“There’s no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap.”~ Kevin James, American Comedian (1965 – )

Traveling through Wyoming last week, Larry and I decided to stop for a quick lunch in Cheyenne. Picking randomly from the choices located near I-25, we chose Scotty’s Pizza Factory and have to say it was a rewarding and unique experience. Scottie himself came out to chat with us while we were waiting for our pizza and I can’t remember when I’ve met a more genuinely amiable business owner. If you’re ever in the neighborhood and in the mood for excellent pizza, do stop by and say hello to Scott at 1802 Dell Range in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Since we rarely eat at restaurants, I had never encountered the concept of dessert pizza, but Scott had an amazing assortment out on the buffet table. Of course, we had to come home and try out this idea on our own straight away.

We used the no-sugar- added jam for fruit spread and found it unnecessary to add any additional sweeteners. This is a perfect opportunity to get creative, however, so haul out the chocolate syrup or marshmallow crème for those who craving more sugar to add individually. While we chose cherries and peaches, by all means make this with your own favorite combination. Using a ready-to-bake crust means this can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Note: The temperature and time used for baking in this recipe worked for the crust we purchased. Follow the directions for the crust you have.

Fruit Pizza

14” ready-to-bake pizza crust
1 cup cherry fruit spread
2 cups chopped peaches (thawed from frozen is fine)
½ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°

Spread fruit spread over pizza crust leaving a 1” rim. Distribute the peaches evenly over the fruit spread. Mix the oats, walnuts, cinnamon and canola oil together, then sprinkle over the peaches. Bake in the 350° oven for about 15 minutes, or until crust has browned. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Keep your Monday sweet. On Wednesday, we’ll talk about how eating healthy can be earth friendly. See you then!

“I love tapas. They’re like appetizers for a meal that never comes.” ~ Marge Simpson in The Simpsons movie (1989)

True story: When I was working at a senior citizen center, I arranged weekly outings and promoted them to the group with fliers and personal contact. When I mentioned to one hard-of-hearing gentleman that we were going to a tapas bar, he replied, “Oh, I’ve never been one to go in for that sort of entertainment.” You can figure it out.

A recent FaceBook posting by one of my cousins reminded me of what fun grazing parties can be. The new, old word for them is “tapas”, for which the etymology is uncertain except to agree that it is Spanish for topping, as in topping a drinking glass with a small plate full of appetizers, leaving one hand free for eating with.

Traditionally, tapas are served in the early evening with a full dinner not served until around nine o’clock. For those who go to bed early, it is quite nice to just fill up on them and skip dinner altogether. Either way, they are terribly intimate affairs prone to romance, so do approach with care!

A typical spread will include many bits of deep fried or cheese laced options, usually heavy on the fat. When I took it upon myself to research some less labor intensive ideas, I was surprised to find that there are many easy and healthy recipes to include on the menu.

First, is the Italian crostini. Amazing little slices of bread, toasted, and then topped with something yummy, they are as terribly impressive as they are easy. Just thinly slice a baguette and toast the pieces laid out on a baking pan in a 400° oven for about 5 minutes, until they are nicely browned, turning once part way through. Then, brush lightly with olive oil and top with slices of tomato and/or spoonfuls of bruschetta (eggplant spread) or tapenade (olive spread), both available at the grocery store, usually on the top shelf near the Italian food.

Another good idea is to use Belgian endive like pointy lettuce boats, and fill them with a chopped salad. The leaves are sturdy enough to be eaten out of hand, and small enough to be delightful. If chopping ingredients isn’t in your plan, you can make a salad with small ingredients, like this black bean and corn combination.

Black Bean Corn Salad

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
¼ red pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped green onion or chives
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Ground chipotle pepper to taste (optional)

Mix everything together in a bowl. Offer directly from the serving bowl, or use to fill endive leaves for individual servings.

Pickled asparagus, olives and spiced nuts also make good contributions to the tapas buffet without any preparation beyond opening a jar and dumping out the contents!

This week sure flew by. I hope you enjoy your weekend. Monday could be a surprise for us all…

“Between soup and love, the first is best.”
~ an old Spanish saying

To some, making soup is a science, with carefully designed recipes to be followed with precision. To others, it is an art, that involves little more than tipping a refrigerator full of leftovers so that they fall into the pot. I’m somewhere in the middle.

Family recipes are valued for their associated traditions and usually need to be followed religiously. Having the same result each time is important. If you always have a particular beet borscht for Christmas Eve, you wouldn’t want to tamper with that.

Fortunately, for the rest of the year, the creative process can be let loose. With some thought, soups can be designed to soothe or to invigorate, to nourish the body or inspire the soul, to stretch time around the table, or to make a quick snack. Knowing the goal is important before beginning.

All of my adult life, I’ve prepared big pots of soup: tortilla soup with fried tortilla strips stirred in, gazpacho with a shot of tequila for those old enough, or pea soup with pieces of ham or spiced seeds sprinkled on top, to name a few.

