Flatbreads in Farmington Valley

During a marathon day of shopping (Ms Foodie doing her part to help the economy), I stopped for lunch at Flatbreads in Farmington.

Flatbreads has the feel of a chain with the coziness of a local eatery. The rustic farmhouse vibe of the wood burning oven and the open kitchen add to the charm of the place although I didn't quite get the point of the large rock I wound up sitting next to...

There were two types of pizzas to chose from: with sauce and without. You can also build your own pizza so there is certainly is variety in the menu. My server touted the "organic" ingredients on the menu and while I appreciate organic farming, it doesn't necessarily sway my choice of eatery. Sorry, just being honest. But I digress...

After perusing the menu, I decided to go with one of the intriguing specials, a pizza with caramelized onions, butternut squash, roasted cranberries and goat cheese. I paired this with a blueberry wheat beer recommended by my server.

The flatbread had a nice combination of savory and sweet and I enjoyed the thin crust of the pizza. Unfortunately, I found the beer less satisfying. It basically tasted like a Budweiser with the blueberry essence. A small pizza was more than enough for a light lunch and I will certainly be back to try one of their salads. If you are looking for a casual friendly place with decent food at a reasonable price, Flatbreads if for you.

Tales from the kitchen

I continued on my pizza kick from awhile back with another pizza to bring in for lunch this week. This time I decided to purchase some roasted vegetables from The Garden of Eden market and added some sliced olives, ricotta, roasted yellow & red peppers, a sprinkling of grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

The final result? Well it looked pretty but I think that in this case more ingredients were not the way to go. It wasn't horrible; but I have certainly made better pizzas in the past. Oh well!

While my pizza was getting nice and crunchy in the oven I made dinner. Tonight's dinner was roughy with sauteed cherry tomatoes and white onions.

I also had what is probably my last serving of the season of acorn squash and some roasted zucchini. Makes up for the mediocre lunch. Next time....

Friday Night Feast

Sad but true: On my way to work on Friday morning, I was thinking about what to make for dinner that evening. The weather was supposed to be gross (and it was) and usually on Friday nights the last thing I want to do is make a high maintenance meal. I want something quick, easy, healthy and satisfying.

I decided to make a pizza. Normally, I would have purchased some dough and let it proof but since this was going to be a minimal effort meal, I picked up a Boboli thin crust bread from the supermarket and let my refrigerator do the heavy lifting for me.

After lightly spraying the Boboli with my beloved olive oil Pam, I spread some roasted eggplant and zucchini evenly on the bread. Next, I placed some broccoli rabe with chopped garlic around the pizza and generously scooped some low fat ricotta cheese over the pie.

Once my assembly was complete a whole 2 minutes later, I drizzled some olive oil over the pizza and placed in the oven for about 10 minutes until the crust was crusty, the ricotta started to brown a bit and my smoke detector went off. That's when you know it is done!

I was amazed by how great the pizza looked! The veggies were flavorful and the ricotta added a nice balance of creaminess to this savory pie. I finished it with a bit more olive oil and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.
Pizza and an X-Rated martini on a snowy slushy cold night - it just doesn't get any better than this!