First things first ... Pizza Recipe!

This pizza was delicious when I made it a few days ago. However, this is NOT a recipe that falls into the quick and easy category. It takes a good little while to make, so more of a weekend dinner when you have some extra time. You can always roast the veggies the day before to save some time!

It has all my favorite ingredients on it: butternut squash (probably my all-time favorite ingredient), goat cheese (a close second), caramelized onions, sun-dried tomato pesto, and spinach. Here is how I made it!

Ingredients:

• 1 store-bought ball of pizza dough (I used whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomato pesto
• 3 large handfulls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups of low-fat, shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 medium butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles 
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt & pepper  
• 5 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced 
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 thin slices of prosciutto (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F and take pizza dough out of the fridge to rise (needs 30 minutes). 
2. Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium-low heat
3. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and then the sliced onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Onions will slowly begin to caramelize while you are roasting the butternut squash and red pepper.
4. Put butternut squash and red bell pepper in a large bowl. Add remaining olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and minced garlic. Toss to evenly coat veggies in olive oil. 
5. Line a baking sheet with olive oil and spread veggies out on pan, and put into preheated oven to cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes. 
6. While squash/red pepper and the onions are cooking, stretch pizza dough out to the size of your baking sheet. 
7. After the butternut squash is cooked, and the onions are caramelized, set these veggies aside. 
8. Place stretched pizza dough on a lightly greased baking sheet and put in the oven for 5-7 minutes, flip the dough over, and cook for another 5-7 minutes (or until both sides are a very light golden color). 
9. As the pizza dough is cooking add fresh spinach to the onion pan and cook until just wilted.
10. Turn oven to broil, and broil prosciutto slices until crispy (about 1-2 minutes per side). Break prosciutto up into small 1/4" pieces. Turn oven bake to 425 after prosciutto is finished crisping. 
11. Top pizza with sun-dried tomato pesto, then wilted spinach, then shredded mozzarella cheese, followed by the onions, butternut squash/red pepper mixture, and finally the goat cheese crumbles.
12. Cook pizza for another 10-12 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. 
13. Remove from oven and top with fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and crispy prosciutto bits. 
14. Eat and enjoy - yum yum!!

Halloween Weekend on the way...

Ok, I sort of feel the need to apologize for my increasing laziness when it comes to writing new posts. I wish I could say that I am so busy having the time of my life that I just couldn't even find ten minutes to post. Unfortunately ... not the case lately. This week has been a tough one. I have had a hard time entertaining myself during the day while my roommate is at work, and other friends are at school, work, etc. And down time like this is when I start to feel really lonely and miss home. Hence talking to my sister on the phone for an hour and a half (thank goodness for free family minutes right mom?? haha). I got so desperate yesterday I went on a 3 hour hike by myself! It was pretty nice, definitely good exercise, but I couldn't help thinking how it would have been a lot nicer with friend. At least the weekend, excuse me, Halloween weekend, is on its way! I am sooo ready for some fun distractions to keep me from being homesick!

Rosie the Riveter

This Friday is Art After Dark again and Saturday is a block party in Chinatown! Costumes both nights ... which I do not think I have mentioned, but I am going dressing up as Rosie the Riveter. I bought red lipstick, a bandana for a buck at a kwik-e-mart, high waisted shorts and a button down shirt from Goodwill, for a grand total of about $15, not bad! I will definitely take pictures to share!

Also, a few girlfriends from the westside are coming to stay with us on Saturday which will be nice! Our first house guests in the new place! Yay! Of which I am even more fond of now that I found out her halloween costume ... a French MAN! Hahaha. I must say I misjudged her. I pinned her as the type of girl who would were a scandalous nurse or cop costume. I was wrong. Her French man costume includes a mustache and a baguette. Too funny!

Butternut Squash Pizza

So today I am off to have my TB test read (one of the approximate 10,000 steps to becoming a substitute teacher in Hawaii). When I come home I will start cooking. I promised my roommate my specialty pizza.... roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, spinach, and goat cheese! Yum Yum! If anyone is interested in the recipe let me know! Happy to share! ... which reminds me... a little thanks to Leslie - I made good old pepperonchini chicken the other night and it was, of course, a hit with friends! So thanks for that one :) Here is a picture I took once when I made it before ... 

Alright, I will try to start posting more. I have been getting complaints on my dwindling number of PPW (posts per week - haha), which I guess is a compliment.

I will leave you with a question - what is everyone dressing up as for Halloween??!!??

Substituting and Dim Sum!

Picture from dim sum in June

I have decided to add substituting into my list of current jobs - I loved teaching, and I love being around schools ... and .... Hawaii is freakin' expensive! I spent an entire day calling every school in town to try and get a school to interview me to be on their "preferred sub list" (which is the first step in the extensive - to say the least - hiring process). Finally I got a call back from an elementary school in the poorest, and furthest area of town. At least I have a school though right? Then of course, after meeting with and telling the principal I'd love to be on her list, I get a call this morning from a much closer middle school (the age I taught it Florida). Dang it! Now what am I supposed to do? One of the first things you learn in Hawaii is not to burn any bridges because Oahu is a small island, and some way or another, everyone knows everyone. Shoot!

Side note: my cousin is back from Maui and we are going to dim sum in about an hour and a half! Woo hoo! Can't remember if I have talked about dim sum yet, but its basically a Chinese style brunch where all kinds of random foods come by in little carts. You just point to what you want and you get a little sampler of that food. Everyone shares with everyone, my kind of meal!

