Grilled Beer Crust Pizzas

 

Friday the 13th is a special day in our lives. It's the day we got engaged (7/13/07)! Now, we always celebrate when it comes along.  One of our favorite celebration meals is grilled pizzas. Since we discovered them, W asks for them just about every year on his birthday. We have them way more often than that, although not as often as either of us would like!

 

It seemed fitting to share them today, since it's Friday the 13th. We won't be having them for dinner because W has to work, but I'm hoping to make them again soon!

 

I've shared pizza ideas with you before here & here, as well as our go-to crust, but recently I discovered a new crust. An Easy Beer Crust, to be exact. I've started making a combination of that & our go-to crust that uses whole grain flour. It's perfect on the grill!

 

 

When we do pizza, I like to top it with as many veggies as possible. On the long tray above, from top to bottom, we had red bell pepper, roasted Brussels sprouts, mushroom slices, onions, grilled ramps, & chopped ramp greens. Not shown was grilled eggplant. For sauces, we used homemade pesto, homemade tomato sauce, & Trader Joe's BBQ sauce. Cheeses included vegan parmesan, raw milk cheddar (we have a local farm that makes it & it's awesome!), & a syrah soaked romano. I like to grate our own cheese because then we don't go overboard with it & because freshly grated cheese doesn't have additives like the bagged variety from the stores.

 

 

About the controlling of the cheese...you can tell W grated it this time. He made the 2 on the cookie sheet that have a blizzard of cheese on them. :-)

The hardest part of grilled pizzas is getting the dough thin enough while still being able to pick it up to transfer it to the grill. Once it's on there, the rest is easy!

 

Grilled Beer Crust Pizzas
Serves 4 generously
Crust adapted from BevCooks & this crust

1 packet active yeast
1/4 c lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar (I use coconut sugar)
3-4 c spelt flour (or use white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 c beer (I usually use Yuengling Lager, but most kinds will do!)

Topping Ideas:
tomato sauce
pesto
bbq sauce
bell pepper
greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.)
onion
mushrooms
eggplant
zucchini
Brussels sprouts
broccoli
vegan parmesan cheese
freshly shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, asiago, provolone, etc.)

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, or until you see the yeast start to bubble.

Meanwhile, combine 3 cups of flour & the salt together in a large bowl. Once yeast mixture is bubbly, add it to the flour. Stir, then slowly pour in the beer. Mix until a dough comes together, adding more flour if it looks too runny. Dough should form a ball. Turn dough out onto a floured counter top & knead until smooth. If dough is still super wet, add more flour as needed. Lightly coat the empty bowl with cooking spray, then return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to rise in a warm, draft free spot. (I usually use our oven, keeping it turned off.) Let dough rise for 1 hour, then divide it into 4 balls. Cover and allow dough to rest for 30-40 minutes longer.

Preheat the grill to 425 (high). Here's the tricky part! Spray two large cookie sheets (make sure whatever you use doesn't have edges!) with cooking spray. Spread two balls per sheet into pizza crusts. Make sure you don't spread the dough too thin or you will not be able to move them from the sheets to the grill. Gently pick up/slide the dough from the cookie sheets onto the grill. Don't worry if it doesn't come off perfectly - you can gently pull any holes together once it's on the grill (just don't touch the grates). Close the lid & let bake for 10 minutes. Check frequently after that - you're aiming for a crisp bottom but not burnt. The top will look slightly underdone, but no longer be shiny.

Remove crusts from the grill, flipping them so that you are topping the side that was already grilled. Add desired sauces, toppings, & cheese. (See the third picture above.) Return the pizzas to the grill for another 10 minutes, checking frequently after that to ensure the cheese is melted but the bottom doesn't burn. Remove from the grill & enjoy!

Happy Marriage!

Introducing La & Andy, the bride & groom!

I was honored to be part of their wedding. Everything was very laid-back & organized, in typical La fashion. All of the girls in the wedding party felt like we weren't doing our part because everything was already taken care of!

We had a fun time decorating the church with these tissue paper puffs.

The flowers were gorgeous! I have my bouquet sitting at home on the counter & they're still alive almost a week later.

 

One of the other bridesmaids made La this personalized hanger. Apparently you can buy them on Etsy, but she took some wire & twisted it herself. She was also the one to do most of our hair. I did a little curling & pinning along the way, but she did the bulk of it.

We caught a peek of the groomsmen & groom (note: he's the one in shorts!) as they arrived at the church. They looked very official.

What bride doesn't want to do her wedding day prep in the men's bathroom right next to a urinal? She wasn't fazed at all!

It was super hot on Saturday, so after the ceremony, the men were given permission to change into cooler clothes. Luckily, the Bup brought a polo that matched my dress!

Andy brewed the beer for the wedding. This was the Honeymoooon Brew, a honey & basil beer. Sounds a little strange, but it's amazing! He also made a "Love is in the ale" wheat beer. We got to take some of the leftovers home. :-D

The favors were the tin pictured. Inside were dice & instruction for one of their favorite games, Farkle. They taught us to play on one of our weekend cabin trips & it's really fun.

Fans for the crowd to stay cool!

Mom & Dad celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on 7/1. I'm so proud to be their daughter! Here's to 35 more years for them!

Dad & daughter: matching cheesy grins.

Father daughter dance to Frank Sinatra. Who else? As kids, our dads always listened to Frank & we'd complain.

Congrats! I'm so happy for the two of you!

