Pots de Creme & Mini Smiley Pizza

Pots de Creme and Personal Smiley Pizzas

Pots de creme, & a cookie
with a whipped cream and chocolate garnish.

       Tonight we had a cozy dinner with cousins, siblings, and nephews.  We enjoyed a glorious breeze as we dined on the back porch balcony as a light thunder storm approached, whipping through the trees and creating a bit of a lightning show.  We had a crazy, disorganized menu which included homemade vegetable pizza, a chicken stir fry, pots de creme, and the infamous chocolate chip cookies from the Neiman Marcus/Mrs. Fields urban legend. 


Liliana pretends to "cut" celery and green onions with a spoon.

       The girls and I spent a lovely afternoon prepping the vegetables in preparation for the dinner.  Liliana pretended to "cut" celery and green onions with a spoon while I was working at the cutting board.   When she tired of "cooking," she would find her swan car and push herself throughout the first floor rooms stating, "Go buy milk.  Go buy milk" which is how she plays grocery store.  Vera Rose was content to toddle behind Liliana on her grocery store outing, leaving plenty of time for me to cut the vegetables which included garlic, green onions, white onion, red pepper, mushrooms, green pepper, and celery.  Working with fresh vegetables is definitely my favorite part of meal preparation. 


Homemade pizza crust topped with spinach,
mushrooms, black olives, and green pepper.

       I made mini smiley pizzas for Rowan, Jonah, and Liliana (smiles made of black olives which all three kids like) which were served on a bed of fresh spinach.  I use the Pioneer Woman recipe for homemade pizza crust which is made of just water, yeast, flour, salt and olive oil and must raise for one hour.  It has become a weekly staple at our house since it's so easy to make and so healthy since after coating it with a thin layer of pizza sauce, I always add a ton of fresh spinach, peppers, onion, black olives, and/or tomatoes and then cover with fresh mozzarella ball slices.  Today was the first time I tried a mini pizza and Liliana devoured hers so happily that I think I will do so again.
       Making pots de creme for dessert was marvelous because I finally was able to utilize my antique "pots de creme" porcelain pots for the very first time (which I had purchased at an antique store in South Carolina).  What a delightfully rich but easy dessert: made of just whipping cream, egg yolk, and chocolate bits--tastes like a smooth mousse pudding.  (I used the recipe found in the 75th anniversary edition Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and their website has a similar recipe for Chocolate Pots de Creme.)