New Place - Some Before & Afters!

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Get your own

Da weekend

This weekend is off to a good start if I do say so myself. Friday was a Zombie pub crawl in Chinatown which was pretty hilarious. One, because my roommate and I changed and did our make up in the parking garage outside her work. So as people are leaving work on their Friday evenings, and they happen to glance in her car, they were probably slightly concerned to say the least. We had ripped clothes and fake blood gushing out all over the place. We actually made the taxi come straight up behind her car so no one could see us. Haha. The whole ride we were dreading getting out of the car, not sure how many people actually were going to dress up. Once we got there it was quite a sight! Sooooo many people participated. At least 500 zombies were roaming the streets of Chinatown last night. Unfortunately we were both exhausted and only made it til 8:45pm. I guess we didn't make the best zombies... I think they come alive at night right? Us... not so much. It was all worth it to see the taxi driver's face that took as home. As soon as I stepped in the cab, he screamed and grabbed paper towels for me to wipe up my open wounds hahahaha. Even as we were trying to explain it was fake, and there was a zombie party downtown, he still looked so worried, and repeatedly asking if I got into a fight!! I then felt the need to really explain what was going on because just think what would happen if he got back to Chinatown and one of the "all-out zombies" got into his car!!! He probably would have had a heart attack. I mean what would you do going about your job, just a regular Friday night, and a freaking real life zombie got in the back of your cab!!!! Hahahaha. Here's some pictures from the event: http://www.honolulupulse.com/bars-clubs/pics-zombie-pub-crawl-in-chinatown#36832

After falling asleep before 10pm Friday night, my roommate and I got up early this morning and rode out   to the North Shore to go surfing. We grabbed some delicious breakfast burritos at the farmer's market on the way home. As soon as I jumped out of Rosie's car I hopped into another friends car and drove straight to the marina where I got on a sailboat with 10 other people and we rode out to the middle of the ocean and barbecued as the sunset. It was so beautiful and relaxing! Hawaii is truly amazing sometimes. If the crystal clear water, homemade beer, and warm sun wasn't enough, on the ride in one of the guys on the boat with us whipped out his ukelele and played Bob Marley for us! Ahhh, good day!

Westsiiiidde

This weekend was a busy one. Friday night was First Friday block party in Chinatown. Music, art galleries, and food trucks (guava smoked pork pizza!!!). It was a lot of fun. Taking the bus there however, not so much. When you are feeling like life is getting you down... go for a bus ride. You will soon see just how good you have it. (No offense fellow bus riders).

Saturday I worked a double, so nothing too exciting happened that day. Although I did have my best serving night so far. $100+ in three and a half hours of work - woop woop!

Sunday morning my roommate, her friend, and I work up at 6am to go surfing on the westside (comparable to the northside of Jacksonville, or Cocoa in Brevard - can be a little scary). Anyway, unfortunately there wasn't much in the way of surfing, but we did end up going boogie boarding on some really fun waves. After about an hour, we drove about five minutes down the road to help with a beach cleanup for the Surf Foundation my roommate's a part of.

Pretty good weekend over all. Busy, but good.

First Week of October

Okay, I know I have been slacking a little bit lately when it comes to the blog. However, in my defense I have been extremely busy between moving, fixing up the new place (I believe I am at about 10 hours of painting, with another 5 planned for today), three jobs, and trying to fit in a little fun too.

This past weekend was the Art After Dark party and Oktoberfest I had mentioned in a previous post. Both were a lot of fun, with lots of live music, wine, and interesting people. The Art After Dark had a 70's theme costume party, which provided us with an unlimited supply of quality people watching. Not to mention by the time we made it over to Chinatown for Oktoberfest, the majority of the crowd had definitely had their fare share of booze - again providing some stellar people watching. Haha.

Bathroom

As far as the new place goes, I have just about finished my room - maybe one or two pieces of art for the walls, I painted the bathroom a light green, so it is now finished as well. Last on the list is the kitchen (which I will be painting today since I'm off work) and the living room. We are still in need of a couch and dining room chairs. I have to say, although it hasn't been anything too involved, I have taken some enjoyment out of fixing up a place on my own. It is fun to see the changes, and then we to enjoy our new and improved place. Although the second I set foot it this place it was an improvement from my last laundry room situation. I forgot how much a comfortable bed matters! Now I can honestly say, in the words of my Grandma, "I love my bed, I love my bed, I love my bed!"

Lastly- I have officially resigned from the yoga/running apparel store, and instead have taken up a job at a local restaurant. It is a super casual, order-at-the-counter style place, but I get to cook and be around food. It is amazing how much faster a work shift can go by when you enjoy what you are doing! I have also decided to start substitute teaching. Since I have a teacher certification I will be making $160 a day! Woo Hoo, what an increase from Florida's measly $59! At the very least, there will be plenty of entertaining blog posts to come I am sure.

PS my dad officially has a cell phone. I honestly never thought this day would come. Welcome to the age of technology pops!

Until next time . . .

Laundry Room Upgrade

After

Before 

Yayyyyy my new room is turning out to be soooooo nice! Ahhh so much better than my freaking laundry room! The apartment has a whole is still under construction, but my room is basically finished. I need one or two things to put up on my walls, but other than that it is great! Here are some before and after pictures to give you an idea!! I will update more about the past weekend and the new place a little later ...