Umami Umami Japanese

After a long day in the car last Thursday, we were happy to arrive in the Willow Grove area, just north of Philadelphia. The last 2 hours of the drive up from North Carolina were the worst because of rush hour traffic near the city. I did some research during the drive for restaurants close to our hotel & Umami Umami Modern Japanese Cuisine popped out at me.

We started with beer, a great ending to a long drive. I got Shock Top Lemon Shandy, a Belgian-style wheat beer with spices & with natural lemonade flavor added. It's their seasonal beer. I liked the freshness of the lemon flavor & it was light & refreshing for a hot day. We sat on the deck since we'd been cooped up in the car all day.

They had a Japanese beer featured on their placemats called Sapporo. It was a light wheat beer. I liked the special glass it was served in!

The Bup liked it & it went well with his meal. He's usually a dark beer guy, so this was a bit of a change for him.

Our meals both came with a starter salad topped with a ginger dressing. It was very thick, almost like a spread instead of dressing. The ginger flavor was light (thank goodness, after my Go Green juice!) & the waitress told us there was no mayo in it.

I ordered the Teriyaki pan-seared tofu with seasoned vegetables & rice. The waitress told us that they soak fruits & veggies in soy sauce to give it flavor & then they smoke it. There was so much more flavor than the super sweet kinds that are usually sold in stores. The tofu was creamy & flavorful. Buried underneath it was broccoli, zucchini, carrots, & sugar peas.

For the Bup's dinner, he had the Bibimbap (love the name!). It is a Korean dish & bibimbap means “mixed meal.” The huge bowl had rice topped with assorted sauteed vegetables, tofu, a fried egg and

gochujang (the spicy sauce on the side). He loved it!

We didn't get dessert, but with our check they gave us each half an orange, drizzled with a light syrup. It was the perfect way to end the meal! I wish more restaurants did that.

They had several other menu options that I wish we could have tasted, but since it's not nearby, I doubt we'll be back anytime soon. I'm glad we found somewhere healthy & delicious while we were there!

Vermont: Day 2

It rained overnight so the conditions for skiing on Tuesday weren't great. We decided to go touring around the area.

Breakfast was delicious again, with apple pancakes, homefries, apple slices & pineapple. 

Dad fueled up with the "Big Sandwich," complete with grilled ciabatta bread, 2 eggs, potato, corned beef hash & swiss cheese.

Mom was on the lookout for quilt shops, & this was the first one we saw. It was closed, so we kept searching.

We stopped at the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store & Cafe. They had a huge selection of flours & other grains, plus tons of baking supplies.

I was really tempted by the spreads, but decided to try to find some recipes to make them at home.

The Bup found pizzelle mix! He & Dad have their own secret recipe, so he was comparing ingredients. 

Their bakery display was really tempting. Maybe if we hadn't just eaten our weight in breakfast we would've tried something. :-)

Our next stop was at the Hen House Fabric shop. Mom was excited...the rest of us just tagged along.

She bought these pretty fabrics to make a table runner.

After the fabric shopping, we stopped at the Simon Pearce gallery & shop.

Everything was gorgeous & super pricey.

The first floor used to host glass blowing sessions for people to watch, but it was washed out in the recent flooding. We saw a video instead. The techniques are really cool!

They have an attached restaurant with a glass enclosed patio. The dam below was full of ice blooms.

Even the covered bridge was washed out by the flood, the water came up so high!

Dad really wanted to go to the Quechee Gorge so that was our next stop. The lady inside the welcome center said we weren't to take the walk to the vista because the conditions weren't safe with all the ice.

I noticed a winery shop across the street from the gorge, so we checked that out.

The Charlotte Village Winery had a nice selection of wines. Their main attraction is a series of blueberry wine - dry, semi-sweet & dessert wines, all made from blueberries grown on their property.

My favorite was the Peach Blossom, a combination of chardonnay & peach wines.

Next up, we stopped at the Sugarbush Farm. The horses were outside, enjoying the warmer weather.

An authentic "Vermont Cowch." Haha!!

They had an impressive cheese selection. I really liked the Hickory & Maple Smoked Cheese, but each one we tasted was full of flavor.

They package their cheese by wrapping it in foil & then dipping it in wax. The process allows it to be stored & shipped without refrigeration.

I tried the Vermont Maple Seltzer & was amazed!

100% pure filtered & carbonated maple sap! It was like drinking subtly sweet maple fizzy water. Refreshing & interesting. I wish they sold it around us!

Our final stop was the Long Trail Brewing Co., home of the eco-brew.

They have a self-guided tour room where we were able to watch them packaging & bottling the Blackbeary Wheat beer. My favorite! 

We each order a sampler platter that included their 5 year-round beers & the winter beer, Hibernator.

I love that they bring them out in a cupcake tin!

In order of favorite to least favorite: 1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6.

So serious.

Mom also ordered the Coffee Stout & a mini-sample of the Triple Bag (delicious!!) & the Centennial Red.

After all those tastings, we weren't really hungry for dinner, but Roger cooked such a good meal that we managed to finish every bite!  

First up -  Cream of Broccoli soup followed by a small salad tossed with a light vinaigrette.

 The main course was manicotti with garlic bread & warm cabbage salad. I LOVED the salad, so Roger told me how he made it. He takes shredded cabbage & ribbons of carrot, lightly sautes them in olive oil, & then tosses it with salt, pepper, garlic & Parmesan. He said that he also makes it with soy sauce, when eaten with a different combo of foods. I can't wait to make it at home!

 Dessert was baked apples with granola filling & French vanilla ice cream drizzled with maple syrup.

It was a great day, but I was stuffed!!!!