Picking up right where I left off, Karen came over to enjoy a little wine on our porch!
We chatted for a while, and got really cold, and went inside to make pita pizzas!
The star of the show was this AMAZZZZZZZZZZING Oak Smoked Cheddar from Feast! Karen picked it up for the pizzas. We requested “something cheddar” and when I looked at the pricetag I told her she was crazy. And then I gave it a sniff. Then a whiff. And then I understood. Second best cheese ever! (Second only to my favorite Bleu d’Auvergne!)
We piled Trader Joe’s pita with some tomato sauce, diced red pepper, spinach and the cheddar and baked it at 350* for about 15 minutes until it was hot and bubbly.
Served with a big bunch of steamed kale [torn and washed and mixed with a few tbsp of water in a hot pan to steam, then seasoned with garlic gold nuggets and apple cider vinegar]
A little KERFweiser on the side – just a touch of hoppy flavor
Placemats from Pier 1 I scored for $1!
After dinner, we had plans to meet Faith + Tate at the Jefferson Theater for a free show put on by the UVA Arts Board by BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS. Quoted by the NY Times as “the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble.” I’d say: “Classical instruments make ambient music.” Plus drums!
There were 6 songs – 3 before intermission and 3 after. It’s funny that I love all 3 before but didn’t care for the 3 after. The first 3 were ambient, soft and like planetarium music, which I <3. They reminded me of the CD by Northsound “Spring Rain,” which I fell asleep to every night in middle school.
The second half of the show was much more grunge and rock n roll – some of the songs nearly hurt my ears!! Still had a great time though.
But the bike ride home…wow. It was weird that the temperature isn’t that cold, but the WIND is just awful!
Going up a hill into the wind was harder than any cycle class I’ve ever done!
But going down a hill with the wind on my back – so speedy!
Reminded me of this song!
The Grand Old Duke of York
Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men,
He marched them up to the top of
The hill and he marched
Them down again.
And when they were up they were up.
And when they were down they were down.
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
Totally random, but who takes the pictures of you guys when you are sitting on the porch and such? Auto timer?!?!
I was thinking the same! self-timer for sure.
I have a super handy amazing remote control
Looks like a delicious dinner – and interesting sounding concert!
I wish it was as warm as it is in VA here in MA! Its too cold to do much outside!
I have loved the preview of spring we’ve been getting in Ohio. It makes me soo ready for spring to be here in full force! I miss warm weather so much.
LOL! I remember singing that song in summer day camp!!! =D
mm pita pizzas:)
Those pizzas look so good. I always forget about pita pizzas!
We do a camp song to that song where we stand up when they say up, and sit down when they say down. Then, we speed it up, so we’re moving speedy – the kids think it’s so funny!
Ooh I haven’t been to Pier 1 in forever…not that I need anymore placemats! STILL thinking of that pumpkin chevre from Feast!
That theatre is gooorgeous.
You guys looks freezing out there!!
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I love pita pizzas. It’s automatic portion control and it takes zero time to make the dough
I made your kale chips tonight again. They have quickly become my man’s favorite cooked vegetable.
Ahhh I am so glad you had a lovely time with Karen! Slash pita pizzas are the best! Lovely pita flavor, quick to make, and pizza-deliciousness:)
That Oak Smoked Cheddar cheese sounds delightful. Although I’m a big fan of all kinds of cheese!
Those pita pizzas look so yummy! What a great Saturday with family, friends, music, food and cocktails!
When we were kids we sang that song at Sunday school but it was a bit different. It went something like “There once was a rich old King, he had 10,000 men…” I want to say it had something to do with David or Solomon but I cannot remember and could not find the lyrics online.
Sounds like an awesome evening!
Cute placemats, and the show sounds really cool!
Your porch seems like the most happening place in C’ville. I have been sick and thus parked on the couch so I haven’t had the opportunity to get out into this weather people keep talking about. That cheese sounds so amazing! You’ve got to love good fancy cheese..
