the shameless life

do you guys remember in high school when it was semi-normal to kick off the weekend with a domino's pizza and breadsticks, and then not shower for three days and spend like 12 entire hours in front of your computer doing homework and talking about clothes on the a.i.m. while you drink out of the orange juice carton and listen to ben folds five? 

and then on sunday night you do everything in your power to hold on to every last single solitary second of the weekend?

yes, yes. that was this weekend. just about. substitute the a.i.m. for the twitter, the ben folds for the gabriel, the homework for the article on how to make jewy thanksgiving stuffing. 

add one night of successfully purchasing boardwalk and park place without going bankrupt, sipping marzipan hot cocoa that has been invaded by nougat, and listening to edith piaf on the radio, in front of the fake fireplace that used to belong to joe. 

top it off with 1 1/2 bratwursts and an assignment to watch all of the star wars movies. {i haven't even seen one full star wars movie. am i still your friend?}

happy monday, everyone!

-yeh!!

recipe: the perfect pizza night

ingredients:

one fresh ricotta + caramelized onion + squash pizza {recipe below, kind of}

unlimited amounts of this: one part elderflower syrup + two parts roommate patrick's gin {sorry patrick, i owe you} + one green straw

the new stars album

late night giggles/everlasting secrets

directions:

1. bike over the brooklyn bridge, ad lib emergency peanut butter m & m breaks. 

2. dice up more squash than you think you need, toss it in olive oil + salt + sage, stick it in an oven set to a million degrees and forget about it until further notice.

3. chop up two onions from roommate megan's brother's farm, stick em on the stove to caramelize. pour an elderflower cocktail.

4. make the ricotta: heat a gallon of whole milk {plus heavy cream for bonus points} to 180 degrees, add the juice of two lemons. strain in a cheese cloth. add salt/pepper/herbs/olive oil to taste.

5. discuss something ironic or obscure, try not to wake roommate megan.

6. perhaps by now the squash is done roasting. if yes, skip to step #8; if no, go on to #7.

7. pour another drink, discuss what you would do if you won the lottery, leave the room for 60 seconds and then return so that you can fully enjoy the smells coming out of the kitchen.

8. assemble pizza in this order, from bottom to top: dough -> olive oil -> salt & pepper -> lots of garlic -> onions -> ricotta -> parmesan -> squash

9. bake at 450 degrees for the amount of time that it takes to plan the ultimate theoretical birthday dinner party {approximately 14 minutes}.

10. demolish.

-yeh!

pizza night in kreuzberg

over a doughy-but-not-too-chewy and cheesy-but-not-too-greasy

well-deserved-from-biking-gillions-of-kilometers fantastic margherita pizza from 
il casolare

i somehow survive a charming conversation in broken italian, german, and english

with a new friend, the stranger milania from sicily. 

we sit crowded at a long table, observing what appear to be berlin's most stylish walking on by with open containers.

m and i gesture camera lenses and fresh fish, brooklyn and atlanta.

this, this whole awesome-stranger-meeting, language-struggling thing, self says to self, is why you're on this adventure and what you'll remember when you're old and crusty and settled down. as i wonder why i couldn't exempt myself from pizza night on account of i'm in berlin and should be eating a bratwurst?

-yeh!

pizza & prosecco

the tradeoff of not being within a bike ride's distance of kesté and forcella is that i have the space to throw little backyard friday night pizza parties! and during a month when everything should be done outside, grilling pizza makes pizza night all the more sexy.

the menu:
{pineapple + jalapeño + mozzarella + black pepper + tomato}
{squash + ricotta + caramelized onion + arugula}
{mozzarella + tomato + fresh basil + garlic}


...all smokey, slightly burnt, and just perfect to share with friendsies.
oh and we can't forget dessert: frozen greek yogurt, mixed berries, and a slice of cookie cake.


-yeh!