Tri-Pepper Pizza

Why is it that whenever I need a certain ingredient the store is OUT of it? And then the next time (when I most definitely DO NOT need said ingredient) the shelves will be overflowing with it-and it will be on sale! Today it was limes. Trader Joe's always carries these cute little bags of limes. You get around 8 limes for less than a dollar. A steal. But today (I was shopping on a Saturday, so I should have expected the worst) they were out. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Wait, yes they did have limes. They had a bag containing half as many organic limes for three and a half times the price. I'm too lazy to do the math, but I know that's not a good deal.

One minute a store is stocked with an overabundance of something and the next it's nowhere to be found. Did all of the west side of Richmond decide to make limeade this weekend? So it goes every week with something on my list.

While I'm on my rant, I came across this hilarious blog post last night. Dustin and I laughed because we so closely identified with its author. She lists her pet peeves, most of which I share. You could add stores who run out of cheap limes to the list. She's also very correct in her assertion that people have no right to negatively rate/review a recipe after they have altered it to the point that it is unrecognizable. You find this a lot on popular recipe sharing sights (e.g. AllRecipes.com). Instead of whining that things didn't turn out, perhaps the reviewer should say: "I made a version of this recipe that was nothing like the original and because of my own bad judgment it turned out terrible. But this reflects nothing on the original recipe because it might actually be good. I wouldn't know." If you ruin something, own up to it. Or better yet- keep it to yourself and let the rest of us enjoy our dinner.

Now that I'm done venting, a word about this pizza. It came about as a way to use up a pile of leftover peppers. But magically, it turned out incredibly good! Dressing the veggies in Italian herbs and olive oil made them extra delectable and the feta adds another unique element.

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pizza dough
3 different colored small bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow)
1/2 red onion, sliced into rings
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs (I used a blend of oregano and herbs de Provence)
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
baby spinach (optional)
cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1/2 cup Feta, crumbled
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions.

2. While the dough is rising, in a large bowl toss together the peppers, onions, garlic, dried herbs, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F. Top formed crust with vegetable mixture, spinach (optional), and mushrooms (optional). Spread a layer of mozzarella over the vegetables and sprinkle the feta on top. Season with black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes (optional).

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the crust has puffed and browned and the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 large pizza.

(Adapted from All Recipes)