Making Time for Traditions

It's been a crazy busy week of Sports Camp around here, so Jay just finished her post in time for our Saturday edition of Friday night pizza.  As this publishes we are sitting down to the latest and greatest.

Chicken Dijon

This week's pizza project made me wonder why I started this great idea in the first place.  You see, we had to have the kids in two different places by 7:00.  How in the world were we going to make this happen?  Usually I would just make everybody grab something quick to eat in the car, but Dad and I decided we could both leave work by 4:00 and make this happen.  It was our first day of summer and the kids had stayed at work with me all day.  Exciting, huh.  We ran to the store and were home by 5:00 with all the ingredients we would need--shallots, dijon mustard (a honey dijon for us), spinach, and pizza crust mix (eventually we will make our own).  The chicken was waiting at home.

As we assembled the ingredients, I have to admit I was a bit leery of a pizza with a spicy mustard, and blanched spinach as it's foundation, but I will tell you that I was most pleasantly surprised.  Ry didn't cook much this time--he was watching a movie.  Dad started the fire and the rest of us got busy cooking.  No one likes cutting onions, but they do it anyway.  Our crusts this time were more rustic and kind of ugly, but they were good, and the kitchen was a wreck.


Lessons Learned

Shallots aren't worth the trouble.
A good, sweet Texas 1015 or Vidalia is hard to beat.

Sometimes an unusual grouping makes something beautiful.
Spicy mustard?  It'll be too hot.  Spinach on a pizza?  Wonder who will eat that--Three fourths of the Leach family voted this pizza the favorite so far.

Don't get too caught up in the way things look.
Sometimes it's nice to not look like the others.  Looks say nothing about how cool you really are.

Cooking builds confidence.
We told Jayna that she had an advantage over every other soccer player in the tournament, because she was the only one strong and creative enough to make her own pizza before a game.  She acted like she didn't buy it, but we are all proud of our accomplishments.

Traditions are important.
Keep them.  Make time for them.  Plan around them.  Even when it's hard.

Life is messy, but it's worth it.
We ran out the door and left flour all over the counter, but we cleaned it up after we got home and now it's all dirty again.


From the Fab Four

Jonathan
This week's pizza didn't sound too appealing to me. The name sounded funny and I had to cook the onions again.( It wasn't even my turn). I sliced the chicken and the threw it in a centimeter of water on the skillet and let it cook. Next I stirred the onions and the chicken. I know, pretty impressive. By the time that was done, mom had ushered me off to the shower for graduation.

The pizza was great. The Dijon mustard added a kick to the otherwise elegant cheeses and spinach. I was starved by the time the pizza was off the grill so I ate about a pizza and a half. This pizza couldn't quite top last week so i'm gonna go 3.9265/5. Almost four but not quite.


Jayna
Pizza is a simple base made delicious with special ingredients and creative toppings but sometimes those toppings can end up being disastrous. When I read this recipe I thought it was going to be just that. I had no idea what a shallot was and I had never even heard of Dijon mustard. Putting this together was not that hard. All the ingredients were cooked all at the same time, but in different places. A lot was going on and some times, it was overwhelming. I made the dough as usual, and put toppings on pizzas but I tried to stay out of the way of other peoples work.

All of the craziness paid off though because when the pizza came off the grill I thought it tasted better than last weeks. All of the unusual ingredients blended amazingly and tasted elegant with the small kick from the Dijon mustard that gave it an delicious twist. I loved it and gave it a three and a half. Can't wait for the surprise next week!

Jessica
When it comes to pizza, you don't want to be boring and just doing cheese and pepperoni, you want to do good things like put chicken  or veggies on your pizza. That will give it a 5 star rating.
What you want to do first is make your dough, then put it in the shape you want it. Put your crust on the grill and cook. When your crust is done put on your sauce (we used spicy mustard for a great flavored sauce.)  Then add your ingredients (chicken,spinach, onions, shallots. The shallots don't matter that much.)on the cooked side then grill on cooked side. When done  enjoy your wonderful pizza!
Remember- Fresh is the best!!


James-Ryan--wasn't willing to try.  Pizza to Ry means round, red, and cheesy.  Not caving on this one.  He's going to eat with us.  Next time I will make him help cook--I think that increases his appetite.  He did contribute by setting the table and helping everyone get drink.

The Prayer

Father God, today my prayer is simple.  Thank you for this life--it's business and busyness.  We are blessed beyond measure and we give all the glory to you.

Humble Beginnings

The Pizza--Original BBQ Chicken Pizza

May 31, 2013

Tonight was the first night of The Friday Night Pizza Project.  I would call it a decent start.  We learned some lessons, laughed at each other, and the pizza was pretty good, though I have to admit I was not at first all that excited about the notion of barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce.

