Quick and Light Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Wow, its been a while since I have blogged! I’ve been busy! After traveling this summer, having friends in town for over a month, and work, I finally feel that I am getting back to normal.photo 1

I want to share this super easy Turkey lettuce wrap recipe. This is a go-to for me if I am looking for a light and easy meal.

You will need:

  • 1lb ground turkey
  • 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • Teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
  • Sesame seeds – if you have them
  • Crushed peanuts – I smash them in a plastic bagphoto 3
  • Green onion – chopped
  • 1/3 cup of fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • Head of lettuce – butter lettuce works really well too!

What you need to do:

  • Cut the bottom “stem” off of your head of lettuce. Wash and separate out the leaves. Blot them dry with a paper towel and set aside.
  • Brown the turkey meat in a large skillet.
  • Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and sesame seeds to the turkey as it is finishing cooking. Let photo 2simmer for about 4-5 mins.
  • Plate by placing the turkey meat mixture into the lettuce “cups” and garnish with crushed peanuts and green onion.
  • Make the dipping sauce by combining the fish sauce and sugar. Mix well.
  • Voila! Lettuce wraps.

Hope you guys enjoy this fresh and simple week-night meal. Stay tuned for more!

photo 4

Travels and Cuban Food

First off, wow, its been a long time since I have posted! My life has been a little out of control lately.photo 1 My job has been very busy and as you will soon find out,  I was also unplugged and out of town for a bit. BUT not to fear! I have come back with many recipes and experiences to share.

First off, the trip was FABULOUS. Zach’s parents offered us the trip of a lifetime for a graduation present, which we were late using because last summer we were moving to the music city. I had never been to the Florida Keys before so I really had no idea what to expect. We stayed in a small resort on Marathon Key with a beautiful view of the water complimented by crazy iguanas romping around. It was truly unique. I loved waking up to the salty air and sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee, the perfect way to unwind. 

During our drive down to the photo 3resort in Marathon, we made a slight detour to a place called Alabama Jacks. While it is off the beaten path a bit, it is SO worth the visit. The atmosphere is grimy, casual, friendly, and fun. The cocktails are refreshing and the conch fritters are to die for. This bar/restaurant backs up to the everglades offering a scenic view with the occasional boaters riding by and waving. I could have stayed there all day listening to music, observing the locals, and drinking fruity rum drinks. I think that may be the definition of vacation.

We also had fun exploring the city of Key West. Ernest Hemingway has really become a part of my life through Zach’s fanaticism so I really enjoyed touring his house and visiting his photo 3-2old stomping grounds, which mostly consisted of bars. We had the perfect day planned: tour the Hemingway house and wander the grounds, walk a couple blocks to the Green Parrot (Hemingway’s favorite local bar) and have the special cocktail (which consists of cranberry juice, soda, some coconut rum, and lime), and then venture over to Sloppy Joe’s for a big ole Sloppy Rita (a delicious and quite strong margarita). While Sloppy Joe’s tends to be touristy, the drinks are great and there is usually some good live music to groove to. I highly recommend this Hemingway pilgrimage, but do your research first so you can really appreciate all you are seeing and experiencing.photo 1-3

After taking in the Keys, we were off to Miami. Miami is SUCH a fun city, and I am so ready to go back. Obviously Miami has a very different vibe from the Keys. The Keys are laid back, casual, and relaxed and Miami is fast paced, beautiful, and vibrant. The people are gorgeous, the food is exquisite, and the atmosphere is alive. I always enjoy having a drink on Ocean Drive and just people watching. One night, Zach and I ventured away from the party scene into photo 2-3Little Havana, about a 30 minute drive from South Beach, to experience some real Cuban food. We went the Little Versailles, a quaint restaurant with a loud atmosphere. First off, do yourself a favor and order the Sangria, its truly the best in the city. Zach ordered a cuban-style steak with rice, beans, and fried plantains which was so rich and flavorful. I ordered a rice dish referred to as “Imperial Rice”. It consisted of rice, saffron, shredded chicken, roasted peppers, a mayonnaise-based sauce, eggs, and peas. It was incredible! I am determined to try to replicate it at home.

