This is the epitome of fun pizza toppings as an out-of-the-(pizza)-box. It seems special but includes flavors we love with ingredients we had – crab, cream cheese, crispy wontons and duck sauce! I try to do this for the kids to see flavors in other formats but in all honesty, us grown ups were the most excited.
Crab Rangoon Pizza Ingredients: pizza dough 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 green onion (or chives) 3/4 cup crab meat/ imitation crab meat, finely chopped 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella ~1 cup crispy wontons (sold near croutons!) 1/4 cup duck sauce
Directions: Let the dough come to room temperature, ~2+ hours from refrigeration or ~4 hours from frozen. Preheat a pizza oven or oven (or grill – though maybe parbake the dough flipping once before topping it.) Whisk together the softened cream cheese, heavy cream, green onion into a sauce. Spread the dough out and top with the sauce, then mozzarella, then crab.
Bake the pizza (ours went into the outdoor pizza oven for 60-90 seconds or in the oven it would take ~30 minutes at 400 degrees). Cook until the crust cooks through and the cheese melts. Once it is cooked, top with the wontons and a drizzle of duck sauce. Enjoy!
We loved this one! This time it was using the filling of some crab rangoons we hadn’t baked yet. Each kid ate a slice though I don’t think they went back for seconds of this one. We usually make 2-3 pizzas from a ball of pizza dough (~12 inch pies) and our others were a veggie one and a sausage & ricotta one.
I’m sure we’ll make it again and I would use leftover crab for crab cakes. Using leftover crab rangoons from a restaurant might be more cream cheesy than crab flavored but go for it! Leftover crispy wontons are great on an Asian-Inspired Burger or Pineapple Coconut Rice Bowls or on soft tacos or onto salad/slaw.
Summer is buzzing by. It feels like quite a mix of rainy days and super hot days. Work-life was turned upside down with the break up of my department, colleagues leaving, and now I’m trying to figure out what’s ahead.
July in the kitchen included some extra take-outs nights and extra “anything goes” nights after pool afternoons or when it was just too hot.
I made a great BBQ Chicken Rice Bowl with grilled zucchini, tomato salad, and a honey bbq drizzle.
Chicken Piccata became a pizza! It was so good, quite flavorful, and we will definitely repeat – majorly lemon flavor with juicy chicken and fresh parsley. I skipped the capers but go for it if you love them!
Lastly, I put together a bunch of dinner ideas for vacation: think minimal ingredients, not lots of leftovers, and easy to execute in a vacation rental kitchen! There are adaptations for each as well as ideas for sides. If you’re prepping for vacay, divvying meals for a family trip or planning a friends trip, these should help add some variety to your menu! – Crispy Fish (or shredded chicken) tacos with lemonade slaw – Pineapple Coconut Rice Bowls with Kielbasa/Chicken/Pulled Pork or as kebabs – easy Mediterranean night with naan flatbreads & Greek salad or Greek Pasta Salad – top your own pasta bar – Sesame noodles & dumplings & edemame
August brings our beach vacation, Claire back to daycare a few days a week, and Claire turns 3! To make the most of the summer it feels like we need more beach time, more ice cream cones, and maybe some more days off. I have a breakfast blog post coming and some ideas for summer produce.
The Little Girl: She loooves cruising around the neighborhood on her balance bike. She is more into the big pool now. For awhile she mostly splashed on the stairs and got in and out. Now she likes to “swim” to the swimout seat and then across to climb the ladder. It is so fun to see her with books she’s memorized. She started watching TV a bit more and is into Daniel Tiger. She always says when she’s big she’ll go to camp. She goes back to daycare in a few weeks!
The Big Guy: He has been SO brave going to his day camps and each week being “new”. We hadn’t ever done camps before so we pieces together a few once we were ready to plan – I think we have favorites. They are so so so good for him to go do stuff away from home. I’m proud since new things feels hard for him but he’s been the picture of adaptability! Packing nut-free lunches is a re-learning curve for us- snacky lunch is the most successful. Swim lessons have been wonderful and he’s such a fish. I’ll never get over what he comes up with to make out of legos.
