Recipe of the Week: Egg and Kale Pizza

As I'm getting more experienced in the kitchen, I've been experimenting more with my own ingredients, getting basic temperatures and cooking times from sources online and then improvising on my own. It reminds me of the improvisation that is so essential to becoming an individual in art forms such as music and painting. Cooking is the same. Initially, I depended heavily on recipes found online, but now I've become much more independent and relying on my intuition. 

This time last year, I was at a summer program called the NJ Governor's School in the Sciences. In addition to great classes about Neurobiology, Molecular Orbital Chemistry, and Anthropology, I participated in the talent show. I joined up with two of my friends to play a jazz version of Eleanor Rigby. I played the flute and my two friends played the piano and cello. We had no sheet music; we arranged the piece on our own. I remember how uncomfortable I felt at one of our first rehearsals, having been accustomed to always following along on a sheet of paper with carefully delineated measures, notes, and rests. On the night of the talent show, however, I stopped worrying about how it would sound and just let it come together naturally. It was an eye-opening learning experience for me and taught me that it's okay to not plan ahead so much - to just go with the flow.

For this recipe, you will need:

Ingredients

Pizza dough

Cheddar cheese, grated 

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Kale, stalks and stems removed, washed, dried, and cut into bite-size pieces

Egg

Thyme

Tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's Organic Marinara Sauce)

Salt

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread out pizza dough until it forms a thin, flat sheet. If holes form, seal them up gently with your fingers. Spread tomato sauce on the dough. Add the kale, followed by the cheeses. Crack an egg over the top of the pizza and sprinkle with salt and thyme. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is golden brown at the edges. Enjoy! 

 I love this variation on a breakfast pizza. I made another pizza that day too - recipe coming soon! :) Have a gorgeous day.

Recipe of the Week: Watermelon Feta Salad

This week's recipe features a summertime staple in my house - watermelon. Always refreshing and always delicious, we love watermelon here. I decided to mix it up and add feta cheese, cucumber, and tomato. 



Ingredients:
1 cup watermelon
1/2 cup tomato
1 cup cucumber
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme 

Recipe:
Chop watermelon, tomato, and cucumber into small pieces. Mix together with feta cheese. In a separate bowl, combine Greek yogurt, thyme, and olive oil for dressing. Combine with the salad and sprinkle chia seeds on top. 

I enjoyed the mix of sweet and savory flavors in this summery salad. The colors look great together too. Salads are so easy to make - I can take almost any combination of fruits and vegetables and mix them together. Great for lunch or snacks! 

Have a fabulous and fun weekend.

Recipe of the Week: Stuffed Caprese Bites

This week's recipe is stuffed caprese bites, which are essentially bites of pizza dough stuffed with mozzarella, basil, and tomato. They were easy to make, and were devoured within minutes. It helped to pop the pizza dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before making the bites, which helped make it more pliable. I found the recipe here.  

Fresh out of the oven! 

They tasted divine drizzled with balsamic vinegar. 

I loved how they were melty and soft. I'll definitely be making this recipe again soon!

Hope you're having a lovely week. The first half of summer camp is over, and I'm ready for the second half! Enjoy your weekend. 

Recipe of the Week: Caprese Salad

This week's recipe is caprese salad, something I've never made before! Since I got my basil plant, I've been looking up recipes that include basil. I found this one, which immediately drew my attention because the photos are amazing! It was fun to make and tasted exquisite. At home, I usually eat Chinese food cooked by my talented grandmother, but I'm always welcome to trying new tastes. It felt great to be able to eat something I had grown and nurtured myself! 

The vibrant colors looked awesome together, like the colors on the Italian flag. As my middle school Italian teacher would say, delizioso!

Have a fabulous day.