A New York City Weekend

A few pics from our Spring Break getaway last weekend!

We stayed at the Pod Hotel - Times Square and it was great. The room was the perfect size for what we needed (aka, just a place to sleep), and since they don't have all those "extras" that no one wants anyways, the price was right too! Definitely recommend for travelers trying to save a few bucks (to be spend on food, duh).

While most everything you can do in New York you can also do in Chicago, it was still fun to get away for a bit. We did so much walking and tried to do as many free things as we could so that we could splurge on pizza and dessert!

Riding the Staten Island Ferry there and back was a relaxing (and free) way to see the Statue of Liberty, and taking MTA to Brooklyn then walking back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge allowed us to see some great views of the skyline. Another walk on The High Line reminded us of our own 606. Madame Tussaud's and the American Museum of Natural History were must-see for us, two museum fiends who also love anything weird. We walked around One World Trade Center and the nearby underground mall, saw Times Square in daytime and at night, and made sure Jesus got his photo op at a bridge in Central Park featured in his favorite movie.

As the perfect end to a weekend getaway, we saw Aladdin on Broadway. Genie stole the show, but Jonathan Freeman as Jafar was a fun throwback to our childhoods.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

When you find an easier way to make a great recipe, you share it with everyone you know. This is an update on this cauliflower crust, with a few adjustments adapted from this recipe. I've tried it more than several times in the past few weeks. It passes all the tests.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza, adapted from Going Cavewoman

Ingredients
3 c cauliflower, riced (super timesaver - buy cauliflower pre-riced, in the refrigerated vegetable section)
1 c mozzarella cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper to taste
your favorite pizza sauce & toppings

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until fully mixed.
3. Press mixture onto parchment paper, spreading evenly (spoons or fingers work here).
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
5. Top with sauce, more cheese, and any toppings, taking care not to overload. (My recent favorite combo has been pesto sauce with more mozzarella and Parmesan, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and fresh basil.)
6. Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden. If you decide to broil at the end, pay close attention so the cheese doesn't burn!

Extra:  More pizza posts!

Another Slice: A Pizza Place Update

Since Jesus and I moved to the Old Irving Park neighborhood, we've been trying out new restaurants to turn into our local favorites. We have plenty in the running (and more to test in the warm months to come!), but there are already a few standouts. In the pizza category we have new options for deep dish, a cracker crust stand by, a new to Chicago standout, and redemption for an honorable mention from my last pizza post.

Chicago's Pizza
Good For: traditional Chicago deep dish, plus a million other Italian options.
Ambiance: casual and familial. The Irving Park location is small, so prepared to be cozy on a busy day.
Notes: BYOB at the Irving location.

La Villa
Good For: the whole family, and then some (or delivery).
Ambiance: old school charm, complete with checkered table cloths and plenty of bread sticks to go around.
Notes: La Villa is open and delivers late, and they also feature a banquet hall, catering services, and lunch.

Warehouse Bar & Pizzeria
Good For: watching the game, especially if it's the Badger game, and drinking beer (16 on tap).
Ambiance: modern yet country, with great Wisconsin-caliber service.
Notes: if you didn't guess, this is a Wisconsin bar that specializes in pizzas - I recommend trying a red and a white sauce specialty pizza.

The Boiler Room
Good For: Happy Hour and a slice after work.
Ambiance: much more relaxed on a weekday evening than it is on weekends - The Boiler Room redeemed itself with it's PB&J (slice of pizza, PBR, and a shot of Jameson for $8.50) and easygoing weeknight atmosphere.
Notes: cash only, but using their ATM gets you a free shot of Jameson.

Coming Soon:
Lou Malnati's: this deep dish carryout/delivery only location is almost complete, and I'm sure Jesus and I will be testing it out when the weather is nice and we don't want to cook.

To Try (Still):
Pizzeria Da Nella: It has now been seven (7!!!) years since my last slice of true Neapolitan pizza. 