Goals: Year of the fun mail! Sadly another coworker is leaving so I sent a card. More breakfasts: One needed more work so it is bumped to August. Lunches coordinated or prepped in advance: a lot of breakfasts for lunch or all the random leftovers (like Soft Cornbread). I’d like to get the house a bit neater: ehh. Bullet journal – still keeping a meals list. What I’m reading: I read Circe for bookclub though it was mostly in June – it was the most scholastic book I’ve read in a while. Beach Read was quite cute and a nice brain-vacay. Of Women and Salt was just ok, but I don’t overwhelmingly recommend. We Run the Tides was one of the most accurate depictions I’ve seen of a teenage mind’s rebellion/naivety/independence/questions. I heard an interview with Elin Hildebrand and she said Blue Bistro was her fav of her books – I could see why! High-end Restaurant life is a world of its own and Nantucket is so idyllic. Carnegie’s Maid is captivating for historical fiction about the Carnegie family and early philanthropy from a fictitious perspective of a fictitious immigrant lady’s maid- so well written. What I’m Watching: All Olympics, all the time.
April has been lovely! We’ve turned the corner in my brain not needing to juggle nearly as much. T is at school full-time now and I think/hope that the multitasking nature of our own schedules with a kindergarten zoom schedule wrapping up means I less often feel like I’m just treading water.
This month, I loooved these Cuban Rice Bowls – maybe the most in my fam. It has great flavors and really diversifies pulled pork.
I made Breakfast Totchos, like nachos but with tots as the base with breakfast goodies like bacon, eggs, cheese, beans, green onions. I added a spicy maple drizzle. Delicious!
April was a good chance to intro some summery things while getting those last chances for wintery foods! We grilled and also ate lasagna. April to me is that reminder from Mother Nature of ‘did you want to wear a sweater one more time?’
The Little Girl: She suddenly wants to walk out of the stroller more often. The pace is slow but she listens well to hold hands or to get back in so I’m OK with it. For about a week straight we watched the diggers building sidewalks up the street. So fun. It is a-dor-able to hear her say “I’m so happy for chocolate/daffodils/swinging”. She occasionally wants “some lots” for desserts and also asks why things have the name they do- why is that called the deck? She’s so cute.
The Big Guy: School 5 days a week has been great. He loves it- though finds it tiring. He is into school lunch and I love giving him the 2 choices and guessing what he’ll pick. I have 99% accuracy. The convenience factor of not prepping or cleaning up from lunch is greatly appreciated and his astonishment that chocolate milk exists is comical. He’s starting tee-ball and I’m psyched he’s being brave and doing it. We just finished reading aloud Mouse and the Motorcycle.
Goals: Year of the fun mail! I sent off a birthday treat and also sent cards for the very best college friends as we’ve dubbed our apt number to be a holiday on that number-turned-into-a-date. More breakfasts: Totchos! Lunches coordinated or prepped in advance: it’s all leftovers or these Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Warm Wraps I’d like to get the house a bit neater: I’ve been going to town with a magic eraser. Bullet journal – I’ve been keeping a meals list. What I’m reading: I read Eight Hundred Grapes which was light and moderately entertaining and The Only Woman in the Room which was stellar and I couldn’t put it down. What I’m Watching: the Food Network Tournament of Champions is hands down, the best competition out there – they’re judging blindly! We did a few movies during school vacation: The Lands Before Time and Cars 2.
I’m reallllly feeling 2021. The prospect of a new year, fresh slate doesn’t seem inspiring or fitting. I think some melted sidewalks is what I’m looking forward to the most right now. I’m the most home-body of anyone I know and even I want to go places. I had a few fun foods in February, mixed amongst the staples of easy-to-execute/crowd pleasers.
I made a BLT Chicken Salad that has great flexibility for any time of year…including this part of the year with lack-luster tomatoes!
The standout meal of the month for me was Pineapple Coconut Rice bowls. I love a rice bowl and this added some greatly appreciated variety and inspiring a different place.
I’m not sure what’s coming up for March yet. I feel a bit of a slump so maybe some fun foods will revive me – or birthday cake?
The Little Girl: She just always wants to go places- there’s just nowhere for her to go. I love hearing her tell stories from books she knows well as she flips through them. We’re so lucky she’s easy going. I’m amused by her intense instruction when she’s playing pretend- for the play kitchen she’s forever telling me in a deep voice, “no, that’s for lunch and it is hot”. PB & fluff is her fav lunch and she’d eat maple oatmeal daily.
