I don’t know if there are words to describe how insanely happy I am that it’s Friday night. How happy I am that the week has finally ended, that I got to take a yoga class tonight and that I have zero plans this weekend other than doing whatever it is that I feel like doing. It’s pretty amazing. Candles lit, John Coltrane radio on Pandora (yes, I’m a nerd…at least it’s not Frank Sinatra radio…love that too!), red wine open and homemade pizza in my belly. Yes, yes, yes…relaxation at last!
I wandered into the grocery after yoga with no dinner plans. That of course led to Friday pizza night. I was just chatting with my mom and told her that I think I’ve had pizza four out of the last six Friday nights. Zero complaints about that. Pizza will eternally be the best Friday night dinner. I picked up whole wheat pizza dough and a variety of toppings at the store – sundried tomatoes and asparagus from the antipasto bar, mushrooms and artichokes along with some leftover tofu.
I rolled out the dough, brushed it with olive oil and pre-baked it for about 7 minutes at 450 on a preheated pizza stone before adding the toppings. I sprinkled feta and a mozz/provolone mix on top of everything listed above along with some oregano and a Tuscany spice blend. Finished it off in the oven for another 10-12 minutes on 425.
Served with a salad. Plenty of leftover to enjoy later.
I took 15 minutes at lunch to pop in for a polish change (a needed mental break) and I’m pretty obsessed with the color I chose. It’s from the OPI Bond collection and named, “The World Is Not Enough.” It’s a great metallic shimmery bronze. Pretty, sparkly nails are a definite pick me up…especially when it costs all of $5 to get a polish change and it looks one million times better than had I done it on my own.
I had the last of the leftover chili for lunch with avocado, cheddar, plain Greek yogurt, hot sauce and crushed tortilla chips.
Now I am going to completely switch gears. I didn’t get much of a chance to update the blog this week but I must share an amazing dinner that I had on Wednesday night. I finally got to try 5 Church which is a trendy new restaurant in Uptown Charlotte. Apparently it was one of the hot spots during the DNC and I saw on Twitter that two stars of Homeland were there the night that we were.
The occasion was my friend Maddie’s going away celebration dinner. You’ll recognize that this is the group of girls (and yoga friends) that I went to Asheville with. Well, Maddie is leaving us for a great new job and opportunity in Chicago. I am so sad that she is leaving but so excited to visit her.
The design of 5 Church was so incredible. The lighting, art, furniture…everything was beautiful! This is what you saw walking into the restrooms.
I ordered the “Smoked Then Roasted Salmon.” It was served over polenta with fennel and beets. The best thing about the dish was the sear on the salmon that still gave way to a perfectly cooked interior. All of the flavors were warm and and complemented each other well. It just seemed like the right thing to be eating on a fall evening with friends.
We ordered two desserts to split but the shining star was the S’mores Trifle. After my first bite I declared, “If anyone is ever having a bad day I would be more than happy to meet you here for this dessert and a glass of wine.”
Now it’s time to enjoy the rest of my Friday night. I’m thinking tracking down dessert along with some TV is in order.
What was the best thing about your Friday night…or the best sweet treat you had all week?
I did the Hero WOD, “Glen”, this evening….the best thing about my Friday was finishing it! or was it starting it? 😉 That pizza looks so GOOD!!!
i haven’t done glen yet. i just looked it up online and it looks SO intense! congrats!
How can you go wrong with the words ‘trifle’and ‘s’mores’ in the same title!? That sounds amazing, as does your pizza. Totally agree with you, it is THE Friday night food!
you can’t! still drooling over the picture now. it was so good!
Hi Jen our evenings sound similar. I opened a bottle of red lit some candles and now I’m relaxing on the couch. I love Fridays. Have a wonderful weekend. I don’t have anything on the agenda either and it feels so nice.
our evenings were very similar! i hope that you enjoyed your weekend.
I had homemade almond fig ice-cream at a place here in Tuscaloosa (Chucks)… so delicious 🙂 Happy weekend!
oh my, that sounds delicious. i love fig!
I LOVE 5 Church and I’m kinda sad that they opened after we moved from literally just across the street. I had their s’more trifle last Thursday and it was amazing. Plus they have one of the best Pinot Noirs on their menu that I’ve ever had. Glad you liked it too!
which pinot is it? i am usually not a fan of pinots so love recommendations on them.
That pizza looks delicious! I had a low-key Friday night, which was great. Hope to hit up the farmers market sometime this weekend, and no definite plans other than that. Have a great weekend, Jen! 🙂
i am loving all of the fall produce at the market. hope you picked up some good stuff!
Getting homemade pizza toppings from the salad/antipasto bar. Why have I not thought of this before??? Brilliant! Enjoy your relaxing weekend! 🙂
i had never done it before but it was great because i just put a little of this and that into one of the cups so i didn’t have to buy big quantities. worked perfectly.
I think my best sweet treat of the week will come tomorrow. I am making Slutty Brownies!
um, details? that sounds fascinating!
I love wandering around the supermarket with no particular plan in mind and just letting my creative juices flow! Your pizza turned out beautifully.
The highlight of my Friday night was finally emerging from the homework cave and meeting a friend for dinner. It was the first time I’d ever tried Cajun/Creole food…Yum!
When I got home, I wanted some dessert but only had a little bit of this/a little bit of that around, so I had a small brownie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, half a banana, and some peanut butter. It was definitely up there on the “best sweet treat I’ve had this week” list. 🙂
i love it too. i used to wander around whole foods after a bad day at work just to decompress and sample cheese. 😉
that dessert sounds soooo good! and i love cajun food!
happy hour – which, these days, is a few drinks at home and an early bed time. and pizza, of course!
haha – happy hour kills me too. i am done early!
Thanks for showing your nails! I love the polish and just ordered some…it’s the little things!
yay! hope you like it!
I made seafood spaghetti, focaccia, kale salad, and chocolate chip cake:) It was a successful and delicious Friday
yum! i love seafood pasta…and focaccia!
I swear the “no plans” weekends are the best! Especially once I get to Friday night and mentally its just so much easier to unwind when I don’t have to think about the schedule for the weekend. Wine and pizza is always the best dinner. 🙂
i totally agree. hope you had a great weekend!
this entire weekend sounds amazing and looks incredibly delicious. good for you 🙂 i think I know what I want to do this weekend now…
Where do you get your $5 polish changes? I live in Charlotte and paid $10 at Polished the other day! Let me know…thanks!