Pizza Perfection

pizza recipe with pancetta and baby arugula.

After years of popular demand, Kalamazoo created a built-in version of its famous pizza oven for people who want an oven installed into a wall or masonry structure and not sitting on a countertop.

Like the traditional wood-fired pizza ovens, the built-in Artisan Fire Pizza Oven is stone-lined. Pizzas cook directly on a hollow-core baking deck. Its honeycombed interior is designed to rapidly change temperature. A ceiling stone radiates heat down to quickly brown toppings.

The Artisan Fire Pizza Oven uses propane or natural gas and heats up in about 20 minutes. It is capable of the high heat needed for making delicious pizza, reaching temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit via two independent burners.

Of course, the outdoor oven can be used to make other dishes such as roasting meats, fish and vegetables. Simply use cast iron fajita pans right on the baking deck. Kalamazoo’s Asparagus Wraps with Crispy Prosciutto and Herbed Cheese seems to be a very popular recipe for pizza oven owners.

Priced at $8,295, the oven will surely be the center point of your Outdoor Entertaining. The Oven can be specified for either natural gas or liquid propane, and is made by hand in Kalamazoo, Michigan, of stainless steel.

Kalamazoo has a terrific newsletter filled with great recipes that I personally enjoy. Try this incredible recipe with pancetta and baby arugula.

Rustic Pizza with Baby Arugula, Pancetta and Tomatoes

Course: Recipe
Season: Summer
Difficulty: easy
Season: Summer
Difficulty: easy

After years of popular demand, Kalamazoo created a built-in version of its famous pizza oven for people who want an oven installed into a wall or masonry structure and not sitting on a countertop.

Ingredients

1/2 batch White Wine Pizza Dough, about 14 ounces
2 oz pancetta, chopped and cooked until crisp
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1 cup baby arugula leaves
cup halved sweet grape tomatoes

Cooking: 30 min
Ready in: 30 min

Instructions

Prepare the pizza oven or grill for baking pizza at 500°F Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the dough. Add the arugula, then the tomatoes, and then sprinkle the pancetta over the top.
Transfer to the preheated pizza stone and bake for about 10 minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese is browning.

February 11, 2015

How to Make a Romantic Bath

Foaming bath salts made with Dead Sea Salt give a luxurious, pampering, and skin loving bath! To make your own for yourself or to give as a gift, I’ve included a recipe from The Rustic Essentials Crafting Library.

Items Needed:

1/2 cup Liquid Glycerin Soap Base
2 Tbsp. light oil ( Sweet Almond Oil or Grapeseed Oil)
Gel Soap Colorant (a few drops)
6 cups coarse grain Dead Sea Salts
1/4 ounce (approx. 2 teaspoons) of body safe Fragrance Oil

Directions:

Mix Liquid Glycerin Soap, carrier oil, body safe fragrance oil, and coloring. (If you’re using a teaspoon to measure fragrance oil, be sure to use metal rather than plastic.) Pour over Dead Sea Salts. Stir continuously until salt crystals are evenly coated. Thinly spread the salts on a cookie sheet. Cover with wax paper and air dry for 24 hours.

Store in a glass container with a lid. If you are gifting, you might want to include in ingredient label.

If you are feeling less ambitious, this second recipe uses easier to find ingredients.

Ingredients:

6 Cups Kosher or Epsom Salt
¾ Cup Lavender Scented Body Wash
1 tbsp Olive, Coconut, or Sweet Almond Oil
2-3 Drops Lavender Essential Oil (Optional)
Purple Food Coloring (Optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine salt and body wash, and mix until well combined.
Add in your oil, essential oil and food coloring and mix well.
On a lined baking sheet, spread the salt mixture out into a thin layer. Allow to dry for 24 hours.
Once dry, break up any large clumps, and spoon into a glass jar with a lid.

Add a Wood Bath Caddy/Tray and some votive candles and you have a nice gift for that special someone.

Wishing You a Happy Valentine’s Day! xoxo-Ann

February 8, 2015September 26, 2019

Outdoor Kitchens Expected to be Hot in 2015

Experts agree adding an outdoor kitchen adds value to your home.

According to a report conducted by Redfin, a popular nationwide real estate firm, the sale of luxury homes has been increasing at a steady pace since last year. In fact, homes priced over a million dollars outpaced the rest of the housing market.

According to Redfin, “when you have that much cash to spend, you can be picky. Interior design trends change every year, and buyers of luxury homes want the latest.” Continue reading “Outdoor Kitchens Expected to be Hot in 2015”

February 4, 2015

Dapper Design

Menswear trends have inspired Walker Zanger’s Sterling Row collection, which incorporate marble and wood-look porcelain tiles in gray, black and white tones.

The Sterling Row collection is inspired by the elegant feel of fine fabrics, the richness of burnished leather and the luxuriously appointed shops of the finest tailors in London, Manhattan and Paris.

“Using modern water-jet technology, we were able to create delicate and distinctive patterns in wood-finish ceramic, precisely fitted with marble. It’s a novel take on a classic theme that has applications in varying scales for floors and walls, and for residential and commercial venues alike.” – Jared Becker, Vice President of Design and Marketing

Sterling Row Patterns are available in two color ways, Linen and Charcoal, created from three colors of Statale porcelain tile and Thasos White, Bianco Bello and Imperial Black Marble.

Sterling Row’s ten distinctive patterns offer designers a wealth of decorative options for floors or walls, alongside the technical advantage of impervious porcelain, which can be used in any residential, and most commercial applications.