The Big Guy: The start of Feb vacation had him sad not to have school, then sad to go back. The break was good – he got some time home to just play, time with all the grandparents, and he was thrilled to have so much snow. It was also good for us as the time-managers. He loves sledding and is never cold. His current fav food is fig bars – like these and he’s been into helping make dinner. He watched the movie Turbo and loved it. We’re reading Charlotte’s Web.
Goals: Year of the fun mail! We sent a few Valentines around and a little something as encouragement. More breakfasts: nothing new, but I did make a special doughnut run. Lunches coordinated or prepped in advance – Umm. Leftovers became some breakfast burritos which are fun to pull out of the freezer now and then. I’ve been having some veggie burgers too. I’d like to get the house a bit neater: ehh. I didn’t have any particular emphasis on this- but should Bullet journal – I’ve kept a meals list going which I like as reminders of the every-day/not blogged ones. What I’m reading: I read Panther Baby and The Giver of Stars which I loooved and The Henna Artist. What I’m Watching: We caught up on some movies – ‘Knives Out’ which I absolutely loved and ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ was was OK to me.
Somehow June zoomed by! Maybe it was the wrap up for T’s pre-k class or the hurry of the end of the fiscal year at work. The unknown of what’s ahead is just so strange. Being patient to let time pass, to find out what elementary school and daycare will do, and to hear what is ahead for work is just hard. The limbo is hard to not let possibilities feel stressful.
I was so happy with Mr. J’s birthday burger! This BLT Burger has bacon ground into the patty and a tomato jam.
This Pink Grapefruit Refresher was totally out of the ordinary for me and is addicting. The touch of tart from the pink grapefruit with sweetness from the grenadine is delightful.
The little ones aren’t into shrimp lately so I whipped this Chipotle Shrimp Rice Bowl up just for myself. My love for grain bowls runs deep and some leftover brown rice and some leftover black beans were screaming to become a bowl!
I’m kicking July off with the easiest dessert ever and maybe a series. This tends to be a slower time for blog readership but maybe that’ll be different now that nobody’s going on vacation? We’ll see. I mean, we’re eating 3 meals a day at home and we love the occasional surprise so I’m still at it!
The Pre-K Guy:
He was sad for his class to be over. It was a drawn-out time of “being over” but he loved it. He’s honestly so happy to be home 24-7. He loves getting dressed in shorts, playing outside most of the day is great for him. I wish he could play with friends. Our home routine works well. I don’t push the worksheets, crafts, etc but I try to have some things ready. That pre-dinner rush or post-nap or needing a cool activity inside is prime time to have something ready. He’s thoroughly appreciates getting to watch a show- his favs are Floogles, Muppet Babies, and DinoTrux. He is obsessed with playing music from the ipod- Say Something by A Great Big World and Manic Monday by The Bangles. I love that he picks out bedtime stories and we close our eyes and try to guess the books by feel. I’m maybe 50% guess rate. His fav foods are pb&j (still), bread & butter pickles, and craisins. There’s a lot of life lessons happening- racism, honesty, consent. Bah. It is hard.
The Toddler Girl:
She so easy-going. Any chance for an adventure and she’s sold! The possibility of a car ride is her dream. She misses errands. She likes a few licks of an ice cube and knows the remainder goes into the dog’s water bowl. She is happy to give the dogs treats – moreso than big brother is! I’m noticing a few two-year-old moments- she turns 2 in August. She’s so chill until she isn’t. Her fav foods are cheese (and more and more cheese) and jelly and teddy grahams. Her fav tunes are Wheels on the Bus and Uptown Girl.
This Year’s Goals:
Year of beauty/selfcare – Ehh. Not really. I repaired my pedicure tool- does that count? Prep intentional sides and veggies: Ehh. Nope Eat more fish: breaded fish sticks Blog some series: Nope. Focus decluttering/organizing to an area: I was on a roll giving away a bunch of attic stuff. We’ve probably cleared out the last of the baby stuff. Share more books on instagram: I’ve shared the collections I pull for the kids and what I’m into. Prioritize workouts: I’m almost through Barre Blend. I’m not sure what’s next. Maybe running more. What I’m reading: I finished The Most Fun We Ever Had and thought it was ok/good. Then I loved Clap When You Land!
What I’m listening to: only the occasional podcast – A Beautiful Mess is a fun one after following their blog and instagram. What I’m watching: We finished Schitt’s Creek and are so sad it is over. I’m loving the Bachelor Best Seasons Ever for a whole season in one night!