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Nature in the Neighborhood

The other night I had a dream about a parrot who turned into my mom’s cat.  I woke up to a hawk sweeping past my bedroom window.  What does it all mean?  No clue, but I grabbed my camera and found a couple critters hanging around when I took the dog out.

These two are deadly, but so beautiful…

I'm watching you - all of you...
Hawk-Eye

I’m not sure what kind of hawk they are – possibly Cooper Hawks.  They are huge!  The first one swooped over Woody, and was about the same size, or bigger.  If anyone knows about birds, please comment and let me know what you think.

Update: A coworker helped me do a little research, and we think they are Red-Shouldered Hawks – probably young ones.

Turn around, Bright Eyes
I blend in, right?

When the hawks took off, a little friend came to visit…

I like toast, but...
...but I was just wondering...
...Got nuts?
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Pepperoni Pizza – Hold the Crust!

The Fixin's

Mmmm.  Pizza.  A food group unto itself.  And if you’re doing the low carb thing, there are still several ways to eat it!  Yay!  You can order a pie and scrape off the top, but here’s a quick way to get a pizza fix at home – where you know exactly what’s going into your food.  (No, I don’t know what’s in pepperoni.  And I don’t want to.)

Start off sautéing some mushrooms in a nice pat of butter (remember it’s low carb, not low fat…)  I like to add Italian seasoning at this point – use your favorite.

Buttah!
'Shrooms

Then throw in the pepperoni and fry that up until it just starts getting crispy (or however you like your pepperoni).

This is getting good

Transfer all that goodness to a plate lined with paper towels and let some of the grease drain off.  Might be a good idea to pat it with another paper towel…

Pat it Dry

Now turn the heat down to low and add your cheese to the frying pan (leave a little of the pepperoni grease in it to keep it from sticking like crazy).  It won’t take long to melt.  I add a little more seasoning here.

Moo-zer-ell..

Pour on some pizza sauce (check the labels out at the store – some have way less carbs than others), and top with the mushrooms and pepperoni.  Turn off the heat and let the stuff sit and cool off just slightly.  Then fold over like an omelet and you’ve got all the pizza love without the carbs.

Gooey Goodness

Chances are good that you will have something that looks less like an omelet and more like a big mess.  But, trust me – no matter what it looks like, it’s still gonna taste like heaven.

You can do this with pretty much whatever toppings float your boat.  I would have added a little sausage, but this was a quick fix and the sausage is frozen…

Pepperoni Pizza – Hold the Crust!

  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella
  • 4 oz pepperoni, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce (or more if you’d like)
  • Italian seasoning
  • pat of butter (or cooking spray)

In a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms in a pat of butter or cooking spray.  Add seasoning when they start giving off juice.  Don’t over cook the mushrooms — they’re good with a little bite left in them.  Add in the pepperoni and fry until desired crispness.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off any excess grease. While the pan is still warm, add the cheese and melt over low heat.  Sprinkle seasoning on the melting cheese and top with sauce, pepperoni and mushrooms.  Remove from heat and let the cheese set just a bit, then fold over and serve warm and gooey.

Mangia!