Let Me Count the Ways

Okay so it has been a pizza week, and it might continue tomorrow too. There are so many different ways to make a pizza, from the toppings, right down to the crust.
This great guy I know, knows good pizza.
So let me begin by saying we started a great little herb garden at his place, and it has grown so quickly and beautifully over the past month and a half.

Look at this basil

Look at this oregano! You will see some of this sprinkled on our pizza.

Some beautiful Sage. I absolutely love the smell of sage, it is so calming.

Look at this cucumber plant! It is getting ready to start growing the cucumbers.

And here we have some Italian Parsley. Although the humidity is not a lot of fun to deal with, the herbs LOVE it, and respond so well to it.

Alright, so we used some of the fresh oregano on some ordinary frozen pizza.
Oh wait...scratch that...actually the most amazing pizza I have ever had.
Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Pizza is the best pizza I have ever had. What is great about this pizza is that it can be shipped nationwide. It is shipped frozen, but Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Pizza puts the typical frozen pizza to shame.

We tried the Deep Dish Sausage Pizza.
Look at the flaky crust, the gooey cheese, the incredible slices of sausage.

Topped with some fresh oregano, this was a little slice of heaven.

You can order Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Pizza online and get it shipped right to your house.

Happy National Doughnut Day!

That's right! Today is National Doughnut Day. Although this girl will not be getting a doughnut today, many Dunkin Donut and Krispy Kreme locations are giving away FREE Doughnuts! Dunkin Donut's is offering a free doughnut with the purchase of a beverage, while Krispy Kreme is giving away a free doughnut, no strings attached!
Instead of a doughnut indulgent day, I had a great pasta dish for lunch.

I was not finished with the basil that I had for dinner last night. First, I used some of Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce. This marinara sauce is really great. It is all natural and the ingredients include: imported Italian tomatoes, imported Italian olive oil, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Simple, all natural ingredients and really great.

So I started with Rao's as my base sauce, then added in some of Whole Food's Organic Capers. Very salty, just the way I like them!
I then added some balsamic vinaigrette, a touch of olive oil and a dash of honey. I love adding honey to marinara sauces, especially with capers, because it off sets the saltiness with a little touch of sweetness.

As my pasta, I used organic whole wheat Bionaturae pasta. I love whole wheat pasta because it tastes a bit more crunchy to me than regular pasta. Bionaturae is an awesome whole wheat organic pasta from Italy.

Then, I topped of the pasta and sauce with some fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and some fresh ground pepper.

Loved this dish with the fresh ingredients all throughout!

Fresh Summer Salad

Remember a few posts ago when I mentioned about how beautiful the basil is growing in the garden? Look at it, it is flourishing.

Well, I decided to use it tonight in a salad for dinner. Here are the ingredients in this super tasty salad.

Basil Arugula Salad:
Lettuce
Arugula
Tomato
Basil
Shitake Mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

This was the perfect summer salad! The bitterness of the arugula, the sweet basil, the fresh tomato & mushroom and topped with Parmesan cheese was a great combination.

The dressing was really good too. I usually do just an olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but I decided to change it up a little.
Dressing:
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dijon Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Very tasty dressing on top of a very fresh salad.

And finally, what I am so excited to talk about. A slice of Seeduction Bread from Whole Foods. This bread is so divine. It is an all organic bread that has seeds like sesame, pumpkin and poppy. It is hard for me to say that I enjoy just a slice of bread, but this bread I thoroughly ENJOY. I topped it off with some balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Honestly, this bread is so good, it could just be eaten alone and you would really like it. Check it out at a Whole Foods bakery section.

So glad it is finally summer and I can enjoy a fresh summer salad with my favorite Seeduction Bread!

Let the Weekend Continue!

Another beautiful day this Memorial Day Weekend! I know I had mentioned that everything is in full bloom, I mean look at this basil. It is gorgeous. The basil leaves are thriving in this weather.

I took notice to how beautiful the basil was while I was mowing the lawn. Call me crazy, but I LOVE mowing the lawn. Put on your Ipod, get some sun, sweat and exercise!
Tonight for dinner we had Fish Tacos. I absolutely love Fish Tacos. I believe they taste the best with Fresh Halibut right off the grill. I love halibut because it is such a tender fish that has almost no fish scent to it. If someone didn't know it, they would think they were eating chicken! Fresh fish from Whole Foods is awesome, because it is actually fresh fish.

My halibut fish taco was layered with watercress, cilantro, fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, chipolte sauce, lime creme fraiche and a sprinkle of cheese. Look at how tasty it is! And oh, was it tasty. I love the bitter taste of watercress and the fresh taste of cilantro together. Who needs lettuce when you have watercress and cilantro!


Served with a fresh lime margarita! Perfect.

My uncle told me this great quote today and he said, "Surround yourself with people who believe in you". I love it, and of course believe in it :)