Longing for Winter

I Skyped my parents today and they told me that they've already turned on the heat at home. What!?

Oh, right, forgot we're in October (almost November) and other places--outside of Austin--start getting chilly this time of the year.

I know there are plenty of people who can't deal with cold weather; plenty of people that prefer endless sunny (and warm) days. However, I'm not one of them. I actually enjoy the change of seasons and I certainly don't mind cold weather--I actually like it to a certain extent. And I love snow. Don't get me wrong, I won't spend my years in Austin complaining about the sunny days, because that would just be preposterous. But, every now and again, I'll express my longing for temperatures in the lower digits accompanied by flurries (an inches on the ground) of snow. I'll even take the occasional slush-storm if it means I can have a snow day later on!

In other news, this weeks marks the last of the so-called fun days of my first semester in law school. Apparently I'm about to embark towards the scary depths no-fun November and then the utterly feared finals period in December. I'll try not to fret it too much just yet, but this might be one of the last posts you see this year. But let's hope not.

Here's my dinner from tonight.

Cauliflower pizza! This is a dish I've been wanting to add to my repertoire for quite some time, and tonight I finally got to do so. Yes, it is as odd as it seems (at least to all of us who were oblivious to the wonders of alternative cauliflower uses); and yes it is as delicious as it sounds (at least to all of us veggie-loving-health-freaks). I subbed some ingredients with what I had at home, but I'm sure any pizza topping would taste delicious.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (adapted from iFOODreal)
Active time: 30 minutes; total time: 1hr15mins.
Makes about 6 servings.

• 1 head cauliflower (about 7" wide)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup parmesan or mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a large cooking sheet with cooking spray. 
2. Rinse cauliflower, remove leaves and cut into florets. Place florets in a food processor (Ninja Blender in my case) and process until it resembles a fine rice mixture; some chunks are fine. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Remove cauliflower mixture from oven and transfer to a bowl lined with 3 layers of cheese cloth. Using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, patiently squeezing about 15-20 times. 
4. Bring oven temperature to 450F. Line a pizza baking sheet (or regular baking sheet) with parchment paper.
5. Transfer dry cauliflower mixture to a large bowl and mix in egg, cheese, spices, salt and pepper. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and press with fingers until about 1/2-inch thin. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until golden .
6. Remove crust from oven and top with desired toppings. Return to oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and toppings are cooked. 

Here's to Boston

So this is it. The moment I've been reluctant to picture for years--about four to be exact.

It's not that I'm unhappy to be moving back to Mexico City, because believe me, I'm ecstatic about that; it's that I hate being in this inevitable spot where I have to abandon one of the greatest cities in the world. Boston has been my home for almost four and a half years, but it feels like I've lived here for a lifetime.

When I first arrived in the Bean, I was a timid high-school grad looking for a place where I could find the extrovert in me (which is still quite muddled by my true introvert) while fulfilling my dream of attending college in the United States. I was searching a new group of friends, an additional layer of independence in my life and above all, the opportunity to grow as much I could. Now, looking back at my time at Boston University and the following months as a young professional in Boston--and yes, I did go through my albums in Facebook to reminisce about all the stupid/dorky/amusing, albeit fun times I had--I realize that in a sense, I'm a new person.

I've learned to laugh in ways I never knew existed at things I never would've even thought of discussing in Mexico; I've learned to live with others and coexist to the point of fights and immediate reconciliation, followed by inebriation; I've learned to manage my time in order to juggle classes, extracurriculars and work, or at least learned to function on a few hours of sleep, several ounces of RedBull and multiple cups of coffee; I've learned to like and dislike an array of foods (mainly because of obsession followed by overdose and ultimately a complete aversion to such foods) and to make a proper meal for myself both in and out of the dinning hall; I've learned to share personal details and turn them into overly dramatic yet funny stories, but also to keep to myself and listen to others while they pour their minds out; I've learned to duck around people to walk as fast as I my legs allow and to duck the curve-balls that continue to be thrown at me as I move into my young adulthood. But most importantly--and this is where I get really corny--I've learned that I'm capable of accomplishing my goals and surpassing those expectations that I once considered platonic.

And I must say, I owe this all to Boston. To this great city and the even greater people that inhabit it.

