Tonight I grilled pizza on our charcoal kettle grill for the first time and other then a few slip-ups it worked quite well. First of all, I separated the rolled out dough with wax paper, which would have worked great if I had greased the paper or floured the dough, but I didn’t so I had to scrap it off the paper and roll it out again. Secondly I put way too much garlic in my pizza sauce, and by way too much I mean I think Michael and my collective breath would kill every vampire within 100 miles. It was even a lot of garlic for me and that is saying a lot.

Other then that, I would totally do it again and again. For the curious, I loosely used the grilling instructions I found here. I used my usual whole-wheat crust with fresh herbs from my garden, which made four eight to ten-inch thin crusts. They were topped with zucchini and onions from my garden and peppers from the farmer’s market (which I lightly sautéed beforehand.) I used a mozzarella/asiago cheese blend and the aforementioned tomato sauce which needs less garlic.

For the record, photographing food is harder then I expected!

Printable Recipe [pdf]

Everyone grew up with their own version of cornbread. When I was little, we lived in North Carolina and it was always cooked in a big ol’ cast iron skillet. I kept the skillet but I use stone ground cornmeal and whole wheat. Mom made it sweet, so this is sweet too.

My father-in-law came over for dinner last night and I made jambalaya, cornbread and these brownies. Someone asked me for the recipe recently so I thought I would share it with everyone. These are what the pages in my personal recipe binder look like. Michael was amazed that they did not include any orange.

I am working on making it a pdf so you can print it – might have to wait for Michael to walk me through that. Download pdf.

The notes box is to add the things I forget or might later realize about the recipe. The note box on this one says that when the brownies sit overnight the whole wheat bran has a chance to relax and expand, which enhances the flavor even more.

I might start posting more of these if there is an interest.

I feel like I have been either cleaning or in the kitchen all day, and you know what? It feels really good (I think I need a foot rub though…) I feel like I haven’t had time to keep my house in order for weeks. I got a chance to try out the baking soda and vinegar cleaners some of you recommended to me awhile back and wow, they work really well.

Tomorrow Michael and I are going to a Beltane gathering in Medical Lake. It is a potluck so I made my potato salad and a whole wheat applesauce cake. The cake started life as a slightly more elaborate recipe which I have been simplifying over time, today I made the final jump from changing the brown sugar to honey. Now it only contains whole wheat flour, applesauce, honey, baking soda and cinnamon. Except for the cinnamon and probably the baking soda, it is a completely local cake. I canned the applesauce last Autumn (this was my last jar too!). I grind the wheat myself and it comes from this area. The honey I used is from a local apiary (I picked it up in Yokes though.)

I don’t know how many of you modify recipes but if you do, you know that moment of apprehension you have before trying a heavily modified recipe? I just experienced that before typing this entry with that cake. I was pleasantly surprised, the local honey has a really wonderful flavor. I love it, though I must admit I have an urge to cover it in cream cheese frosting. I’d post a picture for you but I seem to have misplaced my upload cable. (They should make wireless cameras for people like me…)

I love the challenge of cooking as locally as possible. I like supporting the local growers and in general I find the local crops to be much more flavorful. We have two farmers’ markets within a 20 minute bus ride of our home and I am really looking forward to them opening (one opens May 10th and the other June 5th.)

Anyhow, now to go chop the potatoes for the salad. Getting local potatoes in never a problem here as Idaho is virtually next door…