Pizza on the Grill

I don't know about you, but on hot, sunny days the LAST thing I want to be doing is cooking in my kitchen. As soon as it's warm enough for me to stand outside for 15 minutes without freezing my nose off, I spark up my grill. I have become quite adept at grilling just about anything, to be completely humble. One of my favourite summer entertaining recipes is grilled pizza. It is relatively impressive, and it elevates pizza from "frat house" to "trattoria."

You will need:

1. 1 lbs of store bought or homemade pizza dough
2. Olive oil
3. toppings of your choice. I used:

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill to medium high. To tell if your grill is at the right temperature, use the "hand test." Hold your hand about two inches ABOVE the grill palm down. If you can hold it there for three seconds before you have to pull it away, your grill is at medium high heat. 

2. Be sure you have all your toppings prepped and ready to go on your pizza as soon as you flip it. You have to work quickly here!

3. Stretch out your pizza dough carefully. Try not to get any holes in it as you work it in. Pizzas on the grill are quite rustic in shape, so don't try to be too precious here. It won't be a perfect circle. 

4. Oil up your grates before carefully placing the dough onto the grill.  

5. Close the lid and let the dough grill up for about three or four minutes. Keep an eye and be vigilant. The crust goes from perfect to scorched quickly!

6. When the dough releases easily from the grill, it is ready to be flipped using a pair of tongs. 

7. Working quickly, add your toppings and close the lid on your grill. Let everything cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye and check often.

Get creative with your toppings! Try arugula, prosciutto and feta or tomato, shredded basil and fresh mozzarella. 

Happy grilling!  

 

DIY Waterproof Picnic Blanket

I have been on a hunt for some time now for the perfect picnic blanket. In order to obtain "perfect" status, said blanket would have to meet the following criteria: It had to be huge...the bigger the better, machine washable (obvi.), waterproof and easy to store. 

I absolutely LOVE this Kate Spade blanket and at $28 it is pretty affordable...I just don't know how comfortable my family would be on a sweltering July afternoon sitting on tyvek. I feel like that would become a sweaty slip n' slide real quick. No thanks. Also, it's only 48" square. Too small for my needs. I shopped around on Etsy and found several fairly good iterations, but at $175 for some, I knew I could do better. 

Last summer I picked up this beautiful Liliac Edison fabric at Tonic Living to make some Roman shades for my bedroom. I changed my mind at the last minute and thus had three metres of this gorgeous fabric at my disposal. I patched together pieces of polyester and acrylic blackout liner to make the waterproof backing for the blanket. I recommend using oilcloth, vinyl or an outdoor tablecloth to make your blanket waterproof. PUL fabric would also work, but is considerably more expensive.

You will need:

                         

1. Fabric cut to the size you want your finished blanket to be plus one inch on either side. I wanted my finished blanket to be 50" x 70" so I cut a 51" x 71" rectangle to allow for 1/2" seam allowance. 

2. Waterproof backing fabric cut to the same size as the front piece (51"x71").

3. Two strips of fabric 3" x 30" for the blanket ties

Step One:

Starting with the strips of fabric, fold in half lengthwise with right sides facing. Press and stitch a 1/4 inch seam down the long side. Repeat with the other piece. Turn the strap right side out and press. Fold the top (short) edge of the first strip down 1/4 inch and press, then fold it down again 1/2 inch and press again. Top stitch in place. Repeat with the second strip. Your ties are finished! Press them and top stitch all the way around the edge if you're feeling ambitious.

Step Two:

To determine placement of your straps, fold the blanket in half lengthwise once, then fold it in half again. Find the middle of this quarter of the fabric (closest to the edge) keeping in mind that there is a 1/2 inch seam allowance. With the raw edge of the strap lining up with the raw edge of the blanket place the first strap down where you want it, right sides facing. Pin in place. Place the second strap on top of the first, overlapping it halfway. Line up the raw edges just like you did with the first. Pin in place. I recommend pinning the bottom of the straps in place as well so they don't wind up sewn into the seam of your blanket.