Now you can’t talk about vacation without talking cocktails! One night we ventured into a Mojito bar after finishing up a Spanish-photo 3-3style dinner of tapas on South Beach. Per the bartender’s recommendation, Zach ordered an expensive and highly reviewed rum called Zacapa. If you see this rum on a menu… order it over ice because rum stands alone and is very flavorful. Besides rum-based cocktails, I tend to flock to vodka based cocktails, my favorite being a simply dirty vodka martini. This was my drink of choice for hanging out back in the condo because it is so easy to make, its refreshing, and its something to sip on. A vodka martini consists of vodka, vermouth, olives, and olive juice. I tend to like more olive juice and less vermouth, but everyone makes their martinis differently.

I could literally write a novel on this vacation, from the food to the music to the culture. Do yourself a favor and go visit! photo 4-3photo 4-2photo 5-2

 

July 4th Party for Two

This 4th of July, Zach and I for once were not traveling and did not have major plans. Typically I would have been scrambling to figure out some fun activity for us to do or place to go to celebrate the holiday (because thats just how I am), but due to work and life being crazy recently, its kind of nice to just kick back and enjoy some time together.

We started the day bright and early with a 3 mile hike with the pup at Percy Warner Park just south of the city. The weather was cool (upper 60’s) and breezy which made for such an enjoyable hike and a perfect way to clear our heads. It was also a success because we finally tired out the pup! Not an easy task for a husky 😉

Now for the food… I am not a baker, at all, which I think stems from my inability to properly follow a recipe. I find food and cooking a creative outlet and a way to express myself. Why follow a recipe? I tend to use recipes as inspiration, or as an idea, but you will rarely see me posting dish that is a by-the-book recipe. BUT when it comes to baking, you must follow the recipe. To be festive and do something different, I decided to make a little birthday cake to celebrate America’s birthday. This, by no means, was anything fancy. Just a simple butter cake mix (with added zest of a lemon) and some store-bought cream cheese lemon icing. The fun part is decorating the cake right? I decorated with strawberries and blueberries to reflect the colors of the flag. Done, easy-peasy, oh and it makes the kitchen smell fabulous!

After snacking on the mixing beaters with the music man (hey, the best part of baking a cake is licking the bowl), Zach went out to start the grill for our beer-can chicken. This chicken is so easy and inexpensive to make. It also is great when you have a long day and want to hang out by the grill with a cocktail because it takes about 4 hours to smoke/roast. Here is how to make the chicken:

Ingredients:

  • Whole chicken
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Vegetable oil
  • Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (Or any other beer. I like using lighter beer, but it could be interesting to see how a darker beer would affect the taste of the chicken)
  • Sweet/Spicy Rub – Cayenne, brown sugar, black peppercorns, cumin, salt
  • BBQ Sauce – I used a sweet/spicy version to match my rub

Directions:

  • Remove the package on the chicken and remove the giblets.
  • Slice your garlic into little slivers.
  • Run your knife along the inside of the chicken between the skin and the meat. You don’t want to completely separate the skin from the meat, but just create little pockets to insert your sliced garlic cloves. This will season the chicken from the inside out.
  • Rub the chicken with a little vegetable oil and rub it generously with the sweet/spicy rub.
  • Let the chicken sit for about 20 minutes so it comes closer to room temperature and the spices have some time to marinate the chicken.
  • Open up your beer can and drop in one garlic clove.
  • Here is the tricky part – put the beer can inside the chicken and set up the chicken on the grill so that it stands upright. It helps to use the chicken’s little legs and the beer can as a tripod.
  • Smoke that baby for 4ish hours!
  • While smoking, be sure it baste the chicken with the BBQ sauce two to three times during cooking.
  • When finished roasting, remove the beer can from the chicken, cut it up, and enjoy!

Now nothing goes better with this all-american meal than corn on the cob. I don’t know what is more american than chicken, beer, and corn on the cob. Here is how I prepare my corn:

Ingredients:

  • Sweet corn on the cob
  • Butter
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Cayenne

Directions:

  • Shuck the corn
  • Place the shucked corn in a pot of cool salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 5-6 minutes.
  • Remove the corn from the water and spread butter over it while it is still warm. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and cayenne.
  • Throw on the grill with the chicken for about 20 minutes or until it gets some yummy char and grill marks.

