Pi day!

I am willing to admit that it's a little nerdy to make a pie just because today's date is 3/14...."pi day"....get it, because pi is 3.14?  I mean, I don't actually need more reasons to bake.  I have to start baking.  I need to learn to bake well which is something that I've never devoted the time to.  But maybe if I blame it on the date, I feel as though I have a sense of obligation to get off my duff and bake today.


I had considered baking a savory tart for dinner, and a sweet tart for dessert.  But this morning it came to me ~ a pizza pie!  What?  It's still baking!!  And I made the dough and everything.

Start with Batali's recipe for focaccia

The first rise.  Notice the tape I put on the bowl. The bottom of that tape was where the dough started before it began to rise.  (Kinda takes the guess-work out of, "now how big was it 45 minutes ago??")  The recipe called for a 2 hour rise to become doubled, but mine was just over an hour.

Punched down, split into two, then a 30 minute rise.

Salted mini zucchini that are waiting for the dough to bake.  I love spring veggies!  Just wait until I find me some fiddleheads!

My field trip this morning to the Cheese Cave in Claremont yielded this firm slightly sharp smelling cheese.  I was told by my knowledgeable cheese monger that the cows eat lots of fragrant greens, and you can absolutely tell!!  Swing by if you can, everyone who works there is bomb.

Kid pizza ~ Tomato sauce, provolone, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, parsley

Let's review: Little Girl Pizza....

Big Girl Pizza!!  Parmesan, my new Etivaz cheese, the salted mini zucchini, and boiled fingerlings that I tossed in vinegar and truffle oil.  Like I said, big girl pizza!