Happy August to all you cooks out there. This month’s edition of “In Purrsuit of Flavours” is all about a “light summer dinner.” Not sure if this is a ‘light summer dinner’ or not but we’re sharing it nonetheless with our hosts, the Weim boys over at Easy Rider and the great chef cats over at Canadian Cats.
Let me start out by saying I am not a fan of cooking in the best of times, let alone when it’s summer. Eating out in summer seems preferable, yet I do enjoy baking but since (wo)man cannot live off cake alone. It seems necessity cooking becomes the mother of invention when one needs to prepare a real meal. Since temperatures around the Ranch have resembled walking into a pizza oven around here, why not share an easy to make pizza today? When in Rome, right? Besides…who isn’t a fan of a tasty pizza?
This meal is quick, easy to prepare and uses whatever ingredients you have on hand, an absolute must in my books. Since I’m a vegetarian, I use whatever veggies I have on hand (usually artichokes, olives, onions, bell peppers) but you can add your favorites including pepperoni or whatever kind of meat you like to your list of ingredients. When I don’t want to make crust from scratch (which is pretty much 100% of the time these days), I have no problem using frozen cheese premade pizzas to which I then add fresh ingredients topped with a nice handful of Parmesan over the whole kitten-caboodle. These days you can often find cauliflower crusts for pizzas, and they can be quite tasty and more healthful than usual crust. Last night I opted to make Margarita pizza since there’s more than enough basil from the garden and I finally had a tomato I could harvest from the potted tomato bush planted this spring (“Bush Early Girl” for curious gardeners). My attempts with tomatoes have been hit and miss over the years, but this year I’ve been well rewarded. Oh. my. gosh. What a tasty treat! Coupled with a purchased Roma tomato, I sliced up these babies and laid them all over the top of the plain frozen cheese pizza. Then I snipped off leaves from a potted basil plant and laid them all over. Last but not least, fresh snack-sized Mozzarella balls were added. Bake according the package instructions and in less than 15 minutes, voila…supper is ready!
Add a frosty beverage, a tossed salad and you’ve got a nice, quick and tasty meal. A perfect way to end yet another dry, hot day. In my case, I topped the meal off with a Stanley Cup game and didn’t feel one bit guilty about not eating take out. This still being pandemic time and all and despite some folks continuing to bemoan the wearing of masks when out or not being able to nosh at their favorite jammed restaurant or bar like they did months ago, I’m quite happy to pull up a cushion on the floor, have a fur beast on either side of my lap and savor a tasty easy to make meal while savoring my favorite sport (finally!).
If you do like to cook meals, don’t forget to click on the links above to see what else is cooking around Blogville. There are some very clever cooks out there and no doubt they’ve whipped up some really terrific recipes. Now I just need to decide what kind of cake to make next. I’m thinking something chocolate will hit the spot. Sheer Bliss.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
What a great idea and as soon as we have some ripe tomatoes I’m going to try this! I don’t have as much time for cooking these days. Luckily the hubby pitches in and helps but he’s not very creative. Mashed potatoes and meat on the grill is as fancy as he gets, and then I have to plan a vegetable because he would just skip it! At least he’ll help make a salad or prepare veggies.
We’ve had a break from the heat here with some much cooler days and evenings, but the hot summer is returning tomorrow. Thanks to that tropical storm going through we at least got some much needed rain.
That pizza is easy to make-anyone can whip one up. I hear ya on the temps. Next week’s forecast is more 90’s with no rain. The whole state is now officially considered to be in a drought. 😕
One of my favorite pizzas to make!!
It’s always a tasty winner. 🍕
Yes it is. Especially with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden.
They make it all the better. 🍅
Oh, YUM!!
Around here with just the two of us, we try to keep things small enough to fit in the toaster oven, or a slow cooker…so as not to heat up the whole house with a 400F oven,,,but we will use it if need be…like for a yummy pizza!
Have not tried a cauliflower crust as yet…
We made a salad with beet leaves, baby kale, chives, arugula, basil, parsley and cherry tomatoes all from the garden…then we added some sliced cucumber from the fridge…so easy and yummy…we just use an homemade dressing of EVO, Apple Cider Vinegar,and some ‘pink salt’…sometimes I make a garlic dressing which starts the same, but add 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, a bit of yellow mustard powder, and a good amount of black pepper…and a wee bit more salt. (Best made ahead of time, to make your kitchen smell like its from Italy, and to meld the flavor.)
I put extra basil, chives and parsely along with salt & pepper on the salmon we had…along with green beans from the garden. Too bad summer doesn’t last…
Followed by fresh blueberries…alas not from our garden, BOL!
Easy Peasy and yummy!
Oh my heavens, can I come live with you?! Your meals sound far more interesting than mine. 😊 Cooking with herbs and garlic to get that great smelling Italian kitchen smell is pure blissful comfort.
That looks mouth watering good.
Oh yeeesss!
I trust you to not eat the fur beasts,
Not a chance. Besides I’m a vegetarian. 😉
My favorite meal in the world!!! I am not a fan of cooking either. I am so glad to find someone like-minded!
