Jack was away at school this week, and I didn't have to cook. At all. I love those kind of weeks. So Al & I met late Thursday afternoon at the tiki bar on the river to have dinner; blackened fish sandwiches, a coupla cold drafts...a balmy breeze, with just a hint of cool, lots of late afternoon sun, and a touch of bees.
These buzzy dudes gathered right near the stairs by the bar, on the split rail fence that separates the parking lot from the river bank. I know, right?!
They were just chillin', not bothering anyone (except for the few at the bar). A little old fellow (that reminded me sooo much of Tim Conway's little old man characters!) was just getting ready to scrape them into his bee-keeping box as we were leaving. I asked him why he thought they decided to gather here...he said they just get tired of flying and need to rest. I swear, that's what he said!
Since they had just stopped to rest, they hadn't started to work on a hive yet, or they would have been aggressive in trying to protect it. Then we would have been in trouble standing this close!
Now that Jack is home, an actual cooked meal was in order for tonight. I wanted homemade pizza, but I really stink at making it. Al said he would help, so he busied himself getting the kitchen ready, and I took off for the store.
Pie #1. Check this out, my boy is a professional! Look at that beauuutiful dough! I couldn't do that on a bet.
He wanted his sans sauce, with just some olive oil and toppings. He taught me how to shmush, stretch, roll, and poke holes, so that the dough doesn't puff up. Cool!
Al's creation was topped with tomatoes, Kalamata olives, green onion, mozzarella, feta, parm blend and chicken. Mmmmmmm!
Ohmygosh, it was to die for!
Then we got to work on the next one, which was "mine". I immediately screwed it up, so Al plied and pulled it into place to cover my mistake.
Pie #2, topped with a natural pizza sauce, mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil, parm blend, and a dash of onion.
A Valentino's-worthy pie!
(note to self: 400° oven for 20-25 minutes, until it looks like this!)
Ahhhh! Perfection!
This is the best sauce I've ever used, and now I'll continue to keep it in stock. I found it at Publix in the spaghetti sauce aisle, tucked away on the top shelf. Delicious!
Our secret weapon. This stuff is honestly magical; it's the perfect blend of spices with a little heat. We sprinkled it in between the layers of goodness : )
Ok, I admit it, I had a beer.
Are you hungry yet? I'm heading back to fridge! Nothin' better than cold pizza, right Connie?!