Our 4th of July ended with going downtown to listen to some country artists, drink some Jack Daniel’s cocktails, and see what is rated the nation’s second best fire works show behind New York City. It was actually pretty incredible. The Nashville Symphony performed patriotic music, the Gettysburg address was read, and fireworks exploded overhead. It was also the largest crowd Nashville ever had for this July 4th celebration. What a fabulous way to end the night. To skip the traffic fleeing downtown, we dipped into one of our favorite bars, the Flying Saucer, and enjoyed a brew and some nachos before heading home.

For a quiet 4th of July with just the two of us, it was a pretty great one. It really made me realize how much I love this crazy city – Nashville, Tennessee. Lastly, have a listen to Ashley Monroe, one of my favorite Nashville artists. She played the 4th of July event last night, and was fabulous and sassy as usual. Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and celebration of summer!

-Maggie

Hash and Egg – The Hangover Cure

So from my last post, you know that we cooked, drank, and hung out with friends last Friday night so with Saturday brought a lovely Imagehangover. Lets be real, the best cure for a hangover, besides a greasy hamburger, is some sort of potato. Therefor, I created a potato hash recipe with onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño, and of course a heavenly over easy egg on top. After waking up at 9:00am – late for me, early for the music man – on a beautiful rainy day, what is better than a filling brunch? Heres how I made it:

Ingredients:

  • 1 potato
  • 1 green bell pepperImage
  • 1/2 jalapeño
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 4-5 white button mushrooms
  • Olive oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Crushed Red Pepper

Directions:

  • Dice the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño (with seeds) to similar size. Put into pan over medium-high heat with some olive oil.
  • Dice the potato to a slightly larger size and finely dice the garlic.
  • Once the onions and peppers are beginning to sweat, add in the potato and garlic.
  • Let this mixture cook for about 10 minutes and then slice up the white button mushrooms and add in.
  • Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add in as much crushed red pepper as you would like, but remember there is also jalapeño in this recipe (seeds and all), don’t make it too hot!
  • In a separate pan, coat with cooking spray and crack two eggs into the pan.Image
  • Carefully flip the egg after about 4 mins on the first side. The egg yolk and white portion around the yolk should still be liquid when you flip… Once flipped DO NOT leave on longer than 2 minutes, do don’t want any overcooked egg.
  • The hash should cook until the potatoes are golden brown and there is a slight crust starting to form on the hash.
  • Plate by laying down the hash and placing the eggs on top.

Real talk – there is nothing more divine than breaking an runny egg over anything. So decadent. The egg makes this hash, I’m sure I will get on my proper-egg-cooking rant later. The smell of this breakfast alone with beckon the whole house from bed. Its the perfect compliment to a rainy, hungover morning. Eat this while listening to this song… one of the few country songs I really appreciate.

Cheers!

-MaggieImage

 

Good Friends and Grilled Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are probably one of my favorite foods… anything is better in a taco. Zach and I love entertaining and cooking for our friends and last Friday we had our good friends Ben and Kelsey over for dinner. Ben is a graphic artist and Kelsey is a spectacular Imagephotographer. We have kind of gotten into this routine where every couple weekends we get together, cook a bunch of food, and drink way too much. Its fun (and frugal) to have a night in with friends every once in a while.

Tacos are one of the best things to make when entertaining because you can prepare the majority of the components beforehand so you aren’t stuck slaving away in the kitchen instead of enjoying a nice cocktail. Zach and I have a TON of red and black snapper in our freezer from a recent fishing trip in Florida so I figured this would be a good way to use it up for a tasty meal.

This fish taco recipe has a few components. These components can be prepared before everyone arrives:

Cabbage slaw – red/purple cabbage, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper.Image

  • Finely chop the cabbage and combine with red wine vinegar. I don’t want to specify the amount of red wine vinegar to use because it really depends on how much cabbage you use/how tart you like your cabbage. I will say “lightly dress” your cabbage… cool?
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving. The cabbage will still be crisp but the vinegar will have some time to meld with the crunchy cabbage and flavor it nicely.

