Road Trip

My family and I spent this past Sunday taking a mini tour through New England. You've got to love the fact that in just one day you can visit three different states, see the ocean, the mountains, a couple of cities and the countryside. And that's just what we did. Up and out by 7:00 am we headed southeast to Rhode Island for the last leg of our college tour for daughter #1.

Our first stop was to Providence to visit a couple of schools just outside of the city. We then traveled southwest to visit another before heading back to Providence and meeting up with my son for lunch. Back in the car once again, we traveled northeast into Massachusetts to tour yet another campus. I think at this point we were all ready to call it a day, but because we were so close to Boston we knew we couldn't go home without treating ourselves to a little pick-me-up at Caffé Vittoria and then dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in the North End.

A few minutes past 9:00 that night, we pulled into our driveway and called it a day. It was exhausting but fun, and in the end my daughter chose to go to school in Boston. She was 90% sure that's where she would end up, but she just wanted one more look around. She'll now be one of the thousands of students that descend on the city each September just a short walk away from where I started my college years nearly three decades earlier. Amazing.

Pizza!

What is it about the combination of bread, tomato sauce, cheese and toppings of whatever-you-can-think-of turn into one of the yummiest foods you can eat? Pizza has always had me at hello. Unfortunately (or maybe that's fortunately for my waistline), my little country hamlet doesn't have one pizza place worth ordering from. Can you hear me out there? Can't someone make a decent pie in this town? No, I have to get my pizza fix when I go home, whether that's to Boston or the south shore. I've tried to make it myself with little success, but these recipes have me thinking I might actually be able to do this.

So without further adieu... here is the recipe for that delicious-looking pie in the photo, and a few more (47 to be exact) from dear Martha.

Heirloom Tomato Pizza
                        

1 cup heirloom tomatoes (any combination of halved cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced medium tomatoes)       

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

3 to 4 ounces Pecorino Pepato cheese, thinly sliced

1 round Chris Bianco's Pizza Dough

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

7 thin slices pancetta

1/4 cup torn fresh basil

I found this simple dough recipe from My Baking Addiction instead of using the one listed above. (She also has some great pizza recipes, too.)

1. Combine tomatoes and oil, and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 1 hour.
2. Arrange cheese evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with the tomatoes, oregano, and pancetta.
3. Bake at 475 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes (on a pizza stone if you have it.). Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with basil.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my oldest daughter's 18th birthday! I don't know where the time went. (Fair warning: I am going to preen like a peacock.) I can still remember the hours she would spend working on her homework at the kitchen table when she was only in elementary school. I can still see her face, concentrating so hard and so determined, when she rode her bike without training wheels for the first time. She has at least a dozen different laughs, sounds, and faces that bring me joy and make me laugh out loud every day. And I can remember the day we had her senior pictures taken last fall. Her real beauty just beamed from the inside out. I cried that day because someone else got to see her for her true self. This is what Kristen of K. Lenox Photography wrote on her blog post after the shoot.

"Wow. I don't know what to say.  Yes... [she] is simply stunning, gorgeous long blond hair, innocent blue eyes,  buttermilk skin and a smile to die for,  but that is just the beginning.  In the short time I worked with [her], I also noticed she is one of the most sweet girls I've ever met.  Despite her beauty.. she is so modest,  kind and again... ever so sweet."  

"You know, I honestly feel that the camera captures more than just pictures.  It honestly shows personality and yes.... the soul. When you take pictures of an honest, good hearted person, I truly feel that is what the camera sees.  With [her] images... that is definitely the case.  Most of her images, you see, the modest, bashful beauty that she really is... on the inside.  One that is fun loving, easy going, and truly a good hearted person. And I just adored the way she and her mother interacted.  I can see where she gets it!"

I couldn't have said it any better.

These past few months, she's been applying to colleges (6 letters of acceptance so far) and trying to figure out what the next four years will bring. She wants to work with children, so she'll be majoring in elementary education for the time being. She adored working with the pre-school children at a local daycare this past fall, and she's worked with down syndrome and special needs children as well.

And speaking of her senior photo, she chose this one for the yearbook, and I bet you a million dollars that everyone will be shocked. But this is who she is. She is funny, silly, caring, loving, and yes, oh-so sweet when she lets her guard down. She is part of a matching set of sisters that I can't imagine being broken up. They're a duo act. I am so blessed, there are no words.

So... Happy, happy birthday my lovely girl. I'm so proud of you.

http://www.klenoxphoto.com/

And on a much, much lighter note... This is the recipe I used for her birthday cake. My daughter found it online and we tweaked it a bit. It's the best cake I've ever tasted and oh, so easy to make.

Heavenly Chocolate Cake

2 cups white sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups water

1 cup vegetable oil (we used canola)

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together.

3. Add all wet ingredients and beat by hand until smooth.

4. Bake for approximately 40 minutes. (I used two 8" round cake pans and baked them for 30 minutes.)

I cheated and frosted it with Betty Crocker whipped milk chocolate frosting and topped it with 18 pink candles.