Thai Red Curry Pizza

Remember 1st grade? Life was simple, math was easy, folders were essential, you always had a place to hang your jacket, and everybody's favorite food was pizza. Unfortunately we can't go back to this magical time; math sucks, folders exist almost solely on your computer, and your jacket doesn't have a designated hook. Growing up can be a bummer.

That being said, we can all stop pretending pizza isn't our favorite food. We all know it is, and for good reason! Cheese + carbs + sauce + toppings = freaking delicious. Our 1st grade brains recognized this, and our love for pizza only grew as our palates became more adventurous. No more plain cheese pizza for us (although that is still pretty good), we are gonna dress up our pie with veggies, spice and herbs! Maybe getting older isn't so bad after all.

Thai food is one of my favorite types of cuisine, so thai ingredients on a pizza just makes sense if you ask me. This pizza has a little spice, lots of texture, melty cheese and a hint of sweetness. This pizza requires a little extra attention because it's important to cook some ingredients thoroughly, while some toppings you want to add at the end of cooking so they are still fresh yet warm. It's so worth it!

Thai Red Curry Pizza

Pizza Dough (recipe from Allrecipes.com)
1 (.25 oz.) package dry active yeast
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 tsp. white sugar
2 cups bread flour
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

3. While dough is rising, prepare your toppings and preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Toppings:
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced (optional, tofu would be good too!)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 yellow onion, finely sliced
Approx. 1/3 cup green onion, diced
Approx. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
Approx. 1/3 cup bean sprouts
1/2 large carrot, cut into fine strips

Sauce:
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used light)
1 1/2 tbs. red curry paste
1 1/2 tbs. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
dash of salt

4. Prepare the sauce! Simply add all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Taste, and add more salt or sriracha if you desire.
5. Once dough has risen, transfer to a well floured surface and roll out to your desired thickness. I rolled mine out to fit a 15x10 inch cookie sheet.
6.  Lightly oil your cookie sheet, place dough on the sheet and cover with sauce. Add chicken breast, bell pepper and yellow onion. Cover with about 1/2 cup cheese and place in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until dough is golden.
7. Remove pizza from oven and add green onion, cilantro, peanuts, bean sprouts and carrot slices and cover with the remainder of the cheese. Place in over for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese has started to bubble.
8. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!

Sponsor Spotlight: Allie from Call me Sassafras

Today I'm happy to introduce Allie, from Call Me Sassafras. I really enjoy Allie's blog because she is super real, funny and well, sassy! I also enjoy that Allie writes about science and literature, makes awesome playlists and compiles great stuff from around the web. You can find Allie on Facebook and of course bloglovin', but first read her interview below and check out her top three favorite posts!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog:

Hey y'all! My name's Allie. I hail from freezing Minnesota, but now I split my days (school year/summer) between North Carolina and the shores of Lake Michigan. I'm always listening to music--my tastes range from woodsy folk to Macklemore to the Freelance Whales (who rock my socks off) to 60s surf rock. I think dinosaurs are the coolest thing ever--whale sharks and jellyfish tie for second. I like being under trees, with sarcastic people and asleep. 

Call Me Sassafras is a celebration of being yourself. In the process, I blog about everything that makes me unique! I blog about books that I can't stop thinking about, songs I can't get out of my head, science bits that fascinate me and a plethora of thoughts that pour out of my crazy imagination. 

Why do you blog?

I blog because of the acceptance I find here. With so many people on the internet, I'm bound to find someone else who thinks sharks are the shiz. Blogging gives me a community of ladies that I love and who love me in return--even if it's not in the usual way. Blogging also gives me a voice. I'm very social with people that I know in love, but I'm such an introvert also. This way, I make connections with other people but I also manage my social anxiety. 

What inspires you?

I'm inspired by people who do their own thing, even if it's in a small way. I love Amanda's blog because she blogs so much about ice cream--I don't know anyone else who does that, and that's just awesome! 

What are 3 random things about you?

1. I'm currently planning a big trip for next June. The options: Iceland, Costa Rica or Thailand. Have an opinion or another suggestion? Let me know!

2. I recently threw a Great Gatsby-themed dinner party with friends on my back lawn. You can see pictures here! It was super classy.

3. Call Me Sassafras came from a nickname my longtime boyfriend gave me when I was being sassy. (I'm Sassafras; he's Sasquatch).

3 Favorite Posts:

6 Things I'm Not Ashamed of (But Probably Should Be)

Marie Curie, Karate Chopping Stereotypes 

July Music Recommendations

Ice Cream Sunday: Blackberry Pie Frozen Yogurt

If you had to choose one kind of pie to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? I know it's a very serious, personal question that will probably require some serious soul searching to answer. Take a few minutes to think about it. No pressure. 

For me, it's gotta be blueberry pie (you thought I was gonna say blackberry, didn't ya?). Blackberry pie is an extremely close second, but blueberries don't have seeds so it comes out on top. Berry pies are simply the best if you ask me! It's a combination of the rich color, slight tang and sweet juice that just hits the spot. What's your favorite?

I've been wanting to try frozen yogurt using my ice cream maker for a while. Now that I have, I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner! I've really enjoyed simple frozen vanilla yogurt with bananas on top, but I knew I needed to try jazzing it up. 

I think you'd agree, this frozen yogurt is fully jazzed. It tastes just like eating blackberry pie, minus the seeds (hooray!). Creamy, sweet, tangy and full of pie crust pieces...does it get any better? This is definitely in my top 3 ice creams I've made to date...and it's (slightly) lower calorie than most! Love when that happens. 

For this recipe I used frozen blackberries, but fresh would work wonderfully as well. I also used a "regular" frozen yogurt rather than a low-fat version to give it extra creaminess. If you want to cut back on the calories, low-fat would work as well but won't be as rich. Oh, and you could also go with plain frozen yogurt rather than vanilla, it just won't be as sweet! 

Blackberry Pie Frozen Yogurt

16 oz. fresh of frozen blackberries

4 cups vanilla yogurt (low-fat or regular, I used regular)

1 cup sugar

Pre-baked pie crust (one "layer" is enough)

1. In a saucepan, mix together blackberries and sugar and turn on medium heat. Stir occasionally, and the berries will soon start releasing juice and the sugar will melt into a syrup. Let mixture come to a simmer, and use a fork to crush the berries. Continue cooking until the mixture is fairly smooth and syrupy and remove from heat.

2. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer and use a whisk to help separate the pulp and seeds from the liquid. Throw away the berry pulp and seeds and place the syrup into the fridge until fully cool.

3. While your syrup is cooling, bake some pie crust! You can use whatever pit crust recipe you like. I used a pre-made pie crust to save time. Once your crust is baked, place in the fridge to cool.

4. Once the syrup and pie crust are cooled, combine syrup and yogurt and place in your ice cream maker until the consistency of soft serve. 

5. Transfer about 1/3 of your yogurt into a storage container, then layer chunks of pie crust, followed by more frozen yogurt. Keep layering with pie crust pieces until your frozen yogurt is completely transferred and place in the freezer for several hours or overnight. Enjoy!

purple + black + white

If I could live my life in only purple, black and white...I probably would. Throw some green in there, and I would be good to go. With my moving in a few weeks, I want to sell tons of stuff and buy up new, awesome, purple things. If only that was how it worked, right? Like, "Oh, I'm moving...time to start over and fill my new space with awesome stuff!" Here are a few things on my purple/black/white wish list.

1. Albert Étagère Oak Book Bookcase // 2. Arrowhead Necklace Gold Necklace // 3. Iris Pitcher Plum // 4. Modern Hanging Mobile // 5. The Royal Chalice Glass Set // 6. Fill In The Black Bag // 7. Monochrome Lovins Flat  // 8. Black White Long Sleeve Asymmetrical Striped Dress // 9. Opal Bow Slingback 

bayside picnic

I've wanted to take a little bayside picnic all summer, and last night we finally made it happen (complete with wine!). I'm ready for fall, but not ready for the shorter days. Summer sunsets are the best.

In the next two weeks, Tommy and I are moving and I'm feeling both inspired by the idea of a new space, and sad to say good-bye to this one. This house is the first place we occupied alone together, and it's bittersweet to leave that behind. But hey, this is life and you gotta keep moving. Let's go, let's do this. 

Ice Cream Sunday: Peaches & Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Woah, it's Sunday already? I don't know about you guys, but the past week flew by. I have a feeling the month of August as a whole is gonna be a whirlwind; Tommy and I are moving at the end of the month, and we are going to Bumbershoot music festival on our official moving day. Crazy? Maybe.

But I digress. Let's get to the ice cream. I have been meaning to try making ice cream with cream cheese for a while because I love me some cream cheese frosting. I think it adds just the right amount of tang to super sweet frosting. I figured these tangy-delicious properties would translate perfectly to ice cream, and I was correct!

To me, simple cream cheese ice cream sounds perfectly acceptable and awesome. But, that is kinda boring and I had a few peaches just waiting to be baked/layered with cheese/made into something not really healthy. Well peaches, I didn't let you down...meet cream cheese, honey and whole milk.

I'm not even a huge peach person, and I'm tellin' ya, this ice cream is really good. You can probably use other sweetener if you don't have honey on hand, and vanilla extract will work just fine if you don't have vanilla paste. Also, make sure your peaches are nice and ripe, that juice is gonna make a huge difference as far as the sweetness goes.

Huh, you still don't have an ice cream maker? :). I use this one. Having an ice cream maker doesn't mean an automatic gain of 10 pounds...I made frozen yogurt a few days ago, and it was awesome! Get ready for some frozen yogurt next week.

Peaches & Cream Cheese Ice Cream
4 ripe peaches, skins removed and cut into slices
1 cup milk (I used whole)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tbs. honey
2. tsp vanilla extract or paste (I used paste)
dash of salt

1. Place peaches, milk, and cream cheese into a blender and blend until smooth. Add honey, vanilla and salt, and blend until fully combined.
2. Place mixture into the fridge for several hours until chilled. Once cold, place mixture into your ice cream maker until the texture of soft serve.
3. If you want the texture of ice cream, transfer ice cream into an airtight container and place in the freezer. Freeze for several hours, or overnight. Enjoy!

Hoagie!

Oh hey, is this thing still on? 

Oops, I took a little blogging break. It was a combination of being super busy for the past four days, then feeling super lazy and tired afterwards. But I'm back, and I've got some super cute puppy pictures to make it up to you, haha. 

Last Saturday I drove down to Bremerton to visit friends. I was excited to see them of course, but also really excited to meet Hoagie, my friends new black lab puppy. He was full of puppy energy, and oh so adorable. He is pretty smart as well, Hoagie brought in the huge Sunday paper! 

Oh goodness...I need a puppy now.

Ice Cream Sunday: Green Tea and Almond Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

When I had mono during my last year in high school, all I wanted were green tea flavored things. My diet consisted mostly of green tea ice cream and Arizona green tea. After this green tea binge, I had to take a break from it for a while. To this day, Arizona green tea is just yuck. Green tea ice cream on the other hand? I'll take all you got. I don't think I'll ever get sick of it!

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you probably already know my obsession with green tea. I made a post about all matcha things, I made these green tea cookies with almonds and white chocolate chips, and a green tea coconut latte. So of course I had to make a green tea ice cream!

I decided to go the non dairy route and used coconut milk which gave the ice cream just a hint of coconut taste. I also added almonds, because I really love the flavor combo of almonds and green tea. So yummy. You can't really tell from the photos that almonds are in the ice cream, but believe me they are there and they add a great texture.

Green Tea and Almond Ice Cream
1 can coconut milk
2 tbs. matcha powder
2 tbs. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
2/3 cups shaved almonds

1. In a small saucepan, add coconut milk and matcha powder. Use a whisk to blend slightly, and turn on the heat to medium. Whisking frequently until blended (mixture will blend easier as the coconut milk warms up).
2. Add honey and vanilla paste or extract. Taste and add more honey if desired (I like mine not super sweet). Transport to a small bowl, and place in the fridge until completely cooled (I recommend overnight).
3. Add mixture to ice cream machine and mix until the texture of soft serve. Add almonds and let fully incorporate. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer for several hours or until hard. Enjoy!

July in Review

One more month of summer down, one more to go! I'm trying not to wish August away, but I'm ready for fall already. A few leaves on a tree in my yard have begun to fall, I can't wait! In the meantime, I'm gonna soak up as much sun as possible. Here is a little look back at the month of July!

Lots and lots of ice cream! This month I made chocolate nutter butter, raspberry and rosemary sorbet, avocado brownie and kahlua chocolate chunk with a caramel swirl. 

Celebrated the fourth of July at Tommy's parents house with lots of good food and relaxation. 

 Played around with a bleach pen and made some super cute triangle shorts! 

I shared my asian chicken salad recipe, which is by far my favorite summer salad. So tasty and fresh.

While on the topic of delicious, I also made this peach, brie, basil and bacon sandwich. Is there anything better than melted brie? Let me know if you find it!

Tommy and I went camping, and I made lots of s'mores using candy.

I wore some polka dots, of course!

Listening:  Even though he is a narcissistic jerk, I can't stop listening to Kanye's new album. So many good songs. 

Watching: Tommy and I have been rewatching Breaking Bad in order to get ready for the next (and last!) season. I'm so excited for the new season to start, it's gonna be so intense! 

Reading: Finally finished A Dance with Dragons, and also finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? It's the book that Blade Runner was based on, and it was super interesting. If you like sci-fi at all, you gotta read it!

Instagram // 1. Love my new rug! // 2. Super cute teacups while thrifting. // 3. Atticus loves laying on  my storage cube...he fits so perfectly!// 4. Yay, berry season! // 5. Roses from the yard. // 6. Felt so good to dip my feet in the lake at Tommy's parent's house.

A Few Favorite Posts:

Spoon Fork Bacon // Grilled Peach and Burrata Crostini 

Trends with Benefits // DIY: Dip Dyed Shoes

The Kitchn // How to Make a Pie from Start to Finish

Brit + Co // 16 Fun Photo Backdrop Ideas for Your Next Party

Joy The Baker // Ritz Cracker Ice Cream Sandwich

PopSugar // Artificial Sweeteners Explained

Who What Wear // 10 Shopping Sites Insiders Don't Want You to Know About

Free People Blog // Voluminous Hair in 4 Steps

A Cup of Jo // 10 Surprising Things about Parenting in Japan

Curious Forks // Summer Blueberry Galette