Outside Cooking . . .

So, for anyone who has not heard, the East is under a record-breaking heat wave right now. Which means my stove and oven are pretty much off-limits. Why? Well, we don't have central air-conditioning. So trying to keep our house bearably cool is difficult, and would be impossible if I was doing a lot of cooking. So we've had to be very creative and cook outdoors. It hasn't been too bad, it just takes a little more planning and work.

Sunday, we had company coming and did a butterflied chicken on the grill (wish I had taken a picture, it was beautiful), boiled potatoes, gravy, cauliflower, watermelon, and dutch-oven peach cobbler. Most of this we did outside, and it turned out great. And I turned out exhausted!

Tonight it was a little simpler and so so yummy. One of our all-time favorite recipes is Pizza Margherita. I haven't made it lately because it cooks in a 500 degree oven. But I decided to give it a try on the grill.

The recipe is in my older posts, a few pages back. It didn't take much to modify it for the grill. I used the same dough (which I love because you make the whole dough in the food processor, so fast and you don't have to get your hands dirty!). Once the dough had risen, I divided it into 8 pieces and rolled each thin, then placed between floured sheets of waxed paper.

I made the sauce according to the recipe.

Instead of cubing the cheese, I shredded it.

Preheat the grill and scrape the grates clean. Turn the burners to about medium-high. Toss on as many dough rounds as will fit on your grill and let them cook until starting to brown on bottom. Watch the first batch carefully to make sure they don't burn, since every grill varies in temperature. Once they are brown, flip them over and, working quickly, top with sauce (spread with a spoon) and cheese. Close the grill lid for just a minute or two.

When the cheese is melted and bottom side of pizza is lightly browned (or darker if you prefer it crunchier), remove pizzas to a tray or cookie sheet. Sprinkle with chopped basil, kosher salt, and drizzled olive oil. While you're finishing the pizzas on the tray, you should also throw more dough rounds onto the grill for the next batch. Enjoy. And enjoy your nice cool house!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

No, these chocolate chip cookies are NOT overdone.

This comment is specifically for my dad, who is extremely picky about the "done-ness" of his cookies. When any of us bake the family-standard chocolate chip recipe, you have to watch the cookies like a hawk. Dad really likes them pretty pale. I can't blame him in a way, I don't like crunchy chocolate chip cookies. The best ones are a little crisp on the edges and pleasantly chewy and a little gooey on the inside.

So, back to these particular cookies, they are not overdone, they are brown because they are 100% WHOLE WHEAT. Yup. And guess what? They taste fabulous.

So on one of my favorite foodie blogs, I saw a recommendation for a new cookbook called "Good to the Grain". It's a cookbook with familiar recipes that are modified to include more whole grains. Well, we've been trying to eat more fruits and veggies and whole grains, so this cookbook seemed like a good choice. I really like it so far (but have only tried 3 recipes). I'll certainly post more about it as I go along. These cookies were intriguing to me the first time I leafed through the book. I love chocolate chip cookies. I keep trying new recipes, just to see what each different one is like. I honestly did not think these would be that great. Wow was I surprised. The wheat flour gives them a different texture and a sort of nutty taste, but these are both unexpectedly pleasant. It felt like kind of a grown-up, sophisticated sort of chocolate chip cookie with a really savory aftertaste that left me wanting more. Maybe it was partially the kosher salt. I have a longstanding love affair with kosher salt, but I haven't used it much in baking. This cookbook seems to call exclusively for it in all the recipes.

PS-My kids loved the cookies, too.

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(modified slightly from "Good to the Grain" by Kim Boyce and Amy Scattergood)

Dry mix:

3 c whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Wet mix:

8 oz (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 c dark brown sugar (don't substitute light brown, you really need the dark to contend with the strong wheat flavor)

1 c granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 (12 oz) package of good quality semisweet chocolate chips

Spray cookie sheet/s with nonstick spray. Heat oven to 350.

Add all dry ingredients to large bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Add butter and sugars to bowl of standing mixer with paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, mix until butter and sugars are blended, scraping sides of bowl if necessary. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is combined. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture to bowl and blend on low until the flour is just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl. Add chocolate chips all at once, and mix on low until chocolate is evenly combined. Scrape the batter out onto a work surface and use your hands to fully mix everything.

Scoop mounds of dough, 2-3 tablespoons depending on desired size (I liked these a little bigger, I think it helped contribute to a nice chewy center). Larger cookies will only fit about 6 to a sheet. Bake the cookies 15-20 minutes, until cookies are evenly dark brown. Transfer to a wire rack and continue to bake dough. Eat warm with milk! This recipe also halves nicely.