The Pizza Bible

The Pizza Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Make Napoletano to New York Style, Deep Dish and Wood-fired, Thin Crust, Stuffed Crust, Cornmeal Crust, and More by Tony Gemignani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sum it up in a sentence (or two): 11-time World Pizza Champ Tony Gemignani shares recipes, hints, and tips for making the best pizzas of your life (plus some pretty great sauces, cocktails, and even cheese!).

First thoughts: I like Gemignani's authenticity and how he compromises for the sake of meeting amateur chefs where they're at without compromising his style. He comes right out and says "use these specific ingredients in this way with these tools, but in the end, do what you gotta do to experiment and learn how to make a really great pizza."

Favorite quote: "Pizza, the world's favorite fast food is, in fact, slow food." p8

Recipe I'm excited to try the most: I'd love to try my hand at a Mergherita from Naples, but the Cracker-Thin style from Chicago is the one I'd like to be an expert at.

A pizza for everyone: Gemignani breaks down the basics of almost every style of pizza one could imagine. He really knows his stuff. From NY slices to Chicago deep dish to Neapolitan and Roman classics, reading through the descriptions, ingredients, and steps of the recipes took me on a culinary journey and left me excited to get practicing in my own kitchen.

Pizza creativity: I love all the different/original/catchy names for the sauces, cocktails, sandwiches, and pizzas themselves!

Recommended for: chefs, eaters, pizzaiolos (pizzaioli?), foodies.

Final thoughts: Pizza making is intense! Gemignani's narration reads like any regular book with a plot and a creative pace - this isn't just a cookbook or a collection of recipes. Above being a great chef, Gemignani can write a cohesive story. I'm so glad I'll have this as a reference in the kitchen.

Editor's note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.


View all my reviews

A Girl and Seven (or so) Pizza Places

I treat this blog like an online scrapbook/journal: part rambling thoughts, part descriptions and reviews of events I attend, places I travel, food I cook, books I read, and movies I watch. One thing I'm missing is descriptions of places I've eaten, at least as a consistent feature. I regularly reference this space when I'm trying to remember where I was on a certain day or what I did for a holiday, and remembering great meals with great people is something I'd like to do better at.

For my first round of reviews, I decided to group together similar restaurants and share only my favorites. And since it's a Friday, I'm going to start with pizza. Pizza in Chicago is a matter of pride and loyalty, but I grew up on thin crust so that's where my pizza love truly lies.

It should also be noted that tonight Jesus and I made our own pizza (bbq chicken...a new one for both of us)...so as much as I've enjoyed these places, obviously I still like to sling my own dough on a Friday night.

My Pie Pizza
Good for: deep dish & delivery. This is my go to for Chicago style, if I have a craving for it or a guest requests it. It's a more local option than Giordano's, which is my runner up for Chicago style pizza.
Ambiance: I've only had it delivered, but I know the place is super small.
Notes: you can collect My Pie Points from every pizza box. 20 gets you a free pie!

John's Pizzeria
Good for: huge thin crust pizzas, delivery, takeout, or dine-in. This is the type of pizza I grew up on. Giant, square-cut, and with a cracker-like crust.
Ambiance: old school pizza joint, complete with gingham-style table cloths.
Notes: Make sure to get your free cola! 1 or 2 liters depending on how much you spend.

Piece Pizza
Good for: hanging out with friends, especially ones with differing tastes--Piece specializes in individual pies with loads of options for toppings--and three different sauces. Again, thin cracker-like crusts rule here.
Ambiance: bar & grill meets open air eatery. Lots of natural light makes it a great place to meet up anytime.
Notes: Piece is also a brewery, so come thirsty!

Dante's Pizzeria
Good for: date night, dinners out, something different. Dante's serves New York style pizzas influenced by Dante's Inferno. Make sure to try one of their specialties, you won't find them anywhere else.
Ambiance: casual-hip.
Notes: Order by the slice or by the pie. Can't really go wrong.

Santullo's Eatery
Good for: slices, New York style, lunch or late night. The sandwiches are good too!
Ambiance: casual. Feels like a campus staple, except it's not on a campus.
Notes: they have vegan/vegetarian options!

