To Die For Gourmet Vegetarian Pizza

This pizza was developed by a very close friend, another inn keeper, and myself a few years back. She's a wonderful cook and has taught me a lot. I hope I've done the same for her. Anyhow,  one summer my granddaughter came to visit me with her little girlfriend. My innkeeper friend, we'll call her Donna,  invited us all out to her bed and breakfast, in the country, for lunch.

We arrived early afternoon and Donna showed the 10-year-olds around her inn before they wandered outside to check out her dog, cat, and the swimming pool.  I was curious about what we were having for lunch, so Donna told me about the wonderful recipe for pizza she got from her daughter. Both Donna and I are very much into healthy cooking and eating so combining a bowl full of veggies, cheese, and a whole wheat crust seemed like a great idea. The girls wouldn't realize they were eating Spinach and whole wheat with all that cheese.

Donna had cut up some vegetables and caramelized the onions. She put the cheeses in little bowls and set out a Boboli whole wheat crust. She is so organized! Then she asked me to assemble the whole thing.
Following are the ingredients and method we used to produce that  fabulous bit of heaven. We all gobbled it down like we hadn't eaten in weeks. It was so good.

After that wonderful summer day, at Donna's, she and I got together and re-did the ingredients and method for making this delicious pizza, made some changes and printed out a recipe card so we'd be able to duplicate it. I've printed the recipe below so all of you can enjoy it.

 RECIPE

 1 Boboli whole wheat pizza crust

*1 tub Boursin cream cheese

Place pizza crust  in a pizza stone (preferably) or a metal pizza pan. Spread the Boursin cheese over the crust, using a flexible spatula. Top with the following ingredients in order:

Sliced fresh mushrooms

Sliced (thinly) red peppers

Sliced (thinly) fresh tomatoes

*1 med. onion (caramelized)

Chopped fresh basil

Chopped fresh oregano

Shredded Asiago cheese

Grated Parmesean cheese

Roasted garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise

Bake in a preheated oven at the designated temperature and length of time on the Boboli package, or until crust is lightly browned and cheeses are thoroughly melted. Slice into eight pieces, serve immediately and enjoy!

*Note: Alternative to Boursin cheese: J.L. Kraft "Spreadable Cheese" (Parmesean, Asiago & Romano with Garlic and Herb flavor)

*Note: To caramel onion, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a ten- or twelve-inch skillet. Slice the onion as thinly as possible and add to heated olive oil. Stir until onion is caramel in color and glazed. It should taste sweet.

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Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

                                

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

For Valentine’s day, or any other special event, make these elegant romantic strawberries for someone you love.  

I love chocolate combined with fruit flavors, and especially with strawberry. If you're looking for something special to make for someone you care about, try these delicious little morsels. They look like they are totally work intensive and hard to make but, honestly, they are not.  It will only take you around 10-15 minutes from beginning to end and  the finished product is very impressive.                                             

Ingredients

2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
9 large strawberries with caps or stems
1/4 cup cognac or orange juice
2 tablespoons honey                                                                                                   

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Heat the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring, until melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool slightly. Holding the strawberries by the cap or stem, dip one at a time into the chocolate mixture, coating halfway. Gently place the berries on the lined baking sheet; let coating set.


Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. In a small pan, simmer the cognac and honey until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool briefly, then fold the mixture into the sour cream in a small bowl. When the chocolate is set, arrange the strawberries on a serving plate. (Recipe from Grandma's Kitchen on line)

                                            

Tip: Always prepare strawberries within a couple of hours of serving them because she know that if the dipped berries were refrigerated, the coating would "sweat" and become mushy.   

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