Pizza is a wonderful thing. Unless you’re lactose intolerant or soulless, otherwise, truly wonderful. The combination of crispy and chewy crust, gooey savory cheese, and whatever inventive toppings your tastebuds desire is irresistible.

Last Christmas my stepmom got me this countertop pizza oven from Sur La Table. Ever since then Matt and I have been pizza making machines! Well, the pizza oven is the machine, we’re just an extension of its awesomeness. This bad boy cooks up crispy bottom pizzas with chewy crust and molten cheese in under ten minutes. Oh yeah!

I didn’t make a list of possible pizza combinations as I usually do with other foods, but I don’t think we have made the same pizza twice. When my Uncle Rob sent me a huge jar of his homemade honey I instantly knew I wanted to use some of it for a pizza. I love recipes that combine sweet and savory.

This is a white pizza, which does not mean that it has heliophobia or that it is attending a Diddy party. It simply means it doesn’t have any sauce. Which is fine because the honey, cheese, pear, prosciutto and arugula do more than alright on their own. They come together fabulously for a delightful sweet, savory, salty, herby, cheesy and thirds-don’t-mind-if-I-do dinner.

Okay, time for you to go ahead and make this pizza! I’m going to be sitting here writing a pizza combination list, don’t mind me.

Honey Pear & Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

 

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Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

for the pizza

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 pear, thinly sliced
• 3-4 slices prosciutto
• ⅓ cup crumbled gorgonzola

for the arugula salad

• 4 cups arugula
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Directions

for the pizza

1. Preheat oven and prep dough according to pizza dough instructions. Lightly pierce the dough all over with a fork to help keep it from puffing up in the oven.
2. Mix the honey with the olive oil and brush over the dough, leaving the crust untouched. Top with the mozzarella then the pear slices. Tear the prosciutto slices and place evenly over the top of the pizza. Add the gorgonzola then bake according to pizza dough instructions.

for the arugula salad

1. While the pizza is baking whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the arugula, being sure not to overdress. Place on top of the pizza after it comes out of the oven just before serving.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 1 Comment

Remember my Uncle Rob from the filet tailgate sandwiches with whiskey marinade? Well he is a multi-talented man. In addition to grilling up delicious tailgate eats he also harvests honey! As in he has bees in the backyard and a complete beekeeper’s suit. “Rob’s Love Nectar”- check it out! I may be afraid of the bees, but I certainly love their honey.

Recently Uncle Rob mailed me a big bottle of his honey so I decided to make a series of honey posts out of it. These sticky and sweet honey baked wings are the first of four honey installments and are definitely the best way to kick off this series.

I was am will-always-be obsessed with these wings. The marinade consists of honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and rice wine vinegar to create a balanced flavor profile. The honey caramelizes while the wings are baking in the oven and makes these bad boys incredibly addictive. Finger-lickin’-can’t-breathe-too-busy-eating addictive.

They are also extremely low maintenance as you can just stick them in the oven and let the magic happen. I was very nervous to break down the wings myself, but after a couple snips with a pair of kitchen shears I had the process down.

Currently Rob’s Love Nectar is only available through personal gifting, but shop local honey and support your neighboring beekeepers! Also honey pollinated from bees local to your area is said to help with seasonal allergies so that’s another reason to source your honey locally.

Sweet & Sticky Honey Baked Wings

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 4 pounds chicken wings & drumettes
• 1 scallion, chopped, for garnish
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9" x 13" with nonstick tin foil and set aside.
2. Combine the soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger in a medium saucepan with a whisk. Bring the honey mixture to a boil then simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Place the split chicken wings in the prepared pan. Pour the heated honey mixture over the wings then toss to coat.
4. Bake the chicken wings for about 1 hour or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the skin has darkened. Garnish wings with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.

Notes

To break down the wings follow the steps below:
*Clip off the wing tip at the knuckle using a pair of kitchen shears. Dispose the wing tip or save for homemade chicken stock.
*Make a small snip in the fat between the wing and the drumette so it's easier to get to the joint.
*Cut the knuckle between the wing and the drumette to separate them.
*Cut off any excess fat.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

My stepmom’s orzo pasta salad is a delicious regular at all our family barbecues. It has a great combination of ingredients with the saltiness from the feta cheese and the sweetness from the bell peppers and grape tomatoes. Also whole olives which olive lovers enjoy and non-olive lovers rejoice that they can easily pick them out and plop them on their fellow olive lovers’ plates.

