Mushroom, Goat Cheese, and Truffle Oil Pizza

I've recently become completely obsessed with truffle oil and purchased some on Amazon.com.  I've been experimenting with it (mostly on roasted vegetables, which is incredible) and decided to try it on pizza over the weekend.  In loosely trying to recreate a pizza I'd had a Sonoma Wine Garden, I came up with this magnificent creation.  It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.  This might be my new favorite pizza.


Mushroom, Goat Cheese, and Truffle Oil Pizza
First I sautéed 15 ounces of chopped mushrooms in a little truffle oil (a small amount goes a long way).  I used Trader Joe's wheat pizza dough, rolling it out and cooking it for 5 minutes on 450º.  Then I brushed the crust with truffle oil and added the sautéed mushrooms, about 4-6 ounces of goat cheese, and 4-6 ounces of grated fontina cheese.  I put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  When it was done cooking, I sprinkled it with a little more truffle oil and a dash of sea salt.  

Weekend Recap

 dinner at Sushi Roku

 tuna over crispy rice

 baked crab hand roll

 red velvet ice cream

 free yoga at Lululemon

Although it's already Wednesday, I'm still thinking about the great weekend I had.  Highlights included having dinner with friends at Sushi Roku (the baked crab hand rolls and tuna over crispy rice are glorious), free yoga at Lululemon (definitely a great class and worth checking out), some cooking and baking, and much needed down time.  What are your favorite weekend activities?

Avalanche Bark

If you've ever been to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, I'm sure you've noticed the Avalanche Bark.  It's  hard to miss and one of my favorites.  So when I found the recipe, I couldn't resist making them at home.  I've now added these to my list of homemade Christmas gifts for next year, because they are fantastic (and so easy to make).

Doughboys

French Onion Soup

French Onion w/Antipasta Salad

Portobello Mushroom and Pancetta Salad

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Margherite Pizza

Red Velvet Cake

There are few restaurants in LA that I love more than Doughboys.  They offer cheap, plentiful, delicious food in a casual, welcoming atmosphere.  And while the food is amazing, the real incentive is the red velvet cake.  They're mostly known for weekend brunch/lunch, but we prefer to grab week night dinners there to avoid the crowds.  Whitney and I went recently and made our standard order of the French Onion soup with the Antipasta Salad and left feeling full and happy.  Have you been to Doughboys?

Lululemon Free Yoga Classes

After years of hearing about the free yoga classes at Lululemon stores, I'm finally going to try one this weekend.  I practice yoga regularly at Equinox and swear by Lululemon workout clothes, so I'm excited to try out their in-store class with a girl friend on Sunday.  If you're interested in free yoga classes and other events at your local Lululemon store, check out the schedule here.  Happy Friday!

After Christmas Sales

J. Crew Shimmer Pocket Tank $19.99 (sale)
J.Crew Floating Sequins Cami $79.99 (sale)
Gap The City Flat $32.99 (sale)
Stella & Dot Jasmine Stackable Rings $23 each (sale)
Soixante Neuf Gold Dot Ring $91 (sale)

Although I'm still on a shopping ban, I have to admit I'm seeing a ton of great "post holiday sales" and am tempted to take advantage of them.  I'm staying strong on my "spend less, save more" resolution, but I'm not making any promises that one of the Shimmer Pocket Tanks doesn't make its way into my closet.  What after Christmas sales are you enjoying?

Simplifying Technology

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I'll be the first to admit, technology isn't my strong suit.  I try to keep up and stay "relevant" but it's just not me to be on the cutting edge with these things.  I recently read an article in the NY Times about how spending just a few hours now can streamline and simplify your technology needs for the entire year and beyond.  Making simple changes such as switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox or Google Chrome and setting up a free file-sharing service can drastically cut down your time online and give you more free time to read a book or grab coffee with a friend.  What a great concept!  I'm already on hold with the people at Time Warner asking for a free upgrade in my internet speed.  Read the entire article here.