Step Three:

Pin the front fabric (with the straps now pinned) and the waterproof backing together right sides facing. Starting in the middle of any of the four sides, stitch a 1/2 inch seam around the perimeter. Be sure not to close up the blanket all the way. Leave about 4 inches open to easily turn the blanket right side out. Be sure to back stitch a few times over the straps so they are extra secure.

Step Four: 

Turn your blanket right side out and press, folding the 4 inch raw edge inside the blanket. Use a point turner or a skewer to get the corners nice and pointy.

Step five:

Carefully top stitch around the perimeter of the blanket, closing up the hole in the side. If you're feeling ambitious, you can do a double top stitch. It looks really fancy for not much extra effort.   

Step Six: 

Picnic Time!!

To roll it up, fold it in half lengthwise twice and roll from the bottom (the side without the straps) and tie it up with a pretty bow! 

Happy Picnicing!

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

photo via Paula Deen

Mother's Day is this Sunday. It's time to order up those flowers and think of something special to do for the lady who gave you life. No pressure, right? 

While gifts are great, many moms appreciate time spent with their children even more on this special day. I'm sure we've all heard, "I don't want anything this Mother's Day! Just come visit." Why not go the extra mile this Mother's Day and whip up a delicious brunch for your mama? It's a great way to spend time together and it takes some doing, which will earn you effort bonus points. Below I've culled a few simple and fool-proof recipes that are delicious and sure to impress. Feel free to mix and match. Get creative!

Crème Brûlée French Toast: This recipe from Gourmet Magazine is absolutely incredible. I recommend using day-old challah, and if making caramel scares you, feel free to substitute about 1 1/2 cups of store-bought butterscotch sauce. 

Baked Eggs Florentine with Canadian Bacon: These could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon. Feel free to substitute regular bacon for the Canadian (peameal) bacon. These are delicious and a quick, easy way to serve eggs to a crowd. 

Brown Sugar Bacon: Baking bacon like this is by far the easiest way to cook it up for a crowd. A sprinkle of brown sugar and a crack of black pepper elevates it to a whole. 'nother. level.

Oven Roasted Parmesan Tomatoes: I don't usually use a recipe for this dish, but I found one for you guys. I like to use the heirloom tomatoes sold in the clam shell boxes. I find they're usually a little sweeter. Just halve them and toss with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Roast at 400 degrees until the skin bursts (about 15 mins) and keep them warm until you serve. Sooooo delicious!

Mixed Greens with Herb Mustard Vinaigrette: Vinaigrette is something that, once again, I don't usually use a recipe for. This one seems relatively close to mine, although I wouldn't use raw garlic and I would recommend white wine vinegar instead of red. In terms of greens, any mix will work...but for the love, no iceberg.

Roasted Asparagus: Because what would a brunch be without it? For extra fanciness, wrap a slice of prosciutto around each spear before roasting.

For dessert, I recommend keeping it light with a Pavlova or these Strawberry Shortcakes. A simple mixed fruit salad with a little mint is always a great way to end a meal. 

In terms of drinks, keep it simple with a Mimosa/Bellini bar. Set up your orange and peach juices along with chilled sparkling wine (no need to go Veuve here, people...Kudos to you if you do, though!) and your guests can mix their own. Sangria is a great alternative, too. And coffee...do I need to say that? Lots of coffee.

Happy Mother's Day, to all the beautiful mamas out there!

A Beautiful Day

Lili and I spent this afternoon with her baby bestie and my good friend in High Park. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and we had an awesome lunch alfresco with the petals falling softly all around us. It really is a magical place this time of year. If you can make it out in the next few days, you'll get to see the trees in all their resplendent glory. In case you can't however, here are a few of my cheesy iPhone pictures, because I never remember to bring the good camera when I leave the house...

If you're wondering what we had for lunch, I made up some yummy mufuletta sandwiches. These Italian-American wonders are the perfect picnic food because you have to make them ahead of time. They actually improve as they sit, which is a rare quality in a sandwich. I loosely based my iteration on this recipe.