Pepperoni Stromboli
On several Christmas eves over the years when we lived in Arizona, our next-door neighbors would knock on the door with a warm loaf of “pizza bread” stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. It was the perfect treat, especially at that stage in our lives with young kids and ensuing holiday madness. Some time during those years, back when I subscribed to the long-defunct Family Fun magazine, I came across a recipe for Inside-Out Pizza Bread that looked to be similar. I then started making “pizza bread” during the Christmas break when my kids were young and continued when we moved to Washington. I hadn’t made it in years, but for whatever reason post-Christmas this year my husband kept sprinkling the conversation with the word “stromboli.” The stromboli gods had spoken. Time to bring out the pepperoni pizza bread of yesteryear.
Hood Strawberry Balsamic Pizza
Yesterday I drove 45 minutes north on the 101 to Warrenton to buy Hood strawberries from “the strawberry guy” at a roadside stand. Hood strawberries are the best. The creme de la crème. If you know you know. And if you don’t, I’m here to tell you. Hood strawberries or “hoodies” (yes, named after Mt. Hood) are the sweetest, reddest and most juicy flavorful Oregon strawberries you’ll ever taste. Once you’ve tried hoodies you may well become obsessed. The exceptional flavor of Hood strawberries no doubt comes from its high sugar content and the Hood’s beauty comes from its deep red color throughout. The obsession is heightened because Hoods are only available for two to three weeks at the beginning of berry season. They are also very perishable, meaning you’re forced to eat everything strawberry as quickly as possible. The race is on!
Two Pumpkin Bar Recipes and a Pumpkin-Crust Pizza
There just aren’t enough days in the two months I consider “pumpkin months” — October and November — or calories for that matter, to make and eat all the iterations of pumpkin recipes that exist. Today I’m sharing two easy sweet and one savory pumpkin recipe for you to try before fall flies by!
Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Bars with Gooey Chocolate
Pumpkin-Crust Pizza with Arugula and Prosciutto
Strawberries for Summer Solstice
Strawberries are the cheerful, joyful fruit. What better way to celebrate summer solstice, the first official day of summer, than with the happiness of strawberries. I love that they kick off the berry season … strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries. Technically speaking, salmonberries are first since they ripen as early as May and I would remiss not to include them now that I live on the Oregon Coast and one of my favorite restaurants here is indeed The Salmonberry in Wheeler. I’m here to tell you that one of the best things about moving back to Oregon is the availability of Hood strawberries or what those in the know call “hoodies” – the strawberriest of strawberries to be found!
Pears and prosciutto pair up in a salad and on a pizza
Pear perks. Yep, I’m lucky enough to have a sister and brother-in-law who giveth pears each year. I previously shared that my sister’s husband’s family has a farm in southern Oregon where my brother-in-law’s dad planted pear trees in the early ‘90s. We look forward every year to getting our hands on pears from the Vaughn family farm. Last month my sister shipped box #1 to my husband for his birthday. Unfortuantely, UPS decided to let them sit around in the heat before delivering (should have taken one day) and we received a box of “sauce” rather than pears on the verge of ripening. I managed to salvage parts of the pears and cooked them up into pear sauce for eating with pork chops and baking. Then, surprise! We received box #2 full of Bartlett, Starkrimson and Comice pears. However … we were out of town when they arrived. Thankfully, my lovely neighbor came over and carefully unpacked and separated them. She’s now my official pear handler. We gobbled up the Bartletts right away as they were the ripest. The Starkrimson pears were destined for greatness in a salad. The Comice still aren’t super ripe, but I decided they’d be perfect for a pear pizza.