Modern Soapbox

On Thursday, Mare and I made a specialty pizza. This one did not have too many toppings, but it was a break from the usual marinara-based pizza. We used an Alfredo sauce topped with spinach, chicken and marinated artichoke hearts.

The chicken was prepared the same way as last week’s ‘za. Spinach keeps well in the [...]

Yesterday, Mare and I made a deluxe pizza. This one was topped with: fresh spinach, seasoned chicken, fried garlic, sliced Roma tomatoes, a sliced portobello mushroom and fresh jalapeños on half. The flavors were bold and intense and made for a savory pie.

I worked with a different lighting setup in hopes to bring you [...]

The second pizza we made in the week was the one we mentioned making the week before: the Texan-style pizza.

Instead of marinara, we used barbeque sauce. Two of the toppings shown here are sliced white onions and sliced fresh jalapeños. The seeds were removed before putting them on the pie to reduce the fire.
The other [...]

Before the big server meltdown that kept me from uploading these photos, Mare and I made two pizzas last week. Now that everything is stable again around here, last week’s ‘Zas of the Week can finally be posted.
Here’s the first one. It was a simple pie.

Black olives sliced in half, sliced pepperoni, and fried garlic.

Assembled [...]

We made this week’s ‘za on Tuesday. I must say it was one of the better ones we’ve made lately. The fried garlic contributed to its uniqueness, and the blend of fresh toppings plus a little extra sauce on the crust made for the tastiness.

The toppings (clockwise from top-left): black olives pitted and sliced in [...]

The writers at Modern Soapbox enjoy wine. We recently received an offer to enjoy exclusive, small-batch wine from one of America’s leading wine clubs, the Gold Medal Wine Club of California.
The wine was package very securely with Styrofoam fit for the bottles. Included in the shipment were: two bottles of wine, a gift card and [...]

We put together another pizza tonight. I believe this is going to be an ongoing event since we have an enjoyable, relaxing time assembling these delicious pies.

This one was topped with: sliced pepperoni, sliced ham, a sliced portobello mushroom, half of a red onion sliced, and chopped garlic.
The before photos:

Stretched, sauced, topped and ready to [...]

Last week, Mare & I made yet another delicious pizza.
This one involved:

a portobello and onion marinara sauce
a fresh portobello cap, sliced
half of a Mayan sweet onion, sliced
freshly-grated garlic
pepperoni, sliced thin
a blend of pizza cheese

Here are a couple pictures before the pie went in the oven:

Already looking tasty

A close-up of the fresh toppings piled thick
Here [...]

This post is going to be delivered with photos, captions and some ranting. Enjoy.

Flickr’s BLundin took this photo from the Pumpkins show at the Backyard on Tuesday.

Myra from Blogspot took this photo of Billy Corgan on bass guitar jamming with Jimmy Flemion from The Frogs on guitar and Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. Jeff Schroeder can [...]

Last night, Mare and I made a delicious margherita-style pizza.
Ingredients

pizza dough
about ¼ cup of pesto sauce
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced about ¼? thick
1 8-oz. can of mushrooms, drained
1 12-oz. package of fresh mozzarella, sliced into medallions
about 5 tbsp of Parmesan cheese
about ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450°.
Pour [...]

This is another cheap and easy recipe. It’s a great way to use up leftover rice.
Salmon Fried Rice Ingredients:

3 packets fresh packed salmon
1 c onions, diced
1 c mushrooms, diced
1 c frozen peas and carrots.
4 c cooked rice
1 egg
garlic to taste
3+ Tbsp. soy sauce

Sauté the mushrooms and onions in a large saucepan until [...]

I just recently tried out this recipe for the very first time and loved it.
Spinach Artichoke Dip Ingredients

1 c mayonnaise or creamy salad dressing
1 c Parmesan cheese
1 package (9 oz) frozen spinach
1 can (14 0z) artichoke heart
3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix mayo, cheese, and garlic in a one quart casserole [...]

This is a recipe for one of my favorite pasta dishes. It’s inexpensive and only takes about twenty minutes to make.
Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. pasta of your choice (approximately half of a bag)
1 can (15oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (12 oz.) chicken
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. red [...]