Pizza Bianca

This is from my favorite cooking magazine, Martha Stewart Food. I had a very similar recipe made for our fam by my friend Kelly, after Charlie was born. Hers was way more gourmet, but this one is still delicious, super easy, and affordable. Pair it with your favorite wine, some good dessert, and you're set.

INGREDIENTS
pizza dough (I love TJ's herb & garlic dough)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 cups baby arugula

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 500 (I know!!). Dust work surface with flour and roll out dough. Transfer to pizza pan/stone or baking sheet. In bowl, stir ricotta, 1 tbsp oil, and garlic; season with salt/pepper. Spread ricotta mixture on dough, leaving border for crust. Top with mozzarella, then parmesan. Brush 1 tsp oil on edge of dough. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is melted and browned in spots, 12-14 minutes. In a small bowl, toss arugula with 1 tsp oil and season to taste with salt/pepper. Top pizza with arugula and serve!

Watermelon Mint Martini

In my humble opinion, watermelon only tastes good the day you cut it. So, what's a girl to do when the kids only eat half of it...why juice it and make martini's naturally! These watermelon mint martinis are easy to make and even if you aren't the hugest watermelon fan, the flavor it subtle and immensly refreshing.

Here's what you need:
1 cup watermelon juice (crush watermelon in a tall cup and strain through a metal strainer or cheesecloth OR if you have a juicer....score!)
4 ounces Vodka
splash of simple syrup to your liking
Juice of 1 lime
6 torn mint leaves
ice
lime wedge and mint leaves for garnishing

Place all ingredients in a metal cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into prepared martini glasses. We wanted a less sweet version so we opted to salt our rim using half sugar and half sea salt. Delish! Happy summer!

Homemade Blue Cheese Wedge

What a yummy, summery salad made with *almost* all of the ingredients you probably have stocked in your fridge. This was a filling salad, but oh so light.

For the dressing:
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or garic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup milk to thin the dressing

For the salad:
1/4 head of iceberg lettuce rinsed
bacon crumbles
coarsley chopped walnuts
red onion slices
tomatos diced
salt and freshly ground pepper

If this isn't enough for a "meal" serve with burgers or a nice steak. Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo meal on the run

Hi everyone! We have taken a few weeks off from swapping due to a brand new baby, a house move and out of town guests visiting. We will be back in full swing the week of May 23 so please check back then for some new recipes and ideas.
In the meantime, I have to give a shout of to our neighborhood Trader Joe's sample lady for helping us figure out tonights easy meal. You only need 3-4 ingredients:
*black bean and cheese taquitos (frozen section) or any taquitos of your choice
*verde salsa (jar from Traders)
*shredded cheese
Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes and you have yourself some yummy tasting poor boy enchiladas. Top with sour cream (or in our house we always sub plain yogurt) guacamole, fresh cilantro if you have any growing in your garden and presto...dinner!
Happy Cinco de Mayo!