How did we manage before?  My brain cells are multitasking from the moment I get up.  I don’t have enough grey matter left over for creative thought.  Well, not for the boring “what to make for dinner # 10,458″ (conservative guess here) kind of thought.

I’m now realizing how much we (read I ) rely on the internet.  For example, tonight’s quickie gastronomic feat: pizza.

Once upon a time Bertucci’s made an amazing Nolio Pizza.  It was a white pizza; with lemon-pepper cream sauce, prosciutto and caramelized onions.  It also had ricotta and/or fresh mozzarella(memory lapse).  It was really addictive; until you got sick of it.  I did.  Then, it disappeared off the menu.  As soon as that happened, I was ready for another slice. It’s been on my mind for years.  What? Am I the only person with distant pizza fantasies?

Well, obviously I’d have to make it myself.  Only, my memory isn’t really all that good.  After I googled Bertucci’s, white prosciutto pizza (all I could remember then), and saw the pie described in a Zagat Review, my memory improved drastically.

So a quick scan of the kitchen/pantry reveals: no prosciutto.  It’s a crime, but I decided to dice up some ham instead.  I’m sure I’ll have some company in the “food crimes” lock up.

For the pizza dough, I used the recipe from  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes.  Well, technically I already had a tub of dough in the fridge.  I make it in 8lb batches.  This is the same dough that I use for rustic breads and rolls. ALL THE TIME.  It’s awesome.

I made a quick white sauce with lemon-pepper-cream.  That’s a lie.   I made it in my Nolio pizza fantasy, where there are no kids with bedtimes to worry about.  In real life- we make do.  So instead, I brushed the dough with some nice olive oil, garlic and pepper.

Then, the onions. I already had a pint of Crock Pot Caramelized Onions .  These amazing babies cook overnight, with no effort.  They are fabulous!

I sprinkled them over the top, then followed with some diced ham steak.  I’m not kidding myself- I really want prosciutto.  Sigh.

Finally, the cheese.  Last night, a chance comment in an email (Yeah- from you, Jan) got me thinking about cheese. The plan was that we would get together and try our hands at mozzarella (and we will).   Then I realized that I had an extra gallon of milk.   Since I had the extra milk already, I gave it a go.

After another internet search (via- google, of course!) I came across a good video for Making Mozzarella from Raw Milk.  Usually, in order to give it that stretchy texture, you boil and stretch the cheese curds.  I didn’t want to kill the beneficial bacteria and enzymes any more than I had to, so I skipped the “boil and stretch” part.  This photo only shows what was left after making pizza.  And after a gazillion tiny bites by the quality inspector.   It’s one of the best mild-creamy cheeses I’ve ever had (inspected).

Into the oven at 425f until the crust was done, and the cheese was starting to brown a bit.  The consensus: I really enjoyed it.  I’m not gonna lie here- next time I’ll make that lemon-pepper-cream sauce.  AND make sure I have prosciutto.   But this was a really good pie.  Even hubby, who is laid up on the couch with Man-Flu (and is barely eating), had 2 slices.

So how weird is it that the first time I had Nolio Pizza, I didn’t even own a PC?  And now, thanks to the internet, I can make it at home!