Honorable Mention:
The Boiler Room: The pizza is good, but man oh man do I hate how loud it is in there. It's a bar first, then pizza place. (Am I old? I'm old.)

Special Shout Out:
Ian's Pizza in Madison, WI. Not just because if I'm in Madison with Jesus we have to come here. They offer pizza by the slice, toppings you've only dreamed of (Mac & Cheese. Jerk Chicken. something called Drunken Ravioli.), and as many organic and locally-sourced ingredients possible. Awesome (huge) salads. So yeah, Ian's gets a shout out.

On my To Try List:
Pizzeria Da Nella: It will never be to soon to taste Neapolitan pizza again. 
Dimo's: the Ian's of Chicago (no, seriously. Current menu options include Chicken n' Waffles and S'mores. Plus lots of vegan options.)

Mango Pizza

Got any mangoes at your house? Here's a crazy idea: slice them up and toss them on a pizza. I was inspired by hunger on Friday, and this recipe helped me make my dream into reality. I didn't use black beans or zucchini, just mango, onion, red pepper, and cilantro. The salsa doesn't overpower at all, which is nice because I wanted a pizza, not a tostada. Bonus: I got to use herbs from my garden (cilantro, oregano, and basil)!

11:56 on a Friday night

Sometimes it’s 11:56 on

a Friday night when you

realize you haven’t

written a poem yet that day.

But--you think to yourself--

I raked all the leaves,

surely that counts

for something poetic.

Leaves, leftover from fall,

long dead and decaying,

enough to fill a trash bag

--and then some--

raked to uncover fresh dirt--

now that’s poetry.

And what about the pizza

I made? The one with

four eggs cracked on top,

baked right into the cheese.

It looked good, until I

tried to cut and serve it.

Then the egg ran all gooey,

the crust stuck to the pan,

and I was left with scrambled,

not sunny side up.

Scrambled, raked,

and only a few minutes late

writing this poem.

Recipe Poetry

How do we say goodbye to Nutrition Month and hello to Poetry Month? With some rhyming recipes, of course. Unfortunately, the only example I could find of an actual recipe for food that rhymes was on this Wikipedia page. There are also a couple here, in this article about "food laureates" (aka, How Do I Get That Job?). If you Google "rhyming recipe," most of what you find will be for "Friendship" or "A Happy Family" or some other non-food item. Apparently, though, rhyming recipes used to be all the rage for housewives who had lots to remember. Good thing we have Pinterest now!

My last foodie endeavor was a bbq chicken, bacon, and pineapple pizza last night. While that may not sound "nutritious," let me just remind you that chicken and bacon = protein, pineapple = vitamins C, B-6, and A, and barbecue sauce = happy endorphins. I consider pretty much anything made at home from scratch to be good for you, in a body/mind/soul kind of way. I controlled all the ingredients, spent quality time preparing a meal with my boyfriend, and we enjoyed the fruits of our labor together. Also, just look at that thing. Wowza.

If food doesn't inspire you to write poetry, I don't know what would.

Order Up

"Do you want cilantro?"

I bent down into the fridge

to pull out toppings.

"Sure."

You kept at your tasks:

chop veggies,

shred cheese,

slice bacon.

I paced around the kitchen,

going from one odd job

to the next

like a short order chef trying to keep up

with the lunchtime rush.

When our shift finished,

we ate in the living room,

leaving the dishes for later.

This Woman Makes Her Own Pizza

I've only got about 40 more minutes until it's not technically Friday anymore, so real quick: Happy International Women's Day!

I spent mine...working. Doing nothing of real interest, besides the things that many women do all around the world, probably: laundry, dishes, food prep, driving around children, and reading articles about the possibility of a future female president.

Then I came home and made myself dinner. I shared it with no one, and enjoyed every bite. Fridays mean pizza, and a Friday in March means I'm trying out a more vegetable-inspired pizza. This one comes with a cauliflower crust and minimal toppings.

