I eat grilled cheese year-round, but it feels more appropriate to curl up with a cheesy, toasty, buttery sandwich when it’s starting to get cold outside. Especially if you dip that goodness in some warm soup. Ahhh yes.
Last week was a perfect week for grilled cheese. Not to go all Game of Thrones on you, but winter is coming, folks. I’ve started wearing my boots with warm socks, and even pulling on my hat and mittens when I take Teia out for a walk. The shift in seasons definitely calls for a hot and spicy sandwich, don’t you agree?
In this post, I tell you how to sauté kale, make it smoky and spicy, and eat it with cheese between 2 slices of bread. It seems simple, yes, but kale in grilled cheese is a thing in my life, and it occurred to me that it might not be a thing in yours, so I thought we should talk about it.
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GUYS. I won a battle on Thursday night.
For a year and a half I’ve been trying to convince The Beast that we should get a puppy. Once or twice a month I’d bring up the possibility of adopting a puppy, and he would say it would be too much work, that we should wait until we have a house with a yard etc., and then I would respond with the ever-convincing argument of “but I waaaaaant one!”
I don’t know what happened on Thursday night to change the flow of this conversation we had repeated so many times, but when I said, “I want a puppy” he responded with “Okay, let’s get a puppy.” What? Wait, is this a trick?
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It’s here! It’s here! ‘Tis the season for brussels sprouts!
You probably assume that when I say “the season” I’m referring to the colder months, since that’s when brussels sprouts are at their peak. Although that’s a fair assumption, you’re wrong; it’s brussels sprout season in my house because it’s deer hunting season, which draws The Beast to Wisconsin, and me to the kitchen to indulge in brussels sprouts without any judgement from my sprout-hating roommate.
One time I asked him to purchase brussels sprouts for me while he was at the store and he came home, put them in the fridge, and stuck a post-it on the bag that just said, “VOM” with a very bold underline. I’m met by the same response, only vocally (“GROSS! VOM!”), when I tell him I’m making brussels sprouts when he’s out of town. There’s not much in this life that can work the man up or make him complain, but those little green cabbages sure elicit a response from Mr. Even Keeled.
Because I believe brussels sprouts should be more than a side dish, I often make brussels sprout pizzas when The Beast is away. Last year I made a shredded brussels sprout, brown butter and mozzarella version that I DEVOURED in one sitting. That pizza was the inspiration for the one pictured here, except this one is even better. It has quickly climbed to the top 3 in my list of favorite pizzas (and yes, I do have a list). I sent texts to my friends and family about this pizza. I posted an ugly picture of it on Instagram without any shame. I love it so much, in fact, that I made it twice in 3 days.
So, now that I’m done freaking out (wait, am I done? not sure), let’s talk about what’s going on here: this dream pizza starts with a whole wheat crust (but you can use your favorite pizza dough – it doesn’t have to be whole wheat), then we sauté onions in garlicky butter until they’re softened, and add a squeeze of lemon and stir in the brussels sprouts, cooking them just until they turn bright green. To assemble we simply roll the dough out (about 10 inches), brush on a touch of olive oil, add a light sprinkling of parmesan, spoon on the brussels sprout and onion mixture, and then top it all with beautiful dollops of cream cheese. It’s the cream cheese that seals the deal for me. Have you ever put cream cheese on pizza? I hadn’t, but now I will. I will in a big, bad way.
Once the pizza comes out of the oven, we do a quick drizzle of a thick, sweet balsamic reduction that brings everything together. It’s truly a beautiful thing.
1 small leek, sliced from base to leaves (or 1/4 cup chopped red onion)*
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup shredded parmesan
10 teaspoons cream cheese
Balsamic Drizzle
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven as it preheats (this will help you get a crisp crust).
Bring the balsamic vinegar and honey to a low boil in a small saucepan. Let simmer for 25-30 minutes, whisking occasionally, and then transfer to a bowl until ready to use (it will thicken as it cools, which is why you should do this at the beginning).
Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the leek/onions and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add the brussels sprouts, lemon, salt and pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Roll the dough out into a 10-inch circle (or larger/smaller depending on how thick you want the crust). Top with the leeks/onions and brussels sprouts, leaving about a slight border around the sides. Top with teaspoons of cream cheese, dispersing evenly. I coated my teaspoon lightly with cooking spray so that the cream cheese would be easier to dollop on the pizza.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Drizzle balsamic over the pizza, cut, and eat!
*The first time I made this I used leeks, and the second time I used red onion. Both are fabulous, so go with whatever you prefer!
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Hiii guys! Happy Friday. The temps have officially DROPPED in MN. It went from sunny, beautiful weather (see pic above from a wedding last weekend, ohhh FALL) to dark, monotone and rainy. At the moment I kind of love it, because it’s Friday and I have a cozy weekend of baking, yoga, and Game of Thrones ahead of me. It’s a hole-up kind of weekend, and every so often those are just the best.
Since I haven’t had a chance to post a recipe this week (I tried, I really really tried, but the perfectionist in me wouldn’t allow a post to go up that wasn’t perfect), I thought I’d share some fun links with all of yous. As is the case with all of my sporadic Friday posts, they’re super random, but that’s how I roll.
A girl I graduated from college with wrote this “missed connection” to a man who drive-by heckled her. Not only is it well written, but it says what many women have wanted to say in similar situations for, well, all of time.
Earlier this week, Jessica at How Sweet It Is posted this Buzzfeed list, which hits so close to home that it’s a bit scary. When I sent it to The Beast, I said “Every single one describes me to a tee, except #8, because I love Christmas too much,” and then, sure enough, last night at dinner I complained about Christmas decorations being out too already. I become more of an old lady every day.
This commercial made me laugh so hard it wasn’t so much a laugh as it was a quiet wheezing of sorts. Nooooooooooooope.
Stephanie at Girl vs. Dough posted these Brie and Jam Pretzel Hand Pies a couple months ago, but somehow I only recently stumbled across them on Pinterest. They pretty much look like my dream come true.
If you’re a baking nerd like me, you need to read this explanation of baking soda vs. baking powder. I love it when Joy the Baker talks science.
Have a happy weekend! I’ll be back with a recipe next week, promise. :)
You may have noticed there’s a lot of brown butter happening around these parts lately. Let’s talk about that.
I don’t believe I’ve mentioned how busy work has been lately. It’s been the kind of busy where it’s GOGOGOGOGO all the time. I know everything ebbs and flows, so I realize it will pass and the craziness will subside, but until then I must rely on my favorite form of after-work therapy: pumpkin candles, Billie Holiday Pandora, and baking.
