Margherita Pizza

I hate tomatoes. So why do I eat at least 2 tomatoes a day? I don't really know. I could drink tomato sauce and salsa. I constantly crave tomato mozzarella paninis from CM. All soups are better with tomato-based broths. And my pot roast wouldn't be complete without simmering in a can of whole tomatoes. But raw, eaten like a peach? No way. I'm embarrassed by my taste buds. I have this hatred toward fruits mixed with cream. Yuk. Or cooking fruits, like in a pie. It's so wrong. To me it makes perfect sense. But it sure limits my dessert options. Maybe that's why I overdo it on the chocolate.

Anyways, margherita pizzas are simple pizzas. Crust, tomato, cheese, basil. I made it last week as a follow-up dinner to seafood fest for Father's Day. When I went to CM, they were featuring home-grown Texas tomatoes. I honestly don't know why people love home-grown tomatoes, but my mom always made sure she told me when someone gave her some. And my dad would always make them disappear before I could see them. I decided to buy them for the pizza, along with this cheesy flat bread they make. It was awesome! So BJ asked me to make it again. This time I made my own crust. And I got another one of those crazy home-grown tomatoes. And that's it! So easy, it doesn't even need a recipe. But if you still need something to print out, follow this:

Pizza crust
tomatoes (I had one medium sized one)
Half a bunch of basil
FRESH mozzarella (mine was a little smaller than my fist)
Extra toppings: garlic, parsley, thyme, parmesan, feta, tomato sauce

Slice the tomatoes pretty thin, mine were about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Place them spaced out on the crust. Slice the cheese in about the same size shapes as the tomatoes. This is optional, I think it just turns out prettier. Place them in between the tomatoes, and on top. I added some dried thyme (my favorite spice). Cook for recommended time at recommended temperature. Mine was set at 425 on an already-heated pizza stone. Since I had fresh dough, it took about 20 minutes. Take out from the oven and sprinkle on basil. No need to cook it, the oil from the cheese cooks it just enough.

My hands still smell like olive oil and basil. :)



I just love my dried thyme! And those are the extra slices of tomatoes I had. I try not to overload my thin crust pizzas.




After 5 minutes. Starting to melt beautifully. I tried not to hold the oven too long and melt your camera babe!




I like to rotate it halfway through because the back of my oven gets hotter than the front.




Fin!

Lemon meringue pie for Father's Day, a perfect ending to lobster

For my Christmas present BJ got me a cruise! I pulled a Joey (shed tears over a present) when I saw that Fun Pass. Those 7 days were filled with tons of activities, sun bathing, show watching, trivia games, bean bag tosses, unlimited ice cream cones, and never wondering what I was going to cook for dinner. I love cooking of course, but mostly so I can eat what I want. So having someone else cook gourmet food for me all week is great! But the thing I remember the most from my cruise trips with Shelley ♥ is standing if front of the refrigerator and not wanting to eat ANYTHING the first day back home. Spoiled I had become. It's taken me this long to get back in the grove of planning a good meal for us to eat each night ever since that amazing vacation. What has helped has been the weekly get-togethers with my family. Joey's birthday, June birthdays, Joey's graduation was a big one... And now... Father's Day! My dad is very easy to shop for. Just something good to eat, and he'll be a happy camper. Car washing stuff, tools, koozies, movies, or some sort of chair for him to nap in also works.

One of my favorite memories of Dad is when my mom and I would get him a lobster for his Father's Day present. We would bring it home and I would stand next to the wiggling bag while my mom prepare its pot of doom! Seasoned with lemon and Old Bay (a flavor I still don't get) of course. She would distract me by having me melt butter while she murdered that innocent creature of the sea for my dad's dinner. It's sick, I know. At least t-bones come dead already!! And then... one year I got to try it...

Heaven!!!!!!! Dipped in lemon butter. I was instantly hooked.

Sometimes Central Market or HEB will have lobster tails on sale. I can handle cooking that. Someone else kills it for me, just like that t-bone. So this year my mom got tails for us, excluding herself since she's the craziest person in the world for loving shell fish but not lobster. And I made my dad's favorite dessert, lemon meringue pie. It fits since it's lemon, and lemon is the best condiment for seafood.

Lemon meringue pie is probably the easiest pie to make. I hate the stuff, and any other pie with a gelatin fruit filling. But I've made lots of them, mostly for my dad. I usually have all the ingredients to make it in my pantry except for the crust. This is the recipe I follow:

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

4 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
6 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar (and cream or tartar if using it, adds thickness) gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then refrigerate for 3 hours.

See our enjoyment!



Oooooo.... Awwww....

Just so you know, the meringue was about 3 times that high when I pulled it out of the oven. If it collapses, no big deal. It will still get eaten, at least by my dad.



Happy camper :)



Grandma was also there for an impromptu visit to bring Mom some onions from a neighbor's garden. But I think somehow she figured out we would have dessert. She's a sneaky one that Grandma. BJ can read right through her.



Mom liked it so much it distracted her from shying away from the camera! Good... Good...



Don't worry, babe. That box in front of you contains La Madeleine chocolate cake. I'm coming to help you eat it!