Now that our nest is empty, I am discovering the joy and simplicity of preparing quick soups for just one or two. They really aren’t much more difficult than the canned, heat & eat varieties, but they are dramatically fresher in flavor. Once again, preparing foods at home also provides more control over ingredients.

Use whatever broth you like the best, but don’t be afraid to try something new now and then. One of my favorites is Japanese miso, a rice and bean paste stirred into water, but it is quite salty so not for everyone. If you are accustomed to chicken or beef broth, consider giving lighter, more flavorful vegetable broth a try for a change. If you have no broth, simply use water seasoned with soy sauce, ground pepper, and a little garlic.

Scrap Soup

Makes 1 ½ cups

1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup mixed leftover cooked or frozen vegetables
1 cup broth
¼ cup thin spaghetti, broken into bite-size pieces
¼ cup cubed tofu or cooked meat, fish, or poultry
Pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Lightly sauté the vegetables in the olive oil until they begin to brown. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the spaghetti. Boil until the noodles are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and remove from heat. Serve hot.

What is the best soup you’ve ever had? On Friday, we’ll plan for party season with easy snack ideas that put the shame on potato chips.

If hot isn’t your thing today, Jamba Juice is giving out buy-one-get-one-free coupons at

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”~ Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), The Queen addressing Alice in Through the Looking Glass

For some, breakfast is just impossible to manage, much as its importance has been demonstrated. Part of the problem is that an easy to prepare breakfast can get boring, or too many of the options are sugar laden. For some of us, eating with a spoon while driving to work can be problematic, and sometimes, it is just a matter of Morning Mind Block.

Let’s put our heads together and come up with a list of enticing breakfasts that are healthy, tempting, easy, and convenient to eat. I’m not asking for too much, am I?

Fresh fruit: Apples or bananas are particularly convenient and are naturals for dipping into granola or yogurt. This is particularly good to prevent overeating, as might happen when using a spoon.

Frozen fruit: Dump some frozen fruit into the blender, add a bit of milk (my favorite is the new unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk beverage located next to the soy milk at the grocery store), a few drops of vanilla or orange extract, and whirl until smooth. Fill your favorite travel mug with it and you’re good to go!

Nuts: Peanut butter sandwiches are not just for lunch anymore. Slightly mash a banana – just enough to keep it from falling off the bread, not totally mushed up like baby food – and spread it over the peanut butter instead of jam. Try almond or cashew butter once in a while to provide variety, and throw in a few raisins just for fun. Do remember to read labels to avoid added sugar and salt.

Grains: Don’t limit yourself to sliced bread! Whole grain tortillas and English muffins have “interesting” written all over them, even if they carry the same old fillings.

Just about anything you can come up with for breakfast (beyond cereal, of course) can be wrapped into a package that can be eaten out of hand. If you are trying to reduce carbohydrate intake, ingredients can usually be wrapped up in a lettuce leaf.

Apple Salad Wrap

2 soft-taco size tortillas or large lettuce leaves
½ apple, cored and chopped
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons cream cheese or substitute
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons milk or apple juice

Combine cream cheese, cinnamon, and apple juice or milk, in a medium bowl, stirring to make a smooth dressing. Stir in the chopped apple, walnuts, and cranberries until coated. Divide between two tortillas or two large lettuce leaves and wrap , tucking ends in to make pockets.

Please add your ideas for quick breakfasts to the comments section below. When you stop by on Wednesday, we’ll have a soup-er recipe to share.

“Never eat more than you can lift.” ~ Miss Piggy, Actress (1974 – )

When my kids were small, they took tae kwon do classes from a man who included goal setting as part of the curriculum. I remember the lineup of tots, fists turned down in front of them, forcefully reciting, “Set a goal. Make a plan. Write it down. Follow through!” They remember, too. Meeting goals becomes less inconvenient when thought has been given to overcoming obstacles before we face them.

Knowing myself is key to success when it comes to cooking. 5:00 p.m. on a day that has been very busy is when I am most vulnerable to the marketing tactics of the fast food industry. Consequently, I’ve learned to plan for those times.

Cooking vegetarian dishes in the electric slow cooker may sound odd to some, but it is even more convenient than when cooking with meat. For periods longer than 6 hours, browning anything ahead of time is rarely required, so it turns out to be a dump and go deal appropriate for all kinds of soups, stews, and pulses. And who doesn’t feel an instant sense of stress relief when walking into a house full of the aroma of dinner already cooked?

Oh, yeah. Cleanup is easier too!

Pot o’Lentils (a.k.a. Sloppy Lentils)

Serves 4

½ cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 (14 ½ -ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce OR ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup chopped onions (optional)

Measure everything directly into the pot, stir, cover, and set on low for 8 to 10 hours. Serve in a bun, as for sloppy joes, or as a topping over rice or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy your weekend. When you come back on Monday, we’ll have a chat about breakfast habits.