I love Round Table’s Maui Zaui pizza. I haven’t had it in months and we’ve already blown our “fun” budget for September, so I decided to try to make my own. After some unsuccessful attempts to find a copycat recipe online, I made my own version from memory. One of these days I’ll compare it with the real thing, but for now, you may enjoy my “Maui Memory” pizza recipe, which features a sweet-and-sour pizza sauce with pineapple, chopped ham, red onions, mozzarella, bacon, and green onions on top.

All amounts are approximated… I didn’t do much measuring when I was making this!

Makes 1 rectangular pizza, approximately 9″x13″. Serves 2, 3 if you have salad or other side dishes.

Ingredients

Crust (adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

• 2 c bread flour
• 1/2 envelope of active dry yeast (1 1/8 teaspoons)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 7/8 cup warm water

Sauce

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Toppings

• 4-6 slices of bacon, chopped
• 4 slices canadian bacon or similar-sized ham, chopped
• 2-3 slices pineapple, chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 green onion, chopped

Combine dry ingredients in a standing mixer with a dough hook, then slowly add the olive oil and water as the machine is running. Mix until the dough comes together and all flour is incorporated, let it rest for 2 minutes, then run the machine again for 5-8 minutes, adding up to 1/4 c of flour until the dough forms a smooth ball. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (takes about an hour for me).

Turn the dough out and shape into a rough rectangular shape. Cover with the plastic wrap and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. Turn on the oven to 400 degrees and heat a baking stone. (If you don’t have a baking stone, you can preheat a rimless baking sheet, but not for as long.)

While the dough is resting, cook the bacon in a frying pan until crisp, stirring occasionally to allow the bacon to cook evenly. Drain.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until simmering, then turn the heat down and simmer until reduced – about 15-20 minutes.

While the bacon is cooking and the sauce is simmering, you can prep the rest of the ingredients, if you haven’t already.

Stretch the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper (approximately 9″x13″) to form a rectangular shape. Smear the pizza sauce over the dough, then sprinkle the chopped ham, pineapple, and red onions over the sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella, then sprinkle bacon on top.

Slide the parchment paper and pizza onto the baking stone (using another rimless baking sheet makes this easier). Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown and the edges of the dough are starting to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions.

Let the pizza cool for a few minutes to let the cheese set before slicing and serving

Doodah requested some sort of reference to the food-related books I’ve been reading. You can now find a section on the Goodies & Forms page dedicated to food-issue-related stuff. I’ll try to expand the “Resources” section a little more beyond my blog to some of the other sites that I’ve found helpful.

I also made a new page to hold a Recipe Index where you can find the various recipes that I’ve posted at this blog.

(Side note: Must think of better way to organize other posts. Not using tags OR categories very efficiently!)

I love soup (I think I’ve said this before!). Here’s a recipe that is pretty flexible for asian-style chicken soup. The broth is a little clearer with less herby flavor and different sorts of veggies are used. My picture doesn’t really do it justice but it gives you an idea!

Ingredients

• Chicken legs and thighs (about 2-3 lbs.) – Breast meat isn’t as flavorful and gets dried out if you use it exclusively in this recipe; however, you can have some chicken breast to add later if you’d like.
• Vegetable oil
• Water (about 2 qts., although you can adjust for as much liquid as you want!)
• 1 teaspoon salt for every 2 qts of water you use
• Vegetables: Some possibilities are daikon radish (for a “real” asian flavor!), cabbage (green or napa), carrots, mushrooms (white, cremini, oyster, straw… any kind you want!). You can vary the amount.
• Green onions for garnishing (optional)
• Cooked rice (optional)

Directions

1. If you want, cut the chicken legs and thighs into two parts using a big cleaver. (This makes it seem like there’s more meat in the soup.)
2. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large soup/stock pot over medium heat.
3. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown on all sides. This will take about 5-8 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. This helps release some yummy chicken juices so that the broth is very flavorful.
5. Meanwhile, heat up two quarts of water. This can be boiling or just “hot;” it basically helps speed up the cooking process so that you don’t have to wait for the water to warm up in the soup pot.
6. Add the water to the pot and turn the heat back up to medium.
7. Add salt.
8. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down again to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
9. Meanwhile, prep your veggies. If using diakon radish, wash well and then slice into thin 1/4″ rounds. If using cabbage, cut into chunks. If using carrots, peel and cut into two-inch pieces, then cut each piece into thin 1/4″ slices (they’ll look like rectangles). If using mushrooms, wash or wipe and cut the bigger mushrooms into slices or halves. The overall goal is to get the veggies into sizes that will allow them to cook through at about the same time. Note: If using green onions, chop but add them as garnish at the end.
10. Add the veggies to the soup and simmer until they’re tender but not mushy.
11. Taste the soup without burning yourself and adjust the salt as necessary.
12. Serve over cooked rice, garnishing with green onions if you like that sort of thing.

