We have been doing a bit of soul searching lately discussing the accelerating evolution in responsible behavior and the growing importance of life meaning and balance. We love this shift as it speaks directly to the foundation of family of brands vision.
At Horny Toad, we like to think of our loyal fans as the Optimists, a group of people that live with their glass half full and their eyes and minds open to capture life’s most exciting and enriching opportunities.
This month, we would love to hear from you … tell us who you are and what you love, give us a sense of what makes you smile.
Grilled Pizza is probably my favorite thing to cook. As you know, I favor the the outdoor grill to the indoor stove and oven. There is something magical about the transformation that happens when cooking over open flame, I just can't get enough of it. Pizza's sort of my signature dish, I cooked it on the beach the first time my parents came down to visit me in Santa Barbara, I've cooked it several times for lunch at our office, it's one hell of a conversation piece at parties when you're standing around the grill cooking. For the past couple months my wife has been doing most of the cooking (she's a teacher, currently on summer break) and she's worked pizza into her standard recipe rotation. I have to admit, her pies are pretty good, and she thinks so too, evidenced by her constant proclamation that her "pizza kicks my pizza's ass," and since I haven't been cooking, I've had no rebuttal . . . until last night when I clearly regained the title and took the trophy!I'm pretty sure last night's salami, red/green bell pepper, onion, olive masterpiece was one of my best. It's super simple to make, extremely satisfying, and a lot of fun. Recipe below, enjoy!
Ingredients:
- Dough (don't be afraid to buy it, I've used fresh dough from Trader Joes, and Wholefoods, but my favorite is homemade cornmeal dough, and our very own Kate has a great recipe)
- Sauce (again, don't stress yourself out, make it, buy it, whatever)
- Mozzarella - shredded
- Salami
- Bell Pepper - sliced thin (I like to used red and green, it's pretty)
- Yellow Onion - sliced thin
- Black Olives - whole or sliced, both are good
Start with a floured working surface so your dough doesn't stick, and roll, toss, or spin your dough into a pizza like shape. It doesn't have to be round, you just need to achieve even thickness. If you find that your dough is tacky to start, you can pat it with flour until it stops sticking to your hands. There's dispute about what's best, thick or thin crust, but in my kitchen, we do it both ways, and your pie will be delicious either way, just go with it. Now it's time to preheat your grill. You can cover your pizza skin with a kitchen towel, and leave it at room temperature while the grill heats up, giving your dough a little time to proof (rise). Put your pizza skin on the grill, and cook at about 350 degrees for 4-6 minutes. You'll know it's time to flip the crust when your dough begins to brown on the bottom, and you have nice grill marks running through it. Once your flip your crust, it's time to start assembling your masterpiece. Mine goes like this: sauce, a very light sprinkling of cheese, salami, bell pepper, onion, olives, a little more cheese on top. Feel free to experiment, or add a flourish. Fresh basil on top is great, jalapeno is hard to beat, and a light sprinkling of garlic powder gives it a little somethin'-somethin'. Let us know how it goes!
The Binary Chef
Dear Ellen,
What does being a Product Developer mean? Is it like being an Inventor?
Curious
Dear Curious,
I can see how the title would be confusing, but no it not really like being an Inventor. Being a Product Developer is more like being an ‘Early Developer’. Awkward, confusing, self-conscious, a little sweaty, with a closet full of clothes that don’t fit. Oh, and unexpected hair growth.
Ellen
In the spirit of the Horny Toad "Invent a Sport" contest a while back, it should be recognized that our close friend and outstanding design/build partner Jean Pierre Veillet (Siteworks in Portland), is likely the inventor of one of the most enjoyable sports I have come across in my lifetime. This is the guy that helped us design and build our Lizard Lounge retail experiment in Portland and soon to be famous for another revolutionary project for Nau coming this Fall.
The only favor he has requested for the last two years is for me to come and boat surf on the river with him. And all I have done is politely declined with a host of work and time related excuses.
I finally agreed this weekend as I was extending my Portland stay with my wife for her birthday and assumed it would either be a form of wake boarding or water skiing. He kept claiming it was his invention and that no one else was doing it but again, not really thinking that much about it, all I was worried about was the possibility of swallowing too much of the Willamette River and getting sick (as I was repeatedly warned).
Okay, I am now a convert and this sport is not like anything I have ever seen. This is an 8 foot surfboard with the rider holding on to a ski rope that is 20 feet or so off the back with the boat traveling at 20ish miles an hour. When is the last time you surfed a wave for 10-15 minutes? That is what this is about and while it was difficult to get the hang of standing up without any attachment to your surfboard, once you are up you can rip up and down the face of the wake wave like a pro ... okay JP can but my wife Karen and I were respectable for first timers.
Get out and try it ... you will not be disappointed! And remember, the movement was started off JP's boat on the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
G
Figs are a fun little fruit. Not just found in those tasty little cookies, figs can be eaten on their own, they go great with many stinky cheeses and make a rockin' fruit spread. Our own Santa Barbara is home to one of the world's largest fig trees (and when I say world's largest - it is actually reported to be the largest of its species - the Moreton Bay Fig - in North America). Rumor is that it was planted back in the late 1800's by a little girl and has since grown and thrived as a natural landmark. Even today it is quite the tourist attraction for our cute little beach town. Two of my EASY and favorite things to do with the cute little figs are:
FIGS ON TOAST (perfect for breakfast)
- Slice up a nice ripe little fig
- Toast up some bread (sourdough, French, wheat, it's all good)
- Spread a smear of goat cheese, bleu cheese or a double crème brie onto the toast
- Place a slice or two of the fig on top of the cheese
BAKED FIGS WITH PROCIUTTO (great appetizer)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (you can also use a toaster oven)
- Slice a few fresh figs in half, top to bottom
- Place a slice of bleu cheese or gorgonzola (the sharper/stinkier cheeses work best) between the two fig halves and mush the halves back together around the cheese chunk
- Wrap a thin slice of prociutto around the Frankenstein fig and secure with a toothpick
- Place the prociutto wrapped figs on a cookie sheet and into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes
Viola! Both are easy crowd pleasers and can get you a healthy serving of fruit in disguise.
Dear Ellen,
We needed to update our trade show booth but the budget was tight. We needed to be Creative. And Austere. And Fresh. And New.