What Blake Lively and I have in common....

I know how your minds work: you thought of Ryan Reynolds immediately, didn't you?

Well he is Canadian, but no, I am still pining for Georgie-Porgie...

So Ryan Reynolds is not what what have in common.

What is?

Well, Blake loves Martha Stewart and so do I.

Many of you know that I adore Martha, despite her kind of crusty exterior and the fact that she doesn't need a lot of sleep.

I have been a member of team Martha since around 1986 and I credit Martha for stepping in where my mother (seriously) feared to tread.  Thanks to Martha, I can clean, am a good cook and do things like make herb flower vinegar (note to self: time to try the vinegar...).

I defended Martha passionately when she went to jail, not because I thought she was innocent, but because the court was separating me from my self- appointed homemaking mother.  I considered it wrong of them to do that to me then and still think it was wrong of them now.

I need to know Martha is out there, testing things in her perfectionist way, making sure that all is well for me.

Apparently Blake is going the Gwynnie route with a new online site to be called Preserve.  I'll not critique that as frankly, Blake may have a trick or two up her sleeve that I've not seen (except for stealing Ryan).

Just so long as she makes no pretense of emulating Martha.

Emulating Martha is like trying to be the Queen.  Sure you can Helen Mirren all over the place, even do not a half-bad job of it, but in the end, you are not the Queen.

And like the Queen, the next-in-line seems slightly off-putting to many, though I will take Prince Charles over Alexis Stewart any day of the week!

Nope, it's Martha or nothing for me.

What made me think of Martha was that I made her grilled pizza tonight.  As I said, you can count on Martha: if she says something is going to work, well by God, get out of the way, it WILL work.  We have made this recipe lots of time over the last 18 years and loved it, and tonight was no exception.

Grilled Pizza

• YIELD:Makes 2 fourteen-inch pizzas

INGREDIENTS

• Pizza Dough, divided in half
• Olive oil, for brushing
• Pizza Sauce
• Fontina cheese
• Sliced fresh tomatoes
• Fresh basil leaves
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves
• Julienned scallions
• Julienned pea pods
• Fresh corn, kernels, blanched
• Fresh mint leaves
• Cooked and crumbled sausage

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   For best results, use a charcoal grill. Create two sections on the grill's very hot back section and a cooler preparation section in the front by putting extra charcoal in the back and less in the front. Place fire bricks on the grill's surface to divide these 2 sections. Allow the charcoal to burn, then cool a bit before cooking to prevent burning the crust.

2. STEP 2

   If using a tomato sauce, place in a pot on the grill off to the side, stirring occasionally.

1. STEP 3

   Place one half of the dough on a lightly oiled flat surface, such as an upside-down cookie sheet; work dough until it stays flat and forms a round or square shape, about 1/4 inch thick. (Tip: Pull dough out, and allow it to snap back. Let it sit for a few moments, then pull it out again. It will hold its shape better this way.)

2. STEP 4

   Once dough is in desired shape, pick it up and place it directly on the hot section of grill. With tongs, gently rotate dough as it cooks, 2 to 3 minutes, until bottom side is browned and dough holds its shape.

3. STEP 5

   Remove from hot section with tongs, flip over, and move to cooler section of grill. Brush top (grilled side) of crust with olive oil, and add toppings of your choice. Return to hot side for a few more minutes. Continue to cook until cheese melts and bottom is crisp, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and more toppings. Serve hot.

Well all choose our own toppings chez Wendy, as frankly there is not one kind of pizza that all of us will agree to eat.  For example, I cannot abide a pepperoni or a pea.  Go figure.  In my defense, the former is just plain Wendy and the latter is because they make me ill.

Tonight was extra yummy, because in addition to my chosen bacon, heirloom tomato, and goat cheese, I smothered the pizza in fresh herbs from the garden:

As Martha would say: it was a good thing.

I do wish Blake well.  I wonder who will be the Martha to the next generation - who will teach young women about all things home keeping?

Given that I am 20 years younger than Martha I am fearful of the day she leaves me.

When I needed a new family doctor a couple of years ago, I chose one 20 years younger than me - given my plan to live to be 93, I was pretty sure he could 'see me out'.  Do we think Martha can live to be 113?

I sure hope so....

Have a great day out there!

xoxo wendy