BROCCOLINI + CHARRED LEMON FLATBREAD

I went to college thinking I wanted to write for a health and fitness magazine. I would major in journalism, maybe take an internship after school and try not to live in New York City (the hub of most magazine companies) if I could help it - no offense New Yorkers, I'm just not a city girl. But as the story usually goes, I changed my mind at some point in those four years. To tell you it changed to wanting to write a cookbook and dabble in freelance recipe development would be lie. I never planned to be doing what I am doing now. I wouldn't know how to tell someone how to write a book on cooking and I don't even have a concrete answer as to how I learned to cook myself. Sometimes things sort of happen, and you learn the hard way while it's all happening, and it just works out. I've mentioned before that the learning curve with this whole book process has been a rocky one for both Hugh and I. We ate a lot, argued, did a TON of dishes and I cried when frustrated...which may have been often, but it recently occured to me that I'm on the other side of it now. The contents are still in the design process, but the book is available for pre-sale on Amazon. Me! Us! On Amazon! Like the place where we buy all our books and most other items I am too lazy to go to a store and buy myself! This is the thrill I was waiting for - the moment it feels like the learning curve evened out and there is fruit to the labor. I am sure the fear and self consciousness will creep back in at some point, but for now, I am so excited to share with you, party people.

In the way we sort of fall into jobs and oportunities and figure them out as we go, homemade pizza has the same story. I usually just pile things on, flavors that make sense to me, and while it may not be perfectly articulated with a clear expectation, it turns out just fine. And maybe even better than planned.

BROCCOLINI + CHARRED LEMON FLATBREAD // Serves 2 as entree, 4 as an appetizer

No Knead Pizza Dough recipe from Jim Lahey in Bon Appetit

I halved the published recipe to yield two crusts and the toppings mentioned are written for one pizza. I made mine with unbleached white whole wheat flour and it came out a bit dense...as expected. Next time I'd halve it with bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour.

I am giving general amounts for the toppings, but pizza should most definitely be made to your preference, so I suggest winging it. My only tip is to use more cheese than appears necessary, it always seems like less once it comes out of the oven.

Crust Recipe from Jim Lahey

(I halved it and got two 13'' thin crust pizzas)

1 small bunch broccolini

1 small meyer or eureka lemon

2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot

6-8 oz. soft goat cheese

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

sea salt and pepper, for topping

// roasted garlic spread //

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt and pepper

1 head roasted garlic (helpful instructions here)

Make the crust according to instructions. I usually start it the night before so it's ready for the next day - takes some forethought, I know, but you can do it!

Preheat the oven to 500'.

Steam the broccolini for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove to a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Give it a rough chop and set aside.

Cut the lemon into as thin of slices possible with a serated knife. Remove any seeds.

To make the roasted garlic paste, put the olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the head into the oil and smush fiercely with a fork to create a paste. This could also be done in a mini blender for smoother consistency. You want it creamy? Add a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream.

Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface (I used 1/4 of the published recipe I linked to for one pizza). Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal or flour on a cookie sheet and transfer the dough to the cookie sheet. Evenly spread the garlic paste, desired amount of broccolini, shallots, generous amount of goat cheese, lemon slices and the grated parmesan. Drizzle the top with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and put it in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 13-15 minutes until brown spots start to show on top. Remove, slice and enjoy warm. If you feel you went too easy on the cheese, sprinkle a bit more parm.

BUTTERMILK FRENCH TOAST

My most valued moments with my love are the morning time. My hair is everywhere and there are creases on my face from the pillow. Hugh wears comfy pants and recently some slippers I picked up for him at Target. The uniform is so decieving for the seriousness with which he takes his coffee process, I feel like there should be a lab coat or at least an apron for all the measuring that goes on. He makes the coffee, I make a quick breakfast, eggs for me and a sweet for him. Sometimes it's a piece of a quick bread or muffin, or other days it's french toast (it seriously doesn't take as much fuss as it sounds). We can't pull it off every day, but most days we breakfast together and it is my favorite part of the day.

It's been a big week. Highs and lows. In all the ideas I thought of posting, breakfast seemed like my safe spot. It's where I get to love him through french toast and be loved through good coffee. It's a small thing, but so big.

BUTTERMILK FRENCH TOAST // Serves 2

I tried buttermilk merely because the use by date is tomorrow, and I really loved the subtle tang. We follow this same ratio for everyday french toast, and simply substitute regular milk or almond milk as desired, so don't feel like you need to make an extra trip to the market.

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. honey

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

4 slices whole grain bread (1/2'' slices if using fresh, left out over night to dry out)

2 tsp. extra virgin coconut oil or butter

2 tsp. natural cane sugar

1 large banana, sliced on a bias

toasted pecan pieces

powdered sugar, optional

maple or agave nectar, optional

In a glass pie pan or square pan whisk the egg and vanilla very well. Whisk in the honey, cinnamon, salt and buttermilk until completely combined.

In a cast iron or pan of choice, warm a small pat of butter or coconut oil over medium heat, to coat the bottom of the pan. Dredge the pieces of bread in the custard, flipping a few times to be sure they're coated. Allow any excess to drip off, and add the bread to the hot pan. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes on one side, when the bottoms are golden and toasty, flip it to the other side, cover and cook another 2-3 minutes until the bottom is toasted dry and when you push on the center, you can tell it's not soggy. It will be tender, but no liquid should squish out.

While the toast is cooking, in another pan, warm the 2 tsp. of coconut oil and sugar. Add the sliced bananas and give them a quick saute just to warm through, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve each portion with some of the bananas and their sauce, pecan pieces and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Depending on the breads moisture, add a drizzle of agave or maple as desired.

HEY THERE.

I don't like routine. Never the less, I settle into one to a certain degree. The days change between working at home and away from home, meeting up with friends, and getting some exercise, but give or take, the pace is pretty similar. I was under a bit of pressure this past week, as far as responsibilities raining on me/us a bit, and I am relieved things are starting to clear up. Amongst other things, Sprouted Kitchen got kicked off the internet. We got booted by our old host, and Hugh managed to transfer everything to this wonderful new place (the fact that he teaches himself how to do these things is beyond impressive in my opinion, as all the back end stuff seems like a foreign language). You will notice the design is quite simple and parts will be updated as we figure things out, but we at least wanted to have the existing content up for you. There will likely still be some glitches in the next month, so bear with us. It feels refreshing, and while not exactly what we hope for the site to be yet, it exists! So that's a start.

We are heading to Mammoth Mountain for the weekend with some friends, and next week we'll be back on our game with a new post that has nothing to do with pink and red valentines things.