A New Way to Pizza

One of the most delicious foods on the planet is homemade pizza, but in the summer it's torture to think about heating up your kitchen to cook it.  So instead of kicking on the oven, and heating up the house, why not take your pizza pie outside to the grill.  I found an easy and delicious was to grill pizza (detailed instructions) and it's changed my life.

Here is how I make it happen....   

Turn your grill on and make your pizza crust, but don't leave a raised crust.

Heat up your grill and brush it with olive oil and slide your crust directly onto the hot grill.

Cook the dough for 2-3 minutes, when it's browned.  Take it off the grill and put it on a cookie sheet, browned side up.

Top the pizza, but use a light hand with the sauce, too much will make the pizza soggy and it'll break on the grill.

Apply more olive oil to the grill and put the topped pizza back on the grill, close the top and reduce the heat.  Let it cook for another 3 minutes.  Once cheese has melted slide it onto a cutting board and serve it up!

Spiked Popsicles...'nuf said

So many of us are suffering through this insane heat.  Whether you are facing high temps, humidity or both, there is no denying that being outside is a little miserable.

www.dandysugar.com

I find the best ways to beat the heat is with an icy treat or a cocktail.  So I decided to combine my two heat seeking weapons and make some spiked Popsicles.

Here is how you can do this at home.

Ingredients
3 cups of your fave juice
2 oz. of alcohol
*If you feel fancy you can toss in fruit or herbs

1. In a pitcher mix the juices together.  Then pour it into a popsicle mold.
*Don't have a Popsicle mold, use small paper cups and fruit.  One you've filled the cup, put a thin slice of lemon, lime or orange on the bottom and put the stick through that. 
**Don't have fruit slices, cover the cups with plastic wrap and poke a hole over each cup, then slide the stick into the cup.

2. If you are adding fruit or herbs, wait about an hour until the juice has partially set.  This will keep the add ins from sinking to the bottom.

3. Wait until the pops have fully set and enjoy!

This is one of the easiest recipes to take one and it's perfect for any party.  It's also a great way to get creative with flavors. Below are some fool proof combinations for you to consider when it comes time to mix it up...

Rum in coconut water with pineapple
Berry Vodka with cherry juice and cherries
Lemon vodka with lime juice and seltzer water (this is SOOOO refreshing)
Orange vodka with pineapple juice and strawberries

Keep it Simple...Syrup style

Starwberrey basil simple syrup

Something about summer begs to have a fruity drink with a tiny umbrella in it.  Many of these drinks have one thing in common.  No, it's not a excessive fruit garnish, it's simple syrup. 
I've spoken with a lot of bartenders and it seems all the good ones are making their own simple syrup, so i assumed it was sarcastically simple, like how how you call a big guy tiny.  Then I had dinner with my sister and one of her friends and i realized, it's actually really simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 parts sugar
• 1 part water

Preparation:

1. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly.
3. Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. (Note: Do not allow the syrup to boil for too long or the syrup will be too thick.)
4. Allow to cool completely and thicken, then bottle.

Fun extras-
You can flavor the simple syrup by adding fresh herbs to the syrups while it's cooling before you bottle it. I added strawberries and basil to mine to make strawberry basil lemonade.

 To prolong the shelf life of your simple syrup, add a little vodka (you'll probably do that anyway) - usually between a tablespoon and an ounce, depending on how large the batch of syrup is.

Pasta Salad with a Kick of Champagne

Pasta salad is one of my least favorite summer foods.  For some reason it's always at picnics; and it's always coated in layer upon layer of fat and dairy.  Just the thought of it sitting unattended in the sun for hours is enough to make my stomach stop.

A few years ago, my sister shared with me a light and delicious recipe she found for pasta salad and it changed my outlook on the side.  This colorful side tastes clean and delicious all day.  It contains no dairy and the vegetables are raw, so they contain most of their nutrients.  Plus, the combination of flavors is to die for!

This is the recipe for Champagne Pasta Salad...

One box of pasta
1 bottle of champagne vinaigrette (if you want to make it, here is a recipe I use)
Two bundle of raw broccoli
One jar of artichoke hearts (in liquid)
8 sun dried tomatoes
1/4 of a red onion ( finely chopped)
Two bell peppers

Cook the pasta.
Cut the veggies
Combine pasta, veggies and dressing in a Tupperware and toss it in the fridge.
Enjoy!

This dish only gets better with time. I suggest making it the day before so everything has overnight to marry.

Mojito Bread, 'nuf said

Not to sound like a lush, but one of my favorite things about summer is the cocktails.  They are all so light and fresh.  They just put that extra bounce in any meal.  Being an over-achiever, I decided I to take my love of libations a step further and I found this delicious Mojito bread recipe.  It's surprisingly easy and I think you'll love the results...

courtesy; TasteSpotting.com

My version, which turns out more like a cake, is after the jump...