Can we chat for a second?
I feel as though I need to fill you in on a few things that went down in my neck of the woods.
Last weekend was like living in crazy town, population: The Denver Village. If life changing events are ever to go down, why not have them go down over Easter weekend? I mean, the big JC shouldn’t mind sharing the spotlight for a bit, right?
First, Megan’s boyfriend Ben, had been covertly planning to “pop the question” for the past month. He needed help from the whole gang to make the occasion memorable. After a zillion texts and excuses, Megan believed that no one in the Village would be skiing this weekend. Secretly, the entire Denver Village gathered on at one of our favorite ski resorts – Beaver Creek.
Yours truly was asked to photograph, Katie was asked to video, and Mr.B, AC, and Kevin were assigned to keep random skiers from loitering on the lodge deck where the proposal was to happen. Everyone else was to wait in the warming hut gearing up to say, “Surprise and Congrats!” The stage was set for the ultimate surprise proposal.
Ben and Megan got off the lift and skied down to the deck passing right by several of us who were hiding in the trees (for the record, we would make excellent spies). As Ben and Megan made their way onto the deck, a few non-Village people infiltrated the prososal spot. OH NO! Leave it to clever Ben, however, he casually escorted Megan off the deck and into a beautiful wooded area. That’s when Katie and I skied down to capture the special moment . How Megan didn’t see our bright green and pink ski pants standing uphill is beyond me.
Ben signaled we were in position for the perfect photo shot while Megan was admiring the view from the other direction. When Megan turned around, Ben got down on one knee, she SQUEALED, and said, “Yes!” We all gathered around to toast the newly engaged couple.
Second, fast forward 24 hours and another Village-ite, Listy was in labor back in Denver. Hey, I told you it was a crazy weekend! Mr. B and I decided to drive back early from Beaver Creek, and thank goodness we did. We rushed to the hospital to meet her husband Max and look after their two year old son, Chance. Max made into the delivery room just in time! Phew. Everyone was excited to welcome our newest member to the Village, Savannah Adele Lehman.
Okay, all this talk has made me hungry! Let’ talk for 2.2 seconds about Naan pizza. Is it not the best? Dare I say it’s better than deep dish pizza? GASP! It’s buttery, but still walks on the lighter side of carbs. Which is perfect; because, when you add ingredients like pepperoni, ricotta, and balsamic caramelized onions, you don’t feel as bad eating this bad boy.
Oh, and did I forget to mention the hubs is traveling to North Africa soon?
That’s it.
Can I get my pizza to go?
4 whole wheat pieces Naan bread
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
24 large slices pepperoni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh basil (+ more for garnish)
4 cups mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet preheated to medium heat, add butter. Once melted, add onions with balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Begin to caramelize, takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside when done.
Line two baking sheets with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place 2 Naan pieces on each baking sheet. Spread a 1/4 cup of the ricotta onto Naan piece. Place six pepperoni slices on top of ricotta. Then add about 1/3 cup of onions on top of the pepperoni. Followed by 1/4 cup basil and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat process onto the other 3 pieces. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with basil and serve with wine!