Restaurant pizza, from my very own kitchen

When I first moved to NYC, the company I worked at employed quite a few mid-twenty-something girls, and we all became fast friends. We used to hang out together at lunch, and every week we would go out for a special, sit-down lunch together. One of our favorite locations was CPK. (I know- there are hundreds of restaurants in NYC and we loved a chain... go figure!) My one co-worker turned me onto CPK's BLT pizza... it sounded so gross in the beginning, but it turned out to be a delicious pizza.

So the other day I was reminiscing about our old lunches downtown, since I'm bored with the restaurants near my current job... when I realized I could probably make CPK's classic pie. So I did a little research over the weekend, and whipped up my very own BLT Pizza!
I started by making a whole wheat/honey pizza dough. (Here are the ingredients:)
I started with the yeast...
Which I sprinkled over the warm water...
And dissolved before setting it aside for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile I mixed the whole wheat flower...
Bread flour...
And honey into my mixing bowl.
I then added the yeast mixture...
And after a bit of mixing (with the dough hook) a bit of salt.
While the mixer did all the kneading, I poured a bit of olive oil into a bowl...
And poured in to the dough. After covering the bowl with plastic wrap I placed it in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours.
When the dough was just about finished, I placed a pizza stone in my oven, which I set at 500 degrees.
I don't have a pizza spatula, so I tried prepared the pizza on the back of a cookie sheet. I used corn meal to spread the dough...
And I used a bit of light olive oil to spread on top of the dough.
When the dough was stretched to my liking, I sprinkled it with mozzarella cheese...
And then I attempted to slide it onto the hot pizza stone in my oven. It wasn't a smooth move, exactly, but it worked and I was able to re-form the pizza into a vaguely circular shape!
While it baked, I turned my attention to the BLT portion of the pizza. I added the 3 items into a bowl and added a spoonful of Miracle Whip (although most people would probably use mayo).
After a thorough mix, I was ready to assemble my pizza.
When the crust was sufficiently bubbly, I removed it from the oven...
Before spooning the BLT mixture on top.
Now tell me- doesn't that look yummy? The chewy, somewhat sweet crust tastes so good with the crispy veggies and bacon piled on top!
If you'd like to make this for yourself, here's the recipe:

BLT Pizza

Dough:
Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
1 cup, plus 2 Tbsp warm water
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
10 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in warm water and set aside for 5-10 min. Combine all ingredients together in mixer (Avoid adding the yeast mixture straight onto the salt since salt will kill some of the yeast.) Mix on lowest 2 speeds for 2-3 minutes. Lightly oil dough ball and set inside a lightly oiled bowl; seal bowl with clear wrap and set at room temperature to rise until doubled (1½-2 hours).

Toppings:
Mozzarella cheese
Bacon, cut into pieces and fried
Tomatoes, chopped
Lettuce, shredded
Mayo or Miracle Whip

To make the pizza:
Sprinkle dough with cheese, bake on pre-heated pizza stone at 500 degrees until cheese is bubbly. Meanwhile chop veggies, and add bacon and mayo/Miracle Whip to taste. Remove pizza from oven and top by mixed BLT mixture.

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!

Under the weather...

I've been sick the last few days.
It all started earlier this week: I wasn't feeling too well on Monday, but because of the holiday (MLK Day) I couldn't find a doctor's office that was open.

Luckily, a brand-new urgent care had opened a few blocks from my office last month- and they were open! I hustled up there on my lunch hour, and not only was the place immaculate (which doesn't always happen in NYC), but the staff was incredibly nice... and they had a sense of humor!

For instance, this was my examining room... notice anything different?
Yes, that's a picture of Zach Braff who played a doctor on the television show Scrubs.
And that's Hugh Laurie, who plays a doctor on House.
Isn't it funny? My room was decorated with photos of television doctors! Oh- and there was a TV in my room, so as I waited for my test results I got to watch CNN!
(While the doctors from Grey's Anatomy looked on!)
The decorations didn't end in my examining room- I also noticed that Cliff Huxtable watched over the waiting room while Doogie Howser, MD was hung near the nurses' station. I was cracking up by the time I was finished!

I must admit- I loved the urgent care! Not only were they so sweet when I was there, but they even called me the next day to see how I was feeling and asked if I needed any other medicine... my own doctor's office doesn't even do that.

I don't like being sick, but urgent care sure has made me feel better!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

Appetizer for dinner

When I was a kid and my parents took me out to dinner, sometimes I'd order an appetizer for my meal. For some reason, the goodies listed first in the menu were often more appealing than the entrees! I was reminiscing about that the other day, when I realized it had been ages since I'd had such a meal- so I took matters into my own hands and whipped up some Loaded Potato Skins!
I started with two Idaho potatoes.
After a thorough scrubbing I coated them in olive oil and a dash of salt...
Before perforating the skin with a fork.
After I'd pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees, I put the potatoes in to bake.
While they were baking, I fried up some bacon (I know that looks like a lot of bacon, but don't worry- I was making it for more than just the potatoes).
Just over an hour later, my potatoes were finished. Adding the olive oil and salt to the outside ensured that the skins were crispy and delicious!
I quickly sliced them open and prepared my toppings.
After scooping a bit of space into each skin, I added bacon...
And cheddar cheese...
Before placing the skins under the boiler for a few minutes. When the cheese was sufficiently melted, I pulled these tasty skins from the oven...
And served them up with a bit of sour cream!
I must admit, these skins were pretty delicious! And they were so easy- nothing beats an tasty and quick appetizer for dinner!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

Carrot Curry Soup

Even though it's the middle of winter, nothing warms my soul (and my tummy) like a bowl of homemade soup!
So I made Carrot Curry Soup over the weekend!
The soup required surprisingly few ingredients: just carrots, a bit of butter, an onion, chicken broth, and lemon juice!
I started by chopping the onion.
I then melted the butter in my dutch oven, before adding curry powder.
When the pan was hot, I added the onion (along with salt and pepper) and sauteed it for a few minutes.
Once the onion was soft I added the chicken stock and water...
Before dumping in the carrots!
Once the soup had reached a rolling boil, I turned the dial down to "simmer" and placed the lid on the pot for 20 minutes.
Once everything was tender...
I whipped out my immersion blender and got to work!
Once the soup was smooth, I added some lemon juice and considered my work done!
I couldn't wait to dig into this easy (and pretty healthy) soup! It turned out to be very flavorful, which is sometimes hard to come by this time of year!

Carrot Curry Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions
Heat butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, carrots, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree soup (either with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor) until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with parsley, if desired.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend- thanks for stopping by!