Lessons Learned

It's okay to pose pictures, but it's never okay to not take them.  I had in my mind this idea that we would calmly create pizzas and have wonderful conversations every Friday night and that I would record these blissful family moments with pics and stories.  Why did I think that was going to happen?  How long have I lived with these people?  Here's the way it really happened--the dough stuck to the counter.  Jim Bob declared "the fire is ready" and we were just getting started.  People were more interested in being silly than getting things done.  Jonathan and Jessica were chattering so much that I couldn't think. We were pretty much completely done with our prep before I even had a chance to get my camera.  I must confess it was all I could do to pretend I wasn't going to have a nervous breakdown if I didn't get my pictures.

Cooking alone is far easier, though not as much fun, than directing five sous chefs.  I am comfortable enough with cooking that I will make just about anything.  Sometimes I follow the recipe, but most often I make changes along the way, and rarely will I read the entire recipe before I start.  Next week I will be reading the recipe before we start.

Take turns slicing the onions.  This week it was Jonathan's job. And he cried.  Next week someone else will have that opportunity.

Ry is ready for cooking.  With minimal assistance and a chair to stand on, he was able to saute the mushrooms and onions for us.  I explained to him what was hot and what he couldn't do, and he listened.   Jonathan stood with him, but mostly for my peace of mind.

Sometimes it pays to keep things.  I have been on a huge purge everything kick lately, but of course anything that reminds me of my mother stays.  Jayna was trying to grate the Gouda with a mini version of a grater and asked why couldn't she use "that one up there" that we have for decoration.  It was my mother's grater that she used weekly for grating cabbage for Sunday lunch--same thing every week--roast, carrots, potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, and brown and serve rolls--had to be the kind with four lines in the top.
My heart smiled to include my mother somehow in this new weekly tradition of ours.

We make a pretty good team.  Jim Bob and I were frustrated at the beginning because it seemed the kids were more interested in their electronics or other activities than they were in our new family bonding activity I wondered if this was just be part of adolescence--my new future, but after we got going, everyone engaged and we got the pizzas on the grill.

My kids are crazy weird.  It seems every time I get my camera out, they immediately start acting silly. The proof is below.

I think I'm going to like this.  Was our first experience picture perfect?  By no means.   Did our cook time give us opportunity for deep meaningful conversation?  Only if you count "don't slice your fingers" and "wash your hands before you touch that".  Did we make a colossal mess in the kitchen?  I'm not even going to answer that one.

Sometimes it's okay to eat dinner at 10:00 at night.  That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Cleaning up is more fun when we all help.  Maybe

Here are the pics--all of them. Unedited greatness.  Weirdness at it's best.


Opinions of the FAB Four

Jonathan
During the cooking process, I cut up the onions for sauteing. I was so emotional! When me and "Little Spoon" got to work, there was nothing to stop us. We sauteed the mushrooms and onions( I didn't flick an onion on his head. I don't know where he got that.), cooked the chicken, and the stirred the sauces into the chicken.

The pizzas were great. The sauce made the cheese and chicken all the more better. I think the crust could stand to to a little better, but nonetheless it gets a 4/5.



Jayna

The best way to make a pizza is to use home-made dough, and non-frozen ingredients all grilled to perfection on daddy's pizza stone. We made The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and on mine I put Honey Pecan BBQ Sauce, Gouda cheese, Mozzarella cheese, sauteed onions, grilled pineapple, mushrooms, and chicken.

The Pizza tasted wonderful!!! I loved how the cheese complimented the sauce. The pineapple was really sweet and made the sauce really stand out. The crust kinda fell apart when I picked up a piece, and the crust was a little too crunchy as well, so I rate it 4 out of 5.

Jessica

The best way to make a pizza is to use fresh ingredients. Fresh is the best! preparing the dough is easy,  but don't touch the dough much or it will turn out bad in the end. Stretch the dough out to the size you want it and cook it. When the dough is done put the sauce on the crust. Make sure to leave a little room on the out side. Then and put the ingredients on. like I said before, fresh is the best! When you're done with your ingredients, put it back on the grill to cook on the other side.  Take it off the grill and slice it and let it cool down.

The first pizza I had at the beginning was really good, but we need to work more on our crust.
I give it four stars.   Fresh is the best!!!


James-Ryan

I helped make pizza.  I stirred the chicken and sauce with a little spoon.  I cooked onions and mushrooms.
Jonathan helped me stir.  He flipped an onion on my head.   Daddy threw the pizza dough in the air, and I clapped.  My pizza tasted sweet.  I liked the chicken.  I give the pizza two stars.