Here's to Boston, and to the friendships I developed in my years as a Terrier.

And now onto the food portion of this post... here's a recap of the dishes I served at my party last weekend. It was an early birthday and farewell birthday party and I decided to go all out since the people attending were those who made the above paragraphs possible.

**I will provide the recipes for these in following posts.

• Peppermint Meringues
• Dark Chocolate Mocha Mini Cupcakes
• Pepperoni Pizza Bites 
• Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts 
• Mini Caprese Sticks
• Funfetti Cake Balls
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Corn Guacamole

... And then there were the drinks...

DIY Pizza

Here's my problem. I find myself bored and unmotivated often these days, but then I get bouts of inspiration at the worst possible times. It is a vicious cycle.

I keep telling myself that I must find something to keep me going. Yes, I have my blog--and don't get me wrong, it is an everyday motivator--but it is very hard to keep it up when I am only cooking for one. Now that Maricarmen left (this morning), I find myself food-bored once again. I can't cook elaborate dishes and I  get sick of eating the same things over and over again.

On the other hand, I am a journalism intern and that means I have many articles waiting to be written. But honestly, sometimes I just wish I could drop all my stories and cook a banquet. A banquet that I could proceed to eat without ever getting full!

Anyways, in the days to come, with summer classes ending and stories due, I will not be cooking that much. Meals will probably be the easiest possible dishes I can put together. But after that...

For now, enjoy the second pizza dish using the leftover dough from Wednesday. The other basic recipe for pizza is below.

To assemble the pizza:

1. Roll out dough to desired thickness.
2. Coat dough with olive oil, using spray or a cooking brush.
3. Spread tomato sauce over pizza.
4. Sprinkle pizza with desired toppings.
5. Cook pizza in  preheated oven at 500F for about 10-15 minutes.

Easy Tomato Sauce (adapted from How To Cook Everything)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds canned tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• S & P

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large deep skillet. Once hot, add onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until slightly tender. 
2. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil. Season with oregano and S & P. Cook sauce, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until reduced to desired consistency.

Pizza for Dessert

Heads up, there are many pictures in this post. What can I say, I just could not abstain from sharing every little piece of this delectable dessert.

My friend Maricarmen is here for the week. Which means that there is finally more than one person eating my food (that one person being me). It also means that I am bound to make good recipes.

Today was not a day to be outside. Unlike the beginning of the week, which was sunny and bright, today was rainy and gray. And even though all I really wanted to do was stay home and do absolutely nothing, grocery shopping was a must.

So after a quick lunch at Scoozi (my make-shift diner in Boston) and a yummy fro-yo, my friend and I ventured to Shaws. An hour and a half later, we were back home, wet and grossed out by the humidity. But it was well worth the trip.

I have to say this dish deserves more than just a simple blog post (hence the amount of pictures). If you have not tried dessert pizza, you must do so soon. And by soon I mean tomorrow!

This recipe is very easy and the end product is a delectable dessert that really is the lick-your-fingers-and-scrape-the-plate type.

Pizza Dough (adapted from How To Cook Everything)

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons active yeast
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 cup lukewarm water, plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast and salt. Slowly add water and oil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Stir until dough becomes slightly sticky, adding more water if needed. If dough becomes too sticky, which it shouldn't, add flour a tablespoon at a time.
2. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute. Push bottom of hands into the dough and pull back, then push knuckles into dough and repeat. 
3. Transfer dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure that wrap is not too tight. Let rise for about 2 hours (or overnight) or wrap dough in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutella, Strawberry & Banana Pizza

• 1/2 recipe pizza dough (see above)
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 3 strawberries, sliced lengthwise
• 12 banana, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 500 F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. 
2. Place dough on a floured surface and roll out until about 1/4-inch thick (dough will rise) or desired thickness. Transfer dough to baking sheet carefully. Fold sides and pinch to create a border and let sit for about 20 minutes.
3. Bake dough for 13-15 minutes, or until crust is golden. While dough is hot, carefully spread Nutella over pizza. Let cool, about 5 minutes. 
4. Arrange strawberries and bananas, or other sliced fruit, on the pizza. Slice and serve.

*Optional: sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top of the pizza before serving.