New Gourmet Again! Episode

Ron and I produced another episode of our YouTube cooking show, "Gourmet Again!" earlier this month. Since all previous elements were on the external hard drive of mine that crashed last year, I had to recreate the background for the header and footer in LiveType.

I also produced a new music theme using GarageBand loops!

So it's like a whole new show! I even added voice overs and way more text throughout the video.

Oh yeah, and I really plug the heck out of my book, "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings." Partially because the recipe (or yet another bastardized version) is featured in the book, and partially because I like plugging my book!

So enjoy "Whole Lotta Lasagna" and pass it along to friends and family.

Now I gotta get back in the kitchen!

Mini Pita Pizzas with Goat Cheese

I've been craving pizza! And for months, I've planned to make pizza using pita bread for the crust. I finally did it!

I love the whole wheat mini pitas from TJs, so that was my base. Of course, I made marinara earlier that day (but you can use the jarred stuff to save time).

Goat cheese has been on my cravings list as well, so the pizzas are dotted with that awesome goodness.

MINI PITA PIZZAS WITH GOAT CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:
8-10 mini pitas

2 cups marinara

1/2 cup red wine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red onions, sliced very thin

8 crimini mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded

1/2 cup spinach, shredded

2-3 oz. goat cheese

2/3 cup soy (or milk) mozzarella

Olive oil, for brushing

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Carefully halve pitas to make two rounds each. Brush the best-looking pitas with a little olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet (15 fit perfectly). If the pita has a curve, place it on the pan like a cup.

Lightly toast in oven until slightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Sauté garlic, onions and mushrooms in red wine for a few minutes so they are pre-cooked before adding to the pizza.

Remove par-baked pita crusts. Spoon about a tablespoon of marinara onto each crust and add the other toppings except for soy mozzarella. If using milk mozzarella, add it as the final ingredient during this step.

Bake another 5-8 minutes, just to heat vegetables and soften the goat cheese.

Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack. Finish by topping each pizza with soy mozzarella.

Use a pizza cutter to slice into wedges. Nah, eat ‘em with your hands!

CHEF’S NOTE: Make these cute and tasty itty bitty pizzas tonight!