The Prayer

Father God, we have started a big project here--there are 26 recipes in that book.  At one a week, it will be Christmas before we finish. Please protect our time together, give us the determination to guard our family time from interruptions.  Bless this time together to create conversation, use it to instill in us your love and your big dreams, and while we are cooking, bless our Jacob and Johannes.  Give them peace at night and remind them that we love them, think about them all the time, and count the days until we are all 8 together. Thank you for this food--for the vast array of flavors and choices, for the abundance, for the home and table around which we gather.  May we always accept your favor with humility and gratitude.  Show us how to share this good life with and from you.

The Plan

I love cooking and I love books, so of course I am a collector or cook books.  I love them.  I love to read them, to look at their pictures, to stain their pages, and to dust their covers when they go unused.  I have passed this on to my children.  Years ago when there were only three, we would spread them all out and look at them for hours so we could plan a menu.  We don't plan menus anymore, but it's not uncommon to see a child perusing the pages of a good cook book.

Years ago we bought a cookbook from California Pizza Kitchen.  When Jessica suggested that we should make pizza every Friday night, I knew where we would start--we will start with the first recipe and make one a week, kinda like Julie & Julia, only not.  I am not at all interested in killing a lobster while my animal loving children watch.  I am not at all interested in cooking and eating bone marrow, and I am most certainly not interested in cooking with my never make a mess cherubs every single day.  Once a week is enough for now.  

Each week each of the children will review their cooking experience and pizza--it'll be a growth chart of sorts.

I am so excited to have a Family Fun Night tradition that is big enough to overcome the temptation to just clean the house, or watch a movie, or chill out while the kids do their own things.  We have grand ideas about Friday nights, but often by the time the work, soccer, school, bills, grocery shopping, and musicals come to an end, everyone wants to disengage.  Not here.  Not anymore.  Let the cooking and eating and playing and praying and blogging begin.

So.  Excited.

Great Things Happen at The Lakehouse

During Memorial day weekend we went to Beaver's Bend to spend a weekend.  I took off of work on Sunday so we could actually be there three days instead of our usual one to two days--yes, we have actually driven down there to stay for less than 24 hours before because at the lakehouse  is where we find peace, time alone with our family, and the strength for what lies ahead. (I know that lakehouse is supposed to be two words, but around here it is just one. Lakehouse is short for "pappananalakehouse" in Ry speak.)  This weekend was like most others there--no make up, spotty reception, dirty kids, early morning fishing, big meals, fun snacks, hot tub time, cable TV (a huge treat for my kids), K cup coffee and tea, soft ice, climbing time, mosquitoes, poison ivy, and LOADS of fun.

One of the things we love to do at the lakehouse is cook big meals.  Actually, the Pankey in me likes to cook big meals everywhere I go.  Cooking (and eating) is a love language in my family.  When Ry was born and none of knew what to do or what the future looked like, my Dad sent us 20 cases of green beans.  I'm not kidding.  It was his way of taking care of me when he couldn't do anything else, and I completely understood.  I got it--my daddy loved me, he wanted to take care of me, and he remembered that we loved "fried green beans" and cooked four cans at a time.  If you are turning up your nose at the expression "fried green beans" then you don't know my Aunt Faye.  I remember that she would cook all the life, water and nutrients out of her beans and let them stick to the bottom of the skillet that was coated with bacon grease.  We used to say she burned the beans.  Now we say she caramelized them--it sounds so much more sophisticated, doesn't it?  Now we eat frozen, barely cooked green beans because they are more healthy and we don't have time to cook them all day, but when I do open a can of grean beans I think about my daddy and the tower of green beans, which reminds me of the time he cooked 300 pounds of meat for Thanksgiving.  No lie.  Go big or go home.

Bringing my family traditions into my own family, we cook.  We like to eat and we like to cook, especially at the lakehouse when we aren't rushing off to soccer practice or therapy or tutoring or show rehearsals or something at church.  This weekend we decided to try our hand at grilled pizza.  OH.  MY.  WORD.  We were onto something here.  Something very very good.  

For the kids it was your traditional pepperoni (can't do that anymore--there's nitrites in those little round red spicy discs) with cheese and mushrooms.  I chose to have prosciutto and caramelized onions on mine, and I really think I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life.  We had a great time--our pizza's were square, burned, and falling through the cracks on the grill, but they were delicious and we were all cooking together.  I was in my happiest of happy places.   As we settled down for our movie, Jessica declared "we should do this every Friday instead of Little Caesar's" and I knew in my heart that she was right.