If you really like chicken breast, you can add it during step 8 to cook it through, remove it, and shred it. Add the chicken meat after the veggies are cooked (step 10) before adjusting the flavor.

Finished Reading:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – I wasn’t really “into” Kingsolver’s books that I’ve read before (The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees) but I saw this in the bookstore and was very intrigued. I’m a sucker for books that have to do with food. Luckily the book was available through my library system so I got to read it for free.

This book covers a year with Barbara, her husband, and two daughters, after a move from Tuscon, Arizona into the steep Appalachian hills of Virginia, as they attempt to go to a self-produced and locally-produced diet. Their journey includes planting tons (literally) of vegetables on 3,500 square feet of soil, developing relationships with local farmers and local food producers, learning to make their own cheese, discovering the mating secrets of turkeys, and thinking a lot about where food comes from and why that matters. One of the neat things about this book is that it’s a family-produced book; Barbara’s oldest daughter ends most chapters with a short essay from her perspective and some yummy-looking recipes, Barbara’s husband has sidebars scattered throughout with interesting stats, resources, and tips.

Some of the things that stood out to me:

• With a non-farming background, I was surprised to learn that asparagus grow to become 3-4 foot plants. We eat the small shoots that come up in early spring.
• Mass-produced veggies have drastically decreased the variety of foods that we could be eating. Some plant varieties — even whole species — are being lost. “According to Indian crop ecologist Vandana Shiva, humans have eaten some 80,000 plant species in our history. After recent precipitous changes, three-quarters of all human food now comes from just eight species, with the field quickly narrowing down to genetically modified corn, soy, and canola” (p. 49, in the chapter “Springing Forward”).
• Organic foods have 50% more antioxidants than conventionally grown foods, because they have to work harder at surviving (without pesticides).
• The chapter “The Birds and the Bees” has an awesome story about Barbara’s youngest daughter, Lily, and her egg venture, that made me laugh out loud.
• Chapter 8, “Growing Trust,” has an interesting rant about our perception of grocery money. Why do we insist on “cheap food prices” and settle for sub-par quality produce, meat, and fast or convenient food, but spend billions on bottled drinking water? The sidebar in this chapter is especially interesting, addressing the complaint about how organic foods are more expensive. Truth be told, we pay billions in tax dollars, Farm Bill subsidies, and health and environmental costs for the production of “conventional” foods that don’t show up in the grocery aisle sticker prices. While there is something to be said for larger corporate organic producers who might be manipulating the growing popularity of “organic foods” (and who might be less than ethical in their commitments to providing truly organic foods), small organic farmers generally have to charge more because they put more labor into their work and also have a harder time distributing and marketing their goods.
• Did you know that with some mail-order cultures and store-bought milk, you can make your own fresh mozzarella in 30 minutes? Let me add that on my “things to try to do someday” list!! It sounds like yogurt, cream cheese, and ricotta cheese are relatively easy to make at home as well; hard cheeses are a little harder. (Pardon the pun.) Barbara describes a cheese-making workshop she attended, which makes me very interested to see if anything similar is offered in my area as well.
• Sounds like canning tomatoes in a water bath is the easiest way to start canning; the acidity keeps you from having to process the vegetable in a pressure canner. Another thing I’d want to try someday as well. (Note to self: Need garden with tomatoes first.)
• Barbara’s adventures into raising — and breeding — turkeys is priceless.
• The final results of their year-long experiment: Based on current organic food prices, Barbara’s family raised and harvested $4,410 worth of veggies and poultry. Supplemented with locally milled flour, locally produced pasta, organic grain for animal feed, etc., they spent a total of about $0.50 per person per meal.