Fish taco sauce – light mayo, horseradish, hot sauce, worcestershire salt, pepper, cayenne.

  • Put a half cup of light mayo into a small mixing bowl and add a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of hot sauce
  • Add a half teaspoon of horseradishImage
  • Salt and pepper to taste, add in the cayenne depending on how spicy you like your sauce (a little goes a long way)
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve (the longer the better as the flavors have more time to combine)

Avocado Topping – Diced avocado, lime, salt

  • Dice up an avocado and add the juice of half a lime and salt to taste
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve, the lime with help keep the avocado from browning quickly

Now finally for the star of the show… the fish! Keep it simple, top the fish with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and sliced lime. I place the fish in a little foil packet and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top to keep it moist and throw it on a hot grill. Depending on the size of your fillet, the fish will not take long to cook. Ours took about 20 minutes. Since it is in a foil packet, you won’t have to worry about flipping it. Additionally, spray your corn tortillas with a little butter flavored cooking spray and throw those on the grill for a couple minutes each side. Really helps pull everything together.Image

Now plate all of your beautiful elements! Spread a spoonful of your fish taco sauce on the bottom of a corn tortilla and place your fish on top. Cover with the avocado and purple cabbage and thoroughly enjoy. You have to try this recipe. You will thank me later.

 

We had a great time catching up. While the fish was grilling and after dinner we sat in our little backyard and drank cheap red wine while the boys enjoyed cigars. It was a memorable evening with good friends. We talked music, art, cool tattoos, and how crazy this city of Nashville is. Speaking of which, check out the Nashville band, the Apache Relay. Their song Katie Queen of Tennessee is really cute.Image

Until next time…

-Maggie

Lets Talk About Salads…

Last night was a quiet one. It involved a grocery store trip for some items to prepare for a fish grill we are hosting tomorrow, cleaning Imagethe house, and relaxing while listening to Miles Davis. If you are not into jazz, I get it, really, but if you just think its boring then you are flat out wrong. I don’t pretend to be able to talk music with the pros, but I really appreciate the complexity of jazz. After growing up in the deep south and living in New Orleans for 4 years, I have come to appreciate jazz on another level. I find it blissfully relaxing when paired with a quiet house and a glass of red wine. It is the perfect compliment to a calm evening (however the music man would disagree saying it is what creates a calm evening.) Do yourself a favor and check out some Miles Davis here when you have a still moment. 

Anyway, lets actually talk about salads. Who wouldn’t want to walk to the Turnip Truck in the Gulch or Whole Foods and gorge on their salad bar during lunch time? I am totally guilty of stacking my salad high and paying $10-$15 for it. Taking your lunch to work is always a more cost effective option, but how do you avoid the same-old-salad burn out? For ease and to save myself some time in the mornings, I used to buy the pre-portioned bags of salad and toppings at the grocery store and throw in a container to take to work. This was all fine and dandy for a bit, but I found myself getting headaches at the end of the day and experiencing low blood sugar. I thought it was because maybe I wasn’t eating enough at lunch, but in fact, a coworker suggested to me that it was because my salads never contained a protein. This made a lot of sense to me, and thats when my quest for more interesting and balanced salads began!

I value a healthy lifestyle because I just feel better when I am eating well and exercising; however I’m not going to lie, the occasional office donut is a must… BUT I feel way less guilty about it knowing I ran the dog earlier that morning and I am having a salad for lunch ;). Here are some ways I choose to spruce up my every day salads:Image

