Sh*t, that's fresh: Chapter 4
The silliest goose 🪿
CONFESSION: This post was supposed to go live yesterday, but I was a blubbering fool and allowed myself a human day rather than one spent formatting email, so here we are, a day late.
I don’t talk about our kids often on the internet.
I figure just because I choose to share big parts of our life, they have not - and it’s not up to me to make that decision for them as they’re out living their own best lives.
But birthdays are the exception.
It’s when I give myself permission to shout their names from the mountain tops, often through big, sloppy, happy tears - because if there’s one thing in this world I’m obsessed with, it’s our family.
So here’s a fun little bop about our baby girl.
Who is far from being a baby, as she’s turning turned THIRTY today yesterday.
But also, always will be.
At least to me.
A natural born lover, Mackenzie is also a comedian of all things.
She makes everyone feel taken care of and special, while leaving them rolling on the floor laughing, or rofl (as the kids like to say).
And a certain special day in first grade was no exception.
The class was learning how to read, and had just completed a book that I can’t remember the name of for the life of me. To celebrate the milestone, her teacher invited parents to come in and be a captivating audience as the kids read through the book in its entirety - each kiddo with their own special section they’d been practicing.
The night before the big read, Mackenzie let me know her section was about a mouse and she was expected to be dressed as one in the morning.
Scrambling, I made it to the store with just enough time to make a felt tail and mouse ears. Pair that with a gray outfit and enough black eyeliner to draw on a nose and whiskers, and VOILA! a mouse she most certainly would be.
At drop off, there was an extra spring in Macky’s step as she got out of the car and waved goodbye to me.
Fast forward a few hours, and you can imagine my surprise when I showed up for her presentation and found she was the only one in costume. Proudly, she stood at the front of the class and read her lines perfectly - crooked felt ears, smeared little nose, and everything. And when she was done, she looked over and smiled the biggest little mouse grin I’ve ever seen.
After the presentation, the kids got to go home with their parents, but not before her teacher pulled me aside to let me know how excited she was that I decided to dress Mackenzie up for her part, and thought she might have all the kids do the same for future reads.
Hilarious.
Joyful.
And a bit mischievous, too.
This happy little six-year old had single-handedly turned an every day event into a party - and has continued to do so for all thirty years of her life.
And boy, I’m not lying when I say I CANNOT WAIT to see what kind of excitement the next thirty years bring.
*wipes tears from the keyboard*
So in honor of our little mouse, or silliest goose in the house, I give you this cheesy and delicious Fugazzeta recipe.
Fugazzeta is a stuffed Argentinian-style pizza, or as I like to call it, a cheesy onion pizza thingy.
Ooey.
Gooey.
A symphony of onions.
That gives cheesy bread.
And pizza.
And French onion soup.
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Which is why I insist you give it a try.
Just make sure you don’t choke on the incredible cheese pull on this thing.
Here’s what you’ll need:
pizza dough, enough for two 10-inch pizzas
5 slices provolone
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
1 white onion, very thinly sliced
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
chives, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Use extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Add half your pizza dough to cover the bottom.
Pro Tip: I like to use the DeLallo pizza dough kit, which is the exact amount you need for both the bottom and top layers of dough.
Layer bottom dough with sliced provolone, leaving about an inch-wide ring around the edge. Add shredded mozzarella cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper, and throw on a couple handfuls of chopped chives. Lay the second half of dough on top and crimp the edges of the top and bottom doughs together.
Cover with a towel and allow to rest (and rise) in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, very thinly slice your onions.
Once dough is ready, sprinkle the top with grated Sharp white cheddar cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with a layer of onions. Sprinkle again with grated Sharp white cheddar cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Add remaining onions, and top it all off with one last sprinkle of cheese. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil around the edges of the pan so the crust can get nice and golden, and not stick.
Cook for about 40 minutes in a 450 degree oven, checking every 15 minutes or so.
Remove from oven and allow to rest on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
Carefully cut into your molten pie, and enjoy!
Oh, and here’s a printable version of the recipe for you. 👇
And now for the star (or exclusive) recipe of this show.
Seared to perfection with soft, yet crispy shells and all your favorite freshies, I urge you to try making Banh Mi Smash Burger Tacos on a griddle this weekend, because they’ll no doubt have you staring as you go in for another bite, exclaiming DAAANG.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 lb ground pork
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
scallions, thinly sliced
cilantro
flour tortillas
1 tbsp hoisin
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
Sriracha
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
In a large bowl, gently mix ground pork with hoisin, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic. Divide pork into equal-sized balls.
Preheat your griddle to medium heat and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place burger balls on griddle and season with salt & pepper. Add a tortilla to the top of each burger ball and smash with something heavy and flat.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have an actual burger press, the bottom of a cast iron skillet works fabulously for smashing.
Once the burger and tortilla are nice and browned, flip. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking until your pork is fully cooked through.
Remove from heat and drizzle generously with Kewpie mayo and Sriracha. Garnish with cucumber, carrots, jalapeno, scallions and cilantro leaves.
Fold and enjoy.
Oh, and hey! Another printable version of the recipe for you. 👇
Wishing you sunshine, flowers and good eats,
Lisa
