It’s been awhile since we fired up the cob oven at the farm and what better time than this gorgeous Labor Day weekend. It wasn’t enough to serve pizza; I felt like I needed to “accessorize” the occasion as well. Every event benefits from flowers, so let’s start there.
The Wildflower Hunt
Tom and family went off on the Gator in search of what remained of the wildflowers.
By supplementing the wildflowers with a few garden blooms, we quickly had a centerpiece for the dining table thanks to Lisa and the girls’ artful arrangement.
Rolling in the Dough
My granddaughters being experienced in working with Play Dough are well prepared for the real thing.
Robin showing off her pizza tossing skills to her cousin, Katy.
All the fixin’s ready for customizing a personal pizza.
Getting the pizza base prepared was a breeze, using puffy mounds of Chris Sommers’ dough from ‘Zza Pizza. The girls, Robin, Katy and I had great fun flinging dough and flour every which way. Guests added their preferred toppings, choosing from tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, prosciutto, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, caramelized onions, zucchini, and fresh oregano and basil.
JC manned the oven, making sure it maintained a temperature of around 700 degrees, which meant just a few minutes of cooking time.
Heat gauge gives an accurate reading of oven temperature.
Something on the Side
For the more diet conscious, I made the dishes I mentioned in an earlier post, Italian Gratinata di Zucchini, which I found needed a bit more time to brown under the broiler. The baking dish was left so clean it barely needed washing. 🙂 The Wine Soaked Peaches over Angel Food Cake and Ice Cream with Lime Zest was superb! I soaked the peach slices in Moscato wine, sugar and orange peel. This time of the year I repeat a couple other favorites for as long as they’re garden fresh: tomato caprese and watermelon chunks in a carved basket.
Italian Gratinata di Zucchini is a easy, healthy side dish for any meal.
Dessert in a basket. The main ingredient for Wine Soaked Peaches (see below)
Garden tomatoes. “How do I love thee, let me count the ways.”
Tom and Lisa picked up some Concord grapes from a roadside stand near the Rosati vineyards.
Carving the watermelon basket is always great fun.
More on our Labor Day weekend in the post that follows: Making Pizza in a Cob Oven, Part 2.