Barbara pulls out all the stops unapologetically, using statistics, personal sketches of farmers, and humor, to make a compelling and sometimes convicting case for buying local produce and food, supporting local farmers, and overall becoming more aware of where your food comes from and your own role in the food production chain. Some may find her preachy; I found her passion inspiring without being judgmental. It helped that I was fascinated by the details she provided about things like canning and cheese-making (remember, I’m the one who reads the food bits of the Little House books for pleasure) and that I love food books in general (How to Read a French Fry, Salt, and Garlic and Sapphires immediately come to mind as recent foodie reads).

Personal impact of this book:

• Recommitting to buying more of our groceries from the local food co-op (I got a bit lazy in the past few weeks)
• Giving the farmer’s market another try (I get overwhelmed and lost when I go); actually try talking to the farmers if I’m brave
• Future desires:
  • Learn how to make mozzarella
  • Learn to can stuff
  • Grow a garden

With a bookmark:

(Books I just started reading, or books I’ve been “reading” for ages. Most recent first.)

• Confessions of a Tax Collector by Richard Yancey
• Buying Your First Home by Ilona Bray, Alayna Schroeder, and Marcia Stewart
• Body, Soul, and Baby by Tracy Gaudet
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, and Sandee Hathaway
• The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson

In the library book box:

• Dragonhaven by Patricia McKinley
• A Good Dog by Jon Katz
• Dog Days by Jon Katz
• Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
• The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

We’ve had three rainy days (interspersed by warm sunny days) over the past month, so I’m taking that to mean that it’s officially fall and okay to make soup once or three times a week. I could eat soup every day, but that probably wouldn’t be fair to Steve.

So far I’ve made butternut squash soup (twice), miso soup, broccoli soup, and tortilla soup with chicken. On the menu later this week is quick beef soup — a tomato-y soup with ground beef and small bits of pasta.

I had butternut squash soup for the first time last year and it’s become one of my favorite soups. Once you get past the prep, it’s relatively easy to make, although you do have to clean up a blender afterwards. Here’s the recipe I use. I adjust the amounts a little bit depending on what size squash I end up with from the store.

Peel a 3-lb. butternut squash and trim off the ends. Start cutting 3/4″ slices off the narrower end until you hit the hollow where the seeds are. Then cut the squash in half to more easily de-seed the squash. Continue slicing the squash, then cut the slices into cubes.

Peel a medium onion and chop.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s softened (5 minutes or so) . Add the squash, 4-5 cups of chicken broth, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, and a small pinch of nutmeg. Heat the soup until it’s simmering, then cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until the squash is soft.

Get a blender out. Remove the thyme stems. Scoop squash and broth into the blender until about halfway full, then puree the soup. From past experience, you might want to just pulse the soup and hold the top down with a towel so you don’t have a squashed kitchen. Pour the blended soup into a large bowl while you puree the rest of the soup.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and stir in. Heat the soup until it just starts to simmer, then turn off the heat. You can add more chicken broth if the soup seems too thick for you (I like it thick, personally).

Serve the soup. Try sprinkling some ground nutmeg, cinnamon, or cloves over the soup and stirring it in. Some people also like it with sour cream, cheese, or even peanut butter! My personal favorite is ground cloves; Steve likes cinnamon.

I think I have some leftover in the fridge that I can have for my morning snack… Yum!

These are the faithful Haffly-household menu stand-bys. That is, when there aren’t leftovers for lunch or I’ve worked a long hard day and don’t feel like cooking “real” food (i.e., a main dish and two side dishes), this is what we often end up eating, with fresh vegetables or fruit on the side.

• Quick Quesadillas
• Bagel with Cream Cheese and Egg
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Poached Egg Salad
• Japanese Scrambled Eggs over Rice
• Mom’s Various Versions of Fried Rice

Quick Quesadillas

Our good friends introduced us to this wonderfully simple almost-all-in-one-meal. In about five minutes, you can enjoy grains, vegetables, protein, and dairy! (The refried beans count for both veggie/protein.) It’s also very economical when you buy bulk — our local Costco has a large pack of refried bean cans, and we get a big bag of “Mexican shredded cheese” and a tall stack of corn tortillas from our local Safeway.

Two small servings. Five minutes.

