Saturday with the family


Guess what we did.

Can you say, "Holy sugar overload!"

Living in Ottawa, we are fairly close to the Hershey Factory in Smith Falls. And after living here for years, we finally made it!

Unfortunately we weren't able to see any chocolate being made, though we did see a few huge drums of melted chocolate being mixed, and the smell was amazingly good. Since our timing was a little off (we saw a woman on the bar moulding machine, just finishing cleaning it up for the day), we plan to head back this summer during a week day.

In the meantime, the shop was open and we brought home a haul of goodies! No cocoa, which I really wanted, but lots of chips, some bulk kisses and a few bars of dark for baking. Oh yes, and 4 types of licorice. We won't be lacking in sugar in this house for awhile!

Since it was such a beautiful spring day, and we were having family time together, that time and enjoyment had to extend to dinner as well. And now that I can walk (squish) into my backyard again, I have been reaquainting myself with my bbq!

So, it seems, is everyone else in the neighbourhood. While at my local Farm Boy for dinner ingredients, one of my regular cashiers (I know many of them, and they know me!) asked why I wasn't bbq'ing like everyone else! Imagine the look of surprise on her face when I answered, "I am - I'm bbq'ing pizza!"

Make your own pizza night - always a popular dinner in my family. While little bit of work for me, prepping all the ingredients, it is one way I can ensure that everyone will eat, since they had a hand in choosing their flavors and toppings. Toppings for these pizza's included:

mozzarella/brick cheese mixture
parm cheese
pepperoni
ham
crumbled medium Italian sausage
tomatoes
red onion
red pepper
broccoli
dried herbs: basil, oregano and crushed chili flakes

I used premade pizza shells, but next time I bbq pizza, I think I'll try making my own dough.

The secret to bbq pizza's isn't very secret - pregrill the top of your crust or you will end up with a soggy pizza. Then flip the crust over, sauce it, top it how you like, and slide it back on the grill, medium heat, close the lid and let the bottom crisp up while the toppings get warm and melt! It will take only minutes for your pizza to be ready.

What a great way to enjoy dinner with my family! And a fun way to make use of my bbq.

Now where did I put those caramel chocolate eggs?

8 comments:

Brilynn said...

I love the crust on bbq'd pizza! Yum!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

All those pizzas lined up on the grill...now that's gott'a be fun eating!

Rachel said...

That's awesome about the outlet! We don't live too far (about 1 1/2 hrs.) from Hershey, PA and the whole town smells like chocolate!

Cheryl said...

I love BBQ'ing pizzas on the grill. Its great for parties. Yours look fantastic.

Sara said...

yum i love bbq pizza! thanks for the reminder, we'll have to do some soon.

Lis said...

Awww that sounds like a fun day!

I'm loving the pizza - never heard of bbq'ing pizza on the grill until Kev of Acme Instant Food told me about it last yet.. but I've never seen it or learned how to prepare it.. so thank you, thank you! =) I can't wait to try!

Freya said...

I won't show my husband this - he already wants an outdoor pizza oven. One small problem: our garden is only about 5 metres square! AND surrounded by nosy neighbours on both sides. I guess I'll just have to come to yours instead!

Elle said...

Yum! Chocolate and pizza...great way to spend a day. Now I know how to do the bbq pizza thing and it's finally getting warm enough to do it. Excellent!