I decided today that I had to get the pizza "down," so to speak, so I started with the dough, paying a little closer attention to the amounts of flour and water, and waiting for the yeast to fully pitch before tossing it into the mixer with the flour, and letting the dough properly rise for a full hour before baking. The toppings, as usual were simple--gravy (that is what we always called tomato suave at my house), Parmesan, cured black olives, fresh Greek oregano, and tallegio. I set the timer on my preheated oven, and low and behold...it came out quite good! We cannot rush these things, lesson learned, and I assure you I will continue that same practice because the lofty dough was just right.

Sorry, late again with this post. As I mentioned this new kitchen is kicking my &$)!?, but I am getting there.

Going to tackle beef stew tomorrow...it will be ready to go home on Tuesday, so pop in and grab one for dinner with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

cheers, m

Running a small business is no simple task, but sometimes keeping things simple is precisely what one needs to do. I just realized that I should probably follow up with another post, now that things have quieted down a little bit. It is the quiet lull in the middle of the day, when I finally have a minute to think. Okay, I will be honest, I have no idea what I am doing, just seemed like Newport needed some yummy quick lunch items. Having spent a month in France last fall, where there are so many wonderful cafés where one can sit, snack, have a glass of rose, and do so in comfort with the company of others from the community, maybe strike a conversation at the community table. They do it in even smaller spaces then mine, so why not, right? Well, that was just what I thought, and now I am quickly learning how much work it is.

That said, I am having a lot of fun. I am working on mastering Thomas Keller's quiche recipe, recreating Grandma Rose's pizza, coming up with hearty soups to warm the core on cold days, create panini ideas, fresh salads, and, yes, I am trying, to also run the wine shop...it is a challenge, but who needs sleep?!?

I have learned a lot in the last few weeks, but the best lesson is from a local food hero, Jake Rojas, who advised me to...well, keep it simple...(you know the rest, right?); so, that is my plan for now. I will keep working on the soups, quiches, frittata, pizza, and panini (and a few extra things here and there), and when all that feels comfortable, I will make some additions. Yes, I mentioned tartine, well, yes, I may try to add that next week.

In France, every cafe has one, and it changes frequently, but I am thinking about a pain bagnat, which is an open face sandwich with canned oil packed tuna, hard boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, olive tapenade, fresh tomatoes and crisp lettuce, caper vinaigrette...kind of salad nicoise served on an opened baguette...not a bad idea, I think...but, other than that, I am going to stick with the menu items that you have been enjoying. I will keep trying new ways to improve upon them!

I know I had mentioned some take home items, for now, I will have roasted chickens, almost always, and on occasion roasted porkloin or beef tenderloins, with a galette, which is a simple potato cake made with copious amounts of butter and salt, as a potato should, and quite frankly, wants to.

I am in lpg most mornings until 2, and then you can find me most afternoons in the wine shop. It is a bit like business yoga, I need to stretch out on both sides so I stay balanced. In an effort to do so, I had a glass of rose with my quiche...and that worked out quite well;)

Thanks so much for all your feedback and support while I am exercising these new muscles! cheers, m