Thursday Loves

Just a few more weeks until I am whisked away to a crystal clear beach with bright white sand, all the tropical drinks I desire in hand and a whole week full of nothing I have to do (except enjoy myself, of course).  If I only were to look this elegant while frolicking on the beach.  Note to self, wear lots of jewelry while frolicking on the beach.  Fix that straw hat of yours that is all bent out of shape.  Grow 8 inches so that coverup fits you the way it does her.  Hey, then you might even be able to kiss your husband without standing on your tippy-toes!  Via

Meryl, I love you. You are an incredible actress and an incredible woman. This photo of you and this pooch is beyond amazing.  Via

Tonight I do declare grilled pizza night! That is, if the chef can handle it.  It's looking like he's been struck with a spring bug of the itchy throat/coughing variety, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't get any worse.  Because man, I have been looking forward to grilled pizza night ever since we grilled pizza for my 27th birthday!  Via

Something about this Bree bag is really leaving me smitten.  It must be the detail, but I really think a lot of it has to do with the name alone.  Last week in the grocery store I saw "brie pie" and laughed out loud.  My niece's name is Bree and I love her so very much.  Mo Brie Pie, Please! And Mo Bree Bag's, Please!  Via

This card made me laugh - wouldn't it be funny to receive?  Via

Hope you're all having a lovely Thursday!

Grilled Pizza Tutorial!

So as he guzzled down some delicious rosé while staring at the spice rack for twiced-baked potato inspiration, I managed to get a pretty spot-on-Badger-style tutorial of the grilled pizza extravaganza:

First, make the pizza dough of your choice in a bread maker - we went with the Joy of Cooking recipe.  You can make the dough by hand but it involves lots of kneading and waiting (sounds like a drama queen) and rising and pounding and what have you and quite frankly we didn't want to go that extreme.

After you remove the dough from the breadmaker, pound it down to reduce the volume.

Place in a bowl with a wet towel over it for 2 two hours and let it rise. 

Separate the ball of dough and form french bread-style pizza crusts (5x12"); make sure they're well floured.  Dowse in olive oil.

Now it's grill time...

Cover the grill for ~5 minutes to cool down before you put the crusts on.  After the grill is hot, oil the grates down, then throw the crusts on the grill.

Cook on one side until brown.  Flip and place your toppings on.  Cover the grill.

Cook with the cover on until the crust on the bottom is done.  Cooking time depends on the grill, but it shouldn't take any longer than 7 - 10 minutes (or until crust is brown) combined for both sides. 

Tip - If you make the crust too big, it will be hard to handle and most likely impossible to flip over.  So the key is to make the dough thick and small so it's manageable.  Use plenty of oil as well.  "And don't forget to salt your ingredients accordingly!" (I put this in quotes because seriously, you should have heard the way he said it.  What a nerd :))

For flavors we went with::
carmelized onions + gorgonzola;
roasted red peppers + goat cheese;
soyrizo + boiled corn + cilantro + tomato + cheddar cheese;
homemade spaghetti sauce + mozzarella + pepperoni;
pickled jalepenos + goat cheese

The first 3 were the birthday girl's choice.  I'm clearly a cheese-loving vegetarian in case you wondered.  And boy oh BOY was it a delicious birthday meal.  And I must give props to everyone at the party because it really was kind of a group effort...

Even Charlie thought it was great!