The best part is the orzo tossed in the simple vinaigrette. What is orzo? Although it may be shaped like rice pilaf, orzo is a pasta. It is typically made with semolina flour, which is denser than white flour and helps the orzo keep its shape and bite after being cooked. This makes it the perfect choice for a make ahead pasta salad since most traditional pasta can get mushy from sitting in a vinaigrette overnight. Not this dish!

My stepmom has been making this exact winning combination of ingredients for the Greek orzo pasta salad for years so it would be ill-advised to mess with the best.

However, as with any pasta salad one of the beauties is that with a good base and vinaigrette you can mix and match according to your own tastes and preferences.

Not a feta fan? Swap in some goat cheese. Not big on bell peppers? Toss in some sliced snow peas. The possibilities are endless! But make sure you try this possibility first

Diane's Orzo Pasta Salad

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound box orzo, cooked as directed being sure not to overcook
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1 can large black olives, drained
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the cooked orzo with the olive oil until completely coated. Add the bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
2. Mix in the feta cheese. Adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Refrigerate until serving, making sure to mix well before serving.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I ate a lot of delicious dishes at my family’s beach trip earlier this month, but my new favorite was my Uncle Rob’s tailgate filet sandwiches with whiskey marinade. He wanted to do something for Lemon & Mocha so I told him to come up with his signature dish for me to photograph while we were down at the beach. He did not disappoint with these succulent steak sandwiches.

During football season my Uncle is a regular tailgater at his alma mater, Villanova. He makes these regularly and I am sure they go fast. They certainly would if I was there!

My Uncle Rob and my Aunt Dottie, who hails from the University of Delaware, have a fun football rivalry tradition. Every fall Villanova and the University of Delaware play a big game. The person with the losing school has to place the winning school’s vanity plate on their car for the entirety of the year. My Uncle Rob wanted me to be sure to point out that Villanova has been on quite the winning streak 😉

No matter what team you’re rooting for this fall these delicious sandwiches will soften even the fiercest rivalry!

Matt and I don’t have steak often as it is usually our splurge meal, but I will definitely be making these sandwiches soon especially since I was already craving them the next morning. Enjoy!

Uncle Rob's Tailgate Filet Sandwiches with Whiskey Marinade

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup whiskey
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• ¼ packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup minced green onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of worcestershire sauce
• Ground pepper to taste
• 6 1" thick filets
• 6 pretzel buns
• Pepper jack cheese, horseradish sauce and lettuce for serving, optional
• 6 pack of beer for the chef, age permitting

Directions

1. Combine the whiskey, soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar, onions, salt, worcestershire and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place the filets on a cutting board and top with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet pound filets until they are ½" thick.
3. Combine the filets and marinade in a large plastic bag to marinate for 6-8 hours.
4. Heat grill to high heat. Grill according to desired doneness. For medium-rare, grill for 3 minutes on one side, flip and grill for 2 more minutes before letting rest for 3-5 minutes before eating.

Notes

If you can't find filet, possible substitutions include eye of round steak or hanger steak.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Normally when I see a recipe I am just drooling over it takes me months, even years, to finally get around to making it. Then when I finally make it months later I eventually get around to posting it on Lemon & Mocha. Not this time, my friends!

I saw this glorious Thai stuffed sweet potato one week, made it the next week then made it again to photograph the week after. Now here it is on Lemon & Mocha. Unbelievable!

The reasons I made it so fast are the same two reasons you should make it this week:  1. The minute I saw it my peanut sauce loving self was instantly obsessed with the idea and I knew I had to have it and, 2. Reading the recipe I couldn’t believe how easy it was.

A third reason was also that I’m always looking for healthy vegetarian meals since Matt and I try to go meatless a couple nights a week. The flavor of the creamy sweet potato with the tender broccoli, crisp scallions and sweet edamame smothered in this peanut sauce is divine. It was so divine in fact that I ate it three nights in a row!

So get adventurous with your dinner this week and make this Thai stuffed sweet potato.

Thai Stuffed Sweet Potato

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

for the sweet potatoes

• 4-6 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
• 1 cup cooked edamame beans
• 3 scallions, chopped
• ½ cup chopped peanuts
• Salt and pepper

for the peanut sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½” piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

for the sweet potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the potatoes 4-6 times with a fork and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the potato.
2. Let the potatoes cool slightly before handling then cut a slit in the top of each one. Stuff with the broccoli and edamame then drizzle generously with the peanut sauce. Garnish with the chopped scallions and peanuts. Serve hot.

for the peanut sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or small food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. If you would prefer a thicker consistency add more peanut butter then remix. If you would prefer a thinner consistency add more coconut milk then remix.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments