Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

Last week, I was craving pizza, but wanted to try the lower carb version with cauliflower crust. I looked through what felt like a million recipes and finally decided on one from The Lucky Penny. While no, it does not taste exactly like regular pizza, Cameron and I both enjoyed it and I will definitely make again!

Grain-Free Cauliflower Crust Pizza

makes one approx. 10-12 inch pizza

1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower - should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush it even more between your fingers)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crust it even more between you fingers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese I used dairy free cheese, just for kicks.
1 egg
optional 1 tablespoon almond meal

Desired amount of sauce, cheese for topping, and other toppings. Make your own 30 minute pizza sauce using my recipe!

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don't have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil. 

Wash and thoroughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don't get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets, you don't need much stem. Just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. See above photo. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower "snow". Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess. 

Dumped cauliflower into a bowl. Now add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow, this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add your egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best. 

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don't make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8 - 11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. I'm not gonna give you measurements for this. You know how you like your pizza - so go for it! Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

Update - If you are using a larger sized cauliflower, up the eggs to 1 egg  plus 1 egg white. You want your "dough" to be sticky. When I make a bigger sized pizza (using more cauliflower) I up the seasonings and the egg, but often leave the amount of cheese the same. Make sure you pat the dough tightly together when forming your crust. It really helps to place the crust (on an oiled sheet of parchment paper) on a HOT pizza stone or baking sheet. Make sure the crust is golden in color before topping it and baking it again. I truly believe cooking it the proper length before topping it helps keep the crust together. 
Also I really like the addition of 1 to 2 tablespoons of almond meal to the crust mixture. 

*Disclaimer - the slices will still be kinda floppy, but they shouldn't be crumbly.

Here was my result!

Girls Weekend in the Mountains.

Last weekend, a group of sorority sisters and I packed our bags and made our way from different places in South Carolina to the small mountain town of Clyde, North Carolina (approximately 30 minutes from Asheville). One of the girls' parents own a mountain house in Clyde and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate Kristen's sweet baby boy that is due next month! 

The four Charleston girls were the last to arrive (thank you, rush hour traffic in Columbia) so once we finally arrived around 9pm, we immediately changed into more comfortable clothes (AKA our pj's) and snacked on an array of appetizers that Jenny and Kelly Anne put together.

Saturday morning we lounged around, drinking coffee and mimosas, and chatting away, all why enjoying this amazing view. There is just something so calming and relaxing about the mountains. 

Once we all got showered and ready (which takes a long time for 8 girls, 2 bathrooms, and a tiny water heater), we headed into downtown Waynesville for some shopping and lunch. There were a lot of antique shops, art galleries, and gift shops. 

But first, Katie and I had to take a picture with the horses that were at the bottom of our road.

There were a lot of these types of art in this one particular gallery. It is just water colored paper torn into the shape of the flower and leaves! Loved it.

One of the many antique shops.

This milk glass deviled egg plate rimmed with gold paint was so close to coming home with me.

After eating lunch at a small sandwich shop, we made our way back to the house. 

A few naps and more girl talk later, we ventured back to Waynesville for dinner at The Sweet Onion. All of the food was so good and our server was the sweetest! Since I had been eating a ton of junk food all weekend, I decided to keep it light with a Caesar salad and seared tuna (shocker, I know)....oh, and a side of mashed potatoes, but they weren't that good so I didn't eat very much of them. But first, we started out with melt in your mouth cheesy biscuits.

I also had a bite of Katie's creamy French onion soup and it was SO good.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to pack up and clean the house. As a parting gift, some of the girls put together these super cute little plants with a hand drawn name tag by our talented friend, Jen. Kristen, the baby mama of the weekend, loves woodland animals so each nametag had a different one on it. 

A photo summary of our wonderful weekend!

Friday Five.

Happy Friday! 

Actually happy to be back in the office today (I'm usually on Kiawah Wednesday and Thursday). On my way out to Kiawah yesterday I got a flat tire. Kind of scary when you're on a narrow, two lane highway where there is hardly any shoulder. Thankfully I pulled over safely and Cameron drove all the way from Daniel Island to come rescue me. After he put my spare tire on we were able to enjoy a nice lunch at Freshfields and walk around some of the shops. Silver lining! 

Other things making me happy this week...