  • Try out different kinds of lettuce. I have been on an arugula kick lately because it is peppery and light. I try to mix it up weekly by buying a box of mixed baby spring greens, or spinach, or romaine depending on my mood.
  • ALWAYS add a protein if you are planning on only having a salad for lunch. Adding a protein can not only sustain your energy throughout the rest of the day, but it can spruce up your salad. Proteins can include, nuts, beans, chicken, tofu, beef, fish, etc. I love putting beans in my salads because they are inexpensive and low maintenance (all you have to do is open a can and pour half of it in). If you are looking for some meat in your salads but don’t want to cook a chicken breast at 7am, season and cook up a few on the weekend and have them pre-sliced and ready to go in your fridge. You can do the same with beef, tofu, shrimp, etc.
  • Step away from the normal tomato and cucumber. While these can be great, I feel like they are my go-to’s for every salad. Mix it up with your veggies! Throw in some heirloom tomatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, green onion, red onion, pickled beets, peppers, pickled banana peppers… get creative. I find my salads way less boring when there are more fun veggies than lettuce.
  • Fruit is always a delicious contribution to a salad, especially in the summer. I find that my grocery store often has a special where you can get 3 different cartons of berries for $5 or a big carton of strawberries for $2.50. These are great deals as fruit can be expensive. Throw in some berries, mandarin oranges, or apples to your salad for a little sweetness.Image
  • Add a crunch! Throw in a can of water chestnuts, dried asian noodles, crushed up tortilla chips, etc. Different textures keep your mouth wanting more.
  • Play with your cheeses. I made a salad with goat cheese, pecans, and strawberries the other day that blew me away because the goat cheese took it to another level. Don’t get stuck on feta, play with some parmesan!
  • Home-make your dressings. Now this can sound intimidating, but really it is SO easy and once you start, you will never go back. Many store-bought dressings that are within my budget are full of extra sugars, gluten, and sodium… yuck. My favorite dressing is a simple olive oil and balsamic with some salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Get creative! I made a vinegar based dressing for a salad last night that included minced garlic. Throw in some lime and agave or honey for a sweet dressing, or some dijon mustard for a kick. Once again, get creative!

Hope this helps get you out of your salad slump! Have a happy Friday!

-Maggie

 

Hearty Steak and Kale Salad

Sometimes you just want a healthy meal, but you don’t want to feel hungry 15 minutes later. Here is your solution! When I first tried kale, I had it raw in a salad and I was convinced that I didn’t like it. I then experimented with it a bit and began sautéing it and baking it and fell in love. Its such a hearty vegetable that contains so much flavor, add that to some seasoned pan fried steak and you have a perfect pair. Here is how to make it:

Ingredients:

  1. KaleImage
  2. Garlic
  3. Lemon
  4. Olive Oil
  5. Sea Salt
  6. Pepper
  7. Strip Steak
  8. Vegetable Oil

Directions:

  1. Prepare the kale by washing thoroughly and taking out the tough stems that are within the leaves. These stems are not edible.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, you will definitely need your biggest skillet for this because kale has a lot of volume until it is cooked down a bit.
  3. Mince about 3 big cloves of garlic and drop into the kale and olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top.
  4. As the kale begins to cook down, heat up another skillet on your stove top on medium-high heat with some vegetable oil. The reason I use vegetable oil for the steak is that in order to sear it and still have a juicy medium rare interior, your pan needs to be pretty hot. Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, doesn’t stand up to heat very well, so it is better to use something like vegetable oil in its place.
  5. Season the steak heavily on both sides with sea salt and pepper and drop it in the pan. It should have no more than 3-4 mins on each side. Once the steak is done, take it out and place on a cutting board to rest before slicing.
  6. Be sure to constantly mix the kale with within the garlic and olive oil as it cooks so everything cooks down evenly. Prior to serving add the juice of a lemon.
  7. To plate, slice the steak and place on top of a bed of kale and enjoy!

Someone that I have really been into lately is James Blake, click here to check him out on Spotify. He uses a concept called negative space in his music and the simplicity that it has is really refreshing. Let me know what you think!

Brazilian Chicken – World Cup Celebration

Well the game ended in a disappointing tie, but we had some pretty incredible food for game watching. Zach and I love trying new types of food and will jump at the chance to have a whole evening of music and food that ties to a theme. When the USA soccer team was playing Portugal the other night in Rio, we started thinking that we have never really had/made Brazilian food before. That turned into me searching online for a stellar recipe and a trip to the grocery store. Here’s how we made our extremely flavorful, spicy, and decadent Brazilian chicken:Image

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp ground tumeric
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (TIP: I had about 6 chicken drumsticks in the fridge and that worked just fine, maybe even better)
  • salt
  • olive oilImage
  • 1 small/medium onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
  • 2 jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • 3 roma tomatoes seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 (14oz) can of light coconut milk
  • 3 large chopped basil leaves.

