Inspired by Shelby Cuisine

There is this wonderful pizza place in my hometown that used to make barbecue pizza. The first time I had it, I thought it was the most brilliant thing ever created. Upon returning home to celebrate the holidays with my family, I was incredibly disappointed to see that Pleasant City had taken my favorite pizza off the menu.

Ever since the first (and only) time I had barbecue pizza, it has been on my mind as a possible adventure in the kitchen. Luckily, I had to buy a ton of barbecue and slaw from Cooper's Barbecue in Raleigh yesterday for my super bowl appetizer (stay tuned!) Last night, I made barbecue pizza, and it was just as perfect as I had remembered!

Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups flat beer, warmed
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1 /2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. quick-rise active dry yeast

Dissolve yeast in beer. Mix ingredients and knead 10 minutes. Form into balls. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, then roll out for pizza. Dough may also be made up the day before and stored overnight in refrigerator.

Barbecue Pizza
Barbecue Sauce
Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese
Chopped pork, the best in Raleigh comes from Cooper's
Slaw

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and spread on barbecue sauce. Top with a very thin layer of cheese and pork. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes and add dollops of slaw.

Workshops and Potatoes

It frustrates me so much that many young people in this nation don't have enough mentors and role models in their life. Why do I bring this up?

Today I helped give a workshop in resume building for at-risk youth who weren't much younger than myself. Honestly, it was a lot of fun. They asked great questions and absorbed the information beautifully. I would say that I need quite a bit of practice in public speaking, but I was encouraged by the fun audience. As tough as these 5 individuals seemed to be, they were so forgiving of my far from perfect presentation.

I just hope that these young people sieze any opportunities that come their way and find strength from within in their career development. There is so much potential in all of them, and I hope they see that in themselves!

Almond-Turmeric Potatoes
(Splendid Table)
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. red or Yukon Gold potatoes, very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped almonds

Generously film a 4-qt. saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Layer in onion, turmeric, salt and pepper, potatoes, and more salt and pepper.

Let mixture cook, without stirring, until the onion starts to soften and brown. Don't stir, but peek under them to check color.

Add broth, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Again, don't stir, but shake the pan occasionally, and check to make sure there is still some liquid on the bottom of the pan. Add more liquid as needed. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until there is a syrupy brown glaze on the bottom of the pan, the onion is coloring, and the potatoes are tender. Pull the pan off the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Taste for seasoning. Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Spoon down to the bottom of the ban to get some of the glaze for each serving.

Dr. Cameron!

(Me, Cameron, and Laura before my first marathon and their first half marathon)

Tonight, I'm celebrating my favorite gal in Cincinnati, Cameron. She got into University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine, and I couldn't be more thrilled for her (except maybe if we were going to the same school... but oh well, I can visit Cincinnati!)

Cameron and I worked at LabCorps together, and this dainty girl skipped into my life at the time I needed her most. Having been turned down by all the medical schools to which I applied, I was frustrated and disillusioned by the whole process. Then, here comes Cameron, someone with similar disappointments but a mature and inspiring attitude to uplift any spirit!

We've gone through a lot together... She was even there for my first marathon. We've worked together, shared frustrations, gossiped plenty, and now we are celebrating...and, oh my, this celebration is so sweet!

Knock em dead, Cam!

Ginger-Caramel Shrimp
Splendid Table's "How to Eat Supper"

Brine
1/2 cup kosher salt (not iodized)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup medium chili powder
2 quarts warm water
1 1/2 lbs large frozen shrimp (in or out of their shells)

Saute
1/4 cup canola oil
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 inches piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
Salt
4 teaspoons sugar

For Brine: In a medium bowl, combine the salt, sugar, chili powder, and warm water. Add the peeled shrimp and set aside for 20 minutes. Drain the shrimp and pat them dry.

For Saute:
In a large deep skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Blend in the sugar and continue stirring until the garlic is pale gold; do not let it get dark brown.

Drop in the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or until they are bright pink and barely firm.