Katie Cooks: Naan Pizza

I love Indian food and of course, I also love pizza. Who doesn't love pizza? So on a whim I decided to combine the two loves and ingredients I already had lying around the fridge into one killer combination: a Naan Pizza. Naan, if you're not a connoisseur of Indian food, is a leavened flat bread that is served in most every Indian restaurant. It makes a great "blank" slate for a variety of ingredients, including traditional pizza toppings.

Below you will find the ingredients necessary to make this pizza. It's really so simple to throw together in a pinch and certainly any variation of ingredients customized to your liking will do! I encourage you to be an artist and see what suits your taste buds!

Ingredients: 

1 piece of naan (or any type of flat bread will do)

3-4 sliced tomatoes

1/3 cup of your favorite pizza or tomato sauce 

1 ball of fresh mozzarella 

fresh basil for garnish 

pinch of salt/pepper

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then place naan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on naan. I was careful not to use too much as it gets a little soggy if you overload the sauce! You could also forgo the tomato sauce if you desire.

Next cut thin slices of fresh mozzarella and place on naan. I used fresh mozzarella because I love its rich taste, but any mozzarella will do. My favorite mozzarella is buffalo mozzarella but the consistency is a little too watery for pizza. (Did you know that some people in Italy were arrested for making fake buffalo mozzarella? I love any place that takes cheese that seriously!)

Last of all, add sliced tomatoes. I used Campari tomatoes on the vine because they were from the 99 Cent Only store and looked like what my grocer charges $4 or more for. I also added some yellow heirloom tomatoes because I had them left over in the fridge. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor of the fresh tomatoes.

"Toss" the pizza in the oven for 15 minutes. While you are waiting I recommend pouring yourself a glass of wine, particularly some Chianti and then prepare the fresh basil for garnish.

Every summer I buy myself a basil plant. Some how it always ends up dying by the end of summer, but it provides lots of lovely fresh basil for at least a few months and saves me from buying basil at the store and having it go to waste.

For the pizza, you can use whole leaves of basil or if you want to get fancy you can use a technique called "chiffonade". I learned this technique from watching my cooking idol, Jacques Pepin. It's really quite simple. Roll the basil leaf up into a tight little cigarette looking shape. Then cut it so that you get these little curly strips.

When the pizza is ready, take it out of the oven and sprinkle the basil on top. You are now ready to cut and serve. This makes a nice summer meal or appetizer that you can serve at a party. My husband and I had it for an appetizer for two last night and it was very delicious! 

Bon Appétit

Vineyard Vines or Target?

Last weekend for the Kentucky Derby, Vineyard Vines was on everyone's blog, well not everyone's, but you get the point.  From free trips to Kentucky to gift bags stocked with bow ties, trinkets and my personal favorite, a big bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, it was easy to see that the company was trying hard to get the word out via the blog world that they were the official sponsor of Kentucky Derby "preppy" style.

Sadly, the folks at Vineyard Vines passed by "Hello Katie Girl", which is understandable given my small reader base, but I am not going to shed a tear because I found something better: A shirt that mimics the iconic whale logo of the company, but from Target, with a Target price tag. For $22 (on sale for $15 last week) you too can be an icon of classic preppy style reminiscent of Vineyard Vines, but for a fraction of the price!

Target has some seriously cute stuff for summer (of which I have stocked up), so I suggest you check them out. Pineapples, whales and sailboats are all gracing the sweaters, shirts and shorts put out by the company's Merona line of clothing for summer. So if I had to choose, I would most likely take Target any day, but hey if either company wants to send me free swag I am cool with that too!

Whale Shirt: Target/Merona here

Skirt: J. Crew striped No. 2 pencil skirt

Belt: kate spade bow belt

Shoes: J. Crew ballet flat in Mirror

Watch: Maurice Lacroix

Where in the World?

Yesterday for Mother's Day we ventured to the beach to celebrate with my husband's family. I thought this would be the perfect occasion to wear my new "Nancy" skirt from Boden due to its seaside subject matter. The family got into a bit of a debate in regards to the region depicted on the skirt. Is it the South of France? The Amalfi Coast in Italy? The Caribbean? Boden offers no solution to this scintillating question aside from the statement that the pattern was inspired by the vintage 1940s laundry bag of the creative director.  Is it just me, or does that sound very J. Crew of them?

This is the first time that I have ordered anything from the Boden which is a British company. I was a little nervous venturing into virgin territory and straying away from the safety of J. Crew, but I must say I was quite impressed. The fabric is a nice and substantial cotton and the fit is great. Boden in my opinion fits very true to size. I was happy that the size 4 I ordered in this skirt, which I believe is my true size, fit just right. ( J. Crew and their vanity sizing has made me a little out of touch with sizing!)

So while I might not be vacationing somewhere decadent like the French Riviera, I tried to make these shots look as glamorous as possible with all of the boats and the bay in the background!

Skirt: Boden Nancy Skirt in Riviera (Oh! So that explains it!) here

Shirt: Gap

Shoes: Nine West

Bag: Dooney and Bourke 

Watch: Kate Spade

Bracelet: J. Crew Stacked Stone Bracelet here

Subconscious Fish

Have you ever reached for an article of clothing without knowing why, but then later discovered that there was a method to your madness? As Freud claimed, there are no accidents, and given that, perhaps our wardrobe choices are driven by desires and thoughts unknown to us. This was most definitely the case in my choice of wearing my "vintage" J. Crew school of fish skirt today.