Pre-baking...it may not look appetizing, but don't count it out yet.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (recipe from my mom...unsure of her source, though I did find this and this)

½ large head of cauliflower, grated (just over 2 cups)

1 large egg

¾ c finely shredded mozzarella

1 tsp dried oregano

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 450

Grate cauliflower into small crumbles (or chop or put in a food processor)

Boil cauliflower “rice” in a medium pot for 4-5 minutes

Drain, let cool, then squeeze out ALL remaining moisture (use a clean dish towel)

Mix crumbles (about 1 ½ c) with remaining ingredients

Pat into pan (I used a baking sheet, was afraid to use pizza stone...also, fingers work better than spoons)

Drizzle top with olive oil

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown

Remove from oven and switch setting to broil

Spread sauce on crust, add toppings and cheese

Broil 3-4 minutes or until toppings are hot and cheese is melted

Notes: 

• I made my sauce by combining one can (8 oz) of tomato sauce with one can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes...add a little basil and oregano, stir in a pan over medium heat until the crust is ready to go.
• My crust seemed a little soggy when finished, but once it sat and settled, it held much better. I didn't do the draining of the moisture step, but upon reflection, that's a necessary if you want a crispier/crunchier/more pizza-like crust. Mine was a little casserole-y until it solidified more.
• Toppings I used: green pepper, more mozzarella cheese, feta, and spinach. It's just what was in the fridge. I wish I had mushrooms and olives, those would have went nicely with everything else.
• Pairs well with cheap wine, like all of my pizzas. ;)

Today wasn't the best Friday I've ever had (I actually woke up feeling a strange sort of spring sadness--almost nostalgia/homesickness, but different...bittersweet is the word I'm coming up with), but I couldn't deny my upbeat mood once the day got going. The snow is melting (for now), the sun was out, and my bus routes are both under construction which somehow gets me dropped off closer to my destinations. To top it off, I made myself a great pizza for dinner and enjoyed Me time: catching up with shows and blogs, starting a new book or two, and getting my weekend laundry started early.

---

Spring Break--Napoli Day One

Well, it's our last night of our spring break trip and I finally found some time (and an internet connection) to begin updating this! We are flying back to Rome tomorrow, where I will be uploading all of my pictures and adding to these posts but for now I can start with Napoli.

We left Friday morning for the train station, all packed and ready with summer dresses and warm weather clothing. It was a little chilly in Rome, but we reminded ourselves that we would be going south where the weather was supposed to be in the 60s and sunny. Our train to Naples took just under two hours--enough time for me to fall asleep in our little cabin.

Our first impressions of Naples were that it was dirtier than Rome (though Rome is pretty dirty itself). Our train was nice enough, though decorated with graffiti, but the streets of Naples were filled with garbage. Not to worry, there were nicer parts away from the train station. We found our hostel, the Fabric Hostel and Club (it is a renovated fabric factory) and decided to nap since most eating places don't open until later anyways.

Eventually we made it to downtown Naples. We walked around (compared to Rome, walking around Naples was a piece of cake) and saw the cathedral and the National Archeological Museum. It was getting pretty chilly after that and all we wanted to do was find a cafe for some espresso--which Naples is known for. When we finally found one and ordered, though, what came was a spritzer. Apparently our waiter misunderstood us so instead we had a pre-dinner drink. That was disappointing, but our next stop, Pizzeria Brandi, made up for it.

Naples is the birthplace of pizza and after eating it there, no other pizza will compare. The pizzeria we went to was suggested to us by one of my roommate's boyfriends. His great uncle is the owner so we mentioned that after ordering our pizza margheritas (the classic Neapolitan pizza). We got a visit from him at our table and at the end of our meal he bought us a round of limoncello, a traditional Neapolitan drink.

After our meal we headed back to our hostel. Naples is not the safest place in Italy, and since it was nearly 11 the man at the bus station suggested we take a taxi instead of the night bus. He called one for us and told the driver to take us straight to our door to make sure we got back safely. We were so grateful for him!

That was our first day of spring break...and I would write about day 2 but unfortunately my time is up on this hostel computer. Tomorrow I'll be able to write more from Rome!!