• 4 smallish corn tortillas (we get the Guerroro white corn tortillas, 50 pack!)
• 1/3-1/2 cup refried beans scooped into small microwave-safe bowl (black beans work nicely, too)
• Shredded cheese, your preference
• Green taco sauce (we get La Victoria green taco sauce, 12 oz. bottle) or other sauce/salsa of your choice

1. Slide out the wire rack of a toaster oven part way.
2. Lay two corn tortillas side by side on the wire rack.
3. Sprinkle shredded cheese generously on the tortillas. (Leave about a 1/2″ border of tortilla around the cheese, just in case the tortilla droops over an edge of the rack. I’ve had a toaster-oven fire from melted cheese before!)
4. Push the rack in and toast for 4 minutes. (Our toaster oven has a timer; if yours doesn’t, just set it on medium-high or medium-brown and watch the clock.)
5. While the tortillas are toasting, microwave the refried beans for 25-30 seconds on high. They may explode and get your microwave messy, so cover with something (we use paper towels) if you need to.
6. When the first batch of tortillas are done, slide them onto a plate and start the next two in the toaster oven.
7. Spread a spoonful of the refried beans over half of the cheesy tortilla.
8. Pour out a dollop of the green taco sauce.
9. Fold tortilla in half.
10. Repeat with the other tortillas when they are ready.
11. Enjoy!!

You will probably still be hungry after two of these quesadillas. We usually eat fresh vegetables with ranch dressing to bulk up the meal. If you’re feeling especially silly, you can make a funny face out of veggies/quesadillas:

Bagel with Cream Cheese and Egg

This is a Steve-specialty — he came up with it all by himself. Not bad for someone who doesn’t like to cook and possibly married me because I liked to (among other reasons, I suppose).

Two servings. Seven to ten minutes.

• Vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 bagel (we get Noah’s bagels for cheap at Costco and freeze them)
• Cream cheese (we like whipped cream cheese because it’s easier to spread)

1. Put small non-stick skillet on stove and heat on medium to medium-high. Add vegetable oil and heat that, too, until hot but not smoking.
2. While the skillet is heating, defrost bagel if necessary by microwaving for 30 seconds on high. Cut in half.
3. Depending on how big your skillet is, break in one or both eggs and cook to your liking. (We both like unbroken fried eggs; I like mine slightly runny in the middle, Steve likes his NOT runny.)
4. While the eggs are cooking, toast bagel halves for 4 minutes or until browned to your liking.
5. If you are lucky or skilled, everything finishes at the same time. Spread the cream cheese on the hot bagel halves, then slide an egg onto each half.
6. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This is the way my mom taught me to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

One serving. Five minutes.

• 2 slices sandwich bread
• 1 slice cheese (I love processed American cheese)
• butter or margarine

1. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat.
2. While the pan is heating, spread the butter or margarine on one side of both pieces of bread.
3. Stack the bread buttered sides together while waiting for the pan to heat. Lay the slice of cheese on the top of the stack.
4. When the pan is hot, pick up just the top piece of bread and put it in the skillet, buttered side down, cheese on top. Cover it with the other piece of bread (buttered side up). The butter on the outside will help the bread to brown.
5. Cook until the cheese starts to melt and the bottom side is toasty brown.
6. Flip. Cook until the other side is toasty brown.
7. For a nice presentation, cut diagonally into halves or quarters and then eat!

Poached Egg Salad

Serves 2. About 10-15 minutes.

• 3 slices white bread
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 4 ounces salad greens
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• ½ tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1″ cubes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small frying pan. Saute the bread for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they are golden brown. Remove from pan.
3. In the meantime, boil water in a 12″ skillet (it should be almost full).
4. Crack the eggs into small bowls or teacups.
5. When the water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar, then gently slide the eggs into the boiling water. Poach for 4 minutes or to your desired doneness.
6. While the eggs are cooking, divide the salad greens between two plates. Sprinkle the croutons over the greens.
7. Also, wipe out the small frying pan, then add the remaining olive oil, garlic, and vinegar and cook for 1 minute over high heat.
8. Pour the dressing over the salad. Top with a poached egg.
9. Shave Parmesan over the top and sprinkle with pepper.