Last night before bed I was reading an article about the plight of Rufus, the beloved 37 year old fish that inhabited the now closed Bahooka Tiki Bar and restaurant in Los Angeles. The Bahooka closed its doors last spring to the dismay of many people who loved sipping flaming Mai Tais while watching Rufus and hundreds of other fish swim about their tanks, which were tucked away in seemingly every nook and cranny of the restaurant.  The new owners of the restaurant promised to keep Rufus and let him live out his days in his tank, but recently Rufus has gone missing.

One might not think this to be all that big of a deal, but Rufus was somewhat of celebrity, starring in films such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But more importantly, I think many people forged a connection with Rufus (me amongst the score) and the restaurant itself where people shared drinks and milestones with friends and family.

After reading the article on Rufus and reflecting on the blog posts that I did in the past about the Bahooka and Rufus, I felt a little sad to see this part of my past and Los Angeles gone or, in the case of Rufus, hopefully just temporarily missing. Perhaps that is why when I woke up in the morning I just happened to pick out this fish skirt and as I was brushing my hair in the mirror and looking at the skirt I suddenly, in my somewhat out-of-it morning haze, realized that it was inspired by my reading of the article and reflections of Rufus the night before. 

The blue, red and matching gold accessories I wore today, for whatever reason, kept reminding me of Wonder Woman. I don't know why, it just seemed like the same color palette as her outfit. If I was Wonder Woman I would use my superpowers to find out where Rufus is and bring him back safe and sound!

Here's hoping for a safe return of Rufus! For other posts I have done on the Bahooka and Rufus check out Old School J. Crew and Tiki Bars and  Bahooka or Bust on my blog. Below you will see some of my past photos of Rufus and the Bahooka.

Googie Diners and Photofloral

It's not unlike my character to get a little obsessed with things from time to time, be it architecture or fashion. Lately I have found myself a little obsessed with a style of architecture from the 50s and 60s known as "Goggie" architecture. This futuristic style of architecture is most notable for its jutting angles, killer curves,  and geometric shapes. Influenced by the country's growing interest in the space race, not to mention the budding car culture that demanded buildings be eye catching to grab the attention of motorists passing by, it is easy to see why this aesthetic style is so appealing and fun.

A few months ago I just happened to park next to this beacon of Googie architecture: Johnie's Coffee Shop on Wilshire Boulevard. At the time I thought it was cool, but I was in such a rush to find a bathroom, figure out how to get to the LACMA, which is across the street, and not get a parking ticket that I didn't have much time to check it out.

After doing some research I realized what an architectural gem this building is, not to mention a hot spot location for music videos and movies. Johnie's, which used to be  Romeo's Time Square and then Ram's, is now defunct and used only for filming. It is also owned by the 99 Cent Only Store, which just happens to be one of my favorite stores. The movie The Big Lebowski was taped here where John Goodman's character uttered these immortal words: "You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me." (I know this sounds totally weird, but it's not if you've seen the movie. Okay, it's still weird, but very awesome!) After learning so much about the building and its history I decided to pay it another visit, as seen below.

Another thing I became pretty obsessed with as of late is the J. Crew Patio skirt in Photofloral print. Its full "midi" silhouette and charming floral print hearkens back to the 50s, which was a prefect match for my 50s themed coffee shop extravaganza.

Above you will see my vintage style Photofloral skirt and below you will see a full shot of Johnie's Cafe in all its Goggie glory. It has a great upsloping roof that makes it seem just about ready to blast off into space! Even though I was unable to sit down and grab a cup of Joe with Walter and the Dude, I am glad that I was able to peer inside and get a closer look at this small facet of the past in Los Angeles.

Skirt: J. Crew Patio Skirt in Photofloral here

Shirt: Merona/Target

Shoes: J. Crew Nora Perforated Ballet Flats in Metallic Gold here

Bag: Prada Saffiano Lux Tote in Papaya

Necklace: J. Crew Pearl Drop Necklace here

Snow Day in May

The darling buds of May are officially out, so why the snow and log cabin? At Clearman's North Woods Inn restaurant it's winter in a log cabin all year round. The North Woods, which has a few locations scattered through L.A. and Orange County is one of my favorite restaurants, mostly due to their famous cheese bread, which is out of this world!

As you can see, this place is a throwback to themed out restaurants of the 50s and 60s. North Woods' theme clearly evokes images of the Yukon Territory, complete with the rustic charm of a saloon where the likes of burly minors, lumberjacks and fur trappers might frequent to get a hearty meal and a beer or two.

My ensemble was decidedly more summery than wintry with its floral motif; it is close to 100 degrees here after all! While taking these pictures a nice older gentlemen asked if he could take my photo with my husband. There's something about this restaurant; be it the waiters or customers, that takes you back to a kinder, simpler time.

The inside of the North Woods Inn is dark, which I rather enjoy (it is a cabin after all!), but not so great for taking photos. One of the most charming things about this place is that they give you a bowl of peanuts when you arrive. My husband's grandfather used to throw them at us in a playful manner. Today I observed at the table next to us that there was a grandpa doing the same thing with his grandson. I guess some things don't change. I love that you can just toss the peanut shells on the floor when you are done.

Well, I highly recommend stopping in for a beer, some cheese bread and a sandwich or steak if you are ever in the L.A. area. The North Woods Inn will take you back in time, not to mention offer up some great grub in an unusual atmosphere.

Shirt: Anthropologie

Skirt: J. Crew Factory Pleated Printed Skirt in Violet Fuchsia  here

Shoes: Nine West

Bag: LV Epi Speedy in Grenade 

Belt: kate spade Bow Belt 

Watch: Kate Spade Carlyle Bow Watch here

Bracelets: J. Crew and J. Crew Factory