It’s just a necessity that I do it. But grudgingly. Now baking…that’s a while ‘nuther ballgame. 😋
Eying the remains of cauliflower in the salad drawer and unable to imagine it as pie crust…
Bought frozen pastry here is a disaster waiting to lurch from the oven so these days the pizza goes on a ciabatta cut down the middle if it needs to be produced fast…if not, back to making pizza dough.
Ooh, ciabatta sounds delish too!
Cauliflower crust has the tiniest bit of tang to it but it’s not bad at all.
I like to get a frozen or refridgerator ball of pizza dough and roll in out etra thin. Then I add veggies from the garden–small slices of tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, fresh basil. Then I add cheese, shredded Italian cheese of some kind, and ricotta, which is great on pizza. I don’t get anything extra because I know anything left in the fridge will change color before I look at it again. No sauce. Bake hot and fast. I don’t like beer, soda is also perfect with pizza.
All those fresh ingredients sound yummy . I wouldn’t have thought to use fresh basil like that!
Super yummy it is. 😉
That is perfection, Monika. I’ve ordered take-out a total of three times since March. I’m just not inclined to go the restaurants. Great for my budget…
It was quite tasty and sure beats takeout. For price and taste. 😋
And guess what I am having for supper? Frozen pizza – Ristorante – I buy those suckers in batches of 20 when they are on sale. Next best thing to homemade and the boys like to pimp them up… Me? I take the vegetale, or the fungi or the spinachi and when it comes out of the oven, top it with handfuls of arugula. Mmmm. And, as it is my second Friday of the week 😉 got me a nice frosty one to go with! 😀
Oh yum! Enjoy. 🍺
I am! About to go get my second… 🍺
🍻 That’s my girl!
Like-minded are we!
In so many ways!
So very many! We rock, Sistah!
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Looks really yummy!
So yummy. Fresh homegrown tomatoes made all the difference from good to fabulous!
I love the idea of your own tomato, Monika. That pizza did look good for sure.
Fresh homegrown tomatoes made it extra tasty. Yum, yum.
Yum is right.
Now you did it – we are all wanting Mom to make pizza for dinner. Yours sure looks tasty and healthy!!!
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Plus it’s quick to throw together. 😉
Sounds good even though we’re not vegetarians. Fresh, homegrown tomatoes are THE best! Our last pizza was a Hawaiian pizza from our favorite pizza delivery joint. And, ooooooh, was it good!!
That’s the beauty about making your own pizza, you can put whatever on it. 😋
The best recipe! I use the same method, a frozen pizza from a shop and then add own favorites.
It’s a great way to get exactly what you prefer. And with fresh herbs and veggies makes it ever so tasty!
Mmmm, that sounds easy peasy and delicious!
It really is. 🍕🍕🍕
FABULOUS! We get frozen pizzas and “jazz them up” quite often and they are wonderful. Pizza is a wonderful meal because you can use almost ANY ingredients you like on it – throw a pile of cheese as a topping and it’s PERFECTION every time!
Hugs, Pam
I’m a big fan of pizza and jazz! 😁
I often use naan bread for crusts. Easy peasy!
Wow, that’s a great idea!
A great time of year to eat Italian food with fresh garden tomatoes and basil!
Any time is good by me when it comes to Italian food 😊
These days you can often find cauliflower crusts for pizzas…
Noooooooo….the horror……the horror………
They’re surprisingly tasty. I didn’t notice an adverse difference and felt like I was pulling a fast one over on the calorie fairy. Always makes me feel better about that.
yum! frosty beverage??? chinchin!
Let’s just say I have a preference for a frosty Corona with lime, even before the pandemic. 😉
Mmmm…almost like real beer!
Real beer always goes with pizza. It’s a law.
What a wonderful dinner that would be. Yes on that salad. We don’t grow any veggies. We’re not home enough to tend to them and the stores offerings aren’t as good.
Have a fabulous day. Scritches to the pups. ♥
I only plant a couple of things in pots because of all the gangster squirrels but let me just say that tomato was the best I’ve tasted in years!
You should get a cherry tomato, they ripen a lot faster. I use them to make roasted tomato sauce, 1 quart ziploc bag at a time. Put a little olive oil in a frying pan, add garlic cloves, turn to medium or medium high, throw in cherry tomatoes, uncut, add salt and pepper. After 4-5 minutes you can start poppibg them with a spoon. When they are all popped, it is basic roasted tomato sauce, dump in the ziploc bag, leave in the freezer, voila, fresh tomato sauce in the winter. I also have bell peppers and basil in my garden, so add them to the sauce after the tomatoes have popped. Just strip the whole leaves off the basil, there is no such thing as too many.
Have one that volunteered from last year’s bush. They are most tasty, almost like eating candy. There’ll be a ripe one to pick in a couple of days that I’m excited about to see if it tastes as good as last years crop.
You’re sauce sounds quite delicious.
Yum yum 😋
Thanks, nothing better than plenty of gooey cheese and easy, right?