WHEW: Thats a TON of ingredients. And let me tell you, when I first read this I thought that is waaaay to many things to put into one dish, won’t the flavors compete with each other? This dish is extremely flavorful, but don’t be overwhelmed by all the ingredients! They surprisingly work together quite well.

Directions:Image

  • In a medium bowl mix the cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and black pepper. Coat the chicken in the spice mixture.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. I used a dutch oven so that I could make the whole dish in one pot. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the juices run clear. Set chicken aside.
  • Add in some more olive oil to the pan and cook and stir the onion, jalapeño, ginger, and garlic for 5 minutes or until tender.
  • Add in the coconut milk, tomatoes, and basil. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • If you want the sauce extra spicy and the chicken extra moist, add the chicken back into the sauce mixture and let it simmer for about 5-10 more minutes.
  • Plate with rice and enjoy 🙂

Image
The end result is a colorful explosion of flavor. A perfect compliment to the USA game and a crisp glass of white wine. Additionally, while eating we listened to Buena Vista Social Club which you can listen to our favorite song from them here. Their music added to the whole evening, and what a wonderful one it was.

Easy-Peasy Pizza Bread

The music man and I are back from a fun-filled and relaxing Memorial Day weekend visiting Zach’s family in Tulsa. They live on a pond so we did a lot of drinking and decking. Oh and their brand new hot tub was something to enjoy as well, along with the company of his parents. It was the first time beImageing away from the pup and it was much harder than I thought. I figured that being able to sleep fully through the night without a bathroom trip outside would be enjoyable, but his little sense of humor and constant insanity turned out to be something to be missed. Needless to say, we are spending this Tuesday evening at home catching up with the pets, drinking a glass of cheap wine, and unpacking.

So after not getting back to Nashvegas until 2am and then working a full day, the last thing I want to do is cook a time consuming meal. Pizza bread is the perfect, inexpensive thing to make when looking for something quick and easy. I came up with the idea of pizza bread, when I wanted something pizza-ish but didn’t want to deal with either making dough from scratch or paying out the wazoo for a pre made pizza crust. There is literally ALWAYS day old bread on Managers’ Special at your local grocery store, and who doesn’t love carb loaded, soft, pillowy italian bread? Anyway, I picked up a loaf thinking, maybe I can use this as a pizza base and here we are… pizza bread.

Ingredients:

  1. Loaf of french or italian bread. Something that is not too crusty as it will crust up in the oven when baking.
  2. Tomato sauce – either store bought, or homemade (I make my homemade tomato sauce in big batches and freeze, recipe for this coming later.)
  3. White button mushrooms
  4. Garlic
  5. Mozzarella cheese
  6. ArugulaImage
  7. Olive Oil
  8. Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

  1. Cut your loaf of bread in half and carve out some of the delicious moist bread within each piece. Basically just making a little “bowl” to put all the yummy sauce, mushrooms, cheese, etc. And side-note, you better eat the soft stuff you take out of the the center of the bread… its the best part!
  2. Spread a thick layer of your tomato sauce.
  3. Chop up your garlic (don’t mince it, too much trouble for this) and spread it over the sauce layer.
  4. Place your cut up button mushrooms on top of your garlic and sauce and then cover in mozzarella cheese.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 mins. Just watch it and pull out when the cheese on top starts turning golden brown.
  6. Separately dress the arugula with a little olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and slap it on top of the warm bread.
  7. Enjoy your super easy, super cheap, and utterly satisfying pizza bread. 

Side note – this bread makes way more than just 2 servings for 2 people, but when you cook for an always ravenous music man like I do… it will be just enough for dinner, a midnight snack, and maybe even some lunch the next day. 

 

On the music front, there is this new artist that I have been obsessed with lately. Mainly due to his one song “Take Me to Church”. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song here or on Spotify on your way to work in the morning.