Yesterday was the first day since my surgery that I did not take any painkillers. This meant I was a little uncomfortable but it was worth it to have the energy to take my kids to the park. It was a gorgeous day and they had a great time.
Sharing seemed to be the theme of the afternoon. Here, Nathan and Hannah attempt to share a "piano."
It was pretty cool, actually, it played the actual C major scale and everything. Anyway, Hannah did not want to share with her brother. Here she pushes him away.
He attempted to come back and I admonished her to share. She actually turned around and said "No! I don't want to share!" as I took this picture. It was hilarious. She always takes me by surprise when she speaks in sentences like that.
In contrast, Nathan brought his toy car "The King" to the park. I was so proud of him as he shared it with another little boy. They both nicely took turns driving the King down this wall. Once, after Nathan gave the King to his little friend for a turn, the other boy said, "You're a nice person!"
As we left the park, I thanked Nathan for sharing his toy. "It's fun to share the King!" he responded. Aww, 100 episodes of Sesame Street couldn't have taught him what he learned yesterday, and I am so happy I was there to see it.
Sharing makes me think of this recipe, as it is one of the first meals we made for company when we moved to Denver.
This is the perfect pizza to fix for company. It's not a quick weeknight meal by any means, as the toppings require some prep work, but it is still simple to put together and looks and tastes like a gourmet pizza when you're done! It really is delicious, all the flavors and textures compliment each other so nicely. It does have a bit of a kick to it, but my children are able to eat it just fine without complaining about the heat.
When we made this pizza for company, Hannah was only about 6 months old and sitting in my lap as we said the blessing on the food. Our pizza slices were already dished up on our plates.
As we all closed our eyes for the prayer, Hannah reached out and, you guessed it, pulled the plate and its contents onto my lap. Of course, the pizza landed upside down and the toppings spilled all over my pants. It was hilarious and something I should have totally seen coming.
So, share: a laugh, your favorite toy car, your lap, this pizza - but maybe don't share your lap while you eat this pizza, unless you want all the toppings in your lap...
This recipe is one by Rachael Ray on foodnetwork.com. Click here and here to see other delicious Rachael Ray pizzas that I have blogged about.
printable recipe
1 pizza dough, any brand (or make your own, see recipe below)
1/2 cup duck sauce or plum sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it
4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup bean spouts, a couple of handfuls
Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with duck or plum sauce - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers.
Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.
Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds ought to do it.
Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes.
Preheat a grill pan (we used our cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Grill chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm and cooked through.
Slice chicken into very thin strips.
While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly.
Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, sprouts and cilantro.
Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts.
Cut into 8 wedges and serve. Enjoy!
This meal is featured in Menu Plan 13.
Sharing seemed to be the theme of the afternoon. Here, Nathan and Hannah attempt to share a "piano."
It was pretty cool, actually, it played the actual C major scale and everything. Anyway, Hannah did not want to share with her brother. Here she pushes him away.
He attempted to come back and I admonished her to share. She actually turned around and said "No! I don't want to share!" as I took this picture. It was hilarious. She always takes me by surprise when she speaks in sentences like that.
In contrast, Nathan brought his toy car "The King" to the park. I was so proud of him as he shared it with another little boy. They both nicely took turns driving the King down this wall. Once, after Nathan gave the King to his little friend for a turn, the other boy said, "You're a nice person!"
As we left the park, I thanked Nathan for sharing his toy. "It's fun to share the King!" he responded. Aww, 100 episodes of Sesame Street couldn't have taught him what he learned yesterday, and I am so happy I was there to see it.
Sharing makes me think of this recipe, as it is one of the first meals we made for company when we moved to Denver.
This is the perfect pizza to fix for company. It's not a quick weeknight meal by any means, as the toppings require some prep work, but it is still simple to put together and looks and tastes like a gourmet pizza when you're done! It really is delicious, all the flavors and textures compliment each other so nicely. It does have a bit of a kick to it, but my children are able to eat it just fine without complaining about the heat.
When we made this pizza for company, Hannah was only about 6 months old and sitting in my lap as we said the blessing on the food. Our pizza slices were already dished up on our plates.
As we all closed our eyes for the prayer, Hannah reached out and, you guessed it, pulled the plate and its contents onto my lap. Of course, the pizza landed upside down and the toppings spilled all over my pants. It was hilarious and something I should have totally seen coming.
So, share: a laugh, your favorite toy car, your lap, this pizza - but maybe don't share your lap while you eat this pizza, unless you want all the toppings in your lap...
This recipe is one by Rachael Ray on foodnetwork.com. Click here and here to see other delicious Rachael Ray pizzas that I have blogged about.
printable recipe
Thai Chicken Pizza
1 pizza dough, any brand (or make your own, see recipe below)
1/2 cup duck sauce or plum sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it
4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup bean spouts, a couple of handfuls
Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces
Pizza dough
3/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
Place dough ingredients in bread maker and run on dough-only setting.
Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.
Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes.
Slice chicken into very thin strips.
While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly.
Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, sprouts and cilantro.
Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts.
Cut into 8 wedges and serve. Enjoy!
This meal is featured in Menu Plan 13.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI love when you share your kids with us on your blog. It makes it so much fun to read. They are so cute.