would go insane. So I try to make extra pizza so I don't have to think about it.) I was lucky enough to find two 16″ pizza pans at TJMaxx about 8 years ago. They sure come in handy!
I popped it onto the grill, which was turned up high. I lowered the heat and cooked it for a few minutes like this. Then when it was set, I slid it onto the grate to get nice and toasty on the bottom. I covered the grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese and cook the toppings.
(I forgot to take a picture until we had eaten most of this one 🙂 When you are done, the pizza doesn't have the browned cheese top the way it usually gets in the oven. It almost looks uncooked on top. But it's actually extremely tasty, with a good smoky flavor.
And on the bottom, it has a great crispy grilled crust! The likes of which I just can't get most of the time, even with my convection oven cranked up to 500*!
Pippajo says
Oh I feel your white formica pain! I lived with mine for ten years before we got to rip it out and replace it with butcher block. What a difference a few improvements can make in the kitchen!I love the idea of homemade pizza every Friday! We never have it because my son hates tomato sauce, but if I made it myself, I could make it white! Hmmmm…now there's an idea!And I never would have thought to grill it. How very clever1
Pippajo says
Oh dear. I'm so sorry my blog is hard to see. Maybe I can tweak it a bit…but don't lose heart, it won't be like that for long. As soon as Halloween is over I'm taking the black away.Also, I didn't block you and I don't think you're a stalker! There must have been some other glitch. You're welcome to post any time.Look who's being stalkery now, posting two times in a row!
Jen - Balancing beau says
Oh yum…this is definitely getting me in the mood for some home made pizza. May have to do this tonight.
Esther says
That grilling sounds like a great idea but I don't have a BBQ. Pout. I have Friday night pizzas too -homemade, of course – in fact we have Friday night Family movie with pizza, which we all look forward to. In fact, Rosie has even given up the chance of going to a disco because "it's on Family Movie Night."
Pippajo says
Haven't been able to get Friday Night Pizza off my mind…and now it's Friday…and I want to make pizza!Just wondering if you have a good recipe you'd be willing to share. Or can you point me in the right direction to find one?Thanks!
Decadent Housewife says
We do Friday night pizza too and have for years… all homemade too. Will have to get a post and recipes up soon. Thanks for stopping by and tipping me off to all your sites…very interesting and thought provoking. I'll be back. http://www.dailydecadent.com