{one}

Splurge vs. Save

Would you believe me if I told you that I found this same dress listed for $105 on one website, and only $17.99 on another? I wouldn't believe it either. I came across the cheaper version on the website Sheinside. Has anyone ever ordered from them before? I'm kind of skeptical, but it's almost too good of a deal not to try it out. 

{two}

Thanks to Ashley's post about her favorite Iphone apps, she reminded me that I had a Poshmark account. I did a quick closet clean out over the weekend and listed a few new items. You can find me at @meganlsmith.

{three}

Just because he is a handsome boy...

{four}

A couple recent food pics...

A simple, yummy breakfast. 

Delicious crockpot minestrone soup

{five}

Off to the mountains this weekend with some of my favorite girls! Other than the 4.5 hour drive, I am really looking forward to it! Lots of girl talk, hot tub, roaring fire, hot (and cold) beverages, and laughter.

Lust List.

Sole Society Romy Booties

Joie Macy B Top

Pottery Barn Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

Because ain't no way I could keep one alive.

Anthropologie Nellore Blouse

Triangl Poppy bikini

Weekend Good Things.

Morning! Maybe it's the fact that it's slightly warmer today than it has been in a while, but I'm ready to tackle this week! 

Friday after work, Cameron and I had a meeting downtown so we decided to hit up happy hour at Bay Street Biergarten. Their "freaky taters" (tater tots with a demi-glace, smoked cheddar sauce and green onions) called our names and we could not resist.  So bad, yet so very good. 

Came home to my Amazon order waiting for me on the front porch. Why is it that every time you go on Amazon to order one thing (especially Amazon Prime), something additional always winds up in your cart, too? Target is also known for this, maybe even worse. 

Went on for the witch hazel, also left with a cookbook.

Saturday I made it to bikini bootcamp at the gym (definitely needed to after all of those tater tots), made a quick trip to the grocery store, then ran a few errands for my Dad's birthday party that evening. We held it at the "boat club" in Summerville (there are no boats, only a ramp), which is pretty much one of the two places to hold a party in Summerville is. It's perfect for oyster roasts though! My mom had some barbecue and sides catered, we picked up a couple of bushels of oysters, and other than that it was pretty low key. Exactly what my Dad wanted. 

My grandma and her two sons

(Camo was very prevalent that night)

Sunday was spent running more errands with a yummy brunch at Sunrise Bistro in between. I ordered the Mediterranean open faced omelet (no olives or onions, add tomatoes please) with a side of pepper-jack grits. Yum. 

We had some oysters left over from the party the night before, so for dinner, we made oysters rockefeller using Tyler Florence's recipe, served also with a big salad to balance everything out. :) They were SO good!! 

Sunday evening, I made a loaf of this banana bread (I substituted 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar) to enjoy as we watched House of Cards and as a quick breakfast option during the week. So tasty and moist - sorry, I know a lot of people hate that word, but I can't think of a better one. 

So basically, Sunday was based all around food. Just the way I like it. 

Friday Five - Number Four Eleven.

Every night, after the usual nightly routine, I lay in bed and browse through Instagram until I can't keep my eyelids open any longer. I love the random stuff I come across from food pics, to perfectly staged homes, to clean eating recipes and workout inspiration! 

One night, I came across the cutest linen cocktail napkins and screen shot it so that I would remember to go back later and look more into them. The next day, I went to the website and was pleasantly surprised at all of the adorable things on there! The store is called Number Four Eleven and they are based out of Savannah, Georgia. You can check them out here online or in person whenever you are in Savannah!

PS - Just checked out their About Me page and one of the owner's middle/maiden names is the same as my {not very common} middle name! Kind of freaky. 

These are my top 5 picks from the website that would be great to give as a gift, or for yourself!

{one}

Amado Beach Towel & Blanket

{two}

State Pillows

They come in 3 different color combinations to best suite your home!

{three}

A plethora of linen cocktail and dinner napkins

{four}

Gold decorative clam shells - medium & large

{five}

Matouk bedding - even for the little ones!

Dad's Big 6-0!

Happy 60th birthday to the man who

gave me my squinty eyes

passed on his love of music to me

passed on his love of cooking to me

has shown me how a woman should be treated

always knows how to make me smile

shares my love for the Gamecocks

.....My Dad!