Artisan Gardner

 Warm weather brings an irresistible urge to dine outdoors & an appetite for seasonal menus calls for dishes made with fresh ingredients.

"Seasonal" can also apply to schedules that may find you running or relaxing. Either way, uncomplicated meals made at home with simple ingredients are smart & healthy and offer the perfect opportunity to sit down together and give thanks.

 Artisan Gardner is a nod to Laura Gardner ~ a friend & fabulous cook! There is a liveliness in Laura's cooking. Partly due to her genuine love of preparing good food & her seasoned career in the culinary & hospitality industry, but mainly it's her generosity and ease in which she entertains.

A casual invitation to dinner at the Gardner's fills us with joyful anticipation! We just know it's going to be good ~ and it's definitely a collaboration. Her mouth-watering menus are always earthy & regional and Mr. Gardner's wine pairings beautifully complement the meal & elevate the evening. They are quite a team in the kitchen & in real life!

You may be wondering why all the beet photos. Well ~ It's because they're in season and because Grilled Beet & Goat Cheese Pizza was on the menu! Since Laura prefers to cook off-book & I'm a visual gal, I grabbed my iPhone and started snapping away!

Here is the result with recipe & instructions below. 

Grilled Beet & Goat Cheese Pizza

{Ingredients}

Serves 4

4 medium-sized Beets with greens

Dough 

{White or Wheat ~ Fresh or Packaged}

Corn Meal

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Goat Cheese

Provolone Cheese

Dried Figs

Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

{Directions}  

Wash beets & greens. Remove greens & set aside.

Peel beets with a paring knife or vegetable peeler. 

Slice to medium thickness using a mandolin.

{be smart & use the guard}

Toss with S&P and 2 tsp. olive oil.

Chop greens.

Toss with S&P and 2 tsp. olive oil.

Let dough rest at room temp and then separate into sections for individual pizzas. Gently press the dough into rustic shapes.

Let the dough rest again as it will bounce back a little. Prepare a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent dough from sticking.

Place pizzas on pan & prepare cheeses.

Grill the beets over medium-high heat, flipping & rotating until they start to spot or blister. 

Over medium-high heat, place individual pizzas on the grill for approximately 4 minutes or until the underside becomes golden brown and easily releases from grill.

After a minute, you can lift an edge and peek underneath. You want a slight char around the edge, which adds a lot of flavor!

 Flip the dough back onto a pan with cornmeal so uncooked side is facing down.

Spread the top grilled side of dough generously with goat cheese.

Layer with the fresh chopped greens & grilled beets.

Top with dried figs.

Top with provolone cheese.

Place pizzas back on the grill for another 4 minutes to brown underside of the dough. Cover with a lid during this time to allow the cheese to melt.

Best when served hot off the grill!

These were quite filling so a sliced heirloom tomato with fresh basil & sea salt would be a great side & as always, a selection from J. Lohr Vineyards is the perfect compliment to any meal prepared by Artisan Gardner!

I hope you're looking forward to a great summer weekend! Get your grill fired up, dial up your favorite music, gather together and enjoy some chewy, crispy & smoky Grilled Beet & Goat Cheese Pizza!

Remember - cooking at home is not about perfection. It's about cooking what you like, how you like and for who you like.

Bon appetite! 

Gatherings

 

Family gatherings.

 

 

Friends gathering.

 

 

Gathering my thoughts.

 

 

Gathering my day & sharing it with you.

Red, White, & Blue & All Over the Place

She started it.

Okay, actually I started it. With the first pair in 1993 ~ to match her personality ~ she’s a redhead.

Then he came along ~ right on her heels.

Told Dad to get a pair of his own.

Some are allowed to be washed.

Some are not.

I’m just thankful when they’re all together.

Aren’t you so looking forward to this long weekend ~ I know I am!

Have a good one!

XO

Traditions

In a world that spins faster and faster every day, there’s no greater luxury than slowing down to a pleasurable pace. Especially during the celebratory seasons when everyone’s hustling and bustling all over the place.

We do our best around here to slow things down a bit all in the honor of traditions.

Over the years we’ve come to know what we like best.  What brings back the best memories, which makes us the most comfortable, and what makes us the most grateful. My children say that Christmases past is among some of the happiest times of their lives.

I am grateful.

These memories start to stir in September. Welcoming the change of weather I tuck away the lighter linens and bring on the layers. Come November, fresh candles, fresh greens, and baskets of pine cones ease us into the traditions of Thanksgiving. The evenings come earlier now. The aroma of comfort foods come from the kitchen and a big roaring fire change the pace and encourage lingering.

I am grateful.

December is a time to celebrate and a time to shine. Glossy holiday issues of my favorite magazines have arrived and I’m drawn in by the cornucopia of beautiful decorating, joyous entertaining, and thoughtful gifts!  I have learned a great deal from the talented stylists, photographers & designers who every year, bring a fresh look to our treetops, tabletops, and time-honored traditions. They inspire me to try new ideas, add my personal touch and make them my own.

I am grateful.

I do my best to decorate for the holidays and graciously pass these traditions along, even if it kills me!

Despite the best of intentions I somehow manage to get caught up in that hustle & bustle that I spoke of earlier and preparations run amok.

The Drummer is way too loud. The Piper has a sore throat. The Lady is still out dancing.  The Maid has quit and the Geese are quite frankly just not in the mood. Thank goodness the Lord leaps in and reminds me that there’s always next year.

These are our traditions and yes, I am grateful.

I hope the start of the holiday season finds you hustling & bustling at a pleasurable pace!

Look for The Lisa Porter Collection annual directory of Holiday Gift Guides, coming soon!

A Huge Honkin’ Hoe-Down

It’s been a busy week around here. To celebrate the Fall season my son’s youth group kicked things off  with a

Huge Honkin’ Hoe-Down!

His best friend’s family graciously hosted the event this year at their beautiful homestead just outside of Lexington~

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, then you know I’ve always dreamt of owning a barn. So I jumped at the chance to help out & express my inner Carolyne Roehm Passion for Parties!

Right on queue & in typical Bluegrass style, our weather went from a warm & heavenly 77 to a wet & gnarly 35 and suddenly my inner Carolyne Roehm was nowhere to be found!

But guess who was around with great spirit & goodwill ~

The Cowen family, the Porter family, TCPC Youth Minister Jonathan Hansen & his incredible crew! We all worked tirelessly after church, after school, after work, between ballet, book club, chorus try-outs, and trips to the Vet!

On October 31st the bonfire was lit & the party was on!

Guests arrived at the barn via hay wagon thanks to Mr. Cowen & John Deer.

Fresh Fall foliage tied with muslin, colorful homemade pendants, family saddles propped on farm fences, a gazillion white lights, and that big beautiful black barn provided a visual feast of the season’s offerings!

Just add hay, hot food, iTunes & 100 teens & you have yourself a hoe-down!

My apologies for the iPhone photos. They were so grainy & blurry so I edited them & added grunge with Snapseed to try and fake you out.

Hey! Do you know how hard it is to snap photos while square dancing Gangnam Style?

Mine were there!

The pizza guy was there too.

Also on queue ~ my son’s best friend.

Sumo Wrestler Spencer Cowen. 

He might as well know right now that I’m hanging on to the video of him dancing Gangnam style in his Mawashi & Nikes for some other special occasion.

Yes there were dance contests, prizes for best costume & then everyone headed out for the bonfire & a good old fashioned game of capture the flag ~

in the dark!

It was wild.  Trust me.

A big Thank You to TCPC and to the Cowen family. It was most definitely a night to remember!

First photo | The Walt Disney Co.

All Other Photos | Lisa Porter