Use what talent you possess:
the woods would be very silent if no birds sang
except those that sang best.
I’m having one of those “less than perfect” days. Nothing is particularly wrong, I just can’t seem to get something right. I had HIGH hopes of offering up a wonderful meal to my family and to you tonight, but for the second time in a row it was less than perfect. Which got me thinking about the lenses that we see each other through.
In my old neighborhood I had a neighbor who was the epitome of perfect. Her hair was perfect, her make-up was perfect, her clothes were perfect, her house was always tidy and ready for guests, she hosted fun luncheons and even figured out how to balance all of that and stay in shape. I was the polar opposite of her. I rarely did anything more than a ponytail with my hair, makeup was a luxury that was just out of my grasp, my clothes covered my body, nothing more nothing less (I was just grateful for the days that I could escape, unscathed, by the onslaught of baby food that was being hurled at me) and my house, though it was tidy, it was never guest ready. If someone stopped by unannounced I would either pretend I wasn’t home or holler at them through the door that they would have to wait for a second while I quickly ran through the offending room shoving everything out of sight.
…oh, and that other thing. Let’s just say that the scale and I are not on speaking terms at the moment.
I envied her and wondered how she kept it all together. I tried to be like her. Some days I felt like I was doing a decent job, but longevity has never been my strong suit. I can sprint for a few minutes but stretch the time out and I fall on my face. I could handle it if I just stumbled a little, brushed myself off and continued on my way, but the truth is I do the kind of face plant that is played over and over on “Wipeout”. You know the ones when the poor person kicks themselves in their own head. Yeah, that would be me. So I lay there, watching as everyone else tramples over me and passes me by and soon I am worse off than I was before I even started the race. I wondered why she could do it so effortlessly and I always fumbled.
Then, it happened. It was just a minor thing, but for me it was a pivotal moment when I realized that we are all human and the lens of perfectionism that I was viewing her through was made completely by me. After that I started to notice when things weren’t exactly perfect. Not in a judgemental type of way, but in a “Yeah sistah, I know it’s been a hard day. I’ve got your back. Welcome to the club” kind of way.
So this was my offering to my family last week. I was doing an assignment for Bountiful Baskets where we were all planning a “Pizza and a Movie Night”. I knew that I wanted to try my hand at a zucchini crust with a bunch of fun Greek flavors running through it. Oh, and we were going to watch “Mama Mia” because what else would you watch while eating a DELICIOUS Greek pizza?
That BEAUTIFUL zucchini crust was seasoned with cardamom and dill. Up on top we had grilled red onions, garlic and rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and feta cheese. Just before taking the picture I drizzled it with a homemade tatziki sauce. It smelled AMAZING!
After the picture was taken, we sliced the pizza up and got ready for a tongue tickling treat that was sure to satisfy. What we found was a soggy pizza that’s crust was more like a paste. The toppings were good and luckily I have a very adventurous family who complimented me on the things that tasted good instead of focusing on this epic failure.
But I wasn’t about to get my butt kicked by a pizza. So I tried again, this time with less gusto and with the effort that I could muster for the night. I hesitate to even post this as a recipe, but I think that it is a fun “jumping off” point. It is the tiny brush strokes that you can use to design your own masterpiece. Just imagine the possibilities. Plus, we all need those easy nights where we are able to just throw something together. This fits the bill. And when the pizza is ready you can snuggle up with your family and enjoy “Mama Mia” too and know that we can both enjoy our imperfections together.
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pizza crust
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 breasts from a rotisserie chicken
- 1 onion diced (red is preferred but you go with what you have some days)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp dill
- 3 small Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 4 oz can diced black olives (not pictured)
- 1 c mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 c feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Saute onion, garlic and chicken until onion is translucent. Top pizza crust with chicken mixture, tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. Sprinkle with cardamom and dill. Bake as per package instructions. My crust suggested 8-10 minutes or until crust is cooked to desired crispness. Turn oven off and top with feta cheese. Let it sit in cooling oven for 3-5 minutes.
