Bind & CrEATe

For me, adult life can get rather routine. Go to work. Pay the bills. Do this errand. Do that errand. Lay on couch. Rinse and Repeat. For 5 days straight. Goodnight.

I’ve found that the secret to keeping my adult lifestyle a little more playful (and exciting) is channeling moments from childhood. Remember the excitement of winning a pizza party at school? Well, last night’s activity came in the form of a pizza party for three, hosted at the house. Ironically, we got to celebrate an achievement of Cat’s.

I never set the table on a weeknight. In fact, let’s get serious. I rarely eat at the table on a weeknight (or weekend, for that matter). Since it’s almost December, I decided to break out the Christmas-time runner and adorn the table with plates, utensils and (real) napkins.

Cat cleaned out the closet recently and found three perfectly sized Mason jars. Drinking from them at all times is now a fad around the house. I’m pretty sure it’s a fad everywhere else in this country, too.

The red plate is symbolic of a person’s achievement (i.e. Cat’s plate for the night). I received this plates= from a coworker last year, with a matching smaller plate and wine glass. At one time, they all said “You are Special,” but that washed off in the dishwasher. Nevertheless, when someone celebrates a success, they use this plate at dinner. This is a great DIY Christmas gift for a family member or newly-wedded couple.

Seconds later (more like a half hour), food magically appeared. Everything on this table is pretty much homecooked. The Caesar salad contained croutons made from a stale piece of bread, and the pizza dough was made in the bread maker.

This was one thick pizza. We layered the pie with a garlic-olive oil base, arugula, artichokes, prosciutto (on half) and both Fontina and Mozzarella cheese. Nick, our esteemed guest of the night, used his former pizza-man skills to slice that pizza up just the way we wanted. What a guy, that Nick.

If I could order pizza with this thickness every time, I would. Heaven.

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a pizza party with two of your closest friends. We may not have had streamers, balloons, or confetti – and I may have been a bit hangry for a moment – but we still had fun and enjoyed one another’s company.

I’m a strong believer of good friends and food, especially on a week night. It helps me get through the routine of the week and also relax. I love my friends. I love this life.

In certain circles, my grandmother went by “Aunt Doll.” I always longed to call her Doll instead of Gram, but it didn’t feel right (with her being my gram and all). Aunt Doll is quite the woman – and known for many things. Large plates of Christmas Cookies. Cards on every occasion (sometimes with a $5 spot inside). But most importantly, Doll is known for her cabbage rolls, a.k.a. “pigs in the blanket.”

Tonight I channeled my inner doll and sought out to make a slightly-healthier version of her cabbage rolls. We have mounds of swiss chard in the garden, and I just received a delivery of ground beef from my grandparents’ farm. The herb garden is being severely neglected. No better time than the present to make my first-ever-batch of pigs-in-the-blanket, this time with a more locally-grown twist.

When I was young, I had no taste whatsoever for cabbage rolls. I turned my nose up at cabbage. Then, for a while, tomato sauce wrecked my existence (and still does, on slight occasion). But with age has come wisdom, and I’m excited to share that I thoroughly enjoyed my first batch in the privacy of my very own backyard.

So no, Aunt Doll didn’t make these. And this isn’t even her recipe. But she deserves the credit/namesake. That woman always made these look like a breeze. Try them for yourself, when you have time. You won’t be disappointed.

{Full Recipe}

“Never work before breakfast; if you have to work before breakfast, eat your breakfast first.”  ~Josh Billings

I think this is what Saturdays were invented for, why brunch exists. Eat before you do anything. On Saturday, I did just that. It was a long kind of morning, the kind of morning you have after a night of being up late and not caring. I tried to entice my overnight out-of-towners with these breakfast burritos, but there were few takers. Thankfully, the roommate and another friend joined in the fueling.

Let’s face it. The same old thing every day is boring. I’m guessing this is why brunch was invented in the first place. It was completely worth straying away from my usual oatmeal or cereal start.

This is also just incredibly easy. Try it for yourself.

Ingredients
(makes four) 

• 4 tortilla shells
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4-blend cheese
• MorningStar Farms Veggie Sausage (1-2 patties, depending, crumbled)
• Dash of salt, pepper