White Pizza with Arugula and Blogging Plans

Well, I think it might be time for a little blogging reality check. As you may have noticed, each of the last few times I've posted a blog I've cited "big recent life changes" (e.g. new move, new job) and vowed to get back onto a regular blogging schedule. And each time, it definitely has not happened! Instead of fighting it any longer, I'm just going to acknowledge the obvious and confirm that this is no longer going to be a weekly blog. Maybe it will be monthly blog, maybe more or less often, but I've decided things are going to be slower and more spontaneous on the blogging front from here on out.

Having blogged now for three fulls years, I have gotten attached to this blog and I'm definitely not planning on throwing in the towel or anything that extreme. I've seen a pretty clear trajectory on my posts now looking back - when I first started this blog, it was just after my wedding and I was on a summer grad school break. The free time + excitement of starting the blog meant I was posting literally every day. Eventually, I settled in at a nice steady pace of blogging once per week, while I was working part-time as a freelancer in San Luis Obispo. Now that I'm working full time for the first time since starting the blog, life has gotten in the way of my regular posting.

I think it's a huge testament to all bloggers who have a blog "on the side" that they are able to do what they do. Even for a blogger like me who isn't trying to "sell" my blog or make my photos look magazine-worthy, blog posts take a whole lot of time! If you are leading a normal, busy life and trying to be economical with your time, the last thing you want to do is make dinner take 3x longer to prepare because you are stopping to take photos every step, then making your husband wait before he can start eating so that you can take more pictures, then spending 1-2 hours writing up your post and uploading and deciding which photos to use. And of course, that means that you can't be making your easy, fast tried and true recipes because you want to cook something that is new, experimental, and blog-worthy which takes...you guessed it, even more time. Even for a hobby blog like mine, all that time adds up. So I hope you will pardon me if you are a stalwart reader of this blog, and continue to check back! Or even better, sign up for email versions of the blog or get the app called Feedly so that you can easily follow all of your various blogs. That's what I use and I love it!

Now for a few life updates and some food inspiration...

I threw an employee appreciation party at work. It was amazing and involved lots of balloons and confetti and treats and these adorable mini fruit tarts which somehow I did not eat?!

 We went to Vintage Santa Clara again this year with our awesome friends, and drank more wine than you should on a Sunday afternoon and had a blast.

 I made an updated version of the Barefoot Contessa's white pizza with arugula and loved it! The recipe is down at the bottom of this post. I think this pizza crust recipe is my new favorite.

My parents and my cousin visited! We celebrated by mom's birthday and went wine tasting and they got to see our new 'hood. 

 We ate at The Bench while touring Pebble Beach and checking out my work. I had this strawberry Moscow mule with lunch that tasted like an ice slushy and felt like...a Moscow mule.

They got me on a bike. Enough said.

 I went to a fancy Luau at work so that I could "provide feedback from a guest perspective." Amazingness.

We built this patio set with our bare hands and I have never been so proud to sit down in my life. 

White Pizza With Arugula

Ingredients:

For the dough:
Just under 3/4 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
2cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups grated Italian fontina cheese
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
5.5 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
For the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup good olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces baby arugula 

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste (not too much!)

 

Directions:

Mix the dough: Combine the water, yeast, honey and 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 1.5 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon salt and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1/2 cup more flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil: Place 1/4 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the dough on a pan and press and stretch into a circle. Brush with the garlic oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle with garlic oil. Place aluminum foil in your oven to catch any oil drips that may fall off the pizza pan. Bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.