Totally true “Going up a hill into the wind was harder than any cycle class I’ve ever done! “—and if you’re running and pushing a jogging stroller that weighs 30 lbs with a 40 lb kid in it, even more! I have never gotten workouts like the ones i get since being a mom + wind + hills. = work.outs.
Love the $1 pier one score!
I love making pizza’s on TJ’s pitas! The wind was awful up here in MA. And it brought some flurries with it! I miss the 60′s from yesterday.
The wind sounded NASY from my bedroom!
Mmm, I love me pita or tortilla pizzas- so easy and simple to make! I’m now on the chickpea flour pizza kick…
I love creative pizza’s like that. Tj’s whole wheat naan bread is also awesome for pizza’s.
I bet that cheese is amazing!!
So I just had to stop at Pier 1 to get a few of those chalkboard glasses!!! So glad ours had them. Very, very cute. Can’t wait to play with them. Thanks for the heads up!
Fun!
Have you ever tried doing it with chalkboard paint? We bought a can of it last year ($11 ish at Home Depot), made an oval-shaped cardboard stencil, and painted on all our ball jars and storage jars. It’s so fun to label all the jars, and to be able to write the water:grain ratios right on them (I can never keep straight the different ratios for quinoa, millet, wheatberries, and brown rice).
I didn’t know you could do that!! Does it come off in the dishwasher?
I don’t know…we don’t have a dishwasher at the moment so do all dishes by hand. It’s been on there for over 2 years now and we’ve had no problems with the glass jars (it did peel off plastic a bit, in the corners. My guess would be that it would be ok – it seems pretty sturdy – but I’m not sure.
This is the stuff we have:
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=980042&Ntt=980042&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber#BVRRWidgetID
We have some that Matt used for the brewery. Might have to play with it!
I love making pita pizza! It looks even better with the kale. I may have to make myself this meal.
I want to make a pita pizza! I’ve only used tortillas for crusts, but I’m presuming making it with pitas wouldn’t be much different, expected cooking it a little longer? maybe?
Looks like you guys had a really fun day. Dinner looks great!
I am SO recreating your dinner- that looks fantastic!!! And cheese is def the star of any pizza in my book……
pita pizzas are so convenient and easy; i don’t know why i don’t make them more often!
I always say the best wine and the best cheese cost more than $10. Sounds like a great night!
That cheddar looks insane! Properly ripened, strong cheese is the best
fun day!
we had some crazy wind here, too. those mini pizzas are so cute
Ahhh that song is going to be in my head all morning now! It reminds me of being at summer camp (out in Goochland, about halfway btw Cvill & Richmond) where we used to sing that to wake up in the morning and do the corresponding ups and downs by squatting up and down – talk about a wakeup call!
What a fun lunch!! The pizzas look so adorable and delicious.
I love how little the pizzas are! Cute.
That cheese looks so good – stupid lactose intolerance.
i love the idea of the pita pizzas!
The pizza looks great and the placemat is super cute! Score for that bargain! I need to buy more placemats for photo purposes
I think its awesome you and Matt bike everywhere, I wish we could do that around here , and yeah biking in strong winds would not be fun : p
Have a great Sunday ! xoxo
The Grand Old Duke of York just gave me a flashback to elementary school! I’m pretty sure I learned the song with choreographed dance moves. So funny!
Mmmmm, pita pizzas. Looks like a fun night, and I have GOT to get to Pier 1! Love that place!
How is Karen’s treatment going? I keep thinking about her!
Up and down – ironically like this post
But she’s doing well overall
Those pizzas are adorable — and now I totally want to go to Pier 1!
It must be nice to live in an area where you can just pop out and meet friends for an evening and come back and forth so easily!
This inspired me to make a pita pizza for lunch. Yum!
My grandfather used to sing that song when I was little! Brings back good memories
You know what is even better than pita pizzas? Naan Pizzas! They rock! They get really crispy in spots and stay chewy in the middle… They’re the best! My husband and I love Nann Pizza. And it’s fun to say because it sounds like “Non-Pizza”. So they are yummy AND silly. : )
love those placemats–I need to hit up my Pier 1 and see if there are any on sale!