Sunday, March 20, 2016

Munch Madness '16: Matzo Pizza!!



Homegaters!

March Madness is upon us once again -- or as we here at Homegating Headquarters like to call it, Munch Madness! This is a crazy time of year with all the college games going on. Bracket mania is alive and well in all the offices. But unfortunately my bracket is already dead in the water due to a few shocking upsets. First time in a long time that I got bounced out of the action so early in the tournament. Oh well, that leaves me more time to concentrate on making something yummy for the Gang. This weekend I came up with a quick cultural mashup that got me in and out of the kitchen in no time so I can enjoy the b-ball action:  Matzo Pizza.

I love matzo. There's something about it's thin, crisp texture that I really enjoy. It's readily available this time of year, so I always have a box (or 2) of it in the house. A bit of insanity struck me and I thought it would make an interesting base for funky little pizzas. What the heck? How bad could it be? Well, it was pretty darn good and pretty darn different.

Since you don't have any dough to stretch out, take the sheets of matzo and break them up into any size pieces that you'd like. Spread some pizza sauce, cheese and any other toppings you'd like and pop it into a 400-degree oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Matzo Pizza
(serves 4-6)                                                          

4 sheets of matzo (broken into smaller pieces)
pizza sauce
shredded mozzarella
various toppings of your choice (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees. Spread pizza sauce on each piece of matzo. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the sauce and add any other toppings you'd like.

2.  Bake in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

It's as simple as that. You're going to get a kick out of the crispy "crust" that the matzo provides. It's different, fun and yummy. Try it, I think you'll agree that it's slam dunk (did I just say that?).

Good luck to all of you whose brackets are still alive. I'll have to wait until next year for any kind of victories in that regard. And good luck to whichever team(s) you are rooting for as well. Until next week, keep on Homegating!




Saturday, March 12, 2016

Breakfast of Champions!!




Homegaters!

This weekend the Gameday Gang is coming over to catch some hockey and pre-season baseball. A few folks are coming over early to help me do some of the cooking beforehand, so I thought I'd whip up a little breakfast for them. Since most of the afternoon we'll be gorging on a little less-than-healthy fare, I thought I'd start the day out on a healthy note (counts for something, right?). This Wheat Berry Cereal is hearty, healthy and a nice alternative to some of those sugar-laden packaged cereals.

A wheat berry is the whole grain form of wheat - so it's not gluten free. It is however, high in protein, fiber and vitamins. It cooks in the same amount of time that rice would. You can find wheat berries in most health food stores. Besides the wheat berries, the cereal includes chopped pecans, raisins, shredded coconut, ground flax meal, vanilla and maple syrup. You can make a whole bunch ahead of time, fridge it and then just serve it with your milk of choice (we went all-in on healthy and used coconut milk).

Wheat Berry Cereal
(serves 4)

3 cups cooked wheat berries                      
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tbs shredded coconut
1 tbs ground flax meal (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup
milk

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and spoon into individual bowls.
Serve with milk of your choice. You can also add some fresh fruit if you'd like.

As I previously mentioned, it's a pretty hearty breakfast. Very filling and very tasty.
Let me know how you like it!

I hope you've been enjoying some of your other teams' games. We've turned into puck heads watching our teams on the ice. We are also looking forward to some March Madness action and the upcoming baseball season. Lots to look forward to!

Keep checking in for more gameday recipes! And keep on Homegating!!