Japanese Scrambled Eggs Over Rice

I checked out a Japanese cookbook from the library and one of my favorite dishes was a sweet egg and ground beef dish. Just having the egg over rice is pretty good, too, which is what I do when I’m desperate for something to eat. Not exactly a well-balanced meal, so having some fresh fruits or veggies is advised! (I usually like to boil some frozen edamame to keep with the Japanese flavor.)

Serves two. About 10 minutes.

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• salt
• Leftover cooked white rice (about 3/4 cup per person)

1. Heat the oil in a small skillet or saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, divide the rice into two bowls and microwave until hot.
3. Add the eggs and sugar, bring the heat to medium, and scramble for two minutes.
4. Add a pinch of salt when the eggs begin to harden.
5. Scramble for a few more minutes until the eggs are set and are in very small pieces.
6. Scoop the eggs on top of the rice.

Mom’s Various Versions of Fried Rice

This is comfort food for me!

Serves 2-3. Takes as little as 8 minutes or a little longer, depending on the variation.

Fried Rice with Egg

• veggie oil
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 – 2 cups leftover cooked medium-grain rice (cold from the fridge works best)
• chopped scallions, white and green parts included
• salt

1. Heat a largeish (10″ or 12″) skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then pour into the skillet. Cook omelet-style (a flat egg pancake) at first until the egg is set, then flip the egg pancake over and cook the other side briefly until dry. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate or in a bowl.
3. Add a little more oil, heat more.
4. Add the rice. Break it up with a spatula and stir it around until the rice is hot.
5. Add the egg back in and break that up with the spatula, too. Add the scallions and continue to stir until everything is heated.
6. Add salt to taste. Stir.
7. Serve!

Good with chopped cabbage added with the rice, as well.
Fried Rice with Egg and Chinese Sausage

• Same ingredients as above, plus…
• 1 or 2 Chinese sausages (la-chong)

1. Slice the sausages on a slight angle into 3/8″ slices.
2. Cook the egg as described above.
3. Before adding the rice as described above, add the sausages and cook slightly until the fat just starts to turn translucent.
4. Then add the rice, egg, scallions, salt, etc., as described above.
5. Serve!

Curry Fried Rice

• 1/2 lb. ground beef (I usually have some in the freezer, pre-divided and wrapped up into 1/2 lb. packs. You don’t even need to defrost it.)
• 2-3 cups leftover cooked medium-grain rice (cold from the fridge works best)
• chopped scallions, white and green parts included
• yellow curry powder
• salt

1. Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add the ground beef. If it’s still a frozen hunk, turn it often and break off chunks. Keep breaking it apart with a spatula until cooked through.
3. Add the rice. If you used extra-lean beef, you might want to add some vegetable oil, too. Otherwise, the fat from the beef should be enough for the rice.
4. Stir around until the rice is hot.
5. Add the scallions.
6. Add a generous amount of curry powder. I use from 1-3 tablespoons depending on how flavorful I want it.
7. Sprinkle with salt. Stir everything around until all the rice is yellow. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to.
8. Serve!

Unhealthy Fried Rice

This is my own invention. My mom would never teach me to cook anything that is so terrible for one’s arteries.

Serves 3-4 people, or 2 with healthy appetites.

• 3 eggs
• 4 slices bacon (thin or thick), chopped
• 1/2 lb. ground beef (I usually have pre-divided packs stored in the freezer, and often don’t even defrost it)
• 2-3 cups leftover cooked medium-grain rice (cold from the fridge works best)
• chopped scallions, white and green parts included
• soy sauce
• oyster-flavored sauce (optional)
• sesame seeds

1. Cook eggs as described above, set aside.
2. Add bacon and cook until mostly crisp. Scoop out the bacon and set aside with the egg. Don’t drain the fat.
3. Add the beef. If it’s still a frozen hunk, turn it often and break off chunks. Keep breaking it apart with a spatula until cooked through.
4. Add the rice to the beef. Stir around and heat. No need to add veggie oil because there is plenty of saturated fat already in the pan.
5. Add the onions, eggs, and bacon back to the pan.
6. Pour in soy sauce to your liking. I think I usually use about 1-2 tablespoons.
7. Add a generous dollop of oyster-flavored sauce. I like the taste of it.
8. Stir until the rice is all brown.
9. Sprinkle sesame seeds over everything and toss more.
10. Serve!