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Pizza Night! | Mondays For Moms | St Louis

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:00:46 +0000

Who wants to cook in the summer? Not me! Our grill is the summer oven at our house. But what’s better than no cooking? We all know the answer to this…no cleaning! So plan yourself a pizza night, and since the kids aren’t back in school yet, take advantage of their freedom and go OUT for pizza! And think outside of the (pizza) box, to try something other than the neighborhood delivery place. Here are my favorite pizza joints, and my favorite pizzas at each:

The Good Pie. I heard there was a place in St. Louis that had pizza similar to that served at the best pizzeria in the whole country. You won’t guess where. New York? No. Phoenix! Yes, Phoenix has the best pizza in the entire United States, and I’ve eaten at this place, and I can see why it won the title. It’s a place called Pizzeria Bianco, and thanks to Oprah, you have to wait a long time to get in. But don’t worry, you don’t have to fly to the desert or wait hours to get a table, because the rumor I heard was right… The Good Pie on Olive Street near SLU, is just as good. Not only am I in love with their Naples-style thin, bubbly, chewy-yet-crispy pizza crust…which, I might add, I’ve been craving for years (see the photo on the link to Pizzeria Bianco and you’ll get the picture)…but the toppings are unique and utterly gourmet. My favorite there is the Mast’nicola, with a mouth-watering combination of pancetta, pecorino, and sage. I know…sage on pizza? YES. Trust me. The Good Pie is good pie.

Pi. Funny, whenever I mention the first place, people always say, “you mean Pi?” No, but I like their pizza too. Completely different, but variety is what makes eating so good. And their name…perfect for a place selling circular food. They have 3 locations, in University City, Kirkwood and the Central West End, and will be opening one way out there in Chesterfield too. They boast that they’re “provel-free” …thank goodness! No liquid cheese for me. You can get both deep dish or thin pizzas there, but my favorite is the deep dish Mission, which has pork sausage, red onion, anchovies, and hot red pepper flakes. Don’t like anchovies? Check out their menu and find your favorite.

Dewey’s. Well, it’s not locally-owned, but they opened one in Webster Groves, so even if I’m not supporting a local independent, at least I’m supporting the tax base in my own town…which I can’t say when I eat at those other two. There might be one in your neighborhood. I also love their pizza! They have lots of fantastic combinations on their menu, but my favorite isn’t even on the menu. It’s one I made up. (They let you do that there!) I start with a white pizza (olive oil glaze) and then I add prosciutto, pine nuts, whole roasted garlic, pesto, kalamata olives, and roasted red peppers. It’s delicious, and I got compliments from the manager for my “recipe.” :)

Yes, you can get pizza delivered any ol’ day, but for a fun summer night out with the family, check out one of these places and teach your kids’ taste buds some new tricks. It’s part of their education…to prevent them from becoming finicky grown-ups. If you absolutely can’t deal with that, save this for a date night.

Mom’s recipe contest

admin — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:13:45 +0000

We all have our favorite recipes Mom always made…what’s yours? Share it here and it could win you a prize! As we prepare for Mother’s Day, thinking about my mom brings back memories about all the little things she did for me, and still does. Food has to be in there, after all, she spent countless hours planning meals, shopping for meals, and cooking meals. My mom’s a great cook who makes dishes that could be in Bon Apettit, but the basic dishes from my childhood stand out in my memories. I remember the ultra-moist chocolate cake she used to make for picnics, her meatloaf, and the enchiladas she’d have us help her assemble. I still love my mom’s tuna casserole, believe it or not!

So here’s the contest: email your favorite recipe from Mom, to me at info@lauribakerphotography.com. I’ll post them here (hint: the shorter the better!) On Thursday, voting will begin and the winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to THE WHITE RABBIT, an adorable shop on Manchester full of unique gifts. Vintage items and new, home decor, furniture, jewelry, and even a baby department. I fell in love with vases that look like old mercury glass, an incredible twig rabbit, and their supersoft baby blankets. Everywhere you look, there’s a creative display and great finds. The owners, mother and daughter Angie and Lindsay, really have an eye for design. This next weekend, they’re having a MOTHER’S DAY SALE. On Saturday I’ll be in the store, giving away $100 print credits to everyone making a store purchase of at least $50. Join us!

Sweetness. – More St. Louis Newborns

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 05:13:17 +0000

Uh-oh…I’m slacking on the blogging again! I’m behind on editing sessions, so I haven’t had time. I’ll sneak a couple in tonight. More newborns – we must be having a baby boom in St. Louis; I’ve photographed many in the last few weeks. Wish I could post more of them…as I catch up on work, I promise I’ll try. Tonight just one boy and one girl. But both so sweet! For this first one, I’ve been wanting to use this olive root bowl for a long time. Bought it at Twigs & Moss on Clayton Road, and I’m not sure the owner really thought a baby could fit in it. I’ll have to show him my results…yes, just an excuse to go back to his lovely shop.

chewy. gooey. goodness. in kirkwood, MO

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:55:18 +0000

Oh my! That was delicious! I had a little sweet tooth yesterday on my way home, and so I stopped at Kaldi’s and had one of their “Chewy Caramal Bars” …after a heart-healthy lunch of course…LOL! I couldn’t eat it all, so I brought it home. It was sheer delight this morning when I went into the kitchen and remembered that I had this delectable treat waiting for me! And today it was even better for some reason. They’re like a gourmet version of a gooey butter cake, with carmelized edges. You might think pairing it with their Highlander Grogg coffee, with the scent of maple syrup, would be overkill, but it was wonderful. I really need to post a photo of one of these, but it’s gone for now. Next time. Anyway, go get one! Kaldi’s Coffeehouse

A happy update on the computer woes…

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:14:34 +0000

Thanks to all those who had sympathy for my computer woes the last few weeks. The hugs and consoling while I ranted were helpful, believe it or not! Well, I’m so thrilled to be typing this from my very FAST computer! It’s been a few days without one at all, weeks of fighting malware, and YEARS of it working so slow. It’s new nickname is Speedy. I think it actually works better now than it did new! Is that possible? I have to give kudos to Brad at The Rescue Team. He did an amazing job getting rid of everything that made work impossible, including the malicious infection that so many people are struggling with. And here’s a tip he passed on…if you’ve fought virtumonde/vundo and think you got rid of it but can’t do windows updates, then you probably didn’t get rid of it. Call him. He’ll find every little bit of it and squash it.

Warm up your java

admin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:44:06 +0000

Before Christmas, my computer got hit by one of the worst trojans out there… virtumonde aka vundo. I’ve been fighting it for weeks, and it’s rendered my computer virtually useless. I haven’t been able to do any client work, or even load a new DVD burner I’ve been needing to use. My computer is now in the hands of someone who can hopefully help.

You don’t need to go anywhere questionable on the web to get struck. The infection happened while opening an account at Gigasize.com to send large files to a client, and I don’t know if their site is to blame or not, but I have since found out that it wouldn’t have happened if my Java was updated. Protect your computer and your wallet…keep Java updated!

~posted from the Webster Groves Library since I have no computer, and I couldn’t write a post on my iphone! :(